Busy is Good

Dear family,

How are you? I am doing awesome. I feel great. A mission can be very hard sometimes but perhaps if we aren't working while having fun and being happy then we aren't working like we should be. I try to make sure that I am happy while I am doing the work of the lord.

My new companion is great. I am killing him. In other words this is his last moves here in Thailand before he goes home. He is a very easy going guy. He moved from Royet which is in the eastern part of Thailand. His name is Elder Rowley. Now we have all of the "ly's," Elder Rowley, Willey and Lilly. Working with Elder Manop was great at the beginning but near the end he struggled to have motivation enough to work. I think that moving to another area will help him to restart and rededicate himself. It's very hard to be a Thai missionary in Thailand. Very hard. I give props to him and pray for him.

Our district has great unity right now. Sometimes we eat together, we support each other, and compliment each other. It's great. :)

I enjoyed the fact that you guys sang for me even if I wasn't there to hear it. Thanks for the Love that you send my way.

For my Birthday I decided to have a special feast and eat at Swensens Icecream Parlor and then have my "party" on preparation day which just happens to be today! We had a great time riding elephants.

This past week we went and cut down trees and grass as a service project for one of our investigators. Then afterwards we had family home evening with us four elders, The Branch President President Choedsak and their family. I love serving them and seeing them smile in appreciation for the work that we did.


I Love you all and you can bet that I feel the affect of your prayers. That's why I like to say keep praying for me! I will always be doing my best.

Love,
Elder Lilly

From: แสนดี งามเสมอ Extra Pictures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY on FRIDAY!!!! yaay

Dear Family,

Haaaaaaaay! It's my birthday. I haven't been home for my birthday for a long time now. Whats up with that? In order to make my birthday a very special occasion I have made it a point to announce it to everyone and stress it's importance. I still don't know what I am going to do on my birthday besides all the things that I normally do. I'll think of something clever and get back to you on that one.

Today, because as it turns out Elder Manop is moving and I am getting a new companion, one of the members took us out to eat. We dined at a seafood restaurant. They served the food from large dishes that we would all share food from. There was a plate of crab salad with huge crabs in it, a plate of fish and mango salad, a bowl of curry, and also squid. The crab was waaay good and the squid was very chewy as usual.

I'm so glad that Brandon graduated on time. He must have read his scriptures. Great things happen when you read the scriptures.

It's weird to think that President Thornock isn't the stake president anymore. As it just so happens to be, I was thinking about his example a lot this week. I set a goal last week to observe all of the members in our branch during sacrament meeting in order to be more aware of how they are doing and see if there was any way I could help them. There was quite a few things that I noticed that helped me as I sought to help them. Then after church I tried to talk to members and be friends with them. Going out and talking to members is very inspiring but not something that I am very used to yet even though I do it often. There are also a lot of female members in our branch. I am trying to find the right balance of talking to people, being friends with them, and also staying professional, talking about inspiring and uplifting topics rather than simply talking or teasing, especially with some of the members who love to tease and be sarcastic. One thing that I have learned since I have been here in Ayuthayaa with a Thai companion is how to be clever while speaking Thai. But I always try to make sure to be light hearted and not light minded. To help me as I was considering this subject I thought of the example of President Thornock. I think that it helped inspire me to know how to befriend the members in the best way as a representative of Christ. He is a great example of love and hard work.

Well, I am out of time but I am sending you all a birthday present through e-mail. Pictures! Some of these pictures were inspired by Jackie Chan. They were good fun.

I love you all,

Elder Lilly