Joan and I visited our local university library and offered a free 1-year subscription to the Church international magazine, the Liahona, in Thai and/or English. The lady who met with us seemed surprised that it was free. She actually was not the head librarian so we left sample copies and also told her we would be willing to come present about Christmas or be a guest speaker on Lean (me) or writing books (Joan). We plan to go to other libraries in the area.
On Tuesday we went to Bangkok to a Mission Tour training session. President and Sister Senior taught some
parts but the majority of the time we were taught by Elder Larry Wilson and his wife, Linda. He is a member of the Seventy’s quorum assigned to Asia. It was all very useful and insightful. He really stressed having investigators and members read the 1st chapter of 1st Nephi. He pointed out that this is the 1st chapter not by accident but by design. He pointed out many similarities of this chapter to the restoration. Sister Wilson gave a great presentation of the importance of, and how to helping our investigators understand the creation.
In November, our mission had 108 baptisms. This is only the 6th time in Thai Church history that the mission has reached 100+ baptisms in a month.
Our owner said the carpenter would come this Sunday to install the stove range – didn’t happen. (Never does. We have moved out of our kitchen four times now, putting faith in promises.)
On Friday Joan taught piano lessons to four new students. She is teaching so many each Saturday that when these asked to learn, she said they had to come on Friday afternoon. They came. They have no training or even exposure to music. So Joan is teaching them the language of music while trying to communicate in Thai and English. I am not a great help, not being able to read music and not knowing the Thai words for the music terms.
We went to a Rotary Club meeting Friday evening. We have been trying to go since LDS Charities and the Rotary Club teamed up to give away wheelchairs in Ayutthaya. They welcomed us royally. We enjoyed the good Thai dinner – nothing too spicy hot. They did a lot of Karaoke singing. (Joan sang White Christmas) They asked me to take about 10 minutes to tell about Joan and I and why we were in Ayutthaya. I mentioned a Thai song I knew when here 40 years ago. It was a popular fun sing about a person who had nothing but didn’t care. Before I knew it, they had me singing the song Thai Karaoke style. A man got up to help me. We enjoyed the evening.
We bought a small Christmas tree and decorated it, and put up some outside lights. Since the King’s birthday was Thursday (and Father’s Day in Thailand) people may think we are honoring the King-- and we are honoring the KING!
There has been some rioting in Bangkok trying to get the prime minister to step down. Today the mission received a warning that our missionaries in Bangkok could be in their homes by 6 PM. I don’t think the target was the Church, but foreigners. We are far enough away from the rioting that we were not part of the order, but were home anyway.
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