Monday, June 18, 2012

Khon Kaen 6.18.12

Hello Family,

This week has been pretty golden.

Last Pday: We found an ice cream buffet. Yeah. Buddy. It is 39 baht (a
dollar and some change) for all you can eat. We were trippin. After we were
sufficiently stuffed we went bowling with some members. It was great. One
sister we were with slipped as she let go of the ball and fell in the gutter.
It was classic.

English Class: The topic of the lesson was body parts (who wrote this
book?). So E. Grover made up a game where we pass out little pictures of people
with extreme injuries to the students who then have to explain the injury in
English to the paramedics (us). It was hilarious. They were in teams of two,
one person was the injured person and the other was the concerned friend. The
pictures E. Grover drew were ridiculous: Chopped in half by a throwing star,
hair on fire, crashed motorcycle into a tree... etc. We were being super
dramatic too. They'd be trying to tell us a brick fell on their friend's head
and we'd be screaming and freaking out. It was mayhem. The students'
descriptions were so funny, they were awful.

This week I exchanged with E. Tzanis (half Filipino, half Greek but from
Australia...go figure). It was way fun. All of our appointments canceled so we
did some inviting. We found the most interesting people. We were standing in
an alley and this guy comes up to us with bananas and gives them to us. Yes.
So we ate them. Then he said he'd go get some more for us. #Nowyouretalkin.
He gave us more bananas and then E. Tzanis gave him a pass-along card and told
him about what we teach. The guy wanted us to come back the next day and tell
him more. It was nuts. Probably the most random experience ever. The Lord
sure does work in strange ways.

On Saturday we had a little activity at the church with some members and
two of our investigators. We had a little spiritual thought and then played
some games (the type you play at efy and other mormon gatherings). Well I lost
one of em so I had to go first for the next one. It involved a blindfold. I
never really enjoyed being blindfolded, situations like these usually ended with
me feeling like an idiot. But then you mix in the fact that they explained the
rules for the game in Thai and we have a solid recipe for embarrassment. What
was supposed to happen: I stumble around the room swinging this rag until I hit
someone. Then I tell them an animal and they make the noise and I try to guess
who it is based on the noise they make. What actually happened: I stumble
around the room swinging this rag, banging my hand on chairs and who knows what
else, until I hit someone. Then I start making animal noises thinking they are
going to make the same noise back at me. Nope. The room busts up laughing and
I'm left entirely confused. Well in the end, after 2 unsuccessful rounds, they
had pity on me and switched me out with someone else. But the embarrassment
continues. Because I was so bad at these games I was selected for the finale.
Some others and I were placed in ridiculous poses and had to hold them for what
seemed like eternity while everyone took pictures and laughed. It was pretty
funny.

This week I came to a realization. For a while I have been concerned about
changing myself into what the Lord needs me to become. I have been worried
about changing my likes and dislikes, my hobbies -- basically my personality. I
realized that I was called to come to Thailand because of who I am, because of
my personality, so I don't need to change it. I don't need to cut away
sections of myself and become another person. I just need to be willing to do
whatever the Lord asks of me, serve him with all I have. Yep. That's what I
learned this week.

Much Love family. You guys rock. Thanks for the letters and prayers.
They make a difference.

Elder M. Riley Creer
The Only

Hashtags:
Ate my first Big Mac, the epitome of America, in Thailand.
#Tastybusiness

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