Olympics in Thailand

Hey Family! (I wish I could just write -ilia on the end of my word to make it Thai!)

So anyway it sounds like you are doing great and keeping busy with all the projects! K so on packages you better make sure it gets here by transfers which are on the 16th of August. They made a new rule about you can't pick up packages on P-day.  I'll get it on the 16th If I don't get it on the 16th I get it on September 27th. So plan packages on transfers. So anyway yes for the package you know me! So guess what I like! Most likely a type of food! Cuz I'm loosing my body! I'm almost on the fifth notch! I started on 2 now I'm on 4 and 5 is the last one! haha! I'm scared!

So I hit my 6 month mark last week on the 25th. I didn't burn anything. I like most of my ties! To answer some questions, I'm not sure if they watch the olympics or not. They sold the Coke Glasses at Mcdonalds. They like soccer more so they would probably watch that!

So even though this next part might sound sad, it is alright. Hey i'm doing missionary work and sometimes things take longer than you want, but you got to keep having faith! Sister Nun won't be getting baptized this transfer. She has a couple of questions that she is still looking for answers, so anyway she might be getting surgery on her wrist today which would prevent her from getting baptized for a few weeks. She is also very sick with a bad cold right now.  Well as for Mak, Ooy, and Taam. They didn't come to church when they said they were an hour before (reason unkown)  We just need to help the faith and help them see why reading, praying, and coming to church is important! Well we also got dropped by Ice Cubed this week! haha! They are really focusing on school and said they would learn when they are done! So at least we planted a seed and gave them a BOM. As for O and Off the positive we gave O another date for September 8th and they both came to sacrament meeting! Off isn't sure when he will leave again on the ship. So we encouraged him to act like he isn't leaving and keep on coming to church and reading!

New people who started to progress we have a christian lady named A who likes learning and reading the BOM but not sure if she wants to leave being a Catholic. So on Thursday we want to help her understand why we have authority from God. Note: This will be the second time I have used the Bible on my mission! haha!  We also are teaching a 15 year old girl. named Water Melon/ Moe. She is cool but teaching kids is hard, with the parents and everything being buddhist. But she likes reading the BOM so thats good!

So anyway as for cool things. Yes the weather is getting worse. It rains nearly all day and when it doesn't rain it is blazing hot! So very weird. Flooding hasn't really started yet, that usually happens in August or September. But the weirdest part is when I get cold! You get wet. Then all you want is a blanket! OK SO I WANT SOME HOT COCO for my package! Send me some of that! They don't have it here and it is nice to have! Haha! I am getting sissy! As for P-days you use your own money for everything here. So when we want to travel out of our area we can't use our travel money. So yes basically it is hard to travel. Today I will probably write letters and go to the mall. Haha! Most P-days we do activities but when you have everyone in your district going home by September except you and a person in your group (Sister Rodrigues from my MTC district) So we are the only two who don't go home within 3 months I think.

But hey things are going good and we are averaging about 11 lessons a week this transfer!  Fun fact in the September 27th transfer 70 percent of the mission will be 1 year or under in the mission! Missionary wise! So very young.

Besides that nothing planned really for today. We might go see the alligator farm next week!

I also attached a picture of one of our new investigators who has 24 hamsters! 2 Rabbits.  And he spends about 3 hours a day bathing them and stuff! haha! He also has a hamster cemetary in his yard! His name is TanaPong Very cool guy! Also a picture of The bamboo store!

I actually need to send my package home! I got a few pairs of Sabbay Pants and Ties. So next week I will probably send it home! It will probably be my Christmas package!  

Also send me some of that Ice Cream you made today! Sounds good!

K love ya Fam! Thanks for the letters!

Elder Landon Simonsen

Life is Good

Hey Family and Friends!

Anywho for the week! Started off pretty crazy last Monday! We went to FHE with YuPin who says she is my second mom! Haha! So The person I think mom is facebooking is Ma Nong. Yupin's real name is Ajan Wanida Suktawon or something like that. I am very bad at translating to romanized characters! Ok so anywho last monday I ate BLOOD.   It is a Blood of a chicken that they cut off the head and put in buckets to let it get jello like.(I cant remember what that is called) But then they put in soup for flavor and it dissolves a little so your soup is red and bloody. Very interesting but I ate all my soup like my mommy taught me.  Very interesting! I eat cartlidge of chicken bones alot which is the ends of the leg. Haha.  Besides that FHE was very fun.

So anyway kinda of a funny story we went on Switchoffs again this week and I was with Elder Pipat and he always calls me a fake Farang (White Person) Because I eat fat of pigs and stuff and sushi and fish. He says I am the coolest white person he knows. Because I eat like a Thai person. Haha! They love fat on pork and steak and stuff. And I eat it, cuz they make it taste good. Anywho we went to a Japanese food restaurant which was an all you can eat sushi and beef and pork and chicken and shrimp place and had a good time. So That was fun.  Elder Pipat, gave me good advice on a mission in Thailand and dealing with different things that you won't see at home.

So investigators this week. We have our 3 new progressing investigators called Ice^3  Ice Cubed, They are three college students Giag, Wan, and Ice. They are doing great we have taught them 3 times, Giag is the 1 male. The others are females all around 22. So that is fun, they learn English and Chinese at our church. They are starting to read and pray and we are hoping to give them a date this week. Sister Nun our super star is doing great! We moved her baptism day up to August 4th! So that is awesome she has such a strong testimony of the church! She told us a story of how her mom was asking her why she didn't Wai Phrat or do buddhist stuff anymore her answer was because she knows that when she reads the BOM and when she prays she feels something inside her that she didn't feel before.  So she has a solid testimony right now and I am looking forward to helping her with becoming a member. Besides that Mak's family is doing really good lately! We showed the restoration DVD and they loved it and they understood better. We just are still working with the core foundation on the BOM and Joseph Smith and stuff. So I hope everything can go good with that. But missionary work is going good right now so I hope we can keep it up!

It was funny this week one of the New Elders went on Switchoffs with Elder Pipat in our Area and Elder Pipat acted like he didn't know English to him. So it was fun. Kinda funny because I have seen how much I have grown from the time that I entered into the mission! So crazy stuff! I am running out of time. But I did attach the photo of Sabbay pants they are fun pants to wear here. So if anyone wants them I have a few pairs and was thinking about getting them for people. One size fits all! So yes good stuff!

Yes we had international night and it was fun we did a prestation on America and they wanted me to explain  american football, rap, and hiphop. So they wanted me to sing Lose Yourself by Eminem and then I helped Elder Timothy sing Lincolnpark "In the End"  Imagine that!

Well I love all of you and have a good week!

Lovin Thailand

Hello Family!

So how was the week? My week is pretty good! Sounds like everyone had a busy week with Cam and Serena in California. Lauren and Ryan in Boston. Wow!

So yes that is the big lizard that I have seen a lot! Imagine that but you can see the detail. And its creepy little tongue sticking out! haha!

So anyway Dad asked about missionaries here. We have about 130 right now. I would say probably around 30 of those are Native Thai. So yes about 100 from the states. But then you have like 30 or 40 sister missionaries also. So ya Thailand is growing and everything so it is really fun. I will attach the picture of my zone leader cooking for us! He made Fried Chicken and Khaw Niaw. Or Sticky Rice! He taught me to cook sticky rice. Chicken, Curry, Some Pork Dish! I love learning from him! So that is really fun!

So some update news on my Investigators and stuff! So sister Nun will be baptized for Sure! Yesterday we taught her with Brother Rag and he was making a ward list with pictures and she said that he should just put her name down! haha! She came to all three hours and then stayed for the baptism yesterday at 2. Also she read about 50 pages in the BOM this week! She is doing so good! I am excited for her. Also Yu PIn is doing great also. I taught her with Bishop. And She said she wants to talk to mom because she wants to tell you that she thinks of me as her other son. So fun story about her yesterday she told me that she didn't read more than four paragraphs a day when any other missionary taught her. Then when I kept on calling her everyday to read. She finally started to read 2 chapters a day. She says that I am now her favorite missionary because I helped her become closer to Heavenly Father. It was funny, cuz we taught her with Sister Mamm who I baptized and she said that she felt the same way about me. She said that I have a halo above my head or something. It really made me feel good! It was really nice. I am glad to help. Yupin Says all I need to do is get Eli to start learning with the Missionaries. I should have had Lauren and Ryan go look him up in Boston. Well besides that we have Mak and Family. Doing good but things are looking good for them to get baptized in August.

Ya so pretty good week. So I am sending pictures of the Swadii Khrab Ronald Mcdonalds I was sending that last week. The Snake. The river with monsters in it! And where we invite very jungly! My suit, Clouds that had some cool rainbows in them so I took a picture. I sent a picture of the baptism in our ward yesterday. So ya that was good! Well I love you all and have a good week!

New Suit

On the packages Ya I haven't gotten them yet. Because we have some stuff to do and we can't use taxi's anymore in our mission. You know all the rule changes. Nothing big just that one. In my area we can now ride bikes! Thats a plus! So no taxi's cuz he said other places in the world don't use them and they get more baptisms. So he wants  us to be seen by more people! Which is true. Thats how people know us. riding bikes and buses and Song Taw's haha! Ya anyway! Thats about it! I am doing good and everything is good.

Love You and have A good week!

Elder Landon Simonsen

Rainy in Thailand

Hello Everyone,

Ok so first thing first. No I didn't move. I am still in Srinakarin. I am actually very glad because I will hopefully get to see Mak's family get baptized. The only thing is we had to push their date back to August 11.

So real quick on the investigators we gave Noon/ Nun a date for August 11 also. She came to church and is doing very good. With Oh/O we met her boyfriend this week, he is a ship cook and is looking to change religions. The only problem is he is only home for 1 month then back on the sea for 6 months. basically everyone is the same as last week. We went inviting this week a few times. Not any luck but we are trying. So if you have any good ideas let me know! haha! Maybe I'll try and stand on a box and preach, that worked for Dan Jones! I would stand out a lot being a big white person surrounded by Thai people!

So this week I saw another river monster in the middle of this street where we were inviting. It was about 6 feet long and about 10 feet in front of me. It looks exactly like a Komoto Dragon and is freaking scary cuz it is poisonous, fast and big. So I backed away and tried to pull my Camera out then it ran under a wall on the other side of the street.  Its like a nessy or something!! I also got chosen to get the snake out of the church luckily it was a skinny 3 foot long snake. So I sent pictures of the snake I didn't get one of the river monster. Someday I will get it, but it is just a big poisnous lizard. haha! Also lots of crazy dogs I attached a picture of that also!




Nessie the River Monsters Home




The Snake I Charmed!



So Dad asked about the language, it is coming really good, I am far from excellent or great but at least people say you speak so clear (Cha) and then they ask how long you have lived hear and you say three months and they are like wow!! Are you half Thai? You say no I am a missionary! It is a very fun game. You play it about 8 times a day! haha!

So I guess that I spoke way to soon when I said rainy season wasn't as rainy. It is pouring right now at our place, and rained every day. Get soaked alot, the shoes work excellent my socks have only gotten wet like twice.

So anyway this week at FHE all the male members wanted to arm wrestle me. Yes I won. I know. Haha. FHE is more like a ward activity here. They also cook good food so hey why not go. We get our investigators to come and it is all good.

Well this week was the last week of my training so on Wednesday night we went out to sizzlers! haha. No not like America the steaks are hamburger patties! So I got a nice piece of River Fish. Type I don't know. It was a six dollar meal! Most expenisve meal I have had in Thailand. Usually you don't go over about 3 dollars. Welll on that note I am excited to finally just be a junior companion.

So you asked about the gas prices.  It is about 30 Baht a liter. I don't know how many liters are in a gallon, so I will have you figure out the math.  I think that it is actually about the same as America.  Let me know!

  

The 4th of July sounded really fun! I miss being in the Parade! I am usually in it in some way haha! They don't celebrate it here. They do fireworks on the Kings birthday which is either in Septmeber or December I can't remember. They don't have an Independce day because they never became independent. haha. Thai people love that story!

Hope you all had a good week.

Elder Landon Simonsen

P.S. I had a dream this week that I played football for the UofU very weird but I scored like 2 touchdowns. I actucally had 3 football dreams this last week. So I don't know if that is a sign that I miss it or not! haha!


Anyway love yall!

4th of July Week

Ok so I will answer questions first even though not to many. So on the address for the mission use Petchaburi. they resent the e-mail with the correct spelling. 1645/6 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400. So if I stay I can pick your package up on a P-day the office is about a five minute taxi ride and a 10 minute train/track ride on the airport link. Then you are there! Super easy. Super convienient for people coming from the airport. So we can stop there when you come.

So as for progressing investigators they are all doing good.  Mak, Ooy, and Taam will probably have to get pushed back a week or two just because they still are working on Sunday's.  We are working on it. And they are still doing good. It is nice to teach Taam in English because both his parents are fluent in English so it is a very good review for them. As for Sister O she is doing good.  She meets with us a lot and has lots of friends that she wants to learn. So after that we have Nun and On they are doing good  we teach them about twice a week and they are reading very good.

Ya we have a decent amount of new investigators.  Lots of time people here let you in because they feel like they have to or they feel bad for you. It is weird. So then they just listen to you, so it takes a while to finally see whether they are interested or not! It's alright.  It is reported as the hardest area in my mission, but I love it here! President Senior talked about D&C Section 133 very good missionary chapter. He talked about how in Asia we face different trials and stuff here. We fufill the prophecy of the gospel being preached to the 4 corners of the world. Along with the missionaries in Europe. Those missions are harder. The missionaries in South America just say here is a book about your ancestors and then they get baptized! haha. (This will go with the next paragraph better.) He just said that here we face different things in Asia and Europe. We just have to be diligent because there are people waiting and that you just need to keep on going out and fulfill God's promise to the world that everyone will have the opportunity to hear about the gospel. So no matter how hard it is or how many baptisms you get. We can only do so much, we can only offer the people the message and they have to choose whether to accept it or not.

So last night we had the new mission president meet and greet! He is a pretty funny person. I like him a lot and think that he will bring some good things to this mission. He has a lot of good ideas that he obviously has learned from other areas of the world and that will be good because Thailand still needs one more piece to the puzzle. But they are working on it. We got our first family history senior missionaries! So that shows they are pushing it, so they can get a temple. So President Senior cracked a joke about how do you trace your ancestors back to animals in budhist cultures. He is a funny one. I also talked with senior missionaries from Myanmar and they could have missionaries there by the time that I leave the mission. So very good. It would still be in our mission until they are big enough to seperate. But the church is growing.

So here is some fun facts about the mission. So we have a branch in Laos that has 130 members in it that has supplied 3 missionaries to our mission currently and 2 more coming. I know that Myanmar currently has branches in it that aren't able to take the name of Christ yet. But soon will be able to. Also that Todd Heaps (Played for the Baltimore Ravens) younger brother is a missionary here. I forget to mention that. He talked with me the first day about BYU and how he is going to play quarterback there.

Well I want to let you know how much I love all of you and thanks for the e-mails and everything. I know that this church and will say every week because it is true. That I wouldn't want to be anywhere else because I love the people here and they are awesome and I will work my hardest to help them receive the gospel. 

Love,

Elder Landon Simonsen