Chiang Rai is Great!

Hey Family and Friends!

Sounds like things are going great around the home country! Man I can't believe Parker is getting ready to leave in two weeks! I am excited for him! Missions are the best! Its good to hear that more missionaries are getting called to Thailand! Awesome! Well if they are reading this. Thailand is the best mission in the world! Hands down. As our mission president says, "It takes a special missionary to get called here. There isn't another mission like it in the world!" 3 Countries, over 98% Buddhist, way different culture! There isn't another place I would want to be right now!

Well let me tell you a little about the work this past week. We got two new investigators.  Net is awesome, he is 27.   Also we have Pawn(female) in her 40's she is dating a member that went to BYU Hawaii, he lived in Utah. He is a Thai guy, way funny his name is Lang. So she is great! She learned about 2 years ago in Bang Na (my old area). So I am excited. She came to church! Phone also came to Church, she is a Vet or a Pet Doctor. She is doing good. Ling her friend the Chinese teacher is still doing good. We are really focusing on getting people testimonies right now. Well that is the key obviously.

Also this week we had a great experience with the first mutual in this branch! We had a Ping Pong Tournament! And then planned out some more activities we can do. So this week we are either going hiking or going to do service! So it will be way fun! If you have any fun Ideas let me know we are looking for some good stuff! We have sports day with the Youth and about 5 older members on Saturdays. Way good time to bond with members. We also had switch offs on Friday. Way fun I got to go with Elder Cox.  I learn so much from him and Elder Wilko! They are both on the same transfer and they are great missionaries!  The district is great! It is fun being in the Youngest district in the mission!  Also President Senior told us that he is way impressed with the work that is going on in Chiang Rai and how we have such great district unity! So it is going way good up here! I love these Elders and the members here are the greatest! They are so willing to help us with everything! Pretty much I just love Thailand!

The Branch is so awesome here! They are starting home teaching up this week! And they have most of the Recent Converts with Callings.  We are also about to move Church buildings here in a little bit. Either this month or next! So it will be interesting. We need 80 people on average to get a church building. Last week we had 52 at church.  Way good! Our areas are doing great here. It is interesting to only be like a 3 hour drive from China! I am closer to China than to Bangkok. I didn't think about that till yesterday. How there are only a few other missionaries closer to China than me! Way awesome! So besides that we were going to go and ride elephants in the river today and hold huge snakes but it is raining. So we will hold it off till next week! So probably just go bowling again. Because it is way cheap to go and way fun.

Well it sounds like things are good back in the home country! So have a great week! Love ya all!

Love,

Elder Landon Simonsen