Saphaan Sung 9.9.13

Dear Family!

Life is grand.  Yesterday Saphaansung became a ward.  Yeah.  Big news.  Also we had 132 people at church.  Normally we get about 90.  17 of those people were our investigators.  The chapel was full.  They had to bring in extra chairs from classrooms to set up in the chapel.  It was a big day.

Thailand is really close to having multiple stakes.  The only thing we are lacking is full tithe paying Melchizedek priesthood holders.  So President Senior has asked us to share tithing with everyone.  All the time.  He wants us to be bold in promising blessings as we encourage members to continue paying tithing.  Usually we share 3 Nephi 24:10 and talk about the windows of heaven being opened and blessings cascading down on us.  Well we saw those blessings in our own work too (17 investies at church).

4 members of the mountain tribe attended all with baptismal dates for the end of the month.  The family of 3 that came last week came again.  3 Indian people who are studying at a nearby college (E. Campbell met them when we were advertising our English class there).  Su and two of her kids came as well.  In the end, we had a bunch of people at church.  It was sweet.  We were truly blessed with success this week.

The Birdwoman:  Tuesday.  English Class.  I was teaching a class with one member while E. Campbell was welcoming new people with another member.  As told to me by E. Campbell, halfway through the class they hear this screaming from the parking lot.  E. Campbell and the member go to investigate.  They find this woman calling God down from heaven.  E. Campbell asks if she is drunk.  She says no.  So he asks again.  She assures him she is sober.  So his next question, "do you want to be baptized?"  Within a few minutes he and his member companion are teaching her in an empty classroom.  She agrees to a baptismal date.  Her name is Nok, which means bird.  I was pretty amazed at the story when he told me after.  Wednesday we met the Nokster.  She was hilarious.  Her whole demeanor was like a bird.  She spoke with her eyes wide open and twitched her head as she spoke.  She told us she had seen God beckoning her to come to this church.  Yes.  So we taught her the restoration.  Every so often she would go on these crazy rants with her eyes bulging out of her skull looking off into space, then stop suddenly and ask what else did we have to teach.  It was nuts.  I was using all my energy to keep from laughing.  Turns out the next day she found some anti stuff online and doesn't want to meet us again.  She said if God guides her to us again then she will meet us. 

The gospel is true.  I know it.  Even when people I meet reject our message I still know that what I teach is the truth.  Christ atoned for our sins.  Because of His sacrifice we can repent and be baptized for remission of sins.  The priesthood authority to baptize was lost.  Christ restored it through Joseph Smith.  How do I know?  I asked God.  He answered me by the power of the Holy Ghost.  It is that simple.  I asked.  He answered.  What others say, yell, grunt at me doesn't change the fact that I received an answer from God about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel.  These things are true.

Nutshell: This week rocked.  Our area blew up.  It's like God opened the windows of heaven and dropped a success bomb on us.  He sure does love us.

I love you all!

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only

Katie...Phrae is probably the farthest province from where I am right now...sorry.  I saw some hammocks while I was in Chiangmai that were made by the mtn tribes but didn't buy it because I didn't want to lug it around for 1.5 years.