A Piece of Rye (Bread)

Monday, May 13, 2013

No letter this week

No letter this week, but we had a great time Skyping with Riley!

Pictures 5.13.13

It's a baptism...not a marriage

Power suit, power tie, power steering. (name that movie)

News wanted a goofy pic.

My companion didn't get the memo (it was in Thai).

So hood.

GET ON MY LEVEL

Found this little gem on our way to an investigator's house.

I was standing in the church's lawn waiting for my companion to lock our bikes. Out of the corner of my eye I see this little guy hop across my path. I called to my companion, "Hey a frog, Elder watch this!" Then I wound up...and kicked him. He just sailed right out there...into the parking lot. I connected with him mid-hop so he got some good height. My companion and I just watched as he sailed right out there. I was a little disappointed on the distance though. It was really pretty amazing how he just went sailing right out there. Here he is...post-punt. Before you alert PETA, he played dead for a bit then hopped on his way. (name that movie, poppa smurf)

Pictures 5.6.13

The hope

The depressing reality

One stanky elevator.

Bangna 5.6.13

Hello from the land down under.

I have received a mid-mission reassignment to the Australia Perth mission, Thai speaking. Yeah...a kangaroo just ran by our house. PSYCH!

I'm still in the big T, enjoying paradise. This week has been hot. Wicked hot. We each drink around 3 liters of water before we leave the house each morning and then sweat it all out by 2 pm...yeah it's a glamorous life.

Sam, you have stitches? From what? Katie, congrats on the race! And I loved your blog post with all the What's up doc quotes. So classic. Jeremy, I prayed for you...after you already took the test. Sorry I forgot! But I'm sure since I'm in another hemisphere there is a time delay and retroactive blessings are ok. Mom, did you send me the new address? I was going to write a letter (you know...with paper) but then I got all stressed about when you were moving and if I'd send it to the wrong house so I figured I'd write it next week :) Dad, thanks for the notes. They helped.

"Well this is dumb" story: Last Pday. E. Jensen and I had a sweet plan. It involved dropping by the mission office/distribution center and picking up some new scrips, and then heading to the King's palace and temple. Yeah we were pretty pumped. We first stopped by the office and learned the distribution center is only open on Thursday. [insert expression of dismay here] Then we headed to the king's palace. We took a BTS train to the end of the line, a 30 minute ridiculously jerky bus ride, arriving there at 3:37 pm. We get out and walk to the entrance. As we walk I read a sign that says it closes for foreigners at 3:30 pm. Ouch. That hurts the team. Real bad. Not wanting to give up that easy, we try a different door. This guard guy stops us and says we can't go in. I tried to show him my work permit hoping that would let us get in. Nope. Unless we got a bunch of tanning oil and a quick nose job there was no way we were getting inside. It was a sad experience. Nutshell: For Pday we spent tons of personal money testing out the various public transportation options offered in Bangkok: BTS, MRT, Bus, Taxi. I'm beginning to wonder why I'm so bad at Pdays. I guess the trip planning gene my mom has is recessive.

This week we spent quite a bit of time looking for less actives. Have I ever mentioned Thai addresses? Well if there is an order or some kind of system then I don't understand it at all. We ended up riding our bikes around in the heat for a long time looking and spent very little time finding. It was a bit of a bummer. Brightside: I probably lost half a kilo in sweat. Yeah buddy.

Big News (no pun intended): Our investigator passed her baptismal interview! You may be wondering what the pun was...well her name is News. For real, it is News. But she passed and will be baptized on Sunday. Yes. She is a 19 year old girl that is studying here in Bangkok. She speaks lightning fast and uses lots of facial expressions, aka she is hilarious to talk to.

Bigger news: An Apostle of Jesus Christ is coming to Thailand. The whole mission is having a fat meeting on the 18th with him. Yeah we are pumped. We still don't know who is coming but I'll keep you all updated.

Much Love,

Elder M. Riley Creer

the only

Monday, April 29, 2013

Pictures 4.29.13

Holy Big

Thai style

Elder Creer style

The Jumanji house

This guy reminded me of Gandalf. "You shall not pass!"

Let's just call this the moneyshot. Next year's Christmas card?

Bangna 4.29.13

Hello Family that I love...a lot.

Before I forget, I need vitamins. I could go buy some, but they are expensive and from what I've seen they don't have one pill that does everything. Let's face it, I'm a one and done kind of guy when it comes to vitamins.

This week was wicked. Wicked in the sense of awesome and sweet, not in the sense of commandment breaking (don't worry mom).

Highlight: I conducted my first baptismal interview.

Right before the interview, E. Jensen and I raced (we were short on time) to meet this lady we met at a market. We sat with her by her Somdam stand for about 10 minutes. We learned that she has 2 daughters that passed away already. We bore testimony that through baptism she can see her 2 daughters again. She said if it was true she would be baptized. It was a really short but powerful lesson. Then we raced back to the church, marveling at what just happened.

Then the interview. Boy was I nervous. It was a marvelous (just marvelous) experience, as Grandpa would say. I truly felt the Spirit testify to me that this woman was ready to make a covenant with God. She, S. Mee, was introduced to the church about 8 or 9 years ago. She had almost been baptized multiple times but didn't for whatever reason. She actually investigated the church the same time that S. Somboonit did in Korat (S. Somboonit is the missionary that taught S. Mee and has only been a member for about 2 years). After many years of learning, she was baptized on Sunday. Woohoo.

After the interview, we met with an investigator who has learned for a while and knows it is true but is scared to be baptized. As we were following up on previous commitments, she said that she wasn't scared anymore. Yes. We invited her to be baptized next month on the 12th. She said yes. I don't know what happened that made her more sure, less scared. I'm positive that God was and is involved. Miracles baby, miracles.

I should have listened to my mom: We teach english every week. To help the students have as many opportunities as possible to be at the church we began teaching piano lessons. Last transfer, S. Farnsworth would teach and I would help a little here and there. Then she died (aka finished her mission). I was hoping my ลูก would be a piano all-star. He's not. He's a cello all-star. So the responsibility of teaching piano fell upon me. Yikes. Talk about being unqualified. So, Mom, you were right, I should have stuck with piano. Let's just say the class is an adventure each week.

Being a district leader is interesting. I feel like I am learning more from my district than they are from me. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

The language is ok these days. I understand most of what people say unless they are a teenage girl and speak at a light-speed pace. I can also say pretty much all that I want to say but sometimes it comes out a little mumbly-jumbly (especially when I'm trying to talk about something other than the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ).

More stories about my companion: His family is like the Sound of Music family. Realtalk, they would go to Arizona each winter and play 90 minute music shows everyday. You could say he is a professional cello player (All I know about the cello is Yoyo Ma and Cello! You've got a bass from School of Rock). I'm still trying to figure out if his family ever fled across the river into Mexico after one of their shows to escape a tyrannical regime. I'll keep you posted.

Comical Story: We needed to eat dinner and we needed groceries. We decided to go check out this place called Foodland which would offer both. We jumped on our backs and were off. We rode and rode and rode. Then we rode some more. We finally hit a massive road with tons of traffic. We needed to cross it. So we carried our bikes over a pedestrian bridge. Then we weaved our way through traffic and finally reached the land of food. It's disappointingly small. Nuts. We did some shopping, E. Jensen wanted to get all these veggies and stuff while I kept looking at the snack aisle with a longing heart. He bought some green stuff and I bought a piece of heaven disguised as a Honey Bunches of Oats box. Imported...the good stuff...yeah baby. We also got a giant roll of paper towels for the house. We pay for our goods and walk out to our bikes and realize we need to bike our loot home. I'm starting to think, "This was a horrible idea." The paper towels don't fit in my basket, so E. Jensen ties them to his back ghetto style. We load up my basket with the other business and head off into the night. After fighting our way through the traffic we flipped a U and headed home, looking like a bunch of goons. Was it worth it? The jury is still out. But my breakfast these past couple days has been top notch.

Well that is the word from the Bkk. I love you all. You are the best. Katie, congrats on your job and finishing your classes. You are pretty much the coolest sister I have. Jeremy good luck on your tests, I'd send you my lucky orange socks but I don't think they would get there in time so I'll just keep you in my prayers. Sam, how are the ladies? any progressing investigators?

Dad, I love my childhood. I look back and have awesome memories of playing catch by that giant tree in Zion's, you telling me to hit the jets as I ran down a soccer field sideline, you zooming down Dreadnaught at Hogadon as Sam and I watched in awe, and you sitting in a tiny plane strapped to a strange man about to jump out at 10,000 feet with me. I'd say you and mom are sponsored parents. Mom, Oatmeal is ok...as long as it has lots of sugar.

I love you.

Elder M. Riley Creer

the only