April 13, 2016

Zone conference and the beginning of Songkran mark another fun and exciting week teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Thailand

The most AMAZING people and best zone in the Bangkok Thailand Mission!

Elder Jesse Bundy writes, "Today is Songkran!!  It is the most amazing and beautiful day.......more about that in a minute.  So much has happened in the last week and a half!  I guess I'll give you a play by play.  First, as you can see, our P-Day has been messed up with Songkran and Zone Conference, but it will get back on track next week..." 

"A week ago Tuesday, we taught our buddy, Brother Joker....he just got baptized last week.  He has such a strong testimony!  He plans to be a missionary and get married in the temple some day.....I am so blessed to know this guy!  After that, we taught a couple of new investigators, had some shirts printed for Songkran, had a great time inviting people to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ at the bus station and ended the day by teaching English class.  It was an awesome day!"

Elder Jesse Bundy taking a picture with a random elephant that was roaming loose at the bus station

"Wednesday was our travel day....we hopped on a bus to Roi Et for Zone Conferences.  Or at least Elder Weaver and I thought it was going to be that easy......  After hopping on the bus, we immediately realized that we were scheduled to do switch-offs with other elders in Ubon after the conference.  So, we would need our bikes and we didn't have them.  We immediately hopped off the bus, ran back to the apartment, got our bikes and tried to convince a taxi driver to take us all the way there with our bikes hanging out the back of his trunk!  hahaha.....  Eventually, we got there alright.  I love having interviews with President Johnson!!  He is AWESOME!  We checked into a hotel in Roi Et and got some much needed rest."

Elder Jesse Bundy giving Elder Hunt a lift at Zone Conference.

"On Thursday, we had Zone training and it was GOOD stuff!  They have changed all of the numbers we report, so it's a little weird and will take some getting use to, but such a positive change.  After our meetings, Elder Weaver and I headed off to Ubon for our switch-offs with the Zone Leaders.  It was a GREAT day!"

"Friday I worked with Elder Parker all day.  He is a way solid dude with a strong testimony!  He started his mission in Phitsanulok, which is where I began, so we have a lot in common.  We had a great day and were blessed to be able to teach a lot of lessons and conduct some baptismal interviews.....it was just an awesome day!  Elder Weaver and I ended up catching a late bus back to Sisaket.....it was a GREAT, exhausting day....I am thankful and I am LOVING my mission!"

Elder Davis, Elder Jesse Bundy, Elder Hunt and Elder Weaver showing off their french toast.  Jesse wrote, "we taught a restaurant lady how to make french toast!  It was SO AMAZING!"

"GENERAL CONFERENCE!!  We spent Saturday enjoying Conference.....it was sooooo good!  I think my favorite session was the Priesthood session.  I especially enjoyed the leader/follower talk and President Uchdorf's talk, but my FAVORITE was Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk on fathers. (You can find them on lds.org, then search for April 2016 General Conference talks) "If getting to listen to conference wasn't enough, our investigator Brother Geek, brought his entire family to watch it with us!  

Later that day, we taught an older gentleman that was located behind one of our other investigator's house....he was living on the streets because his family kicked him out.  They didn't have enough money to pay his hospital bills.  When we found him, he looked like he was about to die.....we visited with him for a little while.  We taught him how to pray to God and got him something to eat.....it was truly a humbling and spiritual experience.

We then finished up teaching some lessons to people we had appointments with only to get home and find out that our electricity was out!  It is SO hot right now......our apartment was at least 105 degrees!  I looked at the other Elders, the sweat running down all of our faces and I was like, 'I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to sleep in this weather without the AC!'  So, I told them to pack up a few things and we rode our bikes to sleep at the church....we were so grateful to have a cool place to sleep!"

Elder Hunt, Elder Davis, Elder Jesse Bundy and Elder Weaver waking up after spending a restful night in air conditioning at the church.

"We woke up at the church and were changing into our Sunday clothes when all of a sudden, the Bishop walked in.....he was a bit surprised and asked, 'what's up you guys?'  hahaha....we all had a good laugh!  It was really funny.  We got to watch the rest of CONFERENCE today!  I just LOVE conference......After we watched conference at church, we had ward correlation meeting.

Later, we went to visit a member that lives super far away, out in the middle of nowhere.  It was an AWESOME experience!  He was struggling with a few issues and we helped him get rid of some things and clean up his house.  We got back into town in time to meet Brother Geek's family at the Bishop's house to eat dinner.  It was just a really great day."

"Monday was a normal work day for us.  We visited some less active members.  We had a great visit trying to get them to refer their friends to us.....even though we weren't that successful, I believe they consider us friends now and one of them makes scripture cases.  I am going to have a couple of them made.  We then taught Brother Geek's family.....they have set a date for this Sunday!  We are way excited!  Up until today, only him and his little sister were getting baptized......NOW his whole family will be!!!  Including his wife, his little boy, his mom and his dad!!  They are such a great family with strong testimonies....I am just on cloud nine!  On our way home, we stopped and bought water guns for Songkran." 

Elder Davis, Elder Hunt, a ward member, Elder Weaver and Elder Jesse Bundy getting ready to defend themselves at the ward party.

"On Tuesday, there were only half of us at District meeting due to sickness.  Elder Hunt got food poisoning and wasn't feeling very well.  Elder Weaver and I spent the day teaching a couple of new investigators as well as Tught by-Dtuy, Brother Geek's little sister.  Before going home for the evening, we taught English class and went and purchased a large tarp.  Tomorrow is the first day of Songkran and we are having a big ward activity.  We are going to teach the ward members how to make and have fun on a slip-n-slide!"

The boys getting ready to participate in the Water Festival on their P-Day

"Today, SONGKRAN begins!  It is just CRAZY awesome and fun!  This is Thailand's new year.  At any other time of the year, it is illegal to throw or squirt water at anyone!  But, for 3 days, it is completely legal to just destroy anyone and everyone you see with water on the streets or anywhere!  Soooo, it's pretty much an all out country wide water fight war!"

The Thai New Year, or Songkran in Thai, is fixed every year from the 13th through the 15th of April.  These 3 days are also known as the Water Festival because everyone splashes or pours water at each other everywhere and anywhere as part of the 'cleansing' ritual to welcome in the new year. 

Locals getting ready to start Songkran while riding in the back of a truck

We went to the ward activity in the morning.  It was a BLAST!  Thai people have never seen a slip-n-slide much less how to use one!  When we made it, they went NUTS!  It was so fun to see them have so much fun, laughing, sliding.....

Members enjoying the slip-n-slide Elder Bundy and Elder Weaver made for them

"After the party, we tried REALLY hard to go inviting, but we just got pelted with water and destroyed by EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE TOWN!!  It was probably one of the most CRAZY fun days I've had in my life! hahahaha.....Because it is SO nuts out on the streets, we have a 6 p.m. curfew for the duration of the festival, which is the next 3 days."

"Today is P-Day!  It's been a long week and a half, so we have a lot to get done today.  We got up super early because we are going to Ubon to play Songkran!  I will take some good pictures for you.....It's going to be a blast!"

"Well momma!!  I LOVE you!  I hope you enjoy the pictures....Our regular P-Day will be back on schedule this week, so I'll talk to you then."

I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!  Tell everyone hello for me!

Elder Jessa A. Bundy