Thailand Week 84: Udon

I'm on FIRE!

I got sunburnt. Elder Lovelock got roasted pretty bad himself. Haha. This past Saturday, our branch had a sports day! It was so much fun! We were able to play 3 main sports: chairball, volleyball, and soccer. My team, สีน้ำเงิน lost at all three games. We were pretty close though. At the beginning of the games, each team would elect one of their players and put them up in a bet. At end of each game, the loser would get powdered with baby powder. I was one of them. I have no pictures of the day... but I'll try get some from the members sometime today.

Sister Buoy is doing great. We are waiting on her husband to come home so that they could finish up some paperwork. Afterward, she and her daughters will be able to baptize! The husband is really cool. He works in Laos. But whenever he can, he'll come down to Udon and visit his family, even if it's just for an hour. I can tell that he really loves his family, and I have faith that when the time comes, he'll be able to baptize and become a faithful priesthood holder in his household.

Sister Ganjana, Sister Ming's mom got interviewed this past weekend and passed! She'll be baptized this upcoming Saturday, during the general conference breaks. :) She changed so much! I remembered the first time that I met her. She was sometimes unsure to act on our commitment, but as she did so, she soon came to realize the blessings that God has been offering to her. We've realized that her progression has been great due of her faithfulness to read and pray every day. She has started to diligently read the Book of Mormon approximately 2 weeks ago and has already reached The Words of Mormon this past Friday. She managed to fit in 20 minutes of reading the Book of Mormon a day, and loved it. It was such a blessing to see how her understanding grown of who God is and what it means to her to actually be a daughter of God. After she realized this, she willingly accepted to keep all the commandments. Miracle. It's been amazing to work with Sister Ming, a recent convert, in helping her mom enter the waters of baptism. She has been an amazing example to her mom. :)

I went to Bangkok this past week. I was able to do a switch off with Elder Hunt again. It was fantastic. Funny story: I had a bad stomach that day (I don't know what caused it), so I went to the bathroom pretty often. But each time that I did, we stepped outside the church and successfully get a new investigator. I went to the bathroom 6 times. We got 6 new investigators. Haha. It was a great experience to learn from other missionaries. :)

I am excited for this upcoming week. We'll be going back to Bangkok for MLC. But we'll be having a wonderful Saturday/Sunday watching General Conference. And we'll be singing at Sister Ganjana's baptism! Whoohoo! Life is good.

Last P-day, I went to Nong Khai and did a little shopping at the market over there. I bought a portable fishing pole. Why? It was 150 baht = a little less than 5 dollars. I'll be using it when I come home. Haha. Today, we will be going to Phu Tog (ภูทอก). I'm scared of heights. Wish me luck. :)

I know that this is the Lord's work. I know that the Book of Mormon is essential everyone's personal conversion. As we study, ponder, and ask of God if it's true, our testimony will grow and we will be able to stand in our holy places. I know that God loves us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

LOVE YOU ALL!

Last P-day's adventures. Oh! And we rented a สองแถว to get everywhere. It was fun.

 

I spy with my eyes... a dog riding a motorcycle. Haha

It's always good to have an escape door. :D

Love you all! BYEEEE!!!!

Thailand Week 83: Udon

Prayer

สวัสดีครับ อาทิตย์ทีแล้วก็มีมีหลายๆสิ่งที่ได้เกิดขื้น ได้มีการประชุมโฃน ได้สาัมภาษณ์กับประทานจอนสัน :)

Typing in Thai is really hard. Hahah. I'll stop there for now.

This past week, I felt really inspired about prayer.

In preparation for Zone Conference, Elder Lovelock and I initially planned to teach about Unity/Goals. But after praying and pondering for several days, we both felt that although it was a good topic and would be a great training, it wasn't needed. The day before Zone Conference, we threw away our plans and changed it to something else... Personal Revelation. Specifically through personal prayers.

Preparing for Zone Conference has led me to remember the great importance of prayer. Being stuck for a while, not really knowing what to train on... we knelt down and offered up our prayers of our hearts. It gave me the opportunity to really evaluate my prayers and see what I lack on. I came to realize how much of a blessing it is to receive revelation, for our personal growth. It was something that we wanted the missionaries in our Zone to evaluate themselves. :) 

I know that we have a literal Father in Heaven. He is always listening to our prayers, and He will always answer through His scriptures and personal revelation. I know that He loves us more than we could ever understand. But we are able to understand the magnitude of His love as we study about His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

This past Sunday, I was able to speak in sacrament. It's been the first time I have ever given a talk in Thailand. I was nervous, but it was an amazing opportunity. :) I'll have to prepare for my homecoming talk someday. Haha.

I love you all. The missionary work is still going well. We are hoping to see some of our investigators enter the waters of baptism soon. :)

Life is good. It's always good.

- Elder Santeco

I love this blog post... https://www.lds.org/blog/the-3-ps-that-changed-my-perspective-on-talking-to-god?cid=HP_SA_23-9-2017_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyM-6_

This cat is cute.

A member gave me this Ice Cream Sandwich... After taking two bites into it, I noticed the cartoon on it... Hahahahhahahahahaha... I love it.

This was the Zone Conference lunch menu. SIMPLE and DELICIOUS.

I spy with my little eyes a frog. Hahhahahaha. Sorry dad. I know that you don't like frogs. Love you.

​This cat and dog combo is so cute. :)

I LOVE YOU ALL! TAKE CARE!

- Elder Santeco

Thailand Week 82: Udon

Sawadee Kap Tug Taan

How are you all doing?

It's been an amazing week. The Zone has improved tremendously this past week. We all focused on praying for the district's goals as well the Thailand Bangkok Mission's goals. Everyone has mentioned that they feel more unified within the district, zone, mission, and with God. The Lord is amazing.

Don't mind the nose hair. :)

MLC was great. It was super fun being able to go down to Bangkok. We get to fly planes! That's fun. I think I've gotten used to the take-off/landing already. :) In MLC, some things that stood out to me was... We should work towards being a leader that is admired, not envied. We should help others by inviting others to "Do what I do", not "Do what I say". We should be work towards lasting change, not just cosmetic change. It was great to read the scriptures together and realize how great Jesus Christ was as a leader. He is the way. After MLC, we were able to hang out in Bangkok for the rest of the night until the next morning (Since the tickets were cheaper in the morning). So we took the opportunity to visit Elder Lovelock's RC's. It turns out, they are my RC's as well! We met up with Sister Ben and Sister Apple from Lopburi. But moved to Bangkok for work. :) What a miracle.

We are still working with Brother Ohm. :) He's doing good. We've been trying to meet up with his family beforehand... but haven't been able to. We are going to try again this week to meet up with them and try introduce the gospel to them. :)

Remember Sister Oay? (อ้อย). I don't know if I talked about her before. She was an investigator that Elder Sydyk and I found on our switch-off here in Udon. We taught her (she has learned with the missionaries before), and after teaching her... we requested her phone number... and realized that she called us, 4-5 days ago. I remember talking to her on the phone, she asked for a specific missionary... I thought she was a member, so I didn't ask a lot about her. It was a miracle. Well, last Saturday, we taught her the Restoration. It was such a powerful lesson. Joseph Smith's First Vision is truly an amazing experience. At the end of the lesson, she committed to a date and to go to church the following day. She loved church.

We also met up with Sister Ganjana (กาญจนา) whom is Sister Ming's (หมิง) mom. She's doing amazing. She has made tremendous changes in her life. She has given up her เทียวing on Sundays, and made the decision to go to church instead... for all three hours. :) She has packed her idols away in boxes a couple weeks ago. This past Friday, she decided to start moving those boxes out of the house. Elder Lovelock and I have noticed that these changes has been possible because she has been praying and reading the Book of Mormon everyday. She has also been impressed of how much her daughter has been supporting her on her journey of understanding. :) Sister Ganjana also loved church.

The Lord has been so good to us. I know that this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church. It has been restored by a loving Father in Heaven through Joseph Smith. I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. By studying and asking of God, I know that the Book of Mormon is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

We played soccer again this morning. It was fun. I think I got sunburnt.

LOVE YOU ALL!

- Elder Santeco 

Flew into Bangkok

MLC. Our MTC district.

Chengwatana's Church. So beautiful.

Sister Apple and Sister Ben

Brother Daw (เต๋า) got Baptized! He is amazing. :)

Today... We went to BaanChaing. It was cool. :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! LOVE YOU ALL!

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Thailand Week 81: Udon

We are getting work in.

I got my packages! Thank you for all the lovely goodies. Upon receiving my packages... I also got my death papers. Hahaha. It hit Elder Lovelock and I pretty good...Time really just flies by. President Johnson asked us to make some goals for the next 5-6 months that we have left.. It took a while. But after establishing my vision of what I want to change, I was able to make some goals. I'm excited for change.

This past week was great. We were able to see the wonderful mercies of the Lord... many of our investigators are progressing really well. Lessons are going well. I was touched to see that although, many of our investigators would initially be scared of the commitments that we give them... they would willing to give it a try. In doing so, we are seeing a lot of our investigators become more anxious to act on future commitments that we give them. I have gained a better understanding of our investigator's point of view of when we share a message and commit them to act on it. I truly respect the amount of faith they have, as they face their fears and use their agency to change... in hope that they will be blessed in future.

I loved the Worldwide  Devotional given by Elder Bednar. It was really moving as I began to remember that I, myself, am a link between my previous generations and the future generations. I want to strong link in my family. I want to change. And I know that... I can do it, with the Lord's help.

Here's a cool experience that I forgot to share last week...

We had been trying to reach out to a LA named Sister Dan(ตาล). We were calling her often, almost everyday. During the times she picked up, she was busy... But the days she didn't, who knew what she was doing? After trying so hard trying to set up an appointment to meet with her, we decided to visit her at her house, hoping that she would be home. And she was home! When we approached her, she asked... "How did you know it was my birthday?"... we replied, "We didn't". Haha. She's still busy with work, always traveling between Bangkok and Udon. But, she's great. :) This was just like a Thomas S. Monson's experience. Haha.

The Lord is so good. I know that Jesus is the Christ. He is the way. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

- Elder Santeco

We played soccer this morning with Brother ไผ่/Brother บอสส์ and all of their friends. WHOO!

We got our จบing papers. Hahaha

That's all the pictures that I have. Sorry. I forgot to take pictures. Hahahahaahhahha

LOVE YOU!

Transfer #13/Thailand Week 80: Udon

No Pictures Today...

I forgot my camera. Blehhhh

Good news though! I am staying in Udon with Elder Lovelock. When we received the call last night, we both literally jumped for joy. We did so much together here in Udon, and we don't want to leave just yet.

This past week, we had 3 switch offs. It was with the Khon Kaen Elders, Laos Elders and Udon DL Elders. I learned a lot from Elder Blad. I'm really glad to see that regardless of the fact that he is going home in a couple of days, he's still working hard. Cheers to his investigator's baptism this past weekend. :) It was a blast working with Elder Cheney. Him being in Laos for a good period of time really had him missing the ability to invite. So we dedicated a period of time to do just that. It was a great. I was also able to serve with Elder Wilcox. He's a stud. Loves to preach repentance and baptize converts.

Brother Ohm (ออม) is doing great. He's working towards baptism for next week's Sunday. We are pushing through commandments as of right now. He's a smart kid, so he's taking special classes on the weekends... he's a bit scared not being able to go to church every Sunday. But, he's working to make it happen. He's been sharing with his friends at school that he has been learning with the missionaries... Haha. Whenever we call him or he calls us, he would say... "Hey Elder! You are going to teach me about Jesus Christ right? I'm free at 5." Haha. He's an awesome kid.

Sister Buoy (ปุ้ย) is also doing amazing. Last week, she was able to attend English Class, a baptismal program, and church. It was really heart-warming when she gave us a call later that Sunday night and told us that she and her daughter loved church and will be going again next week. There were many miracles in the process of her conversion. One was during last night. She wasn't able to come to English Class yesterday, so after class, she called us last night and requested us to stop by her house. It was pretty late, but we decided to do so anyways. When we got there, we sat down and began talking. Slowly she started mentioning that she has been going through some hard times. She eventually came to the question, "How can I be happy?" Elder Lovelock and I started reading the scriptures with her. "Endure... Bear with your afflictions. Have Hope" We shared several scriptures with her. Each time we did... she started to understand. At the end of the lesson, she asked us to give her a chapter to read... because she felt good inside. We happily did so. Elder Lovelock and I were amazed at how she was able to easily understand the scriptures we read together. We came to a conclusion that it was because she ultimately desired understanding. She wanted to know the answer... to her question of the soul, "How can I be happy?" The Holy Ghost is ever so amazing. I think Sister Buoy has started to recognize that as well.

Sister Why (หวาย) also came to church this past week. She's doing great. She's being fellow shipped by the ward rather well. We are going to move into commandments soon. :)

Brother SomYos (สมยศ) is a great! We found him 1.5 weeks ago. He's been keeping commitments. He wants salvation. He wants happiness. He believes in God and only wants to do what is right. Yesterday we were able to teach him the Gospel and introduce the Word of Wisdom. He used to drink alcohol and smoke. But it wasn't until his health got pretty bad that he gave it up. So that was a relief. He doesn't have any issues with tea, but does drink coffee on a daily basis to help him with his digestive system. We decided to focus on the blessings of keeping the commandments... Eventually Brother SomYos said to us... "You know what...I can quit. I can drink milk instead." He's amazing.

A lot is happening. I learned a lot this past week. I learned the difference between faith and hope. I initially thought I lacked faith... but found out that I actually lacked hope. The process to become better is such an adventure. But it's for our own good.

I know that this is the Lord's work. I know that everyone will be able to hear of the gospel in their lives, the great news, that we have have a Savior and Redeemer; Jesus Christ. He is God's Beloved Son that came down to this earth to save us from death and our sins. I know that God, our Father in Heaven will forgive us as we do all we can to repent and change ourselves by following His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that this is the true church of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. I know that God loves us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

LOVE YOU!

- Elder Santeco

Sorry again. No pics.

Thailand Week 79: Udon

We stayed in Udon!

This the officially the first time that I have stayed in Udon for the entire week. Therefore, we were able focus on building up our area. On the journey to do so, we were able to find many new investigators by going around the neighborhood nearby the church. It's really cool finding faithful investigators that live far away, willing to do all they can to keep the commandments, including going to church every Sunday. But, I loved that when we stayed nearby the church, we still managed to find new investigators with amazing potential. The gospel is for everyone.

This past week, we met with Sister Apple Pie. She's a sweet 65 years old woman. She married a England guy many years ago, but the husband left her for another person. Her son is busy working in Japan, with no time to talk to her mom. Her life is pretty hard. But she's home, always helping her neighbors and caring for the others. She heard about the Mormons before. The reason being is that when the Udon church was being built, she planted trees there. She has really opened up to what God has in store for her. :) 

Sister ปุ้ย and her daughters are so cool! I met Sister Buoy the two weeks ago. It was when inviting, I thought I lost Elder Lovelock... So panicking, I went biking around and asking if they saw a foreigner with a blue helmet nearby. Sister Buoy, buying some fried bananas at a nearby cart, thought that Elder Lovelock went this direction. In the end, I found Elder Lovelock who was in the same store that I was inviting at... I just didn't notice him. A week later, we started inviting down the same street... but we decided to turn into the branches of the street. At the end of the road was Sister Buoy! After talking about how we met last week... we started talking about religion. She was hesitant, didn't know if she really give her phone number to us because she wanted to learn or because she felt obligated to. This past week, we tried meeting up with her. 1st time, she cancelled the appointment. But we rescheduled for the following day. They were there at the house. All open and willing to learn! At the end of the lesson, they asked us if they could have us over again. We said yes. The next lesson they asked if they could go to church. We again said, yes. :)

Sister หวาย is an English Student that decided to come on Sunday! She has been learning English with us to prepare for when she goes to Australia. We've noticed, with that being a huge change for her... it must have been the reason why she's willing to go to church... She's changing. She loved Church. She's super smart. Super happy. During 2nd hour, we talked about the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Health... apparently, through experience... she has already been keeping this commandment. We then taught her after church. She said an amazing prayer. :)

We had an Area Seventies visit us here in Udon. Elder Khanakham is amazing. I am so thankful for the many great leaders in this Church. After church, we were able to attend a meeting/training for the all the church auxiliary leaders. I came to realize the amount of hard work that everyone is putting in to build the Kingdom of God. :)

There's been a lot going on here. And there's so much more... That's why I've FINALLY started writing in my journal again. :) Whoohoo!

Life is good. I know that I can't do the work alone... because it's not my work... it's the Lord's! I know that God is real, and He loves us! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I got a haircut. I also stopped by the hospital to try get my ears cleaned, because I felt like my hearing got worse... turns out, my ears are already cleaned. The doctors even took pictures to prove it. But my hearing probably has worsened. Hahah.

I love you all.

- Elder Santeco

Some extra photos of the trip to Laos. (2 weeks ago)

We went to Nhongkhai for last week's P-day.

District's photo on the skywalk. 

 The Skywalk

Vibrant Colors.

Me

                  With Elder Lovelock

That Asian Pose.

It was very foggy.

Then 10 minutes later... it wasn't.

We went into a cave. It was fun.

The hardest part of the journey. We had to crawl in this little hole... Brother Ooh really impressed us. But when you're that deep into the cave, there's no turning back. Haha.

I got out. Hahah

Scary stuff down there. Hahah. Just kidding... It was really cool.

There's the waters that separate Laos and Thailand.

Elder Lovelock's birthday. 

I had a burger.

This is Sister Deuy (เตย)... She finally came back from vacationing is ready to help us teach. She reminds me a lot of Marisa. Hahhaahhaha

We went to a waterfall!

We went to a waterfall! Group picture

This dog came out of nowhere. :)

LOVE YOU ALL!

- Elder Santeco