Blessed are the little children!

Monday, May 8, 2017 

(Mea culpa on the late post - Love, Mom)

With some of the young men!

The Work: 

This week was fantastic! Here in Lao, as representatives of Deseret International Charities (DIC), we have the blessing of attending what we call "turnovers," which is where DIC has built some sustainable water towers along with bathrooms and has donated them to the school. We get to celebrate the event with the children. It is the elders job to entertain them, dance with them, laugh with them, hug them, and show them Christlike love. That is easy to do, since these children literally come from heaven. I love my job! 

Elder and Sister Jensen with Elder Cheney

The school girls dancing for us 

It was a pleasure this week to meet our new friend Brother Hollis Hunt! Brother Hunt is the father of my dear friend Elder Hunt (a former companion). He stopped in Lao, and we grabbed some food. He attends the Lao-Thai ward (in SLC), and I can't wait to visit when I get home from my mission. Thanks for the good times Elder Hunt! You are always welcome!

Getting started up on English classes soon! We gave out a placement test this last week. 

The Culture: 

Away from much of the bustle of the city of Vientiane lay quaint towns full of farmers. These are some pictures of their children. All schools are uniform. Always. 

This little one stuck with me the whole day. He had his little bag and his little eyes kept looking at me. I finally asked him his name and asked if I could take a picture with him because I thought he was very handsome. He agreed... probably never seen a camera in his life. I wish you could see his smile...but I think he was more fearful that my eyes were blue. Probably the first person with blue eyes he has ever seen. Till we meet again my little friend!

The Funnies: 

While we were eating lunch with some English students this week, they were asking about snow in America. They asked if you can eat snow. I responded and said, "Of course you can but not the yellow snow!"... Elder Cheney and I were the only ones who laughed. I quickly realized they didn't get the joke. I explained and they all laughed hahahaha. They thought it was the funniest thing..."Yellow snow!"...they kept saying hahahahaha.

We spent some time with Yale Layton, a new addition to the ward. He works for the American Embassy here in Vientiane and just moved here a couple of months ago. He is so much fun, and we went golfing together this last week! What a funny guy! But the funniest part was that when we went to his house, it had American furniture and style and everything... then I walked into the living room and my feet recognized something I had not felt for a long time.... CARPET. I quickly sank to the floor practically doing a snow angle in the carpet. It felt good. Brother Layton was probably like, “Wow.... this elder is really strange.” Hahahaha. 

Brother Layton giving Elder Cheney some tips on golfing. Pretty sure Elder Cheney is a natural at golfing... it was his first time, and he golfed way better than I did. Hahahah great job man! (Having an awesome coach helped. Thanks Yale!)

It was fun to spend time with Rob Stevenson and his wife Alison this week as well. HUGE shoutout to them for a delicious meal and even better company. Also...they introduced me to shooting some gas powered air soft guns. Boy I am a terrible aim, but we had a good time! 

Trying on some traditional Hmong clothes with Sister Lily's mother and brother, along with her cousin. Hope you get this picture somehow Sister Vue. I think you will laugh hahahahaha!

Spiritual Thought: 

The saints in Lao have been very patient and very faithful to the Church in times of uncertainty. The Church has been doing everything legally with the government to get a church building. Day after day, we get closer and closer. There is too much to explain, and I don’t know if I can disclose a lot of what is happening because of liability reasons, but the Church is very close! In no time at all, we will be able to teach and baptize. The members in Lao keep everything going by their faithful commitment to follow the Savior. When I think of my dear friends, I think of Helaman 3:35: “They did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility.” These faithful members have been keeping their tithing, waiting for the day to pay it for almost 6 months, finally getting a chance to receive those blessings.  At times, many of us may have thought, “Where is God in all of this?” As these faithful members prayed continually, they became “firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” Not everything is according to our plan. Sometimes we have to wait a long time to see the blessings that come from living a righteous, Christ-centered life. Brothers and sisters, I have seen the power of prayer manifest in this small country. The people are poor, but their spirits are powerful. The Lord will always succor his people in their infirmities. These humble people of Lao have changed my life. For me, they are the epitome of people who “yield their hearts unto God.” Oh my dear friends, how I want to be like them. Many of you back home have prayed and pleaded with the Lord for the people of Lao. It brings great joy to my soul that so many care about so few. 

A little group of disciples in Lao is supported by many members across the globe not only in spirit, but with tithing money as well. It is because of tithing and faithful members all around the world that we can purchase a building. From the bottom of my heart I thank you brothers and sisters. Great things are about to happen in Laos. The work is always moving forward. And things are about to get really exciting! Forward ever, stopping never.  May we yield our hearts unto God continually that we may see the blessings that are prepared for us in heaven is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

If you had an hour....

My dear friends, if you had an hour free in Utah, what would you do? Would you choose to surf Facebook, get some gardening done, visit a friend maybe? Our time is such a precious gift. It is for this reason that I would like to type a little about spending our time wisely (see Spiritual Thought section).

The Work: 

Things are about to start up here in Laos with a new semester of English classes opening up. We start teaching every day, and for the first six weeks we have a “turnover” - which is where DIC donates and builds water towers along with bathrooms. The students all gather, and they have an assembly and banquet in our honor. What a fun time to play with the kids! So look forward to fun photos next week! The members are doing well, still hanging on to have Sunday School and priesthood classes at church. Not there yet, but we are close. Elder Cheney – doing well as always. What a solid missionary!

Elder Cheney and his x-ray. He is going to be totally ok. No worries family and friends - Elder Cheney is totally fine. Everything is worked out :) 

Visiting some investigators. Great family! Great food! 

You can't help but fall in love with this little city.

Spent the day in Thailand with Elder Brooke. Had a great time! He is such a great missionary. It was such a fantastic opportunity to learn from him. Great guy!

So fun to see my dear friend Elder Ellis (same MTC group) 

when we went to Udorn this week for Elder Cheney's thumb. 

The Culture: 

Artsy pic... me and my sick ride (black sabbath). 

I may not have a car or a Segway... but the bike gets the job done :) 

Thailand and Laos are known for their massages (actually all of Southeast Asia). You will walk down almost any street here in Vientiane and see many massage parlors. You have to know which ones to go to though, or you might end up in a bit of an awkward situation (not good stuff). But, today, for the first time on my mission, I took advantage of the professionals around me, and totally got a foot massage. Ohhhhh it was heaven. Sign me up for next week.

Bamboo soup :) 

The Funnies:  

Pretty dry week… Elder Cheney and I are pretty pooped. (ทองเสียหลาย)

???? Do they have this in America now or something?

Spiritual Thought: 

I don’t think we come to fully understand our blessings that surround us until we don’t have them in our lives. Such has been the case for me as a missionary here in Laos. The rhetorical question I asked at the beginning of the entry, “If you had an hour… what would you do?” sprung into my head last night as Elder Cheney and I talked about the blessings that come from living a gospel-centered life. Think about it for a second… if you had an hour… some might choose to get updated on the latest Facebook posts, while others might choose to read the newspaper. Some may sit down to watch a football game, while others might pour over a favorite author’s new book. Do we realize how much of our free time can be spent lifting others? Spiritually and physically, I understand that sometimes we feel spent. We need a break! This life is too much GO GO GO. May I suggest just one thing we can do?

Go to the temple of the Lord. I live within 30 minutes of a few. I could actually go to the house of the Lord.

I realize that my life revolves around being a missionary right now. And I understand that some of you are sitting there reading this going, “This is all well and good Elder Smith-Driggs… but my life is just simply too busy to go to the temple. Maybe you can because you are a missionary. You don’t have to work a full-time job; you don’t have to pinch and save for college; you don’t have to raise 3 kids, etc. I can’t fit it all in.” Well, maybe you are right. But I have learned as a missionary that amidst the tumultuous times we live in, the things that will bring us the most happiness are our God and our family. If we don’t have enough time, we need to make time. The temple fits in both God and family. A win-win, if you ask me! We live just minutes away from several of God’s palaces on earth. Millions of saints all over the world scrape and save until they can one day go to the temple… some taking lifetimes to do so. They understand the blessings and covenants at the temple are more holy than anything else in the world.  If you had an hour a day free…. I would hope that that time would be spent with the people you love most. Your God, and your family. To all of my family who is reading this, Mom, Dad, Eliza, Olivia, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents… I love you dearly. I wish I could phone you and hear your voice and have a conversation with you. My prayer is that we can simplify our lives to a more simpler, God-centered way of living. Please make sure that way of living includes the temple. It is what Daddy wants. 

Love the Lord and Laugh,

Elder Smith-Driggs

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

Humble Service from an Old Friend

Monday, April 24, 2017

The Work: 

Another week of hitting up almost every single member in the Lao branches we could physically go to. I love my job! 

This week we went to visit a man named Brother Khamwad. Now, Brother Khamwad has been a member of the LDS Church for many years. He is one of the pioneers here in Lao. He speaks English quite well! What does he do with his gift? He teaches a free class in his small village to all the children who will come. He has about 7 students. He pours his heart and soul into these students, working for hours each day to plan lessons, write grammar principles up on his chalkboard. He reviews his handmade vocabulary posters. When he finishes his class, he goes straight to the modern scriptures, translating the "Teachings of the Presidents of the Church." He has translated COMPLETELY the “Teachings of Joseph Smith” and the “Teachings of Lorenzo Snow.” He told me, "Elder Abraham, when I don't have anything to do, and it's a hot day, I sit in my chair and read and write and read and write some more. I want to learn from the Church. I love the Church." His faith is shown by his dedication to the Lord. We are all given blessings in this life, some have to work hard to understand what some of their spiritual gifts are. But it is my belief that it doesn't matter exactly what the gift is or whether we "have" it or not. It is what we DO with it that matters. In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn that God did not give us spiritual gifts for our benefit alone. Those gifts can only be acquired through helping others. Boy, does Brother Khamwad do just that. I know that the Lord is more than proud of this little old man. I respect and honor Brother Khamwad with all my heart. What a testament of dedicated service. Here are some pictures.

Brother Khamwad. Humble Servant of the Lord

The Culture: 

In the back of one of the vans headed up to visit a member, this woman popped a squat next to me and started to munch on some snacks. I asked what they were, and she held up some quail eggs. She offered me one. I accepted. As I peeled back the shell, I realized that when she meant quail eggs she meant it. A nice little quail fetus was chillin’ in the egg. I asked her how to eat it. She smiled and kindly told me to ,"Squeeze it out into your mouth." I did so. Not bad. Not good either. 2 years ago - no chance I would eat that. But I did yesterday. I am so grateful for change :) (Hope you aren't squirming at this Mom...) 

The Funnies: 

1. We were talking with Chandii and Lily, who recently returned from America. Lily went to get an eye surgery. We asked them about America, and this is what they said. (Keep in mind this is their first time out of 3rd world Lao going to 1st world America...we are so blessed.) 

• "There are roads and multiple lanes in the mountains! And lights in the mountains too!" 
• "Those old people must be really skilled they can ski... those boots they wore must be heavy. Very strong old people in Utah.” 
• "A washing machine for your plates? That's crazy awesome!" 
• "You guys go to bed late and wake up so late... the sun goes to bed so late too!" 
• "I like the snow, it was like fabric softener!" (I love that one) 

2. We were also helping Sister Buabai, who has just been called to serve in the California, Santa Rosa mission. She leaves in August! So excited for her. She is terrified because she knows no English! When I went online and showed her pictures of her mission, her eyes went wide and she said, "It is so beautiful and clean and fancy." As we sat down to work on her visa, I quickly realized that Sister Bua had never used a computer before. She was raised on a farm in the middle of Lao. We set up her email together, teaching her how to use the mouse... seeing her face as it lit up when she saw the mouse connect to the monitor... realizing that this was the "internet." She will have a lot to learn on her mission. It will change her life. She is so scared. But when I talked to her I said, "Sister Bua, I know you don't know how to do this right now. You can't use a computer very well. But I don't know how to plant rice. Can you plant rice?" She answered: "Of course can't everyone?" I replied, "No... it is very hard for me... I have to learn. But I can learn right?" She said, "Of course! I can teach you!" I replied, "The same goes for you and computers and English! You can do it Sister Bua. Think of it like planting rice!" She felt a little better after that, bless her heart. She has so much faith. It takes a lot of faith to do what she is doing. No one will speak her language when she goes to America. Calling out to anyone in that mission... please keep a good look out for my friend. She is scared - but you can all help her! 

Mom comment: I love it when people label and ask for the help they need.  Because of Elder Smith-Driggs telling us about Sister Bua, we contacted Ben’s best friend who lives where??? You guessed it - Santa Rosa, CA. He says the mission president, APs, and mission home are in his ward, and he is the ward mission leader.  So he will be very aware of Sister Bua from the outset and can help her. I love God’s tender mercies.

This week we biked 72 kilos (round trip) to visit some members. I liked the backpack sweat mark - hope none of you are grossed out. Good exercise. Felt good hahahahah.

Mosquito killer picture... classic

Elder Cheney doing his thing. #latenighttranslations

The Spiritual Thought: 

I have written a lot today, and God bless you if you have read it all. I realize it takes time to read these long emails. I can't tell you how much it means to me that people take the time to read about the Lao culture and about what I did during the week. Thank you. My humble prayer today is that we may all remember how blessed we are. Those in Thailand and those in America - we have it all. We have everything updated, new and improved. Our lives as far as living day-to-day are a peace of cake compared to what some of the Lao people do every day. I am NOT inferring that this has to do with spiritually "having it all." On the contrary, Heavenly Father has given us bodies to do our best with what we are given. He doesn't love the rich more...nor did he before the world started. We are accountable to God with the things we have been given. Let us magnify our calling. Let us be grateful for the many blessings the Lord has given us. I am grateful I live in the United States of America. Every country has problems, but I still sing the song of "I'm proud to be an American" every day. In fact, it is our alarm every day. We are so blessed, let us share that. Thanks brothers and sisters. I miss you and I pray for you. God bless you this week.

Elder Smith-Driggs

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

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. 

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs  

The Cure for Spiritual Overload . . . slow down.

Friday, April 14, 2017

The Work: 

This last week has been filled with trips to Bangkok to do more visa stuff. Very busy. Elder Cheney and I were surprised to see our dear friends from Myanmar at the AP's apartment! I want to thank Elder Young for his Snickers bar and tie that he gave me at midnight when he woke me up with a smile and a hug (hahahahahaha) as he rolled into the apartment with the rest of the Myanmar Elders. What a surprise! It was so good to see a dear friend, along with fellow MTC buddy Elder Krebs! Keep up the good work over there my friends. 

For those of you who don’t know, the Thailand Bangkok Mission covers 3 countries: Thailand, which speaks Thai and holds about 160 missionaries, Myanmar, which speaks Burmese and holds 8 missionaries, and Lao, which speaks Lao and currently holds 2 elders….. WE NEVER get to see our friends from Myanmar, as they are 2 countries away from us. You just have to accept when you get assigned to one of these countries you tend not to see very many other missionaries hahahaha.

The entire country of Laos has been anxiously preparing for the new year celebration (April 14-17), where everyone sprays each other with water and drinks a lot of beer and listens to very loud music. Quite a jolly time (except for the beer). Elder Cheney and I have been spending as much time as we can with the members. Quick story - Last week we took a trip north to visit a family (9 children/young adults) who are taken care of by 1 grandmother. The grandma, interestingly enough, is not a member. But she lets all of her 9 grandchildren/children she looks after go to church every Sunday with their oldest nephew (Brother _____) taking the lead. This faithful extended family each has their own Book of Mormon, which they read together during the week in their humble home. They come 1.5 hours to church every week as they catch the bus to Vientiane. As we shared our message, each individual child from ages 5 to 17 brought their individual B.O.M in Lao out to share their simple testimonies. They love the Lord. 

I am reminded every week here in this blessed country that you don’t need earthly possessions to be happy. Happiness comes from simplicity of lifestyle, one which is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I fear that too often we are faced with so many options and so many things that compete for our spiritual time, that we forget to put our hearts into the things that matter most. I think it would be accurate to note that in a country where people have so very little, to them that is enough, and they are happy with their standard of living. Happiness doesn’t come from a gift, nicely paved roads, whether or not your political party won the election, or if that certain stock option you invested in shot up… rather, it comes from those we care about most, doing the simple things. 

The Savior of the world, the master teacher and creator of the universe lives by very few rules. He was raised by a carpenter. He didn’t have an iPhone. He didn’t need one. He loved God and he showed it through his actions. And so it goes for the rest of us. An iPhone and paved roads are nice, but the Gospel is just a little bit better (in my opinion).

Good luck to Sister Lily in Australia! We are all cheering you on! Thanks again Mom for picking her up in SLC - what a miracle! Big S/O to Sister Amphai for following the Spirit as well and STAYING!

The Culture: 

Here in Lao, the most common shoe worn is the flip flop. They don’t wear tennis shoes when they go outside… it is the flip flop all the way. They have casual flip flops, work flip slops, dressy flip flops, all sorts of flip flops. Because it gets hot, people will just take their shoes off and sit crosslegged on a chair or on the ground and take a break for a little bit.

Vientiane is a very small capital city, with a strange charm. I was talking to Brother Sean Brown about it the other day. I can’t explain it adequately, but there is something about the small city of Vientiane that calls to all people. I think it has to be its wonderful people. As Elder Cheney and I spent a lot of time in Bangkok this week, I was reminded of how different the culture is. The people look way different (it’s because they do actually come from a different country/culture). And the culture is go go go - kind of like America, which is why most foreigners find Bangkok appealing, and a city like Vientiane to be… how do you put it...slow? Yes, that sounds right. Neither is “right,” but it is just a preference. Both are nice though. So grateful to be in this beautiful part of the world to experience these great cultures.

The Funnies:

1. Needless to say, Elder Cheney and I had a couple of big mess ups this last week… and when all seemed lost and we were stressed out, we looked at each other, took a big spoonful of peanut butter, said a prayer over it and asked for the Lord to give us patience, and then indulged. Peanut butter always helps me feel better hahahaha.

Mom comment: So does pizza and General Conference...

2. This last week I had something called a finishing mission conference. President Johnson likes to give the elders and sisters a meeting and talk about life at home before we all arrive home. He Skyped me in from Lao and Elder Krebs (in our same MTC group) in from Myanmar. As we said hello to everyone via Skype he grinned and said, “Well, it looks like we have all the countries here today! Welcome Elders, let’s get started!” I love President Johnson. He is a remarkable man!

3. We visited the _____ family who had prepared some treats for us. When we walked in, the little girl said, “Elders! Elders! We made this treat just for you! We literally just picked the potatoes and the pumpkins from the garden and they are boiling right now!”… that sounded intriguing. Hahhahaha it turned out like this (I quite enjoyed it!)

4. I was talking to President Khonsavan and told him that when he came to America, I would take him and his wife boating. These were their responses:

Sister Phut: YES that sounds great I have never been boating!

President Khonsavan: I can’t go boating Elder! I am terrified of the alligators!!!”

I quickly reassured him that there were no alligators in Utah reservoirs. Hahahahahahaha

#apatheticfaces

5. Elder Cheney and I are just too big for Asia. Even on the flights… our legs touch the seats. Darn.

6. I thought to take a picture of this woman who was very efficiently transporting a tree she was selling… all attached to her motorbike. #onlyinlao

7. So we are thinking of turning these fish tanks into the baptismal font when we get the church. President Johnson if you are reading this email, you can bet your bottom dollar Elder Cheney and I will gladly put the physical labor in and jackhammer that bad boy down until we can fix it up a little bit. It would look GREAT!!!

8. Elder Cheney ran so hard on the treadmill at the gym this week his knee hit the top of the treadmill (long legs hahahha) and it split right open hahahahaha. We are just too big for Lao.

9. We had one of our investigators (Brother ____) try to ride Elder Cheney’s bike. But as you can see in the picture, the seat goes up to his neck hahahahahahahah. Again, we are just too big for this country hahahahahaha.

Spiritual Thought: 

As Gary B. Sabin taught us so wonderfully in this last general conference, we need to “Follow the Creator, not the crowd.” So often I see signs of the newest technology, cars, entertainment, all competing for our attention. I never noticed it before my mission. I could sit down at my computer at BYU and adequately manage Facebook, twitter, Instagram, write an essay, chat with my friends, and snapchat my mom all at the same time. My goodness, I am surprised I even had time for my church calling. I am surprised my head didn’t explode. But I am certain that my head was on OVERLOAD. The Creator does not need to bang on our door loudly enough for us to hear him… he will wait until we give him the opportunity to be still and small. For he only needs a little space and time to get to us. The voice of the adversary and the things of the world are loudly calling our name from 1000 different directions. When left unchecked, these blessings of social media and other things we choose to spend our time with can wrap us into a web of disillusion and unnecessary busyness. My dear brothers and sisters, it is my prayer that we can simplify our lives and focus on the things that matter most. You don’t need me to tell you what they are, you already know deep within your hearts. You know deep down because somewhere in all of the noise, the Lord is silently waiting for you to let him in. We just need to take a long enough step back and spend some time alone with him. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-- 

Love the Lord and Laugh, 

ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ

Abraham Smith-Driggs