Yellow

Sent April 21:

Why hello there. Are you all sabaaydeemai? Hope so. I am sabaaydeemaag.

I felt like this week was a much success (yes i just wrote that). This week was the start of the district meetings which trained on this months specialized training, which of course is family history. I gotta say.. the spirit was very strong this week. We sat in on 3 district meetings this week and they all went really well. I think the term "spirit of Elijah" has never really been understood by anyone until this week (myself included). The excitement from the other missionaries about using it finding and teaching was contagious! Elder Gambanat is really excited for it as well, and some may call us big dreamers, but we say, "why not?". This program is going to be bigger than it is.. and the Lord is going to open doors that no one ever has thought possible. I dont know if you know this, but Thai records are absolutlely turrible. They have no records for anyone unless your chinese. On top of that, it hasnt been that long since "last names" were introduced and so when you go back in history there are so many people with the same name, and no one with last names. Side note: interesting that the gospel was restored after thai people got last names. Paw Dee. Anyway we believe that as the members and investigators and missionaries really put a great effort into this program to find thai ancestry lines, the lord wll accept our efforst and open something big. I dont know what, but everyone thinks its impossible to break passed a certain line of ancestry which makes us say, "bring it on. Is there anything too hard for the Lord?". I think me says no. I wont be here for it, but ill certainly hear about it in the future. Elder Gambanat also talked about something kind of amusing.. everytime we talk to people about religion, they say that their ancestors are buddhist. However, if they could do their family history and make it back to Adam and Eve, well.... see where hes going? Just kidding! You're ancestors are not buddhist! Maybe you should change to make them happy haha.
This week we were up in Chiang Mai on exchanges with the zone leaders and Elder Wagstaff and I (yes, the same guy that was in my MTC group) decided to try and use Family History a lot in our inviting and what not. We biked out to a group of flat buildlings (very far.. like, extremely far.. so far) and kinda struck out for an hour or so. Finaly we made it to this room with an older woman and her son sitting and drawing. They were very nice and let us to sit down and cool off. It was obvious from the get go that the son (about 27) was not fully there. He seemd very slow and after a few minutes we could kinda understand that his mind was behind anything done or said by about 10 or 15 seconds. Anyway he asked me if i was chinese and if i was 32 years old.. ouch. I answered no to both and asked him if he was chinese. He answered yes. He said that his father was. We asked them if they had ever done their family history and they sadly said no, but that they had wanted to. Elder Wagstaff got out his pedigree chart and gave it to her... after which, uhh.. i dont think ive felt the spirit this strong on.. ever. Or atleast in a while. She instantly blew up with excitement and grabbed her glasses to read it.. but shes too old so she couldnt see it, so she grabbed her magnifying glass and started reading from start to finish. Elder Wagstaff and i just sat there in amazement at how excited she got. Soon after her daughter came home and after looking confused at the 2 farangs sitting on their couch, proceed to ask her mom what she was looking at... BOOM another one bites the dust! She got even more excited than the mother! She began to explain how she had once done her family chart but lost it and couldnt do it again; Shes always wanted to though. They started telling each other how they wanted to do it and we took the opportunity to invite them to church to meet with a representative who could help them get started again. They very willingly said yes. We askedif we could share a short message about why we do family history work and they looked like pros when they got on their knees to pray, including the handicapped son. After we prayed we testified of the importance of finding out about our kindred dead and how we have sacred places to do ordinances for salvation for them. Now, remember how i said the son was slow? Right after the prayer we very simply said that finding out about our ancestors gives us meaning and connection to the past.. instantly the son exlaimed and did a motion with his hands.. he made the connection with what we were teaching, and although he could not put what he understood just now to words, it was very sweet. He understood that there is a line from him going back of people who have helped him and love him, and he felt the spirit. So did we. It was very powerful. They said that would go to church and start their family history this sunday. So cool right? In a later district meeting (yesterday actually) one of the zone leaders confessed a story about when i told him about family history being taught in specialized training and he kinda made a face like, "really? thats dumb?" scolded him...well, after studying it and using it with a soon to be recent convert who broke down crying upon learning about her ancestors, he was convinced that it was a good time to start using family history. The Spirit of Elijah is real!!!!

In other sweet stuff, our areas is getting build up again.. admist the travel and the plane flights and all the other stuff we have managed to find some new people in our area (even though the assistants may or may not be moving soon). Its been fun. It feels good to fly out to the isan in the morning, teach a distrct meeting in the afternoon, fly back in thea fternoon and make it back in time to go out and invite on the very things we taught. Very fulfilling. Did i tell you i love this work?

Had an interview with President Smith this week.. hes getting interviews out of the way before his last zone conference cause its going to be BUSY. It was a very nice interview and i felt very edified.. normally the interviews feel kinda rushed, but this time around i could see that hes really trying to free up his time so he doesnt look bored or rushed in the interview. It worked. He revealed some interesting stuff and i gotta say.. i felt good. I may tell you later.

Did i tell you that its hot? Well, its way hot outside. We were out in the Isan one day this week and on a Tuk-Tuk.. that wind was not enjoyable.. it was like fire going up your nose without end! So hot! I called a zone leader one day and when he picked up he sounded when upset.. "whats wrong Elder?" "Its... WAY hot outside.. its 107 man!". hahah.. i lawled. Elder Wagstaff sweats like a boss.. 10 mintues after i stopped sweating hes still going! Its good.

K well im done for today. I leave you with an experience from last night.. we taught this guy who was housing a monk for a few nights (fancy that, monks cant stay at a hotel alone..looks bad) and after the lesson, the monk came home. When finding out we were missionaries his immediate response was "all religions just teach us to be good". Now, besides feeling pity for the guy, i thought to myself "what do i sound like when i testify of the Book of Mormon, or the savior?'. Do i sound like that? Do any of us testify of these eternal truths with as much confidence as this monk searching for the truth, but not obtaining it? I came to the conlusion that i can do better. When we testify we gotta sound confident! Not arrogant or prideful, but meek and powerful! Not like this monk with 0 confidence. Dont get me wrong, he was a nice guy, and i cant really blame him.. he doesnt know any better.. hes doing the best with what he has. Review your testimony and then grab it by the horns and release it on someone!... with love :)
This is the work of the savior. I know its true.

Love, Elder Gudmundsen

PS: Who do you know that the missionaries can teach?