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Wonderful week as usual. I LOVE my companion. She's so sassy and sarcastic and sweet and funny. And so nice to me. She

tells me all the time that she has learned so much while we've been together, for which I am soooo grateful. Sometimes I think

part of the purpose of being a missionary is to help our companions and to learn from them as well. 

Well so we've been working and sweating and working to reach our goals and give every day to the Lord. It's interesting (and the 

best feeling ever) that sometimes when we don't reach our goals or when we fall short, we can still give our day to the Lord and 

feel satisfied and like He accepts our offering as long as we did sincerely serve Him with all our hearts. 

This week I learned again in my life how fun service is. Service outside of teaching the gospel, too. We've been praying for more opportunities to serve others this week, instead of just opportunities to teach. It's been so great. This week I felt sooo blessed every time there was a chance to help someone. I ironed a shirt at an investigator's house, swept a member's house (which was just one big room), and went through lots of hand-me-down clothes so we could give some away to a family in the ward. IT FELT LIKE EATING CANDY!!! Like so simple and so great and like immediate joy:). 

Also, we've received commission to contact, visit and thank all the leaders in the ward (young mens, young womens, bishop....and everyone else). The mission president wants to help us establish the church in Thailand, not just find new members. It's been SUCH a pleasure. For example (Mom and Dad you will appreciate this, your daughter is totally taken care of), we met with Brother Eed and Sister Naa yesterday after church for literally 6 minutes. They've been serving in various callings for a long time. We just shared Mosiah 27:36-37:

"And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."

And we thanked them for their service and for being instruments in the Lord's hands. You know how sometimes we look at leaders and they just seem so strong, like they're already good, they don't need help. Or they probably already know how great they are and receive so many blessings...so we just kinda let them do their thing. Well yesterday I learned that a simple thank you from lowly..us...means something! They were so grateful and I felt the SPirit so strong and so much love for them. And after we closed with prayer and stood up to go, they hugged us ...which isn't very common in Thailand....and even hawmed our foreheads.

Hawming! หอมing is something i LOVE about Thai culture. Mothers and fathers don't kiss their children, they หอม them, which means they put their face up to their face and then breathe in....hmmmm it's hard to explain. When i first got hawmed the first time, i was like...whoa why is this old lady smelling my cheek. And Sister Itow was like, "You just got หอมed. that's a huge compliment." haha But now I love it:) it's so Thai and SO special. Such a compliment.

Moral of the story/commitment for the week:

Think of your leaders in your life, ward, home, wherever....and sincerely, meaningfully thank them for their service. I promise it will mean something to them:).

I love you all.
Sister Roper