Elder Jacob Smith in Thailand: MTC Week 6

This Tuesday was Elder Watkin's birthday and Jake asked us to have Tori send him a "friendly" letter just for fun. Of course, we did better than that and sent him some little gifts that went along with the letter. They all had a good laugh and it brightened their day. We were happy to help make Elder Watkins day a little more memorable.

"Elder Watkins opened his letter last night and read it out loud to all of us. It was so funny! The whole room was laughing so hard. He loved the letter and I think that he will write Tori back, but I'm not sure. It was the funniest thing ever! He liked everything you sent and says thank you for the gifts. Funniest letter in the world for sure! He said it will be one of the best birthday MTC memories for him. Thanks to Tori for doing that!"

"Elder Keller is the new district leader and the zone leaders have changed too. They are really cool guys. One is Elder Marker. He is a very fast runner and can go forever. I only know him a little. The other is Elder Shumway. He is always happy and smiling and is fun to talk to. He genuinely cares about everyone. I think he is from Alabama."

"We lost Elder Phan as our teacher. We were all so sad because he was so cool and I didn't even get a picture with him. He was a convert and we were teaching his younger brother as our investigator. I really wanted to know his conversion story, but now I won't be able to. We all sent him an email to let him know how much we love and appreciate the time he spent helping us to be the best missionaries possible. This all happened last Wednesday. Brother Olsen said to use this experience to help us understand how it feels to lose an investigator. It was a sad day."

"This has literally been a "sick" week. Thursday I had a little cold and couldn't breathe very well. It made it hard to concentrate because my head was aching. I also got a rash that formed on my leg. At first, I thought it was just dry skin, but it never went away and I finally went to the health clinic. The doctor said that it looked like a fungal infection and that I needed to go to the BYU health clinic pharmacy and get some cream. I really hope it works because it burns and I want it gone before Thailand! Me and Elder Vance got to leave the MTC and walk down the street to the pharmacy. We saw real people and were free for a half hour! It felt so nice just to walk and see the MTC behind us. haha I took some pictures of our adventure for you."

"I've run into a lot of people I know lately. There was a pretty girl sitting next to me one day, so being who I am, I turned and asked her where she was going and such. I soon realized that she is the girl that we met at the travel clinic that is going to the Phillipines! It was fun talking to her and to hear her speak Tagalic. The other missionaries were scared to talk to her, so they now think that I'm a stud. haha I also ran into Connor Ogden, who is also in my building. I still talk to David Ju a lot. Also, Matt's good friend, Elder Claflin is in David's district, so I talk to him too."

"I love Sundays because you can truly relax at the MTC. I know it probably won't be like this in the field, but I'm just soaking it up. haha We had sacrament meeting review where we talked about the Book of Mormon and the spirit was so strong. We all shared our testimonies. People tell me that they really like it when I speak because I'm easy to listen to and they love my stories I share. We also had temple walk as well. It was blazing hot because we have to wear our suit coats. It's still nice to be able to leave the MTC and go to the temple."

"Monday we had service and cleaned the outside windows. It was tough because there are bushes in front of the windows and we have to use this thing that you stick a sponge on to be able to reach the windows. The sponge never stayed on and would fall off and land in the dirt. I'm like are you kidding me! After the 10th time of it falling, I finally got a system where I could keep the sponge on the stick. It was quite the accomplishment. Then later that day, me and Elder Watkins memorized 7 lines of the first vision in Thai and it was awesome! I'm not too fast at saying it, but I have it memorized. Tones are so hard to get."

"Tuesday we had class in the morning and then had the rest of the day to just study and go to the gym. Elder Crump found one of those Thai mats that you can lay on the ground, so we took it outside and used it to sit on for personal study. It's awesome because we can go where there is shade and we can lay down while we study. Then we waited for.., another Cafe Rio drop off from Elder Watkins! His brother dropped it off for his birthday. It was a tender mercy for sure because it was so good to have some real food again. We pretty much had a party for Elder Watkins and it was fun. I don't want you dropping anything off because if I see any of you, I would want to go home. haha This was the day I went to the health clinic."

"The dinners here are not too good, but they feed me and that's all I need to get through the day. I don't look forward to mealtimes. I look forward to the time of day when it is a bit more relaxed like personal study time. I don't have to worry about anything but the investigator and me. Those are the times to cherish. And the bacon jerky was delicious and I loved it. You should send more because it really tastes like real bacon. It's crazy! But really, it was very good. I also like Cheezits a lot. Just saying. haha"

"We learned a little about the Thai culture and how to bow correctly. We talked about the food there and how to say that you don't want any more in a polite way without offending them. We learned that the national anthem is played twice a day. We also were told that we cannot take a picture with Budda or else we'll go to jail. They are really respectful people who will always let you in, but that doesn't mean that they will be there the next time you show up. We learned about the respect given to the elder people and what not to do when with them. We should never touch their heads except for a blessing which they consider awesome because they view the head as sacred. It was fun to learn all this stuff, but we really won't learn more until culture day which is right before we leave. Until then, we will still be working on the language."

"I just want to say that I miss you all a ton and that I love you. This week wasn't too bad at all. It was still a little boring, but more things are happening all the time. I won't host until 8:00pm tonight, so I'll have to tell you about it another time. I pray for you every day and can't wait for my picture album, so that I can see your faces all the time. I love you with all my heart!"

Elder Jacob Smith