Dear Family,

Thanks to everyone for the Birthday love.  And a special happy Birthday goes out to David as well.  I have good news that I wasn't expecting. As my old companion Joped (went home) two weeks early, the assistants set up a mini-mission for one of the 19-year-olds in our Branch. His nickname is Jay but now he is Elder Typagone, my new two week companion. What a great opportunity it is for him to prepare for his mission and get ahead of the game. And what a good opportunity it is for me to work to my hearts extent and help my own area to progress onward.  I feel full of energy and desire to get the work going here.

 

Also, Elder Volk was released as a Branch President yesterday. Now there are only 2 Missionary Branch Presidents in the whole mission. That is a big land mark as to the progression of Thailand. In two moves just as I return home the mission will be welcoming 14 new Thai missionaries. And if my current companion gets his papers in soon then there is a possibility that he could join in the ranks of that group as well.  Because of the reduction in missionaries there are only 50 companionships in Thailand right now. With all the new Thai missionaries comming in that means that almost every companionship could have a Thai companion.

 

Tonight we will travel over to Bangkok for another zone leader council meeting.  Elder Young, who is the current Assistant to the President, and I had a good time switching off in Sisaket. He and I will be the only two people from our group who aren't Joping early. He and Elder Bryant have prepared a Zone Leader Council meeting about teaching families.

 

I am still doing great. I feel good. I'm excited about my new companion. I really enjoyed training Elder Tom. It will be fun to train Elder Typagone too.  On my birthday we took part in a very successful Fireside... although firesides aren't all that great for missionary work, but this one really got the members thinking about their lives and truly helped them to obtain an Eternal Perspective.  Some of the evidence of the results of the fireside were manifest as the members bore their sincere testimony during sacrament meeting.  The members supprised me with a birthday cake during our correlation meeting, which we promptly consumed. Now that today is preperation day i'll be sure to eat something sweet.  Some of the missionaries in my zone informed me that they celebrated my birthday by going to an icecream parlor for lunch.  I told them thanks. :p

 

It feels good to work hard and get the blessings of that hard work. There's not much else that feels so satisfying. Keep working hard at home. That'd be a good birthday gift. And eat something sweet. You know I would.

 

With 76 tons of Love,

 

Elder Lilly