April 27, 2015

I got my hair cut this morning, so I’m running a little later than usual!!   Every week goes by super fast here, so I hope I can remember it all. Yesterday’s devotional was AMAZING!!! We heard from a stake president from Philadelphia.. He played in the NFL for like 8 years and he related missionary work to athletics.  It was awesome!  

My cantonese friends leave for hong kong today.. kinda sad but we decided that we're going to hang out a bunch once were all back... Elder Kim and Elder Jensen are some of my best buds!  

This is Elder Alldredge.  He is one of my Cantonese buds!!  

Gonna miss this guy!

Every Saturday, we now teach what is called TRC.  TRC is like home teaching, except our teachers watch us through a camera and we teach people from Thailand who do not speak any English.. It’s rough sometimes, but I’m super surprised at how much I understand and can speak.  One of the Khonthais asked me and my companion if we were leaving this Monday because he thought we were so ready!  I feel very lucky and blessed. 

So, on the 25th, we had a Christmasversary! These next pictures are of that party.  It was a blast!  

One of the missionaries even brought presents for everyone!

Oh yeah, on MAY 10th, I’ll be able to make a 30 minute phone call home!!  That’ll be awesome!  I’m not 100% sure how it’s all going to work, but they’ll give me more info within the next week.  I just need to know what phone you want me to call.  Also, in a couple of weeks right before we board the plane for Thailand, we’ll be able to call again.  So that’ll be AWESOME!

Yesterday, four of us did the tower challenge.  I know my brothers and Kelsha know what that is!   It’s where you finish an entire tower of cereal before the workers have time to fill it back up again. My stomach is still hurting!  Even though it was worth it, better tell all my nephews this is NOT a good idea.  

I can’t wait to get to Thailand!  I feel like I am ready to go!  The language is coming just fine, even though it gets kinda old doing the same thing over and over again everyday.  The teachers push us pretty hard, but I LOVE it too!  It’s weird.  I feel like all of the spiritual stuff I feel like I’ve heard my whole life!  Probably have, and I know it’s true, so it’s easy for me to express my testimony in either language.   I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging…..just want you to know that I know it’s true!  And, I’m super thankful for my parents and family!Oh, and I picked your package up like 5 minutes ago!  The stuff is awesome!!!  Thanks a bunch Mom.  I LOVE you!.Well, hopefully you get this before I have to leave to gym time.Love you mom!  Love you Dad and everyone……tell my nieces and nephews how much I love ‘em and miss em!  Thanks for the letters!
Elder Jesse A. Bundy

April 20, 2015

Thailand bound end of May 2015!!

The days feel so long here, but the weeks are so short, if that makes any sense.  It’s crazy! I feel like I just got here and my MTC stay is Half Way OVER!! 

Me and my Aussie buddy in class!

I’ve pretty well spent this whole week in class.. A lot of teaching investigators and learning grammar.  I've pretty well learned how to read!  The vowels in script are so hard to pick out but I can pretty well read the scriptures.  Heavenly Father has been so good to me.

As for devotionals, we have two a week, one on Tuesday and one on Sunday.  We've had members of the Seventy every time.   All of them are super awesome although, last nights I was really tired from a bunch of meetings that we had been to... and, I kinda fell asleep. 

My Bud Elder LOR and I at the devotional last night (we both fell asleep, lol).  He's Fluent in Hmong, English and learning Thai with us!  

He's crazy smart!

Every Sunday evening, we get to watch a film from a selection of different devotionals, talks, etc. Last night we watched a talk that David Bednar gave last Christmas in the MTC.   It was AMAZING!!  Can't even describe it in an e-mail really, so I won't try.....and, the MTC is the only place in the world where it is shown.  Last week we saw meet the Mormons.. Holy Cow if you haven't seen Meet the Mormons, you need to see it! Seriously! It's so cool! 

                    I ALWAYS feel so GREAT after going to the temple!!!

Thank you Mom and Dad for being awesome and thank you all other family for also being so awesome!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHELSY & JAKE!!

Elder Jesse A. Bundy

April 13, 2015

All Thailand bound missionaries currently at the Provo Utah MTC

All of the missionaries standing have already left for Thailand.  

The six of us in the front have 6 more weeks at the MTC.

It’s been a crazy week.  I’ve just been constantly either in the classroom Learning Thai, or in various other training meetings!  I’m having a bunch of fun, tho.  Our Phi^i Thais left this morning at like 3AM for Thailand!  They're the Thai missionaries going to Thailand just before us.  So, this marks 6 more weeks until my district leaves for Thailand!

The MTC seems so EMPTY with all the missionaries that just left for their missions!   Everyone here is like 20+!  I am the youngest one here.  My whole district has been to like 2 years of college already!  

 These are all the missionaries headed to 

southern Asia in about 6 weeks.

We had our First TRC on Saturday, which is like home teaching but for ‘konthais’, or people from thailand that only speak Thai - no English.  It has probably been one of the most fun things I’ve done since I’ve been here, outside of going to the temple and some of the AWESOME firesides we’ve had.   It was amazing and awesome for me to see how far my language has come.  All I can say is Heavenly Father is AWESOME! He is helping me ALOT!  Has to be……how else do I explain that my companion  and I spoke with them without a whole lot of problem for like 40 minutes, and I understood everything.     

 This is another picture of my District along with my Aussie friend standing to my right.

We also started script this week!  Which means I am learning to read Thai as well as speak it.  I’ve almost memorized all of the consonants but, there are 40+ more vowels I have to memorize.  We have been told that we are way ahead of what is normal, which is comforting cause I feel like I make a lot of mistakes…..but they seem to be amazed by our district.  Reading Thai is ridiculous!  Being one of the oldest languages that’s been around, it has a bunch of ridiculous rules that seem unnecessarily necessary?But, I’ll learn all of them soon enough! 

 My Korean Friend, Elder Kim. He used to be a model/soldier/actor in Korea.  He looks all serious here - and he is a serious missionary, but, he's also a lot of fun.

I am running short on time again.  Sorry.  Tell everyone I love them. With all the missionaries leaving, we had a LOT to do today, plus I didn’t want to miss my temple session.  

I love you and miss you a bunch!

Elder Jesse A. Bundy

April 6, 2015

My Thai District

So, we had a plain, boring black and white roster that hung in our classroom.  We 'cartoonified' it and hung it back up.

The Packages were amazing!  Super helpful, especially the ties.  I was a little short.   So, my district is really awesome and we get along really well.   Mostly because we work hard but joke around and have fun too.  There is a Mong (kinda like Chinese), an Australian, home schooled Utah boy,  a kid from Portland, Oregon, an hilarious Asian looking kid from Arizona, and me.  We're a pretty diverse group, but it all works out just great.   All of us are progressing in Thai at a crazy pace.  

This is the tiny Thai speaking classroom where I spend the majority of my time.  I know it looks small, and it is small, but you would be amazed at how fast the time flies when we are learning!  I don't mind it at all!  Plus, we really are having fun while learning.

GENERAL CONFERENCE, KHXX SUADYAAD MAG, was super awesome!!!!!  CAN YOU BELIEVE THERE IS GOING TO BE A TEMPLE IN BANGKOK THAILAND!!  It's so cool that, that is happening right now!!  Seriously!!!  It opens a lot of opportunities for missionary work......being able to teach the Thai people that they can be baptized and have an eternal family through preparing themselves to enter God's house, (his temple), and then promise them that they will actually be able to perform that sacred ordinance with their families in a Bangkok Thailand Temple soon!   All of us Thai bound missionaries are flipping out! 

General conference is such a different experience as a missionary! I actually heard and took in all of what they were saying.  Watching it in this setting with all these missionaries, allowed all of us to really feel what the prophets were saying, not just hear it.

This is the hallway where my dorm room is.  That is Elder Quinn, my companion, posing.  Besides the cafeteria and the gym, this is where I spend the rest of my time here at the MTC.

I really enjoy learning Thai and we have hilarious things we do back at the dorms.  

This is 'Sidda Pringles.'  She sits at this desk.....we pretend she is an investigator wanting to know the truth, and we practice teaching her the gospel.  

Our direct neighbors are the Cantonese Missionaries who are going to Hong Kong.  They are my best friends here.  They have acquired a bunch of pass down items from other missionaries when they leave.  

 O.K.   Here is an iron they put out for us to use.  It is broken, but in a completely fun way!  It hurtles steam out in like a 10 foot radius.  I can stand in my dorm room and hit anything walking by in the middle of the hallway of the dorms.  I must admit, I enjoy shooting people with the 
steam as they walk by.  

It's nice here because I'm not stressed about anything and I can just focus on learning.  The only thing that is annoying is this sign and how far we have to walk to get to class everyday, several times a day because of the construction.   We have to walk almost around the entire MTC to go from the cafeteria to our classroom.  But, I'm not complaining.  The exercise won't hurt me.  After all, I am doing A LOT of sitting.

Okay, okay……and, NO everyone! I’ve actually been really good and NOT drank even one sip of milk since I’ve been here!  But, the food here is super good and I get a bunch of gym time which is awesome.  But, I’m thinking of going on a salad only diet here pretty soon because I eat too much!

I am also loving learning the Thai language!  The language is coming surprisingly easy to me.  All of a sudden, I have a super power memory!    The gift of tongues is definitely in play.  I hope it is a gift that keeps giving!   Don’t worry Mom and don't anyone be super offended, but I don't actually have time to think about home and everyone very often.  I’m glad I am so busy and don’t have time to think about home.  That would be too hard.

Well, I’m about to head over to the temple.   I hope everybody has a good week.  

I love you a bunch mom and dad and everyone!  Thank you for everything you do, I really do love and appreciate you guys so much.

Pom ruu waa phrabida bon sawaan le phrayeessuchrist rak raw, le prakampii mccrccon khxx phrakitikun kong phrayessuchrit. Pom Ruu waa phrakitikun chuy raw pen kwaamsuq

Nay phranom khong phrayessuchrit amen

Pom Rak Khun!! (i love you)

Elder Jesse A. Bundy