Who Wants Taco Bell?

Please pay no attention to the title.  I just was feeling like some Taco Bell while writing this email. It seemed like an appropriate header ;) As Moroni explains in Ether 12:23-24, I am likewise very weak in writing. My purpose of this blog and this email list is to record the feelings of my heart...regardless of grammar. So please forgive my casualness :) 

Photo with BYU friends Sisters Liljenquist, Stone, (companion) and Sargent.

[Abraham says he doesn't have his arm around the sisters near him, "'Cause OBVIOUSLY THAT IS AGAINST THE WHITE HANDBOOK - but the picture is deceiving hahahaha."]

OOKKEYYY DOKEY - WEEK 7 MTC

A week ago Monday, we had the opportunity to Skype with members (sama chig) in Thailand! It was so fun to talk with them. Surprisingly, I could understand a little bit of what they were saying. It is a whole new ball game with natives (khon thais). It is one thing to listen to a white RM teaching your class (nothing against white people...it's just that they are white) and then to listen to a native is completely different - BUT SO AWESOME. I love the Thai people and am so excited to go to Thailand! 

Speaking of Thai people, the person who will be coming to meet with us this Thursday is the Consul General of Thailand. He is officially in charge of all foreign visas, so it is very important that we show him how much we love the Thai people and that we want to love his country. We have all these rules - especially not to offend him obviously if we ever want to go to Thailand hahahaha. I am sure everyting will go well because God is hastening His work now in Thailand.  He will not allow us to fail. But prayers would still be appreciated around 2 o'clock on Thursday, August 6th hahahahaa.

Also - the new Thailand Bangkok Mission elders came in this week! They are so awesome! 13 elders - just so stoked to be here. They looked a little overwhelmed with the langauage and all that - but they will get the rhythm soon enough. It is fun to think that we might be companions with them in the near future! 

Another S/O to Joel and Sue Nelson! I loved the wedding invitation in the mail. GOOOO EMILY! So bummed I can't be there. Gotta love those wedding invites in the mail - always a pleasure hahahaha.  Hopefully that invite won't be the last.  So...I definitely expect an invite from all of you brothers and sisters not serving if you get married - even if I can't attend ;) 

Another S/O to everyone who came in this week! I am pretty sure I was so excited to see Sister Adrianna Pouwer that I almost gave her a hug...Then I would have gotten sent home, so that would have been bad hahahaha. WELCOME TO THE MTC EVERYONE! 

Some Funnies: 

1. Got dissed by a Khon Thai (Elder Sangplae from Bangkok) going to Australia.  He called me a white boy, and I totally understood that he dissed me. I was really excited hahhaahaha. I love trying to speak Thai. I am so bad at it that it's awesome! Elder Sangplae helps me with my atrocious Thai hahahaha.  The "diss" that Elder Sangplae said wasn't exactly a diss. He just told me I was saying it wrong and then said I was white. In Thailand, they are very blunt. For instance...if one child does not learn as fast as other children in the home, they may say, "NongJo is not as smart as the others".... while he is in the room right there. They do not take offense - it is just a matter of fact thing. So when he said I was "white," I take it as a diss...but he just says it as a fact. Which it is hahahahahaha.  The Thai people are really caring and sweet.

2. Elder Allen and Elder Smith totally went off the other night on Star Wars trivia. Totally geeked out - it was so awesome. Did you know that there is a whole wikipedia database for Star Wars? it is called Wookiepedia! Awesome. The argument was about whether Qui-Gon Jinn was a sith lord the whole time.... Who knew there were conspiriacy theories about Star Wars? It was so hilarious - these elders knew their Star Wars.

3. Elder Smith (new Elder Smith, he arrived with the nong thais (new thais)). He was so excited to get ice cream on Sunday that he jumped and split his pants hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh it was soooooo epic hahahahaha. It's the little things at the MTC that get you excited, right? Nothing like fast sunday ice cream bar for Elder Smith.

AANNNDDDD DRUMMROOLLL PLEASE......... SISTER MON GOT HER VISA! She headed off to Thailand last Wednesday all by herself - what a champion! I can't wait to see her in the field. She is the best! 

Next, I would like to thank all of my amazing teachers. We are truly blessed with the best. They work so hard to see us succeed, and I really appreciate their hard work. Brother Chamberlain stopped working this last week at the MTC, and Brother Thrap will be leaving us after we go to Thailand. All of our teachers - Sister Painter, Brother Yuen, Brother Saunders, Brother Hunsaker...They are so fun and so loving. WE LOVE YOU! Hopefully you get the picture of our teacher who got the kilt. It was our going away gift. The kilt that I wore for soccer has now been passed down to the one and only Brother Chamberlain...I really hope the picture comes through of Brother Chamberlain and Sister Painter.  It is awesome! 

Br. Chamberlain rocking the kilt! (Thanks Sister Painter!)

Lastly, my prayers are with the Patch family during this hard time. [Abraham's BYU bishop and his wife.] I have the marvelous opportunity here at the MTC to see Sister Patch (marvelous actress that she is) perform in many different roles of Church-made movies and Mormon messages. May God bless her as she recovers from her very difficult surgery. Bishop Patch - I love you and am thinking about you always. My prayers are with you and your family. Stay strong my friend - God loves you all sooooo much. The entire 51st Ward here at the MTC is praying for you and Tayva fervently. God bless you. 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I sincerely hope that my emails give someone a smile and help someone's day out. Always remember that the Lord is on your side. And that each one of us has amazing talents and abilities given to us by our Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. My prayer is that we can develop those talents to help others come unto Christ. May we always be mindful of those around us. After all, tuk khon pen luug khong Phrabidaa Bon Sawan (Everyone is a child of Heavenly Father).

Phom rag puag khun (I love you all).

-- 

Love always,

Elder Smith-Driggs  

                                        Photo with BYU friend Elder Nick Grundell (sp?)