Vote Josh Garff for President

Now that Trump is president, I think we elders will build a wall around our house for protection. All I know about the election is what my English students tell me…. And they can barely read English. So all that they see is what the media puts out… and after the media puts stuff out we get memes and videos clipped together to make each candidate look bad…but as far as I know Donald Trump is our new president-elect. I wasn’t invested in the elections this year because we do not read outside news. But I did figure out that Josh Garff was NOT running for President.  That was news I was sad to hear. We all love and support you, Josh, and I would vote for you again. #Garff4twoterms #bringrecessback #tahitianpride #SkylineOlympics (I hope that you are reading this Garff family and getting a kick out of it just as much as I am hahahahaha).

So today we took a trip a couple hours north, rented a houseboat with the members, and just tutted around for a couple hours while we relaxed at various beaches and ate lunch together on the houseboat. What a relaxing day. Isn't it beautiful Mom!?

Chillin at Talae Lao

It isn't Tahiti Josh... but you have to give credit to this scenery man ;)

The houseboat

Found this bad boy on the beach

We got a newbie up here in Laos! Welcome to the brotherhood Elder Ingleton. Elder Michael Ingleton is from the state of (you guessed it) UTAH (gotta love the Mormon population in that state). He is adjusting great and is picking up Lao really quickly:) Next week Elder Morley will finish up here in Laos and head home, so that will leave a new spot for our friend Elder Tanner Blocker to come up and replace him. We can’t wait to have you up here buddy:)

Lao elders

The Work: 

English classes are going well. We are headed to the end of the term here soon which requires yearly reports, as well as tests. All of this is an opportunity to learn and grow in my assignment here in Laos. This week I was thinking about my call packet which says that, “Your assignment may be modified by your mission president.” I thought that was put in there for some sort of legal reasons to give the mission presidents some cushion, but my assignment was modified, and now I teach English all day. There is no finding (other than referrals), currently no church building, along with other strange things. When I was sent up here President Johnson told me – “Elder Smith-Driggs, you try your best in doing the missionary work that you CAN do. In this case – you do your very best job to be the best English teacher you can be. That is your calling right now.” And so it goes. The members are getting along just fine:)

The Culture:

1. Getting out of rainy season currently, but we still have had rain here for 5 days straight. Where is the sun? idk

The real way to cut a pineapple

I think I am going to get the pink one...what do you think Eliza?

The Funnies:

1. I was so tired on Tuesday night. It was just a really rough night, feeling down on my life, and I was so tired that I walked in the door at 9 pm and went straight up to my bed, dropped my backpack next to the bed, and collapsed on the bed in my missionary clothes… and yup, you guessed it – I woke up the next morning in my shirt and tie. All the other guys woke up and were like, “Dude - Elder Smith-Driggs we tried to wake you up, but you were out man.” So yup – I totally pulled a classic greenie and slept in my suit and tie. Gotta love being a missionary.

2. Here in Laos there are biker gangs. They consist of 16-20 year old boys on their bikes (motorcycles). They come out some nights and run all the red lights on a certain street here in Laos. They can be heard whooping and hollering and swearing while gunning it through the red light. Quite fun to watch. On one occasion this week, we met with the group as we biked up to the light. There were about 20 of them…. Just talking and goofing off. I spoke to them in Lao, and they all went quiet (classic Asian culture thing – “Wow we can’t believe you can speak our language!”)… I said, “Hey do you guys want to race?... because I bet I could take you down on my bicycle!”… They responded with, “Alright man you are on! Let’s do this!” I told them they would have to wait for the light to be green, and they agreed. While we were waiting for the light to turn green, I turned to them as the clock was ticking down from 10-9-8-7-6…. And said, “Are you ready to lose?!” and as the words came out of my mouth Elder Cheney from behind me comes around the corner out of nowhere and Tokyo drifts (drifts his bicycle) about 15 feet from the curb, making a huge screeching sound. This perfectly timed entrance was greeted with “ooohs” and “aaahs” as this 6’4” white guy peeled out of the light. All 6 of us elders yelled a warrior like battle cry and peeled out of the intersection going faster than Lightning McQueen. We all whooped and hollered together as we biked our little buns through the green light…. And who do you think won? You got that right – THE MORMONS. Big thanks to my bike (nicknamed Black Sabbath) for getting me through.

Mormons:1

ເດັກແວນ (biker gang): 0

3. There is a minimart right next to our house, and we drop by every night to get random snacks/groceries. We taught the guy who works there the word “spicy” so whenever we drive by he yells “spicy” back out at us hahahahahaha.

The Spiritual Thought:

This week I have thought a lot about the ability that Laos has had to grow in the past 15 years. We have about 300 members here on record. And most of them are pretty strong in the gospel. Elders (young elders) started coming here about 3 years ago. I was talking with Elder Saunders about this yesterday. We were taking about Foosball. Now all of those who have ever played foosball understand that the ball just goes crazy all the time, and the people controlling the wooden/plastic people pass the ball back and forth until the ball goes into the goal. We compared this game to member missionary work. In most developing countries (meaning that the Church in those countries is just starting to grow) a lot of the time, the missionaries have to hold up the Church. They are the lifeline of the branch because they are the only people who know how to work a branch. Missionaries are everything at the foosball table. They are the controls, the people, and the ball. They work themselves to death to get a couple goals, then they switch out to a different area. Here in Laos, this is not the case. The Lord has prepared his people so much. Right now, the elders are the ball. The controls and the people are all the members. They bring people to church consistently every single week. New person after new person after new person. They tell us how to teach the investigators, what problems they have, when they are free, what their relation is to the Relief Society President, who should help us teach. All the elders have to do is sit back and say, “Sister, what do you feel the Atonement means to you?” – and the member who is helping us teach the investigator (who is most likely a family member), will give the investigator EXACTLY what they need because they have been living with them their whole life. The missionaries don’t know their problems! We just sit back and let the members teach!  Week after week the elders get kicked around like the soccer ball (to our delight)…we aren’t doing anything except to be there as the ball… and the members keep scoring time after time after time. And we rejoice together. We don’t do any finding, and each week more family members come, more friends come…. And so it goes in Laos. The members ARE the missionaries. What a blessing it is to be serving here in Laos. We still do not have a church, but that does not stop the members from inviting their friends to come. Amazing. Not 1 baptism has ever come from the elders. Not 1. The members in Laos play a mean Foosball:) , and the Lord rewards them for it. I am confident that this sort of missionary work can happen anywhere, whether in Guatemala or Portland or the Democratic People’s Republic of Laos. The Lord lives and he will help his people. Members and missionaries working together is the key to building his kingdom. 

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

I feel like a potato

My mind and my body are absolutely exhausted. This last week has been a whirlwind. But ask me if that phases me..... NO! It doesn't. The work goes on. Why do I feel like a potato? Honestly that was the first thing that came to my mind. I think potatoes are quite delicious. They have kept the human race in existance for many, many years. And we get french fries from potatoes. So if I were to pick a vegatable - it would have to be the potato. Shout out to God for making the potato!

The Work: 

We still don't have a church yet. But that is ok. We will get one soon. A lot of people ask us what we do for Sundays if we don't have a church. Well, we go and visit the members. We have a lunch appointment and another lunch appointment, then we have a dinner appointment. All the while just saying hello to members. Other than that, the Lao elders teach English all day. What a joy it is to be a missionary in Laos! I honestly love it with every bone in my body. I feel like I am contributing to a work that has been prepared from the foundation of the world. The saints in Laos will get a church, and when they do - look out :) 

The cherished words of our Primary hymn come to my mind... I am a child of God!

The Bottom Line: 

As I (along with thousands of other missionaries before me) have said before, being a missionary takes every iota of your emotional and physical strength. That is why being a missionary can be such an influential part in changing a life. If you give your 100%, the Lord literally has an easier time to mold your heart into the person that he wants you to become. We learn that we have eternal potential... so why not dig deep and find it. 

Elder Magill's last dinner with the Browns!

The Funnies:

1. This week we held a big Halloween party for all of the members at Sister Stevenson's home! Big thanks to Sister Stevenson for letting us wreck your house with assorted murder scenes.... especially the bathroom that smelled like ketchup for 3 days... hahaha. Bless your soul. You are awesome! It was so much fun. All of the elders put on these pranks. We dressed up in black and would pretend to be dead people, or we would grab people's legs from the bottom of their chairs, etc. It was a lot of fun, and the members really enjoyed it. Gotta love Halloween! 

2. I am currently in Thailand, and so I got to call some of the recent converts I know... but when I try to speak Thai, it just sounds awful. All of them were like, "Elder Smith-Driggs, your Thai isn't very good buddy..." Face palm hahahahaha.

The Culture: 

As I got training from Elder and Sister Wong from the Area Presidency, I was reminded of the different cultures that exist in Asia. The Chinese are so different from the Laotian. The Japanese are a world a part from the Korean's and the Thai people. I can't explain it really, but those of you out there in South America that think that Asian people are pretty much all the same.... nope. They are pretty darn different. Just like Argentina is different from Brazil. Pretty different. Isn't it great that God made us all different? I love God! 

This is for all of the elders that have served in Laos.

The Spiritual Thought: 

My dear family and friends, I do not have a lot to say today. But yesterday I was reminded that good people need to repent too. Elder Wong taught us that bad people need to repent to be good. Good people need to repent to be better. And better people need to repent to be best. But it is impossible to be best. Not even Thomas S. Monson (the prophet) is the "best." Only the Savior can take that head. So why even try? Who cares? If we can't be perfect, if we can't repent from everything we have done because we can't remember the sin or whatever the reason... why even try? Because God told us that if we love him we need to obey him. A big part of that process of obedience is making mistakes, learning from them (S/O to Mom for the Mistake Cake*), and repenting.... then trying again to obey. The Lord does not expect perfection, but he does expect that we love him. And if we love him, we need to obey him. I testify that the love of God is infinite and that he invites us all to repent. Whether you think you need to or not - the Lord needs you to be better. I am trying to do that now. And oh how my soul hungers to be better. I am weak. Very very weak. But with my Savior I can be made strong. 

I love the deaf kids :)

I love you all, and I hope you have a fantastic week, wherever you are in the world. If you are in Idaho, please go pick some potatoes and make some fresh french fries. I could use some of those right now :) God bless you guys.  See you next week.

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

_______________________________________

*Mom comment: The Mistake Cake is a family tradition.  Here is an article I wrote about it for those who want to use the idea:

My son’s unexpected text read, “Mom, I’m done. Please come get me.”

“What?” I thought.  “How could the meeting be over already?” For weeks, my son had been anticipating attending a mandatory meeting for potential class officers.  I hurried to the high school only to find out from my son that the meeting had occurred the day before.  He was devastated.  He had listed the meeting date on our family calendar the day he heard about it because he was so excited to run.  But sadly, he got the date wrong.

We approached the administration that afternoon asking for an exception, but they answered, “No.”  I remember distinctly feeling deep disappointment for my son because he wanted to run so badly and had planned it for years.  I was also personally sad because our family wouldn’t get to celebrate his victory.  I was sure he would have won, and we love to celebrate.

As I walked to my car in the school parking lot, this inspiration came to my mind: “Celebrate anyway.  Celebrate his mistake and what he learned from it.  Life is about learning.  Celebrate the learning – not just the successes.”   

At dinner, I surprised my son and family with a cookies and cream cake they love.  I called it the “Mistake Cake” and explained we were going to celebrate our mistakes by learning from them.  Happily downing the creation, my son then told the family about what he had done wrong and what he’d learned from it.  We talked about what he could do in the future to avoid making a similar error, enjoyed the cake, and decided that our family’s mistakes now had a yummy chocolate lining. 

Quickly, the other children clamored to know if any of their mistakes warranted a Mistake Cake.  “Not yet, “ I said.  “You have to make a mistake big enough to learn a really good lesson.”  As of that night, our family shifted from trying to avoid mistakes to finding joy in learning from mistakes when they occurred. 

We have celebrated mistakes often since then.  One time we celebrated one of my whopping errors so the kids would know parents err too.  Another time, we celebrated one of our daughter’s mistakes but chose not to divulge what it was to the family because of its private nature.  But we still celebrated what she learned.

The following month, one daughter didn’t make the school volleyball team.  My husband decided we needed a way to celebrate our children’s attempting new things. Trying was different than making a mistake.  If one of our children didn’t get cast in a show, make a team, or win an election, we could still celebrate the learning that accompanies trying.  We enjoyed our first “Try Pie” that night.  It was a delicious, homemade key lime pie.  The kids then began striving for Try Pies as they attempted to develop new talents.

At last, one daughter actually got cast in a part she had worked hard to get.  “Hey, what do I get?” she asked.  “I didn’t make a mistake, and I did more than try.  I made it!”  “I Scream for Joy” ice cream became the final treat in our celebration triad.

In spite of putting on some pounds, we love learning from our mistakes, tries, and successes.  Learning itself has become the treat. 

http://www.rubygirl.org/the-mistake-cake/

Strong As Ever

Dearly beloved…..family and friends! It is a blazing hot day here in Vientiane, Laos. I am in an internet store with a bunch of pubescent teenagers playing video games. There is screaming, whooping and hollering, swear words being thrown all around (in Lao and English), it smells like Ramen and sweaty men….And I have the wonderful opportunity to write home about the Savior of the World. What a serendipitous paradox. Let us begin!

Elder Magill finishes his mission this week. Love you man. You are such a great missionary. For all of you who know Elder Magill, you know his amazing ability to love others. His greatest quality: Patience. I love you man. Have a fantastic time with your parents this week!

The Work: 

We STILL don’t have a church. That is ok – everything is going fine. The Lord is watching over us. We will get it here in a few weeks. Oh what a day that will be to re-unite as a ward family on that beautiful Sabbath day in our own church with a certificate saying that we are legal! That we can officially worship! What a blessing that will be. It is my prayer and my prediction that as soon as the members/investigators have the church to go to – the work will take off like never before. The Lord provides a way for his work to be accomplished, and this “setback” will perhaps be a kickstarter for an even bigger work that will begin! THE LORD LIVES. LETS DO THIS THING BABY! KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS. WE ARE ALMOST THERE!

P-Day with the members... oh how I wish I could swim!

Cannonball baby!!!!!

The Bottom Line:

Missionary problems.... yes those are my feet.

The Culture: 

There are a lot of stray dogs here in Laos. More than Thailand (if you can believe that). Because of the Buddhist principle of reincarnation, most of these dogs get fed and bathed by random people. Way nice of them! The Lao people are so awesome!

Homeslice BOOOOOO

The Funnies:

1. Another classic Lao missionary moment – our students took us out to dinner the other night, which was so nice of them. Elder Magill will be leaving us here next week so they wanted to give him a little send-off. The funny thing was that all of them ordered beer (naturally they are celebrating… and to them we are just English teachers – keep that in mind people ok?). When it came out I looked at Elder Bouw. His eyes went wide and I could tell his mind was just going, “Do I need to leave the party?” I was like “Hey Bouw don’t worry about it man just drink your water… we are going to be ok. These people are our friends who ordered some beer.” I just laughed inside because you would NEVER see this in any other country around the world. It is SO hard sometimes not to just stand up and teach them the Word of Wisdom – why we actually don’t drink beer. Because God through a prophet of God commanded it…. But we can’t tell them that (unless they ask). Just kind of funny. SO we are still "Less Active," we accidentally drank coffee, we hung out with people who were drinking beer…. Goodness what is happening to the Lao elders? WE ARE TOTALLY FINE. DON’T WORRY WE ARE AS STRONG AS EVER hahahahahaha.

Friends from the Deaf school :) Thanks for lunch!

2. We got to explain Halloween to our students… and I was trying to explain the whole “trick or treat” thing… they still don’t understand why random people would just give them candy. They can’t see the connection with candy and ghosts. Frankly… neither can I!

Classic Smith-Driggs face - this is for you Dad.

The Spiritual Thought: 

This week I have been pondering a lot about sin. Why humans sin, why sin is necessary in the plan of happiness, and the destructive power of sin. I read two very influential chapters in the B.O.M  this week. The first is in 2 Nephi 2, which tells us God’s purpose as the supreme creator. He is all merciful and full of justice at the same time. As we rely on the Savior's Atonement, we can literally satisfy the means of justice because Christ payed for the sin. In so doing, God is merciful and still fulfills justice. The second chapter was about David in 2 Samuel. He sees Bathsheba bathing on the roof. And he STAYS and watches. In that, he sinned. It started with an honest mistake, but he sinned when he stayed and watched (unlike Joseph of Egypt, who got away as soon as he could). That woman bathing on the roof aroused his desire. His desires quickly turned to action in the verse following as he sends his messengers to take her and bring her to the palace so he could sleep with her. His desires turned to action. And his action ultimately changed his character. This is the same David that killed Goliath, the same David that ran into battles killing tens of thousands in the name of the Lord, the same David that worshiped with the priests and saved their lives because he loved the Lord. This is the same David who fell into this situation and in this moment, he chose to sin. It was his choice. I am confident that by now, David has repented and used God's mercy... but let us all remember that even the greatest of kings, raised in the righteous traditions of the Lord, one who has seen great miracles... still needs the mercy of God. For God will not allow anything filthy to enter his kingdom. It is my prayer that we can repent more often... for oh, how we need to love God. 

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

Shnookabumbum

Happy Birthday Olivia! Shnookabumbum, I love you so much! I can’t wait to kick your butt in wrestling when I get home. I have been practicing with the elders, and I think I might be able to take you down – Smith-Driggs vs. Smith-Driggs ;) Love you sweetheart :)

Also S/O to the people who brought my mom dark chocolate last week...Sister Hales, Sister Boyack, and Brother Carter! I heard Janet Hales brought some homemade dark chocolate – WOW props to you Sister Hales :) (My mom is now making it too...)

The Work: 

English Class is going great. We still don’t have a church here in Laos. But there is no need to worry. God is here with us. As it says in Alma 32, we don’t need a “synagogue” to worship our Lord. The members here teach me what true faith is. This is week 4 of not going to church. All will be well, no worries. Thanks for your prayers everyone! 

Chillin with the best. GOOD PEOPLE

The Bottom Line: 

Repentance is for the righteous and the faithful. Repentance is a very personal act of love and sacrifice. Luckily the sacrifice has been taken care of. Our choices have consequences, but the love and assistance of the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father will never forsake you. 

The Culture:

1. Every year Laos has a boat racing festival. Boats come from all over Lao to compete 1 day only. It is so fun to watch these rowing teams of 30 men just row their hearts out. Very awesome! 

Boat racing festival

Making boats

Sending the boats off

2. One of the most commonly eaten foods here is Papaya Salad. It is made differently in Laos than Thailand because of one ingredient. They put in something called “Badag” or “ປະແດກ.” It is a sauce. This sauce has been made for many many years here in Lao. I asked how to make it, and I was given these instructions. Get ready: 

o   Get a raw fish and put it in a jar 

o   Put water in the jar mixed with salt 

o   Leave it in a very humid place for about 1 year/1 year and 6 months

o   After that 1 year, open the jar. Mix around the inside 

o   Put it in the papaya salad and eat it raw! You are finished! ແຊບ ແຊບ ແຊບ 

Funnies:

1. Last night I slept-talked again.  For all of the Lao people reading this blog, you will laugh really hard. I mumbled a lot then shouted twice: “ປາກຫວານກົ້ນປ້ຽວ!!” - which if directly translated to English means: “Sweet mouth sour bottom,” but the meaning is that someone is a sweet talker but their intent is not all true. They say one thing but mean another. Hahahahaha Elder Magill was awake, and he just chuckled. Classic Smith-Driggs. 

Simba

2. I ordered some Ovaltine at one of our favorite restaurants here, and the lady brought it out to us. When I drank my first sip, I was like “OH… yup that is definitely iced coffee.” Hahahaha classic. Look out, Elder Smith-Driggs is going Less Active and starting to drink coffee. Those elders in Laos are really having some trouble hahahaha.

Fell asleep in the truck.. classic Smith-Driggs

Spiritual thought: 

In our house here in Lao, we have a gigantic poster that reads, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” Every day I wake up and look at that. Our work here is so different than anywhere else in the whole world. Right now we are in a strange situation with no church. The only thing I do every day is teach English and occasionally visit members’ homes to tell them that we love them and not to worry. Sometimes I sit here and laugh at our situation. Honestly, I am typing this up on a laptop in our house.  It is 2 pm on a Friday afternoon. We just finished translating a meeting for the nursing college of Lao, were fed a buffet, got dropped back at our house and now we are finishing and grading English reports for our students. Am I even a missionary? Yes. You bet I am. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I am serving the people of Lao by teaching them English. I am helping others tap into the knowledge given to them by their Father in Heaven, and in that, I am giving them hope. If I can give my students a hope for the future, I am bringing them unto Christ. My testimony is one of sincere gratitude for my Father in Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I testify that His grace is sufficient for us all. May we remember that God’s door is always open, if we will just soften our hearts long enough to allow the master teacher to mold us into the man or woman He needs us to be is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

That’s it for me this week guys. Sorry I had to take the blog off of Facebook. I am so grateful for your prayers for the Lao members. It means the world to me. God bless you all. Have a fantastic week prepping for Halloween!

Elder Smith-Driggs

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

The "Connection" With Heaven

My dear brothers and sisters, this week went by like a blur. And yet again, it is P-Day! Man the time goes by fast. 

The Work: 

The Work is hard here right now. We still don't have a church building, so you can imagine how that affects the teaching situations. The members are such great sports. If any of you Lao members are reading this right now, just know that we are praying for you every day. We love and support you. God has not forgotten you. He will never forget his children in Laos. You mean the world to him. We (the Elders) all love you as well. For all of you at home, we would appreciate your prayers for the members in Lao. In General Conference, one of the apostles talked about "the freeze" somewhere in Africa... that is a very similar situation to what we have right now here in Laos. The work is difficult, but God will never forget his children. As we are patient, the Lord will work miracles here in Laos. We are visiting as many people as we can. I only have about 30 minutes to email today because we are visiting the members again today up north. So excited to see them. The Lao members show me what true discipleship is. They are truly loyal to their God. 

Sister Nuna got her mission call to Sydney Australia North mission! Congrats NUNA!!!

The Bottom Line: 

Teaching without a church is near impossible in Laos. But we will be ok :) 

The Culture: 

1. There are 2 big things coming up on Sunday and Monday. They have a big Buddhist holiday on Sunday, where (according to legend) fire literally shoots up out of the Mekong River from a giant fire breathing serpent that lurks in the river continually. Apparently there is legit fire that comes out so that will be on Sunday. On Monday, they have the boat races (imagine a big version of the East Coast boat races in Boston)...with a whole country watching. That is on Monday. All the English classes are canceled, and we will be going to watch the races!

When a student asks a question 

and we don't know the answer/can't understand them...lol

2. A big food staple here is fish. For those that didn't know, I prepared this fish dish with one of my favorite people in Laos. 

She is the mother of all the deaf kids (when I say mother I mean the general caretaker at the school). She radiates love. I love her dearly. She has taught me the most sign language out of everyone hahahahaha. She can't speak at all so it is fun to communicate with her through sign language (S/O to Jojo Savea). 

Cooking some sticky rice yummmmm

3. I ate sugar cane this week for the first time. Just break it off the pole, cut off the outside, and chew the cud on the inside to get the juice. DELICIOUS 

Such a classic Lao member-missionary photo. We love you guys!

4. The King in Thailand is dead...that is some big news. Really big news. Feel free to research it on your own if you like. That is all I will say. 

The Funnies: 

1. Elder Bouw found a 50,000 kip note on the road this week! We slammed on our breaks, and Elder Bouw got off his bike, ran and picked it up, and ran back yelling, "It’s a 50,000! 50,000 baby woohoooooo!" Hahahahaha it was a great blessing. Thanks God.

"Bae"

2. Quote from Elder Bouw as we were walking in to teach English class: "Things I need to buy today: Some bread, I need to put air in my tires.. and then buy an AC unit for the whole world." Hahahahahaha. 

Ever felt like this before?

Spiritual Thought: 

Today I want to talk about our connection to Heavenly Father through prayer. I think most of us understand that prayer is the way we communicate with our Heavenly Father. But how often do we feel connected to the conversation? In conference this last week, one of the apostles asked us this question: "When is the last time you felt that connection with heaven?" This question pierced me to my very soul as I had the opportunity to re-evaluate my prayers with my Heavenly Father. I am happy to note that the last time I felt "the connection" was last night. I am trying to make more of a connection with my Father in Heaven through sincere prayer especially in this time of hardship. God will never forget his people. I would encourage you to do the same, and to re-establish that connection with heaven if you do not have it already. For after all, God never forgets his people. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Thank you for your prayers. We sure need them. 

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs