Gnarly Roi Et

I have been transferred to Roi Et! (ผมอยุ่ที่ร้อยเอ็ด!!!)  If you are wondering why I am not in Surin as I said in my last email/blog, please see “The Funnies” section of this email! Roi Et is so much fun. It is a total dream. 

Wat Pa Non Sawan. Roi Et, Thailand 

(Mom comment: Photo by Richard Bishop - from the internet)

Every member in our district is so awesome, and they are very hard working missionaries. SO grateful to be with them. I am in a house with the zone leaders, Elder Webb and Elder Leininger. My comp's name is Elder Matt Smith from Alpine, UT. 

Elder Smith

TOTAL stud - we knew each other back in the MTC.  Great guy - I love him! He works his butt off and is exactly obedient. On top of that, I genuinely like the guy hahahaha. So feeling blessed right now. [Mom comment: Elder Smith came to the MTC in the group after Elder Smith-Driggs.]

The Work: 

Roi Et is an area bursting with growth right now. The members and the leaders in this ward "get it" so to say. We have an amazing bishop who is a good leader. In fact, yesterday after church there was a baptism (Sister Chacha and Brother Form). After they were baptized, the bishop called all of the members back into the sacrament meeting room and had them assign themselves to 3 or 4 less active families in the ward - right then - to go visit those families in the next hour.  We all split up into cars and just visited members. It was like ward home and visiting teaching hahahaha. It was AWESOME! As he was explaining how this "activity" was going to work, all the missionaries were in the back of the room...not doing anything...the ward was self-sufficient. They did it all. We were just bystanders who went in the cars. I was so touched and grateful for the humble members of Roi Et and their great leader, I started to tear up... just sitting there looking at these faithful saints whom I have never met...doing their job in bringing back their friends to the fold...so so so grateful. It was awesome!

Church

Mom comment: A little rest on the Sabbath day is a good thing;)

Thanks for your prayers for the investigators in Chiang Rai last week!  Brother Wit and Brother On got baptized yesterday!

Sheer joy!

The Culture:

1. I am now in Eastern Thailand. Things are a little slower paced, flatter (geographically), and very much hotter. Dang man - it is hot. Very hot. When I came up from Bangkok on the 8 hour bus ride, the bus was 104 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 of the hours hahahahaha. Yeah...there was a thermometer on the bus, so that was my source of entertainment hahahahahaha. 

2. Cock fights are illegal here, but everyone does them... big gambling scene. 

3. Different dialect here in the Isaan (east). 

The Funnies: 

So my last email/blog said I was going to Surin.... I legit thought I was, OK? Here is what happened. The elders in Chiang Rai knew I was nervous and excited to get transfer calls, so they pranked me and switched the contact in our phone from "Chiang Rai Elders 2" to "AP Elder Paxton."So after planning on Sunday night I get "the call," from Elder Paxton. Elder Rogers answered the phone pretending to be excited hahahaaha. He got the news and relayed it to all of us. All 3 other elders were in on it...It must have been fun to watch me email ALL OF YOU and tell you I was moving to somewhere...I even emailed President Johnson and said, "Thanks for sending me to Surin. I will do my best...blah blah blah..." Oh man, that must have been a real knee slapper. I figured it out when a recent convert told me that night that she overheard the elders planning this prank the other day hahahahahaha. Oh man, I was so mad! But it’s OK. I got over it, and when the real transfer calls came, the elders were expecting me to be confused...but I was just pumped again to be going to Roi Et as a District Leader. 

Spiritual Thought: 

As the Bishop yesterday talked to the members, his focus was one of love. He shared a scripture in John 4:11, which says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” What a beautiful scripture. As brothers and sisters, it is our job to love one another. That simple great commandment is very easy to understand. May we all do better in loving our fellow brothers and sisters is my prayer. 

God bless you all. Thank you for your prayers. I can sure feel them.

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

เอ็ลเดอร์ สมีธ-ดริกส์

Elder Smith-Driggs  

Songkran Water Fight

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls  - listen up because last week was the biggest water fight in the world. World Record Water Fight Songkran Thailand New Year water festival... 3 days... and it was a party to be sure hahahahaha. This last week was fun! And on top of it, we got a lot of work done as well! 

She loved getting me wet hahahahaha

Yesterday night we got transfer calls, and I will be headed to the city of Surin (eastern Thailand)!!!! I am WAY excited. Surin is known here in the mission and all around Thailand as the "land of elephants." It is where humans learned how to train elephants as work elephants and war animals. I'm sad to leave Chiang Rai because of all of the friends I have made here but excited for a new area and a new companion. It has been so much fun serving with Elder Rogers, and I will miss him :) 

What can I say? TBM mission is The Best Mission

The Work: 

Too bad I am leaving Chiang Rai this week because Elder Rogers and I have 5 baptisms scheduled for this Sunday hahahahahahaha. How ironic. I sincerely hope they all follow through! We have some solid investigators right now, and I really hope they all get baptized. Hopefully next week I will be smiling from ear to ear emailing you about these wonderful people. Please pray for these people. Their names are: Sister Ploy, Brother On, Brother Mxxang, Brother Gaw, and Brother Wit. They need your prayers this week as Satan will be trying to work very hard to persuade them NOT to get baptized this week. These amazing people have chosen to follow Christ, but now they just need to follow through and keep their commitments. Please pray for our brothers and sisters here in Thailand. I love them so much. 

Working here in Chiang Rai has been a dream. I love the members, the leadership, the RCs... all of my friends here if you are reading this blog... I will miss you dearly! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for how nicely you have treated me and for how caring you are. For all of the mother figures who can understand English here - thanks for looking after me and calling me your "baby boy." ผมจะคิดถึงทุกคนมากมากมากผมรักเชียงราย!!!!!!!!!! 

ผมรักเชียงราย!!! 555

[Mom comment: I asked Elder Smith-Driggs what "555" meant.  He said, "How do I explain this? The word for 5 in Thai is the sound "Ha," kind of like Chinese. But it has a mountain town on it, so when you put 555 together it sounds like someone is going "hahahaha" understand? No? Maybe?" So, there you go...]

The Culture: 

•  Like I said, for Songkran everyone stops work for 3 days and just goes hard in the streets getting one another soaked with water. All of the truckbeds have people in them with a big garbage can filled with a 3 foot by 2 foot block of ice and water... which makes for a cold splash if you are on your bike hahahahahaha. It was way fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures! 

• Thai people love talk shows more than anything.
• Their phones here are HUGE. It is not unusual to see people using their tablets as phones as well.

The Funnies: 

• We were in a meeting with a member, and he was talking about a member we wanted to visit. He said, "Oh, you don’t need to worry about him anymore. He became a woman and left the Church for good.".... We were like, “OK -  thanks for that info.” As I walked away, I looked at Elder Rogers and said, "Woah...do you realize how weird that sentence must sound in America?" We kind of giggled and then talked about the blessing of the plan of salvation. People can change! 
• Also...2 white missionaries riding their bikes getting soaked by men, women, and children all last week.... My planners and notebooks are warped forever hahahahaha. We must have been fun targets! 

Soaked after a hard days work

Spiritual Thought: 

This week I had a lot of time to ponder about the doctrine of Christ. My favorite chapters to refer to are 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11. In these accounts, the Savior literally tells us the doctrine of Christ. It is simple, it is beautiful, and if taught correctly, provides the way for salvation. As we have been teaching about baptism so much with our 5 daters (people who will be getting baptized on Sunday), it has caused us to study the covenant of baptism and the steps of repentance and faith that are NEEDED before the step of baptism. If you want to research more, please see 3 Nephi 11:32-33 for more clarification. I love the doctrine of Christ and am convinced that its simplicity is inspired of God. People without a Christian background or any knowledge of God can understand it, like people born in Jerusalem who are Jewish... the doctrine of Christ is simple and amazing. SO GRATEFUL for it. I am so grateful for it, and I know the principles are true. I have seen the way it is changing people’s lives, including my own. Study it and live it. That is my commitment to you all. 

I love you all so much. Fam - you guys are the best. God bless you all! 

Just so Asian I had to put it in here. Doing the Thai Squat picking up Asian Ramen at 

7-11...... just too Thailand. The Thai Missionaries will understand hahahahahah.

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

เอ็ลเดอร์ สมีธ-ดริกส์

Elder Smith-Driggs  

Almost an epic email...

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Today is Songkran Festival here in Thailand. In a couple of hours, people will line the streets and participate in the biggest water fight in the world. For THREE days, Thailand shuts down and everyone lines the streets with buckets, water guns, foam cannons, chalk, paint... everything and soaks everyone in their path...old and young...that is today. Before the chaos begins, we get to email. So thus my title... "Almost an epic email"... stay tuned for next week baby...those pictures are going to be super groovey ;) 

The Work: 

This week, we had zone conference down in Chiang Mai over the weekend. We also had the opportunity to watch General Conference (https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng)! 

Zone Conference

The District

Here is a cool story about some of our investigators... I was teaching outside the church, and Elder Rogers, the diligent inviter that he is, was literally calling down motorcycles from the road to stop and talk to him. He would shout, "Sawadeekhrap pxxan!" Which means, "Hello friend!"... So of course random Thai people slowed down to see if it was actually their friend. On one such occasion...Elder Rogers chased down these two teenagers on a motorbike, invited them inside the church, and we taught them. 

They have never even heard of the name, Jesus Christ. Their names are On and Ploy. One week later, they have baptismal dates, and last night as we taught them, Brother On said, "Let me just get this straight here elders. If I pray to God and ask for an answer, he will answer me?... And this whole baptism thing...I do something called a covenant with God, and as I promise with him that I will always follow his commandments, he promises to wash my sins away. And when I get baptized, I commit to have a new life as I wash away my sins...completely willing to follow Jesus for the rest of my life... Is that correct?"

...

Elder Rogers and I looked to each other with smiles on our faces and said, "Yes Brother On, you couldn't have said it any better." I am so grateful to the Holy Spirit that teaches to all people truth according to their own understanding. This 19 year old guy has a better understanding than I do of baptism, and he JUST PRAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME 3 DAYS BEFORE TO A BEING HE HAS NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF BEFORE. 

That is the miracle of the Holy Spirit. Amazing week this week. 

English class with Elder Rogers

The Culture: 

Songkran Festival is officially (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), the biggest waterfight in the entire world. It is awesome (don't really know because this is the first time I have played). It happens once a year and is the Thai new year festival. Can't wait to get soaked in a couple hours hahahah.

The Funnies: 

Sometimes this water fight (Songkran) starts early - unofficially. SEVEN times yesterday as I was riding on my bike to appointments, I turned onto the street and my heart dropped. "Oh no"...as I see a huge garbage can filled with water and five 10 year olds with little buckets of doom... they sure had fun. So did my tie and my planner hahahahahahah! I just laughed and rode on. One of the boys was actually a member so you KNOW I will be going to town on him today... he is going to get it hahahahaha. I got soaked 7 more times yesterday from an old lady, 5 drunk dudes, 4 drunk girls (drunk people are ok because they don't have very good aim), and other assorted random people with water guns. 

Spiritual Thought: 

From this experience with Brother On and Sister Ploy this week, I was very grateful to have the Spirit while teaching, being around others, and contacting on the street. Recognizing the Spirit is one of the most important skills any person can learn to grow. I am learning so much about myself and about the nature of Heavenly Father as I have the amazing opportunity to teach people about who God is. The Spirit is so central in conversion. "Preach My Gospel" tells us that we must understand how our investigator must feel in order to feel the Spirit, understand how we feel in order to feel the Spirit, and in doing so can pinpoint ways to help our investigator recognize when they are feeling the Spirit. 

The Lord promises us that when we do this, our investigators will have more faith in Jesus Christ because they know how to feel of his love. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit and the chance I get to build my relationship with him. I would invite all of you to make the necessary changes in your life to allow the Holy Spirit to abide with you more frequently. These changes may be small or big, but they are necessary I promise. We need the Spirit. It is such an amazing gift.

Holding hands around the world

Mom, Dad, Eliza, Oliva, Smith family and Driggs family... I love you all so so much. You mean the world to me. I am so grateful to come from two such amazing families who teach good values of moral strength, character building, and righteous faith. I love you all dearly and miss you. Thank you for being you.

Until next week... until the epic email... signing off.

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

เอ็ลเดอร์ สมีธ-ดริกส์

Elder Smith-Driggs  

P.S. from Tiffany
Shout out to Jen and Ethan Robbins and Julie Oliphant for guessing, "What About Bob?" as the movie reference from last week's illnesses:) 

Bronchitis Can't Stop Jesus

This last week.... has been long days and long nights of sickness. I was good up until Wednesday morning when I woke up with practically no energy. (Weird - because I love the mornings - I really do.) Going throughout the day I felt weak...groggy...lethargic...cold chills...hot chills...cardiac arrest...seizures...tongue swelling up...fear of bladder exploding...totally kidding on most of those. (Mom comment:  If you can name the movie from which Elder Smith-Driggs pulled the last two symptoms, email me (smiggsfamily@yahoo.com), and I'll give you a shout out in the next blog post.) But I had a temp of 102.5 degrees and then 103 the next day....yuck man, just not good. BUT I am getting better thanks to the mission nurse and the very loving doctors here in Chiang Rai. Let's talk about some cooler things, shall we? 

QUICK shout out to Thomas Marshall: 

I LOVE YOU THOMAS you are the man! This is Thomas Marshall, and he is my favorite human being on the planet! Love you Thomas.  He was at Aida to see his cousin, Caleb, and my sister, Eliza, last week! 

Tuesday night, Apr. 5 at 7 p.m. at Olympus High School in Holladay, Utah is your LAST AND ONLY CHANCE to see my amazing sister Eliza as Amneris.  I've heard you will have tears running down your face. Please go see her for me!

The Work: 

I didn't really get to see my investigators really that much this week. In fact, I barely made it to church yesterday, but God gave me strength woohoo! They say they are doing well though. I am sure Elder Rogers and God are taking great care of them. I have just really been loving studies recently. Being at home sick, I have done everything there is to do. Read all the magazines, studied scriptures, etc. It has been way fun, and I feel very rejuvenated! I love the opportunity I get each day to have an hour of personal scripture study. SERIOUSLY what a blessing. I would try it out if I were you!

The Culture: 

If someone gives you food in Thailand, it is polite to "wai" them. (Or put your hands together and place them under your chin.) You do that when saying hello, saying godbye, acknowledging respected persons... it is done in church too! There are many ways to "wai" someone, and there are rules for "waiing" respectfully.

Mom pulled from Thai etiquette website.

Mom comment: One last tiger picture from last week.  

Maybe the tigers gave him bronchitis?

Big mountain

The Funnies: 

I was wayyyy sick... not that funny - but one night I wasn't sleeping well, and I got up. It was like 4 am, and I eventually went downstairs to get some water...coming back up the stairs I lost my balance, got light headed and fainted...hitting my head on the mini basketball hoop and ended up on the ground of my room panting for Elder Rogers to come save me...4 am. Hahahahaha I can't wait to see that replay in heaven.

Chess master 

Accidental filter and matching shirts... BOOM

Spiritual thought: 

This week I really tried to focus on my prayers. We teach that prayer is a literal communication with Heavenly Father. And we preach that He answers, correct? This week I wasn't feeling the power in my prayers. I have been praying in Thai my whole mission. Personal, companionship, in public. Everything is in Thai. It has been a solid 10 months since a prayer in English out loud has been spoken from my lips. So I did it this week while I was sick. Amazing. There is something super special about praying in your own language. I used phrases in there translated from Thai...it was very slow but heartfelt. Prayers don't need to be fast and long. And I felt completely different about my prayer. I benefited from it too. I just felt great. So this week I would like to challenge all of you to think about the words you use for prayer. Think of an investigator sitting there...could they understand you? Try to simplify.... just a thought. 

I love you so much. Bronchitis doesn't even phase the work of the Lord...IT GOES ON WOOHOOO

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

เอ็ลเดอร์ สมีธ-ดริกส์

Elder Smith-Driggs