ASOKE! Not that that means anything to you. I am literally in the biggest, most urban part of Thailand.
I'm actually an international sister, meaning I teach everyone that speaks English. No more Thai for me at this moment. My new companion is Sister Naryanan, and Sister Sumita. Yes I am in a threesome again, but only for four more days. Sister Sumita is a native Thai. She was waiting for over eight months to go on her mission, so they let her enter the mission one month before she went to the MTC. She is so cute. I will miss her. She is already a fantastic missionary. I hope I have the opportunity to serve with her again. Sister Narayanan is from California, but she was born in India. She speaks Tamul, a language I did not know existed before my mission. She is so amazing; she hadn't spoken Tamul in 8 years before her mission, and now she's speaking like nothing.
So church in English: alot weirder than I thought it would be. I did have to translate for Sister Sumita, so I still got my Thai in for the day. In the Asoke international ward we have people from all over the world. ALL over the world. Pakistan, England, Australia, America, France, Germany, India, Africa, Japan. Just to name a few places. I have heard prayers in many, many languages just this week.
We also had a baptism this week. His name is Sato. He is from Japan. We taught him all the commandments in one lesson, and he was just like, " Okay, I will follow these." He didn't bat an eyelash when we taught tithing. He has great faith. Oh, funny thing - we taught him with President Senior, (the mission president), because President served his mission in Japan and he still remembers his Japanese. Sato's English is really good, but sometimes he doesn't understand words like tithing. Not a commonly used English word.
We are sharing a house with the din dang sisters. Elders used to be in that area, but now there are sisters! Too bad our apartment is one room, and one bathroom. I will send pictures. There is no free space. no.free.space. and we haven't unpacked because we are going to move houses. We're all four going to live together, including Sister Carter, and Sister Sahagen. Sister Carter was in my group at the MTC, but a different district. I was worried, because four-sister houses sound like a great opportunity to gossip and backbite.... but I know that won't be a problem with these sisters.
That's about it. All of Bangkok is our responsibility. We go all over Bangkok. We travel so much.
Culture Time!
There are a lot of refugees in Thailand because it is very easy to get in, then let your visa expire. There are alot of Christians from the middle east here because they were in danger for their lives where they were. Some got shot at, some people's houses got bombed and there was literally nothing left. These people went through fire and flame for their faith.
Which I guess leads me to my spiritual thought, as requested by mother:
I've taught people that with God everything is possible - I've taught people God is our loving father. But these people that have lost or given up everything to worship the true God, their example will never leave me. One of our investigators literally said, "Yeah, maybe people will kill me because I've changed religions, (he was Muslim), but I am right with God. It will be okay." I've seen alot of people here in Thailand that have said changing religions from Buddhist to Christian is too hard. These people in Asoke have reminded me that no, no it's not. This gospel is worth every sacrifice.
Love,
Sister Barber
I'm actually an international sister, meaning I teach everyone that speaks English. No more Thai for me at this moment. My new companion is Sister Naryanan, and Sister Sumita. Yes I am in a threesome again, but only for four more days. Sister Sumita is a native Thai. She was waiting for over eight months to go on her mission, so they let her enter the mission one month before she went to the MTC. She is so cute. I will miss her. She is already a fantastic missionary. I hope I have the opportunity to serve with her again. Sister Narayanan is from California, but she was born in India. She speaks Tamul, a language I did not know existed before my mission. She is so amazing; she hadn't spoken Tamul in 8 years before her mission, and now she's speaking like nothing.
So church in English: alot weirder than I thought it would be. I did have to translate for Sister Sumita, so I still got my Thai in for the day. In the Asoke international ward we have people from all over the world. ALL over the world. Pakistan, England, Australia, America, France, Germany, India, Africa, Japan. Just to name a few places. I have heard prayers in many, many languages just this week.
We also had a baptism this week. His name is Sato. He is from Japan. We taught him all the commandments in one lesson, and he was just like, " Okay, I will follow these." He didn't bat an eyelash when we taught tithing. He has great faith. Oh, funny thing - we taught him with President Senior, (the mission president), because President served his mission in Japan and he still remembers his Japanese. Sato's English is really good, but sometimes he doesn't understand words like tithing. Not a commonly used English word.
We are sharing a house with the din dang sisters. Elders used to be in that area, but now there are sisters! Too bad our apartment is one room, and one bathroom. I will send pictures. There is no free space. no.free.space. and we haven't unpacked because we are going to move houses. We're all four going to live together, including Sister Carter, and Sister Sahagen. Sister Carter was in my group at the MTC, but a different district. I was worried, because four-sister houses sound like a great opportunity to gossip and backbite.... but I know that won't be a problem with these sisters.
That's about it. All of Bangkok is our responsibility. We go all over Bangkok. We travel so much.
Culture Time!
There are a lot of refugees in Thailand because it is very easy to get in, then let your visa expire. There are alot of Christians from the middle east here because they were in danger for their lives where they were. Some got shot at, some people's houses got bombed and there was literally nothing left. These people went through fire and flame for their faith.
Which I guess leads me to my spiritual thought, as requested by mother:
I've taught people that with God everything is possible - I've taught people God is our loving father. But these people that have lost or given up everything to worship the true God, their example will never leave me. One of our investigators literally said, "Yeah, maybe people will kill me because I've changed religions, (he was Muslim), but I am right with God. It will be okay." I've seen alot of people here in Thailand that have said changing religions from Buddhist to Christian is too hard. These people in Asoke have reminded me that no, no it's not. This gospel is worth every sacrifice.
Love,
Sister Barber