Ngam

Just over two years ago I began teaching a Thai woman named Gnam on my mission in Argentina. She had a child who was about 7-years-old, but not living with her at the time. She was carrying the child of, and engaged to, an inactive member of the church. This member had previously had his mission call and was ready to go when he changed his mind. He has regretted his decision ever since. They were living with his family, who were all members at heart but not attending meetings regularly. Ngam spoke some Spanish and some English. Just enough of both that we could slowly teach her the gospel. As an added complication, Ngam was raised Buddhist and as such, had virtually no knowledge of Jesus Christ or basic Christian principles or terminology. Even the word "God" took several lessons to explain. After a few months we finally made it through the first full missionary lesson and had started into the second. In the meantime, I had been calling the mission offices, and I had even called Buenos Aires, to see if I could find a Book of Mormon written in Thai. No such luck. Finally I wrote home to my mother and had her send one by rush delivery.

Shortly after finding out that I would be transferred, I got a call from the mission offices (I had asked them to call me as soon as a package arrived for me) letting me know the Book of Mormon had arrived from Mom. My comp and I took a bus into the offices the moment we found out so we could give it to her before I left the area. That evening we had an appointment with her, watched a video depicting Joseph Smith's first vision with her and the member family, and I said my goodbyes. To finish, I said, "Ngam, I know it's been really hard for you to understand us, and even harder to read the Book of Mormon because you don't read the language very well. So, I decided to get you this..." When I handed her the Book of Mormon she gasped and the entire family started bustling with excitement. I think she knew the trouble I had went through, because she said something to the extent of, "Thank you so much! I promise that even though I hate reading, I will read the Book of Mormon."

The last I heard from Ngam was a few months later when she sent me an email thanking me again for the Book of Mormon, and telling me that she and her son (now living with her again) were still receiving the missionaries.

Yesterday Keith Larsen, one of my last few companions on the mission, and also one of the missionaries I trained, came into town to look for a place to live. He dropped by to visit. As we talked and recalled mission stories he asked if I had taught an Asian woman. I said, "Ngam?" He said, "Yeah. I gave her her baptismal interview. She got baptized not too long ago."

To use the now almost cliche terminology in the church, this was another example in my life of the tender mercies of the Lord. I don't want to exaggerate my roll in Ngam's joining the church beyond teaching her a few times and giving her a Book of Mormon in her native tongue. It took well over a year after that of missionaries teaching her and working with her before she finally decided to get baptized. However, it did strengthen my testimony that God will nourish the seeds that we plant. We never know what kind of an influence our actions will have in the lives of others. Even if the results of our efforts in life seem fruitless, we should always have the faith to keep pushing forward.