North Stake Conference

"This week I was given a new companion. His name is Elder Martin and is from California. He is really cool and a worker of miracles in the Esan. He is going to die this transfer so I am killing him. He knows so much and I want to learn all I can from him to become a better missionary."

"We had stake conference here last Sunday and we had to help get everything prepared. We had no baptisms because the Bishop and Stake President were busy. The other Elders weren't too happy about it, but that just means we will have a lot of baptisms next Sunday. We have a mission goal of 2000 baptisms in Thailand this year. Right now we have 1903 with two weeks left. We need to get about 48 baptisms each week. This is really tough but it is possible too. It is crunch time, so we will be very busy this next week."

North Stake Conference

Don Mueang Ward

"On Wednesday before transfers, we were still in Cheang so we were in charge of helping prepare the transfer meeting. We were running around doing that and trying to teach our investigators too. We were waiting for one of them to show up and then he called to cancel. We were of course disappointed and decided to go inviting again. When we were leaving the church, a car drove up and a girl got out and asked us if we spoke Thai? We said yes, and then she told us that she wanted to be Christian and what did she have to do? I could have hugged her and answered, "Well let me tell you!"  We brought her inside and taught her and she accepted a date to be baptized this Sunday! She is so amazing and so impressed with the gospel. She is ready and even brought her mother and brother already. They are not really interested, but they are supporting her. It is awesome to see the Lord work in her life. She was not satisfied with Buddhism and wanted to find the truth. She didn't know where to go. A person at the post office told her to go to this church, so she picked a day and showed up. I don't think it was a coincidence that we were there at the right moment or she would not have had anyone to talk to. God has planned everything perfectly!"

Training Meeting

"The first day with my new companion we went contacting and it was really hard. No one was listening. Then I walked up to a Monk and asked him if he would like to be baptized? He was interested, so I made an appointment with him for the next day. Would you believe it but he showed up! He was wearing his robes and everything. We had a former Buddhist man help us teach him. The Monk was really interested in the things we were talking about. He is just not able to come to church. It would be awkward while he is still a Monk. He made another appointment with us and we are determined to baptize him. He would help the church grow so much here in Thailand. We even got him to pray! It was way awesome!"

"I love you all so much! Pray for the mission!"

Elder Jacob Smith 

Power of Love

"I had a lot of fun on the mission this week. Last Sunday, we were invited to eat at the International Ward Bishop's house. His wife was so nice and so impressed by Elder Cutler and I that she invited us to be special guests at her seminary class. We talked to the kids about our experiences as missionaries and at the end they said they wanted to serve missions as well. It was really cool to see their interest in doing missionary work. Then we had the Christmas Zone Conference with President and Sister Senior. You probably already saw the video of us singing. We were also able to eat at a buffet. We had so much sushi and shashimi that you would be jealous. I was stuffed full! Then we had the devotional and I was able to sit up front. I was looking at everyone and they were looking at me and then I made a face and made them all laugh. It is funny being a Zone Leader. We got a Christmas CD from the Seniors and it is fun to listen to. It is the only Christmas music that we can listen to."

"This week I have laughed more than normal. During the Book of Mormon class this week, there was one Brother who made a really funny face at Elder Cutler. I saw it and about laughed myself to death. I had to leave the room because I was making everyone else laugh too and they couldn't read. I still laugh when I think of that look. haha  The other Elders here are such funny guys too and they make me laugh a lot. We had a Ward Christmas activity where the Bishop was sharing the funniest jokes ever. It was an amazing party, especially for the investigators to come participate in. They got to feel true happiness without having to be drunk to do it. It really helped our investigators to see what the gospel is all about."

"I have a Christmas experience to share with you. About 3 weeks ago, there was a homeless man who came to church. Apparently the Sisters had invited him, but they didn't recognize him. He was different and we had no way to contact him, so we felt that he was a lost cause. I'm sad to say that no one really wanted to teach him. As the week went on, we would run into this same man and would talk to him and ask about his family. He hasn't seen his family in years. He is very poor and lives at the Buddhist temple. We invited him to come to church whenever he wanted. We thought he wouldn't show, and surely enough, he came. This time he was shaven too. Then we had Zone Conference and President Senior talked about Matthew 25:30-41. It talks about, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." The President asked for everyone, in their own way, to try to find someone to help as the scripture describes; hungered and fed thee, thirsty and gave thee drink, a stranger and took thee in, naked and clothed thee, and sick or in prison, and visited thee. He asked us to find a way to serve God by serving someone like that. The next day, we were walking to the church late at night and we ran into this poor man again. We greeted him and noticed that he looked better then before. I shook his hand and he looked at me and asked why I shook his hand? He said that he never washes his hands and that he was dirty. I told him that it is something Americans do. haha  It then hit me that because of the class system in Thailand, he probably never gets any interaction with anyone and no one ever touches him. We then taught him about prayer and how it could help him to stop smoking. Then he bowed his head and said a prayer. When he said, "Dear Heavenly Father...," Elder Cutler and I looked at each other. Afterwards when we were walking away, I asked Elder Cutler, "Did you feel it?", and he said yes! We both felt super bad for not reintroducing this child of God to his father sooner. The moment he said, "Dear Heavenly Father", we both received an overwhelming power of love come over us and him. It changed me and Elder Cutler. We both knew that we had to help this man, no matter what his needs be. We began by showing him how to communication with his father. Then we made a plan. He came to the Christmas activity (stranger and took thee in), he ate with us (hungered and fed thee, thirsty and gave thee drink), we gave him pants and a white shirt and tie (naked and clothed thee), and we took away his cigarettes and marijuana and brought him to church (sick or in prison, and visited thee). We call him our Christmas baby. haha  It was really amazing to see that man smile and wearing a white shirt and tie. I want to give you all the same commitment. Find someone this year who is in need and help them out like in Alma 25. However big or small, it doesn't matter, but do it from your heart. This will be a great Christmas season for sure! I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Sacred Baptism

"This has been a great week. I was in Lopburi on a switch off with Elder Brockwell and Elder Tilaporn. They are funny Elders and we had a good day and made many new friends there. I have a couple things that I learned about to how to become an even better missionary. First, I am so happy to see the pictures from Calli's baptism. That is so cool and she is so freakin' old now! Holy Cow, I can't believe it!"

"Thanksgiving was really fun because we were able to go to a Korean member's home. We were served all American food and it was really good. We had potatoes, turkey and ham and it was just so delicious that I about died from over eating! haha  I'll tell you what though, I am really scared to go back home. I'm really awkward now around white people. I was talking to Elder Cutler about how he feels really awkward around "falangs" (white people) and I am the same way too. While we were talking, a falang walked right up and started talking to us. We both were a little awkward but I don't think that he noticed. It was really funny."

"I've learned recently that I need to become more organized than I have been with my duties as a ZL. I told this to Elder Cutler as well. One day he comes up and says, "Dude, we can get 10 baptisms if we really want to."  Then I responded with, "If we are going to have 10 baptisms, then we need to be more organized. We need to keep better records and be on the ball at all times." I feel that I have received revelation about making the ordinance of baptism more important. We are missionaries who are all about baptism and getting people baptized, but we are hypocrites when we say this and don't make sure that the baptism runs smoothly. I realize that we need to make sure that we are prepared and that the baptism is sacred and peaceful for the one who is being baptized. It should be a fantastic experience and not just craziness. We are always all over the place and started to treat the experience as not important. We sometimes would complain that the members stopped treating the baptism as something special, but then realized that we did too and that needed to change. Elder Cutler agreed. We are going to start making the baptisms a little more special from now on. This week we were able to have two baptisms. They are really nice older ladies. One was a walk in and the other was a referrral. They both have great testimonies and made a promise to everyone at the baptism that they were going to be faithful and endure to the end. It was awesome! One of the ladies lives really far away and will still come every week. It is a miracle."

"I do get to talk to President Senior a little more than I use to. I guess apparently that he told a sister that he wants me to keep my personality, so I don't quite know what that means but ok haha. I am getting better at this ZL stuff for sure. Elder Cutler and I get along great. He is a lot like Dallon. He is really cool and coming close to the end of his mission. He works really hard and loves to go contacting. I've been out in the heat a lot lately. haha  He is training me really well and I'll try to get a picture of us together to send."

"We also had a great Christmas activity at the church. It was a month early but I have no idea why. haha  Anyways it was really fun. I was able to see all my RCs from Rangsit and it was amazing to know that they are still going strong. It makes me so happy. We also had to sing in the program. We sang "Shepherds Watch Their Flocks." It was funny because no one knew the song. haha  We did ok singing though. This week was just fantastic!"

Elder Jacob Smith 

Upon a Mountain Top

"Last week we had training and there is a big push to get the entire Zones balanced throughout the whole mission. The training was really fun and the best part was we were able to eat pancakes for breakfast there. haha  We talked about how we need to build the walls of baptism and stakes around Jerusalem, aka Thailand Temple. We were asked to go and inspire the rest of our Zones. It was my first leadership meeting and I hope that I was able to show that I can contribute. There are a few missionaries that are still a little upset that I am a ZL instead of them, but I think that it is starting to go away. I have been trying really hard to show that I was called of God and that I can receive the revelation to guide the Zone. It is going really well. I was able to feel the spirit as I trained them. I love that I can see what is going on in the whole Zone and know who needs help and who to pray for. It is way cool."

"Last week we had an activity where we climbed to the top of a mountain. It was really fun and I got some of the missionaries to buy some gloves. haha  I don't know why but they were 20 baht and I felt like I needed to buy them, so the other Elders bought them with me. I actually got a picture of that. Anyways along the way up, the Elders were talking about how we are probably going to get to the top of the mountain and then the Zone Leaders were going to make it into some spiritual lesson. I laughed because well, I am the ZL! haha  When we finally got to the top, we explored a little and looked out over the entire area and then what everyone predicted to happen came true. Elder Cutler got everyone to sit down and talk. I don't think he knew what to say except that he felt guided to do it. I had to support him and got up as well. We talked about many things including how this experience was a comparison to our missions. Then we each shared about how we can use it and it was really spiritual. Then at the end, I had the impression to express my feelings. I told everyone about the importance of the vision of the mission. It is something we can obtain from working hard and not losing faith. Also it is not just for us individual missionaries, but for all missionaries in Southeast Asia. This is God's vision and it is important that we obtain it to do his work. It was very spiritual and I felt that they respected what I shared and that it inspired them. Then we said a prayer and headed down the mountain. Going down was fun because there is a bar that goes all the way down and we sat on a plastic bottle and slid down at high speed. haha"

"This week me and Elder Cutler were having a hard time with finding investigators and then on Wednesday we had a miraculous day. We got 5 member lessons and some referrals and 5 new investigators and 3 RC/LA lessons. We had no idea how to explain what happened other than that God had blessed us. I also went on my first switch off. I went with a greenie, Elder Daybell. We stayed in our area and basically had a normal day. However, it began by us not being able to get out of the building because no one gave me a key card. No one was around so we had to climb out of the window. It was funny because that was also his first switch off experience with the ZL and we had to break out. haha   Then we went to Asoke for switch offs with the APs. I was with Elder Kelly who is from Australia. He is way cool and we taught some interesting people. One was a porn magazine model. She wanted to change her life and I gave her a date for next week and she accepted and will be baptized soon. It was way cool to see her really eager to change. We also went contacting and I was able to get 16 numbers! That is a record for me and a lot of them were good numbers. I feel that I was able to show the APs that I am qualified for the calling that was given me. We now have 7 daters and about 14 investigators. 4 of the daters are really good and I'm sure will be baptized. We also had a baptism this past week. We actually got her number from someone else that we contacted on the street. Elder Cutler was just calling people and decided to call this contact who told us that she was not interested but that she had someone with her who was and gave the phone to her. She then came to church and we taught her over the phone everyday for a week and then we baptized her. She is so prepared by the Lord and it is amazing to see her testimony grow as well."

"That was pretty much our week and all that happened. It was a good week. I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Zone Leader!

"I was just called to be a Zone Leader in Pakkret! Can you believe that? I was only a District Leader for one transfer and now I'm a Zone Leader. It was crazy how it happened. We got a call last Tuesday from the Zone Leaders telling us that no one in our District was leaving. We told all the members that we were staying and they were pretty happy about that. I still had to go to Bangkok to renew my Visa and had the other Elders go with us because we had to pick up some supplies and it would be fun. I called the Elders in Rangsit to arrange a place for us to stay overnight and then headed there around 2:00 in the afternoon. We got there around 7:00 in the evening and met up with Elder Bassett. It was fun being back in my old area again, but I wasn't able to see any of my RCs. That night was a hard night for me. I had a hard time sleeping and woke up at 3:00am. I could not go back to sleep and something was keeping me up, but I didn't know what. In the morning, we headed down to the transfer meeting. Along the way, I got a call from the Zone Leaders telling me that I was moving and that Elder Sayavong was getting a new companion. CRAZY! I was so surprised and instantly nervous about what was going to happen. When we arrived at the building, President Senior came up to me and told me to go to a room and wait for him there. Later, he walked in with two other Elders. He told us that last night he woke up around 3:00am with a feeling that something was wrong. Then he received revelation and wanted to call us to be the new Zone Leaders. I was soooooo surprised and even more nervous now! I didn't tell anyone. When my picture came up as the new Zone Leader over Don Mueang, everyone was cheering and said, "NO WAY!" and "HOLY COW!" haha  They were all surprised too and came up to me and congratulated me saying that I was a fantastic missionary and was ready for this. I am over the areas of Don Mueang, Rangsit, Bangken, Lopburi, and Ayuthaya. Everyone that I will follow-up with is older than me in the mission. They are the senior missionaries from the MTC and some that will finish their missions in a couple transfers. I will get to follow-up with everyone everyday and see how the mission and Zone is doing. It will be nice to know what is going on everywhere. Talking to all the Districts is super fun and I want to encourage and inspire them. This will be a fun adventure for sure! It was a little frustrating too because I had to go all the way back to Phitsanulok to pack my stuff and then return here. I did a lot of traveling this week. I feel bad that I had to leave my boy, Elder Parker, but he will do great finishing his training with Elder Sayavong. They also put Sisters back there and that should be great. P-lok will do just fine."

"I am now over three wards that use the same building. They are Don Mueang, Pakkret, and Chengwattana. Chengwattana is a foreigner ward. It is super busy on Sundays trying to get every ward some investigators. I went to Sacrament meeting 3 times and was here and there and everywhere, and I still have no idea what member is in what ward. haha  Hopefully, it will come to me. I really hope Heavenly Father knows what he is doing by calling me to this. My new companion is Elder Cutler. He was my Zone Leader when I was serving in Rangsit. He is really cool and such a hard worker. He told me straight up that we are going to do work this transfer, so I looked at him and said, "Alright, as long as we stop to eat!" haha  He is from Layton, Utah and his family owns Cutler's Cookies, if you've heard of that. I'm really excited to be serving with him. He is a great speaker and an even better teacher. He also has a twin serving in the Philippines. The place I live in is huge and in the middle of Bangkok. I have everything I could ever want here. I'll just buy it. haha  I really like it and the church here is huge and very close. We already had a baptism and are constantly getting numbers from people on the streets. Everyone is so nice and the Bishop is a returned missionary who is gung-ho about getting things going better. I am excited to be an example in the mission and helping to make miracles happen."

"That is really all that happened this week. I was able to follow-up with the new Greenies and it was fun to get to talk to them and see how they are all doing. I read a verse in the scriptures about, "many are called, but few are chosen."  I will do all I can to be the one who was chosen. This was a great week with more to come for sure!"

Elder Jacob Smith

"P.S. - My camera broke. It won't turn on any more. Also, I've changed how I spell my name in Thai. I met a man whose name is Smith and he spells it a little differently. I like it better and apparently it translates to mean, success and righteousness. I thought that was way awesome as well. haha  I love you all!"

Seeking Faith

"Last week we went to go siteseeing. It was us 4 Elders and the 4 members who invited us to go. We went to a mountain and it was beautiful! We were so high that all you could see was the forest and fog. It was awesome! The weather was really nice too. It wasn't hot and the wind was blowing, so it was a great day for the trip. We took pictures, but with the other Elder's camera, so I will try to get them for you."

"This week we had zone conference. We were in Chiang Mai on Thursday and Friday. We were visited by Elder Gong. I even had a special opportunity to be interviewed by him. He is a really nice man full of love and charity. He knew me quite well and was impressed by my mission and the things that I have learned throughout. He talked to us about the Atonement of Christ, the Plan of Salvation, Plan of Redemption, and Plan of Mercy. It was truly inspiring for the entire mission. We were also visited by some church history people. I heard that there is a new exhibit in Utah on the Foundations of Faith. It sounds cool and I really want to see that."

"We had some miracles happen as well. Elder Parker and I have been trying really hard to get new investigators. This last Sunday, we had no one show up for Sacrament. We were sad but we did have one of our LAs come back, so that was great. During the second hour, two girls walked in. It was a mother and a daughter. They are from another church. We talked to them and asked if we could teach them about our church and they said yes! I found out that they are from a place out of town, but they would be here every weekend. They were looking for a church to worship and came across the Hope Church. They entered there and felt like this was not it. Then they saw our church and came in and felt great, so they decided to stay. They were very open to the things that we were teaching them, such as Prophets and the Book of Mormon. They said that they would read the book and then pray about it. We asked if we could meet them again and they said yes! We can only teach them on the weekends, but that is just fine with me. They are great and also have a son who did not come to Phitsanulok with them. They were brought here by God and we need to help them. Also, we must be doing something right for him to just send them right to us. haha"

"We also have another investigator. She is friends with some of the RCs and doesn't care about some of the problems going on, because this is her decision and she understands that. It is amazing that she is like this because it can be really hard sometimes. However, she is having a hard time with Faith. She can't believe something unless she can see it. I tell her about Faith all the time, but we are still working on it with her. The other day, she comes up and tells us that her sister is Catholic and just left to serve a mission. She was emotional and asked why God would make her sister throw away her family, if he is all about family? She asked me why I would leave my family to be a missionary? First off, we clarified that we are two different churches and then told her that her sister didn't leave her family and that they would receive many blessings because of her service. Elder Sayavong was with me and shared his experience about not being supported by his family in this decision. He brought the spirit in so well. She then told us about her mom being sick with cancer and we shared about miracles and that even miracles are an act of Faith. We then prayed with her. She was emotional and the spirit was very strong. After that day, she contacts me a lot wanting to know answers to tons of questions. I can't wait for her to finally received an answer and to understand it, so she can make the decision she needs to."

"I hope that you are doing well mom. I'll pray for you! I'll have to take some pictures of the house for you. It is nice but super messy and there is mold all over the ceiling. No one cooks. I eat khao soi a lot here. It's some northern dish and really good. I snack on chips and cookies. I don't need any white shirts, but I'll just buy them here if I need to.  I will get another suit made if that is ok? That is really cool about Andrea Wood's homecoming. I agree with her about how true the importance of following the promptings of the spirit is. I love you all so much and I'll send pictures, but it will have to be later though."

Elder Jacob Smith 

5 Baptisms in Phitsanulok!

"This letter will be short because I don't have much time today. We are going site-seeing with the members and we're leaving real early. We were able to get 5 baptisms here in Phitsanulok this week. It was a straight up miracle because of what happened earlier in the week."

"Monday, I tried talking to a recent convert who was feeling down about something. She just got up and left. I guess there is a lot of gossip that was going on in the branch. I told everyone that I didn't think that they understood what family means and then things went crazy! I said that they need to be a family and that families love each other. That night we get a call from all 6 of our daters to tell us that they were not going to get baptized or go to church. They had all gotten together and decided to drop. This put our whole district in high distress! We were up all night trying to fix it and nothing was working. I was really upset because I felt that I had failed. I cried! I did! I couldn't believe that gossip, lying, and stupid little things, could cause 6 investigators and another 5 new converts to fall away from the church. I felt that no matter what I did, it wouldn't change anything. I felt no spirit and I was frustrated with myself. I could only think to pray to God and have him fix it. And of course he did. The next two days were heck trying to talk to these emotionally wrecked teens and just tell them to stop doing what they were doing. Then God stepped in and fixed it. He got them all together and they argued for hours until they finally forgave each other. That was good."

"Then I had another new member come up to me and said that she was fed up with the church and that she was going back to her old church because the members here did not care enough for God. I talked with her a long time until she finally said her decision was made and thanked me for being a God fearing man. I had thought that she had a great testimony and was doing awesome. I can honestly say that I have never been so angry/sad/sorrowful/and who knows what other emotion. I got on my knees and cried to my Father in Heaven. I told him that I don't know what to do. I needed him. I asked where art thou? Then softly I had an answer that said, "Don't worry. I am with thee." Even though I heard the answer, I had a terrible sleepless night. The next day I get a call from that member and she tells me that she wants to come back. It was funny because in Thai she said that she wanted to go back to her old church. I thought she meant her other church. I said, "Yes, I know. You told me last night. Why are you calling me again?" She then repeated it and I gave the same response again. Then she said, "Do you know what I mean?" I said, "Yes!" and she said, "No!" haha  She meant she is coming back to our church. She had prayed that night and read in the scriptures and received confirmation again that the church is true. She is a nurse and she said that right now the church in P-lok is just sick and needs assistance. She is now good and converted and continues to come to me for advice."

"This was the miracle and chastisement that I received. I realized that I needed to rely on the Lord more and stop being so stressed. I need to use faith and listen to the promptings of the spirit. Everything is better now and yes there are still problems, but I face them differently and with more faith in the Lord. The 5 were baptized this Sunday and the other one is on the way. The ward is struggling but through faith all things are possible. I love the Lord and I know that he is real and answers every prayer. He shows us our weaknesses to make us stronger."

"Conference was great, but I didn't watch it in English, so I'm going to do that this week. I ride my bike everywhere. It's nice but my butt hurts and my bike is all rusty from not using it for the last year. There is one thing that I would really like to do. I want to come back and go to the temple with my RCs in July. They really want me to go with them, however, that requires me going to Thailand, then Hong Kong, and then home again. If that is possible, I would really like to do that. I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith   

Prepared to Lead

"We are just getting used to being in Phitsanulok. We have 4 investigators from the last Elders. They really liked Elder Tamang, so I'm trying hard to get them to trust me. We are doing really well but we haven't been able to get anyone to church this week. We will work even harder with these investigators. I had 4 baptism interviews yesterday and they all passed which was awesome! The area here is great. The branch is struggling and we have no mission leader. Also a lot of the branch presidents have gone less active. I have talked to the current branch president and with him, the Elders and other missionaries, we are determined to get this place up and running again. I'm excited to work here. I know there are a lot of prepared people for us to teach and baptize. The members are super and there are a lot of youth. We have a lot of work to do with the RCs."

  
"Elder Parker is doing great and is very skilled. I am helping him a lot with his reading and he is improving fast. I've been a little tough on him but it will help him get good with the language. We get along great and he has a good attitude about everything. He has a big desire to see a baptism and he is a fantastic missionary."

"I have a cool story that I'd like to share with you. There is a 19 year old investigator of the other Elders who has been learning for a couple months now. When I asked the Elders about her, they said that they have taught her everything but she will not be baptized. She accepted everything but just would not do it. She has been on her own since she was 12 and felt that everything that happens is by personal thought and not from the Spirit. I've talked to her and am surprised because she acts and talks like a member already. If she was a member, she would be so Boss! Well, we had a BOM class and hadn't really planned anything, so as DL, I lead the class and talked about 2 Nephi 31. It is about the Doctrine of Christ. After the lesson, she went up to the Elders and told them that she is ready and wanted to be baptized! They were so happy and asked her why she decided to do it now? She walked up to me and told me that she was going to be baptized and that it was because of what I had said when I was teaching about baptism. She said she really felt that she needed to be baptized. WOW! I didn't even plan for it! Later when the other Elders got home, they both came up to me and gave me a big hug and told me how grateful they were for me. They said that it was because of me that she decided to be baptized. I am so unworthy of the praise because I knew it was from God and not me. I was able to interview her for baptism yesterday. It was a long interview because she shared her whole conversion with me. She told me many personal and sacred experiences that she had not even shared with the other missionaries. She already feels that we are good friends and that she can trust me. She passed her interview and I will be really happy to see her baptized. It was a really good week. This experience helped me to know that I must have been prepared to be a leader and DL at this time. I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

"P.S. - Elder Sayavong came up and told me that my English really stinks. He is a Khon Lao and said this to me. haha Then Elder Parker agreed and said that I use Thai grammar structure when speaking in English. He understands me but it is weird for him. I don't even notice it, but Elder Parker is now correcting me and it happens a lot! haha Oh well!"  

North to Phitsanulok

Chiang Mai Zone

"I don't have a lot to tell you today, but I have some big news! We had transfers and I am up North in Phitsanulok. I haven't really been too far from Bangkok, so this will be a fun experience and I am also white washing the area. Secondly, I am the district leader and my district is fantastic! Third, I am also training a new missionary and last, I am the 1st counselor in the branch presidency. Yep that's right, I went from almost no responsibility to all of them at once! It's alright though. If God called me to do it, than it must mean that I am ready to do it. We are going to rock it here in Phitsanulok!"

"Yes, I have a child here in the mission and his name is Elder Parker. He is from Holladay, Utah. He is a nice kid and loves life. He is very talkative, which is great because he will learn the language fast. He is doing awesome! White washing the area will be tough but nothing we can't handle. In no time we will be baptizing just like before. I need to be a good example for the rest of the district. It will be fun. I live with Elder Baldwin from California and Elder Sayawong who is a Khon Lao."

"Right now I am in Chiang Mai. We had a district conference here, so I haven't even really spent an entire day in Phitsanulok. I can't wait to go back but we are first having a zone activity. There isn't much to talk about because I haven't had anything happen yet. I have spent the last couple days just sleeping in buses. haha  What a change it has been. I'll have to tell you how it all goes next week. I'm super excited to train. Elder Parker will do great and I am certain that he will get along with all the members. It is my goal to get to know all the members as fast as possible. This week will be a crazy one but I'm sure it will be a great transfer. I'm ready to see the miracles that come from having the Greenie fire all the time. Areas do great when there is a Greenie around, as long as you are doing what you are suppose to. I'd love to have all your prayers this week!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Blessed to Have Served

"This week we were able to get three baptisms! We had one on Wednesday. She is about 50 years old and really has a lot of faith. She loves coming to church and is trying to come every week. We linked her to a member, so she will be taken cared of. We then had two people get baptized this Sunday. One was a 19 year old girl and the other was an 11 year old boy. They are both awesome! Their testimonies were fantastic. The girl was a tough one because she got called in to work in Korat that morning. She couldn't be baptized if she didn't attend sacrament meeting, so she went to work late to stay for sacrament and then returned after work to be baptized. I know that she had to have much faith to do that. The other kid is a boss! He understands so much for a kid. We finally got permission from President Senior to baptize him. We taught him but basically just reviewed everything because he knew it all already. His testimony is amazing! After the baptism, the members came up and told us that this kid was solid. Both of them are great. Now Elder Bassett and I have baptized every one of our investigators and we really don't have anyone left to teach. haha"

"We found out now that we can only go contacting no more and no less than 2 hours a day. It is because it is so hot right now. We also have to find one LA each week. These are new mission rules. This week I loved teaching our RCs and having them tell me that they don't want me to leave. Transfers are this Thursday and I'm not sure if I'm going but I'm probably out of here. I have also had a lot of members come and ask me not to leave. I guess they realize that I am a good missionary and not a flirt. haha  I am hard working and get things done because I started serving the members more. I've come to love the people here and it will be hard to leave. The ward mission leader pulled me aside and told me that he was blessed to have served with me and that he hopes that I go somewhere that I like. He said that no matter where I go, I will work hard and be a great leader. That made me happy and these people have been a blessing to me too."

"That was really cool that Dallon met Elder Unsworth! I really liked him a lot, but never got to be his companion. They should become good friends. I love you all so much and Happy Birthday to Dallon, Tori and Grandpa!"

Elder Jacob Smith 

When ye ask, ye shall receive!

A visit from an old friend and convert,  Brother Oat!

"This week was a hard week. It was tough because we really didn't have much time to go contacting, so we didn't get any new investigators. However, we did get three baptisms as a district yesterday! It was a good Sunday, but I am really tired and my eye hurts a little. It is swollen and everyone is saying that I need to sleep more because I looked dead. haha  I'm fine though. We planned on having one investigator ready, but she had to leave so we will baptize her on Wednesday. The challenge will be getting people to attend the service."

"We taught a lot this week. We have about 3 people going to be baptized next week. We are excited because this may be my last full week here and it would be great to leave with a bang. haha  We have seen lots of miracles too. We had a great opportunity to talk to this LA member. His name is Black. At first we had no idea he was a LA member and we were feeling a little down because our appointment didn't show up. Then the members that were there asked us to explain the pre-mortal life. We were a little confused as to why but started to teach it. The man didn't understand any of it. Then it hit me and I asked him how long had it been since he had been to church? He replied over 15 years. We then understood what the members were trying to tell us. This man had been inactive for a long time and had forgotten everything. We began by teaching him about the Plan of Salvation. After he asked us why we had chosen to teach that lesson? We answered just because we were talking about it. He then told us that he had been asking God to help him to understand again and he was getting impressions to come back to church. He was too scared to attend English class and talk to us. He wanted to know certain things and we had answered the questions he had. He was surprised that we taught him the Plan of Salvation because that was the first lesson he remembered and learned. We are going to work with this man for sure!"

"We got a visit from Elder Allen who is the President over missionary work around the world. He came and reprimanded us for not being better than we are. He said great things about our baptisms, but then told us that we needed to work better with the members. He also wanted us to start working on other areas too, such as member and RC referrals. He reamed us really hard, but I was totally ok with it because Elder Bassett and I were already discussing the same things. I feel like we have been doing great getting referrals from members and RCs. It was really good and I enjoyed receiving direction from him. He also gave a promise to the mission that if we do all the things that he told us by increasing the other areas of the mission; then when we ask, we will receive. I really want that so I will be sure to do it all! I love you so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

A New Generation of Members

"This is the week we have been waiting for. We had two baptisms! They are the family of Brother Lek. It was such a busy day and I am still so tired. I now understand the energy that God gives his servants to perform his work. The baptism was last Sunday at 4:00pm. We didn't want a lot of people to attend because they are a really shy family. It was also Ward Conference and we had 150 people at church! That is a crazy number! It was so amazing that even the Zone Leaders asked how it happened? I just told them that it was another Rangsit miracle. haha  We had 7 investigators to take care of and all the new members, so that was fun. After church we had to teach a lot of people and also help a member move his house all before 3:30 so we could set up for the baptism. Well, while we were doing all this, the members took the two being baptized to go change. They were dressed for three hours awkwardly waiting and were so embarrassed. Then the computer was down and we couldn't make any baptism programs. We had correlation meeting at 3:00 that went to 3:40 and when we came out, the family was sitting on the stage and everyone was sitting ready for the baptism to start. That is great except for the fact that the family was that way for a long time and all everyone had been doing was singing. I was nervous because the wife is so shy and she was given a dress that was way too big for her. She had to be dunked three times because it wouldn't go under the water. AHHH! Afterwards she said that she didn't want to go back into the room because everyone would look at her, so we had to help calm her down. It is a miracle that she was baptized and I am praying that she will get the spiritual confirmation that she is cleansed from sin and that she had done the right thing. Eventually she came back in and said that she would come to get the Holy Ghost next week, so everything went good. She no longer has to do anything that will embarrass her and she can begin making friendships to make it easier for her. The Lord will help her as well. Brother Lek was so happy that his family was baptized. I even saw that he got tears in his eyes. It was a great Sabbath and I am so very tired. I know that if I wasn't a missionary, I would be sleeping right now and nothing would get done. The family will be forever blessed and I am very grateful that God allowed me to be a part of that great blessing."

"We didn't do much on Monday and Tuesday except teach English. We have lots of investigators getting prepared to be baptized and two with baptism dates for this week, so we are excited. We met with so many people that we were able to get 10 lessons with a member, 11 with RC/LAs and 13 other lessons. It is crazy but completely possible! We  have a lot of great investigators and I'm going to be sad when I leave. I feel that we are baptizing a new generation of members that are really good at helping the Lord's work progress and I want to make sure that it happens all over Thailand. I love you all so much and I am doing a great work!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Too Much Rice!

"It was another week of contacting and trying to find more people to teach. We had two who showed up to church this past Sunday. One was a lady who I had met. She is about 40 years old and has accepted to be baptized on the 7th of next month. She has to work out things with work, so she can keep the Sabbath day. The other girl Elder Bassett found. She is 17 years old and is Buddist, but her dad is Christian and she wants to change to Christian. We gave her a baptism date that is two weeks out because she is so young. She is sad that she has to wait, so we will teach her as much as we can and then ask for special permission to baptize her sooner. We also have a family of one of our RCs who will be ready to be baptized this coming Sunday. However, they are really shy and I have to work really hard to take special care of them. They know me and feel comfortable around me, but I have to make sure that they are really getting answers because they don't speak too much. I know that they are really golden and Brother Lek is very happy. He is so much stronger in the church and it is awesome!"

"It is nice to know that the RCs trust me. I have been here for most of their baptisms and have taught them after baptism lessons. Elder Bassett pointed out to me one day how all the RCs seem to listen to me when I tell them something and come to me for advice. He said that they feel comforted around me. It will be really sad to have to leave all of them. I really love the RCs here. They are so fun to talk to and I like teaching them. We joke a lot too. One day for some reason, the topic of marriage and kids came up. I think we were teaching about sealings. The RCs told me that they think that I can't get a girlfriend! I said WHAT?? I totally can!! They said nope! haha  Looks like I'll just have to live with Mom and Dad the rest of my life and wait for the next life. haha"

"We didn't have a baptism this week. Brother Smith disappeared. We don't know where he went and this is the second time that this has happened with our investigators. Hopefully we'll be able to find him again this week. Not much else happened to tell you about. I'm kind of getting bored of food a little. I want steak and burgers! I'm super tired of rice. We eat way too much rice. I love you all!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Ayuttaya

"I don't have much time today because we are going to Ayuttaya. We are going to the temple where they filmed Mortal Kombat movies. Elder Boonmee is going as well and we are going to fight for sure! haha  It will be great!"

"We didn't have a baptism again, but the next two Sundays will be pool parties. We are not worried and it will be great. We learned from President Senior that having a baptism every week is just not what the focus should be on. That doesn't mean that we stop getting baptisms. It means that we need to make sure that we are sensitive to the people who we are teaching and to make sure that they understand and not teaching them too fast. We have been doing that, but we can still improve. This will be a successful transfer for sure."

"We had a special district training meeting with President Senior. It was like a zone conference. We didn't get to talk to him much. However, he came up to me and asked how I was and how Elder Bassett was doing. He said that we were doing a great job. Elder Boonmee was also there and we got to talk a lot. It is really fun having him in the same zone. It is like having a family reunion every time we see eachother."

"We have gotten two new really great investigators. Their names are Oh and Ink. They are the family of one of our RCs. He has been praying for a long time for his family. For the last three months, his wife has been cussing him for being gone every Sunday and she didn't even know where he was going. He told her finally that he was Christian now and she asked him to tell her more about it. He told her everything from baptism, the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chasity, etc. He calls us up one day and sets up an appointment with them. We taught his wife and daughter. He was so happy when we showed up and I could just tell that this was an answer to his prayers. That puts a lot of pressure on me and Elder Bassett to do a good job. We can't mess this up, I told him. haha  We are praying for guidance and the power of the Holy Ghost to help us. They are doing great and I know they will be baptized. When we gave them the date, his wife said that she would for sure be baptized. I was just amazing! It's all on the Lord now, right?"

"We also have another investigator whose name is Oak. He is 11 years old. He is a referral from a member who is his Aunt. His father finally gave him permission to be baptized. We started to teach him and will ask President Senior for special permission to baptize him earlier than three months. He is an awesome kid and so well behaved. You don't find that much here in Thailand. haha"

"We are living it up for sure!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Perfect Place for Me

"My testimony has grown a lot! Mostly in the will of the Lord and following what he wants for me. I learned to rely on the Lord for pretty much everything. I can tell that he is slowly changing me into the man that he wants me to become. I don't know yet what that is but I can tell he is doing it. The mission is so much better than I could ever have imagined and it is the perfect place for me. My testimony is being built every day."

"This week was not too eventful. I'm still in Rangsit with the same companion, Elder Bassett. It is still way fun. We have a new DL. His name is Elder Jensen. He is a cool guy. He served in Korat before here and Elder Bannakorn went to Korat. It is nice because I can ask him about all the members and my RCs and how they are doing."

"This was the week in Rangsit that we knew would happen some day. There was no baptism. It was sad at first, but then all of us missionaries knew there wasn't going to be a baptism. All of our investigators were just not going to make date. It is ok as long as we keep helping them become ready. However, we were nervous about what the members would think. We went to church that Sunday expecting something negative. Actually, the members were a little relieved because they were glad to have a break for once. It was funny."

"Elder Bassett and I were able to go to transfers this week.  It was fun to go and not worry about what was going to happen. We were able to see a lot of people and where they were going. I think I'll be ok in Rangsit for another transfer. However, I've been here forever it seems. Everyone asked me if I was leaving and where I was at? They were surprised to know that I was still in the same area. President Senior was very impressed by my and Elder Bassett's work in Rangsit and that's probably why he's keeping me here another transfer. I'll just have to get all my people baptized. We have an investigator whose name is Smith and he came to church and has a baptism date in two weeks. He is really golden and I really want to baptize him. He follows up with me more than I do with him, so that is way cool."

"We may go to Burger King today and then to Ayuttuya next Monday with Elder Boonmee. I love you all!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Excited about Contacting

"Today or tomorrow we find out who is leaving or staying for transfers. Frankly, I have no idea what is going to happen this time."

"We have a Cambodian investigator who is an asylum seeker. He is so faithful. Nothing is harder than teaching the Plan of Salvation to a guy that doesn't speak English or only knows as much Thai as a new missionary out of the MTC.  He told us that he loves this plan of salvation thing. He said that in this life we are not beautiful, but after the resurrection we are beautiful! We called President Senior to ask if we could baptize this investigator. He told us that he needs to wait because we don't have permission to baptize an asylum seeker. It was sad to tell him that. I was the one who had to tell him. However, he is still faithful and comes to church and still pays his tithing. He is amazing! President Senior sent a request to the Area Presidency. He can maybe be baptized next year when the ASEAN thing goes through where there are no borders in Southeast Asia. We need to keep him coming to church and be baptized."

"We had Zone training this week. They did a training on studying. Elder Bassett and I thought that our companionship studies weren't very effective. However, we find out that they are exactly what they need to be. We were told to talk to our companion and get to know them. There are only three things that we need to do and then the rest is up to us. We need to pray and sing, read from the white handbook and talk about our studies. After that, whatever is fine. President Senior even said we could have snack time if we wanted. haha  I really thing the Zone leaders like to come to Rangsit because we are so fun and are always just 100 percent for whatever they say. We are suppose to get baptisms this month as a district and no longer as companionships, so it will require a lot of team work."

"I was also able to see Elder Boonmee. He is doing really well I think. He can speak the language like a boss! He came down to do a switch off with the Zone leaders and did a training in our area. We were able to talk for a long time. I didn't get a picture with him because my camera is being weird and I fear it will break soon. He says that I have gotten real skinny and that my big belly is gone. haha"

"We were able to get a baptism. We got a referral from the Elders in Don Muang. They said that this person learned everything and had already passed her interview. It was easier for her to come to Rangsit to be baptized because they just found out that she is closer to us. It counts as a baptism for Rangsit and she is a new member. She is great and a really prepared person. We will try to help her make some friends here. She also has some family members that are willing to learn, so that will be great!"

"We found a new place to contact at an airport. We found a lot of people there that were interested. I found one guy whose name is Smith. He is a Khon Thai and very interested. We found him in front of a buddist temple. haha   He didn't come to church this week but he called us. Hopefully he will be baptized. We also had three of our RCs go contacting with us. Sister Boo, Pakkad and Jane. They asked us where we were going and we said contacting. They got super excite and invited themselves to go. They were able to get one number for us. It is really awesome. It made me happy to see RCs excited about contacting. It think they had a great time."

Elder Jacob Smith