This week is the water festival! So, so many people are from out of town.
But we also got see conference! And it was fantastic. Elder Uchdorf gave a fantastic talk about gratitude that is so true. I love when he said that, " When you have more things, you should not be more grateful. You should be grateful for your circumstances, not your things. Things go away." So very true. I loves it. Also loved President Holland's talk (of course). I loved how he talked about being a disciple of Christ, and how that will often not be comfortable. Also how we make God in our image. We want God to understand, this is just the way I am, but that's so opposite with everything God has given us. The atonement, the greatest gift God has given the world, is right- down- to- the- core the ability to change, but only if we use it. Then I loved the talk about how we are like horses (heehee) but it's so true. The first time a horse feels a bit, it's weird and new and strange. It's like us, but we have to learn, so the slightest touch from the Holy Ghost will impel us to act.
Okay, I'm sure you don't want to hear about conference because y'all have seen it already.
What happened this week: hmmm.... well, we are teaching about five different Chinese people that don't know one another. One of them lived through the cultural revolution, and is just looking to understand life. It was quite amazing what all happened with her. She was very quiet and reserved, but then through a bunch of "coincidences" guided by God, she ended up eating with us at this member's house, with this other member from China, and she opened up, and shared experiences she hadn't talked about with anyone. The member whose house we went to, her name is Sister Phelps, she served in Taiwan, and I think she might send Mom some pictures. Anyway, she is such an amazing woman. She's so intensely spiritual, but then I realized how loving and excited to live she is. It was just an amazing experience.
And, yeah, this week was odd, because so many people are out of town for the water festival, which is also the Thai new year. It's huge and I'll talk more about it in the culture moment. We also have no one with a date to get baptized ): we have many many investigators, but these people with their crazy ideas about taking time to get baptized. maybe it's just our mission, but I've never seen one person that, after learning everything they need to know before baptism, and said they "needed time" - actually got baptized. Funny how that works. But hopefully they all continue to progress.
Culture time!: so the Thai new year is actually a three day long water fight. EVERYONE goes home and almost every shop is closed because the whole of Thailand is out dumping water on people, and also this white powder, but mostly water. I'm sorry, I will not have any pictures of it because I don't want to risk my camera, and NO ONE is safe from the water. No one. We are actually going to go join in the festivity today. We are also supposed to be in our houses by 7:00 until Wednesday because there are so many drunk people.
Spiritual lesson: Yyou kinda already got it. but oh well. here's another! Listen to conference. You've probably already done this, now do it again! You don't have to watch it all at once, but don't just watch it once a year. We need to be hearers of the word of God. Also, lets do what they ask! I can't do family history, because I'm on a mission, but when I get back, I really want to. I want to call the church by it's full name more often, there are so many things that the prophet and apostles suggested to us to do, let's do them! Let us be hearers, and doers as well.
I love you all! I'm so proud of my family. You are all amazing examples to me, of strength, of priesthood, of motherhood, of empathy, of love.
Love you!
Sister Barber
But we also got see conference! And it was fantastic. Elder Uchdorf gave a fantastic talk about gratitude that is so true. I love when he said that, " When you have more things, you should not be more grateful. You should be grateful for your circumstances, not your things. Things go away." So very true. I loves it. Also loved President Holland's talk (of course). I loved how he talked about being a disciple of Christ, and how that will often not be comfortable. Also how we make God in our image. We want God to understand, this is just the way I am, but that's so opposite with everything God has given us. The atonement, the greatest gift God has given the world, is right- down- to- the- core the ability to change, but only if we use it. Then I loved the talk about how we are like horses (heehee) but it's so true. The first time a horse feels a bit, it's weird and new and strange. It's like us, but we have to learn, so the slightest touch from the Holy Ghost will impel us to act.
Okay, I'm sure you don't want to hear about conference because y'all have seen it already.
What happened this week: hmmm.... well, we are teaching about five different Chinese people that don't know one another. One of them lived through the cultural revolution, and is just looking to understand life. It was quite amazing what all happened with her. She was very quiet and reserved, but then through a bunch of "coincidences" guided by God, she ended up eating with us at this member's house, with this other member from China, and she opened up, and shared experiences she hadn't talked about with anyone. The member whose house we went to, her name is Sister Phelps, she served in Taiwan, and I think she might send Mom some pictures. Anyway, she is such an amazing woman. She's so intensely spiritual, but then I realized how loving and excited to live she is. It was just an amazing experience.
And, yeah, this week was odd, because so many people are out of town for the water festival, which is also the Thai new year. It's huge and I'll talk more about it in the culture moment. We also have no one with a date to get baptized ): we have many many investigators, but these people with their crazy ideas about taking time to get baptized. maybe it's just our mission, but I've never seen one person that, after learning everything they need to know before baptism, and said they "needed time" - actually got baptized. Funny how that works. But hopefully they all continue to progress.
Culture time!: so the Thai new year is actually a three day long water fight. EVERYONE goes home and almost every shop is closed because the whole of Thailand is out dumping water on people, and also this white powder, but mostly water. I'm sorry, I will not have any pictures of it because I don't want to risk my camera, and NO ONE is safe from the water. No one. We are actually going to go join in the festivity today. We are also supposed to be in our houses by 7:00 until Wednesday because there are so many drunk people.
Spiritual lesson: Yyou kinda already got it. but oh well. here's another! Listen to conference. You've probably already done this, now do it again! You don't have to watch it all at once, but don't just watch it once a year. We need to be hearers of the word of God. Also, lets do what they ask! I can't do family history, because I'm on a mission, but when I get back, I really want to. I want to call the church by it's full name more often, there are so many things that the prophet and apostles suggested to us to do, let's do them! Let us be hearers, and doers as well.
I love you all! I'm so proud of my family. You are all amazing examples to me, of strength, of priesthood, of motherhood, of empathy, of love.
Love you!
Sister Barber