Lao New Easter

Monday, April 17, 2017

Quick update for ya'll (that's for all you Texans)...

There were only three days between P-days last week, and they went like this: This weekend was the Lao New Year. The entire country shuts down for three full days filled with lots of drinking, dousing one another with water, and eating with friends and family. 

The Culture: 

Lao people love their speakers. The louder, the better. The quality of the music doesn't necessarily matter, but rather the intensity and the big "boom" "boom" of the bass. All day. All night. So we took a break, read some scriptures, and visited some members. 

But we got to play too! The members took us to a river where we waded in splashing each other and having a jolly old time. 

The Funnies:

As the members swam, they looked at Elder Cheney and me and said, "Elders, can't you swim?" Elder Cheney and I are both certified life guards hahahaha. We just laughed and told the members that it was against the rules. They were like "OK no worries...but you can swim right?” We assured them of our ability to swim hahahaha. Elder Cheney has saved multiple children from drowning actually hahahaha. 

The Spiritual Thought: 

For many, the Lao New Year is all about the booz, the beats, and the babes. It made me cringe looking at so many of these people lost, "finding happiness"... then waking up the next morning with their aching hangover just to play hard again a second, then a third day. I remember distinctly praying over my food in the middle of the street. People were chucking water balloons filled with red paint, and everyone was trying to get me to drink beer hahaha. All I wanted to do was eat my fried rice. As I prayed over my food, I thanked God for the peace that the gospel brings. I thanked him for the Word of Wisdom. I thanked him for my family members. In a world of chaos, where everything goes "boom" "boom"... the Spirit of the Lord can still reside with us if we SEEK it. Fantastic week this week. Thanks God. 

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Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs