Church time!

We are so lucky to have a branch of the Church close enough to go to each Sunday! It's in the province over called Phitsanalok, a 40 minute train ride away. It's a very, very hot ride and we usually have to stand the whole time because the seats are all taken. (And of course, everyone on the train stares at us the whole time!) By the time we get to church, we're all drenched in sweat! Church is about an 8 hour commitment since the train arrives and leaves long before and after church starts. It sure makes me appreciate how easy it is to go to church back home! But it's so worth it!

Here's "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in Thai! So awesome!

And here's all of us with Ake out front! The church is a narrow building 3 stories high. It has its own baptismal font though!

Just stepping inside the building that first Sunday was amazing! The Spirit was so strong! I was so happy to be there! Everything looked the same, just on a smaller scale. The branch has about fifty members and they were all amazingly friendly and really excited to meet us. I love how the Church is so universal; the way people treat each other, the procedures, the music, and especially the feeling. Everything is the same! And it was so wonderful to get to take the sacrament. Even though the missionaries could only translate for us off and on during church, I could tell these members love the Savior so very much!

We made friends with a couple of girls who speak English really well, named Mink and Sand. They are really sweet and added us all as facebook friends within hours of meeting us! We might stay with them this coming Saturday night and go to church together in the morning.

I've also gotten an opportunity to brush up on my piano skills! Mink asked if I could play piano for church and for the baptisms last week. It was fun, but nerve-racking since I haven't played in so long!

The baptisms! It was so neat to get to stay after and see two people get baptized after church last week. Speak of feeling the Spirit! It was a younger mother and an older man who were baptized, and they each bore their testimonies after they were baptized. It was so wonderful!

Can I just say how much I love this gospel? It's so wonderful and true! I love my Savior so much and the love He has for all of us no matter where we come from. I feel His love from these people so much already!