WEEK 45 - MAY 20, 2018 - PHUKET

Whirlwind past few days! We got to the mission office early Thursday morning to meet my new companion and to head down to Phuket. We rushed over to the bus station and found out we missed the bus by 10 minutes and the next one didn't leave for 11 hours so that was a shame. We kinda just hung out at the mission office and helped around there until our bus left. The bus ride was 12 hours so we rode from 7 pm to 7 am and then got right to work Friday morning! The past three days we've biked around 80 miles so we bike a lot in this area! Also there are lots of hills which is a great workout and we get lots of laughs from people riding by on their motorcycles.

We had a baptism this Sunday too! Her name is Bitoie and she is the girlfriend of one of the members. She is so great! She was so scared to get baptized but that wasn't going to stop her from following Jesus Christ! She invited all her friends to the baptism and one came and is really interested. So right after her baptism we taught her friend and her friend accepted a baptismal date too! I love the fire that recent converts have in sharing the gospel. I like to try and emulate their fire and confidence in sharing the new knowledge they've found.

Our branch is pretty small but the members are incredible! They come from all over the island to go to church! Some drive for several hours and rent a hotel to go to church! They're amazing and they love the Lord. I got called to be the branch clerk in the little branch here so that will be pretty fun. My companion is the second counselor in the Branch Presidency so we kinda help run the branch. We also have to translate every meeting from Thai to English or vice versa. On Sunday I bore my testimony and Elder Manwaring translated then he gave a talk and I translated! This should help my Thai a bunch! There are visitors every week so it'll be fun to see some people from all over.

One thing I enjoyed from my personal studies was reading from the war chapters in Ether. I was kinda curious why these chapters were in the Book of Mormon because it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. I decided to go through and look for everything I can learn from these chapters. After doing that I realized that we actually can learn a lot from these chapters but the thing that kept coming back to me was that Heavenly Father will always bless the righteous and will chastise the wicked to humble them. This brought me comfort to know that no matter what is going on in the world around me, if I am faithful then I will be blessed! I love this quote from President Monson too: “May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”  

I love you all so much! I am so excited to be in Phuket and help the work keep going down here. It is such a blessing to be serving around these members and to see how a branch starts going. I'm so grateful for all of you! Have another great week!

-Elder Borg

Pictures:

It rained while we were biking and one of my shirts got wrecked

Baptism!!

WEEK 44 - MAY 15,2018 - PAK KRET

This week we got our transfer calls! I will be leaving Pakkret and Elder Sumsion and moving to Phuket with Elder Manwaring! I'm very excited about the chance to serve in Phuket but I'm really going to miss everyone from Pakkret. There's some amazing people here that have changed my life. I'm so grateful for the chance that I've had to serve here and to learn and grow and hopefully I'm leaving Pakkret better than I found it!

A really cool miracle from this week came before English class. We were walking to the church after eating dinner and we saw a guy walking in front of the gate to the church. Elder Sumsion, who still has 2 broken knees from the trampoline place we went to last week, said "Let's invite this guy to English!" and started to run, or waddle, over to him. I followed right behind him. He was a little surprised to see two white guys running towards him but he was really nice. We told we were having English class right now and asked him if he wanted to go learn. He said yes and came inside with us! Turns out he lives in the other area but the other Elders are now teaching him and he is so prepared for the gospel! I am so grateful to Elder Sumsion for his diligence! We've seen so many miracles like that this whole transfer. I also know that God puts people right in our paths who are ready to hear the gospel.

We've been teaching this family from English class. The mom's name is Tip and her son's name is Window. They've been off and on investigators for a really long time. We've really felt like they're getting close to baptism and they had a really cool experience that solidified that. Sister Tip was praying and asking if the Book of Mormon was true and if she needed to be baptized. She kept praying and wasn't feeling too much but then she started to feel good and something told her to open her eyes. She did and saw a bright white light above her bed. It stayed there all night until she fell asleep then when she woke up it had turned golden. She called Window in and Window saw it too! After that they knew they needed to be baptized. They told is that in our lesson that day and told us they were ready. I was blown away! It was such a neat experience for them and so cool to see how getting that answer completely changed them. I know that God answers our prayers and wants to let us feel that He is there. We just need to be willing and ready to hear him.

One thing that has stood out to me this week is the concept of repentance. Most of the time I think of repentance as saying sorry for things I have done wrong and then not doing them again but repentance is changing our lives to become more like the Savior. So yes, we do need to say sorry and not do bad things anymore but we also need to repent and change for things that we can be doing better. For example I read my scriptures everyday but I can always repent and improve my scripture study. We should always be steadily repenting to improve and become more like the Savior. This has also helped me while taking the Sacrament is to not just look at the things I'm doing wrong but the things I'm doing ok that I can improve. And Ether 12:27 always gives comfort when I feel like there's too much that I'm not doing right. "27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know He truly can turn our weaknesses into strengths if we will just come unto Him.

Funny things from the week: we met with a LA member and he was eating ketchup with his cake(?), he then started drinking coffee and we told him he shouldn't so he said he would stop but then he forgot and kept drinking it so we threw it away for him. We were riding a taxi home and as soon as we sat down the taxi driver yelled that we were white and started singing a song about a white girl he loved. Halfway through the song he reached over and grabbed my hand and squeezed it while he sung so that was fun. Another taxi driver had set up a way to watch movies while he drove! 

I absolutely love being a misisonary and love all these awesome experiences! I have loved serving in Pakkret and will miss it tons. I know that this is God's work and I'm so glad to be a part of it. Love you all!

-เอ็ลเดอร์ บอร์ก

WEEK 43- MAY 6, 2018 - PAK KRET

Another great week in Pakkret! Nothing too special happened but we had a great week nonetheless! Being a missionary is so much fun! I love teaching the gospel and being able to be a representative of Jesus Christ. Some funny stories from this week:

You might remember a few weeks ago I wrote about Brother John who is Thai and got up to share his testimony and spoke for a long time. Well thuis fast Sunday he was back in the international ward and once again got up to share his testimony except this time he called me out to come and translate for him because he didn't know the words in English. (Keep in mind my Thai is still pretty basic) He gets up there and starts telling the story of how Joseph Smith and the church acquired papyrus scrolls and all kinds of random stuff. He goes on for about 2 minutes and then looks over to me to translate. I have absolutely no idea what he said so I tied to give a brief synopsis but his story is going nowhere. After about 15 minutes of this the bishop had to stand up and tell him to wrap it up. It was pretty funny and also humbling to see how little Thai I know!

One miracle we saw from this week came in the form of an elderly man with his hair dyed pink. Yep, you heard me. Pink. We met him at a park. He was just standing by a little pond and we decided to go and talk to him. He was pretty surprised to see us talking to him but he was nice and listened to us! He agreed to another meeting at the same place a week later. Usually if people say to meet a week later they don't mean it and they'll skip out on the appointment. The week passes by and we go to look for him at the park and sure enough, no one is there. A little disappointed we start walking away and see a guy sitting down on a bench across the pond so we decided to go back and talk to him and it turned out to be the guy with the pink hair! This time he was really surprised! He kept his promise though and listened to what we had to say! He seemed genuinely interested and gave a really nice prayer! We'll see how he keeps progressing!

All three of the people we baptized last week were confirmed this Sunday! They are so incredible and so excited to serve in the church. They were able to meet the area 70 for Asia for a few minutes and asked him a few questions. At church a few days later the area 70 approached me and asked who they were. He said he felt something really special when talking to them and now he wants to invite them over for FHE! I truly felt something special about this family too! I love them and am grateful for the chance we had to teach them!

Something I enjoyed form my studies this week came from the Bible Dictionary about the Sabbath Day. In the Bible Dictionary it says: " The importance of a sacred day for man to rest from his temporal labors, contemplate the word of the Lord, and assemble for public worship is a major item in a person’s spiritual development." The existence of a weekly holy day is a most important safeguard." These sentences show the serious importance of the Sabbath day. I know that the Sabbath Day provides much need spiritual growth as well as physical rest and the more we prepare for the Sabbath and the Sacrament, the more we will get out of it! I love Sunday and the chance to recharge and prepare for another week.

I love you all! Thanks for all of your prayers! Have a great week!!

-Elder Borg

WEEK 42- APRIL 30, 2018 - PAK KRET

This week was absolutely amazing! As our district leader, Elder Mickelson, always says "Miracles bring more miracles" and that was for sure true this week!

Yesterday 3 of our investigators were baptized!!! Woo!! We were so excited and so happy for all of them! Yesterday Brother Pon and his wife Sister Nong were baptized along with Sister Suk! They are all so amazing and were so excited. Brother Pon and Sister Nong have a daughter named Namo and she is so cute and she's the reason her parents were investigating the church. They had always been looking for a place that would teach their daughter correct principles and something that can help her when they aren't around and that's exactly what they found in the restored gospel. They love the prospect of eternal families and cannot wait to go to the temple! Sister Suk is a sweet old lady who always buys us treats every time we meet with her. She just showed up at the church one Sunday and wanted to get baptized and she was able to achieve that goal this week. She's super sincere and loves her Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. It was amazing to see them progress and learn and come closer to the Savior.

Another crazy miracle this week came from a new investigator names Sister Oui. She comes to English class and wanted to learn more about the church so she told Elder Ignacio (my last companion) that she would meet with us after Sonkran. Elder Ignacio ended up transferring and I didn't remember the meeting with Sister Oui but thankfully she did! She showed up one afternoon at the church while we were studying there and asked to learn so of course we said yes! She is so prepared and so excited. It doesn't stop there though. The next meeting starts off with her asking about polygamy. She had read some stuff online and was curious. We started to explain the reasons for it and she stopped us. She told us it totally made sense and she was totally fine with it. Then she demanded that we tell her all the commandments right then. She committed to keep every single commandment right there! It was so crazy but so awesome!

Next miracle was meeting Sister Tip. She works at a smoothie place right next to the work of one of our RC's. We went to visit the RC and we got a smoothie after. She was really interested in English but even more interested in learning about Jesus. After our first lesson, which went great, she told us that she heard a different Christian place said no drinking coffee and tea and how she thought that was absurd. We then told her that was our church and we believed it would help her be happier. She stared at us for a second almost in disbelief while we braced for impact. She then said "ok, I think I can do that" with a smile. It was so incredible to see her faith! She has had some hard trials in her life and we this she is so prepared for the gospel.

While eating lunch we had an elderly man approach us and say "So are you going to teach me or what?" We said of course we are! He had met some other missionaries before and told us his life has been a little difficult lately but he felt at home when he saw us so he came up and talked to us. His name is Wit and he is awesome! He likes to sit in his truck and read Ernest Hemingway stories and now he likes to sit in his truck and read the Book of Mormon. Another amazing miracle!

Funny Thai names from the week: Disney, Growl

This week was incredible and full of miracles! I am so grateful for the chance to be a missionary and serve with Elder Sumsion. He is a great missionary and is bringing tons of energy and enthusiasm to this area! I love serving the Savior and spreading His gospel. I love you all so much!

-Elder Borg

Pictures of the baptisms and Wit and little lizard we found!

WEEK 41 - APRIL 22, 2018 - PAK KRET

Hello!!

This was a crazy week!! We had lots of awesome things going on so buckle up!

We had a baptism last Sunday!! Sister Faa followed Christ by entering the waters of baptism! Her dad baptized her and it was great! It was so cool to see their whole family come together and watch. They were all so happy and excited for her. It was great to be a small part of helping their family get closer to being sealed and become an eternal family. 

This week was also Songkran which is the huge water fight in Thailand. It was crazy and so much fun! We had our p-day on Friday last week so we could go and play with the water. Everyone there would attack us because they wanted to attack the white people! Also I had a big bucket full of water that I would dump on people so maybe another reason why we were a big target. It was fun too because it's a 3 day festival so we had p-day for one of those days but the other 2 were still proselyting days so we would get soaked as we walked around! It was awesome! Very helpful with the hot weather.

President Nelson and Elder Holland also visited Thailand this week! It was such an amazing meeting! It was the biggest gathering of members in Thailand ever. I was able to see all my old companions and all the members from Surin! It was so much fun to see them all again and to catch up on how they're doing. Elder Holland gave an awesome talk about the appearance of the resurrected Savior to the Nephites. His main point of his talk was that because Christ and Heavenly Father love us so much They will give us anything we righteously desire just as Christ stayed longer with the Nephites. It was a really awesome talk! President Nelson gave a history of temples and what we do in the temple. Everyone here is so excited for the temple already but that just doubled the excitement! After the meeting as they were walking out Elder Holland locked eyes with a missionary companionship sitting towards the front and gave this powerful advice: "Work harder" It hit that companionship and they shared it with the rest of us and I think it hit us just as hard! We are working hard but there's always more we can be doing!

This week we also had zone conference which is always fun. We were combined with the north zone and also the missionaries in Burma so it was huge and so much fun! One thing I really enjoyed from zone conference was a little training on making your bed. Making your bed might seem like a small task but it can change your whole day. If you make your bed to start the day it is one completed task that will usually lead to several other completed tasks for the day which results in a good day. If you happen to have a bad day then you can come home to a made bed. It also teaches about how the small and simple things are so important. If we aren't able to keep the "small" rules or "small" commandments then there is no way we'll be able to keep the "big" ones. 

This week we had a pretty cool experience. We were walking to grab some lunch and a guy said hello to us so we stopped and talked with him for a second. He said he was just walking around and he used to be Christian. We were right by the church so we asked if he wanted to go tour the church and he said he did. We walked around the church for a bit and then we went and sat in the chapel. We all just kinda sat there for a while. The Spirit came into the room and we could all feel it. He opened up to us and said he's been feeling pretty sad lately. We shared Mosiah 24:14 with him and told him that God will lighten his burdens. After that we prayed with him and he gave such a sincere prayer. I have rarely felt the Spirit that strong. After that we tried to set up an appointment with him but he told us he doesn't have a phone, or a facebook, or any other way of contacting him and he doesn't know his address. The next day he didn't come to our appointment and we haven't seen him since. It was a crazy experience but really disappointing that he didn't come back. Me and Elder Sumsion were both wondering why that happened. We were both grateful for the Spirit we felt but disappointed he didn't come back. We hope that eventually he'll find his way back though.

I love you all and am grateful for all of you! I am so grateful for the chance to serve in Thailand. Have a great week!

- Elder Borg

WEEK 40 - APRIL 12, 2018 - PAK KRET

Hello everyone! Happy General Conference!

We got to watch Conference this Saturday and Sunday and it was spectacular! We pulled all the couches of the chur h into one room and watched conference on the nice church couches! It was awesome! I have such a hard time picking a favorite talk because they were all truly so good! One thing that really stood out to me was President Nelson's teachings on receiving more personal revelation. I know that seeking personal revelation will strengthen my relationship with the Savior and with Heavenly Father. I also felt service was outlined seversl times. I really loved Bishop Caussé's talk on how this church is about people and not numbers or buildings. I love his thought on how our church is not just a Sunday church. We are able to come closer to Christ every single day and not just on Sunday. I am excited to apply the things I learned from conference and I would invite all of you to take a few minutes to look at what ypu liked from conference and how you can apply it more in your daily life.

I am assigned to train Elder Sumsion and he is so amazing. At times I don't feel like I'm training because he is so prepared already. He has a great testimony and is so excited to get to work. We were wearing almost the exact same thing at the transfer meeting (see picture below and notice blue flower ties) I saw a picture of the new missionaries a few days before and guessed correctly that he would be my companion! He actually met my family a few weeks before going into the MTC so it was crazy to find out I would ve his trainer! I am so grateful for him and for the things I will learn from him. Greenies have a special fire about them and I'm hoping some of that greenie fire rubs off on me too!

This week we saw an awesome miracle. We went into a neighborhood to invite for a little bit and as we were walking around we saw a family working on their car. We said hello and asked if we could help. They politely declined but said someone wanted to meet us. They called inside the house and a 15 year old boy came out. We told him we were missionaries and we represent Jesus Christ. We then asked if we could share our message with him and he said yes! We got to know him and taught him how to pray. In his prayer he asked for help to follow Heavenlf Father more. It was really heartfelt and really awesome. We were able to go back the next day and teach him and his sister the restoration which they loved. They both listen so intently and are so willing to keep learning. We are so excited for them and can't wait to keep teaching them!

Funny Thai name of the week: Bank

This week we watched a squirrel fall off a telephone pole, taught some more English, taught more investigators, and invited others to come unto Christ. I absolutely love being a missionary and I love this gospel. I love all of you too! 

Have another great week!

-Elder Borg

Attached below are several signs from Thailand that I think are funny!

WEEK 39 - APRIL 9, 2018 - PAK KRET

Hello everyone! Happy general conference!

We got to watch Conference this Saturday and Sunday and it was spectacular! We pulled all the couches of the chur h into one room and watched conference on the nice church couches! It was awesome! I have such a hard time picking a favorite talk because they were all truly so good! One thing that really stood out to me was President Nelson's teachings on receiving more personal revelation. I know that seeking personal revelation will strengthen my relationship with the Savior and with Heavenly Father. I also felt service was outlined seversl times. I really loved Bishop Caussé's talk on how this church is about people and not numbers or buildings. I love his thought on how our church is not just a Sunday church. We are able to come closer to Christ every single day and not just on Sunday. I am excited to apply the things I learned from conference and I would invite all of you to take a few minutes to look at what ypu liked from conference and how you can apply it more in your daily life.

I am assigned to train Elder Sumsion and he is so amazing. At times I don't feel like I'm training because he is so prepared already. He has a great testimony and is so excited to get to work. We were wearing almost the exact same thing at the transfer meeting (see picture below and notice blue flower ties) I saw a picture of the new missionaries a few days before and guessed correctly that he would be my companion! He actually met my family a few weeks before going into the MTC so it was crazy to find out I would ve his trainer! I am so grateful for him and for the things I will learn from him. Greenies have a special fire about them and I'm hoping some of that greenie fire rubs off on me too!

This week we saw an awesome miracle. We went into a neighborhood to invite for a little bit and as we were walking around we saw a family working on their car. We said hello and asked if we could help. They politely declined but said someone wanted to meet us. They called inside the house and a 15 year old boy came out. We told him we were missionaries and we represent Jesus Christ. We then asked if we could share our message with him and he said yes! We got to know him and taught him how to pray. In his prayer he asked for help to follow Heavenlf Father more. It was really heartfelt and really awesome. We were able to go back the next day and teach him and his sister the restoration which they loved. They both listen so intently and are so willing to keep learning. We are so excited for them and can't wait to keep teaching them!

Funny Thai name of the week: Bank

This week we watched a squirrel fall off a telephone pole, taught some more English, taught more investigators, and invited others to come unto Christ! I absolutely love being a missionary and I love this gospel! I love all of you too! Have another great week!

-Elder Borg

WEEK 38 - April 4, 2018 - PAK KRET

This was the final week of the transfer and it was really good! We had some fun times and were able to teach lots of people and help them come closer to Jesus Christ. Last night we got transfer calls and I got the news that I will be training this transfer! I am absolutely terrified but could not be more excited! I have felt very blessed by being able to serve around such great missionaries and am excited to be able to share all the things I've learned with a new missionary!

This week we met with a family we have been teaching lately. They are the cutest little family. Just the mom, dad, and a 7 year old daughter. They are such a happy, giggly family. They fed us this week and we had the chance to teach them the Plan of Salvation. They loved it so much especially the thought of being sealed in the temple as a family. They have been so fun to teach and are excited to be baptized this month. We called them later just to follow up with them and after the call they asked "can you call us everyday?" Of course we said yes!

We taught a new sister this week who walked into the church one Sunday. After going over the restoration with her we asked her if she believed the things we were teaching her. Almost instantly she said "Yes. Absolutely. 100%!" I was a little taken back because usually people are a little hesitant or don't know but her faith was amazing. She knows that she walked into the church for a reason. We told her that if she would read the Book of Mormon sge would gain a stronger witness of the truth and she told us she didn't need to because she already knew it all was true. Hahaha it was so awesome and eventually we helped her to see she still needs to read it!

At English class this week we decided to have the students put on a skit about the different seasons of the year. My group was in charge of winter and we planned to do a simple skit. When it was our turn to present one of the girls in the group just took over and started screaming, "IT'S SNOWING! WE NEED HELP! SOMEBODY MAKE A FIRE!" And then she started running around in a panic. The group just rolled with it and built a tent, made a fire, and started fishing. After this one of the boys in the grouo stepped forward and announced he would be singing a song. He broke out into "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and just sent the class into a frenzy. Everyone was waving their arms and recording it and waving their phones like flashlights. So that was the story of how a simple skit turned into the best English class in all of Thailand.

This week in my studies I read a talk in the April Ensign by the new one of the new Apostles, Elder Soares. It's called "Paths to True Happiness." Happiness is something that is very important to everyone and I'm always looking for ways to increase my happiness. In the talk Elder Soares goes over a few ways to true happiness and one of them is faithfulness. A quote I really loved was "Faith is a practical principle that inspires diligence. It is manifest in our positive attitude and desire to willingly do everything that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ ask of us. It is what takes us to our knees to implore the Lord for guidance and encourages us to arise and act with confidence to achieve things consistent with His will.
As you go forward in your journey, you will be tested to see if you will do all things that the Lord your God commands you (see Abraham 3:25). This is part of the mortal experience. It will require that you press forward with steadfast faith in Christ, being led by the Spirit and trusting that God will provide for your needs." I love everything in this quote. I have really felt the need for purposeful prayer lately and I love how tgat is a manifestation of our faithfulness. It is also a way we can be truly happy. I also read in James 5:11 which says "we count them happy which endure." Oftentimes I think happiness comes when I'm free from stress or not worried about anything but real happiness comes while we endure. President David O. McKay said "Happiness is found only along that well beaten track, narrow as it is, though straight, which leads to life eternal.” I know that happiness really does come from enduring and will come through our faithful prayers and our diligence.

I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the chance to serve as one of His missionaries. I'm so excited for this upcoming transfer and for the miracles that await! 

Love you all!

-Elder Borg