6 weeks down, 3 to go! This has been another good week in the life of a missionary, not surprised. Our teachers are starting to shift gears into getting us pumped to go to Thailand. And they really don't have to try very hard to get that done haha. We've heard so many amazing stories about spontaneous kumai gift of tongues, 9 year old dek deks with faith so strong they saw an angel, and monkeys stealing planners and ripping everything out page by page while maintaining eye contact. In conclusion, I'm going to have the best mission ever.
ROU JE RONG PLANG BUD
This week of learning Thai has been a good one. It's a little tricky to stay motivated when all the days sort of mesh together, but having those moments where things just click, or you just spoke a whole paragraph in Thai without even thinking, bring you back in and pumped to keep going! At the start of every class, we sing an opening song in Thai. "Rou je rong plang bud!" (We will open with a song!). It's kinda cool to just have the words flying out of your mouth without having to think too hard about how to say them. We also open with a prayer in Thai. When we pray in Thai, we have to use the royal language for Prabidabonsuwan (Heavenly Father) and it's so much fun. Since our district is so small (4 Elders), we combine with the Spanish district for devotional reviews. I was asked to say the closing prayer in Thai, and when I finished, all of the Spanish missionaries were like, "That's the coolest sounding language ever!!" And yeah, it is. ;)
SNAP, CRACKLE, POP
Like I said before, sometimes it's kinda hard to stay motivated through the whole 9 week grind of the MTC. So to relax and blow off some steam, one language study session turned into the Arm Wrestling World Championship. Elder Thaxton and Elder Maetani were going for like 15 minutes straight, and their round only ended when Elder Maetani's hand slipped out. Elder Yang wanted in, so he sat across from Elder Maetani and they clasped hands. Elder Yang got off to a quick start, but Elder Maetani was giving it all he had to push back. That's when we heard the "pop!" Elder Maetani stood up, holding his bicep, and was walking around, refusing to bend his arm. He insisted he was fine, but the way he carried his food during dinner told a different story. After a day or two, he was back to normal. That is, until he fell up the stairs and hit his other arm. On Sunday, he and Elder Thaxton went to the hospital and they found out he has a staph infection. And the radiologist wants them to come back in a week or two to have it checked out again because it might be more. Prayers for Elder Maetani. On Saturday, I was doing my thing. Balling with my bros as I always do. I was driving to the hoop and made a layup in traffic. The landing, however, was not quite so graceful. I landed on another Elder's foot and sprained my ankle. Immediately I popped up and walked a few laps. I iced it that night. For all of my fans, don't worry about me. I'm almost back to 100% already and Duke hasn't pulled my basketball scholarship.
POOSONJAIS
We got to teach a new poosonjai this week! Bro. Lucky (Bro. Hunt's Thai-dentical twin). In Thailand, everyone has a nickname. Their names are so crazy and long that they all just have a nickname so they don't have to say their actual names. Hope that clears up the names like Game and Lucky. We've even heard of kids named Tractor and Watermelon. Thailand is just the best haha. We taught Bro. Lucky about The Plan of Salvation. He lost his dad a while ago, and we shared with him that through this plan, he could see him again. He was very quiet and contemplative. He said no church has ever told him that before. He really wants to see his dad again, and he really wants to believe in everything we've said, but he just doesn't know and doesn't know what to do. We wanted him to know for himself, not to just believe us. We committed him to read in Alma 40, which is a great chapter about the resurrection by the way, and pray just to ask if he will see his dad again. There was a really powerful spirit in the room during that whole thing. It's amazing how we can talk about so much after just 6 weeks. We haven't had our TRCs this week yet. I know, I miss Bro. Brown too. Don't be too sad, though, because on Friday, we get to skype real konthais!!
IT'S LIKE THE WORST PRANK WAR EVER
We had a lot of new missionaries come into our floor this week. They've been getting into it with the Spanish and Finnish Elders. There have been so many pranks going back and forth between them. Some of them have been a little stupid, like flipping beds, and some have been really stupid, like putting ramen in the soap dispensers. Yeah. Many districts have been saying the floor is theirs. That's cute. The Thai district has been on that floor the longest, reigning as the owners of the floor ever since our Pi Thais left for better bananas. We've been watching them out-stupid each other this whole week. Lucky for everyone around us, the English Elders left today, thus ending the stupidest prank war ever.
GANCHODCHAI
This week, we've talked a lot about the atonement of Jesus Christ, why it's significant, how it's affected us, and how we can share the joy that it brings us with konthais. We all picked sacrament hymns and what we can feel and learn from the words inside of them. I picked "I Stand All Amazed." Let me tell you, hymns can have so much spirit and feeling behind them. It's really amazing. A scripture about the atonement that I love so much from this week is John 15:13. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Prayesukrit is our savior. He has a perfect love for us, and through the mercy given to us by his ganchodchai we can be forgiven of our sins. Making mistakes is all part of the plan. God gave us weaknesses and made us imperfectly on purpose. Knowing that we would slip up, he gave us a savior. All that we have to do to return to live with our Heavenly Father is try. Try to keep his commandments. Try to serve others. Try to love your neighbor. He knows we are imperfect and he knows that on our own, we can't make it. He gave us weaknesses to humble us. But, like Ether 12:27 says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. I know that God's plan for us is perfect. It is the Plan of Happiness. By following the Savior's example, we can have our weaknesses be made strong. If you're having a rough time, put your trust in God and never stop trying. God will make up the difference after all you can do. I promise that he loves you and he is aware of you. He wants you to come unto him. Use the atonement, share the joy of it, and try, try, try.
LAST THINGS LAST
-I've had a cough for the last little bit and it was especially bad during a devotional. Sister Beus told me after it was over that she didn't realize my cough was going to be the fourth speaker.
-No missionaries are coming in this week, so we have to wait one more week until we get our nongthais
-I found a Liahona magazine in Thai! And I can read it! Yeeeessss!
-Elder Yang and I memorized the First Vision in Thai. Frick yeah man!
-Thai word of the week: ไก่งวง, turkey. Literally translated to "drunk chicken."
-Bonus Thai word of the week (aren't you a lucky duck?): ขีปนาวุธข้ามทวีป, intercontinental ballistic missile.
-I've been thinking about my Grovies a lot this week. I miss you all so much and I want to thank you for the impact that you've all had on my life. I'm so grateful for you all!
-Speaking of Grovies, shoutout to Isaac Bowman on getting his mission call to Texas, Fort Worth (if that's not the right mission, it's the one Sis. Beus told me it was so blame her)!
-Even if you aren't a Grovie, you may not be quite as special as they are, but God loves you equally. I love you a little too ;)
Elder Barrett
1. Your favorite Thai Elders post-temple.
2. The Holy Trinity of Thailand Bangkok Mission Prakampi (left to right: Burmese, Thai, and Laos).
3. The Spirit World section of the Plan of Salvation lesson in Thai.
4. Picture from Elder Palmer in Thailand!
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