Parasite's Gone!!

Hey Family,

It was awesome to get your letters and everything! Wow this week was flying by! Wow I can't believe that it has been a month since Kira's Birthday and Summer is over! School is starting and I can't believe I was at college this time last year! It was awesome I now have almost all of my friends address's I have to admit it is hard to always find time to write everyone because P-day goes by quick. It was good to get Joe's e-mail and see how he is doing! Looks like he is doing good and it really helped me with my faith! Anyway so you probably want to know about the worms or whatever. So I guess they have problems with that a lot so I called Sister Senior and said, "Ya I have worms" I kinda felt like I was a dog or something. It gave us a good laugh cuz I sounded really funny asking! So anyway they are good I think! Haha! The symptoms are gone so ya. They just sent me some pills and stuff. I loved your quote of Dumb and Dumber Cam! Gave me a laugh! Thanks!

Anyway that sounds pretty crazy about the breakins and stuff because this morning we were talking about how serving missions bless's our families and that is pretty awesome! So that is awesome about Brian's Farewell I am excited for him because a mission is where you need to be at this age. I honestly don't know what I would be doing in my life (ok going to BYU) but anyway I have learned so much, and there are things out here that you never realize until you get here. I honestly can't thank my parents enough for what they did for me. Because you know even though I thought that I didn't even pay attention to the little things like just the simple act of caring for others helps me care for other people out here. But anyway it makes me see how much a mission changes you because wow! I realize that I was really lacking in areas of Christ-like attributes. haha! But we aren't perfect so that is why I need to be here!

We are trying hard to get this area pumping again.  This area is hard and this week we invited about 10 hours and no one let us in. So ya.  We literally invited and couldn't find people. This week was just a week to test my faith. But I know that sometimes we just go out and plant seeds so that is what I like to look at! Planting seeds someone else can harvest. So with that said, this next week better watch out cuz Elder Simonsen is harvesting the fields! Cuz they are ready! So anyway besides that. No investigators.  Hard week but we are just finding those new people! So I'm praying hard I ask for the same from all of you! Thanks! I need it more than you can think. But at least I always keep a positive attitude! That is one quality that all my companions say I have! I always smile and you won't ever not see me smile (Unless you don't keep commitments) but I will always stay positive even when times are hard. So Suu Suu Daw Bay! Keep on fighting! Anyway besides that! No nothing much on investigators, we are rebuilding! Hopefully starting some ways with some programs we are trying out.

Anyway I gave a talk in Church on Sunday haha! Awesome! First time which shows that they trust me enough with my Thai to speak in church! It was only a 7 minute talk but hey! It is a start! I talked with Elder Thanaawut! He is cool! Talk went really good it was on The Blessing of Service. But anyway I am sure that the little primary girl who gave a talk was better than me! Haha! Jk. She did really good though! 

Lauren gave me a great quote! Thanks a bunch for that! I will keep staying positive for sure! I hate negativity! Thanks again!

It seems really weird that life just keeps going on outside of the mission field because I see the same thing everyday, I wear the same thing everyday. But the feeling of being a missionary is the best feeling you can have. I don't think there is another feeling like it. You never have another opportunity to be here in this area, with this companion again in your life. So I want to make the best of it. I probably won't see another baptism in this area. I accept that. But I want to hear later in life that people I taught here got baptized. It might not be until 10 years from now or 20 years. But a seed was planted and it just needs nourishiing! I love you all and thanks for everything that you do! You all really know how to keep a person uplifted! I know that this church is true! I know that the priesthood authority of God was restored on earth. I hold it and I plan on blessing the lives of everyone that I know or talk with on the Streets of Thailand!

Dad I am sending your birthday card! So I won't forget this year! Haha!

Hope all the family is doing good!

Love ya all,

Elder Landon Simonsen

Still in Bangkok

Hey Everybody!

Well ok yes I'll get the transfer and companion stuff out of the way! Yes I stayed in Srinakarin. And I got a new companion Elder Wagner. He is from Pennsylvannia, Texas, and Utah (where his parents are currently living). So anyway he has been in the country for about a year and something months.  Anyway he was an office Elder the last 3 transfers. He is a very hard worker and we got right to work inviting! He is exactly like my MTC companion so hey very good.  He also just got made District Leader so it will be very good for him and I am excited to work with him.

Me and Elder Wagner

To answer some questions and stuff. So Lauren asked what I eat for Breakfast here. Hmm lots of fruit! I eat Cereal and Yogurt also. Sometimes I make toast. Basically like America. But Thai people  wake up at like 5 in the morning so they eat lunch at like 10:30 or 11. That is when studies end so sometimes I just get some 10 baht fruit and then some rice and stuff. So I hope that answers you question. To answer Dad's question about all the banana's Thailand has around 9 different types of Banana's so haha pretty crazy! I asked Elder Pipat if he could name them all and he new em! It is funny. They are just varieties of color and size and stuff.



Bananas!



So ya investigators are doing good Nun and Mak.  My shoes are still holding up good. I still have wide feet so that will eventually be a problem on the sides of my shoes but you can get shoes fixed here for like 50 baht on the side of the road. So I might just do that if anything happens to them. Plus I have two pairs.  I got all my packages for my birthday thank you so much! I will open the cards and presents on my birthday. I was surprised that you knew me so well! Hot coco(had some already very good) and pepperoni beef jerkey o ya! So anyway! Very cool! Awesome thanks for everything!

K so this week was very fun we went inviting and found some good potentials! I am very excited but this answers Dad question about the city. My area is by the airport and so it is getting more jungly in my area. For example we have buildings and everything that are tall. But in the other area SuanLuang the other District in our area which we go to alot. And is about two seconds away. It is basically the size of Kaysville and our area is Farmington. So they are close together. But in their area they have huge buidlings! So yes I am in the city but not as much as other Bangkok areas! Because I rode my bike for the first time across a freeway! haha! Awesome! Scary but awesome! On the other side of the free way we were riding in a crowded neighborhood. I was leading but I couldn't remember exactly where to turn. So long story short we ended up in the middle of the jungle riding our bikes. Haha! Saw some big snakes. And stuff but anyway ya my area is probably the craziest I am in the city and then once out by the airport Jungle, Rice fields, Wild Animals and Everything! So crazy! 



River Monsters in Ditch

So more about investigators Nun is doing good! She didn't come to church cuz she is working overtime this week!  Yupin is doing good Eli is coming back this month so they can get married! And Mak is kinda willing to meet hopefully we can get him a date! Nun is on the 1st so I hope she can make it!

So good news/ cool news Elder Davies is in my zone this transfer! Very awesome love that kid! He was made companions with a Native Thai person. Elder Songuansak who I had a picture with a few weeks ago. So cool! Then Elder Adams a transfer ahead of me is training this transfer. And then we have 3 companionships where Elders from my group are with the people in the transfer ahead of us! So crazy! Told ya the mission is going to be young.

And yes the weather is still crazy! Wow! Raining and lighting and everything! So anyway! This week I realized I have had a parasite or a worm for about a month! haha! I won't tell you how I know.  Anway, not fun!  I have to get it checked out. Most likely today! haha! Good stuff. Still love Thailand!

K everyone have a great week!

Love Elder Simonsen

P.S. Dad Elder Appleyard lives in the Mitchum Ward. (England) So maybe you served there! He is actually serving with Elder Campbell from Davis High right now. So cool stuff!

Transfer Week

Family,

O today was beatufiul! Dogs with Rabbies barking, no rain clouds out yet! A cool breeze, first time I haven't seen pollution in forever! I love a nice morning after a night of loud rain! So Happy Mother's Day Mom! Why aren't you on Skype? Jk. Only Thai/Lao Elders and Sister call home today. But yesterday was awesome! We sang the King's Anthem and the Queen's Anthem in Church! I don't think any other country is more proud of there kind than this one! Every morning at 8 and every night at 6 the country almost everyone stops and pauses while the country plays the King's Anthem. Very awesome! 

The Montana trip looked good/fun! You two should do some advertising for Montana it would help boost tourism there! So about packages yeah I am just waiting till this transfer to get them on Thursday! It is crazy after the transfer in September we will get I think only 3 new missionaries until January next year! Why? Because we have a limit of 120 missionaries that can get visa's. So we want Thai missionaries! Also, because they have a lot of huge groups like mine who came with 16 people. Then we reach Salary Cap! haha! Also because there were groups that only had sisters and then they finished and then the group in December only had 1 Elder.  Pretty weird, but cool! So I got your letters with the pictures really awesome! Added them to my file! On the shirts yes wait awhile because I still have 5 I haven't worn. Because they get wrecked in the washer at this house! 

Ok So Dad asked about 2 things I am used to how hot it is? Definately no.... It gets cold and rainy like yesterday. And then today the sun is out and I start to sweat! (It will rain in the late afternoon most likely.) The humidity! Haha! It is really awesome! You can really feel it sometimes and it almost makes you sweat more than the heat!  It sometimes gets pretty humid and it feels like you are in a steam room and breathing in water. Super awesome. 

So anyway the teaching pool is going alright! We have some more potentials and we gave Nun a new date for September 1st. Also Mak's Family is doing way better!  He is coming to church and stuff and he got his Triple Combo yesterday!  For all holiday's people go back to their home towns are in Thailand. Kinda cool. Hamster Guy Tanapong brought his friend to his lesson! Very awesome! So we (Me and Elder Pipat on Switchoffs) taught a couple of 70 year old Thai people! It is funny even though they are buddhist and eventually might want to learn. Thai people are overall very willing to listen to what we have to say! So very awesome! It was fun. Tanapong carries a bible in his car because he believes in God and Buddha. So he thinks it will help him drive safely. We told him to put the BOM in his car also cuz it will save him more! Plus he asked why do good hampsters have to die? And where do Hamsters go when they die? Ya I don't know that answer! But at least Tanapong doesn't believe in reincarnation.  So anyway Nun is doing great! She says she just feels good when she meets.

We got a few good potentials and hopefully they go somewhere! Besides that since they moved the office all of our Eagason's/ Pass along cards are out of date/ only have one working number. But they won't print new ones here until they finish the olds ones.  I guess we better hurry and pass the old ones out. 

Alright have a good week! I will keep you posted on what happens! Sorry this week I didn't have to much time to e-mail because I was E-mailing the Mission President.  Anyway I will have more time next week!

Hope you all had a great week and I loved hearing from you.

Elder Landon SImonsen

Safari World

Hey family!

Sounds like a pretty crazy week at the zoo and everything! Sounds like everything is going great and you are all staying busy! Today Me and Elder Pipat went to Safari World with Elder Saunder, Harley, Intuang, and Richardson. Very fun! Coolest zoo I have ever been to! You can get right up to the cage on everything!  I could have pet an alligator, I didn't.  I pet an Elephant, Tiger, (the calm one) Giraffe, some Bird, a squirrel, almost a puma but I thought it was going to bite my finger off! Haha! It was crazy! The animals here are wild! I didn't pay to ride the Elephant or hold the baby tiger but I could have! One of the tigers kept on growling then jumping on the weak fence. So sketchy but awesome! They had a sweet Elephant show where Elder Harley volunteered to have the elephant walk over him! That was funny!

Elders at Safari World

Me and Baby Elephant

Ok now to answer some questions. So packages! Thanks for all of them and I'll remember the advice dad! The language is coming awesome! At points it is still hard when there are topics on something I don't know. But I am confident I could probably teach anything gospel without a problem. I follow about 95% of Church the other 5 % comes from when they talk about other stuff!  I love the ward I am serving in. Anyway besides that. Investigators and stuff. We have found a few new investigators. No new families yet. But as of right now just the same.  We are teaching a 15 year old so that is difficult even though she is super interested. I think I talked about her last week! Water Melon! haha! She is cool and we can't give her a date until her parents say we can give her one! Nun is still progressing.  So everything is going good, Elder Timothy is trunky but he will help me teach.  "Su Su Da Bi"  So anyway things are great!

Ok so for the week I learned a lot! I had some good thoughts about things for Cam to share with the new missionaries that I wished I would have learned before my mission that I learned at Zone Conferece this week! Super good! I forgot my study journal so I will tell them next week! Anyway Zone Conference was awesome! I love President Senior! He has style and knows how to keep things fresh! In ways he reminds me of you Dad! Keep it fun but still spiritual! He is a great guy who really teaches by the spirit! I got to eat lunch at his table and he has some really good stories from his life! He is so funny he cracks jokes about people who don't smile! I really like the mood that he brings to the mission. The Conference was on Faith and I realized how much I have grown and how much I need to grow! Very weird but true! So I want to really work on some stuff this week! Anyway besides that we talked about retaining members so President Senior Implimented a new key indicator. (Rescue Mission) or Bringing people back! So anyway this week we have been working with LA's alot! Especially males! Because it is easier to help someone re-experience the Holy Ghost than making someone feel it who hasn't felt it before!

So I went on switchoffs with Elder Cottrell (Same age as Cam) Haha! Love him, but he is going home in a week also! So very trunky also!  The only one that isn't trunky is Elder Pipat! So anyway Splits where fun! We visited LA's and RC's and taught a few lessons! As usual good day! Which made me think about something! I wonder did the great Elder Cam Simonsen ever get trunky? So haha you can reply to that! Anyway so today we went to Safari World Zoo. Me and Elder Pipat. Because Elder Cottrell and Timothy wanted to sleep and get haircuts or something. So we had fun with some Elders from Bankapi. Elders listed above. Awesome zoo! I would maybe go there again. Except they write the Khon Thai Price in Thai and the Farang price in English. They make us pay 3 times as much! So I am happy to go with Elder Pipat!

Bridge at Safari World

So this week we found 2 New investigators both Christian! I think that Khet Prawet (My Area) Feels more like Spokane Washington than the Thailand, City of Angels mission!( Thailand, GruengTheeb) Just hotter! It just shows that anywhere you go in the world that you are still doing the Lords work! I thought that was awesome about Brandon Vankomen because you know what all we need to do is follow the spirit while inviting and we will know what to say! Sometime it is frustrating because people shut the door without hearing our message. So anyway follow the spirit and you will know what to say! It is true! Something we try to do!

Well that is about it, I forgot to write down things I wanted to share so I was a little unorgainized! But hey! I will tell you what! I know that this Church is True! I know that without a doubt in my mind! I go out every day teaching people to be better and to follow Christ! This gospel is the only way to live with your family again! I love my family! Love everyone and have a good week!

Lauren and Ryan! Good luck with that Cute One year old! Haha! She is cute! Got the little video snippet! She is cute!

Mom and Dad! Love ya and thanks for the packages! You are the best! Enough said!

Love,

Elder Landon Simonsen

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