September 24, 2012

Hey everybody, Fam and Friends! Sawadii! How's it going? It's going
pretty good here in Buriram. It's transfer week. Crazy! This transfer
went by faster than the other two, easily. It seems like I was just
barely walking off the bus at 11:00 p.m. right into the face of an
elephant. We don't find out what's going to happen until tomorrow, but
me and Elder Segura both feel like one of us is moving. He thinks it's
going to be me, and that he could possibly train here (yikes! Buriram
is great, but kind of a tough first area for a greeny). I don't know
what to think. I could see myself moving, I could see him moving. And
I could see us staying together. Who knows? If I do move, I hope I get
to go and serve in Bangkok. Love the big city. I'll let you know next
week! This week was alright, got some good things done. Tuesday we
went and handed out a bunch of English flyers again, and....we got
four people at class! Kind of a joke, but whatever. It was four people
that had been several times, so they knew how the class went and it
was fun. It was the "English Slang" lesson. Thai people really love
slang ha. Wednesday was a looong one. We got up at 5, got ready, then
got on a bus at 6:30 to go to Ubon to have Zone Specialty Training. It
was cool to see some of the Elders there, especially Elder Bartling
(my comp from the MTC if ya don't remember). The meeting was really
good. We talked about "becoming" a servant/disciple of Christ. It
really put some things in perspective. We can go through the motions,
but if we don't really become, it doesn't make much difference. After
it was over, the Buriram elders, Surin elders, and Elder Bartling and
his comp went and got dinner at a farang (white person) restaurant.
Huge burgers, and pretty decent ones at that. Then we headed home and
got in around 9:30. 5 hours there, 3 hours meeting and eating, 5 hours
back. Long day. Thursday, we did switch-offs. Elder Adams came from
Surin to Buriram. We were able to get a lot of good things done. We
taught Ooy in the afternoon about the Sabbath Day. She didn't
understand some things, so it was good to clear them up. I also gave
her a new date! Oct. 25th. If she comes to church consistently, she'll
be able to do it. Church is the make or break. After that, we headed
to the Branch President's house. We went together to a neighborhood
and handed out fliers for a big activity that we were going to have
there tomorrow night. Then he took us to Mii's house and we taught
her. We reviewed the Restoration and the importance of the Power of
the Priesthood. She is so ready! I want her to get baptized so bad.
She reads and prays everyday, asks great questions, and has so much
faith. It's just her husband that is holding her back. We challenged
her to bear her testimony to her husband, so hopefully that softens
his heart. The next day we switched back after studies, and me and E.
Segura went to the activity at 4, which was when it was supposed to
start (and it was ending at 7). Nobody was there. Nobody showed up
until about 5:30 and the thing didn't even start until 7 (when it was
supposed to end). Super frustrating. That was a lot of time wasted
that we could have used. The activity was alright, but mostly it was
just little kids that showed up, so I don't think we're getting any
new investigators from it. Saturday, we long planned for a few hours,
then went inviting all day. We unfortunately didn't get any actual
lessons, but we got some phone numbers that we'll follow up on and
planted some seeds. Sunday was good. Ooy, Mii, and Toto all came to
church! Toto is Sis. Bad's 12 year old son. He is awesome. Comes every
week by himself, because he wants to. Sis. Bad just doesn't seem to
have much interest anymore. Super sad, but we'll keep in touch with
her. We're actually going to see her tonight and ask for permission
for Toto to get baptized, so I'll let you know what happens. P.S. Her
grandson is out of the hospital and doing well. Today is a chill day,
just hanging out at the house.
How's everything going at home? Oh, and when is daylight savings?
Crazy that September is almost over. Not going to lie, I'm gonna love
not having snow here ha. And I've almost been on my mission long
enough to have two General Conferences...now that's weird.

Well gotta go. Love you all! The Church is true!
Love, Elder Sharp

September 17, 2012

Yes! Go Utes! What a game that must have been!....ok, I'm good now.
Hey Fam and Friends! Sorry this is going to be kind of a short one.
Fast week, transfers in 10 days! We went to the Elephant Village today
(Mom, you would've loved it) in Surin, and didn't get back with much
time to spare. It's been an ok week, we did get some really good
things done. We finally got to meet with Ooy again on Saturday. We
reviewed the Restoration with her, and challenged her to go to church
the next day (she hadn't gone since I got here), and she did which was
awesome. We should be giving her a baptismal date. We also met with
Cartoon. Yes, Laur, sometimes it's good to drop investigators for a
bit, and that's what we're going to do. He just isn't keeping
committments and doesn't focus when we go and see him. Bummer,
hopefully what we planted leads to something in the future. My
favorite lesson of the week was with Mii. We went and taught her and
her daughter with the Branch President, and it was such a great
lesson! The Spirit was so strong. We talked about Faith, because she
felt like she didn't have that much. I used your idea, Laur. I listed
off a bunch of things she did consistently (read scriptures, prayed,
went to church, etc.) and explained that this is the way that we
express our Faith. If we didn't have faith, we wouldn't do those
things. It was kind of an enlightening moment for her, and really cool
to see. Then we talked about Baptism and gave her a date for the 30th
of this month. The downer thing is, she didn't come to church
yesterday (her daughter was sick) so we have to bump her back. But I'm
very confident she will make it. Other than that, it was pretty much
just inviting, inviting, inviting. We didn't get much at all, but
we're staying positive. Tuesday, we went on the university campus and
handed out a bunch of English flyers. So we were expecting a ton of
people at class. And on top of that, it wasn't raining, so we were
going to have our biggest group yet....we got 3 people. What the
heck?! Oh well. The two new girls who came both tried praying, so that
was good. Hopefully they come back and are interested in the Gospel.
The 20 kids actually did come again, but Sis. Rose taught them
upstairs (no parents).
Well, gotta go. Love you all! The Church is True!
Love Elder Sharp

September 10, 2012

Don't you agree?! Jordan Wynn is the best QB in the nation by far! Now
that we got that out of the way...Hello Fam and Friends! How are you
all? I'm doing pretty good here in Buriram. This transfer is flying
by! I'm on the fourth week. These next few weeks will probably fly by,
and then I'll be on my fourth transfer. Crazy! Anyway, this week was
so so. Buriram is a tough place to be a missionary. On Tuesday, we saw
Cartoon again. He, unfortunately, did not read or pray, although he
claimed he tried to a little. He just couldn't remember anything. Kind
of a bummer, I really hope he just tries. That's all anyone has to
do...just try with a sincere desire to know, and the Gospel would
change their lives. Wish everyone knew that. We're going to go and see
him today or tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that goes in my next
letter. We didn't get to see Ooy this week because she was out of town
until Thursday (and we had switch-offs that day), and then left again
for another few days on Friday. We didn't see Mii either. Tuesday
night, it was pouring, so only a few people were there when we started
English class. Have I ever told you how much Thai people hate the
rain? They absolutely despise it! They will do anything to stay out of
it, and that's one of the most popular excuses we here when they don't
come to church or a lesson haha. You'd think with how much it rains
(it pours EVERDAY, especially in the rainy season, which is right now)
that they would be used to it. Kinda funny. Anyway, we were letting a
couple new people introduce themselves at the class, and then come the
20 little kids marching in. It was actually pretty funny. Me and E.
Segura took the adults upstairs, and Sis. Rose and a member girl named
Dengmo (means Watermelon) taught the little kids. It was a good
lesson, hopefully we can get some investigators from it. Wednesday
wasn't a very good day. We went inviting and got nothing, and then
tried to visit some LA's, but none of them were home. It was a tough
day, but we're working hard at least. That night the Surin Elders came
over, and then me and Elder Hunsaker headed back to Surin that night
for switchoffs on Thursday. E. Hunsaker is a greeny on moves 1. I'm
only on moves 3. A 1 and a 3 together. Oh boy. We were nervous, but
had a pretty good day lined up, so I was excited too to be able to
lead. We taught a good lesson on the Restoration to a recent convert,
and then me, E. Hunsaker, the member kid that helped us teach, and the
RC all went over to another investigators house to teach her. We ended
up having a 1 hour discussion on prayer and faith. The girl tried to
argue that Christianity and Buddhism were both true (?), but the
members bore really good testimonies and I think the Spirit touched
her. Later that night, we taught a guy and his two sons about the Book
of Mormon. The guy was a little drunk, but his sons were totally into
it, and they were only like 12 and 10. Awesome lesson. That day was a
miracle. I felt like I could speak and understand really well. I know
for a fact that it was only through Heavenly Father's help that I was
able to do it. No matter what challenge we are faced with, if we rely
on Him, he will always be there to help us. Great switchoff. The next
day, E. Segura, E. Adams, and the Zone leaders came to Surin for
District meeting which was great, got some great tips for inviting,
and apparently Thailand is really close from going from 1 stake to at
least 3. Exciting news! Then me and E. Segura went back to Buriram
with the zone leaders. I went with E. Siperley (ZL) and the branch
pres. to visit a member, and then went inviting but didn't get
anything. Saturday was a long day. Basically just long planning. But
it was also a really sad day. We went to visit the hospital because
Sis. Bad's grandson has a murmur in his heart. That was one of the
saddest places I've been in. About 50 sick babies crammed into one
space. I hated it in there. I just wish I could help them all. Sis.
Bad's grandson will find out in December if he needs surgery. Sunday
was good in the beginning (church and sacrament). The afternoon was
not so good. Tried to visit, and nobody was home. So frustrating!
Please pray for this area! We don't have any really strong
investigators right now, and we haven't been able to find any lately.
Something's gotta give, right?  Just need to work hard, stay humble,
and trust in the Lord.
Sounds like everything is going great at home (Saturday doesn't
count)! Oh, and I've been out more than 6 months...wow. Really? One
quarter of my mission is gone, just like that. Crazy!
Well, gotta go. Love you all! The Church is True!
Love, Elder Sharp

September 2, 2012

Hey Friends and Family! How are you all? I'm doing a lot better. I got
over my sickness on Tuesday, and felt pretty good this past week. The
bad thing about sicknesses is that they spread. Which means Elder
Segura was down for a couple of days with the same thing I had. So it
was a pretty rough week once again. Tuesday, we taught Cartoon (yes,
you basically say it the same way, just put your tongue in between
your teeth when you say the "t"). We introduced the Book of Mormon and
tried to focus on the "questions of the Soul." We asked him what he
felt like the purpose of this life is, and he said it's to have
ambition, make a lot of money, have a big house, etc. But then we
asked him "Is any of that going to matter once we die?" He thought
about it for a minute then asked "Do we have to die?" Me and Elder
Segura laughed (and so did he) and then explained that yes, everyone
will eventually die. This made him think for a while, and then we
explained that Heavenly Father sent us here to make good decisions, be
a good person, and do the things that the Gospel of Christ teaches us,
so that we can have happiness in this life and for all eternity. This
seemed to make sense to him, I really hope the Spirit touched him. We
also read a little out of the Book of Mormon and challenged him to
read and pray about it, and he said he would. I hope he does! Pray for
him! That night we had English Class, and yes, the 20 (or probably
more this time) kids showed up again ha. They unfortunately didn't
bring their parents, but it was a fun class. Pretty soon we're going
to split into two classes, one for adults and one for kids. We
would've this week, but the priesthood holders in our branch who said
they would be there didn't show up (frustrating). Oh well, hopefully
tomorrow. Wednesday, we went over to Surin for District meeting, and
then back home. That's when E. Segura started feeling sick, so we
stayed there for the night. Thursday and Friday, he was really sick,
so we stayed at the house all day thursday and most of friday. It was
a bummer not being able to go and work, but I enjoyed the extra study
time. We have a bunch of old Liahonas and Ensigns at our house, so I
read out of a lot of those. I really liked one quote that I found in
an article titled "Voice of the Spirit" by Pres. James E. Faust in the
June 2006 Ensign was "Every moment demands that we choose, over and
over again, between that which comes from the Lord and that which
comes from the devil. As tiny drops of water shape a landscape, so our
minute-by-minute choices shape our character." Even though it's pretty
prevident that that is how life is, it never really hit me that way
until I read that quote. We really do have to choose to do the right
thing every minute of every day. We don't just wake up in the morning
and push a button that decides if we're going to do good or bad that
day, we have to continually choose. It's the small choices that truly
shape our character, because in reality, we won't make big drastic
choices (good or bad) unless we've been conditioned by the smaller
ones. I just really liked that. This week in my studies, I also liked
Alma 5:33-34. It tells that no one is excluded from the option of
salvation. And Alma 7:22-25. It explains our Duty as followers of
Christ. A "duty" is something more. Following Christ is actually more
than just an invitation. After everything he's done for us, it is our
Duty to follow him. Friday night, we went and saw a lady named Bad and
her daughter and son. They all had dates to get baptized last week,
but only the son passed his interview (he is absolutely awesome). The
other two just don't seem to care as much now. I think they were kind
of "converted" to the other Elders who were here before us, which is
really tough to deal with, and sad. I hope we can get them solid
again. Saturday, we finally got to do some solid missionary work
again. We went inviting for a while...with no luck. There were a
couple of people who seemed kind of interested, but they were "too
busy" to listen to us right then. But at least we were working hard!
That night, we went and visited the Branch Pres. He really is a great
guy, and cares about his branch. It's a small branch of only about 40
or so each week, so every member has a big impact. Sunday was great. I
"got" to play the piano again. And the Branch president had challenged
me to be the first person to bear my testimony, so I took him up on
it. It was a really good experience. I love this Gospel. After church,
we went home and did studies, then ate some lunch. at 4, we went
inviting. We got a lesson right off the bat with 3 college kids (1guy
and 2 girls). We did a simple explanation of prayer and left our
number with them. One of the girls seemed pretty interested, I hope
she calls us up and wants to learn more. We didn't get anything else
that night, but one of the members invited us to dinner, so we went
and there ended up being a bunch of members there. It was a really fun
time,  and good to get to know some of them a little better. I know
they can help the work progress if we encourage them and help them. We
didn't get to meet with Ooy this week, and she didn't come to church
because she was out of town or something. Major bummer, I think we'll
have to move her date up. Mii came to church, but left soon after.
She's good though. Me and Elder Segura have made the goal to try and
pound out at least 20 lessons this week, so we'll see how that goes.
Pray for us!

Well, gotta go. The Church is True!
Love, Elder Sharp

August 27, 2012

Dear Friends and Fam, Sawadii Khrab! How is everyone doing? I'm doing
pretty good here in Buriram (a lot better than I've been doing the
last few days at least). It's been kind of a rough past week, but as
always, there we had some bright spots too. Tuesday, we did switch
offs with the zone leaders. They had come late Monday night, so it was
cool getting to know them. Their names are Elder Thrap and Elder
Siperly. The next day, I was with Elder Thrap. Since we're
white-washing, we didn't really know any of our investigators yet and
hadn't set up any appointments, so we had to spend the entire day
inviting (it was really only like 4 hours because we had English class
that night, but that is still a long time to go inviting at one time).
It wasn't too successful, until we got into this one house. It was a
20 year old kid and his mom. They were both very open and very
accepting of the Book of Mormon, and the mom committed to read.
But...the kid moved backed to Bangkok and the mom moved back to
England this week (she's married to an Englishman). DANG! I was so
stoked to teach them. But at least we planted some seeds for the next
missionaries. Like I said, we had our first english class in Buriram
that night. It was fon tok yut (raining really hard), so only 5 of the
really dedicated adults showed up at 6:30. We were just about to start
when a truck pulls up in front of the church and literally 20-25 kids
piled out of the back. Apparently they had come from about an hour
away to learn, so that was really cool. We told them that next time
they had to bring their parents with them if they wanted to learn
(that really is a rule because they were all under 13), so hopefully
they think it's important enough to get it done. They were all really
well behaved during the class as well. Successful first English Class
in Buriram. The ZL's stayed that night too, and Wednesday we all
headed to Surin for District meeting (we have to go there because the
greenie, E. Hunsaker, has to get his 4 hours of studies done). I had
had a sore throat the night before, and I started to feel really
congested. By the time District meeting was over, it was hitting me
hard. Luckily I had some medication that I had gotten in the MTC when
I was sick, so that helped me get through the week. When we got back
to Buriram, we went and visited a lady named Ooy (she is already an
investigator). We had met her at English on tuesday, and she is
awesome. We didn't have a male there, so we could only visit, but we
gave her a date to be baptized on the 22nd of September. Kind of
shocked that the old Elders hadn't given her a date yet. Thursday, I
was still feeling really crummy, so we called Sis. Senior and she told
me to just stay home and rest. I felt so bummed out by not being able
to work! Friday I was feeling a bit better so we went out. We met a
guy named Cartoon (yes, that is his name) and his friend, Fan. They
were both pretty open. Fan is Buddhist, so it might be a little
tougher to get to her, but I think Cartoon is a really good potential.
Then we met with Ooy again. We talked about faith and prayer, and
focused on the love that Heavenly Father has for us. It was good
lesson. I was starting to feel pretty sick again though, and Elder
Segura said my eyes were really dilated, so we went home and rested
for a bit. That night, we went with the Branch President and visited
another investigator named Mii. We just introduced ourselves and got a
feel for her testimony. She said she doesn't have much faith, but she
definitely has more than she thinks she does. She'll be baptized
eventually, for sure. Saturday, it hit me hard again in the morning.
We called Sis. Senior again because she said she wanted updates. She
told me to either see the doctor if I thought it would help, or just
stay home for the day. I chose the latter. Once again, bummer that I
couldn't do anything. But I got some good rest and some good studying
done. Sunday was alright. It's always good to be able to partake of
the Sacrament. The Sacrament has so much more meaning to me ever since
I've been on a mission. I "got" to play the piano again (I really need
to learn some more hymns ha, but they're coming along. Yes mom, thanks
for making me take lessons at least for a little bit. I'm so glad I
have some piano experience). It was frustrating though, because
Sacrament meeting didn't start until about 9:15, because that's when
everyone showed up. Hopefully we can help this branch out. In the
words of E. Segura "it's kind of like we're baby-sitting them." After
church, we went back to the house to grab a bite to eat, then went
with a lady named Sis. Rose. She's from the Philippines, speaks great
English (because she teaches it here), and is a returned missionary as
well. She took us around and we visited some LA's. It's so interesting
to hear the stories of why they stop coming to church. It's like that
bit you shared with me, Mom. People get attached to callings or people
or whatever. Then once they're released or the people move away or
offend them, they go inactive. I'm sure it's the same in many parts of
the world. That's why it's important to get CONVERTED TO THE GOSPEL.
Callings are important, but it's still only a temporal calling. We all
really need to put our focus on the Eternal. That's what matters in
the end. Today, I'm feeling a lot better. I'm ready to get out there
and get Buriram going! We have a lot of potentials and I think it's
going to be great. Me and Elder Segura are doing awesome. We get along
and work really well together. We both have kind of the same sense of
humor, so it's a good time. But we also both know when it's time to be
serious. It's nice only having 2 Elders in the area. Helps us focus on
the work more. I'll send pics of us and our house next week.

Fam - Hope everyone is doing well. Love you!
Friends - Hope to hear from some of you soon. Love you all too!
Well gotta go! I love you all!
Love, Elder Sharp