Lat Phrao, Bangkok with Elder Johnson!

We were anxiously waiting for Jake's first email from Thailand and finally at 11:30pm our time, he was online and we were able to talk to him.  He is so happy, but says that it has been a whirlwind experience so far.  He is in the Lat Phrao district of Bangkok.  It is a new area and he, his companion and another set of missionaries are opening it up.  He lives in a high rise apartment on the 8th floor.  None of the Elders remembered to bring their card reader to send pictures, so he promised to send some next week.  Brother Thrap sent this final picture of them all together as a district in the MTC.

"What a week this has been! I'll start off with the plane ride. As you know, we flew through a typhoon and about died!! I was so scared and swear there is an indent of my hand on the armrest from clenching so hard! Everyone kept saying that there are 22 missionaries on this plane, so it was not going down, but that was beside the fact that it was still so scary!!  It was also cool too because I met this guy right next to me. His name was Anthony Pham and he was so interested in the church. We talked about the restoration and plan of salvation.  He had a lot of views that were pretty much what we believe. He asked so many questions and kept saying, "That makes sense." He said that we had a light about about us and that he could see the spirit in us fully. It was so cool. We were even able to commit him to reading the Book of Mormon and go to church!  It was sick and I really think that he will do it!!"

Elder Smith with Anthony Pham

"Holy cow!  It is so crazy here!  The people drive so fast and you just have to get up the courage to cross the street where ever. I met President Senior and he is a really funny guy who's always making little jokes. He told us what he expected from us and then interviewed each of us. We were all so tired and didn't get back to the hotel until around 10:00pm. We had to stay awake for all the orientations about things we needed to do right away. They also fed us Thai food! I was so happy. We stayed in a hotel the first night and that was really nice. The day was so long and full of stuff that I don't remember all that happened.  It was so much all at once."

"The next day, we were taken to a Stake Center and introduced to the other missionaries. I had to get up and tell everyone where I was from and what I liked to do in Thai! Crazy!! Then I met my companion and was off to my area before I even knew it. We ate at a Mexican restuarant before we left though. Funny right?! haha  My area is Lat Phrao. It is in Bangkok and a brand new area.  Me, my companion and another set of missionaries are opening the place up. We don't even have a church building. We are using a small room in one of the member's house. We go to a church building somewhere else until we're up and running. There is so much to do that me and my companion don't even have an investigator yet. We are trying to get some though. I had to do that Dan Jonesing thing and that was a mess for me. I didn't do too well. They say that we don't really get investigators by contacting, but we do it because we are obedient. The place that we are living in is so awesome!  It has two bathrooms and one shower.  It is a really nice place to stay compared to the rest of Thailand.  We have a kitchen and I eat a lot of Thai top ramen for snacks. It is an apartment and we are on the 8th floor! I would show you all the pictures, but I forgot the card reader and don't even know where to plug it in. I'll figure it out next time. The place is small, but has an ok view and air conditioning!  That is a blessing.  It's so hot, but not as bad as everyone said it would be."

"On Sunday, we went to church and I was able to bear my testimony to the ward.  I can't speak the language all too well, but the ward was so helpful to me.  They speak pretty ok English, so they can sort of communicate with me.  I love the members because they are so nice and they eat as a ward after church every Sunday, which is awesome! haha  I also taught my first lesson to a recent convert and less active member and I think it went well.  I didn't know what was being said, but I felt the spirit.  I only just bear my testimony every time at this point."

"My companion's name is Elder Johnson.  He is such a cool guy. He is from Cottonwood Heights and went to Olympus high school. He has been out for 7 transfers. He is really big and tall and loves to work out and eat healthy. He also loves to play World of Warcrafts. haha  I really think that we will get along great. He is pretty good at speaking the language, but he is still learning too. He can have regular conversations with people and tries to teach me as much as he can. He is also a Lacrosse player. He is a great trainer and always wants to be obedient and I am ok with that.  He is way funny too, so that's a plus! haha  I also live with Elder Marshall and Elder Passy. Elder Marshall has been out a year and is so good with the language.  He is Thai like me and is the district leader. He is from Arizona. Elder Passy was my Phii Thai in the MTC. He does really well with understanding what people are saying. He helps me a lot with getting through the initial scare of being here. He is from Lehi and played soccer. haha"

"Being here is still so crazy! I've been here in the field for only about three days. I'm really ready to get investigators and speak the language. I still don't have a bike, but I don't need one yet. We are looking for a bike shop to buy one though. Maybe a member will help us find one because we don't know the area. I get around by taxi or just walk, so that's fun. Taxi drivers are crazy! haha"

"I miss you all so much and I love you with all my heart!!"

Elder Jacob Smith