Thailand Week 50, 27 July 2014

Hey Everyone!

This past week was a big faith building experience for Elder Wright and I.  This whole week we just decided to step it up a notch.  Instead of the two hour contacting minimum we decided to bump it up to 2 and a half hours, we were more diligent about calling our investigators, and just focused more in general.  And we definitely saw the results.  

One of our investigators was our most likely baptism for this week.  And it was all looking good!  But then we called him on I think Thursday, and he said he wouldn't be able to go to church because of a work trip that came up.  His first report was that he wouldn't get back until Monday.  Well we knew that wasn't going to happen, he had to be baptized.  We held up our faith and just didn't even consider that it wasn't going to work out.  On Friday, after a whole day of faith talk and praying we called him again and his schedule was changed and he was supposed to come home on Sunday morning now!  Just in time for church!!  It was such a miracle and a blessing to see him get baptized.  He had been such a quiet investigator, it was hard to gauge him sometimes.  But his testimony about how peaceful he felt chased away any doubts.  And after wards he was able to help us teach his son and it was such a spiritual lesson.  This family of 4 kids and a dad lost their mom a few years ago and now because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ they'll get to be reunited.

This week we're praying and expecting more miracles. and we're going to work even harder for them! 

It looks like you had a ton of fun in Utah!  I remember that one time we played laser tag and I think it was me that gave Hayden a gun muzzle bruise under his eye haha.  

Mom you look good!  Sister Ference looked over at picture last week and guessed that you were my older sister not my mom, true story.  We go running for like 4-5 miles in the morning a few days a week here.  I've lost some office fat I think!  My face looks thinner than before.  But then the members buy us ice cream, fried chicken, and sticky rice.  It's a hard battle.

Dad you have a sweet beard.  After shaving every single day for two straight years I'll probably have to try out a beard at least for a little bit.  It's in my blood apparently.   I definitely need to shave more now than I did at the beginning of my mission.  Dad would you rather eat a fried fish that's been sitting out on the street for like 10 hours or eat a chunk of flour deep fried and filled with stringy bean paste?  Both options are available here.

Nate your shoes are sick!!  I'm gonna need to get a new pair when I get back for sure.  Will you keep up on all the hip styles and cool doos for me?  Or else I'll just end up dressing like a Thai person with a t-shirt with a dramatic picture of a sunset in a city and a poorly translated message like "Love is our friend.  It likes to make us hurt some time but it hold our hands always."  You see that kind of thing a lot.

Natalie are you excited for Freshman year?  Did you do that freshman orientation thingy yet?  I remember doing that and it was kinda boring.  Really all you have to do in high school is not care what people think and you're good.  

Matt you're looking good! Did you like go carts or laser tag better?  I think I would like Laser Tag. I practically played go carts driving around Bangkok in that big van.  

I love you all and hope you have a good time!  :)

ด้วยความรักเอ็ลเดอร์เคลเลอร์

Love Elder Keller

Thailand Week 49, 20 July 2014

Sup Family!

It looks like you had a ton of fun down in Indiana!!  I'll be at the next one!  Maybe?  I think I go home like May 27th or something like that. So yeah that's before summer stuff really starts happening.  

This week we had a lot of good things happen!  But a lot of them not until like 20 minutes into church!  It seems like it works that way a lot.  We work hard during the week and people don't necesarily show up to church.  But then the Lord just takes care of it all.  I've found that pattern in my life as a missionary.  You work hard and see results, but maybe not all the ones you want or need.  I've found that the blessings come after the matter.  9:00am Sunday morning, church is starting and we have no one there.  But Heavenly Father always delivers, we ended up with 3 solid investigators at church!  A dad and his daughter and another guy.  We're going to do our best to help them get baptized this Sunday!  They're ready for it!  

I'm going to start doing more believing from the very beginning.  Even at first when it seems dimmer, maybe you really don't know how, who, when, what; but I am going to go through life with more faith and confidence the Lord will deliver.

We're going fishing today for some massive catfish!  There's some stocked pond somewhere I think.  This member is gonna take us.  I'll send you pictures!

Love Elder Keller


So there are pictures of this wat, this mud fish that scoots around in mud instead of swimming, a snake and a lizard, and then a bunch of us on this bridge.  

Thailand Week 48, 13 July 2014

Sup fam!  

This week was awesome!!!  We got to teach a lot of great investigators and saw one of them get baptized!!  He understands so much about the Gospel.  He read Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon and then told us about how it made him think of the Plan of Salvation.  How the people at the tree were the Celestial Kingdom, the people wandering were in the Terrestrial Kingdom, and then those in the building were the Telestial Kingdom.  We were way impressed.  

There's so much going on in Thailand right now!  One branch got turned into a ward yesterday and there's a plan to get our ward split at the end of the year to help us qualify for a stake center here! The bishop talks about it every week.  That's our vision right now, help the ward grow so it can split!  This week there were about 150 people at church.  By the end of the year that number will hit 180 I'm sure!  That's not a specific goal or anything but it's gonna happen!

Here's a picture or two from this week!

The baptism and these kids in the back of the truck selling mangosteens

Thailand Week 47, 6 July 2014

Hey Family! 

So week two in the new area was a blast and full of blessings!  We had a baptism from an investigator that was pretty much ready when we got here, and now with lots of blessings we have another baptism set up for next week!  It's a blessing that Elder Wright is getting to see a baptism so soon from start to finish!  I'm trying hard to give him a good first transfer.  It's hard sometimes, there's pressure to have a perfect area and everything, but the only thing we can control is our faith and our work.  So we've been focusing on working hard and praying for miracles all the time.  We've definitely seen them.  With new investigators, people at church, people picking up the phone when we need them too, it all just works out.

Saphaan Sung is a ward of about 140 people with strong leadership and good organization.  They function very well and the leaders have the right expectations.  They're looking at splitting the ward in the next few months to qualify for a stake center building here.  This Bangkok Stake really doesn't have a good location for meetings like that.  Here is perfect, a big lot, lots of parking, its on the major road, we just need to qualify for building expansion!  That's our goal, we're going to help prepare the ward for splitting.  There's always a new goal to strive for in our vision for the Thailand Bangkok Temple!

We have a ton of fun on the side as well!  We live with the Zone Leaders and they're the craziest companionship.  Elder Cosper is an old companion from the office, and Elder Kohler is an outside of the box missionary.  They both innovate so well and always have the craziest stunts and weird ideas together haha.  It's good to get the relieving laughs together after a long day of work.  I'm excited for the rest of the transfer and all the miracles it will bring!

Love Elder Keller

Samut Prakkan Crocodile Farm and Zoo