Sister Maisie Carrillo: Thailand/Lampang- week 30 Transfer's are this week. I trust in the revelation that president receives for transfers. It makes me feel better that God really is the one choosing!

Hey Mom!

So this last week we talked Brother Beck into taking us to the caves. He's the craziest driver ever, it's no wonder his car is always in the shop! He's probably one of my favorite members just because he's so funny. Anyways, we got to climb up the mountain to these caves, it was pretty cool!

We stopped along the way to see Buddha!

We got to go to Chiang Mai this week as well for training, that was fun, we just spent the day there inviting. There was a huge Jehovah's Witness conference there, so they were everywhere from around the world. Two of them came up and started talking to us. They were nice! The lady told us that we looked beautiful and thanks for being modest. Haha we thought that was funny. But for the rest of the week we were trying to teach and visit as many people as we could. We've found all the LA's on our lists, now we're just trying to find all the rest of them from the members. We're still meeting with our normal investigators, Sister Meow and her kids! Their kids weren't ready yet to get baptized though. So Sister Meow got baptized and Brother Santi got to baptize her. I also got to speak at her baptism. I thought I was going to be nervous speaking in Thai but I teach the gospel everyday of my life which has made me super good at just winging and sharing random stuff. The blessings of a mission! It was a good day though, their kids made friends at the church and had a good time which was what we wanted more than anything! They're next transfer for sure! Whoever stays here will be able to work with them.

There's a lot of great potential's here in Lampang. We met with this one guy Golf for the first time last week. We'd invited him at the train station once and then found him at the park and invited him again. He decided there must've been a reason we all met again. So he came and he was really good! He really wants to learn more, but the biggest problem is that he lives so far away! I hate it when that happens. He called us last night and asked if we could just send all the lessons to him so he could learn that way because he just doesn't have time to come into the city. He's way good and I hate it when stuff like that happens but it's in Heavenly Father's hands! We get to teach him tomorrow! Excited for that.

The church building!

Soon Lampang will have a building! we're working on it!

We get transfer calls today! I have mixed feelings about all of it. Sister C-Game started crying today when we told her and then I started crying. It's going to be hard but as I've said before, change is good. We all need it. I just don't want it. But wherever God takes me or whoever He puts me with, I know it's because I have something to learn from it. I trust in the revelation that president receives for transfers. It makes me feel better that God really is the one choosing!

This week I read Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk What is Truth? He started out with a poem that went like this:

Six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!¹

I thought about this a lot and how we each have things we've been told or even experiences that shapes our idea of what reality and truth is. They could be totally wrong but they don't know that. They've had experiences and it just makes sense. So how do we know if the things that we know and believe are true? If we rely on our own thoughts and experiences we will forever remain in ignorance, maybe having a little bit of truth here or there. But never having the fullness of the truth. That is why I love the story of a boy, just 14 years old, who asked God where the truth was and if it was true how would he know it. From this came about the restoration of the fullness of the truth that had long been lost since the time of Christ and his apostles. I love this story, and every time I teach this story I tell the investigator that they are exactly like Joseph Smith. We are each seeking for truth. In Moroni 10: 5 he gives the promise that "through the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things." What a great promise! In a world where there are so many places and people that claim to have the truth it'd get super confusing to know who to believe. But we can know for ourselves what truth is when we ask our Heavenly Father. The spirit will help us to recognize the truth. This talk made me think of myself and how I knew these things were true. I've grown up in the church and where some people would say that I've just been brain washed into believing these things, I know that is not true. I know what I have felt. And what I have felt and what the spirit has testified to me is that these things are true. This truly is Christ's restored church here on earth today. The Book of Mormon is true and we have a prophet in our day that leads and guides us. And more than anything, I know that my Redeemer lives. I know of these things for myself that they are true. We always tell the investigators that we don't want them to just believe us, we want them to pray about it and know for themselves that it is true. And when they do know these things to be true, to have faith in Christ and have the faith to follow Him, even when the times are hard or things don't make sense. I will never forget the spirit that I have felt here on my mission and the witness that the spirit has bore to me.

I'm excited for this week! It will be a hard one with the changes that will be made but I trust in my Heavenly Father and know that no matter what comes, I will be able to withstand.

Love you guys, have a good week!!!

-ซ. คาร์ริโย

2 Timothy 4:7