Hello

Sent Feb. 5

uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggggggggggggggggggggggg..... I feel tired.




But not really.

Interesting week. Dont really know exactly how i feel about it yet hahah.. ill tell you one thing, im not satisfied with it thats for sure. We had a lot of trainings this week.. speciallized traiings of the simplified curriculum from the MTC progream. Good stuff. THis week was on revelation through the Book of Mormon. Great stuff. I enjoy the trainings actually. Giving them is fun too. However, it was kinda long haha. We decided to teach all 3 district meetings in one week that way we can get it all out of the way in one week. So that means that this week we will be able to go out and find full time. This week we found 1 new investigator.. kind of a bummer. The lesson started out well (he even put his dogs away so that they wouldnt interrupt us) and then prayed with us no problem. But when we tried to read from the Book of Mormon with him he just started FREAKING out... like, there was no way that we would have been able to read with him in that lesson and help him feel the spirit too.. i dont know what he was afraid of (truth?) but oh man he was scared out of his pants (almost literally.. he was only wearing boxers ahah). We asked him what was wrong and he just did that nervous laugh and looked everywhere but our eyes.. we asked him if it was his family.. that if he read out of this book he would automatically change religions? He said yes. We asked to just make an appointment with him and his family cause that would be better anyway. He agreed. So hopefullly when we get back to him this week he will open up a little more. I cant say i disagree.. those who dont like change should be scared of the Book of Mormon haha.

Other than that we taught a lot of other lessons and just didnt get anything good.. got rejected.. a lot. More than ive been used to lately. Kinda weird. We did teach a lot, just found no one who was ready or willing to study more and apply the teachings to their lives. Kinda rough. But like Roger back in Buriram always said, "everyday is a 'praise the Lord day' no matter what happens". Indeed. We both feel that although this neighborhood that we have invited at everyday for the last 4 months is really good (and we will continue to invite there every now and then) we are going to move over to this new flat complex across the street. It looks big. And we feel like its inspired that we move. I personally feel stoked to get up in there and just start removing the SUPA dark veil of unbelief shrouding all their minds. Stupid sin. Nobody even likes you.
"You dont have any friends! nobody likes you!".

So there is this new thing that we have been implementing with our daters and with our current progressing investigators. President Smith has talked with the Mission president over in Cambodia and he said that the church is growing rapidly (they are getting 2 stakes in just a little while) but they have the "in the front door and out the back door" baptism thing going on. So the mission president there has had all his missionaries commit their investigators to read the entire Book of Mormon cover to cover before they will be baptized. President Smith loved the idea and is now implementing it over here. Everyones on board and its now a big determining factor as to when we will commit people to be baptized. If someone reads the Book of Mormon slow, so be it.. they will have to have a date that is further away then. We were about to commit Tam and Noke to do that the other day but Noke said it herself: "we have to read the whole book before we are baptized right?" haha.. Elder Siriphan and i looked at each other laughing (cause that was the commitment we had planned on before we taught them) and said "actually, yes. We were about to say that". Speaking of those 2.. they are doing really great. We took them over to Elijah's familys house (his wifes name is Zuan) and they all seemd to be so happy. Even though Elijahs kids dont understand a thing that Tam and Nokes kids are saying, they try to be friends with them as much as possible. Quite adorable. Phoenix absolutely LOVES their house.. she just runs around like a maniac liek its her own house. Super funny. I think it really helps Tam and noke feel good too. They look happy and laugh a lot while over there. It was kinda funny.. on the way over to their house the first time, Tam was talking a little bit about how he doesnt like rich people that much.. in my mind im like.. "uhhhh... Elijahs house is pretty high so...eh, oh well.. they already like the people!". Kinda amusing. But it didnt seem to phase him once he was over.. i think they were just really grateful for their kindness. Last night at dinner Elijah just tapped his arm at dinner and so "dont even think about eating a little bit.. eat all you want". They havent decided on a date for baptism yet, but they read the book of mormon together everyday this week, so thats a good step in the right direction. Also they met the bishop yesterday, and they seem to really like him and trust him already.

Sandys friend Lucky.. haha shes way good. We taught her and her family at her house and man.. shes a trooper. She raised her 3 kids all by herself. Thats skilled. We havent even gotten to teach Lucky about the Book of Mormon but she has read it everyday and prayed with her family everyday. She reads and doesnt have a clue what it means (sometimes) but she feels the spirit. She came to Church.. LOVED IT. Again. Her daughter prayed during the lesson and it was pretty normal.. nothing out of the ordinary, but at the end she added a little sentence that was awesome: "Please help My mom to not have any work on sunday". We had taught the Sabbath day and Lucky was asking about emergency situations. She said she could keep it holy though. It was nice to see that her daughter, who really didnt talk that much in the lesson, was actually paying attention.

Sandys other friend Nice is doing good. She wont pick up for the Din Daeng Elders (who are missionaries hha) but she picked up for us. She read the Book of Momron everyday and she even got some of her Christian friends on her back: "stay away from the mormons! They are evil and have lots of wives!!!". Nice was just like, "uh okay, thanks for telling me. If thats history than its history, but i already know its where i need to go". Yee son. Funny how people just do the work for us sometimes isnt it? "By their works ye shall know them".

Okay well i think thats all i got right now. I love you all and am grateful for your support. If you didnt get to everyday this past week, please "i exhort you", make time this week: Read the Book of Mormon UR DAY!

Also, im curious.. what is our Ward Mission Plan like?

Love, Elder Gudmundsen