10/30/11

Hey Dad!

That is a really good looking deer.  I am pretty sure that we don’t have those here.  I have something that is kind of like it in the north but it is really weird looking and thee tai people just don’t think it is that cool.  I think that there might be some in the Bangkok zoo but I haven’t been so I really don’t know.  I hear that they have a lot of American animals at this zoo hahaha.  I am going to be really excited for this next story.  Tell Ryan Jess and Troy and the Moeller clan that I said hi and that I am doing well.  That sounds like just the perfect hunt for you.  The animal wasn’t big so it was easy to carry and you didn’t have to do a whole lot to get it done hahaha.  I would say that it is the dream hunt for me hahahah.  This week was a really fun week.  We have had 4 elders in my area and they are just the coolest people in the world hahaha.  We have fun all of the time and it is really cool to see how much work we are able to get done with 4 people.  Not a lot has happened this last week.  Just everyone is trying to get back up on their feet from the flooding that has been going on.  There are a lot of camps that are outside of Bangkok for everyone.  All Missionaries are safe and are able to work in other areas of the mission.  My comp loves the pictures that you sent.  He said that he kind of wants to do the same thing one day but killing animals is really weird for people here because they value some of them just like a human soul.  I think that is way cool about those people getting baptized.  Now the ward just needs to make sure that they stay active in the church and do all that they can to also start talking to their families.  I really think that is the coolest thing in the world.  I love you so much Dad and i love seeing these pictures of you and just hunting hahaha my comp loves them just because he never sees them.

I love you so much Dad!  You really prepared me for this work.  I love you and I will talk to you next week.

Elder Bryce

Hey Momma!!!!

Ok so to answer your questions.  I wont get my Halloween package for the next couple of weeks because of everything that is going on.  The Mission right now is just really disorganized because of the flooding.  We can’t even get new planners or Book of Mormons or anything from Bangkok right now. I don’t know what is going to happen with transfers meeting until everything gets back to normal.  I wish I did know but no one really knows.  We have asked all of our leaders but they really all don’t know either.  Elder Osbourne and Elder Grover came here.  I knew Elder Osbourne in the MTC.  He is way funny and Elder Grover is just awesome!!!!!!  We have all had a blast here in Buriram and with 4 elders here we have been getting a lot of work done.  I have been doing a lot of walking lately hahaha.  I wish I could tell you more but that is basically all that I know about transfers.  We might find out more this next week but everything is just really up to the flooding and how much water is going to be let out of Chaing Mai.

I really hope that he is really ready too!  I told him that in the letter that i sent him but i still haven’t gotten his letter.  We haven’t gotten mail for 2 weeks so it is probably waiting.  Well This week was really really fun.  We started inviting by a Baptist church and have found a lot of people that are really interested.  They are all familiar with Christ but really don’t know what he did for all of us because most churches don’t ever teach that very well or they just don’t know themselves.  Most of the other churches here really do not like us because of how bold we are in telling everyone that we are the only true church on the earth.  They really don’t like to hear that.  They also just don’t take the time to study about it and some of our converts are unsure about there testimonies because of some of these churches.  It is really sad because they say that they follow Christ but they try to destroy the faith of other people.  This week all of our investigators are doing really well.  Sorry not a lot has happened this week so this might be a short email.  We did have a really good experience with a guy named John.  He is from England and he came here because he had no more family or friends that were alive in England.  He is just a lonely man that doesn’t have a purpose now.  We talked to him for a while and then asked him to pray.  He prayed and asked God what he should do in this life because he has no one to talk to and he just doesn’t know what to do with his life.  He told us that hi goal is to just make everyone smile a lot more.  He builds awesome vehicles that really just make people smile.  He loves us and after his prayer he was crying.  We told him that God has a plan for all of us and that we were going to teach what his purpose is next lesson.  Then the next day he couldn’t meet with us.  I have never seen a man like that cry and be so lonely.  The Gospel is what he really needs in his life.

I love that story too btw in Mosiah. (The King Benjamin speech story). We just talked about it the other day and had the same thought hahaha. I love you Mom so much!  I really wish I would have done a better job telling you and expressing it to you and Dad whenIi was still home.  I love you so much and I know that the Lord is watching over you for me.

Elder Bryce

p.s.  I cant believe that you almost didnt get the machine hahaha

Hey sorry I forgot something. So the other day we met this family that was exactly like ours!  The mother was so nice and really liked foreigners.  Her sister married man from Germany and he was really awesome to this family and even did all of the ceremonies that they do for Buddist weddings and even wore all of the clothing.  This family fed us dinner although it was not the best but they were so nice.  We ate fish, rice , crickets and veggies.  That was about it hahaha it was ok but the fish was weird.  You would basically eat the entire fish.  Sorry that was a little extra story for the week

10/24/11
Hey Dad!
hahaha that sounds like the adventure for a while for you.  I remember doing the roof for the shed and that was enough for me hahahaha.  Im glad that my kids will be doing it next time instead of me.  Then i will also have to worry about the roof on my house hahaha.  If you see gary again tell him that i said hi.  I remember how bad those shingles looked.  They looked like paper was the only thing that was really left on the whole roof.  It will take some time getting used to having a dog when i get home.  I hate them now.  They are just not fun here.  Even the little ones i dont like just because they bark all of the time.  They are controlled by satan.  Every time that we try to talk to someone they just start barking.  The other day one came up and stole an investigators shoe haha that was pretty funny but it stopped the lesson.  When you get your deer send some pictures.  They dont really have deer here. They have something that is kind of like an elk but it is really small.  I met one guy the other day that said he wants to go to utah to go hunting.  He said that he wanted to shoot something big there because this country doesnt have anything hahaha.  It sounds like you cross country team is starting to get better.  Just keep drilling them and i think they will get it haha.  I think that when i get back hunting will just be awesome.  I wont ever care about how hot it is i know that.  I am pretty sure that i have neve felt this hot in my life and its not even hot season hahaha.  I will die in the cold though haha.  I love you Dad and i know that the L:ord is watching over you and the family.  I pray for it every night.  I love you so much.
Elder Bryce

 

Hey Momma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I'm pretty sure that i learned that same lesson when i first got into country and as i have been working in Buriram.  Elder Barret also sent me an email about the same thing hahaha  When I read your email I laughed a little just because I think that has been a common theme of this week for me.  This week has been really good.  At first it was hard.  I was struggling with just being happy and I learned that my comp was struggling with the same thing.  It actually really made me doubt myself about everything.  Then me and my comp talked about it and how he felt the same way.  It was really cool to see that we had companionship unity like that hahaha.  We talked about it and knew that it was all from Satan.  He really worked hard on us this week for some reason.  We have no idea why he was but he was.  Later on in the week it got much better and yesterday was just the best Sunday that I have had in Thailand.  I think that I told you about the family that I have been teaching that is from the Philippines.  A couple of days ago she confessed something to us that was pretty serious.  She really trusts us and this was something that we needed to know.  She hasn’t been to church in a very long time and hasn’t even had a Bible for about 2 years.  She said that she has been searching for a very long time to find the truth and just the right religion.  She said that she didn’t feel good about any other sect but when she started talking to sister Rose, she felt that she needed to meet with us.  We talked about the Word of Wisdom the other day and she said that she drinks coffee everyday but she said that if it was a commandments of God that she would stop drinking it to be better.  Those lessons are always so powerful.  She really wants to come closer to our Heavenly Father.  She really does try hard to read in the Book of Mormon but she works a lot.  She has 2 jobs and at one point she was only getting 2 hours of sleep every 2 or 3 days.  She is way awesome and we are trying to teach her boyfriend but he is Thai so we decided that it would e easier to teach them separately.  This family is so awesome!  Although I’m pretty sure one of her friends wanted to date me.  She asked how old I was and when i said that i was only 19 she seemed pretty disappointed.  Hahaha But her friend is learning now also so I don’t have a problem.

I remember at the MTC we all loved music and the spoken word.  It was the only time that we were able to listen to music hahaha.  They have some cool numbers with combined choirs sometimes and they are really really cool.  I loved seeing Sally Larsen whenever they showed her hahaha i just like being able to say that I am familiar with someone in the choir.

So about the flooding I will send pictures but it has been interesting.  It only flooded one place in Buriram but they cleaned it up really quickly.  Everyone else other than in the mountains has been flooding.  In Surin for a seminary activity they were fishing in the street hahaha.  It was pretty funny.  Some of the Missionaries in Bangkok are actually going to be coming into our zone so they can work.  So our district is going to have 8 people instead of just 4.  We are all way excited because there has not been 4 elders in Buriram for a very long time.  The transfer was extended for another 3 weeks so I probably won’t get my package for another 3 weeks.  But it means that I get to stay with elder Piyanut for a longer time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He is way awesome!  He really wants to learn English because his dad promised him that if he was able to pass a test that his dad would pay for him  to go to BYU Hawaii.

So I did talk to Roger that day and I told him that I would be ringing friends and family to help.  He got really excited after I said that.  He loves Mormons but he doesn’t want to be one haha I don’t understand that one.  He really doesn’t like any other sect than ours but he wont join haha.  His web site is treeoflifeorphanage.com.  He said that he would really be willing to help.  It is about 300 baht a day and he also will set up things if we want to go and tour some places.  He is a way cool guy but for now we had to set him aside as an investigator.  That 300 baht a day he will feed us and he provides rooms.  He is really a good guy and I would love to see him again after I come back and I want all of you to meet him to.  He said that it has been a long time since he has seen a good American Morman family hahaha.

That is about it for this week.  I am going to be here for another 3 weeks and i am way excited for it!  I love you so much Mom and i pray for all of you everyday.

I know that the Lord is watching over you for me.

Elder Bryce

10/17/11

Look at the picture page, Bryce sent several this time; and he sent descriptions!!!


It sounds like you had a pretty good week this week.  Send me a picture of the back yard.  I actually miss seeing American grass.  I have only seen it once because i went to one foreigners house haha but I have not seen it since.  Same thing goes with carpet.  We only have tile floors here.  The only carpet that I have seen is in the Church and that is just like the school carpet.  Tell Matt that I said hi and that I actually do want an email from him and his family.  Hahaha that is awesome about the worm!  (Steve pretended to eat a worm for his grandson, but it dropped into his mouth). I loved that part and I can only picture what Micah did after hahaha.  Here we eat bugs all of the time.  They are usually just in our rice.  It bothered me at first but then I got over it really quickly.  I learned that it really is just extra protein.  haha well this week was really good.  I will include all of the stuff in the other email but i thought I would tell you this one thing.  I was reading in the Liahona all about the Book of Mormon and there was a talk by Neil L. Anderson.  It was a really really good talk about the parents and children in the Book of Mormon.  How they would counsel their sons.  I also read about the 2,000 warriors of Helamen and how they remember the example of their fathers and they were taught by their mothers.  I really thought about you and Mom and how you have really taught me the ways of the Lord.  I love you So much Dad and I know how much you have sacrificed for me to be here.  I love you so much.

-Elder Bryce

This week was a pretty awesome week!  At the begining it was pretty rough.  Me and my comp did not get along at first but now everything is fine and we are working really well now.  We have been having a blast actually.  He is a really funny guy.  I haven’t really told much about him so this email I will.  He is about 22 and has been a member for about 13 years.  His family is a part member family.  He loves America and everything about it and said that he is going to go to BYU Provo after his mission.  I can’t encourage that but I told him a little bit about it anyway.  This week we just have been really teaching awesome and through the Holy Ghost.  I know that it would be impossible to teach with out Him there.  We have noticed that the message has really been understood by our investigators.  It was just a really good week.  We also had a training meeting in Ubon this last week.  President and Sister Smith were there.  I really don’t know why but I always end up sitting by Sister Smith.  This time I got to translate for her.  I was a little scared but I know that the spirit helped me out a lot.  I really don’t even mean to sit by them.  I sit down and then they came in and sat right next to me.  I don’t brown nose because you taught me better than that but i have a feeling a few missionaries think that i have hahaha.  Well it is pretty sure that i am going to be moving this transfer and i might be going to Bangkok and serve there with my last comp as my Zone leader but i wont know until Monday next week.  And it is really all up to the Lord and where He think that i need to go to serve.

This week we had a really cool experience with a family from the Philippines.  She started crying in the middle of the lesson and said that she has felt alone and has felt guilt most of her life because of the sins that she has done.  We were trying to get to the point of repentance but the members were just going off about random stuff and we lost control of the lesson.  She was really excited about us coming over more often and said that we could come over everyday if we really wanted to.  She is so amazing.  She has such strong faith in Christ and our Heavenly Father. She was catholic so she has never really been taught how to repent.  That was about all for this week.  No we don’t eat those fish they are just for show but my comp wanted to play with it.  That house was not near ours but we pass by it a lot and I loved the green and the red so i took the picture.  So I don’t have a lot of time today but i do want to say how much i love you.  I told Dad already but I was reading in the Book of Mormon Liahona and it had a talk about parents in the Book of Mormon and you and Dad have done the same thing with all of us.  I know that you have taught me to love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  I have felt your words to be true through the Holy Ghost.  I have never fully appreciated what I have been taught until i have seen it change people lives.  I love you and I thank you and Dad for everything that you have taught me.  I love you so much.

-Elder Bryce

10/10/11 Emails

Hey DAD!

Well it sounds like you are pretty busy at home with school and stuff.  It does sound like you have a really good team but they just need to be committed more.  Buriram is basically just that.  We do have a mountain with a giant Budda but that is about the only landscape that we really have here.  It is actually kind of nice that we really don’t have any hills or anything.  It makes riding bikes a lot more pleasant hahaha.  Up in the North there are a lot of mountains but we don’t have a lot of missionaries up there.  I really don’t know why because I have heard that it is really good up there.  Our areas that are in the north are call Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.  We only have about 10 missionaries there.  From what I heard it is a really cool place but I might not ever go there.  Hhaha it all depends on where the Lord will call me.  Actually a lot of Thailand is not really open.  Most of the east is some of the north and then we have Bangkok.  The south is apparently dangerous because of the Islamic influence there and the center and the west is Babylon.  hahaha I have no idea but that is what my last comp said.

Most of the water I guess comes from rain fall but I really don’t know.  I will take some pictures of the rice fields this week and send it.  We actually just started teaching someone way out side of the city and it is beautiful out there.  The air is so fresh and it is all just green!  That was actually a really fun adventure.  We left our house at 9:00 and got there at 10:00.  After the main road we had dirt roads for about 3 kilos.  Then we learned that we had passed her house 2 kilos back haha it was really fun!  When we got there she saw that we had come a long way so she broke open coconuts for us so we could have something to drink.  I always thought about doing that and now i actually did! It is actually really good!  We actually have coconut trees in our yard so im going to start doing that haha.

This week was really good.  I learned a lot about myself and the Gospel this week.  Conference was really good even though it was all in Thai.  I said a prayer and asked for help to understand and it worked!  I really liked president Monson’s talk in Priesthood session.  It was a pretty good week.

I love you so much dad and tell the bishop that i said hi.  and everyone else.  Thank you for all that you have done for me.

-Elder Bryce

Hey Mom!!!

This week was really good!  I learned a lot from my comp and a lot of other things.  I also got to talk to my old comp so that was really fun!  We talked for a good 20 min just about how everything was going.  Right now we are teaching a really cool family.  They are from the Philippines!  I think I told you about them already, but we finally were able to give them a Book of Mormon.  It was one of my personal copies but I really didn’t care because it is more important that they have it right now.  We will get them personal copies this week but I really wanted them to start reading now.  They are doing well and they are already friends with a bunch of members already so I think that it will all be really good.  I told Dad but this week we had a really fun adventure.  On Tuesday we had to go and visit a referral.  She was outside of the city but my comp didn’t tell me that she was about 6 kilos out sided of the city haha.  We rode our bikes there and it was really cool.  We left the house at 9:00 and got there at 10:00.  She was alone so we couldn’t teach her but we shared a very quick message and she said that she would start to pray.  When we got there she saw that we were really tired and so she broke open a couple of coconuts for us so we would have something to drink.  It was so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where she lives is so beautiful too.  It is all just rice fields but it is all so green and the air is really fresh.  I loved it out there.  It really made me think about how this was all created.  I thought about how much God really loves us and how beautiful the earth really is.

We also got to watch conference this week.  It was all in Thai but I said a prayer before the meetings started and I was able to understand a  lot of it.  I took notes so that I could follow a long but I really knew that I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it if the spirit didn’t help me.  Actually that is true with most cases.  I know that I am not the smartest person and so if I didn’t have the spirit helping me understand I would have never been able to survive.  I have really felt the spirit help this week.  I know I would have never been able to do any of this on my own.  Other than conference not much else has happened this week.  Tell Smith that I said hi and Becky also.

I love you so much Momma!  I know that your prayers are helping me out here.  I love you so much and miss you but like I have said time is flying so fast!

Next week I promise that I will write more but not much happened this week hahaha.

-Elder Bryce

Email this week

Check out the picture tab, Bryce sent two pictures!!!!

Hey Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week sounds like a great week for you.  I’m proud of my old High school and that they are kicking butt again.  I remember in the MTC one Elder didn’t really like me because I wore my lone peak shorts to gym and he went to PG.  He tried to beat me in four square all the time and I would beat him every time.  hahaha its pretty bad when you have a grudge against someone in 4 square hahaha.  Well I really will miss your salsa not going to lie.  I’m pretty sure that there is only one Mexican restaurant in Thailand and it is in Bangkok haha.  I actually do miss Mexican food but Esan food is better haha.  Esan food is really spicy and really easy to make so we eat it all the time. Send me a picture when everything is up for Halloween.  They actually celebrate it here but not big like we do it haha.  They even do Christmas here but they just don’t really know what it means.

Well I actually know all of those names hahaha.  Everyone but Stott were our little brothers in the MTC.  I am friends with Elder Todd and I got to actually go on splits with him and he is really good!

This week we will be watching conference.  I will be reading scriptures the whole time because I wont have a chance to watch it in English.  I will read the Liahona when it comes out but until then it will all be a surprise hahaha.

That is way cool about the New Temples that are being built and the new one in Provo will be interesting.  It should be done by the time that I get maybe?  But I will really want to go to it for sure when I get back.  Actually the first thing that I want to do when I get back is to go to the Salt Lake Temple.  And I mean right when I get off the plane.  I will be away from a temple for the next two years and it will be the first thing that I will really want to do haha. besides spending time with my family.

I really don’t even want to think about Brittanie getting married!  It is still really weird to me that she is and then you put in the part where she will have kids by then! hahaha I turned to my comp and he was even surprised haha but when you go to her reception tell her congrats for me.

Well here we get rain everyday but because we are higher up we don’t ever get flooded.  I really don’t know about the other Elders.  We are kind of in our own world in Buri Ram.  We only talk with the Elders in Surin and our zone leaders and they don’t talk about stuff very often.  Actually when my comp was on the phone with them they told me that Sister Jolley missed me hahaha She told me that I was like a little brother to her haha.  She actually leaves this transfer.  I will be able to see her leave because I am going to be moving.  I haven’t been told that I will be but it is pretty sure because we have a bunch of Thai Missionaries that need to be trained and so my comp will need to train someone so by October I will be out of Buri cRam.  It is actually really weird to think about because I have been here since June.  I really feel like I haven’t been here for very long but I have been here for over 3 months and when the transfer is over it will be 4 months.  It is so weird to think about time here because I just don’t feel like there is enough time to get the work done.  I wake up and then an hour later it seems like I am getting ready for bed.

This week was just awesome for investigators.  We couldn’t meet with the family that was golden because the dad had to go and work for the whole week but they said that we can meet them this week for sure.  We did get to meet a Phillipino family that is way awesome.  The mother knows Sister Rose and said that she wanted her kids to go to our church.  She is catholic and really wants her kids to be familiar with Christ.  She likes our church a lot but she feels bad because of something going on with her family so she says that we won’t accept her because of what she did.  We finally met them yesterday and they even brought a bunch of friends over.  Her boyfriend is Buddist and doesn’t know English at all.  So I would talk in English and then say what I said in Thai and then my comp would speak in Thai and I would translate for him.  The spirit was really strong and all of them want a copy of the Book of Mormon in English and Tagolog.  They were all really excited.  That was really the highlight of the week.  It was a pretty good week.  We did have a member come that was the seminary teacher of my comp so he bought us Swensen’s that day.  It was really fun haha because he was comps with my MTC Teacher hahaha.

Ok I have gotten the hint about pictures hahaha I notice that one line in every email that you send hahahaha.  I will send a package soon but I just have to go to Surin and get some stuff first.  Sorry!  but I will send you a picture of my comps seminary teacher with us today.

I love you so much Mom!  I really feel your prayers helping me and I am working as hard as I can for the Lord.  I love you and I know the Lord is watching over you for me.

-Elder Bryce

Hey Dad!

I haven’t gotten a chance to see conference yet.  We will get the DVD's this weekend and watch them but I think that I will be reading scriptures for most of the time.  I won’t have a chance to watch them in English.  If I was in Bangkok or a big city then I would but I will just have to read in the Liahona about them.  That is way funny about what Micah said to Bill.  By the way tell them that I said hi and that I am doing just great. That sounds great about cross country.  Does AF have a really good team this year or have they always been like that?  I have never really known.  Not going to lie I do miss working on cars.  I work on my bike every once in a while but it is just not the same hahaha but it is easier hahaha.  Well this week was a pretty good week.  I got to touch a water buffalo for the first time in my life hahaha.  It was pretty fun I had to move very slowly in order to do it though.  We also might fish this week haha that sounds weird but my comp wants to cook fish for me because I made spaghetti for him haha.  When I come home for Priesthood session we will go to a Thai place if that is ok?  haha but I will probably wonder why it is so expensive.  Here it is about a $1 to eat an entire meal.  And it is really good food hahaha.

This week was pretty interesting.  We had a couple of investigators really start to show their faith but also a couple of them that started to shrink a little.  They either get bored or things get too hard for them and they do what is "easier".  We did do something that I have never done before.  We went inside of another church and talked with the leader of that church.  We didn’t get to talk with him for very long but he didn’t like us at all hahaha.  They gave us a copy of the Bible and we told them that because they gave us a book we wanted to give them one and we handed them a Book of Mormon explained a little and left.  It was very interesting so see another Christian church.

I love you so much Dad! You have really taught me how to be the person I need to be.  You and Mom both taught me how to work and sweat haha.  I do that a lot here.  I love you and I don’t think that I could have been blessed with a better Father and Mother.

-Elder Bryce