Hey Fam and Friends! Elder Sharp here. Crazy past week (as you could
probably tell from the title of my email). On Tuesday, me and E. Raven
had to go up to Nong Khai to interview a couple of people for baptism.
On our way back, we got the call about transfers, and oh boy, we were
not expecting what hit us. Both me and E. Raven would be moving and
they would be white-washing our area. Crazy! We white-washed when I
came in, and now they are doing it again two transfers later. Sis.
Carper and Sis. Yaowaret (this sisters in our branch) would also be
white washing, so Udon Branch 1 got four new missionaries. The Lord
works in mysterious ways. They also opened up a second area in Nong
Khai, which was pretty cool. It was a shock though, getting the news
that I was leaving. I was about 90% sure I was staying, so whenever we
had been saying good bye to people this last week, it was always E.
Raven saying it "for the last time." Kind of a bummer for me! But it
turned out ok. Tuesday night, we went and taught English class in
Kumps. I was really sad to say good bye to that, because it was
starting to do so well (we had 25 people). And saying goodbye to the
Kumps members was sad, I had some good friends there. We went back to
Udon that night so that we could start getting our stuff together.
Wednesday was pretty much just packing, running errands, paying bills,
and making sure the house and area book were good to go when the new
Elders got there. That night, we all met at the church to wait for the
bus that was going to take us to Bangkok. A bunch of members and
recent converts and investigators came to celebrate, take pictures,
and see us off. It was so sad having to say goodbye to them!
Especially Tugta, Nooy, and Nadin since I helped them get baptized.
Can't wait to go back after my mission and talk to them. Pres. Sxa and
Bro. Jack (ward mission leader) were also hard to say bye to. We got
on a bus at about 11 and headed out, getting into Bangkok around 7. It
was a sweet transfers meeting, because Pres. Senior didn't tell anyone
who was training, District, or Zone leader until about an hour before,
so it was a shock for everyone. E. Raven in training again! (Good luck
man). During the meeting, Pres. Senior had a big projector that would
show the area you were going to serve in, a picture of you, and a pic
of your comp. I was near the end, so the suspense was killing me.
Finally it came! I'm in a city called Buriram in the southern part of
the Isan. It's about half-way in size between Udon and Kumps. My
companion's name is Elder Segura. He's from LA area in Cali, and he's
legit! I'm really going to enjoy working with him. I'll send you a pic
next week. We are both loving Buriram. We're white-washing this area
as well, so it's an adjustment for both of us. Church yesterday was
great (and I get to be the pianist again. Oh boy). We've just been
trying to get to know some of the members and investigators the past
couple of days, and then we'll hit it hard this week. The house is
good. Smaller than Udon, and quite a bit cleaner which is nice (and I
actually have a bedframe!). I'll give you more details as they come
next week. P.S. Apparently Buriram has the best soccer team in
Thailand, so that's pretty cool I guess. I'll have to get myself a
jersey.
Well, better get going. Love you all!
Love, Elder Sharp
Hello Fam and Friends! Sawadii Khrab! How is everyone? It sounds like
you had a fantastic week, as did I. This week flew by...again. What's
new? This transfer has gone by way faster than the first one. A lot
happened this week. I don't know if I'll be able to go day by day and
cover everything, so I'll just stick to the major events. So about Um.
Tuesday morning, she called us and asked if we could teach her at the
church right then (it was about 11:00). We biked over there and taught
her about the Restoration. She asked a ton of great questions, and
Pres. Sxa helped us explain some stuff. He is probably the best
teacher I know. He's 28, the District President, and is in charge of
the Church Education System in the Isan and northern Thailand, along
with being a Seminary and Institute teacher. So great. Anyway, while
teaching her, it really made me realize how much more appealing this
church is than a lot of others. She told us how she had looked at some
other Christian churches and what they taught about. Every church
teaches some good things I guess, but our church is really the only
one that focuses on being happy in this life and the next,
particularly with our families. I'm so grateful for that knowledge,
and couldn't imagine my life without our great family. Anyway, after
we finished the lesson, the bad news came. She was moving back in with
her mom that day...in Nong Khai. I was so sad, I really wanted to keep
teaching her. But the good thing is that she still wants to keep
learning with the other Elders up there, and since they're in our
District, I'll be able to find out if she's progressing. Tuesday
night, we went to Kumps to teach English. 21 people (and that's
without a few of our regulars)! It's growing well, and will continue.
Thursday, I switched off with Elder Wright, and worked in my area. We
had a couple of lessons flake on us which was a bummer, but all
around, it was a good day. He's my Phii's Phii (2 groups ahead of me),
so he's only on his fourth transfer. Working with him made me realize
how fast my language is growing. I'm still not super-great, but I can
function. At 1:00, we met with a lady named Mew, and she brought her
sister. They're both in their late 30's or early 40's. We explained
prayer and the importance of the Book of Mormon and challenged them to
read it. I think Mew is going to be an awesome investigator (not sure
about her sister). We met a second time on Saturday and taught the
Restoration, and she seems totally receptive to the message. She came
to church for about 15 minutes, then left, I think because her little
boy was being so wild. I hope she keeps learning and growing. That
night, we taught Taam. He still smokes everyday. We challenged him to
pray every time he has the urge, please pray for him. Friday, we
switched back, and all 6 Elders went to Sizzler. Yes Mom, we do enjoy
going to eat some American food sometime haha. We actually go fairly
often, usually when we're celebrating something or whatever. The main
reason we go is for the all you can eat Salad bar. It's not as good as
back in America, but it'll do. Saturday was very eventful. We got up
early and made our way out to an investigators house by 8:30. We had
to take a Songtaw out about 30 mins., walk for 20, hike over some tall
train tracks, and walk about 10 more. But it's worth it! The guy's
name is Chai. I don't know if I've mentioned him before. We met with
him a couple times when I first got here, but then dropped him for a
bit because he was always busy. But we had a good lesson with him
about the Gospel of Christ. The only problem is church attendance. He
wants to come, but works on Sundays. That's probably the most
frustrating excuse. Work on Sundays kills. I wish people could just
realize that Heavenly Father will take care of them if they faithfully
keep the commandments. Then we went back to the church and met with
Mew (as I mentioned). We stayed at the church pretty much the entire
rest of the day helping the branch get ready for a celebration they
were having for...the Thai Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day Momma! I
love you! Anyway, we got to be in a special production of the battle
between the Lamanites and the Army of Helaman (as you will see in the
attached Pics). I was a lamanite warrior. It was a good time. Sunday
was the best! 6 new members between the two branches, and 6 new
members in Heavenly Father's Kingdom! The service was awesome, and
they all looked so happy! I couldn't have asked for two better
investigators. Today is just chill. Probably gonna clean the house a
little in preparation for transfers! I really hope I stay in Udon. I'm
finally getting comfortable here and loving the branch. I think that's
what'll happen, I'll find out tomorrow. I'm excited to see who my new
comp is. I'm not a greeny anymore (or won't be at least in 3 days)! I
had a great time with E. Raven, and I'm ready for the next chapter in
my mission.
Love you all! The church is true!
Elder Sharp
Sawadii Khrab Family and Friends! How is everyone? I'm doing great
here in Udon Thani. Do I even have to say it? This week flew by once
again, but a lot got done. Monday, we didn't do much. Just went to the
mall and ate at Sizzlers, then back to the house where I took a nap.
It was much needed. Tuesday, we went around and invited for a little
bit, then decided to go and visit Nong. We talked to her for a little
bit and tried to get a feel for her interest in learning. I think
she's interested, but scared at the same time. She pretty much refuses
to meet at her house because her husband and the rest of her family
are mega-Buddhist (like 95% of everyone here) and don't like the idea
of learning about Christianity. We tried to get her to make an
appointment to meet at the church, but she said she just didn't know
what her schedule would be like. We're going to keep trying to get
her, but it's a tough situation. After we met with her, we headed up
to Kumphawapi and invited for a little bit. We didn't have much
success unfortunately, but we had English class that night. We had 15
people! I know that's not a ton, but it's six more than we usually
have, and I think it's going to continue to grow. The bad thing about
it is that we can never get any members to come to the classes, so we
can't teach them. We always have people committed, but they always
back out or just don't show up. So frustrating. We'll keep at it
though. The members are great, they just need a little practice. That
night, we paid a truck 200 baht to take us to the hotel. We were
originally planning on taking a Tuk Tuk that we across while walking,
but we had a feeling that the guy was drunk, so we asked his friend
(who came along) what they had just been doing. He just gave me a big
grin and said "Drinking alcohol, duh." So that plan was out the
window. We had them drop us off at 7-11 and then asked the guy in the
songtaw (truck) to take us out there. It was the same price, and much
faster, so we're going to try to do the same thing every time. We
stayed in the nice hotel again. Yes Brooke, the mission pays for
travel expenses and stuff like that. We have a budget, so when I say
I'm house money leader, it means I have to keep track of where the
money goes, send in reimbursements, and pay bills. It's not too bad,
but it's annoying when the other Elders say "I'm not sure how much it
was, maybe around 100 baht, so just give me that." Yeah, not
happening. Anyway, Wednesday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel,
went back to Udon and studied then went to lunch with the other Udon
Elders and the Nong Khai Elders who were down for District meeting. We
ate Isan food. That's what we usually get when we're together. (The
Isan is the big Eastern chunk of Thailand). It's really hot, but some
of my favorite. I just hope I can find some when I get home. We had
district meeting with the Zone Leaders at 3, and at 5 we had our
investigators come for their baptismal interviews. Nadin passed! Taam
and Nooy didn't. They both just had some stuff they needed to clear up
first. Taam can get interviewed again in two weeks, and Nooy got to
have another interview on Sunday with a member of the Mission
Presidency...and passed! Nadin and Nooy will both be baptized this
Sunday. Pray for Taam to get there! Thursday we did switch-offs. I was
with Elder Maples in my area. It was a solid day. I always learn a lot
when I work with him. We taught Tugta an RC lesson, then we switched
back to our original companions for a couple hours to do weekly
planning. At 4, we got a call from a girl asking for help with her
English homework, since she knew we taught it. We met her at the
church and helped her out a little bit. Then we started talking about
religion with her. Right then, another girl we didn't know pulled up
on a scooter. We figured she'd be asking about English, but she was
all religion. We gave them both Book of Mormons and ended up talking
to them both for almost an hour and a half because they just kept
asking questions. It was awesome! Their names are Nun (homework girl)
and Um (other girl). Later that night we taught Nooy and helped
prepare her for her new interview on Sunday. We both knew she'd be
fine. Friday was ALL inviting. Long day, and we only got two short
lessons out of it. Those are the tough days, but you gotta put in the
work to bring about miracles. That's one lesson that I'm learning out
here. Work brings about miracles. If we aren't willing to do our part,
we aren't going to get anything. The cool thing is, I think miracles
come a lot of the time even when they aren't directly related to the
"work" you put in. For example, I think the Nun and Um were a miracle,
and we didn't even do anything to meet them. But we'd been working
hard, and were being rewarded for our efforts. That's how the Lord
works. Work = Miracles. Luckily, I learned from the two hardest
workers on the planet. Thanks Mom and Dad! Saturday, we got to meet
with Um and actually teach her. We reintroduced the Book of Mormon and
Prayer, and I think she is totally willing to read and pray. She even
asked us if she could come to church the next day. She's golden! That
night we met with Nadin again and set up her baptism. Pres. Sxa was
there and "suggested" I sing a solo hymn at the baptism, so now Nadin
is all about it. Not happening. I'm not that brave ha. Sunday was
good. 23 people in Kumps, not sure how many in Udon. Um came though!
And I think she really liked it. We got to meet with a black guy that
we'd met a couple of times named Stephan. He's from the Bronx (go
Yankees) and isn't sure about his religious beliefs. Hopefully we can
show him the truth. That night, we headed to Nong Khai. Today, we went
to a really cool Wat (pictures attached), now we're just chillin in
Udon.
Love you all!
Well, gotta go. The church is true!
Love, Elder Sharp
Dear Family and Friends,
Once again, this week FLEW by (even though it doesn't seem like it to
you Brooke)! Yes Car, I'm almost 5 months through my mission. It's
going by so fast, but I'm making a lot of good memories. This week was
a good, and very busy one. I'll try to remember everything that
happened. On Monday, we went down to Kumphawapi to see the monkeys,
and it was quite an experience. There was a monkey sitting right by me
watching Elder Maples hand out peanuts. I touched him with my foot (a
touch, not a kick), and he didn't really seem to like that. Then a
couple minutes later, Elder Thomas starts walking away, and the monkey
attacks him! He got a little bite on his leg, so he ended up having to
go to the hospital and get rabies shots. Whoops! Sorry man (but I
don't think the touch made him bite. I just think he was a crazy
monkey). Tuesday we went to Kumphawapi again to invite a little and
teach English. We didn't have much luck inviting, but we did get to
meet with Pa. She started telling us about her life and her husband,
and I guess she's had it pretty rough. I just hope she can realize the
blessings that come from the Gospel, because I know that it can make
her happier. It was annoying though, we had to cut the lesson short
because the member just got up and walked out, so we couldn't finish.
Lame. That night we taught another good English class. We only had
nine people again, but we hung a big tarp sign on the church fence on
Saturday, so we should have a lot more people tomorrow. Tuesday night
we stayed at a pretty nice hotel, and had a complimentary breakfast in
the morning. I never thought toast with butter could taste so good
(butter is really expensive, at least for missionaries). Wednesday, we
went and tried to visit some people we haven't seen for a while. We
went to Fon's first, but we couldn't see her. Apparently she had to
get her appendix out or something, so she's been recovering for a
while. Pray for her! Then we went to Tik's. She let us in and we sat
down and talked for a little bit. She said the reason she hasn't been
coming to church is because she sells stuff out of her house, and if
she's not there when a customer comes on Sunday, they'll go somewhere
else. We tried to tell her that God would take care of everything if
she kept the commandments, but she wouldn't budge. We'll keep trying
though! Then the Sisters called us and asked if we could go give a
blessing to one of their investigators who had been sick for a few
days. She was about 15 years old, and not only did she look very sick,
but also very sad. It about killed me. She said she'd just been
praying and praying and didn't know what to do anymore. I'm so glad
and grateful that we have the Power of the Priesthood and have the
ability to exercise it to help these people. It was an awesome
experience. I asked Sis. Carper about her the other day, and she said
she'd gotten a little better, hopefully her recovery continues. Pray
for her! That night we taught Nooy and Nadin (I'll talk about them in
a minute). Thursday, we got up at 4:00 a.m. so that we could be down
to Khon Kaen for Zone Conference by 8. Elder Thomas had to practice
the piano. I was beat, but it was an awesome meeting. Pres. Senior
honestly could not be better. He taught a lesson on Faith and the
importance of it in missionary work. Like I said last week, you can't
teach without the Spirit. And you can't hear the Spirit's promptings
without Faith. Faith is the most fundamental principle of Christ's
Gospel. Without Faith, nothing else matters. I've been trying to
exercise more Faith lately, and will continue to. I encourage all of
you to do the same. After all the meetings were done, the Pres. had to
interview everyone, and we were some of the last, so we didn't get
home until about 9, so we just got ready and went to bed. Friday, me
and Elder Whitaker (from Nong Khai) did switchoffs in my area. It was
a good day, and I learned a lot from him. At about 4, we were at the
house figuring out some bills and money stuff (I'm house money leader,
and it's quite annoying). I got a call from Pres. Senior, and he gave
me and E. Whitaker an assignment. We had to stay with the Sisters the
rest of the day because I guess the crazy (supposedly dangerous)
husband of one of their (former) investigators wouldn't stop calling
them, and he wanted us there in case he showed up or something. So we
had to stay at our house for a few hours while they were at there's.
At 5, the other Elders stayed there while we went and taught Nadin and
Taam, then we switched back. It was crazy day. Saturday, we went to
Kumps again. Just inviting, nothing real big happened. We weren't able
to meet with Pa, and she wasn't at church yesterday, which was a major
bummer. Sunday was pretty chill. Just a good day to focus on the Lord.
We still aren't getting many investigators. Taam, Nooy, and Nadin are
really our only solid ones. Pa hopefully will be, but it's still a
little too early to tell. But like I said, those other three are
SOLID. They all have baptismal dates for the 12 of Aug.! And I think
they are all ready. E. Raven taught Taam yesterday and he said he is
doing awesome. I taught Nadin and Nooy (we did some switchoffs with
members), and they are both great too. We're going to meet with Nooy
one more time tonight, and then they are all getting interviewed on
Wednesday when the Zone Leaders are up here for District Meeting. Pray
hard for them! The 12th is going to be one awesome day, because we
have 3 people, the Sisters in our branch have one, and the other
Elders have two. 6 new members in one day! How awesome would that be?
I'll let you know how the interviews go next week. The language is
coming along really well. It felt really good teaching Nooy and Nadin
by myself yesterday, I just have to remember to slow it down and speak
clearly and loudly (gosh, that's always been a problem of mine).
Everything else here is good. Rainy season (bleh). We got clearance to
move houses, too! I'm so stoked. Our house is alright, but it's too
big and too hard to maintain. So we looked at some townhouses where
the senior missionaries live, and I think we're going to jump on them.
Gotta go, Love you all. The church is true!
Elder Sharp
