Safe in Thailand!

 

After about 25 hours from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles to Hong Kong and finally Thailand, Jake looks a little tired, but is so happy to be there.  He flew into Typhoon Utor in Hong Kong and had quite the experience landing.  He was able to call us from the Salt Lake and LA airports, but his calling card did not work in Hong Kong.  He sent us a short email instead:

 "ahhhhhhh that was the most scariest thing that has ever happened to me!!!!! i was so scared!!! but i just want to let all of you know that i am safe and that the calling card does not work here!!! so i love all of you and i am safe but not too sure how i am feeling about getting on another plane!!! hahaha just please pray cause ill be praying really hard thats for sure haha love you all!!!" 

The airplane had to make two passes to land and we were told that people were screaming of fright.  We watched it all transpire online on Flight Aware.  What an intense and memorable beginning!

We received a letter from President and Sister Senior this morning.  Jake is safe and will spend today at the mission home being orientated and will be assigned his area and companion tomorrow.  Monday will be his p-day, so we won't hear from him until late Sunday night.  We can't wait!!

Elder Vance's family was able to drop off a treat and see the missionaries at the LA Airport.  They sent us these fun pictures of Elder Vance, Elder Smith and Elder Beatty.

MTC Week 8

Jake had to clean the temple for 3 hours Wednesday morning.  He told us that they are trying to see if the missionaries can attend the temple on Monday before they leave the MTC for Thailand.  He also said that he has seen Elder Sudol and Elder Sylvester almost every day.  Elder Sylvester is studying language in the same building.  We finally sent a new camera, so we're hoping Jake can get some pictures for us before he leaves. He is happy and extremely anxious to go to Thailand.

"Well as you probably already know.., I am freaking out about how close I am to leaving!  This week has been just filled with review and lots of preparation stuff.  This will be the last email from the MTC that you will get from me.  It actually makes me so happy because I'm so ready to leave here.  However, I am extremely grateful to be able to come here instead of going straight to Thailand because I would have had such a hard time trying to learn the language and how to teach effectively.  I'm super busy every day and we always have something to do because they want us to finish strong.  I have a lot to get ready and to do before we leave.  I'm having a blast this week because we feel like the kids on top because we have been here so long. haha"

"I'm a little worried that I'm going to forget something important.  On Thursday, we had to teach our investigator Doug and it didn't go too well.  We were probably struggling because we were all so out of it after p-day.  Anyways that got me real down about the language and I was having trouble thinking that I wasn't ready for Thailand yet.  I had to decide that everything will be alright as long as I have the Lord by my side.  I got on my knees and said a prayer of thanks only and my day got a lot better.  Also, I was able to call home that day, so it was really great."

"Saturday was fantastic!  We taught a girl named Jessica in TRC about how to receive revelation through prayer.  We used 2 Nephi 32 and we just rocked the lesson!  We were connecting really well and our lesson was on fire.  I could actually understand a lot of what she was saying, which made me feel good.  At the end of the lesson, we were talking in Thai and she was telling us how well we were doing with the language.  I looked at her and said, "phom phayaayaam" (I try) haha. We all laughed so hard and then started talking about how excited we were to go to Thailand.  We talked about the work and of all the things we'll be able to do in Thailand.  It was such a confidence booster after the past couple days.  Afterwards, we had planning study and I realized that me and Elder Vance can get a lot done when we can just sit down and plan.  We had great planning study.  Also my district told me that I say, "n such" a lot while I talk and it's so true! haha  I need to work on that.  I don't even know why I say it sometimes."

"Sunday was hard because it was fast Sunday and I was so hungry the entire time.  I even heard my stomach say, "I hate you right now!"  We had a two hour devotional and oh my goodness, it was so long!  We went back to the classroom and watched a bunch of funny movies on the LDS website, the Joseph Smith movie, and Johnny Lingo.  It was really nice to just relax and not have to worry about anything.  Later that evening, we had another devotional by Jenny Oaks Baker!  I know you know her.  She is a violinist and the daughter of Dallin H. Oaks, so that was cool.  She talked and played the violin and it was really fun to watch and listen to her.  After that we went and watched Mountain of the Lord.  It was great and I think I was in a better mood after I ate. haha oh well!"

"Monday we had class and had to teach Phii Joe for the last time. The lesson went fantastic and we were able to get him to go to church! That was the goal that we had set, so way to go Elder Smith!  We know that it wouldn't have been possible if we didn't have the Lord on our side.  Also, it was Brother Olsen's half birthday, so we blew up a bunch of rubber gloves and gave him some of our snacks that we had from our room and wrote him a letter.  It was really funny to watch him open it and just laugh.  It was a good day."

"Tuesday was a little weird because we had an activity where Brother Thrap told us a story in Thai, that I couldn't even understand any of, and then afterwards we had to tell him what it was about.  Wouldn't you know, he chose me and I really didn't know anything he was talking about.  I got through it, but it was really tough.  I think that Satan is trying to get me to stop, so that I don't go to Thailand.  Well it didn't work because I have the power of God on my side and his son Jesus Christ who through him all things are possible!  Get thee hence!! haha  I'm super excited to go to Thailand and I cannot wait to finally meet my first convert! yeah!!"

"I miss you all so much and I really want to get those pictures from you because I need to see your faces!  I love you all so dearly and can't wait until I can finally call and talk to all of you!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Elder Smith finds Elder Sylvester! (Czech Republic Mission)

MTC Week 7 and A Phone Call!

We awoke today to a phone call from Jake!  His voice sounded so different that we didn't recognize him at first.  Then he would laugh and it was the most delightful recognizable sound.  He was doing some paperwork and needed to know his blood type, so they let him call home for 5 minutes.  What a special treat we received.  He even spoke some Thai and we were so impressed.  He told us that his camera broke and needed another one right away.  There are only 12 days left in the MTC!

"This week was like the last week with nothing really to talk about.  I don't have many pictures because we didn't do much.  There were some highlights though."

"Thursdays are like new Mondays and I always have a hard time transferring over to work time.  We are all done with the grammar lessons, so I hope we just review now because it's hard to keep everything in, when we are flying through everything everyday.  Now that it's over, I really do feel that the language is coming along pretty well for me.  Just the other day, I reviewed 82 new words and almost fell asleep doing it because the TALL program is so boring.  The language is super fun to speak.  Brother Olsen came in the next day and told us that we are not using some grammar principles right, so we went over some and realized that we actually have a lot in our heads, but just don't use it enough.  I can't wait until I can talk to Grandma in the Thai language.  That would be so fun!  I actually have the first vision memorized!  Now my reading is improving as well.  I think that once I am in the field, the language will sky rocket."

"Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the hardest days at the MTC.  We don't really have time to relax, but that is fine because that is how it is going to be out in the field.  Saturday we were able to go to the TRC and teach a 40 minute lesson on Faith.  It's crazy that we have only been here for two months and I can already teach a lesson in Thai!  I have learned more here than I have learned from 3 years of Spanish.  If Seniora Hardy taught here, the kids would be geniuses for sure because her teaching skills and the speed of the MTC would make the perfect team. haha  Spanish would be so easy to learn!  Really, kids are here for 3 weeks and they can speak Spanish really well.  Dallon had it so easy."

"Also on Saturday, my district practiced a song to sing in Sacrament meeting.  Yes that's right, I sang in Sacrament meeting!  When we were practicing, I kept squeaking and wasn't singing very well.  I had no idea why!  Everyone was all saying you better not squeak when we are singing on Sunday!  So I said that I wouldn't and then it happened again. I was frustrated and had to walk away for a minute.  I jumped off the stage and my sleeve caught Elder Beatty's shirt pocket and ripped it off!  I was so sorry and everyone started busting out laughing.  He was fine because it's happened before and Sister Bentley is a pro at sewing.  That was a funny story I thought you might enjoy.  Sister Bentley is the one who signed us up to sing and so we had to do it for her.  It was way fun and gave us something different to do at the MTC.  The song we sang was, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives."  It went really well on Sunday and I am convinced that it did because, before we sang, I said a prayer to help me not crack or rip someone's shirt. haha"

"Monday was a great day because we taught a fantastic lesson to Dxg.  We read 2 Nephi 32 and it was so applicable to what he wanted to know.  He wanted to know why we had to do certain things.  We planned this lesson for a long time because we had to read in the Book of Mormon in Thai and be prepared to answer questions he might have.  Also the sister missionaries, Sister Jackson and Sister Bentley, were there with us acting as our members.  It was cool because we were all teaching in unison and were able to answer many of his questions!  Then he asked me what he should read.  Everyone was telling me chapters that were good and I was all, ahhhhhhh be quiet.  I suggested a chapter that Sister Jackson told me and bore my testimony.  Then I asked him to pray and things got quiet.  As he was praying, I got a huge prompting to tell him to read Moroni 10.  That had never happened before where I received a prompting from the Holy Ghost during a lesson.  I really can tell you that when things are busy and crazy, it is hard to listen to the spirit.  But once things got quiet and we were in prayer, I was guided to say what needed to be said.  I want you to know that we need to listen to the spirit more because I know how busy we all are.  At some point, we need to calm down, say a little prayer, and listen to the spirit guide us.  That way we can make good decisions in everything we do.  The spirit will never lead us wrong!"

"I am always thinking about you and sometimes will even laugh out loud during class when I remember something funny.  I am super excited when I get all the letters from you and can't wait to call you from the airport.  Can you believe it is just a week and a half away?!  I am so excited!! haha  I will miss my district a lot, but I know that I will always have one solid companion and that is Jesus Christ!  I love you all!"

Elder Jacob Smith

This is an excerpt from a letter we got from Jake in the mail.  It made us smile. :)  We are wondering if he read the rest of the inspection?

"Now here is something I want all of you to know.  I, Elder Jacob Smith, your son and brother, am the CLEANEST kid in the room!  I even have proof on the other paper I'm sending home.  Take that family!  You should have had more faith in me.  My bed is always made and I always put my clothes away and hang up my shirts and pants.  THE CLEANEST! haha"

This is his proof.  He circled his check mark to make sure we knew.

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

Freedom is bliss!

Mission accomplished at the BYU pharmacy

Elder Claflin with Elder Smith

Elder Smith with Elder Ju

Lazy MTC Sabbaths

Not much different from home

MTC Week 5

Jake was able to connect with some friends from home this week and got to participate in giving a blessing.  He also was asked, and is looking forward to hosting a new missionary who will be entering the MTC next Wednesday.  He said that the missionaries are all curious about the new clothing guidelines, but they haven't been informed about anything yet. 

"It is just another week and I am really ready to just leave.  Every day is the exact same and nothing new really happens.  I feel that I have grown so much over the last month and I know a lot more than I did the first day for sure.  The language is super hard still.  I do try to find something good in every day to keep me moving forward.  I've met a lot of people that I know.  I've run into Kyle Nordhagen and David Ju.  Kyle has already left for Columbia and David actually lives right below me in the residence hall.  I talk to him a lot at the end of the day.  Tyler Newland still emails me and tells me all about his experience so far.  His companion's name is Elder Larson."

"I really like the package you sent.  It had a lot of stuff I needed.  I really liked the horn!  I used it to scare some guys taking showers.  They jumped so high. haha  It was funny!  I found the card reader, so no need to worry about that."

"I don't like the food here too much, but I need to make it through another month before I'll be eating the best food on earth!  I don't know if I am losing weight.  I am feeling healthy, but I feel like I don't have much energy lately.  I have been sleeping good because the branch president came and told everyone that he wants us in bed at 10:30pm and that we'll receive many blessings.  My district is trying really hard to keep that rule.  Everyone is doing fine and no one is really struggling I think.  We are all moving at our own pace and trying the best that we can.  We got chewed out by Brother Phan the other day.  He told us that our companionship study wasn't where it should be and we got a big lesson on it.  He said it was out of love for us though and I do think that we could do a lot better as well, so I was fine with it."

"I taught a cool person in TRC the other day.  Her name is Sariprapa and she has only been in America for 2 years.  She is from the Udon area of Thailand.  Let me just say that.., I can not speak Thai! haha  It was mostly because of her dialect.  We couldn't understand her and every time we said something it seemed like she was either answering or telling us how to really say it.  It was so intense!  I sure hope the Lord will give me the gift of tongues because I am going to need it.  It would be cool if Uncle Jeff came to do the TRC, but it would be hard for me to teach him when I just want to talk to him. haha  We have to teach a 40 minute lesson next Saturday, so I'm freaking out a little."

"We don't really get any feedback from the branch presidency because there is just too many of us.  They don't have time and I don't talk to them that often.  I shared a story about the first time I jumped off a bridge and related it to being on a mission.  President Jackson got up and used my story in his comments and I was honored. haha  The story was about how I was afraid to jump off the bridge my first time.  I didn't know what was ahead of me.  When I finally jumped, I fell and hit the water and it really wasn't that bad.  I got use to the water and everything was alright and I was glad that I did it.  I related it to the MTC experience.  At first we are nervous about what we are getting in to.  Then we take the leap of faith and find out that we really are alright.  We will have struggles, but we will get use to "the water" and be glad that we did it.  It is like what Richard G. Hinkley talked about in his devotional this week."

"I participated in a blessing for one of the sisters in our district.  Elder Crump gave the blessing and it was his first.  I stood in and I could really feel the power of the Priesthood.  The cool thing about it was that I felt it even when I wasn't giving the blessing.  I could really tell that the Lord was speaking through Elder Crump.  It was a cool experience!"

"Next Wednesday I was asked, along with the zone leaders and district leader, to help with a bunch of new missionaries coming in that will be going to Italy.  We will give them their first day orientation because there aren't any senior Italian missionaries.  They all left, so they trusted us with these newbys. The branch president of Branch 33, said that they will look to us as their senior missionaries. haha  I can't wait!  It is going to be so fun."

"I'll try to record my testimony in Thai, but I'm still not that good at it.  It will be short and simple and really that is what a testimony really is.  We learned that we must teach the simple doctrine and not really go into deep detail and stuff."

"I got a bunch of packages this week.  My friends, Sariah, Grandma and Grandpa Capps, and you guys.  I felt so awesome. haha  I loved everything!  Well, I love all of you so much.  Sometimes when I'm thinking about you, my heart starts to pound rapidly.  I really miss you and wish you were here with me."

Elder Jacob Smith

Elder Smith with Elder Ju (Taiwan Mission)

Elder Smith with Elder Claflin (Taiwan Mission)

Elder Weaver with Elder Smith

Brother Olsen

Brother Booth