Sunset in Mahasarakham!!! It is beautiful here!HI!
Today is great. Nice beautiful day. It almost feels like cold season is here... (about 90 degrees)
Yesterday was a really hard day. We worked really hard so I am still kinda in a daze. We had 8 teaching appointments.
Today I'd like to talk about Prayer and Fasting. Hopefully I will have time.
Last week we received a forwarded letter from President Smith from a lady named Coleen. She is about 70 years-old and lives in Salt Lake. She served a English service mission here in Mahasarakham about 10 years ago. She felt impressed to sent us the names and addresses of two people that she has kept in-contact with here in Mahasarakham.
We had the opportunity to go visit the first family this Monday. The fathers name is Somchaay and he lives in a neighborhood that we have been inviting a lot in the last few weeks.
We got to his house at around 6:00 P.M. We really weren't sure what to do. Coleen told us in the letter that we should try to approach the situation as casually as possible. She didn't want him to know that she had given us his information. She was hoping that we could simply walk by his house and accidently run into him.
We were hoping the same thing as well. We got to his house and it was very dark. We weren't sure if anyone even lived in the house. We thought that we should call President Smith and ask him how we should handle the situation. We called him, but the call didn't go through. So we decided to say a prayer instead. (duh, why didn't we think of that first?)
I said the prayer. I asked God to lead us by the Spirit so that we would know what to do.
When I said "Amen" I heard a light go on in his house. The front-door opened and a man walked out. We walked over to his gate and said hi to him. He eagerly invited us to come in and sit down.
As we went back into his backyard I received the impression that I was supposed to leave my backpack on my bike. I hesitated but I left it there.
We went into his backyard and chatted for a bit. We started talking about relgion. He is a fairly devout Buddhist. We talked about religion and beliefs for about 30 minutes. He seemed fairly interested. We asked him if we could come back another day and he said no.
It was fairly surprising. I know we followed the Spirit and that we were led to that man. We did everything we were supposed to. As we were leaving we wanted to leave him a pamphlet to read. Elder Nance reached into his bag to give him a "Restoration" pamphlet. He was out of Restoaration pamphlets. He asked if I had one, I told him I had left my backpack on my bike.
So instead Elder Nance gave him a "Plan of Salvation" pamphlet. I know that that is what we were supposed to do.
Our prayer was answered. God brought that man to us. The Spirit guided us in teaching him.
Even though it might seem that the occasion was unsuccessful, I have a feeling that we will be seeing Somchaay sometime in the future. Monday he was not ready, but contact has been made; a seed has been planted. I plan on visiting him sometime in the not so distant future.
Next:
There is true power in fasting. Really. God wants to bless us, but He is bound by rules. All we have to do is excercise our faith and then He can bless us.
God is bound by obedience and sacrifice.
We receive blessings through obedience because God has commanded us to do certain things. If we make the choice to follow Him we will be blessed.
Sacrifice works on a very similiar basis. As we give God things that He has not neccesarily asked for, we are entitled to more blessings. Sacrifice is the higher law. As we strive to be perfectly obedient, we can also go above and beyond the call-of-duty through sacrifice. We can give God things that He never, and sometimes can't, ask for.
Fasting is a sacrifice. As we dilligently fast we are entitled to help and revelation. This month I fasted for help with the fluency in the language. I also asked that we would be able to have a baptism this move and next moves. Lastly, I asked that we would be able to find more people to teach.
I can honestly say that God answered my prayers that day. As a companionship we received revelation on how we are able to get 3 or 4 baptisms this moves. Before fasting I would have not of thought it to be possible, but the day after we fasted the plan unfolded in my head as though it was placed there by magic.
We have also been receiving so many people to teach that we do not even have time to schedule appointments with them. We have to simply take their number and call them later when we have time open.
Prayer and Fasting. It works. Try it! Love you all.
Love,
Elder Brown
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