Notes from Zone Conference

​I am so tired. Be it I am tired every single day. However, one thing that I learned is that this "tiredness" goes away as soon as I start working hard. It really is the cure to all things!

Here are some notes from Zone Conference. They are really just goals I set for myself.

Nothing but your best is enough. Teach boldly and simply in every lesson. Testify of the living Christ without any reservations. I need to become more converted myself. Grow in my desire to serve free willingly. Make the sacrament more meaningful to me.

Especially the last one. Too often do I overlook the significance of the sacrament.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend a Bible Study with Seventh Day Adventist's. They were from the Philippines and an hour late to our appointment so I was getting a little frustrated with them. However, I'm glad we exercised patience as they became our really good friends. Initially, it was clearly planned as to how they were trying to "convert" or "persuade" us to the supposed falsehoods of our religion. The spirit of contention was present, and I really just wanted to get out of there. However, I did what I was so called to do. Instead of fighting back, I did what was against my carnal nature. I desperately tried to accept their point of view, stated our point of view, and then testified about something that we could both agree on. That being that Jesus the Christ lives. That we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us and who wants us to be happy more than anything else. It was like magic. The Spirit was back and present in the heart of every man and woman in the room! With the Spirit present, we closed with a prayer and had a delicious dinner. The chicken was soooooo good.

One thing that has taken me quite a while to understand is that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not God's only people. Regardless of religion, race, color, and or everything at all, we are all Sons and Daughters of our loving heavenly father. Being a duly ordained minister for the church, I have had my moments of spiritual pride. Speaking honestly, many of them. However, this new outlook has helped me further and better embrace the Thai culture and people. Rejection hurts less and hope wells up within me in great abundance. There is no greater work on the face of this earth. These past 6 months I would not trade for the world.

I  attached a very short video showing a bit of Asoke and Bangkapi. I will actually make a real, half decent video.....in 18 months when I have a little more time on my hands. I'm really going to miss these kids in this video. They were our investigators although they couldn't get baptized due to the lack of parental consent. I really hope they have the chance to get baptized in the near future. The music is from LDS Youth..haha By the way, we had a baptism two days ago! Will have pictures next week.