So to sum up my week, here is my email to President...
"What an INCREDIBLE week.
I love being a missionary. I don't know what else to say.
President!! These people are incredible. The amount of passion I see in the members here for the salvation of souls makes me so excited!! It's seriously contagious. We have a miracle story with our investigator Sister นิด. She accepted a baptismal date yesterday, and we are so excited for her! First dater of the transfer. It was crazy because she was on the verge of being dropped, because she wasn't progressing, but we still decided to try to invite her to Book of Mormon class this last Friday. She had stood up our last 4 appointments so we were figuring it was near the end. But this last ditch effort to invite her to come to BOM class worked!! She showed up and proceeded to sit through the most spiritually led BOM class we have ever had. At the end of the class, she told us that she has NEVER had a desire to read a book in her life, but that during this class she felt this type of urgency to read the BOM to the end. And that if she read it, her life would get so much better. These are her words not mine. I was so impressed. I felt the spirit so strong testify to me again of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It made me so excited. Then she finally came to church for the first time this last Sunday! Normally she would say she would goto church and not make it because she would sleep in. But this time she GOT UP and came! Stayed all 3 hours, and learned with us after. What I can't believe is that this small change in this beautiful daughter of God's life has given me more happiness than making the game winning shot in a basketball game could ever make me. SERIOUSLY. I didn't know you could feel like kind of happiness. I love this Sister so much PRESIDENT! :) How is that even possible. I barely met her and I can't even speak her language. 555 She's still pretty timid and scared, but I am so ready to be there for her in EVERY aspect of her conversion. I love her.
Thank you for your example, and for your diligence!!
Sister Burbank"
Love is a powerful emotion. So much more powerful than fear. Which my mission has been full of. But I think now, I can truly understand the meaning of Moroni 8:16. Perfect love (the love of Jesus Christ) literally casteth out all fear. I feel unstoppable. Everyday is just bliss. Sister Ong is my STL and yesterday she asked each companionship to share one thing that they are afraid of as a missionary, and I honestly couldn't think of a single thing. I am not afraid of the future. I am not insecure. I am not wallowing in my mistakes. I simply get back up and try again every time I fall short of perfection. And THAT is the beauty of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I still make mistakes. I still have weaknesses, but I am not afraid of them. I am GRATEFUL for them. Just like Ether 12:27. I have weaknesses to keep me humble. Which is a BLESSING. Being humbled is such a blessing to me. It's not an insecure feeling, it is a "grateful" feeling. It reminds me again of how dependent I really am on the Grace of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
SO EMBRACE IT. Embrace the Awkward. Embrace the Ridicule. Embrace the exhaustion and the pain and the disappointments. Because every single time you fall, CHRIST is there to lift you. Literally EVERY SINGLE TIME. I love my Savior. I have so much faith in this plan of redemption its pretty much impossible to fathom. How lucky are we that we have been brought to the knowledge of our Savior? Life is good. I don't know what else to say. I feel like my future is bright, and no matter how much pain and struggles I have on this mission, that will always be true. Because the future is bright for EVERYONE who trusts in their Heavenly Fathers plan for them. Just OBEY.
จบ
Love you all!
Sister Burbank
P.S. I feel like my new motto for my mission now is "Just Embrace It"
Pictures:
New Fridge!! Seriously had to keep all our food at the Elders apt. the last few days. So nice to finally have a fridge. Unfortunately the only color they had was orange. So how our Blue and Orange apt looks like a Popsicle stand. But at least it brightens up my day everytime I walk in. 555
Brother Soo and Sister แนน I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. They acted like companions that day and taught us the POS, got to love RC'S.
I LOVE THE NELSONS. Little piece of home. Sorry I didn't get pictures with the Almonds. I ate them all too fast. Literally...Im not even joking.
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Clothes hanging to dry.
Bangkok apartment
Elders balcony below
View from our Bangkok apartment
