Outer Ring Road (Ch 32)

Isabelle Joy Harris	Sun, Nov 11, 6:43 PM (4 days ago)
to me

สวัสดี​ค่ะ​ทุกคน

I am still loving it here in Chiang Mai! 

My companion and I have been working hard to find investigators in our area this week. We are in the outer parts of Chiang Mai--what might lovingly be referred to as the "boonies." It's a huge area, and we bike harrrrrd. 

Friends outside our door

We found out this week there's a possibility that the two of us get pulled out of Chiang Mai to fill spaces. There are some sisters in the mission who might need to go home soon for health reasons. If that ends up happening, Sister Pluem and I might be transferred to their spots. Hopefully it doesn't happen, because we are about to light this area up!

I decided to fast one day this week for extra power as we're opening up a new area. I also asked the Lord to help us find someone who will join the Church. On that day, we met a woman named Oh and her fifteen-year-old daughter. Both of them are Christian already. We taught them the Restoration and they were very engaged--they definitely absorbed what we said. They told us they would come to Church this week. I think they have real potential (even though they didn't end up being able to come to Church) and I'm grateful to the Lord for putting them in our path!

So that's something else that's been on my mind this week. What counts as a miracle? Was it a miracle that we met Sister Oh and her daughter even though they weren't able to come to church? Why do some things look like miracles at first and then end up not working out?

Well, after many hours of pondering this on my bicycle (I turn into Socrates on my bike, if you're wondering. I don't know why. I spend most of the day trying to string a coherent sentence together, but get me on my bike and all of the sudden I'm pondering foreordination and the nature of humanity and why the sky is blue. And we have lots of time to bike...) I came up with my answer. To me, a miracle is a visible sign of God's love for His children, no matter what form it comes in. Finding Sister Oh was a miracle. The Lord led us to her house because He loves us and He loves her. No matter what happens in the future, the Lord gave us the gift of a first meeting. The rest is up to her agency and our agency. And, sometimes, I think miracles work like seeds. When we met Sister Oh, a miracle seed was planted. If she chooses to learn with us and accept the gospel, she will water that seed and it will bloom into something wonderful. If she decides that today is not her day for learning, it will be sad. But there will still be a seed. Maybe she will meet missionaries in another 20 years or remember our message in a time of trial and seek us out--who knows? And at that time, she will add water to the seed that is lying in wait. Then the miracle will come to fruition. So, yes, I know we see miracles daily. God's hand is evident in our lives. Sometimes, though, we just lay down miracle seeds.

I love this work. Another thing I used to wonder is, "If the gospel is true, why doesn't everyone just accept it right off the bat? Why isn't everyone a member of the Church?" I have learned the answer to that question through some (kinda sad) personal experience.

There are lots of people out there who just don't really care. They don't wonder where they come from, they don't think about why they are here, and they're resigned to going wherever they go when they die. For those people, our message falls on deaf ears. It's so hard. I want to give them all the wonderful, life-changing truth we have, but I can't.

Here's what I do know: those honest seekers of truth who have the opportunity to learn about the gospel will receive a witness that it is true. Every single one of them. This gospel will ring true in the hearts of those who have done the necessary preparation to receive its message. Every time.

I know this gospel is true. I really, really do. There just is no other way. Christ lives and loves us. His Atonement can cleanse us, change us, and allow us to turn our back on the mistakes of the past. I am so grateful to Him and for the amazing opportunity I've been given to be His servant as a missionary! I love Him so very much! 

I love you all, too! Thank you for your great examples in my life. You are amazing. 

With great love, 

Sister Harris