Hey!
Yesterday was a zone lesson/sports activity in sisagate. It was lots of fun. We
met up in Ubon the night before, and then went to sisagate the next day. Elder
Jenkins birthday is on the 18th, so we ate pizza and ice cream in Ubon Monday
night with the new Ubon district. Elder Jenkins ate 20 scoops of ice cream in
celebrating turning 20! Holy Cow! He was pretty sick after 15! Anyway, Elder
Volk is doing well. He and his trainee are doing great, but in their area, it has really narrowed down to about 3 investigators, since I was there,
which means that PawDome was dropped. He really wasn't getting it. And now they
are teaching and preparing to baptize Narain and Nongyao, and also Gung, the
science/math teacher. I hope that goes well.
So this week, up to today, things have been kinda occupied with going to
Sisagate. Yesterday was P-day (preparation day), and so today we are going to go work.
last week we met up with Pii Yuu at the place that he and his wife sell food, As
we were talking to him, out of nowhere, and after telling us a little while ago
that he really has a desire to be baptized, but is just not ready, he said, "Hey I think I want to do it, I think i want to
give baptism a shot!" So, right there we explained we want him to come to church
the next 3 Sundays, and that we can schedule a baptism for October 11th.
hesaid, "okay, I'll do it!" Wow! He told us that he wants to do it. PiiPeng is
not ready, but he feels he is. So when he is baptized, he can be a huge
influence on Peng in getting baptized.
So, continue to pray for this family. Nam Thip has a baptism coming up on the
27th. She is the wife of one of the members, and the Elders here have been
teaching her for a while. It's really cool. She'll be a great member of the church.
The 2 brothers, Nung and Sude, we haven't seen this week, and they didn't come to church last week, but we'll swing by today and see how they are doing. We played
basketball with them and some of their Thai and Filipino buddies last week and
that was fun! That's about all that's going on right now. Thanks for all of your
support! expect letters real soon!
-Elder Schulte
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Work Continues 9/9/09
Hey Guys!
The investigators are solid! There are 2 brothers, Sude and Nung, that we
are teaching. They both own their own food stands next to each other on the
side of the road, and we have been teaching these guys for the last few weeks.
They are legit, especially, Sude! These guys are really ee-san. (What that means
is, "really eastern Thai", like talking about food, weather,
fishing, and its cool. Last night we were teaching, and Pii Nung was
saying, "Wait, I don't understand what this scripture means", and Pii Sude would be
like "cmon man, it means this and..." and Elder Jenkins and I were like
"yeah...sweet!". Especially after we read 1 Nephi 10:19 together, and Sude said, "wait, so if I really diligently search these scriptures, God will really
help me to understand what they mean, right?" and we said, "yeah!" So he's on
track and they both have committed to come to church on Sunday.
PiiPeng and PiiYuu are great, they came to church this past Sunday, and members
just flocked to them! I was sitting at the Piano bench and they came in after
the sacrament was done being passed. All of a sudden 2 members got up and
immediately went over and sat down by them and they had a blast, especially Pii
Yuu. We met with them on Tuesday, and that's something that Yuu really enjoyed,
how friendly the members are. Elder Jenkins and I were thinking about how
awesome the priesthood quorum would be here with the 2 brothers Sude and Nung,
and then Pii Yuu, and with several other male members here, that would be the
most ee-san priesthood quorum in the world! They would all be great fishing
buddies! Man, more than that, it will be really awesome to see Pii yuu's family as
a part of this church real soon.
Sorry I'm just kinda throwing random things in here now. Elder Jenkins, my companion,sleep
talks. The other night was really funny. He was singing! I couldn't sleep very well, so I just kinda stayed up and started talking to him. He started talking about juices you get from 7-11 like Deedo(an orange juice) so it went like this:
J:umph
S:Elder Jenkins?
J:Deedo
S:Deedo?
J:Y-Ya know you (snort) get it from 7-11(snort)
S:you like deedo?
J:I like deedo
S: Well, what about grape juice?
J:Yeah, I...Like it too..
(Then i just made something random up)
S: So what do you think about waffle juice?
J:We all know that that's(snort) absolutely ridiculous...
The investigators are solid! There are 2 brothers, Sude and Nung, that we
are teaching. They both own their own food stands next to each other on the
side of the road, and we have been teaching these guys for the last few weeks.
They are legit, especially, Sude! These guys are really ee-san. (What that means
is, "really eastern Thai", like talking about food, weather,
fishing, and its cool. Last night we were teaching, and Pii Nung was
saying, "Wait, I don't understand what this scripture means", and Pii Sude would be
like "cmon man, it means this and..." and Elder Jenkins and I were like
"yeah...sweet!". Especially after we read 1 Nephi 10:19 together, and Sude said, "wait, so if I really diligently search these scriptures, God will really
help me to understand what they mean, right?" and we said, "yeah!" So he's on
track and they both have committed to come to church on Sunday.
PiiPeng and PiiYuu are great, they came to church this past Sunday, and members
just flocked to them! I was sitting at the Piano bench and they came in after
the sacrament was done being passed. All of a sudden 2 members got up and
immediately went over and sat down by them and they had a blast, especially Pii
Yuu. We met with them on Tuesday, and that's something that Yuu really enjoyed,
how friendly the members are. Elder Jenkins and I were thinking about how
awesome the priesthood quorum would be here with the 2 brothers Sude and Nung,
and then Pii Yuu, and with several other male members here, that would be the
most ee-san priesthood quorum in the world! They would all be great fishing
buddies! Man, more than that, it will be really awesome to see Pii yuu's family as
a part of this church real soon.
Sorry I'm just kinda throwing random things in here now. Elder Jenkins, my companion,sleep
talks. The other night was really funny. He was singing! I couldn't sleep very well, so I just kinda stayed up and started talking to him. He started talking about juices you get from 7-11 like Deedo(an orange juice) so it went like this:
J:umph
S:Elder Jenkins?
J:Deedo
S:Deedo?
J:Y-Ya know you (snort) get it from 7-11(snort)
S:you like deedo?
J:I like deedo
S: Well, what about grape juice?
J:Yeah, I...Like it too..
(Then i just made something random up)
S: So what do you think about waffle juice?
J:We all know that that's(snort) absolutely ridiculous...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Latest from Yasothon 9/2/09
Hi,
I am doing okay, but I am having a hard time gaining weight. I think it is just because of a high metabolism rate. and riding a bike all day, but I'm really going to try hard to gain weight. I'm tired of being at this same level. (Does anyone have suggestions?)
Last week was zone conference in Kongaen. President Smith focused on Visions, Goals and Plans, meaning; What is your vision for the area you are in? What are your goals to make that vision come to life? what are your plans to fulfill those goals, and we put together a vision for Yasothon and goals and plans for this vision.
In the future we want to see a church building here in YasoThon, just like how the branch in Ubon has one. What is it going to take to have a church building here in the future? It is going to take an increased weekly attendance, strong priesthood, members fulfilling their callings, and a larger flow of tithing. Right now, this branch is struggling with all these things, including a weekly attendance of about 20-30 people each week, and the priesthood quorum is very weak here. Many members don't fulfill their callings, including the 2 councilors to the branch president. So we are going to really work on bringing in new people to the branch, and strengthen the priesthood here, and increase attendance here, because there are about 200 members in Yaso, and only about 30 come to church each week. So, thats what we have been working on, is trying to strengthen this branch.
Now, concerning investigators. This principle of visions, goals, and plans has been great to use for investigators too. We have a family that we are teaching, and the missionaries have been teaching them for a while. The fathers name is Yuu, and the mother is Paeng, and they have 3 sons. They are in pretty poor circumstances. They sell little bread rolls for a living at a market at night. When Elder Jenkins and Elder Day first met them, they committed them to not work on Sunday, and promised that, if they stopped working on Sunday, they would be blessed with great business the rest of the week. That promise was fulfilled, and according to Elder Jenkins, Paeng said that after not working on Sunday that one week, they had a spectacular week of business, and were very happy. From then on they had come to church and were progressing really well. But, then they kinda stopped and they went back to how they were before. Well, it turns out that Paeng had been attending another church before that had been telling her to stop going to the mormon church and stop praying because it was bad. And Paeng has been kinda scared to cut ties with that other church. So its been kinda hard, because they are really nice, and they like meeting with us, but she's kinda stuck with that other church. So, we focused on him, and encouraged him to at least come, and he's like, "okay I'll come", but hasn't yet. So last week we went over to their house and (before I go on, at Zone conference President Smith talked about teaching about the Joseph Smith experience, and when you get to the end and the spirit is very strong, stop right there, and let it sink in.) So we did that, and promised that they can pray to know these things are true, by praying to know about Joseph Smith and if he is a true prophet. And she was like whoa... and she couldnt stop looking at the Joseph smith picture in the pamplet, and you could really tell that she wanted to know if it was true. And then we talked about going to church, and we told them both about how we know that at this time, they are not able to go to church, but that there are other ways to keep the Sabbath Day holy, like not buying things on Sunday, or even working on Sunday. So, we committed them both to stop work on Sunday, just like all the other times, and they were like "okay, we'll do it".
Well, Sunday rolled around and it was a normal day. Only one investigator showed up to church, the wife of a member, and she has a baptismal date for the 20th of this month, so we'll be really htting the teaching hard to get her ready, and she will be intervied next week, so its pretty sweet. Her name is Nawmtib. Paeng and Yuu didn't come, and on the way home we passed by the market and there they were selling like usual.
So yesterday, we went to visit them, and I'm not mad or anything, never be mad at investigators, but be sad when they dont keep commitments. So we had somedam, have I talked about any Thai food yet? Its shredded papaya, and with thai chili peppers, and sometimes has shrimp in it , but its pretty good, its a dish that comes from this region of Thailand. So while we ate, we talked about visions, goals and plans. And we talked about how we have a vision for this area, and what it all encompasses as far as goals and plans, and then used that as a comparison to what it's going to take Yuu and his family to reach their potential. They want to be able to get back to their Heavenly Father, what's it going to take? Well, its going to take, stopping bad habits, which Yuu has already quit, so that's way cool, but what else? Its going to take keeping the commandments, like being baptized, and going to church, and they are going to try again, so we will see what happens. This family is really nice, and has a lot of potential, and I am excited to see them fulfill their commitment. Pray for them as they work to reach the potential they have.
Well, thats whats going on lately, we've been doing some service for members, yesterday morning we went to help a member lay cement, and that was fun, but really messy. Also, I hadn't mentioned it yet I dont think, but we have a Filipino investigator, his name is Bryan, and it has been an interesting experience teaching him. I will write more about that next week, so expect a letter this week.
Today is P-day. I went and got my shoes repaired, and we are probably gonna go to the church here soon because I have to practice piano a little bit. I've been playing for the congregation on Sundays. I can't read music very well, so perfect pitch (thanks Grandma Linda) and knowing how the songs go has come in real handy.
GodSpeed!
-Elder Schulte
I am doing okay, but I am having a hard time gaining weight. I think it is just because of a high metabolism rate. and riding a bike all day, but I'm really going to try hard to gain weight. I'm tired of being at this same level. (Does anyone have suggestions?)
Last week was zone conference in Kongaen. President Smith focused on Visions, Goals and Plans, meaning; What is your vision for the area you are in? What are your goals to make that vision come to life? what are your plans to fulfill those goals, and we put together a vision for Yasothon and goals and plans for this vision.
In the future we want to see a church building here in YasoThon, just like how the branch in Ubon has one. What is it going to take to have a church building here in the future? It is going to take an increased weekly attendance, strong priesthood, members fulfilling their callings, and a larger flow of tithing. Right now, this branch is struggling with all these things, including a weekly attendance of about 20-30 people each week, and the priesthood quorum is very weak here. Many members don't fulfill their callings, including the 2 councilors to the branch president. So we are going to really work on bringing in new people to the branch, and strengthen the priesthood here, and increase attendance here, because there are about 200 members in Yaso, and only about 30 come to church each week. So, thats what we have been working on, is trying to strengthen this branch.
Now, concerning investigators. This principle of visions, goals, and plans has been great to use for investigators too. We have a family that we are teaching, and the missionaries have been teaching them for a while. The fathers name is Yuu, and the mother is Paeng, and they have 3 sons. They are in pretty poor circumstances. They sell little bread rolls for a living at a market at night. When Elder Jenkins and Elder Day first met them, they committed them to not work on Sunday, and promised that, if they stopped working on Sunday, they would be blessed with great business the rest of the week. That promise was fulfilled, and according to Elder Jenkins, Paeng said that after not working on Sunday that one week, they had a spectacular week of business, and were very happy. From then on they had come to church and were progressing really well. But, then they kinda stopped and they went back to how they were before. Well, it turns out that Paeng had been attending another church before that had been telling her to stop going to the mormon church and stop praying because it was bad. And Paeng has been kinda scared to cut ties with that other church. So its been kinda hard, because they are really nice, and they like meeting with us, but she's kinda stuck with that other church. So, we focused on him, and encouraged him to at least come, and he's like, "okay I'll come", but hasn't yet. So last week we went over to their house and (before I go on, at Zone conference President Smith talked about teaching about the Joseph Smith experience, and when you get to the end and the spirit is very strong, stop right there, and let it sink in.) So we did that, and promised that they can pray to know these things are true, by praying to know about Joseph Smith and if he is a true prophet. And she was like whoa... and she couldnt stop looking at the Joseph smith picture in the pamplet, and you could really tell that she wanted to know if it was true. And then we talked about going to church, and we told them both about how we know that at this time, they are not able to go to church, but that there are other ways to keep the Sabbath Day holy, like not buying things on Sunday, or even working on Sunday. So, we committed them both to stop work on Sunday, just like all the other times, and they were like "okay, we'll do it".
Well, Sunday rolled around and it was a normal day. Only one investigator showed up to church, the wife of a member, and she has a baptismal date for the 20th of this month, so we'll be really htting the teaching hard to get her ready, and she will be intervied next week, so its pretty sweet. Her name is Nawmtib. Paeng and Yuu didn't come, and on the way home we passed by the market and there they were selling like usual.
So yesterday, we went to visit them, and I'm not mad or anything, never be mad at investigators, but be sad when they dont keep commitments. So we had somedam, have I talked about any Thai food yet? Its shredded papaya, and with thai chili peppers, and sometimes has shrimp in it , but its pretty good, its a dish that comes from this region of Thailand. So while we ate, we talked about visions, goals and plans. And we talked about how we have a vision for this area, and what it all encompasses as far as goals and plans, and then used that as a comparison to what it's going to take Yuu and his family to reach their potential. They want to be able to get back to their Heavenly Father, what's it going to take? Well, its going to take, stopping bad habits, which Yuu has already quit, so that's way cool, but what else? Its going to take keeping the commandments, like being baptized, and going to church, and they are going to try again, so we will see what happens. This family is really nice, and has a lot of potential, and I am excited to see them fulfill their commitment. Pray for them as they work to reach the potential they have.
Well, thats whats going on lately, we've been doing some service for members, yesterday morning we went to help a member lay cement, and that was fun, but really messy. Also, I hadn't mentioned it yet I dont think, but we have a Filipino investigator, his name is Bryan, and it has been an interesting experience teaching him. I will write more about that next week, so expect a letter this week.
Today is P-day. I went and got my shoes repaired, and we are probably gonna go to the church here soon because I have to practice piano a little bit. I've been playing for the congregation on Sundays. I can't read music very well, so perfect pitch (thanks Grandma Linda) and knowing how the songs go has come in real handy.
GodSpeed!
-Elder Schulte
Welcome to Yasothon! 8/19/09
Hey guys!
So I am in a place called Yasothon(Yah-soo-tawn).
It is about an hour and a half north of UbonRatchatani.
The moves meeting was great! It was a long train ride
there and back, but it was a good day. Like I said last
week, we didn't have it at the usual place in Pakkret,
but in Bangkain, another part of Bangkok. President Smith
had the entire mission come down to Bangkok. There are 13
new missionaries. Elder Volk is training one of them in Warin,
and Elder Wright is training another in Ubon.
It was really weird getting called to Yasothon, first off,
because it is in the same zone, second of all(this will take
some explaining), the Yasothon elders usually come down to Ubon
in order to go to Bangkok, because the end of the trainline in
this part off the country stops in Warin. So when I was in Warin
we would see the "Yaso" Elders occasionally. Well, we all went
down to Bangkok together,the 6 Ubon elders and the 2 Yaso Elders.
As we were riding in a truck to the train station, I was looking
at all the sights and stuff on the way there and thinking, man
I'll probably not see these places for a long time. Well, we get
to Bangkok, and at the moves meeting I find out that I'm going
to Yasothon with Elder Jenkins. Wow, yeah!!! Wait a minute! That
means I will be going back to Ubon/Warin first! Agh man, so I
brought my bicycle, guitar and 2 super heavy suitcases all the way
down to Bangkok, just to bring them all the way back? Agh!!! Oh well,
I did get to see some of the places I left in Warin again, because
we came back with the new Ubon district and dropped them off at
their house first before getting in a songtaw (a pickup truck with
2 benches in the back)to go to Yasothon.
Elder Jones and his group are leaving today. I got to catch up
with him one last time, and got pictures with him. His group was
really awesome.
Yasothon, like I said, is an hour north of Ubon. It's a small
jangwat, but it is a nice little town. I am the district leader
here. It is just Elder Jenkins and me. We are the only missionaries
in this area. Ubon is about 100 km from here. They are the next
closest missionaries, but no problem. Elder Jenkins is in the group
below me (came into the MTC after William's group), so I am the "Pee"
(senior companion), but he knows the area really well, so I am
learning alot from him about this place. He is a really hard worker,
and he's been helping me with my Thai alot as well. Its really fun
working with him.
The Branch is very small. There are about 200 members in this
jangwat, but last week about 40 people showed up to church. Elder
Jenkins says that is the max that they have had in a long time. We
are like the branch president's stand in counselors, since the 2
"called" councilors don't really come or help. There is kind of a
problem among the Priesthood here, so we are going to really work to
strengthen them. That's about all that's going on right now. There
are some really solid investigators here, and last night we set a
date with one of them for October.
Well, I predict to be here until probably February. This is a really
awesome opportunity to get to work and improve my language alot more
than ever before.
I'm a senior companion now. Sweet!
Take care!
-Elder Schulte
So I am in a place called Yasothon(Yah-soo-tawn).
It is about an hour and a half north of UbonRatchatani.
The moves meeting was great! It was a long train ride
there and back, but it was a good day. Like I said last
week, we didn't have it at the usual place in Pakkret,
but in Bangkain, another part of Bangkok. President Smith
had the entire mission come down to Bangkok. There are 13
new missionaries. Elder Volk is training one of them in Warin,
and Elder Wright is training another in Ubon.
It was really weird getting called to Yasothon, first off,
because it is in the same zone, second of all(this will take
some explaining), the Yasothon elders usually come down to Ubon
in order to go to Bangkok, because the end of the trainline in
this part off the country stops in Warin. So when I was in Warin
we would see the "Yaso" Elders occasionally. Well, we all went
down to Bangkok together,the 6 Ubon elders and the 2 Yaso Elders.
As we were riding in a truck to the train station, I was looking
at all the sights and stuff on the way there and thinking, man
I'll probably not see these places for a long time. Well, we get
to Bangkok, and at the moves meeting I find out that I'm going
to Yasothon with Elder Jenkins. Wow, yeah!!! Wait a minute! That
means I will be going back to Ubon/Warin first! Agh man, so I
brought my bicycle, guitar and 2 super heavy suitcases all the way
down to Bangkok, just to bring them all the way back? Agh!!! Oh well,
I did get to see some of the places I left in Warin again, because
we came back with the new Ubon district and dropped them off at
their house first before getting in a songtaw (a pickup truck with
2 benches in the back)to go to Yasothon.
Elder Jones and his group are leaving today. I got to catch up
with him one last time, and got pictures with him. His group was
really awesome.
Yasothon, like I said, is an hour north of Ubon. It's a small
jangwat, but it is a nice little town. I am the district leader
here. It is just Elder Jenkins and me. We are the only missionaries
in this area. Ubon is about 100 km from here. They are the next
closest missionaries, but no problem. Elder Jenkins is in the group
below me (came into the MTC after William's group), so I am the "Pee"
(senior companion), but he knows the area really well, so I am
learning alot from him about this place. He is a really hard worker,
and he's been helping me with my Thai alot as well. Its really fun
working with him.
The Branch is very small. There are about 200 members in this
jangwat, but last week about 40 people showed up to church. Elder
Jenkins says that is the max that they have had in a long time. We
are like the branch president's stand in counselors, since the 2
"called" councilors don't really come or help. There is kind of a
problem among the Priesthood here, so we are going to really work to
strengthen them. That's about all that's going on right now. There
are some really solid investigators here, and last night we set a
date with one of them for October.
Well, I predict to be here until probably February. This is a really
awesome opportunity to get to work and improve my language alot more
than ever before.
I'm a senior companion now. Sweet!
Take care!
-Elder Schulte
8/12/09 Ready to Move Again!
Hey guys!
So we are going to Bangkok today, our district gets on the train about 6:30 tonight. So guess what, alot of changes. We are not going to Pakkret, but to a place in Bangkok called Bang-Kain, and that is where the moves meeting will be at. I am moving, after being in Warin since April, its time to move again, I'm really going to miss this place, its been great, it is a way nice part of the country. Well, I wont get to see any of these guys get baptized, but PawDome has a date for August 30, and Narain and Nongyaow came to church last week for the first time, and got to see the sister missionaries' investigator get baptized. Yes! I will miss them alot! Narain is a very funny man. They are progressing well, they are understanding really well, as well as Pawdome, he has been to church 4 times now. Man, I will miss this place. We have met a lot of awesome people lately, in our efforts to find more investigators. And that is going great. I really wish I was hanging around longer to see the progress of some of these guys.
Well, I don't know where I am going. Yesterday morning, when the calls were being made, Elder Volk got a call to be a trainer (they work with new missionaries), and then President Smith had him hand the phone over to me for a special calling. I will let you guys know next week how it goes, when I am in my new area. Stay tuned for next week.
It was raing alot here the last several weeks in particular, and when it hasn't been raining, the weather has just been kinda grey, but the sun is coming out today, so no problem.
Today is mothers day here in Thailand. Happy Mothers day mom!
Thanks for all your prayers and support. I am really going to try and kick it up a notch, I have alot of work to do for this next chapter in the mission.
GodSpeed.
-Elder Schulte
So we are going to Bangkok today, our district gets on the train about 6:30 tonight. So guess what, alot of changes. We are not going to Pakkret, but to a place in Bangkok called Bang-Kain, and that is where the moves meeting will be at. I am moving, after being in Warin since April, its time to move again, I'm really going to miss this place, its been great, it is a way nice part of the country. Well, I wont get to see any of these guys get baptized, but PawDome has a date for August 30, and Narain and Nongyaow came to church last week for the first time, and got to see the sister missionaries' investigator get baptized. Yes! I will miss them alot! Narain is a very funny man. They are progressing well, they are understanding really well, as well as Pawdome, he has been to church 4 times now. Man, I will miss this place. We have met a lot of awesome people lately, in our efforts to find more investigators. And that is going great. I really wish I was hanging around longer to see the progress of some of these guys.
Well, I don't know where I am going. Yesterday morning, when the calls were being made, Elder Volk got a call to be a trainer (they work with new missionaries), and then President Smith had him hand the phone over to me for a special calling. I will let you guys know next week how it goes, when I am in my new area. Stay tuned for next week.
It was raing alot here the last several weeks in particular, and when it hasn't been raining, the weather has just been kinda grey, but the sun is coming out today, so no problem.
Today is mothers day here in Thailand. Happy Mothers day mom!
Thanks for all your prayers and support. I am really going to try and kick it up a notch, I have alot of work to do for this next chapter in the mission.
GodSpeed.
-Elder Schulte
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