Mormons Can Be Buddhist, Too.

 เฮลโล Hello!

Welcome back to a week in the life of Elder Calvin "The Grizzly" Bear. It's getting cold in Seattle, y'all. And for some reason, there's a sign in our apartment that says not to turn the thermostat past 50°. I'm not sure if it's just a prank or if I'm gonna bankrupt the church from an outrageous heating bill. For now, I'll just wear some sweatshirts and wrap in a few blankets while I finish my personal study.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN A THAI LESSON???

I know! TWO Thai lessons! Y'know how I've been teaching some english classes to Thai people in the Seattle area? Well, you'll never believe it, but we actually had two students who wanted to learn about the church! Our first lesson (which took place in a treehouse out of necessity and level of coolness), one of our students, who is one that we thought wouldn't be interested at all, asked us what's different between our church and other christian churches. What a question!! We got into the Restoration lesson and it was all in Thai! My companion was struggling to find his footing, since we havent really taught in Thai for months, but here's a miracle: I had like zero rust. It was amazing! My words were just flowing and the spirit was there and it was an amazing lesson. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to talk about it much further after we finished the Restoration. But I was just having an amazing conversation about the similarities between our religion and buddhism. It was super cool! Next time we'll talk more. I'm so excited. But we taught another lesson the next day. This one friend we had already taught to pray and she is interested in christianity. This time, we offered to take her on a church tour and she MET US AT THE TEMPLE!!! We got to take her on a tour of the temple grounds and share the Restoration again!!! It was amazing. She accepted a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet (which had Elder Stradling's notes all over it, but we promised to get her a fresh copy haha) and she is so amazing!!!!

I'm very lucky to have been blessed with the ability to learn languages. The gift of tongues is super real, y'all. This week, I had conversations about things I had never talked about totally in Thai. I was able to contribute and understand what they were saying! I talked about preparing someone for a driver's test, hiking a mountain, meditation, and made a few jokes about how missionaries aren't very rich. Even outside of Thailand, I'm getting to use Thai a little bit almost every day. That's such a big deal for me and I'm so grateful.

KNOCK KNOCK

Who's there? The missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. What? Isn't it Rona season? Nah, fam. It's time for you to hear about the Book of Mormon!!! We are actually allowed to knock doors now! I was a little hesitant, I'll admit. But we had a really good experience going out one day to find some people. We found one lady who is more than happy to let us come back one day and also a family where the mom told the kids to tell us that they don't speak english haha. It's interesting, but at least I can actually feel a little bit more like a missionary now.

YOU ARE RIGHT WHERE YOU SHOULD BE

This week, at Zone Conference, it hit me that even though in the end I want to make it back to Thailand to finish out my mission, I need to be happy about where I am, what I'm doing, and what experiences I will have here! I wrote: I"'ve gotten into the habit of looking forward to the next step in my life without taking time to be happy about where I am. I need to work on being happy to be here and to be doing what I'm doing. There is nothing else in the world that I should be doing right now." Still working on it, but I'm totally happy to be here, chilling out and sharing the gospel!

LAST THINGS LAST

- how to rob a bank with your friends: step 1, buy matching hats.

- Thai is very feminine sounding compared to Lao. A man with a very large beard told me that, and he looks like he has authority on that subject.

- happy Halloween, y'all! Halloween is scary, but do you know what's scarier? That's right, that one phantom stair at the top of the staircase.

- I love you! Take it from me, I'm an expert on all things me. And me love you.

เอ็ลเดอร์ศาสนาพุทธ (Elder Buddhism)

Elder Barrett

 

Good Thai Food of Great Joy

 เฮลโล Hello!

So. What a week, y'all. It was a pretty typical week, full of service, great food, and most importantly, it's such a great time to be a missionary!!!

REVENGE OF THE SIMP

We had our first companion exchanges since I got here at the end of June. If I were to describe it in a spanish word, it would have to be picante. I got paired up with Elder Chidester, who's actually from Spanish Fork. We stayed in Benson Hill and we stayed BUSY! We helped a member's friend with some boxes of food, I shared my secret hawaiian sliders recipe (email me for info if you're worthy), taught a member while sitting on top of a litter of kittens, got a box of pizza from a member, taught an english class, and helped a family in Tiffany Park move out. It was such a party day, finally Spanish and Thai coming together as one.

IT AIN'T MUCH BUT IT'S HONEST WORK

I got to drive a tractor this week. Yes it was amazing, yes it was probably very attractive, and no there was no property damage. We spent 7 hours in one day digging piles of dirt, spreading mulch, and flattening the earth (helping out the flat-earther's case a bit, I'll admit). I got to drive a riding lawnmower, which has also been a lifelong dream of mine, and transport mulch for a few hours, which was less of a dream but I won't complain. It was tough work, and we were both so exhausted by the end of the day that we could barely walk haha. We also got to do some raking, some weed pulling, and just some more general yardwork. It's always a party.

OH WELL THATS NICE

We were invited to a member's house to watch stake conference this sunday. Mini miracle alert! They offered for us to show up in our pajamas, so naturally we accepted. This means I got to wear a big thick sweatshirt rather than my thin dress shirts. Might seem like a minor thing, but in the middle of the stake conference, their daughter puts a rabbit on my stomach. I don't mind too much, conference was honestly getting a little boring and now something new and exciting was here on me. Well, the rabbit seemed to think it was VERY new and exciting. When the little girl took the rabbit off me, there was a big dark spot where it had been, with some fun little brown pellets to garnish. Now that seems like a pretty lousy thing to have happened. BUT! Had I been wearing my missionary clothes rather than pajamas, that would've seeped right through my shirt, and onto the man beneath the clothes. But probably not quite to the nucleus. But the members had us come in our thick, warm PJs. Which means that it never got past my sweatshirt and it was an easy clean. Bless up.

LAST THINGS LAST

- I passed my one year mark this week! Radical!

- the house is too cold to get away with just one blanket on my bed now. Tubular!

- somehow, we're still getting fed Thai food on a consistent basis. Psychedelic!

-Twinkies are now a cereal!! Too legit to quit!!!!!

- you are a fantastic beast and i know where to find you. On my list of people I love. 

เอ็ลเดอร์อุจจาระกระต่าย (Elder rabbit feces)

Elder Barrett

"I need to get you and your family DUNKED!"

 เฮลโล Hello!

How much do you want God's blessings? Are you willing to work for them? Willing to take whatever comes your way trusting that your struggles and efforts will be worth it? These were the questions filling my mind while we were biking to the church building at 6 AM in the pouring rain. The answers for me? A lot, apparently, and absolutely!!!

WHYS STEVE CRYING?

Cuz his wife got dunked (on)!! Mina got baptized!!! Yes, for real!!! We had a small service at 8 AM on Saturday with just 6 people and it was so amazing. The spirit and peace and just overwhelming joy of the whole thing were the best. We've been working with them for a month or so and they are the best couple ever. They've been working together on this goal and they are so solid. The sweetest, extra most bestest people ever. They were so happy and I am so lucky to have been a part of it. The meeting itself was really small, but super personal and I couldn't stop smiling! And while her husband was giving her the gift of the Holy Ghost, his angelic phone alarm came on and it was the best. Definitely unintentional, definitely fantastic.

PRESIDENT PENDLETON PULLS NO PUNCHES

While we were planning out our week, we got the feeling that we needed to visit President Pendleton, the 97 year old former stake president who can talk to you all day and who had a birthday the day before. We called him, no answer. So we made ourselves some lunch and we got a call from the 2nd counselor who asked if we had visited him recently, because he was thinking about him a lot. So we decided that was a sign and we booked it to his house. He started talking to us about his WWII stories (Grandpa Bird, you two would get along) and about all of his super strong political opinions (Dad, you two would get along). While we were talking, he got a call from one of his friends that he's been trying to get to meet with the missionaries for so long. She said she was coming over to drop off some things for him and he said, "I want you to talk to these great young men, because I need to get you and your family dunked!!" She came and we got to meet her! She's going through a very difficult time and shared her situation with us. President Pendleton says to her, "now I'm going to say something and I dont mean to offend you..." At this point I'm thinking, "Oh shoot, he's about to spew out something super politically polarizing." But NO! He finishes, "...but I'd like for these missionaries to give you a blessing of comfort." And she accepted! The blessing was great, and she was much more open and happy afterwards. I hope she gets to see missionaries again sometime soon.

LAST THINGS LAST

- bringing my "I AM MORMON" reflective vest from Thailand was the best idea ever.

- Benson Hill BBQ Club is unstoppably delicious.

- We took away Sister Jex's ability to cheat in games by speaking Lao. Thai boiz for the win.

- Seattle rain is here. Heaven help us.

- I love you! You're a legend.

เอ็ลเดอร์หนาวจังเลย (Elder is soo cold.)

Elder Barrett

The video is me throwing a lob to a BYU commit. This is for posterity.

"Alexa, play The A-Team theme song"

 เฮลโล Hello!

Did y'all watch General Conference this weekend??? It was so good! I highly recommend it. I had answered prayers and personal revelation while I watched and listened, so don't take it lightly when I say WATCH GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! If you watched it already, rewatch it! What did Steven J Lund talk about? That's what I thought, so rewatch it!!

MEMBER MADNESS

The members in Benson Hill are amazing!!! We got fed so much this week. Thai, pizza, cookies, more cookies, sandwiches, and fry bread??? So good, y'all. I crossed off a bucket list item by playing pickleball in its birth state, not to mention I high fived a crossing light on one of our morning runs as it flashed onto the sign. Two bucket list items. We did some service at one members and followed it with painting their nonmember friend's chimney on the sketchiest ladder in the cul de sac. We wrote a letter and sent it with flowers for one of our older friends, and got to work in the Lord's vineyard (technically when you're in the service of your fellow man, you're only in the service of your God. So yes, it WAS the Lord's vineyard). I also rode the back of a riding lawnmower over an insane dip in a members yard while listening to the theme song from The A-Team. It took all of my inner Mr. T to hold onto the back of that John Deere.

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING

Now that we're back on bikes, were trying to get into some serious shape. What does that mean? My running shoes are getting some much needed milage. Luckily, the Washington autumn has been throwing us a bone. Every morning is foggy and misty. Now, to the pessimistic non runner, this might sound miserable. Cold, dark, wet?? What could be good about that? I'm so glad you asked. When I'm running and I start to get hot and sweaty, it's hard to stay cool in the burning sun. But when the sun is gone and I'm running through a relaxing mist, there are no problems. I feel like I could just run forever. But I'm so out of shape, I probably couldn't... it's a work in progress!

GENERAL CONFERENCE

You all should really get on that General Conference commitment I mentioned earlier. Don't get me wrong, it's an honor that you'd rather read my email before you catch up on actual inspiration from God, but just so you dont leave here empty-handed, here's a takeaway from one of my favorite talks. It's the one from Matthew S. Holland isn't that a familiar name?). He tells us about how repentance takes misery and turns it into blissfulness. Repentance is given for us to have joy. And although sometimes, we have struggles and difficulties that truly no one on earth can understand, our Savior understands completely. Please, please, please let me let me let me tell you from personal experience, that He truly does understand everything you're going through. Let Him help you. 

LAST THINGS LAST

- Bike jousting is lame.

- We shoved 2 plum trees in a trash can. How baller is that?

- I got to join a zoom call with the Alumni of the Thailand Bangkok Mission from the last few years. And the previous mission president of the best mission in the world gave a talk in general conference Sunday afternoon!!

- Those of you who caught my The Smiths reference in this email, I love you. For the rest of you, I love you and I forgive you. But I never forget.

เอ็ลเดอร์ เขียนอย่างช้า (Elder writes slowly.)

Elder Barrett