New Beginnings

September 25th, 2018
16th month,  1st week
Thailand, Bangkok, Thonburi Ward

samuel.montague@myldsmail.net (I would love to hear from you)

So this has been a crazy crazy crazy time since I last emailed. On Monday, I had the day planned down to the last detail because I had so much to do to prepare to leave.  Te highest priority was getting new luggage. If y'all remember from way back when, my duffle bag ripped and I patched it up real special, not so surprisingly it ripped again. And my main luggage piece was a little small and it also started to tear. So I just went and I got a new set - it's a hard outer case set. I'm so happy with them.

Tuesday was my last regular day with Elder Walker. Makes me so sad, he is definitely amongst my favorite companions. He is so charitable and loving; he has such a great enthusiasm and positive spirit, he conducts himself in a way that the Spirit is always there.  He is just so encouraging and works so hard.  This past week has been a little bit of a blur. I taught my last English class in this area, and that was okay. We went out to eat dinner with a member, and we ended up making her (she's an RM) teach us a lesson- way good for her. Unfortunately, President Hammond called us twice during this lesson and we did not notice. So it turns out they were waiting on giving us our transfer calls for the entire district trying to get through to us. Not too much later, we ended up picking up the call, and I got the news.

I am opening an area and training. 

I was shocked. These past 3 months in the office have involved a lot of time not engaged in "regular" missionary work, but doing various tasks and administrative things that need to be done so the mission will run smoothly. Which is good and all, but I also feel like I have forgotten a lot of being a regular missionary. And I'm starting from almost nothing in the new area. I'm going into an area that already has an elder and a sister companionship, but I am going with nothing in my area book. Nobody to work with. We have to go learn the area our self. It's going to be another new challenge for our new companionship.  

What was left with Tuesday evening was spent packing.  And then we left for the airport. With everything else that was pressing on me for the transfer it took the Greenies forever to come in - we waited over 2 hours. I drove there and back, and I'm actually feeling a lot more comfortable with driving again. But this was the first time that I brought more than one or two other people in the car.

As usual after Greenies arrived in country, we spent all day with the them.  We went to Lumpini Park, there were various meetings, we had to take them around to different places, there was lunch (some delicious Thai food), dinner was a beautiful spaghetti dinner at the Hammonds, and it was just a full crazy day. Normally, we have a little bit of free time throughout the day at various points, but we didn't even have that. There was a big list of things that we had set aside for us to do during those "free" times that we did not get to. Oops. That night, I finished packing a lot faster than I thought possible,then I wrote in friendship books - which is like a combination of a scrapbook and journal that companions and district members will fill out for a missionary. This is also prime time for me to reflect and I experienced some nostalgia. I am unexpectedly sad and I'm going to very much miss this area.

But I'm out! Cash me into Thonburi - how bout dat.

I am opening Thonburi 2 with Elder Isaiah Benjamin Wegwitz,  hailing from Herriman, Utah. He had dabbled in the Icelandic language, spent some time teaching himself computer programming, wants to be a neurosurgeon, has come straight out of high school, and is the same age as my younger brother Matthew (this is reallyๆ weird to think). I am the oldest one in my district, both physical age and mission age. I am a transfer 11/16, which is surreal to think about. My mission is so close to finishing - it's weird. The sisters who composed a majority of my MTC group are actually จบing this transfer and next. 

But until then, I'm jumping back in the thick of things. Elder Wegwitz and I have been tearing it up here, just trying to go out and get as many new  people learning with us as we can. We made a pretty high and lofty goal, and on Sunday we needed seven more people to accomplish that goal. And so we set out with determination and trusting in the Lord and we did it. It was hard, it was not easy at all, but we did it. The other Elders have also been awesome and helping us out sharing some of their investigators who have been progressing towards baptism.  In addition they have given us some recent converts to work with and watch over and they suggested some members for us to work with.

Honestly, between our now 3 hours of study, regular missionary activities, a few appointments that the other Elders have shared with us, we haven't had enough time to go out and invite! It's weird, this is the one thing that for the most part I dread doing, but I have a plan to go out and visit the clusters of members. And we haven't had the time to actually go out and do that. Hopefully we'll be able to do it this week; as we have set a goal for ourselves for new investigators taking lessons which is higher that we currently are.  

This is a very exciting time to be up and about, working hard in Bangkok. The Temple is coming, and we are preparing the way. The demolition should hopefully be happening soon, and they have a goal for the groundbreaking to be the first of the new year. None of these dates are official, but we're going to try our hardest to help work towards these dates. This people need to be ready to fill the temple with workers and take out their ordinances.  The feeling is much like when the saints were building the first temples in Ohio and Nauvoo.

For those that are reading this that don't know, we believe temples are the sacred house of the Lord, after having been consecrated and dedicated and set apart as such. just like the temples in the Old and New Testament, they're special places of worship where we are able to make covenants with the Lord. It is places where we are endowed with power from on high. They're truly special, and we have the opportunity of receiving these blessings.  And now Thailand and Southeast Asia is getting a more convenient location to do so allowing members that have been unable to travel. We here are all excited for it!