Still here in Chiang Mai! Yay!

Hey family,

Glad to hear that the baby blessing went well! Looked great! And to see Tabitha get baptized! That is awesome! Looked like a huge 4th of July party. Parade looked fun! If you are wondering no, we didn't do anything special! We had transfers that day. But I did get the package! It was great! I loved the food choice's especially the fruity pebbles. Yummy! Well guess what! I am in Chiang Mia still! I have an awesome new comp! Elder Jesse Pyne from Alpine Utah. He actually went to school with Elder Cosper! He is way fun. Kind of quite, shy guy. But he is a way good kid! Really knows how to work hard! We both love the NFL! haha! So ya instantly we have things in common.  He is young in the mission. Just barely got out of training. He is on transfer 3 now, follow-up training is fun.  I love helping young missionaries! I am really excited to work with him. He has a great desire for the work and is always looking for an opportunity to share the gospel. I have so much to learn from him!

 

So you are probably wondering how the district is. Who Stayed who moved. Well My comp moved, Sister Orchard moved, Elder Hansen, Elder Heras, and Sister Rodriguez back to America! So ya we had a great district! All great missionaries and friends. And guess what we got another great group. So Sister Yim and Sararat are companions now. Both on Transfer 3. Then they moved Sister Zatarain here and she is training Sister du Plessis(French name). I served with Sister Zatarain in Bangna if you remember. So we are in the same district again. Then Elder Slaughter is training Elder Winsor. Then Elder Adams is companions with Elder Xayavong he is from Laos! It is fun to have him in the house! Way funny guy! So ya that is the District! Looking forward to doing more work with them!

So anyway let me tell you about our crazy week! It goes as follows. Well transfers, it is always kinda hectic getting the bikes on the bus. Not to mention you worry about everyone getting on the bus. And to the areas and stuff like that. It was funny because Sister Sararat said I was like a dad that cared for all his children. So ya, you know me playing dad! haha! After Transfers Sister Yim got sick. So I was running around getting medicine for her and everything. Sick for 2 days. On Sunday I went with them to the hospital in the morning with a member in the District Presidency. And her Appendix burst at the hospital. It was crazy, because I was the one translating for her at the hospital, because her comp was Thai. So ya my medical vocab is a little rusty but hey all is good now! She had surgery and is just resting in the hospital and we will go visit her again today.

Long story short I played dad all week! haha! But it was fun! I got to introduce the sisters to some members in our branch and help them get familiar with the area! And things will be going great! It is a great time to rejuvenate the energy of the branches! Sister Zatarain and du Plessis are in our Branch and they are very energetic! So I think things will be going great for us in our branch.

Besides visiting lots of members, we got to give 2 or 3 blessings this week as well. Along with lots of service opportunities! So it has been a great week for us to help the branch and to be able to get to know them better.

As for investigators this past week. People are still progressing ok.  Rameez is doing good. But his new job kinda restricts him from coming to church. That is a bummer, but he loves the Book of Mormon and the D&C. Saw is doing great! She wasn't able to come to church. She is still reading and she did get to come to FHE so that was great. We did find a few new people who will be promising. Joy and Eeam. They are cool. They work with our first counselor in the Branch Presidency. They are a husband and wife. We just had a first lesson. Should be great. I love member referrals! We also are meeting with a guy named Boy! haha! and he is great. But as Thailands most common problem is working on Sunday. So he couldn't come to church. But hey we keep our chins up. And we make sure that everyone has an opportunity to decide for themselves if they want to follow Chirst and be baptized into the true church or not. So we will keep teaching so they can choose. But we are just messengers of the Lord and sometimes people won't hear our whole message. But hey it is still going great! They can still get baptized, so we haven't lost hope yet!

As for me this week! It was a fantastic week! Crazy to see my MTC sisters go home! Made me feel old! Mainly because I am on the same transfer/ have the same amount of time as my trainer did when he trained me! Missions just go by to fast! It really is the best experience I have had in my life. I talked about it with Elder Pyne today. How if we hadn't come on missions our understanding of helping others and always inviting them to come unto Chirst(even after the mission) would be so much less. I have grown so much on my mission. And it was so great this past week at transfers I heard that Sister Noon got baptized this week. She is from my greenie area when I was with Elder Timothy we found her!. That is a seed that was planted and grew. But wasn't ready to harvest until now. And I am so happy for her! Even though it might not be the same as being there. Knowing that someone you introduced to the gospel got baptized makes you feel accomplished. It goes to show that sometimes people aren't ready at the time the first meet the missionaries. But don't ever give up. Someone might not be interested now, but always share the gospel, because they might be ready! I am attaching the photo of her. Sister Itri actually got to teach her and also Sister Wiganda (served in Banga with her. Way good friends!) So I am actually way happy for them to baptize her!

 

Thanks for the e-mails this week! I love you all and have a great week! Today we don't have anything special for P-day. We are putting locks on the sisters doors and windows at there house. Because someone tried to break in Two nights ago. So we had them sleep at a members until we fixed the broken lock on the back door! So ya no worries fix it Simo is on it! Anyway! Have a great day love you all!

Elder Landon Simonsen

P.S. Notice Breast Cancer Awareness District Meeting! (pink ties) And yes my hair is short. and Noon at her baptism!