I have officially completed my first transfer in the field! It feels pretty weird-- some days, I feel like I just got here. On others, I feel like I've been here for months already. Every day has been good, though. I love being on a mission.
This week, we had a baptism! It was for a woman named Sister แข, who is a total rock. She found the church back in November, I think, by walking into the Bangkapi chapel out of curiosity. How awesome is that? When I met her, she had already finished learning all the lessons and was ready to be baptized. She has a really hectic schedule because her kids play competitive sports, so she just needed to find the right day. The day she chose was last Sunday, so I got to participate in my first baptismal program here in the field! She was so excited to finally become a member of the church. It was a great, happy day.
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Baptism day!
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| Everyone wanted pictures! That's the bishop, his wife, and one of his sons on the right.
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So, this Sunday, we filled up the baptismal font for Sister แข's baptism, right? When you leave the church after a baptism, you have to make sure that the font is completely drained or it can create a hazard (so we're told.) Anyway, this week, we ran into some difficulty trying to empty the font. I think you normally just press a little button and it drains on its own. That definitely wasn't happening this week! After trying to find different ways to get the drain working, we had to get creative. Everyone grabbed buckets and trash cans and started emptying the font the old-fashioned way. We were throwing the water into the girls' bathroom, which has a working drain. We all got pretty soaked, because water was being thrown in through both door openings in the bathroom. It might have turned into a tiny water fight... or, at least, people weren't aiming too carefully when they released their buckets. If there was a person in the way, you had to just sacrifice them for the greater good.
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| The girls' bathroom during operation Font Drain. |
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| MOST of the water made it into the girls' bathroom.. |
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| That's a trash can that I'm holding... super handy |
Everything here is going great. Bangkapi definitely feels like a home away from home now. Even though things are good, this week is a little sad because I'm losing my trainer/mom, Sister Tukuafu-- she's headed to the International Ward in Asoke! (where the mission office is.) She's so great. I have never heard her say a mean word about anyone. Not once. She loves everyone and they love her right back. She's exceptional!
Okay, and, finally, I want to talk about the Worldwide Young Adult devotional that was given this last week by people who are near and dear to my heart. Uncle Patrick and Aunt Jen! You did an amazing job. We got to listen to the broadcast and I picked out so many messages that I want to share with people here in Bangkapi. I loved what Aunt Jen said-- something to the effect of,"You are enough. Heavenly Father loves you right now in your beautiful messiness. But He loves you too much to let you remain the way you are. He has much bigger plans for you." And Uncle Patrick covered something else that I loved: "Helping others is the antidote to a gloomy, self-obsessed state." Both really insightful, amazing talks. If you haven't seen the devotional yet, I'd encourage you to. You will definitely leave feeling inspired and uplifted.
Well, I love you all! Thanks for being the awesome people that you are.
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms, especially my own mother! I'll never forget something our Stake President, President Buie, said in a Mother's Day talk a few years ago: "If I have any good qualities, they were developed in me by my mother." (Something like that.) That comment resonates with me completely, because I've got the best mom ever. She's been so good to me and so patient with me for my whole life. I love her with my whole heart and then some.
Okay, have a great week, everyone! Remember who you are and what you stand for.
Love always,
Sister Harris
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| On our way to Chonburi for Pday! |
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| Chonburi |
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| Sister Tukuafu & I & our investigator, Sister Jumpoon. |
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| Arriving at Chonburi |
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| These things were EVERYWHERE on our hike. That one's probably a solid six inches long-- and it wasn't the biggest one we saw. YUK |
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| Um... so Thailand's the coolest place on earth. |
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| No filterrrr |
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| With Sister Jumpoon again. |
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| Thailand is so colorful! |
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| Pretty sure we discovered a new insect species. |
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| The districttt |
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| We got to visit a beach! Woo-hoo! |
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| Eating lunch with the elders' investigator, Brother Joe. |
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| Sister Lilly! |
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| At the food court at the Mall Bangkapi |
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| Visiting Sister Zaffia, who has influenza right now. |
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