Sawatdii Family and Friends,
My Grandma Holker wrote me a
wonderful email about learning in this life and going through the trials from
this month's Liahona (or Ensign over there?) about being "A Saint for all
seasons." This transfer has been a quick but eventful one as we are
now at 9-weekers here in Thailand (which I actually LOVE). This week has been
eventful but full of joys and sorrows:
Monday made an area map.
Tuesday didn't teach English but
taught a crazy lesson on accident (I wrote about it in my Mission Presidents letter:
"Our solid trio we're working with is progressing (Rough, Gaeo, and Bun) and
we're finding more and more investigators as we meet more of the families we're
teaching. I taught such a lesson to one of our investigator's mother (Rough's)
who can't read, write, or speak Thai. I taught the whole lesson in Isaan -
which as you might know is the Lao-ed up version of Thai people out of the city
speak and people in Bangkok can't understand AT ALL. I did it with the help of
a member and with Elder Christensen's fervent prayers. So that was fun."
Wednesday we biked down to Kamalasai
(a city 12 kilometers out of town) and taught a man there and went back. It
wasn't the best lesson and I've been worried about the quality of my
teaching. But it's all a learning process, right? I love the ancient, American proverb: "What doesn't kill ya makes you
stronger."
If anyone can get me the author of
that, I'd love it. But I wrote also that "I find that as I master my time
management (which is probably one of the greatest struggles for me ever since
the beginning) I start to get less worried about everything. I LOVED the quote
by Maestro Lenard Bernstein that you shared at Zone Conference:
"To
accomplish anything great you need two great things: a plan, and not quite
enough time."
It's only true 108% and if ANYONE can "keep
time," it's gotta be him who picked up the baton of the New
York Philharmonic at the age of 25. Although I'm not taking the baton
of the New York Phil, I feel my role is a great one to take on. But I think all
will be well with another thing any musician knows: PRACTICE. The สี่เต่าทอง also
once said in the 60s: "We can work it out!" (I don't know if you're a
Beatles fan???)
I pray that we all will through "Him who is mighty to
save" (2 Nephi 31)."
Thursday and Friday we've been
teaching Ple (Bun) and she's been progressing. Gaeo can now pray by herself -
which is WONDERFUL, and all three of them were at church again, so all your
prayer have been working! To you, I owe a thousand thanks.
Saturday we want to a District
Talent show for Khon Kaen, Roi-Et, Maha Sarakham (one of my FAVORITE old
areas and got to see many friends), and Korat, which of course I got to see the
King of Korat himself - Elder Wilamas. He is so great and laughed hysterically
when the Kalasin youth put on this WAY funny skit - but I was also laughing
just at his laughing - a great end to a week!
May we all continue practice
patience as we all pick up our batons. I encourage you to laugh a little, or go
spend some time with someone who makes YOU laugh. "NOW is the time for men
(and women) to prepare to meet God" and thank goodness we don't have
enough time to do it. So set your priorities straight NOW and love your
neighbors. Put down the People magazine or the remote and pick up your scriptures
first. Tell your loved ones you love them. Trust Him as you take up your baton
with a limited and very special time to practice in our short seasons in this
life.
I love you and will leave you until
next time,
