So, the water festival is called Songkrang. it is pure madness. I'm sure it was worse in less bussy areas of Thailand, but even in down town Asoke, it was MADNESS. People would drive around on the back of trucks with water guns, buckets, and barrels of water and unload water on whoever they passed. people would be camped out next to water sources and douse any one who walked past, or drove past. the motorcyclist got it the worst. Then there were huge areas where there was water out for any one to use and people would just soak each other. Everyone had water guns or buckets. I don't have any of my own pictures, because I do not have a water proof cameras, but my companion got a few. I will get them for her. I could not have looked any more wet if I had just walked out of a swimming pool. The down side is that everyone aimed for your eyes, so I suggest that anyone who comes to Thailand for songkrang buys goggles unless they want very very red eyes at the end of the day. And mother asked why do they have songkrang? Because Thailand is terribly hot, and that is supposed to be the hottest 3 days in Thailand. So what better way to celebrate then to have a giant water fight! Oh so we only "played" songkrang on Monday, but it went until Tuesday. We stayed mercifully dry the rest of the week, mainly because we are in Asoke, so many of the people were going to work, and the people knew better than to get them wet.
So in our mission there is something called "balanced key indicators." Every week we should have 3 new investigators, 3 people with baptismal dates, 3 progressing investigators, and 12 lessons with a member present/recent convert lessons. It's like the stranded. President Senior explained it like seeing how high you can jump. If you don't mark how high you can, how can you improve? Anyway, it's great because it helps me to see what I need to work on and stuff. The point of me telling you this is that we have not had one person with a goal to be baptized since the beginning of April, so for 2 weeks we haven't gotten balanced. and sister du Plessis and I have been so disappointed because we have fantastic investigators, they just wont accept baptismal dates! But this week, in a manor that could only have been arranged by God, we have 3 people that have a date to be baptized. (: one of them is sister Avina. I LOVE HER. I told you about her a little last week. Seeing her and how committed she is to follow God is amazing. I love her! She needs God in her life so much! God really can heal us of our past. Then this friend of a member came to church, and he accepted a date on the first lesson, then we called this referral, and he's like yeah I really think this church is right, so me and my wife and family want to learn and be baptized. they have a date (: God is good.
OH! it's transfer week. So maybe next time I e-mail you I will some new, exotic place! or still here in Asoke. We'll see. transfers is so hard. I love the people here so much, I love sister du Plessis, she is one of the most amazing people ever. I LOVE the sisters that are in our house right now. life is just so good, but to move is so exciting! good thing I don't have to make the decision!
Culture lesson!: Thai people when given the choose between sitting on a chair and sitting on the floor will usually choose the floor. They sit with their legs crossed even if they are wearing a skirt, unless it is too short. wow that was a boring one.... hmmm what else can I tell you. Oh! This one might be repeating, but in Buddhism, when you sin what you have to do to get rid of it is do more good. That is why people build huge temples it's because they have sinned really big like killed some one or stole something. But most people just try reallllly hard not to do bad, and also do boon, meaning do good like feed birds, help some one across the street, feed dogs, wai pra (meaning wai gods), give money to temples, have their sons be monks. yep.
Spiritual lesson: http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694
You may have seen this already, but it is so fantastic. There are too many people that do not know they can be cleansed, be free from sin, from guilt, from hatred, from lonely because of him. This week we explained the atonement to a man we are teaching and we asked him what he thought. He said "it's unbelievable". It really is, until you feel it yourself. as a missionary, I can teach, I can testify, but ultimately my goal is for them to have their own spiritual experience so they KNOW because they have felt that release. What a gift God has given us through his son. What Love Jesus must have for us, to have suffered for us. God would not have taken the choice away from Jesus. Jesus could have said this is too hard.
Last night we ate with the senior, and President Senior shared that nothing was a surprise to God. He knew the Jews would crucify Jesus, the only variable were if the lamb would be unspotted, and if the lamb would go willingly to the slaughter. I know Jesus our Christ did that, and I love him for it.
I love you all, and I am so thankful you write me (even though I neglected all three of my brothers on their missions). I love you and this church is SO TRUE!
love love love,
Sister Barber
So in our mission there is something called "balanced key indicators." Every week we should have 3 new investigators, 3 people with baptismal dates, 3 progressing investigators, and 12 lessons with a member present/recent convert lessons. It's like the stranded. President Senior explained it like seeing how high you can jump. If you don't mark how high you can, how can you improve? Anyway, it's great because it helps me to see what I need to work on and stuff. The point of me telling you this is that we have not had one person with a goal to be baptized since the beginning of April, so for 2 weeks we haven't gotten balanced. and sister du Plessis and I have been so disappointed because we have fantastic investigators, they just wont accept baptismal dates! But this week, in a manor that could only have been arranged by God, we have 3 people that have a date to be baptized. (: one of them is sister Avina. I LOVE HER. I told you about her a little last week. Seeing her and how committed she is to follow God is amazing. I love her! She needs God in her life so much! God really can heal us of our past. Then this friend of a member came to church, and he accepted a date on the first lesson, then we called this referral, and he's like yeah I really think this church is right, so me and my wife and family want to learn and be baptized. they have a date (: God is good.
OH! it's transfer week. So maybe next time I e-mail you I will some new, exotic place! or still here in Asoke. We'll see. transfers is so hard. I love the people here so much, I love sister du Plessis, she is one of the most amazing people ever. I LOVE the sisters that are in our house right now. life is just so good, but to move is so exciting! good thing I don't have to make the decision!
Culture lesson!: Thai people when given the choose between sitting on a chair and sitting on the floor will usually choose the floor. They sit with their legs crossed even if they are wearing a skirt, unless it is too short. wow that was a boring one.... hmmm what else can I tell you. Oh! This one might be repeating, but in Buddhism, when you sin what you have to do to get rid of it is do more good. That is why people build huge temples it's because they have sinned really big like killed some one or stole something. But most people just try reallllly hard not to do bad, and also do boon, meaning do good like feed birds, help some one across the street, feed dogs, wai pra (meaning wai gods), give money to temples, have their sons be monks. yep.
Spiritual lesson: http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694
You may have seen this already, but it is so fantastic. There are too many people that do not know they can be cleansed, be free from sin, from guilt, from hatred, from lonely because of him. This week we explained the atonement to a man we are teaching and we asked him what he thought. He said "it's unbelievable". It really is, until you feel it yourself. as a missionary, I can teach, I can testify, but ultimately my goal is for them to have their own spiritual experience so they KNOW because they have felt that release. What a gift God has given us through his son. What Love Jesus must have for us, to have suffered for us. God would not have taken the choice away from Jesus. Jesus could have said this is too hard.
Last night we ate with the senior, and President Senior shared that nothing was a surprise to God. He knew the Jews would crucify Jesus, the only variable were if the lamb would be unspotted, and if the lamb would go willingly to the slaughter. I know Jesus our Christ did that, and I love him for it.
I love you all, and I am so thankful you write me (even though I neglected all three of my brothers on their missions). I love you and this church is SO TRUE!
love love love,
Sister Barber