Thailand Week 23: Korat

The Will of God

This past week was great. I didn't write in my journal this past week... so I can't recall any of any cool experiences. But I can state that... the mission is awesome. :)

This past week. I have been focusing a lot on the the different characters of Christ. While doing so, I was continually amazed to see how great of a man Jesus Christ was. While learning of the different attributes/characters of Christ and personally striving to follow His examples, my worldly problems shrinks, my capacity to learn and be happy grows. I feel so much joy and peace. My eyes opens up to the different blessings that God has given to me.

Inviting. :D

Selfieee gameee. This is brother คลัง.... He's awesome

Ahhh. The Book of Mormon is awesome. :) It's amazing how much I can apply in my life for my personal benefit as well as others. Want to know something cool? In personal study, I usually don't finish reading one chapter. I'm always cross-referencing and writing my thoughts and spiritual impressions. It's fun. I love the Book of Mormon. :)

Could you guys give me a list of things that you may want from Thailand?

I don't want to do everything last minute...

I know. I still have like 18 months left. But really... Please send me a list. :)

Oh! This past week I was able to do a switch-off with a khon thai while Elder Gardner attended district leader training. It was fun. Haha. :)

I like this video. I hope you guys will too! :)

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-014-the-will-of-god?lang=eng

"Willingly to accept and even seek corrections." <4 ever

I know that God will guide me. He will mend me, forge me, and help me become who I need to be. I know Jesus is the Christ. I know that He is our Savior. He loves all of us. He loves you. Open your heart, let Him in, and watch the magic happen as He changes your life.

I love you all. Even you Cali. "Meowww" :)

- Elder Santeco

Ahhh. Jesse is so old, going to seminary already! Hahah. Love you bro. 

We went a 3-D...ish Museum here in Korat! :)

Love you all! HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!!!!:)

Thailand Week 22: Korat

Thanks to everyone... Mommy, Elder Reid, the Members, Investigators, Elder Gardner, and God! I can kind of read Thai. :)

Yayayayayayayay! My very first baptism. :) 

His name is Brother Bank(แบงค์) and he is boss! His story is actually really interesting. Prior to learning with the missionaries, he attended many different Christianity churches. The church he attended prior to coming to our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was the Hope Church which was on the very same road as us. Haha. He explained that he felt that wasn't the Lord church because they were playing drums and doing all sorts of chants. Overall, he believed that he has found God in his life, but has not found God's church. So he took a chance with us! Thanks to Sister Mod(มด), she introduced him to us missionaries. :) The whole time that we taught him ( with Elder Reid and Elder Gardner) we were always amazed at how well he understood the scriptures. He's great. I am so happy to see him get baptized. He'll be receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost next week as well as the Aaronic Priesthood. :) He also was able to attend one of our fireside focusing on missionary work and has taken an interest to become a missionary too! :) I am super excited for him!

I'm really excited for this transfer! The missionaries' vision for this transfer is unity, one family. And one of our zone goals is to baptize one family. I love families!! :) Elder Gardner and I will do our very best to baptize at least one family this transfer. We will also be praying for all the other missionaries for the opportunity to do the same. :)

I am so happy to see that you guys were able to treat the Reid family back at home! I hope you all had a blast! :) I am sure you guys did.

Favorite Scripture of the Week:
Alma 32:28-30,41-42

"41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. "

I miss singing the "Plant a Seed" song from primary. I remember see Sister Graham cry and express her love to us as we sang the song in the sacrament program.

I know that as we plant a seed in our hearts and nourish it by reading the scriptures often, we will able to continually grow our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. When ready, we will be able to partake of the precious fruit... which is the Love of God. I have felt His love, and I want others to feel His love as well. It one of the most amazing feelings ever. :)

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is the Word of God. I know my purpose. I know that I am called here to do the Lord's work and bring salvation to the people of Thailand.

The Lord has blessed me so much. I love you guys. Please search for the different blessings in your life, then become a blessing to someone else. Thank you for everything!

Much love,

Elder Santeco

- Yay! Biking!

HELLLOOOOOOO!

We went to some famous farm. They have cows from Texas. The prices were insaneeeeeee. But a friend of Elder Gardner took us there and treated us. :)

The name of the brand is funny. Hahhahaha.

- WHOOOHOO! I love my nasal voice. It doesn't help being sick. LOL

- HELLLLLOOOOOOO MOMMYY!!

-Elder Gardner the Cow Master.

-We like elephants

-Elder G eventually knocked out during the ride back home.

-Had a delicious burger that night too. (Last P-day)

-This is Sister ปานจริย์. She drew me and my buddy.

-It has been raining pretty daily. Floods like these happens often. But it eventually drains. :)

- I'm a คนไทย now! Haha. These inhaler thingy are pretty cool.

- These kids apparently aren't scared of the rain. Haha

Ehh! My braddah got baptized! :D

Transfer #3, Thailand Week 21: Korat

Transfer Number 3

These last couple days adjusting with a new companion was quite a challenge. I am no longer a greenie! and I am still in Korat! With Elder Gardner! He's 19 years old and is from Utah! He is tall. Really tall. He has been out for just over a year and has about 7 months or so left.

Several Pics with Elder Reid.

Elder Reid was the type of missionary that knew what needed to be done. He knew exactly when and where we had to be. Being his companion for 2 transfers, I generally understood his way of working with the members, finding people, and doing missionary work. Thanks to him, I learned how to be that kind of missionary. Since Elder Gardner is a new missionary here in Korat, he knows nothing about Korat or it's people. I had to step it up and take charge. 

This past week was very tiring. I am a wee bit sick, but it should blow over as long I continue to take care of myself. This is the first time I had a running nose since I became a missionary. It sucks.

These last couple days, I've been making constant comparisons between my two companions and it honestly doesn't do me any good. It puts me into a position to judge and it degrades my personal attitude and behavior towards them. I want to change. That's not how the Lord would look at others. This morning, I came to realize that I can't argue with others to make them become better obedient people, but rather I should encourage them in a loving way. :) 

This past week's miracle was realizing how the Lord has made it possible for me to become an instrument of the Lord. I am more brave in leading discussions, teaching lessons, making calls, communicating with others without the need to beg for my companion's assist to translate for me. I can speak, read, write, and understand Thai. It's truly is amazing to see how God is making this possible for me. I am going to consider Elder Gardner as a miracle too. He may have different behaviors/attitudes and different methods of doing missionary work, but we're all different! We're all unique and special. I know that he will help me grow and become a better person.

Favorite scripture of the week:

Probably the most overused scripture, but I love it. :)

2 Nephi 31:21

 "20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that life was meant to be good because he made all of this just for us. I know that as we focus on the Lord and His teachings, we will have happiness, peace and joy. And more importantly, we'll have eternal life and return to Him.

Love you guys! Keep going strong! and I'll do the same! :)

Mahalo Nui Loa

- Elder Santeco

ALOHA

These peeps are awesome peeps. Love them soo much!

Brother Oo is a ward clerk and Sister Tu is a librarian! LOL 

 

Thailand Week 20: Korat

Aloha Family!
It is scary how fast time flies by. With 2 days left with Elder Reid, and my greenie days almost pau, I am nervous and anxious to see how next transfer will go. I'll probably be staying in Korat for another transfer, but I won't know until we get the "moves" call.

As usual, this week was filled with a lot of traveling. In fact, out of the 12 weeks that Elder Reid and I have been together, there has only been 3 weeks were we stayed in Korat. Other than that, we travel throughout Thailand. :)

Last week Thursday, ซ.Bird and บ.มิตร took us to ชัยภูมิ! We missionaries heard that ชัยภูมิ would be the next area to open up. So ซ.Bird and บ.มิตร being excited, wanted to give their families a head start in learning about the gospel. We taught their families about the Plan of Salvation and introduced the Book of Mormon to them. It was fun roaming around ชัยภูมิ, where no one has ever seen or heard of us missionaries. It gave me a glimpse of how the first missionaries' in Thailand must have felt. I am happy to see the members reaching out to their families in love. :)

Oh, one thing that I noticed was that ซ.Bird was constantly collecting information of her deceased family members for family history/temple work. It made me really interested in doing my own family history work too. After this email, I'll go ahead an create an account. :)

Ahh. I miss the temple. :) It is truly the House of the Lord.

This past Friday, Elder Reid and I headed to Bangkok to renew my visa. :) But when we returned to Korat, I got into a bike accident. I'm okay, but I did some damage to a brand new truck. For any car owner, I can imagine how he felt. Yeah, it wasn't even 10 yards from our house, where I was riding my bike along the side of the road... then for a moment, I saw a large pile of dog poop in my bike path. It then became the main focus on my mind. In a split second, I attempted to avoid it. That's when I rode my bike into a brand new truck driving the opposite direction. I created a pretty nasty scratch on the side of the truck. The driver stopped, we chatted, and called multiple people. 20 minutes later, we found out that his insurance will take care of the damage. They're such a nice family. :) I'll go ahead and visit them today with some food and snacks. :)

I remember feeling mad at that poop. But when I did my nightly prayer, I came to realize that maybe this was meant to happen. I felt the impression that I should use this opportunity to share the gospel with them, and be their friend. It is surprising to see that they live at the end of our road, but have never met with the missionaries before. I'm now more than excited to share the gospel with them. :)

In the end, I still ran over the dog poop. 

Thought of the day, 

As a missionary... It's very important to teach the doctrines of Christ. But how can I teach it if I don't understand it myself? Today, I finally made a connection between the Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Gospel, and Commandments. :)

The Restoration: Because God loves us he gives us His teachings through the scriptures and prophets.

The Gospel: What are His teachings? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end.

The Commandments: Continuation and details of His teachings.

All of these focuses on the Plan of Salvation! We have His teachings to help us return to our Father once again. We have His teachings so that we have eternal life. So that we can be with families together forever. His teachings are for us. It is for you! :)

3 Nephi 11:11 -

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. "

I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is the Savior of the world. He has made the Plan of Salvation possible for all mankind, including you! I know that God loves you. I know that God sincerely wants the best for you. He wants you to have eternal happiness. And you can receive that happiness through His teachings. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all! Thanks for everything!... and the journey continues! :)

- Elder Santeco

- Last week's P-Day at Swenson's! Delicious!!!

- This is sister กุ้ก. A gal that brother จิ๋ว and I invited at the mall. She's awesome! :)

Brother Micheal was able to find work and will be returning back to the Philippines to be with his family. :)

So I bought a soldering Iron and solder from a hardware store. Attempted to fix my hearing aid. Couldn't do it. It's too tiny. Hahaha. I don't have the proper tools. So yeah., I've been using a paper shim to hold together, and so far it has been going strong. I'll probably solder it when I return home. LOL. :)

Thailand Week 19: Korat

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Birthday America!!!


To start off our companionship study, Elder Reid and I had a lovely
opening song. Hehe.

Bleh. It's sad... This transfer is about to end and Elder Reid is
about to die. :(
So, I'm saving the corn beef for the last P-day before I drop him off
at the Mission Office in Bangkok. It'll be a great way to finish off
his mission. :)

This past week, I had my first zone conference in ร้อยเอ็ด! It was
very uplifting. President Johnson and Sister Johnson talked on
"Obedience". Prior to the zone conference, President requested all of
the missionaries to find five of our favorite scriptures on obedience.
As I searched the scriptures, I soon realize that EVERYTHING in the
scripture relates to obedience. It really expounded on the fact that
obedience is very important. :) Be 100 percent obedient so that you
may receive 100 percent of God's blessings for you!

At zone conference, we had burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. AMERICA!

I had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures, but Sister Johnson
did. I'm hoping that you'll find at least one picture of me on
Thailand Bangkok Mission's FB page. :)

I had my 3nd companionship inventory with Elder Reid. The only time
that we had companionship inventory was the first two weeks and last
week. :) It was awesome. I really am going to miss Elder Reid, he has
been a great example to me. He has taught me a lot and has inspired me
to learn even more. Seeing how the mission changed Elder Reid, I am
more than willing to allow God to shape me. :) These last couple weeks
will be a blast!

Prayer. Sincere prayers with the willingness to act upon your answers
is the best way to pray. Sincere prayers will change your life.

3 Nephi 14:9-

"7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto  you.

 8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh,findeth;
and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread,will give him a stone?

 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall  your Father who is in heaven give good
things to them that ask him? "

I know God loves you. He wants you to have happiness in this life and
forever. He wants you to reach out to Him, so that He may guide you.
He knows what is best for you. Pray with a sincere heart and listen to
His plan for YOU.

Love you all. Enjoy the food back at home. :)

-Elder Santeco

PS: Please wish Aunty Beth HAPPY BIRTHDAY for me. :) And mom, fasting
was great. Food was great too. Made and ate some burritos. :) Last night's dinner. Thai Food and Burritos!

Sister สี's baptism was yesterday! She's SOLID! :) My very first
baptism that I've personally worked with. As for Brother ไข, he'll
need to get an approval from the Prophet himself! He is great,
yesterday, he kept saying... "Elders, it's okay if I can't baptize,
I'll still come to church every Sunday." Haha, I kept hugging him and
telling him, "You'll receive your salvation! Don't worry!" Haha.
That's so cool. He'll be the only person in Roi Et that got direct
permission to get baptized! I am hoping that it'll get cleared off
this week so that we can one more baptism before Elder Reid finishes!
:)