Thailand Turkey Bowl

My brothers

Well.... I wouldn't exactly say turkey bowl due to the fact that we ate KFC for Thanksgiving this year... so it's a stretch hahaha - just deal with me here people. 

"Thanksgiving Chicken Dinner... thanks Kentucky"

We had a different festival this week. Called "Loygratone." (That is just how it sounds in Thai hahaha.) It is a big Buddhist holiday comparable to Valentine's Day. Each couple sends off a little boat made from a banana tree, decorated with all sorts of natural flowers and such. So OBVIOUSLY we had to embrace the culture and celebrate with my companion hahahahahaha.

Happy Buddhist Valentine's Day hahahahaha...

Oh, we also went bowling.... I would like to say I got a strike on this bowl but I can't lie.  It is against the 10 commandments.  

When you almost get a strike . . .

The Work: 

This week was awesome! We taught investigators, saw miracles, taught some less active members. saw more miracles, and eventually got back to bed each day exhausted but praying that the next day we would have the strength to do it all over again. Teach, Testify, Convert, and Love. What a pleasure it is to do this every day. It is also the most fun I have ever had in my whole life. I didn't think this was possible because whenever I saw missionaries as a kid I always thought that they were serious 100% of the time. The badge was everything - they never laughed... all they did was testify with the Spirit and that was it. I was so wrong. The mission experience is for those who want to find joy in serving others. That joy can come from anything - seeing an old lady walk down the street selling brooms, but she stops you and asks you why the tall handsome boys don't have Thai girlfriends yet.... yeah - you bet we laughed at that one. I used to think that missionary = serious. That is true to a certain extent - there needs to be a sense of professionalism in order to represent the Savior. But I am almost positive that Jesus laughed too. I have a bookmark that I keep in my Thai scriptures that has this motto I try to live by: "LOVE THE LORD AND LAUGH." Joy is found in the little things. We all need to learn to laugh more. The Thai people are very good at that... almost too good hahahaha. Sometimes we need to focus on the Spirit instead of the white American's hilarious, bad translation hahahaha. The work is strong here in Thonburi, and the branch [small local church unit] is progressing nicely. Right now we are working on prepping the branch to become a ward [large local church unit]. It is a lot of fun! 

The Culture:

1. It is incredibly rude to leave books/learning materials/scriptures on the ground. In lessons, you don't put anything but your bag on the ground. "The ground is for your feet, not books."

2. Thanksgiving isn't a thing here, sorry America. We celebrate Buddhist Valentine's Day.

3. While eating, we only use a fork and a spoon. To be honest, it is so much more efficient. The knife is such a useless utensil. (No offense to whoever invented it - I am sure he or she was really pumped about "the knife.") Also the spelling is a little strange, but that is ok, KhonThais absolutely love trying to pronounce it.

4. When you ask people how their day is going, the most common answer is either "It's Hot!" or "Big Traffic today".....

The Funnies: 

1. Tuk Tuk Driver while driving us to an appointment, "Yeah I am an old man and have been driving this tuk tuk for over 50 years.... in fact my eyes are beginning to go..." 

Well THAT'S COMFORTING THANK YOU hahahaha 

2. We are prepping for Christmas by buying our own Christmas tree and playing Christmas carols on the harmonica and recorder. I hope you enjoy the recording I'm sending - it is priceless. [Mom comment: I haven't figured out how to post it to the blog.]

Spiritual thought:

This morning I was reading in Ether 12 (I highly recommend it). As turmoil is happening around the world which is very troubling, this verse gave me peace and comfort. Hopefully it will do the same for you. 

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I love this verse. I love how it talks about faith being an anchor. That is so true. I used to think that faith was just something to appease the people, something that said - "Well, have faith that the unseen is there and keep pressing forward... hopefully something will work out." I thought it was blind obedience. I was so wrong. Faith is more than belief; it is actions that prove your faith. They cement that anchor to the bottom of the sea. Those acts of faith show our Heavenly Father that we care and that we really do "glorify Him." I love you all and my prayer is that we can all evaluate our faith.... are we being obedient for the right reasons? 

I love you all so dearly and can't wait to see you on Christmas. God bless you all! 

Stay sweet.

  

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs  

Bangkok Kid

The Vegas of Asia.... Sin City.... what an AWESOME place to preach about God. This last week was very special. Very special for me. So let's get started....

The Work! 

This last week Elder Stone and I did something kind of strange, but we felt like it would help all of our investigators, members, and LA [less active] members. We decided that every lesson we would teach, we would teach the Atonement and repentance. And HOLY COW that has been the key in conversion for us as well as the people we teach. 

Here are some things that happened:

We were teaching a new investigator (Brother Nat) in his first lesson and asked him, "If God were here right now with you, what would you tell him?" He sat there for a couple seconds and then said these powerful words: "I would tell him I want to be an apostle of Jesus Christ." THAT IS POWERFUL. Brother Nat is 21, in the Navy, and an amazing investigator. He loves asking questions, and he loves understanding the doctrine - especially the Atonement.

Brother Nat

We taught an investigator named David. Another amazing person that I love deeply. David is Burmese, and in lessons we teach him in English and Thai, and he reads pamphlets and such in Burmese. God's language is the language of the Spirit. And it testifies about the love God has for His children through the Atonement.

Grace and Augustine, as we taught them our understanding of the Atonement, shared with us their feelings about God's grace and His love. They have committed to live the Word of Wisdom so that, in the words of Augustine, "Our body can be a temple... like a residential address for God." 

The Work is moving forward here in Thailand. Bangkok is a city of a lot of sin. A LOT of sin. But God never forgets His people. That is why we are here. "Behold, we are disciples of Jesus Christ, called to declare repentance unto this people, that they might have everlasting life." What an honor it is to be here.

The Culture:

1.Taxi drivers love to play the most random music. The other day a man turned on CCR [Creedence Clearwater Revival] for us because he loved Americans hahahaha. I thought of you Dad. You would have loved it. So of course we jammed out. 

2. While cleaning Buddhist wats (or temples), no shoes are allowed in the wats or anything like that. So they were renovating a wat the other day, and all the painters were barefoot climbing up these huge wats on the rooftoops... just an interesting fact.

 Wat under renovation

3. It is hot here and rainy.  

The Funnies:

1. (While riding on a bus back to the church) A white guy yells out from the sidewalk "farang" (which means white person in Thai) and says he makes burgers, and he is from New York. I looked at Elder Stone and said, "Hop off the bus! Get off the bus now!"... so we jumped off the bus and ran to this man who we have an appointment to eat burgers with. Yeah - real New York hamburgers - BOOM. You KNOW he is getting baptized..... we first need to learn how to understand his thick accent hahahaha. 

2. I was eating some chicken that tasted strange so I asked what it was (big mistake).... it was chicken butt hole. I probably won't buy it again... 

3. Brother Nat, when he met Elder Bush: When Nat looked at Elder Bush, the first words out of his mouth were, "Are you a boy?" Hahahahahaah Elder Bush has rosy cheeks hahahaha so Nat thought he was a girl hahahahahaha. Welcome to Thailand everyone. 

4. We went to district conference this week in Asoke, and there is an RC [recent convert] that is absolutely in love with Elder Stone. When the meeting ended, we left to get food... until she started running full speed after us. So we were booking it across the street... and I kid you not, literally through malls and buildings and parking garages... until we lost her. Hahahahaha Elder Stone was terrified hahahaha. There are some crazy ladies here in Thailand. You have to be careful. When we got back to the church, she was waiting for us - pretended like nothing happened. Classic. Very funny - we had a good laugh, but she was very good at tracking us. Very skilled.  [Mom comment: Elders are not supposed to fraternize with women.]

5. Whenever someone asks where I am from, I use some slang that Brother Chilli taught me: The word literally means, "Bangkok kid"... it is not inappropriate or anything don't worry. But when I tell people I am a "Bangkok kid" or a dek tabe (Thai romanized)... they just die and think it is so funny that the white boy says that hahaha.

Bangkok kid!

Spiritual thought: 

As we have been teaching about the Atonement this week (literally every lesson focused on it), I have learned a great deal about the love our Savior has for us. So my first challenge to you all is to sit down and study the effect the Atonement has had in your life for 30 mintues. The second challenge is a little bit harder - but SO rewarding. 

These last 2 weeks we have started something our mission is doing called the "40 day fast." You fast for a day and ask Heavenly Father at the end of the day what you can give up... what you can sacrifice to Him. What are you willing to give up for 40 days to show Christ you are growing closer to Him? Elder Stone and I have been doing this and keeping each other accountable. I am telling you - It has made a huge differenece in how much I can feel the Spirit and teach with power. It makes a difference in how well I can speak Thai and how much love I can feel for my investigators. The 40 day fast is changing my behavior and my nature. So my challenge to each one of you who reads this is to give this a go. Maybe you need to get rid of Instagram for 40 days. Maybe you need to stop saying the word "shut-up" or "that sucks." Maybe it is as small as making your bed every morning and telling your mom and dad you love them. Whatever it is - it will make the difference. Ask Heavenly Father what you need to do. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO FAST FROM? 

I promise you that when you do this... you will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost directing you in the path of the Savior and the path of salvation. It is making all the difference in my life as a missionary and in my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Don't EVER think that just because we are missionaries we are invincible or we know everything... we are the only ones that can 'really' get rid of Instagram for 40 days because we don't have a phone to do it on hahahaha. Don't think like that. I know absolutely nothing. I glory in my God because He is amazing... As for me? Forget it. There is no way I could speak Thai or even get up in the morning without my Savior. I love Him with all my heart. I know it is possible as a college student, a parent, a 12-year-old, and a high school seminary student. It is possible - make the change in yourself. Go for it - 40 day fast. It will not be easy... oh boy it is tough let me tell ya - but what a difference it will make. I know these things are true because all good things come from God, and as we consecrate ourselves by giving up something we love - the more we feel closer to Him and the more we become like our Savior. 

SO DO IT

I love you all dearly. Mom, Dad, Eliza, Olivia, extended family and friends - you mean the world to me. I love you with all of my heart. God bless you.

--

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs  

                                                                   Brother Luck

Tears of Joy

My dear family and friends,

This week was a week of hard work, a week of tears, and a week of miracles. What an amazing opportunity it is to be a missionary. I feel so blessed to be friends and family with such amazing people who have taught me important lessons. In my spiritual thought today, I will elaborate on that, but for now - THANK YOU ALL!

Sending off Brother Ding for his mission in Ogden, Utah.

The Work: 

This is my third transfer in Thonburi, and my new companion is Elder STONE. What a stud - this guy is the man! We get along way well, and he just makes me laugh. We have a good time. The first thing he says to me at the transfer meeting: "Alright Elder, are you pumped to see some miracles?"...... Yeah, it is going to be an awesome transfer!!!!!!!!! Funny thing, he actually trained Elder Allen (my companion in the MTC). My trainer, Elder Chamberlain, went to be Elder Allen's new comp up in KhonGhen... so we just switched trainers hahahahahaha! 

NEW COMP! ELDER STONE 

Companion switch... wait WHAT?

The crew from the MTC woohoo (MIA Elder Krebs).

Many miracles happened this week. Miracles are awesome... I just love them. They are always there - because God is a God of miracles. It is just a fact. Here are a couple of them:

1. We were working with the ward clerk on some records in the middle of the day on Saturday. A man walked into the church and recognized us. He said, "Hey elders, I was an investigator like 5 years ago. I want you to come to my house and eat food... and I also want my daughter to be a member of this church." WELL OK THEN! 

2. When Elder Stone switched (Thursday), he forgot maple syrup extract at his house in KhonGhen. He was bummed because he likes to make pancakes every morning. That morning, Elder Chamberlain had moved out and stripped everything in the room, including the bed. He also eats way healthy. When we returned home at night on Thursday, there were three items on the bed. And I kid you not: a bunjee cord, a bag, and an unopened bottle of maple syurp extract. Unbelievable. Elder Stone thought it was a joke.... but no one had been home yet. We were the first ones there. WOOHOOOO thanks God! What a start to a transfer of miracles! 

3. The first two days, 27 people gave us their phone numbers so we could teach them. Amazing what obedience, faith, and a willing heart will give you. As far as investigators go, we have an awesome guy named Luck who will be getting baptized next week. Grace and Augustine are progressing bit by bit and have agreed to get baptized. YEEEHHAWWW thank you for all of your prayers.

Culture: 

1. People eat bugs here... it's casual.

Spider as big as your hand. Welcome to Thailand!

2. On notebooks they put the most hilarious captions/bad English translations on them. The other day I found one (a journal mind you), with a picture of a little rabbit on it. There was a little poem in the corner that read:  "Love is...at night, the ice weasels come." HAHAHAHAHA I have no idea what that means.

Pokemon - gotta catch 'em all! 

I found Mexican food..... and an American shake - woah! 

Funnies: 

1. Pretty good messed up translation by yours truly. The words for ice cube and wooden cross are similar in Thai. So I asked the lady at KFC to only put a little bit of crosses in my drink. Hahahaha Elder Chamberlain just died. I felt bad because that is the same word we use for the cross of Jesus. Oops... 

2. A bird pooped on me today. First time... pretty exhilirating I must say... especially when it gets in your ear :) But no worries - The guy I was talking to gave me his number, and the man in the bathroom who I was washing hands with gave me his number too... so tender mercies rock on! :)

"Hey Elder Stone, how safe is this locust?" "Probably about as safe as locusts can get.".... "Ok, I'll eat it."

Sister Parin drew this (by hand) for our district last transfer.... hahahahahaha!

Spiritual thought: 

Yesterday at church, I was sitting next to Sister Bun, who is the mother of Brother Ding (who is on a plane right now for his mission in OGDEN). We sang "God be with you till we meet again." To feel this sweet mother's love for her first child in her family to leave on a mission (their whole family converted 5 years ago...) was amazing. We were both crying tears of joy because I was reminded of my mom's incredible love for me. And how hard it must have been for you, Mom, to let me go, even though you knew God came first. Moms everywhere are a testament of incredible, unfathomable love for their children. I love you Mom! 

As I was studying the scriptures today, I came across a verse in 1 Nephi 8:37. It is talking about Lehi when he is counseling Laman and Lemuel after he sees (in his dream) that they reject the fruit and turn away from the fam. In desperation, Nephi writes that his father "did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words." Oh how often do we not listen to the words of our wise parents? They love us so much. Both our earthly parents and our heavenly parents. You parents out there have felt this urgency when you know your child is doing something wrong - and as tenderly as your soul allows, you try to teach them the best you can... but you know in your heart, it is ultimately their decision what they want to do. God bless all parents out there. 

I love my mom and my dad more than life. They have taught me the ways of the Lord. They have taught me how to live the statutes of God. And they love me unconditionally. I feel that everyday, and I felt it more so yesterday sitting next to my sweet Sister Bun. God bless you parents everywhere. We children love you even if we don't say it. 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DAD 

-- 

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs  

P.S. Mom Comment:  I realize missions are different for every person.  And for some, they are not all the missionary or parents hope for.  But I want to express how grateful I am for the eternal perspective, spiritual tuning, and family insights Abraham is obtaining in the Thailand Bangkok Mission (TBM).  I could not ask for a better experience for this great young man whom I get to call "son."

Also, I am soooooo grateful for Elder Chamberlain.  What an amazing trainer for Abraham!  Elder Chamberlain was kind enough to send me his letters each week as well.  So I got to hear about other fun adventures and spiritual encounters he and Abraham had each week. I'm posting this passage from Elder Chamberlain's letter this week because it was too good not to post about these great guys who played jazz trumpet together in Caleb Chapman's music program for four years;)  

"Trumpet Buds

Before being separated Elder Smith-Driggs convinced me that we had to at least try to get our hands on some trumpets. So after emailing and grabbing lunch on Monday we headed over to the middle school next to the church. We literally walked up, said we play trumpet and asked if we could play. They looked confused but told us we could go talk to the music teacher. We found him, talked for a minute, and before you know it we each had a trumpet in hand. 

After not touching a trumpet for over a year I'm a little bit rusty. If the trumpet professor from BYU was there he might question why he ever offered me a scholarship. Nevertheless, we had fun. It was great!"

We can still play the trumpet! Sort of...

Maze Runner

WHAT A WEEK! 

Lots of awesome and hilarious things are happening here in Thailand. I wish you were all here to experience them with me, but for now you need to rely on my mildly terrible grammar and some misspelled words for the update: LET'S DO THIS THING!

When you are too tall for the bus...

Training comes to a close this week.  It has been an absolute honor to work with such a missionary as Elder Chamberlain. 

What a STUD!

The Work: 

Recently we have been doing something I like to call "LA hunting." The title of this email reflects this "hunting" experience because Bangkok is like a giant maze. As you will see by the pictures this week, things are not exactly organized according to address. In fact, most people don't know their address. 

Panoramic shot of Thai mazes...

Mazes of Thailand

We have been running through the maze every day now for hours just trying to find members in the system who have not come to church in a while. What FUN! God places people in our path. 

In fact, just yesterday every single person we talked to on our way to finding a LA (who had moved 25 years ago), gave us their number for a follow up appointment. Miracles happen people - this is real life. 

Another miracle I would like to share. One of our dear friends, Brother Champ and his wife Fay, had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles these last two weeks. We committed them to visit the temple. 

Brother Champ

This is Champ's experience in his own words:

"I had no internet on my phone, and all I knew was that a taxi driver told me the temple was 22 kilometers away. I prayed and felt like God would make a path for me to get back home. My phone would die, but I trusted in God and hopped in the taxi. I traveled to the temple on Sunday, then found out it was closed. I have never been inside the temple before. I walked around every single gate and touched each corner of the temple just so I could feel the Spirit of God. What a powerful experience it was. A man then approached me saying his name was Brother Sean. He asked me if I needed any help. Brother Sean then drove me to the nearest church building where I attended Sunday School! What a beautiful congregation they had there. The members then offered me a ride back to my hotel. I got back safe and sound. I had promised you [Elder Chamberlain and me] that I would go, and I did. And God opened the way for me to go. This experience was a big builder of faith for me. Miracles happen." 

- Brother Champ 

I know that miracles happen. That is a miracle. Even though Champ wasn't even able to enter into the temple, he made sure he gleaned everything from it. He was able to go to church through a faithful member that followed the prompting of the Spirit and drove this random Thai man to the nearest chapel on his own time. Same thing with the members. I know that miracles happen. In Thailand, they happen every day. In the words of our mission president (President Johnson): "We pray for and expect Miracles in this mission. Because our God is a God of miracles." I know that is true.

The Culture: 

1. No one knows their address. In fact, the address is reflected by when the building was built, not where the building is located. For example, we will see (in the same street) the numbers 86,87,86,123,12, and 5. So you can see our struggle. We love the maze. 

2. People love big eyes here. They even have "big eye" contacts that almost everyone wears. It makes their eyes look rounder and bigger. IDK it is just the Asian culture I guess!

Funnies:

1. A tuk tuk driver was literally shaving with a razor while driving us to a lesson. He had shaving cream and water and everything. It takes multitasking in the car to a whole new level. And by car, I mean motor-powered Thai tricycle. 

2. I still shout random Thai phrases in my sleep, and this week I even sang a children's hymn (according to Elder Chamberlain).

3. A taxi driver thought that Elder Chamberlain and I were twins, but he said I was better looking (not in the gay way - he assured us he was straight). So BOOM Elder Chamberlain (you know I never let him live that one down).

4. A taxi driver rolled down his window and said, "Hey, it's the Mormons!!" This is funny only if you are serving a mission in Asia. NO ONE knows who Jesus is, let alone who Mormons are. So it was quite hilarious hahahahaha.

5. Some random kid asked Elder Chamberlain for his autograph while we were LA hunting. HAHAHAHAHa this picture is classic.

Spiritual thought:

My spiritual thought today goes with Brother Champ's story at the beginning of this entry. Before my mission, I didn't really think Miracles were a thing. I thought they were a logical occurrence based on mathematical probability that 1 in every 10 people that you talked to... maybe you had a chance of thinking that that one person was "prepared" to hear the gospel. It was a chance game. THAT IS NOT TRUE. I was a fool for thinking that way. As a missionary, I testify that people are being prepared all over the world for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Not some new church founded by Joseph Smith, but the original gospel principles established by our Lord and Master Jesus Christ when he taught in Jerusalem. Miracles happened then, and miracles happen now. Yes, I will acknowledge that some things happen with chance and numbers.... but not everything. May we look for miracles in our life - I know they are there... just take a step back and look for them. 

I love you all. God bless you in your quest for happiness. I know that it can be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to be converted - do the basics. Do not ever substitute anything for reading the scriptures, prayer, and continual church attendance. These things are essential for conversion. 

God bless you! HAVE FUN this holiday season, and enjoy all of the SNOW! 

-- 

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs  

Call Me Betty Crocker

Royal Palace

This week is for you chefs out there. I will be including recipes for authentic Thai dishes we made with a Thai friend... it is up to you to find the weird ingredients at your local Asian market hahahahahaha so good luck! 

THANKS MOM FOR HALLOWEEN/THANKSGIVING. IT WAS AMAZING! I LOVEEE YOUUUUU!

Happy early Thanksgiving...

The Work: 

Some great things happened this week! Our district is killing it here in Thonburi. As a group, we work together in making sure we get a balanced missionary effort. So as a district, we have set certain goals at the beginning of the transfer, and we have done our best to accomplish them! We are working our best, and our work is paying off! It is all paying off because the Lord wants it to of course - not because we did anything special, but because certain people needed to be baptized, and certain people needed to come back to church. We are on track for 8 baptisms and 11 LAs [less actives] brought back to church for the transfer! Please pray that we can reach our goal - we are so close! Every one of these people are God's children that can eventually go to the temple and receive saving ordinances! WOOHOOOOO. There are still some hard days of course, but we never have a BAD day here in Thonburi. We can't afford to have a bad day! We are missionaries! This is the Lord's work people! A little update on some of our investigators: 

Brother Luck is doing great.  He brings his 9 year old son to every lesson, and he will be getting baptized in 2 weeks! He is really eager to learn and follows every commitment we give him! 

Sister Grace and Brother Augustine: They are doing great! A little speed bump with the whole re-baptism thing, but they are going to be ok. They love the Book of Mormon and believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. They LOVE the "good word of God."

Culture: 

The guy that we made food with, his name is Dew. He lived and studied in LA for 10 years and lives right next to the church. His wife is Muslim, his mom is Buddhist, his dad is Christian, and he is an atheist. Do you want to know how we got an appointment to have lunch with him? You bet I pulled the ole, "Hey, if I beat you in basketball we are coming over for lunch." NAILED IT hahahaha. I play basketball with him for about 10 minutes every week - just in my missionary clothes. He comes to the church sometimes to play, so I go shoot with him. He always asks questions about the Mormon Church, so we have practically taught him the restoration, gospel of Jesus Christ, word of wisdom, law of chastity, 10 commandments, and even a little bit about eternal families. So you never know what a friendly game of 1-on-1 will do hahahahaha. He is not an investigator or anything, but now he is friends with the members at the church, and we get to cook yummy food with him! Dew is such a nice guy, and he is actually way good at basketball - not going to lie. Just a fun little story for ya ;)

HERE ARE THE RECIPES:

ผัดไท (Phad Thai)

Start with oil in a pan. This dish will be made like a stir fry (cook time: 5 minutes) 

Fresh Shrimp (cook fresh - none of that pre-cooked stuff) 

Dried Chilli Powder (Hot Thai pepper. Called prick (thai word for pepper) crush it up until it becomes a powder... this gives the dish its Thai kick ;)

Tofu 

Bean sprouts 

Tamarind sauce (made homemade but I am sure that you could find some sort of copy at an Asian market)

noodles (rice noodles)

leeks (small leeks) [Mom comment: the green things in the upper right bowl - they aren't U.S. leeks - they look more like green onions without the white onion part at the end. But Elder Smith-Driggs said Dew called them "leeks."]

1- 2 eggs at the very end 

Raddish (ham colored looking stuff in the middle of the picture... it is mashed up Thai radish)

Adding the eggs at the end here.

Usually served with fresh lime, raw leeks, and random leaves that I don't know what we call in English.  Season with salt as needed. (See picture with 2 plates below.)

Thai stir fry dish

2 large fish air bladder (commercial term: maw) - dry it out to the consistency of a soft pancake, cut it up into bite size pieces, and throw it in the pan first with oil (of course you have to put the oil in there)

Cook like a stir fry 

Garlic (fresh not powder)

Bean sprouts (a Thai staple) 

Soy sauce 

Oyster sauce 

Leeks (small... not the gigantic things you get at Costco... imagine a regular leek in America and then imagine its normal natural size at 6 inches long - that is what you want) [See Mom Comment above.]

Thai Pepper! Put a titch smacker of that bad boy in there, and you are good to go.

(See picture.)

Funnies: 

1. We got in a taxi the other day and the driver's name (romanized of course it doesn't sound like this in Thai) but his romanized name was HITRUN NOIPONG. Hahahaha Hit & Run taxi driver. You have to love that! 

2. Another Taxi driver asked me If I liked Thai girls, but I misunderstood and thought she said Samlo (which is like a 3 wheeled Tuk-Tuk)... so I answered and said, "Yes I love them so much. They are WAY fun!" Hahahahahaha Elder Chamberlain just died of laughter.

3. Halloween was an absolute blast this week and some costumes were absolutely hilarious. Hopefully I can send some pics.

Men in Black

4. MY DAD WAS GHANDI hahahahahaha for Halloween! 

Spiritual thought: 

I want everyone to go and read the talk entitled "The First Great Commandment" by Jeffrey R. Holland. I want to share my thoughts from that talk. Elder Holland talks about Jesus' interaction with Peter after He was resurrected. The apostles have gone back fishing because they don't know what to do after Jesus dies. When Jesus calls them to the shore after he has been resurrected, he basically tells Peter, "Peter do you love me? Then why Peter, are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? If I needed to get fish I obviously can get fish. I NEED DISCIPLES - THAT IS YOUR MISSION."

I really love this message. How many times does Christ have to ask for our hearts? How many times does He need to remind us that we can't turn back to our old ways but need to continually improve? As disciples, it is our job to spread the good news. Whether you are a missionary or not. Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words. 

I LOVE YOU ALL! Dad your Halloween costume... I just can't ..... hahahahah wow hahahahahaha.

-- 

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs