serving in the land of smiles: Look, Mom! No hands!!

That's right, folks. I can now ride my bike with NO HANDS. And for long periods of time, too. I've been working on it ever since I was in Lampang and I am finally gang enough that I can do it now. (Gang = skilled, talented, etc.)

This week involved lots of good things. An FHE dinner at which I literally said a prayer of desperation to have room in my stomach for all the food that was presented to me. Lots of riding Shamuu with no hands. Laughing my head off at the stories the elders in Sisaket tell. Miracle baptisms of grandpas turned children’s soccer coaches (more on this in a bit). Drinking Coco Yen (it's like chocolate milk...only better...maybe it's really hot here and maybe Sister Croft and I drink it all the time. It's fine, okay?) and skipping meals because we are so busy. Having investigators bring their friends to church to learn with us, too. Seeing how much I am changing here in Sisket and how much Sister Croft is helping me to be the best missionary that I can be. Spreading the love that Christ has for each of us with anyone I could talk to. It was a good week.

So here we go. This week Sister Croft and I were literally swamped with appointments and with contacting. It's a mission rule that we go contacting for 2 hours every day. It's really hard to make sure it happens when you have a lot of investigators you are trying to help prepare for baptism, but hey. Exact obedience brings miracles, right? And we for sure saw a miracle this week.

Last week Sister Croft and I went contacting in a little park by the church where people go to exercise. An older gentleman named Noy saw us, but he was running around the park 20 times and he couldn't stop to talk. He had to finish his twenty laps. A few days later, he saw us again and set up an appointment to come to the church on Saturday. "I saw you at the park, but I couldn't stop. I had to finish my twenty laps! I have to be in shape to be a good soccer coach for the children!" Haha. He came, talked at us for 20 minutes, told me he couldn't believe that I ride my bike every day and am still fat, and that I didn't speak Thai very well compared to my companion (that happens a lot because Sister Croft is half Taiwanese so people think they can understand her better...) haha. And then he left. I was like, "Huh. That was strange." He showed up to church the next day and was instantly friends with everyone. We taught him all the lessons this week and he was so prepared to receive everything we taught him. At one point, he told us to stop asking him to live the commandments because he was already willing to keep them. Ha. Yesterday in Priesthood the elders said he was leading all the group discussions. He was baptized yesterday and it was probably one of the happiest baptisms of my life. He was so happy and ready. When he bore his testimony after he was baptized, he started by saying, "My fellow saints..." : ) He told us that he could clearly see how God had prepared the path for him to find this church, which is God's true church, which is the only church he will ever be a part of. I congratulated him afterwards and he said to me (in English because, remember, I look like I'm from America so I can't speak Thai), "Beauty...beauty rainbow after rain." :) There is just a lot of joy in my heart about that man joining the church. Oh, he's great.

Another exciting thing that is happening in the world... We recently heard that our contacting approach that we've been using here in Thailand has just begun being used in Poland. POLAND. I can't believe the influence that Thailand is having on the world. The work of the Lord is hastening. Hold on to your seats, folks. The world is about to explode. :)

I love my life here in Sisaket. It's so good. There are prepared people everywhere. You've just got to open your mouth to find them.

All my love,

Sister Hughes (someone said it right this week, and that's weird...)