Chiang Rai Lockout

Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:49:19
From: bryan.todd@myldsmail.net

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing? Things up here in Chiang Rai are just fantastic. 

Last week, on preparation day, Elder Susi and I had an interesting thing happen to us. We got locked out of our house. We didn't have the key to open the front door, but we did have the key to open the door on our balcony. It would be really helpful for you if I had a picture of our house, but I don't-- sorry!  Anyway,  we had to climb up on the balcony to get into our house. I'm sure if any of our neighbors would have seen us,  they would have been very confused by what we were doing. They would have wondered why there were two guys in white shirts climbing up to the balcony. Yeah, that was a fun experience. 

I want to thank you all for your prayers for us and for Chiang Rai this past week. They have been heard, and answered. We were able to find a lot of new people to teach this week.

On Tuesday, we had some really good tracting planned in this neighborhood. We got into the neighborhood and started going door to door, just like normal. The people were saying no to us, because they were Islam. It was nuts! There were so many people there from Pakistan. But there is this way good Islamic treat. Its called a Rotii. It's just delicious. It's deep fried, so not good for us at all, but they're so good! Anyone who served in Thailand should know what I'm talking about. But it was way weird, to see a mosque in the middle of the neighborhood in Buddhist Thailand. We did find this new investigator, Mo. He is interested inthe Book of Mormon and wants to learn more! So that was good!

Then Wednesday was a good day. We didn't get into a lot of houses to teach, but we did do a lot of work just hitting the pavement. Showing our faith to the Lord is preparing people here for us.

Then Thursday Morning the Zone Leaders came to exchange with us. We had district meeting which was on following the promptings of the spirit. We focused on Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel--relying on the spirit. 

After our meeting, we did exchanges. Elder Susi went with Elder Wagstaff, and I went with Elder Merrel. It was really good! Elder Merrel and I had coordination meeting with our branch president who is also the branch mission leader. 

We didn't have bikes, so we had to walk to his house. It was way way way hot! When we would find ourselves standing in one place for a second too long, our shoes started sticking to the pavement! And also, the zone leaders were told that it's so hot that in some places that birds would land on the pavement and spontaneously combust! Crazy stuff!

That's when Sister Smith gave the new mission rule that every missionary MUST drink 2 liters of plain water a day. No compromises. But good. 

So Elder Merrel and I were just tracting our way to the branch president's house. It was cool. You meet a lot of really interesting people just tracting. People who are just sitting outside, and yet saying they have no time. People washing their car.  People skinning frogs to cook them. Just all sorts of people. 

At the end of the night it was about 7:30, and Elder Merrel and I were pretty hungry as we hadn't eaten since about noon and had been walking everywhere. So we were looking for someplace to eat and there was this little girl and her dad outside their restaurant. We stopped by to talk to them.  We ended up eating there and teaching them. It was a family of three with an 8 year old daughter! They were way sweet! Their names are Chinakorn, Phorn, and Iff. The wife, Phorn  was way good. She was saying that she doen't like how a lot of parents leave thier children with the grandparents out in the provinces, and the parents go work in Bangkok.  That is actually pretty common here.  She said it's important for families to stay together! That it's important for husbands and wives to raise their children! I know that the Lord was preparing this family for us. The more I am here the more I am amazed at the forknowledge of God some people have. He truly is omniscient. He knows exactly how things will happen. It's just our job as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to conform to His will, and accept the Father and accept Jesus Chirst as our Savior.

Friday was an interesting day. It was hard. We got ignored and rejected quite a bit. We actually ran into a Thai man who had lived in America and spoke English very well. He started talking to us and challenging us about how we thought that only white people could go to heaven, and a ton of things that just aren't true of the church at all. He tried to bible bash with us. But we just left. That experience really helped me to feel the power of the atonement. When we are reviled, and made a hiss and a byword, we have every right to stand tall, and to know that we stand with the Savior. We can find comfrot in the fact that He knows exactly what we are experiecneing and that He will succor us. I know He lives. And I know that He is here for us always. No matter what. We can always be strengthened by Hm, and his infinite atonement.

Well, I love you all so much! than

ks for all you your prayers and love. Please keep our investigators in your prayers. Especially that family.

Love
Elder Todd

Forward in Faith.