Hello again from the Isaan! [I didn't edit this at all, just a few spelling errors.]
The weather is superb, the air is great and we had some good things happen this week. In my letter to President Senior, I pretty much summed up the highlights:
"Hello again on a beautiful Monday afternoon. I'm just waiting for it to start to cool down into winter, but I guess that doesn't happen here... But growth and changes do happen here as we sustained our new branch president (President Thawansak) yesterday and got to participate in Sister Nat's confirmation, as her baptism was this last Saturday, which I got to play my viola again and give an unplanned talk because the speaker didn't show up! But it was great, and her testimony is strong. These experiences are just among the few that have helped me grow spiritually and emotionally. On missionary.lds.org it says I'm about 25% done with my time in the field (Which seems super short!), as I hit my 7th month mark as a missionary this week too. People are starting to make more sense and the language is seeming to slow down."
More on those changes, President Sumeed was such a great branch president. He kind of reminds me of Uncle Troy because his hair's a little longer, he's a little more chill and laid back, but he's so funny! He'll just say something in his cool voice but you don't know if he's kidding or not! He's completely opposite from his wife - Sister BOOM who has two volumes: loud and laughing. She kinda sounds like Aunt Angie when she laughs really hard at a joke that revolves making fun of a Minnesota accent and talking about "Troode!" or "Joan Boagor!" He teaches me southern words and she teaches me Isaan words. There are about 3-5 different languages in Thailand and Isaan is like Americans making fun of Spanish (like "Do you hablo?" or "I gusto that ice cream mucho!") but instead of spanish, they mix in Lao! AH! It's intense but fun (I"m sticking to Thai for now).
And our convert Sister Nat is so funny! She's this little lady (maybe in her late 30's?) who can't read and can't hear very well either. Members feed her testimony as they read to her from the Book of Mormon often. When she's not getting something, she'll let you know by the way her face all screws up and squints her eyes, and then lets us know vocally. At her baptism, she bore her testimony the went something like: "Well, I'm here and I don't really know what to do... But I really like having friends. When I was learning I would ask Heavenly Father like 'Heavenly Father, please send me more friends because I like friends,' and he sent me a lot. Now what do I do?" The members helped her close her humble, heartfelt testimony which brought in the Spirit because you could see the trust she had in her Father in Heaven and in her brothers and sisters in the church. For example she wanted President กิจจา (Git-ja) to speak and to baptize her. Honestly, I would too. This little man is sharper than flint. I first saw him as he walked into church in polished cordovan shoes, tan whaled trousers, and a brown leather vest over a brown-pinstriped dress shirt. He has tight, curly silver hair and large-rimmed black spectacles that sit above his little nose which sticks out over my a thick silver mustache. My companion and I concluded he's a cross between Albert Einstein and Sean Connery. His sermon on Faith at the baptism (I say sermon, for it could be accounted as nothing less) was of the best talks I've heard in this country. He's famous out here in the Isaan and is a blessing to have in our branch.
Blessings. That's pretty much the theme of my experience here in Siisaket (and of the rest of my 25% of my mission up to this area). It's so fun out here, but a lot of work to be done. I would encourage you all to read the Book of Mormon to keep in the right way (because it's so easy to slip into pride - like I did, but that's a different story and everything good and I know now how true these words I tell you are). My last thought is something my Companion asked me and I'm still puzzling over: "What's your favorite Commandment to Keep?" Chew on that this week and let me know your thoughts!
With rak (love)
Elder Gibbons
The weather is superb, the air is great and we had some good things happen this week. In my letter to President Senior, I pretty much summed up the highlights:
"Hello again on a beautiful Monday afternoon. I'm just waiting for it to start to cool down into winter, but I guess that doesn't happen here... But growth and changes do happen here as we sustained our new branch president (President Thawansak) yesterday and got to participate in Sister Nat's confirmation, as her baptism was this last Saturday, which I got to play my viola again and give an unplanned talk because the speaker didn't show up! But it was great, and her testimony is strong. These experiences are just among the few that have helped me grow spiritually and emotionally. On missionary.lds.org it says I'm about 25% done with my time in the field (Which seems super short!), as I hit my 7th month mark as a missionary this week too. People are starting to make more sense and the language is seeming to slow down."
More on those changes, President Sumeed was such a great branch president. He kind of reminds me of Uncle Troy because his hair's a little longer, he's a little more chill and laid back, but he's so funny! He'll just say something in his cool voice but you don't know if he's kidding or not! He's completely opposite from his wife - Sister BOOM who has two volumes: loud and laughing. She kinda sounds like Aunt Angie when she laughs really hard at a joke that revolves making fun of a Minnesota accent and talking about "Troode!" or "Joan Boagor!" He teaches me southern words and she teaches me Isaan words. There are about 3-5 different languages in Thailand and Isaan is like Americans making fun of Spanish (like "Do you hablo?" or "I gusto that ice cream mucho!") but instead of spanish, they mix in Lao! AH! It's intense but fun (I"m sticking to Thai for now).
And our convert Sister Nat is so funny! She's this little lady (maybe in her late 30's?) who can't read and can't hear very well either. Members feed her testimony as they read to her from the Book of Mormon often. When she's not getting something, she'll let you know by the way her face all screws up and squints her eyes, and then lets us know vocally. At her baptism, she bore her testimony the went something like: "Well, I'm here and I don't really know what to do... But I really like having friends. When I was learning I would ask Heavenly Father like 'Heavenly Father, please send me more friends because I like friends,' and he sent me a lot. Now what do I do?" The members helped her close her humble, heartfelt testimony which brought in the Spirit because you could see the trust she had in her Father in Heaven and in her brothers and sisters in the church. For example she wanted President กิจจา (Git-ja) to speak and to baptize her. Honestly, I would too. This little man is sharper than flint. I first saw him as he walked into church in polished cordovan shoes, tan whaled trousers, and a brown leather vest over a brown-pinstriped dress shirt. He has tight, curly silver hair and large-rimmed black spectacles that sit above his little nose which sticks out over my a thick silver mustache. My companion and I concluded he's a cross between Albert Einstein and Sean Connery. His sermon on Faith at the baptism (I say sermon, for it could be accounted as nothing less) was of the best talks I've heard in this country. He's famous out here in the Isaan and is a blessing to have in our branch.
Blessings. That's pretty much the theme of my experience here in Siisaket (and of the rest of my 25% of my mission up to this area). It's so fun out here, but a lot of work to be done. I would encourage you all to read the Book of Mormon to keep in the right way (because it's so easy to slip into pride - like I did, but that's a different story and everything good and I know now how true these words I tell you are). My last thought is something my Companion asked me and I'm still puzzling over: "What's your favorite Commandment to Keep?" Chew on that this week and let me know your thoughts!
With rak (love)
Elder Gibbons
PS: My comp [companion] is from... here it comes! ... Minnesota!
We're getting along great - he is a Physics major from BYU and reminds me of Kaiden's comp - which makes it so much better for ME, right?! Our first Comp study involved the concept of enetrepy and the atonement. AWESOME! more to come next week. Love you SOOOOOOOO much!
