Sister Hammon: Week 64 - Baptism of Grandma ตุ๊ and the Watered Garden

So biggest update of the week, my new companion is an AUSSIE! She's hilarious and is so excited to be in Roiet because she has been stuck in Bangkok the last few months. Her name is Sister Morganti and it'll be weird because she ends her mission before me...so that may mean I'll be staying in Roiet until I "die" (in mission terms) but we will see! We are SO excited to get Roiet going again, or as Sister Morganti says, "we're gonna get this place bumpin!" Haha it'll be a good transfer or two for sure!

Roiet slowly but surely bringing forth miracle after miracle...miracle #1 BAPTISM OF ยาย ตุ๊! (Grandma Doou)

So the beginning of last transfer Sister Chris [Christensen] and I were inviting in a neighborhood kind of out of the way...she stopped to invite this way old woman and I waited for her a little ahead (just assuming she would say no) when Sister Chris called me back, "she said she'll listen!" So we went back and started talking to her, when her friend walked in (da da daaaa Grandma Doou in the flesh!) So we taught both of them. We would visit them a few times a week and she LOVED us. She's the one who gave us Swiss chocolate and so much yummy food (like our real grandma!)

We were a little worried that she was learning more for the social aspect than for the gospel aspect, then one day we asked her what had changed in her life since she had learned with us and she told us that since she had started praying and going to church all the loneliness she felt in her life (from her kids moving away) had left and been replaced with peace and joy!! It was such a neat experience :) And as of yesterday she is officially a baptized member of the church!! She was BEAMING yesterday, and all the old women in the ward were freaking out because they love her so much. Definitely a highlight day.

As I was reading in Old Testament this week I found a verse that made me think of this situation... When I saw the first older woman I just assumed that she wouldn't be interested, because I didn't see potential in her...in Isaiah 1:30 it says, "and as a garden that hath no water." When I first met them I didn't take the time to envision their potential (or take the time to see what the garden would be like with water) But as we pray to see things through God's eyes we will see potential in every garden//child of God. Grateful Sister Chris had the faith to see that potential even when mine was lacking! MIRACLES. (That's my challenge, see potential in everyone as a child of God!)

Being a missionary is the absolute best. Even when you get lost and have to take/bike a 24 kilo detour, or when your favorite copy of the Book of Mormon gets caught in a monsoon, or when your language study time is taken over by killing all the insects in your apartment, or when the ward chorister picks "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain" and the only people singing in the congregation are the falangs...it's all part of the experience you know?:) Ahhhh love life so much!

Have the best week everrrr. I love you all, this week for us is filled with flying across the country for meetings and switch offs so it'll be crazy busy! Choose the right and don't do drugs :)

Much much love,

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