In Country!

From: ruthtodd@hotmail.com
To: catechristison@gmail.com; dave.christison@gmail.com; johnlangelandpearson@gmail.com; jennifertpearson@gmail.com; brookertodd@gmail.com; laurentodd13@hotmail.com
Subject: FW: Week 3
Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:52:47 -0600

Sounds like he's getting into the groove more and more. Keep him in your prayers. Love you all xoxoxoxx Mom

Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:21:43 -0700
Subject: Week 3
From: bryan.todd@myldsmail.net
To: ruthtodd@hotmail.com; btodd@amsource.com

Hey Family!

So today is the start of the fourth week of the transfer! Its crazy how quickly things are starting to go! I made that comment to one of the zone leaders who goes home on the 8th of Sweet September. He said the first year feels like four months, and the second week feels like two weeks. I really am beginning to LOVE Roi Et. It's a pretty great place!

This week was kind of crazy. I was on two exchanges. Last Monday I went up to Khon Kean with one of the Zone Leaders. It was really interesting to see what they have to do. It's a really busy job. They don't get very much time to do missionary work because they have to arrange all the logistics and stuff to make sure that the zone is running smoothly. It seemed pretty stressful. I'm sure part of it was that we had Zone Conference on Saturday. I'll talk about that in a minute. I had my first Big Mac in Khon Kaen. It was SO good! I don't know if it was just that it was American food or what. Then we came back to Roi Et for district meeting which was great! Then Elder Ackerman decided that he needed to go on an exchange with the Elders in Mahasarakam. So I stayed in Roi Et with Elder Merrel from Wednesday to Thursday night. That was hard. Then Thursday we headed up to Mahasarakam and slept there, then Friday morning we headed up to Khon Kaen again for Zone Conference.

In Zone Conference President Smith talked about how he is happy with the work we are doing. He said, "be happy, but never satisfied." Then he talked to us about the revelatory power of the Book of Mormon-- how it is a divine witness of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith truly was a prohpet of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth today. He then played Elder Holland's talk on the Book of Mormon. I'm sure you all remember that. it's SO good! President Smith then gave us an assignment that I would like to inivite all of you to do.

Get a paperback Book of Mormon with no markings. Then read it once through with a red pencil. Mark all of the names and pronouns used in reference to Jesus Christ. Once you have done that, read it again and with another color (I'm doing yellow). Mark all of the verses that talk about the Doctrine of Chirst (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End). Then, once you finish the Book of Mormon that second way, take another color(green) and mark the words spoken by Chirst. His direct words and "thus Saith the Lord:" When you finish that, read it a fourth time, and with another color (blue) mark all of the Christlike Attributes found in Preach My Gospel chapter 6. So four readings of the Book of Mormon. I want to invite you all to do that by the time I get home. I know that you all can do it. It may take some time, but It will give so much more meaning to the Book of Mormon.

We had the last baptism of the month yesterday! Knot, Net, and their grandma. It was pretty funny. Net is 9 and really small so there weren't any baptisimal clothes that fit him, so he was wearing HUGE clothes. I feel so blessed that I have seen 8 people enter into a covenant with our Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for His mercy, and that through Jesus Christ every one can be cleansed so that we can live with God again.

I got all of your letters! Thank you so much! They meant a lot to me. I hope all is going well and that you are all well and safe! You're in my prayers. Be safe. Be smart. Be faithful.

Love,
Elder Todd