Oops! Jokes On Me!

(Note from Beth) We just got a dic of pictures. I'll get them on the blog ASAP!
After I read his email 2 weeks ago about going into Laos, I wondered if it was an April Fool's joke since we had received it on 4/1. It sounded like something 2 Elders would cook up together for their families! :o) Apparently, I was not the only one as I've been asked many times about it! Well, today we received this note!

"april fools, I'm not going to Laos, ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!" This was actually at the bottom of the 4/1 email almost a full screen later and since I hadn't printed out the email, I never saw it! OOPS! They ought to make him go through the agony of learning to speak Lao just for that!

So, here's the latest news...

Hey guys!
So I am definitely moving tomorrow, today I am packing like crazy. I'll just fill you in on some answers to questions and what has happened the last few days.
First off, I am not going to Laos, it was an April Fools joke, but a really good one apparently, if you guys were wondering, I actually did put April Fools at the bottom off the email, the way bottom, and I wrote it kinda small, but thats pretty funny, it sounds like you guys were on the edge wondering if it was true or not.
So happy birthday to cousins Emily and Nathan, and Brittany! Hope you guys had great birthdays, and also to Nana, I hope you had a great day as well! And to Uncle Ron and Aunt Kristen, happy anniversary!!! And to you, Mom and Dad, happy anniversary as well!!!
Well, I'm glad you guys got the package. There are some masterpiece pictures on that disc, oh yeah!!! And have you gotten the next package yet? I sent it a few days after I sent the disc. I did receice the Spencer's package about a week and a half ago, thank you so much guys, Elder Frischknecht and I have been having a party with this stuff, thank you!!!! And Grandma and Grandpa Webb, I also got your package as well, and I really enjoy getting your weekly letter. I leave tomorrow, and when I get to my new place, I am going to sit down and write letters like crazy to everyone!!!
So as far as packing goes, I am almost done. We're going shopping today, and we have to get a new phone today, because yesterday, it got ruined, and we even had it in a plastic ziploc bag, and some water got into it! Oh, time to tell you about the water festival!!! So, Monday, we were not allowed to go outside, except to do a service project at the church. The songrang water festval started on Monday, but also a huge riot in Bangkok, the "red shirts" who oppose the government, started protesting, and I think troops started opening fire on them. We didn't see anything in our district of Bang-na, but members told us that downtown was way crazy, red shirts and troops everywhere. Well, after about 1:00 on Monday, we weren't allowed to go outside, even though the water fight was going on. We got drenched on the bikeride home from the church, it was way cool! We just chilled out the house for a few hours, and then were hungry so we decided that we wanted to go get pizza. We called the zone leaders to get permission to leave the house, and the Zone Leaders, who are in Asoge(downtown Bangkok), were stuck at a member's house for like 3 hours, because right outside that house, there was gunfire going off, and a red shirt had hijacked a bus, crashed it and it had caught on fire. (its way nuts over there). Well, the next day was a blessing, because Tuesday was our actual missionary songkrang play day, and that morning, a member called and told us that all the red shirts went home, and the rioting was over, but we couldn't go out until President Dodge gave permission. Well we waited at the house and waited and waited and waited, and Elder Frischknecht was going nuts waiting for the call, and finally we called the zone leaders, and it was clear to go! Yeah!
So yesterday was so awesome, there were so many people out on road Dansamrong, not far from the church. It was great! There were people filling up buckets of water, splashing people as they rode by in the back of pickup trucks. The guys in the pickups had huge barrels in the truck beds, and guys in the back would just drench everyone as they rode along, and lots of people had powder that as you walked by, they would rub it all over your face, and shout "welcome to Thailand!" The entire town was soaking wet, So Elder Frischknecht and I and the 2 sisters walked up and down Dansamrong for about 5 hours, we had buckets and there were barrels all along the side of the road and we would scoop up water and splash cars and people as we went along. There were so many people out yesterday doing this, it was way cool, Elder Frischknecht and I had been talking about this for weeks, and it was just a blast, Oh Man! When we got back to a member's house at the end of the day to get our bikes, the 4 of us were just soaking wet, covered in this powder plaster stuff, and getting kinda cold. Oh my gosh, that was so much fun! Well, fortunately we weren't in missionary clothes. We went out in hawaiian shirts and pants and crocks, and we had the phone in a plastic ziploc back, and it ruined, so were gonna find a new one today. Today the festival is still going on, but we are not playing today, cause we gotta go take care of stuff before the moves meeting tomorrow.

Man, I could totally be moving, like anywhere tomorrow, I could possibly go to another district of Bangkok, or I could go North! Or Isan!!! Maybe Elder Young, who has been in Ubon, will come here and be comps with Elder F., and I would go there to Ubon, and be with Elder Palmer, who is one of Elder Frischknecht 's old companions. I really don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but, wherever it is, Sweet!

Bang-na has been an awesome place, and I have had some awesome growing experience's here. I'll never forget my first time here. The first night was spent at the mission home, the night before that moves meeting, and then the next day I came home with Elder Jones. I could not believe how big the house was, or how good the food was, the first thing I ate was Isan food(close to Laotian), and the correllation meeting that night after dinner, which I didn't understand a word that was being said, so I fell asleep.
Well, it has been great, these teaching experiences have been awesome, and these members are really great. If I come back to Thailand, I am coming to visit Bang-na. Man, I'm leaving tomorrow! I feel like I am going on a switchoff, and coming back in a day or 2. Well, I am excited to see where I go next. Thank you all for tuning in. I hope I was able to fill you guys in on everything, if there's anything else, let me know. Well, this is the last full day in Bang-na, and we are having a fun activity tonight at english class, so actually yeah, we do get to play a little songkrang one last time.

Sister Scalf, one of the sisters here in Bang-na, is finishing her mission, and going to Kentucky. Her trainee, Sister Crapes is staying here, and will get a new comp tomorrow, and Elder F. as well.
Oh! conference was so good!!! We got to watch it here the church in English, and It was incredible.
take care guys!!!
GodSpeed!!!
-Elder William Christopher Schulte