Saphaan Sung 6.26.13

Dear family

You guys all rock.  True story.

A bunch happened this week.  Hopefully I can type all this business out in the 24 minutes I have left.

First, we taught English at the district courthouse.  High pressure for sure.  The gig is we teach them twice a week for 1 hour.  On Tuesdays the sisters will teach and on Fridays the elders will teach.  This past Tuesday we all went since it was the first time.  They gave us free lunch.  Yes.  Teaching was fun as always, partly because the court people are farang crazy!  And the fact that we speak decent thai sent them into a frenzy.  Classic.  If I understood the boss lady correctly, she said they are counting our teaching as professional training.  Yeah after that we started taking it much more seriously.

Backstory: In the movie the Rundown, when Travis is about to fight the Rock he does that weird charge up thing that looks like he is getting electrocuted.  Sam used to do it.  Super funny.  Well one day, E. Thomas and I were waiting for a person to show up for his appointment.  We were making phone calls as we waited.  They weren't going well.  Then we called the investigator.  He wasn't going to come.  Yikes.  Our back up plan was street contacting.  We were both down.  Almost out.  E. Thomas says we need to get pumped up first.  Definitely.  So I started doing the Rundown pump up thing.  It was hilarious.  Then we went out and talked to everyone.  Fast forward a few days.  District Meeting.  E. Thomas gave some training on diligence and never giving up.  For the role play he had me demonstrate the way I get pumped up when we get rejected.  So I showed the whole district.  They thought it was hilarious (probably thought I was insane too).  Then E. Thomas had them all try it too.  That was the best part, watching all these sister missionaries clenching their fists and making machine noises.  Highlight.  The best part:  The sisters actually used it!  Sister Stewart was way exhausted and Sister Zatarain did the Rundown Pump (from here on our it is called the Rundown Pump) to get her going.  I was pleased.

Well I love you all lots.  Sorry for the short email.  More to come next week.  I don't know why it is in this weird centered format...annoying.

Much Love,

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only

Pictures 6.17.13

 Oh Baby.  Yeah...shorts.  It has been my dream ever since I got to this humid oven to get shorts cut with my suit.  So I did it.  

Don't worry I got pants cut too.

  The smoulder...patent pending.

We had a little fashion show up on the roof of our apartment building flaunting our new suits.  

One of the young men swiped my tag at church.  Spurred on this picture.  Future missionaries!  woohoo!

  The signs.  

Way to professional looking to be the handiwork of an elder...definitely a sister's.

 She did her job like a champ.  That sign didn't move all night!

Testify!

Saphaan Sung 6.17.13

Hello family.

This week was nuts.  So nuts.  Thursday we had zone conference.  We learned about desire, diligence and duty.  I really enjoyed it.  I wore my new suit.  It's pretty snazzy.  I was tempted to wear the shorts but opted for the pants instead (maybe next time).  The training E. Thomas and I gave for our zone was pretty good.  We talked about how they need to always be finding and always be bringing people closer to Christ. We focused on the in-between time.  We wanted them to constantly be bringing people closer to Christ, even in the 15 minutes in between lessons.

At zone conference they announced a new rule.  For 2 hours a day we are to street contact.  To start it off, Friday was going to be a Dan Jones Day.  All day.  They asked us to keep Friday completely open, no appointments.  They also forbade advertising for English class (sometimes we use English class as an easy cop out instead of telling someone about the gospel) and asked us to count the number of times we testified of Christ.  I was pumped.  It was going to be epic.

After zone conference we exchanged companions and I went to Bangkapi with E. Flanary.  He is a fairly young missionary so it was a good building experience.  While planning what we were going to do on Friday, we found these sweet signs in their house with all sorts of pictures of Christ and snippets of doctrine.  Score.  We decided we would walk around all day carrying these bad boys, testifying of Christ to everyone we saw.  So we did.  It was awesome.  We hit up some different spots in their area trying to talk to as many people as possible.  We tried an exercise park (testifying to runners and speed walkers isn't very effective), a supermarket during lunch hours (testifying to starving employees rushing to eat isn't very ideal either), a sitting area at a mall (yeah buddy) and the taxi stop in front of a mall ($$$ in the bank!).  For the last couple hours of the day we got some members to go with us and we set up a table in front of this huge mall.  We passed out almost an entire box of copies of the Book of Mormon!  The members loved it, they got so excited sharing the gospel.  In the end, I testified of my Savior 54 times.  It was marvelous.

So yeah...my week was awesome.  My suit is audacious.  Christ is my Savior.

Much Love!

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only

Pictures 6.10.13

 Soapboxing!

yeah...that's a boat.  What up.

  Still groggy but still selling!

 Chair Sitting...bad idea

 The megaphone!

Saphaan Sung 6.10.13

Hey family.

This week was fabulous.  Especially yesterday.  We saw miracles in the work.

We tried out some radical new ideas for finding new investigators this week.  Really radical.  We used our fancy signs to their fullest potential.  We tried 3 new ideas: Soapboxing, Chair sitting, and Book of Mormon selling.

  Soapboxing:  We stood on a stool and proclaimed gospel truths for all to hear.  We did it for district meeting.  We took a field trip to the market and split into two groups.  Each group was equipped with a sign and a stool.  We each stood on the stool for 5-10 minutes declaring repentance while the others walked around trying to get contact info.  It was way fun.  The best part:  We did it with a mini megaphone.  Yeah.  For real.  We got to the market and I saw this lady standing by a transport van calling prices out over this mini megaphone.  I thought, "We need that."  So I went and asked if we could borrow it.  She said something that I took for no, so I gave her an English card and went back to wait with my group.  I spent a few minutes watching for the other group's bus and then turned around to find E. Thomas standing there with a megaphone in his hand.  He said the lady just came and gave it to him!  So we proclaimed the gospel of repentance via megaphone.  True story.

  Chair sitting:  Worst idea ever.  The plan was to have 3 chairs and a sign.  We sat in two of the chairs and left of the third one open.  The sign said, "Do you have problems or things you wonder about in your life?  Come chat with us."  So there we sat with our sign trying as hard as possible to not look scary.  No one came and sat down.  Not one person.  Nope.  Fail.

  Book of Mormon selling: Oh Baby.  We got up way early (5:15).  We got showered and dressed and went out to the bus stop with a table, a box of scriptures and our sweet sign.  We set up a modest display of books and began passing out baptism cards while asking people if they were spiritually thirsty.  We sold one.  For 30฿.  Now that man has a baptismal date.  I asked this other man if he was spiritually thirsty.  He said yes.  I told him about the Book of Mormon, gave him one and made a return appointment.  Now he is an investigator.  I am amazed how effective it was.  I was half asleep but yet we found 2 stellar people and talked to loads more about Jesus Christ.  It was money.  In the bank.

Lesson learned:  If you wait for people to come to you, you will be waiting a long time.  If you go to them, you succeed in finding those prepared.

Our whole focus this week was to achieve balanced key indicators ( 2 daters, 2 investies at church, combined 10 lessons and 2 new investies).  We wanted it.  Bad.  On Friday, we thought we would make it.  We were excited.  Then Sunday came and we only had one person at church when the meeting started.  I was devastated.  We worked so hard and we were about to fail.  Then in the middle of the meeting a member came and told me investigators were outside the door.  YES.  I opened the door and in walks a family of three who we had forgot to contact all week long.  Apparently God wasn't going to let us mess this one up.  I helped them find a seat, made sure a member was sitting by them, and returned to my seat to say a prayer of thanks for this miracle.  Hope was rekindled.  We could still make it!  But the fight was far from over.  We still needed to teach 4 lessons to reach our goal.  We taught one right after church was over and made plans to visit 3 less actives.  Visiting less actives is always a gamble, especially when you don't know their houses.  We found the first one fairly easy and had a good visit with him.  The second one was not as easy.  We were basically wondering around this neighborhood in the scorching heat.  I remember thinking how hot it was and how miserable I was.  Then a thought crossed my mind that changed the game.  I thought of how hot it was in Jerusalem when Christ was crucified.  When He struggled under the weight of the cross on His way to Calvary.  My misery suddenly seemed a lot smaller.  We pressed on and found the man's house.  We visited with him and shared some verses in the Book of Mormon.  He looked lifted.  We needed one more lesson to meet our goal.  We were out of people.  We resorted to our back up plans.  They were shaky.  First back up plan?  No go.  Second?  Nope.  Third?  No bueno.  It was getting time to go home.  Last ditch effort:  We made a call to a potential that didn't make his earlier appointment.  He said we could see him in 15 minutes.  We were in the area of our branch mission leader's house, so we dropped by and asked him to take us to this potential's house.  He was happy to and we set off on our bikes to find the guy's house.  We had a great lesson and our branch mission leader played a major role in it.  Miracle?  Definitely.

This week I have learned the importance of key indicators.  They are not just numbers.  There are souls behind the numbers.  When we focus on meeting our goals we help bring people closer to Christ.

Well I love you all.  Zone Conference is Thursday.  I'll be looking like one fly cat in my new suit (I'm picking it up today...pictures next week)

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only

Pictures 6.3.13

 Our brand new soap-boxing sign...

complete with the you-need-what-I-have face.

 The sign's maiden voyage...oh and my companion.

Action shot.  The sign worked the crowd like a boss.  

Check out grey-shirt looking back with interest.

dinner time!

Saphaan Sung 6.3.13

Hey Family!

Thailand is great.  For real.

Turns out my companion lives in S. Weber.  Crazy huh?  Also a senior couple serving here, the Marvels, are from S. Weber.  Crazier huh?  Does our new house have a secret cave for my vigilante crime fighting equipment?

Well I bought a suit.  It's blue.  It's dapper.  Don't even worry.  As for the fabric, I think it is a wool, silk, cashmere blend.  I hope that is ok.  It was a little pricier than we originally discussed...but don't even worry, it is worth it.  So worth it.  It has my name on the inside...yeah now I'm on the same level as Jeremy.

Hospital surprise:  E. Thomas had pneumonia last transfer.  Yikes.  So we had to go to the hospital this past week for a check up.  We got to the hospital, took some X-rays and were invited to sit and wait for the doctor.  There was a tv.  Oh no.  An instant portal to Babylon.  It was playing a movie...an action movie.  Oh the temptation!  We opened our Thai scrips and were trying our best to study while explosions were flashing across the screen.  To our surprise, Sister Senior comes and sits in the chair next to us.  Oh how grateful I was that we decided to be obedient.  Moments later, President Senior shows up.  Apparently they were there to get blood tests done for their work permits.  We had a good discussion and President answered some of our questions about the upcoming zone conference on diligence and desire.  We said peace and left them to pay for the check up.  As E. Thomas was paying, I sat in a chair next to a man and his wife.  I began chatting with him.  Turns out he just got word his cancer is in remission (I think...that's a fuzzy area in my vocabulary).  I congratulated him and told him we were missionaries.  Then I saw the Seniors come and sit down in the seats directly behind me.  Oh boy.  This invite was going to have an audience.  I told the man about the Book of Mormon and resurrection.  He wanted it.  Bad.  I got his number and told him my friends would contact him and give him a copy.  Then he left.  Then Sister Senior said, "You are a great missionary."  Yeah...I lowkey wrote about it in my journal.  Lesson learned:  Always be diligent, you never know when your mission president and his wife will pop up right behind you.  

E. Thomas and I were heading to Samut Prakan to drop off some supplies for them.  We hopped in a taxi and headed off.  I was riding shotgun.  Score.  I was exhausted.  I wanted to sleep.  I considered it.  Then thought about the upcoming zone conference on desire and diligence.  So I fought off the exhaustion and began chatting with the driver.  He asked if we were college students (all Thai schools have uniforms with button-down shirts and ties so we get that all the time).  I said no and began telling him how we are missionaries and teach about Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sin.  He told me his wife was interested in washing her sins away.  Well awesome.  Can I have her number I asked.  He gives it to me.  Then I ask if I can call her right then.  He says go for it.  So I do.  He even talked to her first then gave the phone to me.  Turns out she really is interested and we have an appointment with her and hopefully her husband tomorrow.  Diligence leads to blessings.  I know it.

This email sort of reads like I'm boasting how great of a missionary I am.  Well it's not.  Both experiences helped me realize how a little extra effort can bring great rewards.  Small and simple things baby, small and simple.

Well I love you lots.  Keep it real in the land of the free.

Elder M. Riley Creer

The Only