สวัสดี ครับ!!
That means hello from the land of smiles! I'm just sitting next to Elder Jensen listening to some tunes in an internet Cafe in ดองเมียง (Don Muang), my area. Wow! That's really all I can say, but I'll try to relate some of my experience until now. Well, after my last email, I helped some international missionaries get assimilated into MTC culture - it was really cool to see miracles really work when I prayed to have the Spirit so strong, there wouldn't be a language barrier - two Elders later, prayer was totally answered. One was Japanese and the other, Italian. But perhaps the coolest thing about the MTC experience was how much the Lord looks after his children. The Sunday before I left, I thought tomato soup would be a nice last meal - and it was good whan I ate it for lunch that day! But before that, we had a MTC-wide Sacrament meeting for Easter where we got the opportunity listen to President Packer in the morning. Then, for the devotional that evening, I was suprised to see risers instead of a podium. So Elder Creer and I quickly found seat close to the front. Then the scary bald 6'5" security man asked us to move. But then he escorted us the the vacant MVP spot for special guests - so I got to watch the BYU Men's chorus with premium seats the day before I left. Does the Lord love those who serve him? You couldn't convince me otherwise.
But I feel like that was ๘ years ago...So we boarded the bus at 4pm, our airplane at 8pm, then flew to LA where I made my phone call home to my wonderful family (sorry it was so late...). The Lord also allowed me to talk to Krystal - a young woman flying to Hong Kong who was although super nice, she didn't like
LA or Hong Kong much and wasn't to happy with the hand life dealt her. I had the opportunity to talk to her as a person, bear testimony and give her a Book of Mormon and get her contact info. Some other Elders at the gate who were waiting for me did the same and I believe she read most of the plane ride to Hong Kong. This gave me a real perspective of what missionary work is all about - being in the right place and the right time to give water to thirsty souls ready to drink.
Speaking of thirsty souls, the work here is flourishing immensely. I met my first investigator, อุ๋มอิ๋ม (oom-iim) when we went to Cold Stone in "Central", a 7-story Asian supermall. But I'm getting WAY ahead of myself....
I landed in Hong Kong and realized I was in Asia when we got out to the terminal and saw the large, flowing Chinese mountains that the magical paint brush ebbs out in the opening credits of Mulan. When I realized I was listening to Bach while gazing at the Mountains of China (a long-time bucket list item now checked off), I realized then and there that the Lord really does love those who serve him.
Elder Creer and I talked to a couple from Hong Kong named Ruby and Ken half in Thai half in English, and half in sign language. I had to walk away from some guy telling us we were destroying Buddhism, but I also talked to a man going back to Laos because his mother died. Thai and Lao is roughly equal to Spanish and Portuguese and I felt like Elder Calhoon: "That's not that language they taught me in the MTC!" [From the movie "Best Two Years"]
So we flew the 2 hour flight to Bangkok and all started freaking out when the signs weren't just Chinese and English, but had a third that made us all way too excited! Billboards in all sorts of random languages popped up, people were everywhere from every place (first person I talked to in Thailand was from Vietnam, lol).
Then we met the APs, the President, and flew from the airport to the Church driving on the wrong side with little to no traffic rules guiding us. we got our pictures taken where one man side hugged me down the stairs (they are like that there). I got some blood checked in a very very small hospital where first really I talked to my Thai person. She was a little grandma and was super nice. I'll never forget her smiling face and warm smile. Nor anyone's here including Brother อู๋ (oo), a member who helps us missionaries out often and reminds me a little of Chin Pho from Mulan... ;)
Wow, I'm so scattered all over from Songkhran (the country-wide waterfight that lasts three days). I'm still wiping the 'bang' from my eyes just trying to get everything in order. I could feel your protection then than ever before. But I gtg. Love yall!
Elder Gibbons
