hey hey hey

Dear Family,

Happy New Year! This year's proceliting efforts were better than last years. There were only a few people who told us that they could meet us Lang Pi Mai (after new years). Christmas is not consitered an official holliday in Thailand. They don't get work off during Christmas day. But new years is a holliday. And it's big too. They celebrate new years three times each year. They celebrate the Christian, Chinese, and Buddhist new years. The Buddhist new years is when they hold a huge week waterfestival-war. The tradition for new years weekend is to go home and visit your family. Usually that entails going out of town to visit your place of birth or wherever it is that your parents are. That's why it's hard to procelite on New Years. Well, that and the other  unofficial but widely held tradition is that you stay up drinking with your friends all night. New years is the time when the most deaths are caused because of drunk driving. Then the roads are usually packed the next day with people trying to go back to where they usually work/live.

As for me, I ate dinner and lunch twice with members to celebrate New Years. Then I slepped peacefully all night. But I was awake when you guys were celebrating New Years in America.

Elder Tom and I are doing well. We are getting better and better at applying principals from Preach My Gospel.

Today we listened to the Cd of general conference that Spencer and Crystal sent to me. It was Elder Tom's first time of hearing conference in English. He was impressed by the power of the emotion that was in the words of the speaker (Elder Holland). I told him how much I enjoy general conference and how much better the English version is from the bland translation to Thai. And today is his day to practice speaking only English. Hopefuly that will modivate him to learn English better. Heh heh

In Elder Hollands talk I noticed some sweet things about The Book of Mormon that I hope to apply more to our inviting and teaching. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, which is theIron rod that we need to cling to for safety. And the Iron Rod is the way and the only way that leads to happiness, and salvation. The Book of Mormon is an instructions manual for salvation. It leads us to receiving the power of Christ to overcome every trial, trouble, or tribulation. It leads us to receiving help, hope, healing, and happiness. The Book of Mormon keeps us safe. Right now I'm reading about the epistle of Helaman to Moroni. There were some amazing examples of all of these promises being given to the people in that story. And those promises can apply to us. That's pretty awesome.

On saturday Elder Tom and I were tired from working out in the Sun all day, and we felt that we needed to call our investigators/potential investigators to schedule appointments and wish them a happy new year. So, we went to the church and started calling them when one of the members, Broth O, came and started talking to us. He was concerned about another member who was offended by him. We ended up praying and teaching an unexpected lesson to him. I feel like that lesson is just what he needed because he left a better person than when he came.

In that lesson that we taught Brother O, we talked about an interesting point that we don't need to talk to eachother as if we all have problems, because Christ overcame all of our problems already. But rather we can speak to eachother about our trials of which we can overcome through faith in Jesus Christ. And with faith in Jesus Christ we can overcome all things. So we don't really have problems, but rather we have a lack of faith, and an opportunity to grow.

I have not bought the camera yet but I have a plan for it.  I might be using some of that money to send a presant home for the family. That would be fun!

Keep working hard and being the awesome people that you are. And don't forget to cling to the rod of iron by reading and studying the scriptures. I wish you all a happy and awesome new year!

Love,
Elder Lilly