Aug 19th for the US and Aug 20th for Thailand!! :)

251 days in the mission field!!

Dear Family and Friends:

Well, this past week was insane. As you may see, I'm emailing 2 days early. Because my pday has changed to Saturdays while I'm in my new area. I moved again already because I am now an Office Elder. It was an extreme shock to everyone because I'm really young in the mission to be an office Elder; but my companion from the MTC is training already; he's really young to be training as well. It's crazy how young the mission is getting. So, I figured I'd stay in Lopburi but I got taken out of Lopburi and put into downtown Bangkok in the office so my Pday has changed to Saturdays; so you'll need to send your emails by Friday night. 

Well, this first half a week as an office elder has been crazy. Right after transfer meeting we had to make sure all the companionships that came got all their supplies and such and took them back to their areas. Then we had to drive the van thing with all the luggage from the missionaries that are finishing this transfer and take it to the hotel that they are staying at. Then we drove back out in the traffic to take 12 bikes to a house that is holding all the bikes. We got home late and then we woke up early and took the missionaries that are finishing to the airport. It was a crazy first day. Working in the office will be very interesting. I'll have the opportunity to work with President Senior a lot because he office is just across from us. It has been an interesting few days. That's for sure. Being an office elder is very tiring as well. I know that God is willing and ready to help here,

The really cool thing about being an office elder is that I will get a Thai license to drive. We have a van that Elder Kunz(new companion) and I will be driving. We don't drive too often because we are in the middle of the city but we can drive if needed. I still haven't gotten my license yet but I'm sure I'll get it next week. Elder Kunz is from California in between San Fransisco and Los Angeles on the coast. He seems pretty awesome. Us two live with the two Assistants to the President as well. So it's quite the experiences to be with them and then see President Senior often. It should be a very fun time working in the future. I don't have too much else to say; just write me before Saturday next week; I know this week is a little weird but preparations day are now on Saturdays for me because we are office Elders. 

Well, I hope things are going very well. I love you very very very much. Stay safe.

Love

Elder Federico

Aug 12th 2012 for the US and Aug 13th 2012 for Thailand!!

244 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, this past week went pretty well. Transfers is coming up this Thursday which should not be insanely crazy. I'm expecting to stay with Elder Senalai till he finishes his mission but we will see how that goes. This past week flew by just like the other weeks are flying by. It's insane to think that I've been a missionary for 8 months already 1/3 is already done. Crazy fast. Anyways, Elder Senalai are still getting along fine and things are progressing very well here in Lopburi. 

Today was P day and I'm emailing late because we went with the members in the branch to the mountains nearby and climbed the mountain to a Buddhist Temple at the top. It was extremely tiring. Something like 4000 stairs or something. I took a few pictures but this internet place won't let me send them. It was fun to be with a lot of the members. There must've been about 20 of us or so. And then to go down, they have these green slide things  that you grab the pole with and slowly work your way down. Once you get pretty good you can go faster. It was pretty awesome. Then we went and ate lunch with about 20 members as well. It was really awesome; and tonight we have Family Home Evening and just about everyone who came this morning will be there as well. So that was P day today. 

Well this past week was week 5/6 in this transfer which means it is basically over. This past week we continued to teach our progressing investigators and continued to try to find new ones. It was a great week and we have a few investigators just about ready to interview for baptism. Oh and we were able to get 6 investigators to come with us to the District Conference (Like Stake Conference) Which was two hours away. It was a great meeting and it showed our investigators just how big the church is; it's not just our little branch of about 60 people. 

Sounds like things are still going very very well in the United States. Things are going great here in Lopburi. We are strengthening or Faith that the Lord is preparing people for us. We just gotta keep looking for them. I love and miss you all. Stay safe and stay strong in the gospel.

Love

Elder Federico

Aug 5th 2012 for the US and Aug 6th 2012 for Thailand!!

237 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear Family and Friends: 

Well, this past week was pretty good. My companion is no longer sick so we are able to get back to work, which of course it fantastic. This past week, we worked on getting less-actives back a lot. We also taught our investigators. Speaking of investigators, our investigators are doing very well. We about 4 or so that are truly preparing for baptism. Hopefully before Elder Senalai finished his mission. As for finding, we are constantly knocking on doors and talking to people. I have learned new techniques and such from different companion exchanges and so on. Maam, Man, Gaan, and Aradii are doing great. We have the District Conference(Stake Conference, but not quite a stake so it's a district) this Sunday the 12th! We are doing everything we can to get our investigators there. Anyways, the thing super awesome about this area, is the family home evenings we hold on Monday nights, a lot of the members are willing to get together and we bring investigators and the environment is awesome for our investigators. Other than that, not much else going on with the investigators, nothing bad which is good :)

So, we have this one family, well the two daughters (Age 12 and 16) are already baptized, the father and mother aren't. But the father is too busy for us right now.. Anyways, the mother is coming along pretty well. She hadn't progressed before Elder Senalai and I started teaching but we feel as if she is coming along okay. She is the older sister of a member that's been married in the temple and is super strong. Anyways, they are coming along well and really are enjoying the lessons so far. 

Sounds like a good time in California. Tell Walter I say Happy Birthday! As for food here. We eat out almost every meal because it's a little over a dollar to eat and then 33 cents or so for the drink. So about $1.50 to eat out. We don't really cook(only in the mornings). Sometimes the members will feed us. Mostly they just give us snacks(sometimes it's fruit sometimes cookies and such.) Anyways, I love you all. Oh as for the monkeys, I still haven't taken pictures yet. And these computers won't let me send them.

Anyways, I love you all. Stay safe and strong in the gospel. 

Love

Elder Federico

July 29th 2012 for the US and July 30th 2012 for Thailand!!

230 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear Family and Friends: 

So, things are going great in Thailand. The work is continuing to move forward as the Lord blesses us missionaries with miracles. Last week went by extremely fast, they seem to continue to go by faster and faster. My companion is slowly coming to terms with his ending the mission soon. He has till September 27th; so not very long at all. Anyways, we worked as hard as we could last week considering he got sick Saturday/Sunday/Today. Monday was p-day and after we emailed we went out to eat with two members; they took us about 20 minutes away by car to a lake of some sort and we ate sitting cross-legged right next to the lake in a hut type thing(there was about 20+ huts). Anyways, it was really cool. I took a couple of pictures of the lake and the scenery there. It was very pretty.

Tuesday we taught a couple lessons and then we taught English class. English class went fairly well; then we had to end English Class a little early so we could catch the van that would go to Bangkok by 8:00 PM. So we got the van to Bangkok to stay at Elders house there; because we have Zone Conference on Wednesday. Wednesday we had Zone Conference which was awesome. President Senior shared his vision of the mission and shared about Faith, Sister Senior shared about Faith as well. Their talks went hand-in-hand. Then the zone leaders trained us on helping people keep commitments and such. It was a very good Zone Conference; I feel like I learned a ton. After Zone conference, we exchanged with the Zone Leaders and Elder Grover(Zone leader) came back to my area with me. We got back in time to go home and plan then sleep. 

Thursday we got to proselyte which was interesting. All of our planned appointments fell through for that day. So Elder Grover and I got to go inviting and finding new investigators all day from about 12:00-7:00. Problem was, it started to rain extremely bad at about 2:00 and didn't stop till about 7:00. Obviously, the rain slowed down; but it was a pretty big rainstorm. So we kept going and going and going and inviting and such. Still no success then we went to eat dinner and we bought some ponchos. Then we decided to try and find a new inviting area and we moved. Then prayed about what to do because we were drenched and out of ideas. So we prayed then decided to go close to our house to a street with about 10 houses on it. We invited about 2 houses then on the third house the person let us in and we got to teach a mother, her son(age19) and her son's friend. The lesson went extremely well and we found out that her husband had died 6 years ago.. so we got a return appointment and left her with a Plan of Salvation pamphlet. I hope everything works out, I feel she was prepared to receive the gospel. It took 6 hours of inviting and biking and walking but God provided us with a miracle. 

Anyways, then Friday we had district meeting and exchanged back. Elder Senalai and I then handed out fliers for English class for awhile and did our weekly planning as well. Then Saturday morning, Elder Senalai was sick with the flu or something. He was out of energy; so I stayed at home and he slept and I called people and studied and tried to stay productive. Then that night we went to the doctor and to have our Coordination meeting with the Branch Mission Leader. Then Sunday was the branches conference so lots of people were there and my companion was still sick. It was a great training for the members as well; as to how the branch achieve their goals. Then Elder Senalai taught a lesson with an awesome investigator and came home cause his body was weak and he had no energy. So another day at home. But, it was okay. 

Anyways, it was a pretty good week, I know God is watching us and is willing to help us in everything when we just have Faith in him. I also kind of thought about Faith and feel that Faith starts as a belief, but as we live the Gospel we express our faith(through action) which causes that belief to turn into confidence in Jesus or God. Then the confidence(faith) we have allows God to provide miracles. That simple belief that it could be true or correct leads into living the gospel and becoming confidence that leads to Miracles. Anyways, that's a little thought process that went through my head this past week. Well, not much else to say. I hope everyone is staying safe and have a great summer. I love you all.

Love

Elder Federico

เอ็เดอร์ เฟเดริโค

July 22nd 2012 for the US and July 23rd for Thailand!!

223 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear family and friends:

Well, things are going good in Thailand. The area I'm in right now always floods in October so I'm sure I'll get some flooding if I am still here then. There is a lot of military in this area. It's crazy how much military there is here. Anyways, Lopburi is a very nice city that seems sooo small compared to Bangkok. Our investigators are doing well, specifically those with a baptismal date. Of course we need more investigators but we are working on that. We are exhausted every night but it's gonna be worth it in the end I'm sure. This coming week is Zone Conference and we also exchange with the zone leaders(because my companion is the district leader). I'm excited to get some training from the zone leader. It should be good and possibly help this area more as well. The members in the branch are very supportive and are very awesome. This past week we tried to use them more often but when we planned, something happened and the member couldn't come or the investigator had to cancel. But that's okay. Oh and the branch president is pretty awesome. He has such a willingness to help that this branch has to grow, no doubt about that.

Anyways, last Wednesday we were getting ready to go to the other area in our District for an exchange and district meeting. It was crazy, I finally went to the place where there are a ton of Monkeys. They are all over the place there. I'll take pictures of the cool ruins and the monkeys next time. I think to the movie Jumanji when I see the monkeys. Anyways, other then that. Nothing super crazy cool last week. It rained pretty hard a couple times but I think the rainy season is finally about to literally began. Oh and as for crazy foods, still nothing too crazy. But I'm willing to eat more vegetables and lettuce and stuff. Tomatoes I still don't like much but if it's small and in the stuff I don't care. So, my willingness to eat certain foods is increasing.

As for our investigators. They are doing okay. We have 3 people that are really doing great. All three came to church this past Sunday as well, which was good. 2 of them love the members and mingle very well but the third one still is having issues. She's doing well though and wants to be baptized. There names are Maan, Maam, and Aaradi. They are all progressing very well and are willing to keep commitments and to keep the commandments. Nothing super spiritual this past week, but of course you feel the spirit often. My companion and I are familiarizing ourselves with the area much more, which I'm sure will help very much. Other then that, not much to update.

Thank you everyone for the little tid-bits of information and thank you very much for the addresses. For all your questions. Thailand is amazing but pretty hot at times and rainy a lot lately. Our area is still moving along okay, we just need more investigators; but we are trying to find new ways to get them, because we did a lot of door-to-door last week and nothing happened. But that's okay, life's still going well and my companion and I have no issues. Transfers will be August 17th? (It's the thursday that week) Still a few weeks away. Then the next one will be September 27th?(the thursday that week)[that's when my companion will finish his mission].

Everyone make sure you enjoy California for me as well. :) But make sure to stay safe at the beach and stay safe in other areas as well. I hope to hear some good stories about the vacation next week. Sounds like everyone's families are doing well and are staying safe. I'll try to take some pictures of the monkeys here. I hope everyone has some fun plans for the the week. I'll continue to pray for you all. I love and miss you all and hope that everyone has a fun week. Thank you for all the support and love

Love

Elder Federico

เอ็ลเดอร์ เฟเดริโค

July 15th 2012 for the US and July 16th 2012 for Thailand!!

216 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear Family and Friends:

Well, the new area is going well. We are working really hard! We both had not been here before-hand so we both did not know the area much at all. Luckily the members are really willing to help and answer questions and such. The branch here has a good 50 strong members that are really willing to help. It has like 5 strong families so that's good to see. My companion and I get along just fine. He does not want to finish being a missionary but he will in the blink of an eye. About another 2 1/2 months for him. I still have not seen a monkey here but we have not gone to the part of town with all the ruins and the monkeys. But we will go there eventually I'm sure. This past week we have ridden bikes and walked so much it's crazy! It's still really hot and it rains almost everyday but I love it here. My companion and I have big goals to help Lopburi grow stronger and help less-actives come back while getting more converts as well. The branch president has only been a member for 3 years but he's awesome. He follows the handbook for the church insanely well and loves reading it and he used to be in the military so everything is pretty on time and he wants to help less-actives.

Anyways, sorry I don't have any super spiritual stories but the lessons here are going really well and are spiritual. It's really nice to have a branch president that supports us well and also a branch mission leader that's willing to help. This branch has the potential to have 100 people coming in 1 year plus if they continue to work like they are working. Well, I hope everyone has a great week! Anyways, I love you all. Tell the family I said hello when going to California :) Oh and everyone in the ward as well.

Love

Elder Federico(เอ็เดอร์ เฟเดริโค)

July 8th 2012 for the US and July 9th 2012 for Thailand!!

209 days in the mission field!! :)

Dear Everyone:

Well, transfer meeting was last Thursday. The first transfer meeting with the new mission president. I feel it went very well! The thing I liked most about the transfer meeting was the slideshow. We haven't had one before. But this time to announce each area and such. It'd show the area on the map then it would slide the two companions in under the area name with pictures of each companion. It was really cool actually. I left my first area and am now in my second Area. Samut Prakaan(the area I left) now has two companionships there as well which is super super exciting! I've been in my new area about 4 days or so now... It seems pretty interesting!

So! As for the new area. It's called Lopburi. It is up north of Bangkok about 153 Kilometers so about 2 hours or so. They call it monkey town a lot because apparently there are a lot of monkeys here but I still have not seen one. This place is more countryside then Samut Prakaan by a lot. I'd compare it to Mesquite, but without the gambling and casino and such. It also has a few hills that make everyone happy because they are huge mountains ha ha. The members here in Lopburi seem really nice and extremely supportive. It seems like this branch is really willing to work really hard so I'm excited.

Of course since I switched areas I got a new companion... however, he was not in Lopburi before this. He was in Bangkok.. So we whitewashed this area. It's been really hard and been quite a challenge, but we are starting to figure the area out.. since we both came just last Thursday. His name is Elder Senalai.. another native companion for me which is not really common. He will be finishing his mission in this area. He has about 2 transfers left and is the only member in his family. He also cannot speak or understand English very well so I have to speak Thai a lot, but it will help me so I'm excited. We probably will be together two transfers, but I'm not 100% sure. He seems really nice and we get along just fine. We are both ready to work really hard and he doesn't want to stop being a missionary. I'm expecting this transfer to be a good one and hopefully next one if we are together again. So getting native companions is not very common and I might have a native 4/5 first transfers, which is great, because I'll be able to speak Thai well enough to teach and such.

So we got to see 2 of our investigators from Thursday to Sunday and we went inviting(knocking door to door) a lot; but I feel like in the coming weeks things will get easier and we definitely know the Lord is watching us and is willing to help. The air here is really nice. It's nice to get out of the Bangkok air and into a place with countryside air..

As for the weather in Thailand. I'd say rainy season is here. It rains almost every night for a few hours. It's still pretty hot; I think chilly season starts in about October or so, but I'm not 100% sure. I cannot believe how fast the time is flying. I'm really excited to be here in Thailand and I absolutely love the Thai people. They are all soo very nice! Anyways, not much else to write.

Thank you everyone for the support and for the prayers. Also, keep up the reading in the Book of Mormon; it always helps :) I love you all and miss you all.

Love

Elder Federico