Week 58:

Well, with the holiday season drawing to a close, I'm hoping for some regular schedules and events. I feel like with all the things going on, it's been a bit tough to get some consistent work in.

These past couple weeks in San Sai, we have managed to find four new investigators, most of whom promptly disappeared. So we move on.

Elder Day and I contacted a Thai woman on the street who said that her husband was a Christian, a white man living in Thailand. So we went and visited their home. He let us know upfront that he won't be converted, but that he was pleased to meet with us. He's about 65 years old and comes from Oregon, and has been in Thailand for a few years. He said he had a lot of respect for people with faith in God, but couldn't find it in himself. For a long time he claimed atheism. Then he went to church one day and just felt something different, something he wanted. He said that he became convinced that Jesus Christ was his Savior, and that changed his life. We had a pretty good discussion, and I appreciated his simple testimony.

One neat experience that happened this week:
Elder Day and I ended up with about 45 minutes before the end of the day and no appointments. 8:00-9:00 PM is one of the hardest times to work here, as everything has shut down by then and people have gone back home. We wandered some streets for people to contact, looking for a late market of something. I had a thought to turn off a side road, so we did. We ended up meeting a family sitting out in front of their house, and they said we could come back and teach another day. I felt like I had been led. We ended up getting to meet with them and teach a first lesson. There was a lot going on at the house though, and it was a bit tough to teach a focused lesson. We'll see how things go.

In other news, Sister Daa, an investigator I found and taught in Buriram, got baptized last Sunday! That was awesome news. I would have liked to be there, but she made it.

Elder Parish

1. Some sight-seeing on Christmas.

2. This guy makes and sells crossbows.

A flower garden in the Akha (nothern mountain tribe) village.

Here in the north, there is another dialect of Thai that I once again can't speak. I'm learning a bit though.

San Sai (outside the more urban part. Or rather amongst the more urban parts.)

A taste of Christmas: While inviting, we stumbled upon a crazy Hindu/Buddhist wat tucked away through some winding side roads, led by off-duty Santa Claus.

1. Wat.

2. We also found a cock trainer, training his roosters for cock-fighting, a popular pastime.