Ayutthaya is Singing in the Rain

Youth learning dance

At the youth activity on Saturday Joan taught a simple dance routine to Singing in The Rain, It is for the branch activity next Saturday called “Sing for your Dinner” only in this case it is sing Karaoke/perform. She had them twirling umbrellas and dancing all over the small chapel. I don’t know where the spectators will sit. But it was fun to watch the youth learn. They've never performed like this. Joan did a super job teaching with patience and enthusiasm. The leaders loved watching, too.

Our Friday zone meeting

Elder Larsen's birthday

Sunday we had a great testimony meeting – no strange stories of ghosts or french fries. However during Sunday School one of our recently baptized members discovered his bike stolen. The bike was locked, too. The mission has a bike donated by an elder who finishes his mission this week.

Saturday was Elder Larsen’s birthday and Sunday was Elder Kittavong’s. How often does that happen?  Members brought five cakes to church Sunday to celebrate. Two, however, were ice cream. Someone put them in the refrigerator but not the freezer. They intended to move them up to the freezer soon after Sacrament meeting was over. But the cakes were forgotten in the problem of the missing bicycle. After church, they discovered the cakes had melted. The cakes were still good to eat as soup but no longer beautifully decorated.

We have been one year in our house in Ayutthaya. The 1st night was very bad because of the loud (bad rockband imitation) night club nearby from 10 PM till 1 AM. We questioned if we could live in the house for a year plus. We didn’t know that that would be the worst night here. The shop with the band has gone out of business. No loud rock music since the new year.

We have been serving for 16 months. It seems too short and yet long ago that we left. The stake presidency says they are working on a replacement for me as branch president. I think I will hold some kind of record – a foreign missionary to serve as a branch president in 3 different branches in Thailand. (Now and back in the first mission)

We fed the young missionaries bean and egg burritos with taco sauce from Taco Bell. E. Larsen asked how we had taco sauce in Thailand. We told him we have special connections. (Our children send it.)

We will speak in the Hillside Ward on October 12 at 8:30 AM! Please plan to come.

I challenged our young men to memorize D&C Section 4 and promised them their choice of anything at DQ. We took two boys to DQ today for their reward. Three have now accomplished this. The young women felt hurt that they did not get the same offer, so I promised them a DQ trip too. We already owe three YW a Blizzard.

My goal is to reread the Book of Mormon before we leave the mission. One insight I have received this round is that, while we speak much of the faith and devotion of the people of Ammon. They had faith to not fight again. We maybe over look the faith of the Nephites who served to protect them. Alma 28:3 tells us many Nephites gave their lives protecting the people of Ammon. They were men with families. Wives lost husbands, children lost fathers. They also exercised great faith in obeying their leaders and made great sacrifices too. I can be better at making sacrifices for others.