Thon-BAPTISM

December 18, 2018

December 11th, 2018
1 year, 6 months
Thailand, Bangkok, Thonburi Ward

samuel.montague@myldsmail.net

Wow hello friends and family. This is greetings from Thonburi, Thailand where I will be staying for the next transfer (I'm here for another 6 weeks)! We had our transfer calls this last evening and only 1 person is moving out of our district. 5 of us are staying. I was pretty sure my companion and I would be staying together, because we haven't been having any problems and the area has been going great. I wasn't expecting that the rest of the district not to change though 555. I love change and I guess this is a change from normal. Because we are all staying together again. The Lord certainly has lessons in store for me!

This past week and a half as a district we have really put a big focus on serving. We have gone to members houses and gone caroling to their neighbors with them. One of the people learning with us, Top, has a very messy house. He has kinda put his life into a time loop since his mom died 5 months ago and hasn't been cleaning up or anything. Also his mom was a hoarder and he exhibits some of the traits also. We have gone over twice now to help him clean and we are planning more more trips in the future. There is just so much more work than we anticipated. We do it with love though, because a clean house makes way for easier access to the spirit!

You know, I'm not sure all of what we've been doing. There have been definite full days, days where we have too much and don't get everything in, days where we have 3 different appointments to go to. The Lord is blessing us and filling our time.

SUNDAY
A very special day.
We got to church really early and Gan and Saran were the first one's there with their dad! In the time leading up to sacrament we were running around doing last minute sacrament preparation, filling out baptismal records, making a baptismal program, getting our kids to come (Chok and Cartoon came much later than they said they would). Sacrament meeting was the primary program. Before it started I offered myself to be a speaker to the Primary President (since we've been working with them so much) out of concern that they wouldn't fill the entire meeting with just their 3 prepared songs and children speakers. The Primary President said they were good . . . but later asked me to give a 15 minute talk with 5 minutes to prepare 555. The talk came out nice though; I focused on how Jesus said we should be child-like (not childish). What this qualifies as and how we get there through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They cancelled 3rd hour because a bike race was going to close most major roads at 12. So that's when we had our Baptism! That morning Gan and Saran's dad, returning member Brother Lag, received the Aaronic Priesthood and then he baptized his sons! It was such a sweet service and everyone felt the family love! Honestly I'm the blessed one to have known and seen the change in the family as they embraced the Gospel.

Tomorrow all of the Sisters that entered into the MTC in our group will have officially left the mission. I will start my "6 months countdown", the last leg of my mission. From when I attended collage, a lot of my BYU friends and Family Home Evening sisters are also all now returning home. It's an interesting, weird, nostalgic feeling. I'm glad I get to be here for at least a little more though. I'm not ready for post mission yet.

If y'all haven't check it out yet, the 2019 Mutual album is