Thailand Week 86, 6 April 2015

Best Day Ever!!!!!!
As soon as I get a job I'm going to start saving money to attend the Thailand Temple dedication!!!!!

This week is the last full week of the transfer, and it's already crazy because I'm sitting in Bangkok just having finished Mission Leadership Council.  Elder Watkins and I will get back on a bus to Roi-Et this evening and work as hard as we can!  Saturday and Sunday we watch general conference, and then Monday-Wednesday is the national songran water festival, then Thursday is transfers meeting.  It will be a little hectic this next little bit but the work will move on as always. We have some great investigators we're working with!   Sister Mali got baptized!!  She's the mother of a recent convert who just got the Melchizedek priesthood!  Then we have Mint and Thohm, a mother and daughter who are open to find the truth.   Next is Nah who has a true desire to be baptized, just has been out of town for the last couple weeks, we'll help her prepare for baptism as soon as possible.  Her goal is for this Sunday.  And there are other people we'll be working with to help them prepare! 

I'm so happy right now!  My joy is full!  We've got to get to work!!  People need to know there will be a temple in Thailand!  We've got to find those who have been away from the church and let them know! We have to help members prepare themselves and their families!  We have to find new people and tell them all about the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
As President Senior says, "It's all over but the work."

Love Elder Keller


This is by far the best Easter I've ever had.   Nothing could have been more fulfilling than the temple announcement for Thailand.  As Elder Watkins and I were on a bus overnight to attend mission leadership council today we got a call from the Assistants to the President.  In Thailand we watch conference a week later that the English world to account for the translating work, so we weren't as on top of the news as you, but we got pretty close!  We got that call from the Assistants at 12:05 at night.  I had just stirred from a couple hours or so of restless sleep and Elder Watkins reaches over and tells me the APs have something to tell us together.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but the truth was better than anything I could have hoped for.   They told us that Thomas S. Monson, the prophet of the Lord, had just announced that the Bangkok, Thailand temple was going to be built.  I'll do my best to explain the significance of this glorious occasion. 

Nearly 2 years ago when I first came to Thailand I attended a zone conference up in Chiang Mai. We were told that our vision was a temple for Thailand.  We wanted to help bring the blessings of eternal families, ordinances for the dead, and personal endowments to the Thai saints.  That was our vision. Our methods of work have varied in some ways, but our vision has always been the same.  At first we just tried to get as many people into the church as we could.  We talked to everyone about baptism, we expected miracles and we saw them.  We kept pushing our goals higher and higher, and achieving them for the most part.  Eventually our efforts also turned to preparing the saints for a temple. Without worthy members who hold the Priesthood of God a temple could not function and our vision could not come to pass.  We've lately turned our focuses to families.  Those that are with us and those that have already passed.  We believe that in order to enter into Heaven we must perform sacred ordinances such as baptism for the remission of sins.  Because there are so many of our family who passed away without the blessings of these ordinances and a knowledge of Christ, we seek, gather, and prepare information on our ancestors to perform these ordinances for them vicariously.  It's hard in Thailand because of poor records and several other factors, but we pushed it and are seeing the blessings.  We've been focusing on helping the family members of the saints enter into the church as well.  With all the diligence, perseverance, and faith that accompanied the push for baptisms that I had been apart of at the beginning, we have focused efforts on helping people be united in the church. And now it's all coming to fruition!! There's going to be a temple in Thailand! The Lord has seen the faith of the church here in Thailand, he has poured out his blessings on this amazing country, and the millions of other people in South East Asia who will take part in the blessings of the temple here.  I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God on this earth. His work is going forth and we are seeing his hand in Thailand.  I want to share what a missionary from the Book of Mormon, Ammon, said as he saw similar miracles in his ministry.  Alma 26:12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.