Hey family,
It was great to be able to talk to you guys on Mother's Day! Today(P-day) we made pinata's for the English class showcase night at the end of this move. We are going to have a Mexican theme. So, that will be next week. We were at the district leaders house this morning, and his companion stayed with us and helped us make the pinata. The district leader, Elder Wiser, went golfing with the zone leaders today, and one of the zone leaders hit a hole in one, and almost won a prize, 1,000,000, baht,=which is about 30,000 dollars. but they didn't have enough witnesses! It would have been way cool!
We have some progressing investigators who are really good. We aren't going to see any baptisms this move, but we are really going to work with Duung and Narin. The zone leaders switched off with Elder Wiser and Giranat yesterday, and are coming back tomorrow to switch off with Elder Palmer and me in Warin.
The language is still going really well. I feel like I am learning new words everyday, even unintentionally, and I really try to find ways to use them in order to remember them. Elder Palmer and I have been inviting, using Thai jokes, that only make sense in Thai, but they are still kind of funny if you know the language, and the Thai people really get a kick out of them. This language is sweet!
I think I really like traditional Thai music and sounds now. Honestly, I really like waking up in the morning and hear chanting monks walking around the neighborhood. I like it because it is really unique. There are so many amazing things about this place. The cows here are really cool looking. They have really big floppy ears, like rabbits! Its way cool! I'll get pictures of them sometime. And, the tuk tuks that people use here, (they are the 3 wheeled scooters that people use as taxi's here). That's all we really use to get from place to place, our bikes, or the tuk tuks. We just call one up and say, hey, we need a ride, and he takes us wherever. Another thing that is unique is all the Buddhist temples, the architectural designs are very cool. Some of the statues are scary, but it is way cool to see these things. These aren't just things that are in this area, but in Bangkok as well.
The people are really nice here and are receptive to our message. I am really grateful for members who go out of their way to help us teach. They take really good care of us here. I've just been looking around lately and thinking about all the really unique things that are here, and its just a really fascinating place! Well, I hope you guys are doing well. I love you guys so much!!!
Godspeed, Elder Schulte
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day Call 5/10/09
Today we spoke with Elder Schulte! It was wonderful to hear his voice and feel his enthusiasm as he shared mission experiences with us. He is so happy serving a mission, and has grown so much! So, I thought I'd share what we talked about.
Wiliam is enjoying his new area, Warin, (waa-rrreen- you have to roll those r's!) He's been there for about 3 weeks. He says that it feels much different from Bang-na which was a busy and loud city. Warin is more rural and quiet. His language ability has improved greatly. Michael asked if he "thought" in Thai yet. That happens when you are truly fluent. William says he is almost to that point. The people there speak a different dialect of Thai, but he said its not a problem to recognize and understand it, so its all good. Much of the population in Warin is poor, although there are some wealthy neighborhoods. He said there are about 100 members in their branch (congregation) and they are really looking forward to their new meetinghouse that will be finished in about 3 weeks. William says that the members of the church there are awesome! There is another companionship of Elders that lives about 20 minutes away and then a set of Sisters that live in another area nearby.
We asked him how they managed to get all their belongings to Warin from Bang-na. I just couldn't imagine carrying a bike, 3 suitcases as well as a backpack and whatever else he's collected and moving it into Bangkok and then on to Warin which is 12 hours away. He said they just bungeed their bikes on to the back of the taxi which took them to the train station. From there they piled all their stuff onto the train. He traveled with a group of missionaries who were also being transferred in the same direction that he was and they rode together till each reached their destination and got off at their intended city. He said he got a saddlebag for his bike which is great because he doesn't have to use his backpack as much.
For his birthday 6/24, he said he'd love mac-n-cheese, snack foods like Pringles, Chex Mix, microwave popcorn, boxes of jello, pudding mixes, jerky and cereal, etc. He said they are able to find many of those things in Thailand but they are really expensive. We've got to get it to Bangkok before June 5th so it will make it to him after the next transfers. Someone in their district picks up all the packages for their area when they head in to Bangkok at transfer time.
He is very grateful for everyone's support and really appreciates the letters and packages that have been sent to him. It's probably pretty evident that I am really proud of my son and getting to talk with him made my Mother's Day very special!
I will include William's address again for those who want to write. He'd love to hear from you!
Elder William Christopher Schulte
Thailand Bangkok Mission
50/829-832 Muang Thong Thani
Chaengwatana Road, T. Ban Mai
A. Pakkret, 11120
Thailand
Wiliam is enjoying his new area, Warin, (waa-rrreen- you have to roll those r's!) He's been there for about 3 weeks. He says that it feels much different from Bang-na which was a busy and loud city. Warin is more rural and quiet. His language ability has improved greatly. Michael asked if he "thought" in Thai yet. That happens when you are truly fluent. William says he is almost to that point. The people there speak a different dialect of Thai, but he said its not a problem to recognize and understand it, so its all good. Much of the population in Warin is poor, although there are some wealthy neighborhoods. He said there are about 100 members in their branch (congregation) and they are really looking forward to their new meetinghouse that will be finished in about 3 weeks. William says that the members of the church there are awesome! There is another companionship of Elders that lives about 20 minutes away and then a set of Sisters that live in another area nearby.
We asked him how they managed to get all their belongings to Warin from Bang-na. I just couldn't imagine carrying a bike, 3 suitcases as well as a backpack and whatever else he's collected and moving it into Bangkok and then on to Warin which is 12 hours away. He said they just bungeed their bikes on to the back of the taxi which took them to the train station. From there they piled all their stuff onto the train. He traveled with a group of missionaries who were also being transferred in the same direction that he was and they rode together till each reached their destination and got off at their intended city. He said he got a saddlebag for his bike which is great because he doesn't have to use his backpack as much.
For his birthday 6/24, he said he'd love mac-n-cheese, snack foods like Pringles, Chex Mix, microwave popcorn, boxes of jello, pudding mixes, jerky and cereal, etc. He said they are able to find many of those things in Thailand but they are really expensive. We've got to get it to Bangkok before June 5th so it will make it to him after the next transfers. Someone in their district picks up all the packages for their area when they head in to Bangkok at transfer time.
He is very grateful for everyone's support and really appreciates the letters and packages that have been sent to him. It's probably pretty evident that I am really proud of my son and getting to talk with him made my Mother's Day very special!
I will include William's address again for those who want to write. He'd love to hear from you!
Elder William Christopher Schulte
Thailand Bangkok Mission
50/829-832 Muang Thong Thani
Chaengwatana Road, T. Ban Mai
A. Pakkret, 11120
Thailand
Thursday, April 30, 2009
"Settling in" in Warin
Hey guys!
I am settling in really well here in Warin. This is a wonderful area, such really nice people, and the members are really great here. We just had our zone conference in Sisagate, which is an hour away from here. On Sunday, there was a district conference for all the branches in this part of Thailand. They all met at the newly finished church building there in Sisagate, which is so beautiful. That was the first meeting in that building! There is another building under construction right now in our area, which the branch members will be using very soon, so they are all excited about that. But anyway, we went to the district conference in Sisagate, and that night we stayed in a hotel, and then came back the next day and had zone conference. Zone conference is a really great experience! President and Sister Dodge, and the assistants prepare presentations and workshops that give us ideas on how to be better missionaries, and this conference really focused on developing Christlike attributes, which can help us become more like Him. There were many awesome ideas and thoughts that came from this meeting, and it was a really great experience.
Elder Palmer and I are teaching a husband and wife with a baptismal date for May 10th. They are really great! His name is Somekit, and her name is Mong, and they have 3 little kids. They have been investigators for a while, but have finally legally married, which was just so great for them, and they are now going to be baptized. They are really nice! Last week we visited and had dinner with them. There is a Thai Isan dish that is really good, but can be really hot and spicy, its called "somedam", so Elder Palmer told them that we were going to bring it with 20 hot peppers in it! And they were like, "alright go for it!" So, basically, it is shredded papaya, vinegar, and peanuts, and Thai people like to eat really spicy stuff, so its no problem. Well, we came that night with it, along with sticky rice and a loaf of bread to hinder the spicyness. It was super spicy! My eyes were watering, my nose was running, aghhh!!! But we had a nice visit. Tuesday night was not a repeat of that thankfully. We had an awesome visit with them yesterday, in which we asked if they wanted to be baptized. They acccepted and are going to be baptized on May 10th. Yes!!! There are so many amazing things happening! This area is so cool, and this district is way fun to work with. Thanks for all your support, this is just an awesome experience, and an incredible time of personal growth.
Take care everyone!!! GodSpeed!!!-Elder Schulte
I am settling in really well here in Warin. This is a wonderful area, such really nice people, and the members are really great here. We just had our zone conference in Sisagate, which is an hour away from here. On Sunday, there was a district conference for all the branches in this part of Thailand. They all met at the newly finished church building there in Sisagate, which is so beautiful. That was the first meeting in that building! There is another building under construction right now in our area, which the branch members will be using very soon, so they are all excited about that. But anyway, we went to the district conference in Sisagate, and that night we stayed in a hotel, and then came back the next day and had zone conference. Zone conference is a really great experience! President and Sister Dodge, and the assistants prepare presentations and workshops that give us ideas on how to be better missionaries, and this conference really focused on developing Christlike attributes, which can help us become more like Him. There were many awesome ideas and thoughts that came from this meeting, and it was a really great experience.
Elder Palmer and I are teaching a husband and wife with a baptismal date for May 10th. They are really great! His name is Somekit, and her name is Mong, and they have 3 little kids. They have been investigators for a while, but have finally legally married, which was just so great for them, and they are now going to be baptized. They are really nice! Last week we visited and had dinner with them. There is a Thai Isan dish that is really good, but can be really hot and spicy, its called "somedam", so Elder Palmer told them that we were going to bring it with 20 hot peppers in it! And they were like, "alright go for it!" So, basically, it is shredded papaya, vinegar, and peanuts, and Thai people like to eat really spicy stuff, so its no problem. Well, we came that night with it, along with sticky rice and a loaf of bread to hinder the spicyness. It was super spicy! My eyes were watering, my nose was running, aghhh!!! But we had a nice visit. Tuesday night was not a repeat of that thankfully. We had an awesome visit with them yesterday, in which we asked if they wanted to be baptized. They acccepted and are going to be baptized on May 10th. Yes!!! There are so many amazing things happening! This area is so cool, and this district is way fun to work with. Thanks for all your support, this is just an awesome experience, and an incredible time of personal growth.
Take care everyone!!! GodSpeed!!!-Elder Schulte
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Jung-What? 4/22/09
Hey guys!
So, Ubon is an interesting place. Oh by the way, a jungwat is like a state, so Ubon is the state, and Warin is a city in the jungwat of Ubon. Yeah. Well, it is cool to be here. Warin feels a lot like Bang-na, only central Bangkok is nowhere to be found. Nice! Bangkok was way cool, but what I like about this place is that it is not loud like Bangkok. It is a somewhat modern community here like Bang-na, they have a shopping center, internet, electricity(no problem). But on the outskirts of this community, there are a lot of people who live in huts and shacks and are very poor. Our house is nice. We have a small 2 story here in Warin. The church is in the other area, where the district leader and his comp live. So, we get to take a tuk tuk to church! In fact, we get to take a tuk tuk to a lot of places because there are no cabs outside of Bangkok. We go to a branch here. A branch is a congregation not large enough to be a ward. The members are way nice, I have met many of them so far, and we have gone teaching with one already, Bro. Diaw. He is way nice, and speaks some English. This is a cool district. So, it is Elder Palmer and I, and then there is Elder Wiser and his companion, Elder Sakul(that’s what we call him ‘cause his name is really, really long), then there is Sister Bradfield(who was in the mtc group after me), and
sister Wanphan. Today we took a road trip to some state parks. We went to a park and got to climb on some incredible rock formations that line the river Muun, which borders Laos, so we saw Laos today! It was a fun trip, but we got back kinda late, and we have to go teach English at the church tonight. So, I will fill you in on more from Warin next week.
GodSpeed !!!-Elder Schulte
So, Ubon is an interesting place. Oh by the way, a jungwat is like a state, so Ubon is the state, and Warin is a city in the jungwat of Ubon. Yeah. Well, it is cool to be here. Warin feels a lot like Bang-na, only central Bangkok is nowhere to be found. Nice! Bangkok was way cool, but what I like about this place is that it is not loud like Bangkok. It is a somewhat modern community here like Bang-na, they have a shopping center, internet, electricity(no problem). But on the outskirts of this community, there are a lot of people who live in huts and shacks and are very poor. Our house is nice. We have a small 2 story here in Warin. The church is in the other area, where the district leader and his comp live. So, we get to take a tuk tuk to church! In fact, we get to take a tuk tuk to a lot of places because there are no cabs outside of Bangkok. We go to a branch here. A branch is a congregation not large enough to be a ward. The members are way nice, I have met many of them so far, and we have gone teaching with one already, Bro. Diaw. He is way nice, and speaks some English. This is a cool district. So, it is Elder Palmer and I, and then there is Elder Wiser and his companion, Elder Sakul(that’s what we call him ‘cause his name is really, really long), then there is Sister Bradfield(who was in the mtc group after me), and
sister Wanphan. Today we took a road trip to some state parks. We went to a park and got to climb on some incredible rock formations that line the river Muun, which borders Laos, so we saw Laos today! It was a fun trip, but we got back kinda late, and we have to go teach English at the church tonight. So, I will fill you in on more from Warin next week.
GodSpeed !!!-Elder Schulte
Saturday, April 18, 2009
New Assignment!
Hey family,
So you are probably wondering why I am emailing you on Friday, and not next Wednesday. Well, I am in my new area, and my new companion, Elder Palmer, who was companions with Elder Young, did not have the opportunity to email, due to Elder Young's (bike/truck) accident. So he is here today emailing and I am as well.
I am in Warin, in the Ubon jungwat, in Eastern Thailand. It was a very long night train ride, and I didn’t sleep well because the car we were in shook and jolted all night long, but I am fine, I got up while the train was still about 2 hours from Ubon, and I watched out the window as we passed miles and miles of rice fields and farms. So here I am now in Warin, about a 12 hour train ride from Bangkok. So look up Ubon on the internet. This is sweet!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubon_Ratchathani_Province
Elder Correa(from my MTC group) is Elder Frischknecht’s new companion in Bang-na, so that will be a party, he’s way cool. And Sister Crapes has fulfilled her dream of having a Thai companion. Elder Young moved to a place called KongKang, and Elder Jones is now a zone leader with his MTC companion. Sister Scalf is on her way home to Kentucky after 2 years.Well, I’ll fill you in more on this new place next week, some of the people here speak a different dialect of Thai, oh-no!Well, take care guys!- Elder Schulte
Oh, I got to see Elder Young’s bike today, it’s a mess!
So you are probably wondering why I am emailing you on Friday, and not next Wednesday. Well, I am in my new area, and my new companion, Elder Palmer, who was companions with Elder Young, did not have the opportunity to email, due to Elder Young's (bike/truck) accident. So he is here today emailing and I am as well.
I am in Warin, in the Ubon jungwat, in Eastern Thailand. It was a very long night train ride, and I didn’t sleep well because the car we were in shook and jolted all night long, but I am fine, I got up while the train was still about 2 hours from Ubon, and I watched out the window as we passed miles and miles of rice fields and farms. So here I am now in Warin, about a 12 hour train ride from Bangkok. So look up Ubon on the internet. This is sweet!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubon_Ratchathani_Province
Elder Correa(from my MTC group) is Elder Frischknecht’s new companion in Bang-na, so that will be a party, he’s way cool. And Sister Crapes has fulfilled her dream of having a Thai companion. Elder Young moved to a place called KongKang, and Elder Jones is now a zone leader with his MTC companion. Sister Scalf is on her way home to Kentucky after 2 years.Well, I’ll fill you in more on this new place next week, some of the people here speak a different dialect of Thai, oh-no!Well, take care guys!- Elder Schulte
Oh, I got to see Elder Young’s bike today, it’s a mess!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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
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
Saturday, April 11, 2009
My Last Week in Bang-Na
Hey guys!
So wouldn't ya know it, I was typing this letter and the power went out in the building, so all the computers shut down, and I was at the end of the letter when it happened. So I will make this brief. Things are good. We saw a guy wrestle a boa constrictor out of a tree on Friday, and Elder Frischknecht asked him if we could take it and set it free, so he gave us the sack with the snake, and we took it to the church and set it free! Cool! I'll explain more next week. Next week is the Sonkrang Water Festival. This entire country is going to get wet, very wet, with people splashing and spraying each other with water buckets and squirtguns. Oh yeah!
Well, yesterday, we went to see Brother Dam. He lives in a rundown hut behind Brother Yodyings hut(the member who took us fishing). He can't walk, so he sits in the hut all day, but really likes it when members and missionaries come over. So, yesterday he could not speak very well, so we asked him if we could give him a blessing, and he could not speak, but put on a huge smile! So we gave him a blessing, and he was really grateful, and it was a really powerful moment. He has a lot of faith.
So, this is my last week here in Bang-na, I have learned alot here, have seen my language ability grow so much. When I got here, I didn't understand a word, and could not say, like anything. Thailand Thai is way different than MTC Thai by the way. Now its way easier to speak, and I've noticed in these past 3 weeks, that I can understand alot more than I realized. The way to learn a language is: Speak the language with your companion, talk to natives, learn vocab daily, read Thai scriptures and books daily, write down words that you hear, and learn how to use them.
Well, I am writing this really fast, but I want to add also that my testimony of the restored gospel has really grown here as well. This has been an awesome place to serve, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter will be like.
Thanks for all your support, continue to keep in touch, and GodSpeed!!!
-Elder Schulte
So wouldn't ya know it, I was typing this letter and the power went out in the building, so all the computers shut down, and I was at the end of the letter when it happened. So I will make this brief. Things are good. We saw a guy wrestle a boa constrictor out of a tree on Friday, and Elder Frischknecht asked him if we could take it and set it free, so he gave us the sack with the snake, and we took it to the church and set it free! Cool! I'll explain more next week. Next week is the Sonkrang Water Festival. This entire country is going to get wet, very wet, with people splashing and spraying each other with water buckets and squirtguns. Oh yeah!
Well, yesterday, we went to see Brother Dam. He lives in a rundown hut behind Brother Yodyings hut(the member who took us fishing). He can't walk, so he sits in the hut all day, but really likes it when members and missionaries come over. So, yesterday he could not speak very well, so we asked him if we could give him a blessing, and he could not speak, but put on a huge smile! So we gave him a blessing, and he was really grateful, and it was a really powerful moment. He has a lot of faith.
So, this is my last week here in Bang-na, I have learned alot here, have seen my language ability grow so much. When I got here, I didn't understand a word, and could not say, like anything. Thailand Thai is way different than MTC Thai by the way. Now its way easier to speak, and I've noticed in these past 3 weeks, that I can understand alot more than I realized. The way to learn a language is: Speak the language with your companion, talk to natives, learn vocab daily, read Thai scriptures and books daily, write down words that you hear, and learn how to use them.
Well, I am writing this really fast, but I want to add also that my testimony of the restored gospel has really grown here as well. This has been an awesome place to serve, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter will be like.
Thanks for all your support, continue to keep in touch, and GodSpeed!!!
-Elder Schulte
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