Sunday, December 8, 2013

Asoke 12.7.13

Hello Family

The focus of this week was Missionary Leadership Council.  That consumed all of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  It was a great meeting and everyone is killing it.  Because of the progress of the mission, President Senior wanted to treat the missionary leaders to a little treat.  So after the meeting we went ice skating!  It was a blast.  We tried to replicate the Mighty Ducks when they tied the team up and had them skate together.  We tied neckties together and rounded everyone up.  We were hoping to go with the "come together and move forward" object lesson.  Well it turns out neckties are not the best thing to use when roping missionaries together...the makeshift rope broke.  So we switched the application to "breaking the bonds of Satan" and called it good.  After the skating we hit up a Japanese meat buffet.  It was delicious.

Good News:  Two of our investigators passed their baptismal interview.  YES!  They will get baptized on Sunday.  Their names are Phet and Fon (pronounced phone with a wacky tone).  They are supreme.

Tonight is the ward Christmas party.  They decorated the entire church building.  The walls are covered in fabric making it look like ancient Jerusalem.  Pretty fancy stuff.  The service center set up a Christmas display in the office lobby that explains the true meaning of Christmas.  It has a candy bowl so I love it.  Hotels and shopping malls are setting up lights too.  BKK is looking pretty festive these days.

This week we went to eat a Thanksgiving dinner at the Ungrangsee's house.  They are in the international ward but invited all the missionaries in our house to dinner.  They live on the 27th floor of a condo high rise.  Pretty swanky stuff.  The dinner was amazing!  They had pumpkin pies!  It was tasty business.  Bundit, the dad of the family, is the famous conductor.  He showed us his office and gave us each some copies of the books they have written (apparently he has focused most of his time on writing inspirational books as of late).  It was pretty cool to see all his sweet conducting pictures.  He even conducted Mormon Tabernacle Choir once!  That means he has made it big time in my book.  They sent us home with an entire pie!  Yeah buddy.

Lately I have been studying about Desire.  I have come to the conclusion that desire is the difference between success and failure, in the gospel as well as life.  I realized that God's desire is focused.  It is specific.  He wants one thing: for us to have eternal life with Him.  Everything our Heavenly Father does relates back to that root desire.  His desire is so strong that He is willing to do anything to accomplish His goal.  Even send His only Son to redeem us, making God's goal and design possible.  Looking at successful people, they are filled with a similar desire.  Similar in the fact that they are driven by their desire to make sacrifices in order to achieve their vision.  Of course their sacrifice doesn't compare to the sacrifice of God but the idea is the same.  When we desire something to the point where we make sacrifices to get it, then we can be successful.  God grants us our desires, whether they are evil or good is up to us (Alma 29:4).  So I guess what we need to ask ourselves each day is "What do I truly desire?"  and then go out and rely on the Lord in making it happen.  That concludes my inspirational message for the week.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Life is good.  The Book of Mormon changes lives.

Much Love.

elder m. riley creer


No comments: