Elder Joseph Gibbons Mission: Week 48

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Week 48 - Christmas Eve 2012

Words cannot express how happy we were to see and hear Joseph on Skype - from a 5 level mall in south Bangkok on Christmas morning (for him, Christmas Eve for us)!! Every Christmas Eve we gather all of our kids together and play games, open presents, and we have a "candle lighting ceremony", so we told Joseph to call us when we would all be together. Of COURSE, there was a problem on his end with Skype, but he was finally able to work it out and we got to talk to him for almost an hour.

There were a few highlights of our conversation with him. He smiled the whole time and he looked great! (see photos!) He told us that in his last area he had eaten a cricket and he rode an elephant (he told us the elephants' name, but I can't even attempt to spell it!) He was just transferred to a city (I could never hope to write or pronounce this one either!!) in the south part of Bangkok. He said he had a feeling that he would be transferred back to the city. His companion is Elder Merkely from Corrine (?), Utah and they are getting along great. We asked Joseph a question, so he turned to his companion and had about a 4-5 minute conversation with him in Thai! We were all so amazed at his language skills so far!! We just listened in amazement and gratitude that our prayers are being answered! And the best thing of all...as we were getting prepared for him to call, I took out our candles to set them out on our table like I do every year for our candle ceremony, and as I opened the box, there was a letter from Joseph!!! At first, I thought Joseph had sent it to Mike and that Mike had slipped it in there so he could be a part of our candle ceremony this year. But, no! It was written on Mike's stationary and Joseph had crossed out Mike's return address and put "Thailand" on it. A few days before he left for the MTC, he had written us a letter and put it in the box. What a great surprise and shock to see that letter!! Joseph got to be a part of our traditional candle ceremony after all. As when we read it, we were all bawling! It was a very special evening that we will never forget.