Calvin's Thailand Mission: Celestial Splash

สวัสดีครับ Sawatdee kap!

Wow, what a week! We had New Year! สวัสดีปีไหม่! It's 2020 and you know what that means! It's my blackout year for the mission! I'm in Thailand for all of 2020, let's go! This last week was really fun and really hard at the same time. But when you keep your head down and do the work, pray, pray, and then pray again, and put your trust in the Lord, you'll see miracles!

GRAB A SLICE OF 'ZA, BRAH

Pizza Company. Any RMs from Thailand know what I'm talking about. They put ketchup on their pizza and stuff. Crazy. But we've been helping ourselves to some hot slices of yum for the new year and other... good reasons? But yeah. We've been eating a lot of pizza. I also ate my new favorite food this week: น้ำดกหมู (nam doke moo, waterfall pork). Oh my goodness you have no idea how unbelievably delicious. I couldn't even begin to explain. It is so so so good. I love Thai food. I know I'm going to regret saying this, but I still have yet to try any food that I haven't liked. It's all so good! Not to mention, food in Thailand is so cheap. Seriously you can get a full meal from a restaurant for like $1.25. Thailand is fantastic.

DO YOU SPEAK MY LANGUAGE

This language is so complicated, but it's not, but it is. Understand? No? Me neither. It's so cool to be able to speak Thai. How many people do you know that can speak Thai? Probably not that many! But guess what, sometimes I can! It's really weird, some conversations, I understand everything and I can respond with little to no hesitation. What's really frustrating is half of the time I get super lost. I got pretty frustrated on Sunday after we met with a really old member and I didn't understand anything. I felt super useless and I was really getting down on myself. We went back home and I prayed harder and longer than ever haha. Not much else happened for the rest of the day that gave me a ton of opportunity to practice Thai, but on Monday, something happened. We biked like 45 minutes out to talk to a less active member, and we found his mom there too, who is one of the people we're talking to! We talked to them about prayer and cleared up some questions and things they didn't quite understand about God. I understood all of it, I shared from my heart, and I felt like I was really sharing what I wanted to say, but I was saying it all in Thai!! It was amazing! I don't think I've ever participated so much in a lesson, but this time I just couldn't stop sharing! I could answer questions, I could share scriptures! If you put your trust in the Lord and truly, humbly ask Him for help, you will get it! I just did!

CELESTIAL SPLASH

Ok, so really quick this is just a cool story and I don't think you should take it as doctrine or anything but it blew my mind. We were talking to Sister เงี่ยม about going to church. Last week, she said she would go but she didn't because when she was waiting for her ride, a drunk guy came to her and scared her off. Freaking Satan sent that guy, I know he did. But I felt impressed to share 1 Nephi 3:7 with her to share that even though it can seem scary or difficult, when the Lord gives us commandments he will always provide a way for us to accomplish what he asks of us. I opened straight to the page (straight to it. Chills.) and shared, and then shared my thoughts on how it could help her. The words flew out of my mouth faster than I could think of them and I got my point across to her. Right after that happened, a leaf fell out of a tree 20 feet away and flew over and landed in the center of a toilet paper roll on a table next to us. The way I see it, the Holy Ghost gave me the gift of tongues and then drained a 3 pointer. It was a celestial splash.

ANOTHER ONE

We had a lot of investigators this week that we were hoping to get to church. When we got to the building, we found หนู, the guitar guy that we found on Christmas in the foyer, making friends and chatting it up. It was cool to see him wearing nicer clothes and kinda weird to see him not wearing his pirate hat thingy haha. We sat down for sacrament meeting, and right before it started, as I was talking to a member sitting behind me, I felt a hand on my knee. I turned around and I saw Sister แดง, and she brought investigators with her! Her grandson, อาร์ท, and this elderly couple that she's friends with, สัญญา and เสงี้ยม! Yes! Then, right as the meeting was about to start I hear "Hey, Elder!" right behind me. It was Sister โบ, a less active recent convert and her friend that we've been teaching, เงี่ยม!!! I was so pumped, I was smiling ear to ear for like 15 minutes. I love our investigators so much haha.

SPORTSBALL

We've pulled out the spikeball net a few times to enjoy our P-Day, get in some exercise, or even just show the members. Tons of fun, and I won't have many opportunites to play that after Elder Thorn leaves. We also played basketball in Roi-Et while inviting some people to English class. I may or may not have drained a couple jumpers in a row to seal the W, who knows? And we found some kids playing soccer in a patch of dirt, and we jumped in. It was like the dream of my mission, playing soccer with kids not wearing shoes, using sandals as goals, waiting for people driving their motorcylcles through the field, and taking home the win. It was so so so fun and it's just the best being here in Thailand. I'm loving this country.

การสวดอ้อนวานและศรัทธา (Prayer and Faith)

I've had some tough times this week. I've felt sick. My stomach has been not great, my nose stuffed up, I had a headache from fasting, and I was overall exhausted and frustrated with the language. I prayed for a long time. Like a really long time. God was probably thinking, "I said pray often, but this is just ridiculous." But I realized that this is why people are always saying that their missions were so hard. I can't do this alone. I turned to the Lord and he really lifted me up. I've seen so many miracles and found so many things to keep me happy and excited to share the gospel. It's really such a joy and the power of prayer is so real. I'm sure something in your life right now is less than perfect. Pray! Think that it needs a little more than that? Do all you can, and then PRAY. What are you waiting for? I promise that God hears and answers prayers. Please don't take that amazing truth for granted. We are his children, and he will do whatever he can to help us get through anything. I'm making a goal to stop complaining. Find how a trial or hardship is here for your benefit. Replace a complaint with gratitude! You'll be happier and learn so much more that way!

LAST THINGS LAST

-1!

-We might have found a new house! Keep you updated if moving day happens!

-Saturday was Elder Thorn's birthday! connor.thorn@missionary.org wish him a happy birthday but do not tell him I sent you.

-Aspen Grove totally prepared me for talking to kids. We teach a lot of kids haha.

-Mango sticky rice is so good, y'all. You have no idea.

-Are you doing Come Follow Me? Cuz you should.

-I love Thailand and I love being a missionary, but don't forget that I love you!

เอ็ลเดอร์ หมีเขียว (Elder Green Bear)

Elder Barrett

1. I want to take more pictures. Here's me on a bike.

2. Football night. It might be illegal to call it soccer here, who knows?