Nongkhai 1.28.13

Hello Family.

What's happening?

Thailand is classy. Can you believe I've been a missionary for a year?? Crazy!

Well this week was pretty solid.

Humorous story of the week: E. Schad and I went off in search of a less active man and his family. I'd been to his house once before. So we mount our stallions and ride off in search of this lost soul. It was dark so I was a little worried about finding his house again. We find the right street. Yes. Then I remember his house is pink. We pull up to a pink house. Money. Pots bang. Oh perfect someone is home. We call to them and they come and start talking to us. It's the brother's wife (whom we've never met). She is pretty nice but says we can't come in because her husband isn't home. Dang. So we make an appointment to come back. Friday at 7:30. Perfect. Then I ask her if she is a member or just her husband. She says she's not. Minor alarms go off in my head, I was pretty positive B. Dong (the brother) said his wife was baptized. Then I ask if her husband is a member. Nope. "Does he drive a Tuktuk?" we ask. "No he's a teacher." Oh no. This isn't Dong's wife. I look at the house next door. It's pink. There's a Tuktuk parked out front. Rats. This isn't the right house. The entire time we'd been calling this lady "sister" and referring to her husband as "brother Dong" and she didn't say anything. She must have been so confused. We told her our mistake, laughed together, gave her an English flyer and a pass-along card and peaced. Classic. To make the whole thing worse, we went next door and the family we really wanted to see wasn't home.

Yearly Reflections: This has been a crazy fast year. I look back and think about how much has happened, how many people I've met, how many people I've grown to love. It is nuts. Being a missionary has brought me the most joy. I love it. Everyday I wake up and do all I can to bring people closer to Christ. What a great calling. I'm sorry I haven't answered your year mark questions yet. I've been slacking. But I'll repent and email them next week. Nutshell: This year was hard. This year was fun. This year was immensely fulfilling. My hope: This next year doesn't go quite as fast.

I love you all! Keep it Stanky.

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only