Week 3 - handwritten letter

Sorry, I didn't get to post this before we left for Arizona, so even though he will be writing again today, I wanted to post his "intermediate letter" (email isn't his favorite way of writing...so we get some handwritten letters during the week too).

Dear family...

Now for Thai, on February 10th, 2012, I was sitting in the TALL lab (technology-assisted-language-learning) one night [and] I was practicing some phrases and all of a sudden I stepped back and realized that when I was practicing some phrases that I was not even thinking about them and it was just flowing out of my mouth!  My mouth was actually shaped differently inside when I spoke Thai and different when I spoke English.  My new teacher, Brother Day (Phii Aphiwat) has like two personalities.  When he speaks Thai he's funnier than when he speaks English!  Berkeley, my Portuguese teacher once told me that she felt like he had two different brains - one for English, and one for Portuguese.  I now see this is pretty true, and I think my "other brain" was born.  Wow I sound like a Sci-Fi alien movie, but now Thai is coming and sticking better.  My script isn't the best, but I'm determined to be able to read out of the Book of Mormon by this week - hold me up to that, please, and please pray for me to be able to do this!  I need the help, but I know I can do it "through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

Well, I'd like to say hello to Anna, Kenz, Megs, Matt, and Toady (I loved Anna's other pic of him - I do miss being my weird self around here...)

But yeah, also, I had so much on my desk that I just barely read Duke's letter from week 1 just a few days ago - and it applied WAY more than it would have otherwise!  Weird, huh?  The Lord used my laziness to bless me!  JK, hopefully that vice will clear up by then...

I hear some people at home are not happy that I haven't been "answering questions" [that would be me, his mother!!] Well...my suggestion is 1) make a list of all questions wanting answers (no more than...let's say 20/week for now), 2) Type them lik you would a math lesson, 3) Then, I'll be able to provide answers to anything you need (sometimes its hard to think of more than a few things at a time here...)  It's a three-step program that I hope will bring you hope and info.  :)

Also, I got letters from Bryce, Jason, Danielle, Max, and the sister of my friend Zoe; Phoebe Heins...Separates the wheat from the tares...good friend become better ones through writing here...Thanks for all your support because good family becomes better as well!

With love, Elder Gibbons
"suu suu!" (Fight, Fight!  Keep Going!)