May 26, 2015

Elder Jesse Bundy travels to Thailand!!!

On Monday, May 25, 2015, Jesse called us from the Salt Lake City, Utah airport!  We had a GREAT visit as he expressed his excitement to finally be headed toward his assigned mission.  Jesse had also been assigned to be the lead missionary for his group of six missionaries in making sure they all arrived safe and sound in Bangkok.  

He also spoke to us in Thai!!!  It was AMAZING!!    We received the following pictures and letter from his mission president detailing what he would be doing his first several days in Thailand:

27 May 2015

John and Willa Bundy
PO Box 452
Gallatin, MO 64640
United States

Dear Brother & Sister Bundy:

We are happy to report that your son arrived safely in Bangkok late last night, clearing passport control early this morning.  He spent what was left of the evening in a hotel with his companion, where he will also stay this evening.  He is in good spirits and is anxious to begin laboring in the Lord's vineyard in Thailand.  We are thrilled to have him as a missionary in the Thailand Bangkok Mission family.

Elder Jesse Abraham Bundy will join other newly arrived missionaries, together with President and Sister Senior and the Assistant's to the President at Lumpini Park for a morning devotional.  Lumpini Park is the site where then Elder Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the land of Thailand in 1966.  Elder Bundy will have the opportunity to dedicate and consecrate himself to the most wonderful work.  Your expressions of encouragement and spiritually uplifting email correspondence will be of great support.  The new missionaries will be trained by Sister Senior and me, and later oriented by the Office Couple, Elder and Sister Meeker, and the Mission Assistants.  New missionaries will have their first experience street contacting in the area followed by dinner at the Mission Home.

Your son will receive his first assignment tomorrow morning.  Preparation day will be on Monday and he will be able to email you each week.  I am sure he will have much to share regarding his experiences in Thailand, missionary activities and his first Sunday in his assigned area.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions during your son's term of missionary experience.

Sincerely,
President and Sister Senior

Check out our face book page for photos and videos of Thailand:
https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai
https://www.youtube.com/user/wisanbannawitwi/videos 

This is Elder Jesse Bundy with President and Sister Senior, the Bangkok Thailand Mission President.

May 18, 2015

Elder Bundy leaves for Thailand Monday!

And yes, these name tags really say: 

Elder J. Bundy 

Church of Jesus Christ 

of Latter-Day Saints

All of the new missionaries with the six Elders leaving Monday

Make sure EVERYONE follows the Thailand Bangkok Mission Facebook page! 

They will post pictures of the missionaries traveling from Salt Lake to Japan and arriving in Thailand!!  There may be a short video as well.  Everyone needs to friend THE THAILAND BANGKOK MISSION Facebook page.  Elder Bundy writes, "I think other than that, I’m good and ready to go!" 

This is Elder Bundy's District on Red day at the MTC 

Also, anyone who wants to write Elder Bundy, needs to start using the Bangkok Thailand Mission home address from now on.

Other than all of the commotion that comes with getting ready to leave the MTC, Elder Bundy was surprised it was a pretty normal week.  He spent any excess time cramming a bunch of Thai vocab, and trying to learn as much as he could to prepare himself for going in country.  But, he did write about a pretty cool experience he had yesterday.. 

Elder Bundy writes, "So, this past week, the MTC received 5 people from Thailand serving missions to either Australia or temple square.   It’s super fun to talk to them and try and understand them because they are soooo lightening fast.....Yesterday, they all came and sat next to me at the devotional because I always talk to them and we have become friends.  Anyway, for all of the foreign missionaries at the MTC that don't speak English, they have little headsets with people translating through them to their native language. But........nobody showed up to translate the devotional in Thai.  So I ended up translating the whole hour long devotional to all of them!  It was so hard, but it was super fun!  They said they understood everything I said and felt the spirit, so that’s cool." 

Elder Bundy's handstand of the week.

The next one he will do will be in Thailand......

May 11, 2015

Elder Bundy's favorite handstand so far

We were able to talk with Elder Bundy yesterday for 30 minutes.  It was so great to hear his voice.  He sounds great and is enjoying his mission so far.  

Here are the next, newest Bangkok Thailand missionaries anxious to get there and go to work!

Elder Bundy talked about the fact that even though he has loved the MTC, he is really ready to get to Thailand and begin his mission.  I had sent him a couple of pictures from when we picked up his sister, Kelsha, from her mission in Argentina.  We had a great time!

 Here we are in Argentina picking Kelsha up off of her mission in 2011!

Elder Bundy's Dad was taking the picture.

A much younger Elder Bundy with his sister, Hermana Bundy in Argtentina!  

Looks like brother and sister at MTC!  LOL.....My how Jesse has grown up!

Elder Bundy didn't write much this week because we were able to talk on the phone yesterday.  He writes, "The weeks are all the same here seems like....but it's in a good way.  That way we can all stay focused and learn our respective languages."

This week's cereal challenge with frosted mini wheats!

On the right is Elder Moderno, and the Nung Thai on the 

left is Elder Bundy's buddy, Elder Cravens.

Elder Bundy wrote, "The devotionals were okay this week.  Nothing that really stood out, but they were enjoyable. One thing that has really stuck with me this week is a specific chapter in the Book of Mormon, JACOB chapter 5.  I've read it a couple times over this week and I've really learned a lot of new things."  He also mentioned that he is beginning to work out again, trying to regain his stomach, etc., after all of those cereal challenges.

Another great experience this week that he almost forgot to mention, "Oh!  I almost forgot to tell you, both of my investigators were baptized yesterday!!!  It is awesome to know that I have learned enough to teach all of the lessons and that I have the ability to teach with the spirit in Thai!... I feel like with the Lord's help, I'll be ready in two weeks to go in country, which is good, cause that's when I'll be there!"

Elder Bundy ended his letter with, "And, MOM!!!  I LOVE YOU AND HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY AGAIN!!!  We'll talk again in two weeks.  I can't wait!"

May 4, 2015

Turns out, Selena Gomez (look alike) was at our last devotional! LOL 

Everything is going great here!  We get our Nung Thais (we were the Nung Thais when we first got here, and now we'll be the Phii Thais) this Wednesday when all the new missionaries come in!  It's crazy how fast time is going past!  It was like yesterday that our Phii Thais were here, and now they are in Thailand!   I'm super excited to about everything I'm learning here. 

EVERYONE!  Make sure to Friend the Bangkok Thailand Mission Facebook page! When I leave the MTC, they will post a bunch of pictures of me both leaving the MTC as well as arriving in Thailand.

The devotional yesterday was pretty cool, Mathew Holland (Jeffery R. Holland's Son), came and talked to us about the life of Joseph Smith.  It was awesome!  He is the President of UVU, so the UVU Choir came and sang a song after each point he made.  The music made it really cool!

My Thai is coming along.  This week, we focused a lot on teaching the commandments.  It's kind of weird, but I have to say, my favorite lessons to teach are the Word of Wisdom, (keeping our bodies clean both inside and out), and the Law of Chastity.  I really focused on making flash cards and learning the vocab, so my vocab for those are pretty good.

So.....tonight we do our first SKYPE TRC with people actually in THAILAND....kinda intimidating, but I think we'll do alright... 

I'm having fun and doing my best to work really hard.  I miss you all and thanks for being awesome.

My handstand for the week!  LOL

I love you Mom!  Love you dad! Tell everyone I love 'em!!!

Elder Jesse A. Bundy