Elder Jacob Newman

MyTime in Thailand Has Changed my Life

2011-06-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

June 20, 2011

Dearest Family,

The past two years have passed by in a flash. Seriously. I cannot believe that it was over two years ago I found out that I would be coming to Thailand to serve as a missionary, speaking Thai and helping non-Christians come to know the Savior. To say it has been an honor would be an understatement. Of course, like all human experiences, it isn't without its trials, challenges, and heartaches, but in the end, it is a small price to pay to thank the Savior.

I feel that since I have come to Thailand, I have seen how we all are really the same. We all love our families. We all need some things that we just don't seem to find sometimes. And one of the best pieces of news is that families can be together forever. This isn't just for us as an immediate family but extends to my family in Thailand. Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Aunt, Uncle. That's what Thai is about - family. That's what the Gospel is about. Family. I love my family so much. And I will miss my Thai family so much. But this isn't the end of my association with Thailand. This is simply the beginning. I am eager to continue to speak, read and write Thai and interact with Thais for the rest of my life. There is some purpose that I don't understand as to why I was sent here to Thailand. But I do know that I will be forever grateful that I met all of the people that I have.

Sure there were days where we walked out in the heat and got nothing. But then there were the times where we saw the smile on Sister Naang's face when she said she feels that our Father in Heaven comes down and sits beside her as she prays. Or the time where Sister A said she was told to wait before going to the temple so that Chaang could be baptized. Or the time where you just felt so discouraged in Thonburi but Sister Cherry writes you a wonderful friendship book page.

Love is sacrifice. Love is forgiveness. Love is power. Whatever we do, we must do it in love. I love Thailand. Saying goodbye isn't the easiest thing, but at this time it is the right thing. I will do my best to finish out strong and to remember my purpose. And then it's onto a new phase of life. Centered on the Savior. And I am eager to always have the heart of a Thai. I will always be Thai in my heart.

So this week we saw Angelo and Poy. They are doing well but they aren't able to come to Church yet. It seems like there are all kinds of obstacles in the way. But they are doing fairly well.

This week we also went out to Ganthalag. The people out there are drying up pretty fast. The unfortunate thing is that one of them decided not to learn anymore because he feels like he can't keep the word of wisdom. Another couple decided to stop learning because of the wife. Some people are falling out but we are going to keep working with them.

We are also working with Sister Oy. She is Sister Grxsanna's daughter. No one has really ever taught her by herself. We asked her who God was and she didn't understand. We are going to work with her. It reminds me of the scripture about how Christ allowed the crowd to feel the wounds one by one. And that's what she needs. We all need to feel the Gospel one by one. That's how it's taught. One by one. Little by little. And that's how we will have to teach her. Sister Grxsanna sits there with her glasses and the scriptures that she has to hide from her husband and teaches us. She teaches by the Spirit. She teaches us that we are all children of God. She calls us "child" and we learn together with Brother Ice. And we have many experiences that we share together.

Yesterday at Church, Sister Grxsanna secretly gave me a hug. She looked so sad as we parted. I remember her baptism. She was so ready and so beautiful in her white gown. I will never forget how excited she was to be baptized.

And then Sanya and Bunmii are still just doing great as new members of the Church. They are helping their friends in Ganthalag to come to know the Gospel also.

Alrighty dearest family. I love you all to pieces. That's all I have for today. But please remember. The Gospel is true. My time in Thailand has changed my life and will continue to shape my life for the rest of my days. I love the Lord, our Father in Heaven, the Gospel and the power of the scriptures and the simplicity of the Gospel. Pray for charity, the greatest of all of God's gifts and we will see the power of the Lord in our lives.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Sister Joy

2011-06-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2011

Dearest Family,

This week was a bit crazy. Most of our investigators aren't doing that well. We had to drop Rag. He just wasn't keeping commitments to come to Church. And Robbie seems to have disappeared off of the face of the planet. But we are continuing to work with Angelo who is doing pretty well. He's a referral machine. He's always inviting his friends to learn English. The story I really want to talk about this week though is Sister Joy.

Elder Senalai and I made an appointment to meet with Sister Pat's husband (she's a recent convert who the Sisters taught in Warin) and when we went to his house, we met Sister Joy who is not a relative but lives there so they can take care of her. Sister Joy was a strong member before being diagnosed with cancer. Now she can hardly walk, she is stuck at home and cannot attend Church. As we talked to her, she sat there eating a Thai dip and lettuce with sticky rice. Sick people's food. Or so she said. She's been endowed. Her body is frail and she probably weighs less than 100 pounds. But she has a firm belief in our Father in Heaven. Her brain is slowly being taken by the cancer but she refuses to give up. She continues to do her best. I thought of how she said she missed Church and the scriptures. She needs a blessing. She needs home teachers. She needs the sacrament. I often worry about the Thai members who are ill because they don't get visited very often.

I really will miss Thailand so much but it feels exciting to look forward to a change of pace and a chance to get a new, fresh perspective. My mission has been a very formative event. I think I have become more of a global citizen. And I have realized how the Gospel is so very precious in the lives of those who live it.

I am still really tired and I have been gaining a lot of weight it feels like but I am not sure exactly why although my appetite has increased. And I apparently, in the words of President Smith, do not look like an Ethiopian concentration camp victim anymore.

I know that the Gospel has the power to change our broken hearts. I know that as we come to realize the real power of grace, the real role of the Savior in our lives we won't have a desire to be who we were before. We all have concerns. And we all have doubts and problems but the Gospel helps us to face those things with courage and hope that the future will be better. I love Elder Senalai and seeing how the Gospel has helped him in his life. Thai people have to sacrifice a lot to join to the Church.

This past weekend they created a new District in Bangkok, which is the next step to a second stake in Bangkok. I know that the growth of the Church is helping the Thai people grow closer to our Father in Heaven. The Gospel gives us a power to face the challenges of the world with hope and love for all mankind. I love the Gospel and I know that one day we will understand the reason why things work out the way they do. I am eager to share the Gospel in the little time that is left. Remember to stay true to the truth and to love the Lord always.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Elder Senalai is Awesome!

2011-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

June 6, 2011

Dearest Family,

So two years back seems like an eternity ago but it seems like yesterday a the same time. On Sunday, Sister Nida feed us and I saw some pictures on my Facebook. Sister Ging and I thought about how much my life has changed in the past two years. When I was in Roi Et, Sister Waruni said that it's amazing to think that two people from such different and far away places could come to know one another. Not only have I lost a lot of weight, I have gained an appreciation for Thai food, culture, and people. And I have learned how to speak Thai. I am going to miss speaking Thai with Thai people so much. I love going around everyday and speaking this crazy tonal language and joking around with them.

And I will miss my current companion. Oh wow, we get along so well it's awesome. The other day he said to me that when we talk to one another in the future we would use pronouns that you only use with close friends, otherwise it's not super polite. It's just like you wouldn't say "What's up?" to your grandmother. I will miss him a ton! I wish you could get a chance to meet the glorious Elder Senalai. I am so grateful that I was given such a fantastic last companion. We talk together all the time, I teach him English, he teaches me Thai, we laugh and he seems like he's getting a lot more confident as a missionary. He's so great! I am lucky to be with him.

Anyway, today we are in Galasin because Elder Senalai has to get a new ummm bad prachachon - citizen card. I couldn't remember the word in English. I am seriously going to speak English SO poorly. You can't make fun of me too much.

You asked about what you should bring to keep dry in all of the rain. Umbrellas do work well. You should have one. If it's really rainy, you just have to wait it out a bit. You should have seen it in Ubon this past week. It was FLOODING like crazy. It might be a good idea to bring a rain jacket. I don't think you know how wet you will get. Your shoes will get REALLY wet but they will dry out after a while.

Unfortunately, Robbie kind of fell off the face of the earth but then we had a lesson with him. He said at this time he is so busy but then he told us that he didn't sign a long term contract with the school in Amnaad Chaeron because he is thinking of joining the Church. Shocking? Yeah. He is still really hard to meet but we are going to keep trying our hardest. Robbie's Thai is difficult for me to understand. When first learning Thai, you might think tones are not that obvious but they are WAY obvious to me now. If I say a tone wrong it feels so weird. Isaan is like taking Thai and just changing all the tones and some words. Elder Senalai is from the Isaan so he speaks it sometimes.

Rag keeps saying he will come to Church and doesn't. I think we are going to set him aside for a bit just because he isn't really keeping that commitment. But it's also unclear if he's reading but we are going to go visit him today and let him know.

This week was great. I know the Gospel is true and our Father in Heaven loves us. Always remember that he will never forget you.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Another Great Week in Warin

2011-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

May 23, 2011

Dearest Family,

So this week was another great week here in Warin. This last email I sent you we didn't really have any investigators but Elder Senalai and I have been working really hard and so we have some investigators that are learning pretty regularly now. From the Italian/ Thai 24 year old and his friend who he referred to us, Robbie and his Thai wife, Brother Rag, and a referral from a recent convert’s friend in Gantharag, things are going really well in our area. I am not sure that we will see anyone baptized before I leave Ubon but I think that the area is becoming better and better.

It feels so weird to think that tomorrow is my last Zone Conference as a missionary. It seems like yesterday it was my first Zone Conference in Bangkhen where the air conditioner broke. (Yes, it was just as hot as you imagine.) My mission has gone by quickly. But I look back and think of all the wonderful things that I have seen and all the wonderful friends that I have made. My life without Thailand would be so different. Thailand is an amazing place. I will miss speaking Thai everyday. So. Much. And I will miss all of my Thai friends that I have made here. That's why I guess I will just have to find a way to come back to Thailand.

Anyway, this week was one of those really fast weeks. It was full of lots of great happenings. A quick update on our investigators.

Rag - He got off of alcohol again but he is still struggling. Please. Don't ever drink. Getting addicted to alcohol has done nothing but made his life miserable. He drinks because he lost his daughter but when we fall into alcoholism, we lose hope and lose sight of who we really are. This is a very sad situation. Anyway, he's doing better but I am not sure how long it will take him to kick the habit.

Robbie and his wife - Robbie is a very smart man. He knows a lot about the Bible. He brought up a concern about how the prophet is the earthly leader of the Church rather than apostles. We are working with him to help him understand that the Book of Mormon is a powerful tool for his life. He talked about the changes that he has seen in his life since he has been reading the Book of Mormon but he still doesn't quite connect them as an answer from God. His wife also reads and enjoys the changes she has been seeing but again still doesn't quite connect the dots. This week he didn't go to Church but we will keep working with him.

Gantharag folks - Brother Had is just full of referrals. This last week two other people showed up at Church who are friends of our recent converts/their friends. They are pretty interested. Gantharag is far away but it is well worth the time to go out there and teach about 4 - 5 different interested parties. It is really great to see how the Gospel changed Brother Sanya and how he wants to go out and share it with all of his friends. I love that about the Gospel, the power to change and the power to be something better and more than we are right now.

This week was really great. I feel pretty good. Sure I am tired everyday - that's probably from just being a missionary for so long but I love serving here in Thailand. I consider it such a pleasure to come and work with these people and help them come to know our Savior. When we know who we are, we won't have a desire to live short of our potential. Remember the most simple words: “I am a Child of God.” We must always remember who we are and where we come from. Then and only then, will we have happiness that we can't obtain from anything else. I know the Gospel has power to change people's lives in a profound way.

I love you all and pray for you daily. Do the things that are right and remember to love and forgive one another.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

A New Thai Companion, Elder Senalai

2011-05-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2011

Dearest Family,

Let me put the past week into a few words: Hot, Lots of Inviting, A new Thai companion, A South Africa, white, Buddhist/Christian investigator who came to Church. This week was one of the most fun weeks of my mission in some ways.

I got the amazing Elder Senalai from Kalasin for my companion! Elder Senalai is super Christ-like, funny and very relaxed. He is 25 years old, a college graduate (humanities-law) and has served as an Elder's quorum president. He's such a great guy! He just came from Chiang Mai where they had quite a few investigators. We are going through a finding phase here in Warin but we are working hard.

So this week was hot! Elder Harris and I went inviting in Warin one morning and I seriously thought that my body was going to shrivel into a small ball. It was so hot that when we got to the Church for study, I was sopping wet. (It was a Songraan of sweat shall we say. It's like Mother Nature was throwing buckets of heat on us. Although this time I would have loved to have someone throw a bucket of water on me.)

About two weeks ago, Elder Gudmundsen and I were out by Brother Rag's house to go to visit him. At the time he wasn't there because he went to go see someone who was sick in the hospital. But while we were waiting, we ran into a faraang. Usually when we run into a foreigner in Thailand we almost always get a negative response. I remember in Chiang Mai I was told to go back home, in Roi Et I was told to leave Thai people alone. But this man was different. As he sat in this typical Thai house with a petite Thai woman named Kay (chicken) and her son and Kay's father and mother, I couldn't help but notice how out of place he looked. Imagine a foreigner over six feet tall sitting in a one room, small Thai shack. We said hello to him hesitatingly. We were greeted by a very friendly hello and a lengthy discussion ensued.

His name is Robbie. A German by birth, he has spent most of his life in South Africa. He has many degrees including a PHD in Industrial Engineering. He converted to Buddhism about 30 years ago. He knew of the Mormons very well. He called us the only true Christians that he knew of. Before converting to Buddhism, he was a member of the Church of South African clergy. He knows the Bible and has read it countless times. He converted to a very simple kind of Buddhism. His belief is that Christ traveled to India, learned of Buddhism and then went back to Israel to teach Buddhism and for that he was killed. He believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He was fascinated by what we were doing in Thailand and talked about his experience with Mormons a little bit. As we sat there and talked with him, he expressed how he believed that the Lord Buddha (as he called him) taught to deny all unwholesomeness. I immediately thought of the last chapter in the Book of Mormon where Moroni calls upon us to deny ourselves of all ungodliness and come unto Christ. At that time we gave him Elder Gudmundsen's pocket Book of Mormon and then we asked him to pray about it.

This last week, we went to visit him on Saturday night with Elder Senalai. The conversation that ensued was fascinating. This man is extremely intelligent and educated and thought he had found the path that he desired but he told us how he feels so lost and how he feels that the Book of Mormon might be the answer for him. He started to pray again and he had a very intense spiritual experience as we prayed with him at the end of our lesson. He talked of meeting with us as a journey. When I asked if he would go to Church with us, he was simply delighted. He's reading the Book of Mormon and he has lots of questions but he is willing to learn. We are going to see him again this Wednesday and I am excited.

Unfortunately, Rag started drinking alcohol again. We are going to keep working with him to help him get back on the path that he should be on. I feel sad that this happened to him but I know that he will recover. Eventually.

So anyway, all is well. And being with a Thai companion is awesome. I love Thailand and I love this opportunity to serve the Thai people.

Love you all lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

LDS Chapel in Ubon Ratchatani

2011-05-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Brother Sanya and Sister Bunmii Were Baptized Yesterday

2011-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2011

Hello All,

This week I am not quite as tired. Although, I do feel really fat today! Yesterday a member made dinner for all of us missionaries - to say it was incredible would be an understatement. She made waterfall pork with sticky rice and something called tom kha kai - a chicken/coconut milk soup that was amazing. It actually was her birthday also, so we had cake - I had the bai toey cake. Bai toey is a very unique Thai flavor that they use to make a green custard that I love. Whenever I think of Thailand, I will think of the taste of bai toey, the sweat on my brow everyday, the smell of humidity and the heat of the sun. There are many emotions associated with Thailand. Flavors, smells, feelings, all wrapped into a giant ball that is Thailand.

This past week there were some really good things that happened. Brother Sanya and Sister Bunmii were baptized. They are referrals from President Had. They are a cute little couple - he gave up alcohol in a short period of time and it really helped their family a lot. They came to Church from a place that is about 60 kilos away in the nearby province of Srisaket (which has a Church but Ubon is closer for them and President Had is a member here). The service yesterday was a simple one. President Had baptized this cute family who aren't very educated but have pure spirits and hearts. They speak with Father in Heaven in a simple, heartfelt, grateful and loving way.

There were a lot of investigators at Church yesterday including another cute family that the Sisters are teaching who are both named Leg (small). The other Elders had a hilarious investigator named Nid (little bit) who only speaks to us in Isaan and is sassy. That's the best way of putting it - sassy.

So what else happened this week? There were funny moments from dogs that seem to always chase my companion but leave me alone, to a video of me screaming because the members put a bug on my clothes. There was being exhausted walking around Bangkok after eating a Japanese buffet where Thai people showed that they can eat a lot of tempura shrimp. This week was another grand old week in the happiest place on Earth (no... not Disneyland. Please. Disneyland is in English. This is in Thai!).

We did exchanges in Srisaket where we walked and invited all day, I was exhausted! The next morning I woke up with a sore throat and a bad headache. But then it was back to Ubon on a cramped and really hot bus where I taught district meeting and then headed to Yasothon. It was a good time in Yaso but it was very tiring.

Unfortunately, rain fall and false appointments were on the agenda for the two days in Yasothon. But we taught an awesome investigator named Chuuchaad who refers to himself as "Brother.” Elder Anderson and Elder Grover are good guys. They are hard workers and willing to do their best. I love working with both of them.

Yasothon is a pretty good place. It has a very country feel. People there don't really speak Thai very well. They usually speak Isaan in their day to day conversations. Isaan has a completely different rhythm to it. I don't know how to describe it. The tones are all over the place. Thai is very organized in its use of tones. Isaan is pretty much anything goes.

After returning to Warin we got a chance to see Rag who is doing very well! He is getting off of alcohol and is working to get off of cigarettes. His countenance has become brighter and he is smiling more. That's a common indicator of conversion - the physical change. I remember as we continued to teach Aa and Naang, there was almost a physical change in them. I remember how Chaang's personality changed. And I remember how countless other people changed their lives for the better as they embraced the Gospel. Embracing the Gospel is putting off the natural man. Anyone can be the natural man. The question that we are asked by Christ is "Will you come up to the higher plane?" Think of Nicodemus for a moment. He asked the question that all mankind wonders "How can I come closer to the Divine?" Christ responded "You must be born again." Christ calls us to be born again, looking beyond the physical into the spiritual realm. Christ calls upon us all to abandon the natural man and have his image in our countenance.

I love the Lord and I love being a missionary. It’s weird to think it’s coming to a close but I am so grateful for this opportunity. I hope we can all come unto Christ and และปฏิเสธตนจากความไม่เป็นเหมือนพระผู้เป็นเจ้าทุกอย่าง.

Love you all so much. Praying for you,

Elder Jacob Newman

This Was a Crazy Week!

2011-04-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

April 25, 2011

Dearest Family,

So talk about a crazy and confusing week! Last night I traveled to Bangkok to renew my visa. We took NakhonChai Air first class to Bangkok. Imagine going first class on an airplane but actually being on a bus. The “flight” attendants wear traditional/stereotypical flight attendant uniforms. They gave us drinks (I had hot Ovaltine which is huge here in Thailand) and then they gave us sandwiches and fruit. The seats were extremely comfortable but to say that I slept 2 hours is an overstatement. So if this email sounds a bit non sequitur, I’m sorry. I am simply so tired. We will probably just take it easy here in Bangkok before we leave to go back.

I saw Elder Seymour today as we went to renew our visas. He is always so loving and I am grateful for his special friendship. We have a lot of memories together that I will never forget.

This week my companion and the Thai Zone Leader went to work in Burriram at the request of the AP’s. While they were gone, Elder Harris and I had a delightful exchanges where we were totally rained on and had lots of canceled appointments. But in the end we taught with a really funny member named Sister Noy who talks very loudly and is super funny.

We also had a really cool experience as we taught a young 19 year old off the invite. His name is Van and at first he wasn't super interested. Then we talked and we perked up his interest and we prayed. He didn't show anything at first but then we talked and evaluated why he didn't feel anything. Then he prayed for us and he asked if God was there. He received an answer on the spot and was grinning from ear to ear. His schedule is a bit confusing and we haven't gone to see him again but Elder Harris and Elder Charit should get a chance again.

I went to Yasothon this week with Elder Grover. We taught a cute little family named Theb (angel) and Joy. They are Christians but are struggling to accept certain aspects of the Church - mainly the Word of Wisdom and the Book of Mormon. They are a good couple though and they continue to go to Church regularly. Elder Grover is a great guy - humble, hard working and loving. He's been a great blessing for Yasothon. We had some good times as I explored one of the smallest areas in the mission. Elder Grover's really dedicated and wants to help Yasothon a lot.

In other happenings this week, Bunmii and Sanya are doing great! They are going to be baptized this Sunday by President Had. The both passed their interviews.

Yesterday we also met Sister Grxsanna at Church. She had the best news of the week - her husband gave her permission to be baptized for real this time. After a setback with coffee and her husband's indifference, she received permission and will be baptized this weekend also! She was so excited.

With all the changes in the future, that leaves us with very few investigators but I am confident we can find. Rag is still struggling to overcome his alcohol addiction but he is trying so hard. I have rarely met investigators who are as dedicated as he is. He is determined to be baptized and to make his life better. We went to pick him up for Church but we couldn't find him so we had to go.

It's weird to think that this Mother's Day is the last time I’ll talk on the phone with you from Thailand. I am going to miss Thailand so much. I will miss things like glass bottles, hospital uniforms, fruit carts, dentist clinics, Thai fast food, drinking water with a straw always, sitting on traditional Thai mats, eating from a sticky rice holder, waing people and everything in between. But I know that my time in Thailand will always have a special place in my heart. I am different. Besides weighing 50 pounds less, I am not quite the same person. I am Thai-ified.

I am grateful for the Thai people whom I love so deeply. They are so funny, loving, caring and just amazing people. When we love those who we serve and pray for that charity we will remember the Charity of our Savior in giving his life for us. I am so grateful for His sacrifice and for its infinite power in our lives. Easter is a special time. May we all remember to thank our Father in Heaven for the gift of his Son. I know that he lives and loves us. Let us live our lives in a way that we always would be comfortable standing in the presence of the Savior. I love the work and I am excited for another week to come with another trip to Yasothon. I love you all.

Love you all lots!

Elder Jacob Newman

Songkran!

2011-04-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2011

Dear Family,

Songkran was the MAJOR happening this week. I don't know that I can begin to describe what this water festival is really like. Imagine this: Streets are full of garbage can sized tanks full of water. People take buckets, cups, pots and use them to throw water on all people who are passing by. Squirt gun sales are insane. People sell thousands of buckets, bowls and other equipment for Songkran. Children and adults both do it. Imagine walking down a major street and the traffic is so heavy that you can't go anywhere. Imagine people sitting in the back of trucks with buckets and barrels full of water that they are throwing at you. And the water often is chilled by giant cubes of ice. Then imagine the loudest music you have ever heard.

We played on Thursday. In Ubon they have a huge park that was set up like a water park. Seriously. You can't imagine the amount of water and how wet you really get. Motorcyclists, pedestrians, even cars, they all get wet. For three days they play really hard. To the Thais, it actually is a time of year to ask for blessings, it's the Thai New Year. Originally Songkran was one day and people would go to other houses where the adults would pour water on them and bless them. But, it's not really a religious thing. We got a chance to see it with Sister Grxsanna. She did it to a friend who she introduced to the Gospel, a 20 plus year old guy. She blessed him that he would live his life according to the Gospel. What you do is you kneel down and pour water into the cupped hand of an adult and then they pour it over your shoulders and proclaim blessings.

So Songkran was a nice bit of a break. It's an interesting cultural study.

Here are some funny things from this week:

1) One of my favorite was when Sister Grxsanna told us that the government asked people to not play until the assigned day because they were worried about official documents getting wet. It was so funny.

2) We got lost on the way to visit Bunmii and Sanya and were stuck in Songkran traffic. It was crazy.

3) One of our investigators dropped us because she had a dream where the elephant God gave them supposed winning lottery numbers? She is still really nice to us but she wants her husband to go at it alone.

4) The members here in Ubon call me "Watermelon" because my face got a little sun burnt. It's a joke off of the word faraang which means guava but also foreigner. I said I am not a faraang but that I am a Thai and one of them said, with your face like this you are a watermelon.

5) The members here are pretty funny. It's definitely a change of pace from Roi Et. The branch president is a return missionary. Most of the members are fairly long term members. There is one member who is 79 years old - Mother Surii - meaning sun - who has been a member for almost 40 years. Wow! She's really funny, too.

This week was a lot of fun and a lot of heat! It's getting so hot here. I guess the season is upon us. Yesterday there was a crazy rain storm that left us stuck at the Church for quite a bit. I learned the phrase for raining cats and dogs in Thai. Dang, I don't know what I am going to do when I can't learn Thai all the time. I love Thailand and I am going to miss it so much. Thai people are so funny and I love their culture. I am going to miss the members, the food, and everything in between.

Bunmii and Sanya, our investigators who are referrals from President Had, are doing really well. Sanya gave up alcohol and has been clean for five weeks. He had alcoholism to the point that he would shake if he gave it up. He's doing so well! They are a cute little Isaan family. Isaan people are so nice and loving and have so much namjai - generosity. They give us corn to eat every time we meet with them.

We are working with Brother Rag who is striving to overcoming his addiction to alcohol. Sister Grxsanna interviewed for baptism this week. It came out that she was still drinking coffee. So, she had to wait. We are going to see her this Tuesday.

You asked about getting to the church in Ubon. We take a Tuk Tuk to Church. Our driver, Father Thiam, is the uncle of a member and a current investigator. Imagine this - a fifty year old short Thai Isaan man who laughs heartily and speaks Isaan with us. I love him to pieces. It takes us about 20 minutes to get to the Church. We cross the river to get from Warin to Ubon.

I am grateful for the Savior, who's always patient with me and helps me everyday. He lives and loves us. Our Father in Heaven is mindful of us all and the Gospel has power to change our lives. May we all follow him and do the things that are right. Often we have to realize that God's blessings come in many shapes and sizes. With a positive outlook while seeing the good things - from the beauty of Warin to the deliciousness of eating red ants in a dish - there is happiness all around us.

I love you all so much.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Ubon Ratchathani Warin Chamrab

2011-04-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

April 4, 2011

Dear Family

Welcome to Ubon Ratchathani Warin Chamrab. And so the journey of the last area of my mission begins. My new companion is Elder Gudmundsen from California. He's been out about 6 moves now. He's been with Thais except for his trainer, Elder Crowley, and now me. Warin is pretty small, but it’s a nice place.

After transfers last Thursday, we rode on a bus for about 12 hours to Ubon. We got out at the Church and Thiam, a relative of a member who drives the missionaries around all the time, came to pick us up. He took us to Warin, an additional 20 minutes.

I miss Roi Et. I didn't really think it would come to the point where I would say that but I feel like I want to go back! From Sister Dawgrag's delicious food to Elder Merrell's humor and President Sutheb and his wife and the Isaan smaller town culture of Roi Et, it's one of the best areas in the mission.

Ubon has the biggest church building of the Church in all of Southeast Asia. There are about 70 -100 people who show up every week. There's a returned missionary from the 80s who is the branch president. And there are lots of priesthood holders. It's a pretty good branch.

Here in Warin, there are quite a few investigators that are really good but are stuck on some concerns. We have two families who are referrals from the district president that are doing pretty well but they live about 60 kilos away.

I learned this week was how much I love Roi Et. On our last day there, before driving us to Kohn Kaen, Waruni and Sutheb took us to their house to eat a delicious meal. They had a kind of rice that's way healthy and unprocessed, the most delicious fish in the world with a tamarind sauce, different kinds of vegetable dishes and a mild soup. It was amazing. There were also mangos and some Thai treats. I love that family so much. Jampii (Mother Jampii) helped Mother Waruni make everything. They love the Gospel. Mother Jampii is Mary Poppins with a motorcycle and a carpet bag. It's awesome.

I love Roi Et for all the miracles that happened there. We worked hard and we saw some great things. I know that the Gospel has power. It's not just simply an invention that we make have power. We cannot deny certain things in our lives no matter what the world may say. The Gospel has power as we open our hearts at least a little bit to that power. Think of Brother Chaang. Think of Aa and Naang. Think of Egg in Bangkapi. Think of Jiab in Nongkhai. These people changed their lives in such a drastic way.

Often when we speak of missions, we speak of having fun, feeling the Spirit, baptisms. When I look back on my mission, I will reflect on those things for sure, but I will reflect upon the growth of character also. One day in Thonburi Elder Panom gave me a great example. He said, "Elder Newman have you ever seen a big, beautiful tree before?" I told him that I had. He proceeded to compare our lives with that of a tree. We will have winds, rains, days where the sun beats down upon us. As a sapling, a tree must develop strength. But if it can survive beyond that point, we can become that tree. The most beautiful words in Mormonism are the words "Heavenly Father". We are saplings but when He looks at us we aren't just simply a bunch of twigs, we are something much greater than that. The beauty of the Gospel lies in the power of God to make us more like Him - eternal progression. That's the purpose of this life.

I know the Gospel is true. I know that our Redeemer lives and one day we will see how he helped us through the hardest times in our lives.

I love you all and pray for you.

Elder Jacob Newman

It is Super Cold Here in Roi Et!

2011-03-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

March 28, 2011

Hello Family,

This week went by really fast but we saw some great happenings. It's also super cold today. Super. Super. Cold.

Aa and Naang are doing great. They were confirmed this week. We also saw Chaang who said something very touching to me. We were leaving after teaching him for this last time - we talked about him reading scriptures and also about Joseph Smith and the story of being tarred and feathered. As I was leaving with Elder Merrill he said to me, "I will miss you Elder. You know if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have gotten baptized." Chaang isn't a man of many words but he means every word he says. He won't lie. I felt so touched to think that I had a small part here in Roi Et. Their family is doing really well. Sister E and he went on vacation this last week and the week before. She is going to be opening a kidney clinic that's about 20 - 40 kilos from the city. She will now be working Monday through Friday which will be really good for their family.

Chaeron's family came to Church. They are so cute and doing well. Brother Lersen is involved in their teaching almost every time. I will miss all of these wonderful members here in Roi Et. From Mae Waruni and President Sutheb to Lersen and Aew (his wife) and Gift and Brother Giang and Sister Kay and Mae Jampii and everyone in between, I love this branch.

I love the whole identity of being Mormon. There is power in identity. As we come to realize that the power in our identity comes from God, we realize that we must live our lives in harmony with his will. I know that the Savior sees the big picture and that through Him we will be healed and receive help. I know that the Lord lives and loves us.

I really know that the Lord knows us. He knows our problems, our concerns and our challenges. I know that as we rely on him, it doesn't all work out at once, but it just works out. The scriptures can speak to us as we learn to look for answers in them. Prayer is an act of work - God expects us to act and to do our part. I know that families can be together forever and that my time in Thailand has taught me how important family is. I know that God watches us, the Gospel is restored and it will bless the lives of the Thai people.

I pray for you all daily.

Love you all so much,

Elder Jacob Newman

Aa and Naang at Their Baptism with Pres. Sutheb

2011-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Aa and Naang Were Baptized!

2011-03-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2011

Dearest Family,

This last week was cold here in Roi Et. We had to wear long sleeves one day. I didn't sweat. I was confused. There was a light drizzle of rain - Thai people don't like the rain. But, it was a good week.

Yesterday Aa and Naang were baptized! I spoke on baptism and Mae Waruni spoke on the Holy Ghost. Naang uses the pronoun Sister. (Thai has such a complex pronoun system for women. Women often use their names or their pronoun such as older sibling, grandma, or sister as the word for "I".) Brother Aa gave a very touching testimony. They are wonderful and I know that they will help the Church to grow here in Roi Et especially since they are under the watchful care of President Sutheb and his wife, Waruni.

I realized how much I love Aa and Naang and Sutheb and Waruni. They are all saints. Truly, how I love the saints here in Thailand. It's so amazing to think that even though we were born on different continents and we lead such different lives, that we are brought together by our Father in Heaven who loves us all. The news of the Gospel is that we are all family and that as such, we have a responsibility to love one another.

So there were lots of great things that happened. We had a "sabai" exchanges with the Zone Leaders. I was with Elder Perich again. Elder Perich is a really sincere and kind man. I look up to him a lot. We taught some good lessons. We taught a fairly new investigator, Daeng, who now really wants to be baptized.

Chaeron's family is doing really great but this week only the children, On and Off came to Church. The family hadn't sold too well this last week since it was cold. When it's hot they sell really well and Sunday was a scorcher. So they went to sell because they had an "emergency ice" situation in the morning. But they are progressing well.

I really love seeing how the Gospel changes people. That's the greatest thing about the Gospel that we don't have to be stuck forever. The Gospel is about change and the power of the atonement. I know that Jesus Christ can heal us but it has to be on his time and in his way. Often times that healing doesn't take place in an instant. Patience, love, hope and charity will bring about that healing. The families we are teaching are all doing so well and I am so happy to be here in Roi Et.

My mission has been a blessing in my life. It isn’t the easiest thing to do or the most fun thing to do at this point in my life but it was the right thing to do. I know that one day I will look back and see how God filled in the holes in my heart, how I was an influence for good and how much I loved my mission. But as for now, we cherish the journey and work our hardest. And that's all God expects. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and know that He loves us so much. I love the Thai people because they are my family. And I love my family in America because they always love me.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Sister Dawgrag Opened Her Restaurant!

2011-03-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

March 14, 2011

Dearest Family,

There is always a little something in the week that just makes us super excited. This week that little something was the fact that Sister Dawgrag opened her restaurant right next to our house. She sells everything and it is amazing. I also learned from Sister Dawgrag that she bought the land where the Elders’ house is and built the house specifically for the Elders. Sister Dawgrag is the example of the word example. She loves the Church with all her heart. She loves the Gospel because the Gospel changed her into the person she is today. I look up to Sister Dawgrag.

And then there's Father Jan. And Father Khiaw. And all kinds of other people in this branch that I love. I think of them as my family. Then I reflect upon my real family and how much they love me. I think of how much they want me to be successful and happy. I love this opportunity to serve here in Thailand because I know that one day we will realize that we are all part of a much greater eternal family.

We can't expect everyone to accept the message of the Gospel - today Chaysit called and dropped himself because of family pressure and some other issues - but we know that for us as we accept the Gospel and the fruits of the Gospel our lives will be better. I know that through the power of the infinite atonement, even the darkest times can seem better.

I love Roi Et so much and the members here are so amazing. I have seen miracles that I cannot fully describe. The greatest miracle I have seen, however, is the miracle of patience and endurance within me. Sure my time as a missionary isn't over yet and there are many challenges to come but I have learned we have to take everything one day, one hour, one step at a time. Don't run faster than you need to. Don't kill yourself with stress. Don't let yourself forget who you are.

I know that the Lord lives. I remember teaching Aa and Naang this week and they said, “Before we didn't know the word repentance. To return to your heart.” When we repent, we have to forgive. If we cannot forgive others for things that they have done in the past or we cannot forgive ourselves, we must draw upon the power of the atonement to find the strength to forgive. We must remember that we cannot change the past but dwelling on the past will not bring any good results.

Chaeron's family came to Church and they found friends and new associates. They are loving the power of the Gospel in their lives. The Gospel really does have power - God wants us to remember that always. So don't forget it!

Hey, I love you all so much. I love this work and I know that I am meant to be here. Please keep praying hard for me. I pray hard for you all always. Pray that we will choose the right and love the Savior more everyday!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

An Adventurous Week in Roi Et

2011-03-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

March 7, 2011

Dearest Family,

This was an adventurous week. Many things happened and we taught lots of lessons. I was rather shocked that we managed to turn out about 19 lessons and got many good new investigators.

This week was Boon Phaweed in Roi Et, a major festival where they eat spaghetti like-noodles and cover them in different kinds of sauces. They give it out for free all over the city - all you can eat. There were a ton of people at the Bxng (public park) and a lot of dancing and loud Isaan music. (The music almost always has a banjo-like sound to it.)

As far as other good news, Sister Dawgrag is opening her restaurant at her house which is diagonally across from our house and we are so excited. She makes the best Thai food ever. Seriously, I can't really eat at other taam sang places. Taam sang is like according to your order, Thai fast food places. You have things like sweet and sour pork, chicken, fried rice, basil dishes, all kinds of delicious things. She makes sweet and sour chicken or pork with apples and pineapple. Delicious!

We made the 10 kilo bike ride to Chaeron's house again this week. It was dark. It took us about an hour but it went all right, much better than last time. We taught this cute family with Brother Loersan and they are adorable. It's Chaeron - father, Phongpad - wife, On – daughter, Off - Son. Yes. Their names are On and Off but they are pronounced with tones. They are so cute. They sit, keep commitments and listen to the things we say. They are so interested and they love Father Loersan (we call him dad just like we call everyone mom and dad and big brother out here in Thailand). They are progressing really well!

Aa and Naang are also doing great. They told us that they have a better relationship because of the Gospel. Same with Chaeron - they said that they never really have done much as a family like this where they all sit down and talk. They love it and they are learning really well, genuinely interested and attentive.

Chaysid is a bit on the backburner because of some unexpected issues, sensitive information! But we also got a random call from an investigator in the past named Tay who is a friend of Brother Ball and he's doing pretty well, he's really determined to learn.

We went into another neighborhood where the dogs wanted to get to us. Okay, Thailand has lots of dogs but I have never seen that many brave dogs in one street! They tried to jump on us - that day we didn't really find any investigators there though.

What I learned this week is that we can't forget who we are. There are lots of people out there who will tell you who they think you are. But I feel impressed to say that the world is a poor judge of character. We are all children of God and as such we have a divine potential. The Gospel blesses us at all times and God wants us to find peace which he promises on his time, not on our time.

I will miss Roi Et a lot. There's a lot of hard memories here but there are so many amazing memories that I have here - from the miracle of Brother Chaang to the miracle of myself, I have grown here and I love these people more than I thought ever possible. It's nice to think that I have fathers and mothers and older siblings in Thailand that all care for me and know that I am doing my best. And add to that a true family that loves me for who I am. I love you all so much.

I know my mission has changed my life. I am not perfect; the Savior doesn't ask me to be perfect in an instance. He knows my trials and my tribulations. He knows the pains in my life because he felt my pains. That's the power of the Gospel. All religions teach us to be good but not all religions teach us to live up to our potential. You are a son of God. You are a daughter of God. And so your needs are great. You will live with him again.

I remember reading the words of Orson F. Whitney about the atonement. He watched as Christ knelt in the garden, his heart reached out to him. And then, in an instant, the scene changed to where Christ was about to ascend into heaven and he cried to Christ, begging him to take him with him. But Christ said "No, these have done their work. You must stay and do yours". Orson replied "Promise I will come to you at the end." Christ replied "That will depend entirely upon you" I know that one day we will kneel before the Savior and hopefully he will say to us "You did your best. That's all I asked. I didn't ask you to give more than you could. I asked you to give all that you have and I make up the rest." And he will. “I will not forget thee. I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands and my walls are before you.” He lives.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Aa and Naang Are Still Doing So Well!

2011-02-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

February 28, 2011

Dearest Family,

This was an interesting week. We are going through a lot of changes with our investigators. Aa and Naang are still doing so well. Saturday they didn't meet with us but they should be getting baptized in the next two weeks. The thing that I have noticed about them, as with Brother Chaang, is that the Gospel changed their personalities. Brother Chaang never really showed much interest in anything before he started to sincerely learn the Gospel. But now, when we go see him, he smiles, brings us water, feeds us his special sauce for unripened mangos (a fish sauce of some sort) and then he smiles more. The Gospel changed Naang as she opened her heart and saw the fruits of the Gospel. She loves to tell us about what she reads from the scriptures.

I really like that phrase that you wrote from Valerie Whitehead's farewell, “the atonement is infinite.” The Thai translation adds a new meaning to it that I hadn't really thought of before. The Atonement of Christ has no borders, as we say in Thai. It means that there are no bounds to the power that He has to help and heal us. I believe that we are all a little bit broken. We all have problems, little and big, concerns, obstacles and things that we don't understand. Often the best option for us isn't to simply have God take away these problems, but for us to learn through them. The most amazing part of the atonement is the patience of our Redeemer. Christ was patient in all His sufferings. At those times where we simply feel that we cannot go on or we do not understand why things have worked out the way that they have, we must remember that Christ endured with patience and with love.

We need to live by faith and hope in the power of the atonement with no borders. We see our problems and wonder why God simply doesn't intervene and fix it all. God is our Loving Father in Heaven. Even though we feel confused, burdened, and stressed in our lives, the Savior is always there for us but often leaves us to find the strength within us.

My time is Roi Et is a testimony to this. It has been very stressful because of situations that have occurred. And while I do not understand many things, there is a force that continues to aid me as I try to help Heavenly Father's children know who they are. That's the news of the Gospel - who we really are. Do we remember who we are? Most of our problems in life result from a kind of identity crisis, I suppose you could say. We are children of God. Do we remember that when we feel abandoned? Do we remember that when life gets us down or when we think things are rough? I know that we are all children of God. We aren't any less. And as such, we have an inheritance. God loves us so much. God will always remember us.

It's really really hot here in Roi Et. Luckily we are starting the summer schedule tomorrow. All is going fairly well, though. A bit tired. And still stressed out but that's just a Newman characteristic, I guess. By the way, our new Zone leader is Elder Perich - awesome. I love Elder Perich. We know each other from Thonburi and he's way good and extremely helpful.

So, we are finding a lot of new investigators this week. We’re not sure what's going to happen with Chaysid. We have to figure out some matters with him. And then there are also some new investigators that we are working with - a 22 year old name Jo, some 20 plus year olds named Chad and Gawn, and a cute little family named Jaroen (Dad) and Pongphad (Mom) and their daugther who live about 10 kilos from the Church - riding our bikes to their house at seven o'clock at night was a little bit nerve-wracking, it was extremely dark.

To say this week was strange in other random happenings would be a bit of an understatement - let's put it in a few words. District conference translation for 6 hours, running into a faraang at the Bxng (public park in Roi Et) who tried to take us to the police station - don't worry about that one. And lots of hours of inviting to find new investigators. All in all, it was a memorable and fun week. Elder Merril is great. I really like him a lot. He works hard and is patient. That's the best characteristic to have - patience.

I love you all so much. I know the Gospel has power and will help us in our times of trial!

Love you lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

Still in Roi Et

2011-02-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

February 21, 2011

Dearest Family,

This last week was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It all started out with the announcement about transfers. Elder Thrap was moved to Ayutthaya (the ancient city). I didn't get to see him off in Bangkok and I wasn't expecting that I would still be here in Roi Et.

The day Elder Thrap left was particularly challenging. The ride to Mahasarakham, which was proceeded by the members sending Elder Thrap off with an activity at the Church (Think Thai dancing, roses, an excellent talk by Sister A about the atonement.), was a hard ride. All the way there I thought of the first day Elder Thrap came to Roi Et. He changed my mission forever. Our time together wasn't the easiest time of my mission but it was a time where I felt so appreciated and loved by my companion.

We got to Sarakham and I taught Elder Thrap the last word I would teach him as his companion - the word for us to say goodbye - laa. We laa gan (say goodybe to one another). After hugs and pictures, he drove away. I will miss him.

As far as other news... This week we had Aa at Church but Naang fell ill so she couldn't attend. They are doing so well. They read the scriptures like champions and really feel the difference the Gospel is making in their lives. They are doing their best to keep their commitments. Chaysid is doing pretty good but we aren't exactly sure what his story is with only attending the first hour of Church.

As far as Manob, for right now he has to be set aside. Unfortunately he took up smoking again and isn't really reading the scriptures. I felt very sad about this but he needs a bit of a break. And then of course there is Phaybuun, he isn't doing too well either. His legal issue with his girlfriend is so complex and is taking a lot of time. So our investigator pool is dwindling a bit. But we are out to find new investigators and that's what we will do.

Every area goes through patterns. Roi Et just got out of a super great period and now it's the testing period. Sometimes it's hot and tiring but there's nothing better than trying. That's all God expects is that we try.

My new companion, Elder Merril, is a transfer four missionary who speaks Thai very clearly and is an extremely hard worker. Also bold. It's been pretty great so far. Elder Merril is very funny and has a fun personality. it will be a good six weeks together. He's helping me be less stressed out and take things at a slower pace all while working hard. He sings well, is funny and way sabaai.

So trials. I know that God gives us challenges because He loves us. In the crisis of the moment, that is the hardest thing to say. We may not understand why we have to go through a certain trial. And sometimes trials continue for a long period of time. But often the learning isn't found in the end of the trial but in the heat of it. What we can obtain from the Gospel is hope. Hope is the courage to face the future despite the fact that we have fears. Fear is a natural reaction because we can't control so many things.

I know that as we love God and love our fellow men and just try our best, everything will work out. Our lives won't be comfortable just because we keep the commandments. The right thing isn't always the easiest thing to do. But it is the right thing to do.

I know that God lives and loves us. Even on those days where's it's really hot and we aren't finding anyone. God doesn't forget us in the midst of trial and affliction, but some of the answers we are just meant to find for ourselves. Keeping the commandments, reading the scriptures daily, praying daily and living our lives in harmony with the Gospel will bring us hope. The source of hope is Jesus Christ.

I know the Gospel is true. God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Love you all dearly and deeply,

Elder Jacob Newman

Kahn Kaen Zone Conference

2011-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Life Presses on in Roi Et!

2011-02-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2011

Dearest Family,

Life presses on in Roi Et! This week was not nearly as stressful because we started off the week with a visit to the DINOSAUR museum in Kalasin which was super awesome. That made the week a lot more relaxing. Today will be a little stressful because we probably need to start packing. We haven’t heard yet, but one of us will most likely be moving. I will miss Elder Thrap immensely as we move on, whether I move or he moves. I know that he will continue to do marvelous things in Thailand.

Roi Et will have such a special place in my heart. It's the area where I really learned how to be a missionary and where I learned how to help people progress in the Gospel. From Brother Chaang's six week transformation to Wirayud, Alum, Nxng, and everyone else in between, Roi Et is a place where I tried my hardest and saw fruit that I could clearly see. I feel so blessed to have come here and met all the wonderful members. I love all them all. It's a place where I realized that I have to rely on the Lord and never give up. I learned that I must diligently try to follow the example of Jesus Christ always, no matter how hard it is.

After serving in Thonburi, I know that we have to live our lives on God's timetable. I’ve seen that here in Roi Et. I need to be patient, love the Lord and try my hardest. That's all he expects. Isn't it amazing to know that Jesus Christ makes up the difference when we trust in Him? We will make mistakes and find problems in the journey of life. But the greatest news is that we don't have to face them alone. Brother Sirawid (a member here in Roi Et) always says, "Coming into the Church doesn't mean that we won't have challenges but it does mean that we won't have to face them alone. We will receive divine protection."

Yesterday I was called upon to give a blessing to a sister who wants to be a missionary but has hepatitis B so she needs treatment before she can go. It will take months to recover. She must learn to "อดทนด้วยดี" - endure through it well. All will work out. I am trying to do the same. We must endure diligently always. I love the Lord and I love that He always helps me.

In other good news, Aa and Naang came to Church. They are doing so well. They continue to read from the scriptures daily and they are progressing very well. We recently dropped Manob, who went to Bangkok to find money. He just needs time and to be in a less stressful situation to make this covenant. Phaybuun is a bit on the back burner right now. Party is back but he needs to be going to Church regularly before we can do much of anything with him. We also taught a young man named Park this week who was really quite good - he got an answer to his prayer in the lesson. It was a cool experience. This weekend I did exchanges in Sarakham. They don't have a lot of super interested investigators right now but they are working hard and trying their best.

May God bless you all. I love you and pray for you daily.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

This Was A Challenging Week

2011-02-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

February 7, 2011

Dearest Family,

Here in Roi Et, life rolls on as I approach my 14th moves in Thailand. It's so crazy to think how close I am to finishing my mission. Of course, it's somewhat exciting. But to be entirely honest, it's terrifying. I will miss about 1,000,000 things about Thailand, from soy dogs, coke in a bag, pharmacies on every street corner, places to buy food every 10 feet, elephants in the streets, Thai people, their language, Isaan eating mats, Bangkok nights, to everything else that's amazing about Thailand. I don't know how I feel about going back to America where I am afraid I will not be able to speak Thai every day all day long and talk to people about the Gospel all day in Thai. So it's a mixed feeling.

This past weekend we went to teach Brother Chaang with Sister Waruni and President Sutheb. I feel like they are my Thai parents. They call me their son and I call her Mom. I call him Prathaan though. Although, he might as well be dad. It's so amazing to have such an intimate connection with these people.

Our investigators were a particular challenge this week but we are working our hardest and trying our best.

Brother Phaybuun is being a little stubborn lately. He still hasn't attended Church regularly and he hasn't kept appointments lately. His baptismal date was scheduled for this week but he didn't do his part. He has only attended Church one time and he hasn't really been too diligent in keeping commitments. It's very unfortunate to see how he knows the Gospel will bless him but he doesn't act on that knowledge fully.

Brother Manob is desperately poor. He is so in debt that he has to continue to go into debt further and further to stay alive. He sells rice and noodles - a typical Thai restaurant - that sells for about 25 - 30 baht per plate. So, his life isn't going too well at this time. He feels like he can't close on Sundays because he has five debt collectors who will come to hunt him down daily - asking for funds that he just can't provide a lot of times. He still prays and reads but going to Church is a challenge. This weekend he went to Bangkok to ask to borrow more money from his older Sister.

Brother Aa, Sister Naang and Sister Naamkhaang are all struggling to get to Church and to keep the Sabbath day holy. This week they will need to attend Church in order to make their baptismal date. They are keeping other commitments very well, but Church seems to be a problem for them.

Chaysid is doing very well. He told us that the scriptures have power and that he views the Book of Mormon as a sacred book. He's a bit hard to read sometimes but he keeps commitments and has come to sacrament meeting weekly. He likes meeting with us and likes to read the scriptures. I don't know if I said this but he has also had a broken leg for the past 6 months that still hasn't healed so he's fairly homebound. But he still makes it out to Church every week. This last Sunday, he was our only investigator at Church, unfortunately.

We recently met a new investigator named Breeze and he's doing really well. This Sunday he came to Church, but didn't make it in time for the sacrament and so he came back when we were eating lunch and we taught him for the third time. He has a lot of problems in his life and wants to find peace.

Brother Nxng, however, did not come to Church on time for his confirmation and only stayed at Church for 15 minutes. This week was definitely a week of trials, as Wirayud also was still in Chiang Mai and didn't get confirmed either.

Basically, the thing that I learned this week is that not everything works out as we plan. As we live our lives according to the Gospel, we aren't guaranteed to be happy all the time but we are guaranteed that we will know where true happiness comes from and that we must live our lives in accordance with Gospel standards. Often choosing the right comes at great personal sacrifice and while it's always the right thing to do it isn't the easiest or the most pain free thing to do. The question is “are we going to live a life that is comfortable or are we going to live a life that is right?”

I love the Lord and love His work. It isn’t easy but we must press onward and be true in the faith. Missionary work isn’t always fun but it’s always worth it.

Love you all so much and pray for you daily.

Elder Jacob Newman

This Was a Crazy Week!

2011-01-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2011

This week was crazy. We had major trainings in Roi Et during the middle of the week. Some other things that came up in the week were a last minute baptism program that had several mistakes, a baptism, Elder Thrap on exchanges, some crazy changes with investigators and a stressful time at Church.

Anyway, so I like to use the word stress a lot. Stress comes from hurry I guess. I feel in a hurry to make the last bit of my time in Thailand the best time possible. I only get to do this once and who knows when I'll be back in Thailand. Leaving Thailand will be very hard.

Brother Wirayud is doing well. This weekend he went to Chiang Mai for an election that's super important. He's in a different district from the city of Chiang Mai but in the same province. It’s a place called Chiang Daaw. He is a great guy and wants his father to also join the Church. His mother who recently died was Christian in Chiang Daaw but his father is still Buddhist. He, like most Thai tribal people of that generation, cannot read Thai but can speak Thai somewhat.

So this week! Nxng was baptized. He interviewed with Elder Ritchie on Friday night and then passed and we planned his baptism on Saturday. (Brother Ball showed up at Church too. He's Nxng's friend from Amway.) Anyway, he did a great job and he has a good testimony. He was baptized along with the granddaughter of a member whose parents are both members. Her grandma and grandpa are temple endowed and sealed. Nxng has a really interesting experience. He's been an investigator on and off for a long, long time. But he's doing really well and he's keeping the commandments. He has a desire to follow Christ and to be a good example. We are now going to be trying to work with his family to open their hearts more. They live in a neighborhood that is very frequently proselytized

Church was a stressful yesterday. Let's just say a sacrament meeting with talks about the Spirit World, the gathering of Israel and signs of the second coming might be just a little intense. Some of our investigators are struggling to come to Church - Manob was too cold/didn't wake up on time - we aren't sure if that's what really happened or if it's something else. Phaybuun had a bit of an emergency with a close relative who's arm started swelling after taking the cast off. And then Art, a new investigator from English class didn't show up either. But Chaysid and Nxng both showed up. So this week we are going to be working on helping our investigators get to Church.

Elder Thrap went on exchanges since we had the MTC new curriculum trainings in Roi Et. He was with Elder Heftel and Elder Grover.It sounds like they had some funny experiences on their exchanges. (I, on the other hand, was in trainings all week about the MTC new curriculum.) They had a great time and taught a lot of lessons. They also taught Brother Chaang who continues to do well, attending all three hours and enjoying Church even if he looks bored sometimes. Most of the time he has to come straight from work but he wears a white shirt and a tie every week. Brother Chaang is a champ. He's a miracle and he will do great things for the Church in Roi Et. Sister A is so active now with him, they are such a wonderful family with Khaaw Glawng and Khaaw Faang. Khaaw Glawng wears his cute little tie. Khaaw Faang passes the sacrament. It's such a great picture of an upper-middle class Thai Mormon family.

All is going well. That doesn't mean that it's perfect but when you have an investigator who identifies himself to Heavenly Father, when you meet people who are interested or when you simply try your best, that's the best feeling of them all. I love this opportunity to be a missionary. A mission isn't the easiest thing you will do; you will face challenges that you never thought you would. The path will have pot holes and dips. But we press on, with steadfast faith in Christ. And so we press forward.

I pray for you all daily. Love you lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

I Love the Mission!

2011-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2011

I love the mission. Oh wow, if I could really describe how blessed I feel to come to Roi Et, I don't know if I can explain it in words. Roi Et hasn't been my easiest but it's been the most worthwhile area. I know that the Lord is watching out for me and that He's helping.

Elder Thrap and I have seen so many miraculous things. From Brother Chaang (He told us he would do his home teaching, he comes for all three hours every week in a white shirt and tie, and greeted us when we went to visited him, actually excited to see us.) - to Manob (Who we started calling Brother and who told us he would abandon everything to come to know God.) - to Phaybuun (Who tells us that he was tired of being in the dark and now is in the light because of us.) I can't believe that miracles of Roi Et.

Here in Roi Et when I finally realized that our attitude is the single most important aspect in anything we do, I saw how miracles started to happen. We are teaching double digit lessons every week, we are finding people, seeing baptisms (Wirayud and Alum - turns out it's an l not an r - welcome to Thailand!) and we are also seeing people change their lives. People give up so much for the Gospel. I am so grateful for the opportunity to come to Roi Et and meet such wonderful people. I love the Lord and I love the work here in Roi Et.

Missionary work is a team effort. All those companionships who came to teach Brother Chaang were preparing him. For some reason, however, during the time that our companionship taught we saw Him bring about a mighty change of heart in him. Brother Chaang is so different. The last time we taught him before his baptism, I started to get emotional because for the first time in my mission, I felt like I had seen such a drastic change in someone that I had taught. I felt as if in some small way I had helped Sister A's family. She wanted him to be baptized so badly. She wants the blessings of the temple in her home. One day they will have them. One day Brother Chaang and Sister A, Khaaw Glawng and Khaaw Faang will go to the temple together and be sealed as an eternal family. They are such a cute family. And he's such a great dad. The Gospel has changed their family and it will continue to change their family when they make a trip to the temple.

So this week Wirayud and Alum got baptized. Wirayud is great! The branch loves him and his wife. And so that was a great moment. This next week we should have one more baptism with Brother Nxng- who's doing much better and is keeping commitments very well. He shared his testimony with Elder Thrap while I went to do exchanges in Sarakham (Mahasarkham) and I met sister Nog who knows Sister Cherry and Bishop Arun in Thonburi.

I have gained such a testimony of His Gospel while I have been here. Don't ever forget that repentance isn't something that's not convenient but is something that will bring us true joy and happiness. Don't let Satan try to tell you that you haven't repented when you have and also remember that Satan’s goal is make us miserable. I have seen this in the lives of too many people. We all have a tendency to forget about the atonement and try to hack it on our own. God wants us, with all His heart, for us to rely on Him. Please rely on Him and remember that His promises are sure. He doesn't lie and he doesn't deviate from the current course that he is taking. I love His Gospel. I am not perfect but the Savior is always there to help me.

Also always remember to VLOGROP everything you watch, read, listen to or do. We must remember that we can't just be the natural man but we must become true Saints through the atonement of Christ.

Love you all - Remember He lives.

Elder Jacob Newman

Brother Chaang and His Family with Elder Newman and Elder Thrap

2011-01-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

Brother Chaang and Elder Newman at Baptism

2011-01-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

This Week Was Amazing!

2011-01-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2011

Dearest Family,

Here's some funny news to start off today. Since coming to Roi Et, I have had an elephant randomly try to pick me up, a cow lick me, and several roosters attack me. Animals and I don't get along apparently? There was a man taking care of cattle yesterday and his cattle started to lick my arm. It was very random. We proceeded to teach him. Meaning the man. Not the cattle.

Anyway, this week was.... amazing. Okay, so there might have been just a little crying at Brother Chaang's baptism. It was a great time. I really loved it and that's the story that I want to talk about this week. First of all, Chaang's interview was super short. The Zone Leaders came from Khawn Gaen and they interviewed both him and Wirayud and Arum (they were legally married and are going to be baptized this week). Elder Harris, from my group interviewed Brother Chaang. He said Brother Chaang respected me a lot and that he had a great testimony. Brother Chaang is the quiet type but lately there's been more of a smile in his life and his personality has changed completely. After the interview I said "All right Chaang, who's going to baptize you?" And he said - You are Elder Newman. I was shocked and slightly taken aback.

Chaang doesn't show much emotion. So we prepared the baptism, making a really nice program with a beautiful picture of the Salt Lake Temple on the front. Sister A said something that was very touching. She said she thought last year she would just go to the temple by herself but she prayed about it and got an answer that she should just keep saving money so all four of them could go together. That was when Brother Chaang wasn't showing any interest. He would listen to the Elders out of his concern/love for Sister A but he had no testimony really. He didn't get answers to his prayers. Chaang is a very honest man. If he doesn't believe, he will tell you. He doesn't lie. He didn't do this because of peer pressure. It wasn't until Elder Thrap and I started teaching him this time around that within the course of 6 weeks, he underwent a massive transformation. Reading the scriptures daily, praying daily, praying as a family. It was incredible. And I thought about it - how long has Sister A waited for this? Three years. That's a long time to feel like God doesn't answer your prayers.

I feel so honored and touched that Elder Thrap and I had a small part in the culminating process of Brother Chaang's conversion. He told his family and his friends that he's going to be Christian. He even told his really strict parents. He's so brave. And he loves the gospel, even if he falls asleep in Church sometimes - he usually comes straight from working the night shift. This week his son, Khaaw Glawng, had an accident that put him in the hospital on Sunday but he was out in time for the baptism and it wasn't anything too serious. He fell while running with friends and had some symptoms after. So Brother Chaang went to sacrament but Sister A didn't go because she was with Khaaw Glawng. But they made it back in time for the baptism.

So I was nervous to baptize him. I was shaking. The service began. It was so quiet. It was the quietest service I have ever been in. You could literally hear a pin drop. It was so sacred. Sister A gave a great talk and cried a little bit. And we sang “This Is the Christ” in Thai. Then there was the moment. The water was cold but Brother Chaang was so excited. He went under the water and came up smiling, as broad as ever. Then we got changed and he was so excited.

Then came the most sweet testimony. Brother Chaang said something to the effect of, "I have been an investigator for three years but I feel as if there is something that has caused me to come into the Church. I know Jesus Christ is the Savior. I will be a strong member and I will lead my family to be an eternal family." And I thought about it. Even if I had come to Thailand just for Brother Chaang I would take it all - all the rejection of Thonburi, all the heat of, well, every area and everything in between. It was awesome. I know that this is why I came to Roi Et. I can't believe what a blessing this is in my life.

Never forget the power of the Gospel. It changes our families. And it changes our lives. Don't put it off as merely good teachings or just chance, the atonement of Jesus Christ has power. It's about him - it's about Brother Chaang, it's about all these people who need this hope in their lives. And even while we strive through grief and pain because the Gospel doesn't make life easy all the time, we know that we have a goal to be together as a family forever. One day, I hope I can meet Brother Chaang and Sister A in the temple as an eternal family and have the privilege of seeing them again. It's just such a miracle.

I love this work even if it's stressful and emotionally tiring sometimes. Brother Chaang just makes it all worth it. Pray for him to always be strong to the end. He's a champ! I love you all so much and I pray for you daily. Busy as ever. Roi Et continues to be awesome. Too much news to put in today!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

RoiEt Is a Favorite Place for so Many Reasons

2011-01-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

January 10 2011

Dearest Family,

Oh wow. What a week. It's a little crazy how fast time flies by. I am doing really well! This area has been the best as far as investigators. It has been so much fun. RoiEt is a favorite place for so many reasons. Who would ever think that a small, podunk, Isaan town could yield investigators like this? Apparently God does and did. I have to say RoiEt is the first place where I feel like I have seen the most critical point in someone's conversion, Brother Chaang’s. Brother Chaang, in very surprising news will be getting baptized this week. Brother Chaang, like President Sutheb told us, changed in the flip of a hand.

Oh, Brother Chaang! This last lesson he asked amazing, fantastic questions. He smiles more than I have ever seen him smile. He repents daily. He reads the scriptures everyday. It's so... unbelievable. I don't know if words can adequately describe how much he has changed. Their life as a family is so different now too. There's more honesty, happiness, unity in their family. Sister A's long time goal of going to the temple is going to become a reality.

Brother Chaang is ready to be baptized before his date. It all came down to getting Khaaw Glawng baptized first. This will complete their family. It's been quite an amazing process. The first time I met Brother Chaang it was so different. He sat in his chair, learned the lessons because he felt forced to. Then yesterday it came full circle almost. Brother Chaang comes out with his Book of Mormon with his bookmark and his pen that he uses to mark up the scriptures. He came to church dressed up in a shirt and tie rather than a t-shirt and jeans. He stayed for all three hours for the first time ever and he liked what he learned in Church. I don't know how this is possible. We talked with President Sutheb who was equally shocked. I think everyone is shocked because they doubted he would/could ever change. We can't forget that people can and will change. We have to have faith in the changing power of the atonement.

Did I mention that I was excited for Brother Chaang. I have probably only said that about 1,000,000 times in the past two days. The thing that changed Brother Chaang was reading the scriptures. Anyone who reads the scriptures cannot deny their power. The scriptures have power to change us from natural men into true saints. The word "Saint" in Thai means a holy person with a suffix that implies authority or power. The atonement of Jesus Christ is so clearly taught in the scriptures. These doctrines will change us into people who have power to overcome the temptations of the devil and power to do the things that are right. I know that Christ has the power to change us. We aren't perfect and we will never be perfect until Christ will make us so. But we must realize that our past mistakes must not block us for our happiness at the present time. The Lord desires us to be happy. We can do all things that the Lord wants us to do as we trust in him.

Nxng is still struggling a bit. We had a way intense lesson about repentance and keeping the Sabbath day holy. At one point, Nxng related that keeping the Sabbath day holy is "something in our hearts" - meaning that if we don't go but we have intentions to go it's the same. Unfortunately, this attitude is not exactly the way things work. We talked about how he must repent with all his heart.

Manob sacrificed to come to Church. We promised a miracle. He was down to 1000 baht. We aren't sure how it worked out yet. We are going to have to see what happened with him. Manob is going to have to move out of his place because the rent is too expensive. He's starting to see that keeping the commandments is the best choice.

Phaybuun didn't come to Church. We met Phaybuun off of a 10 minute lesson and he's way good, but we are going to continue to work with him to get him to Church. He literally gave up drinking within one day. We went to teach him once and he was drunk. We committed him to live the word of wisdom and he said: Elder, before you go can we pray together? I need help with this. How we must remember to pray! We can't deny the fact that prayer has power. When we do, we deny the power of God.

Party continues to be awesome. He reads a chapter of scripture a day. What 15 year old does that? He also is keeping the commandments and going to Church every week. He wants to be a missionary and have the priesthood. So awesome.

Aa and his family haven't been free lately, I am not sure what's going on with them. And Pong and Num we ended up dropping. It was a bit of an interesting drop lesson. Elder Thrap asked one inspired question and boom! The concerns, problems and reasons why he needs some time to think about these things came out. What he came down to is that he believes in Heavenly Father but he's not ready to follow him or to keep the commandments. He's just not quite ready.

This week we had a harder time finding new investigators so we don't have too much to report on that front. Getting into Thai people's houses is so fun though! Oh wait! There was the man we taught (Saamaad) who we taught but couldn't meet again because of his crazy schedule. But he called us and thanked us for teaching him how to pray. So random. And so we are going to see what we can work out with him.

I love you all so much. Sometimes I feel so distant from all of you. It's not that I don't miss you or think of you often, I just feel so distant sometimes. But I think of you and love you all so very much. May the Lord bless you all. Pray that all will be well here in RoiEt. I pray for you all daily.

Love you lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

Welcome to 2554 (2011)

2011-01-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

January 3, 2011

Dearest Family,

Welcome to 2554! Or do I mean 2011? It's a bit confusing here. Everything that's Thai says 2554, anything that's got a dash of faraang in it says 2011. It's crazy to think how fast life passes by us. It's like our lives are a dream and then we look back and we wonder what happened.

So this week was a bit crazy. This next week will be even crazier. It's time for us to head to Bangkok. (Yes, it's that time again) Although the chances are very slim that I am moving. I will be in Roi Et for another six weeks and then I will move to my final area. Gulp. That's a sad thought. I have come to love Roi Et so much because I have seen how my entire mission I have been brought to this point for a reason.

So, this week. Well, let's talk about some of the best experiences so far. First of all, Brother Chaang. Oh man, he's so awesome, I can't even believe it. If you were to tell any of the companionships who taught him in the past that he was this good, they wouldn't believe it. He has been taught by countless companionships and every time it's just ended in him being disinterested and feeling like he was forced to learn. But at this time, he's so different. I don't get it.

I think it all started with him reading the scriptures. He wants to follow his family and make it a family affair. It's the weirdest thing ever - Brother Chaang was so quiet, never said a word when we ask questions. Now we teach lessons where he 1. Laughs. Yes. Brother Chaang can laugh! 2. Asks questions that are deep and related 3. Has comments about the things he reads. I think what we see in Brother Chaang is the power of the scriptures. When we read the scriptures everyday, it's like drinking water. He found that he enjoys the self confidence he has and that he wants to maintain those feelings. He therefore does it. He's well on his way to probably being baptized in either 2 or 3 weeks. He's a miracle. I thought about how this is the answer to Sister A's 4 years of prayers. She probably prayed everyday. Does that show that God didn't listen? No. It shows that God knew best and that God knew his timing.

Manob still hasn't come to Church but he had a realization this week that every Sunday and only on Sunday does business come up. He realized, however, that the business he goes to do never gets resolved. He therefore decided, as Brother Siriwid (the member who helped us teach) said, to step forward and go to Church no matter what happens.

Nxng is still struggling to keep basic commitments. I am so perplexed. He talks the talk a lot but he often fails to walk the walk as it were. He talks about how we must read scriptures but then he doesn't. And then he talks about how we must repent but then he doesn't. I am pretty sure that we will have to pray really hard that he will be able to do all the things that he must do to be prepared to be baptized.

A lot of people this week were unable to meet because of the new year. It's a huge thing in Thailand. They go around partying and go to different provinces to visit family. So this week we didn't see much of Party and we didn't see Aa and his family. Pong and Num also cancelled our appointment and failed to show up to Church. One of the hardest things you do as a missionary is to drop investigators. But there comes a point where you must do it. It's hard but they are simply not ready. We must leave the word to work on them.

The greatest lesson I learned this week was the lesson of strength. When life hands you a broken bow, like Nephi was given, you can either decide to sit there and complain about the bow or you can go and make another one. The choice is ours. Where does the true strength come from? It comes from making that new bow and finding the strength that only the Savior can provide.

I love the Savior. He doesn't just let us erase our mistakes like we would erase the mistakes on our homework but he literally gives us a whole new sheet. It's a wonderful thing to know that we can always rely on Him even in the hardest times in our lives. He knows who we are. That's why he cheers us on always. Satan, however, also knows who we are. And that's why he desires us to suffer because he knows who we can and will become as we keep God's commandments.

There is peace, safety and joy in the commandments. They aren't going to be convenient. If you think that life will convenient because you are Mormon or because you believe in God, you will find yourself extremely disappointed. The righteous will be tempted and tried the most.

There is joy in repentance and in relying on the atonement. I love that. But don't think your life will be easy because of the Gospel. Life will be hard but the Gospel will make life worth it. That's the point of view that will help us in the times of our greatest challenges. Let's say – “Why is it like this? I have always kept the commandments.” God knows that. The Gospel is there to comfort you, to cheer you and to help you move on with your life.

How I love Thailand and love the gospel. I love you all and pray for you all. Please never forget that He loves you.

Roi Et is so awesome. All of my areas have been so great. And this area is no exception. Everything's going very well and I know that God's watching out for us!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Christmas in Thailand

2010-12-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2010

Hello Everyone!

Talk about an interesting Christmas here in Thailand. It definitely didn't feel like Christmas at all except for the fact there was a party at the Church. We ended up at the Church a lot of the day because Khaaw Glawng was baptized yesterday! I had to type the program in Thai which took me forever.

The Christmas program really focused on the birth of Jesus Christ. The nativity that the branch did was very good. One of our investigators, a 15 year old named Party, was an angel in it.

I thought about how little even Thai members know about Christ's ministry and life and especially his birth as they presented the Nativity. Sister Waruni talked about it a bit in her talk on Sunday. She said she didn't know much of anything about Christmas but this year she learned so much and felt an increased sense of gratitude.

In Thailand at Christmas there is little or no sign of Jesus Christ at all. The only thing you will see is signs that say "Merry X-mas" or something like that. Christmas is a normal day in Thailand. People still go to work, still go about their normal days.

We also went around singing carols to members. We visited a lot of members who help us here in Roi Et. It was really fun to go and have those special memories with people like Sister Jan, Brother Siriwit, Brother Loesaan, Sister Jampii, and many other wonderful members in Roi Et.

Khaaw Glawng was interviewed on Thursday for baptism. He’s been ready for a long time but we were trying to get his dad, Chaang, in the picture. Chaang is an interesting case. In the past: 1) He never read the scriptures on his own and 2) He never prayed in his own free time. He told us yesterday, “I was so anti” but that his heart has changed a lot. The first day I met Chaang, I knew he was being forced to learn by Sister A. But then something really amazing happened. We had a lesson where Elder Thrap and I told him he had to keep commitments in order to know the things that we were telling him were true. He started to keep commitments. And he's never been the same since. Chaang had been a very indifferent investigator. As we have been teaching him for this time around, he smiles, he asks questions, he's involved in the lesson, he's marking the scriptures in his free time and he's praying with his family.

I have learned that we must have faith that our investigators can change. If Heavenly Father can change Chaang, he can change any heart. Their family is happier, there's more peace in their home. Yesterday Chaang told us that he wants to go to the temple to get married and that he wants to be baptized. He loved Khaaw Glawng's service. He came to the priesthood hour for the first time ever. Everyone was shocked. We have to have faith that the Gospel can change people. We have to have faith in the converting and transforming power of the Gospel. Brother Chaang will be ready for his date as he continues to do the things that will open his heart. He's a miracle in action.

Party, one of our younger investigators, came to the baptism, which he loved. The last time we taught him, he told us that he wanted to be ordained to the priesthood and that he wanted to be an "Elder". He also said he wanted to be baptized. We are going to keep working with him. He's a champ at keeping commitments and he's really changed a lot since he started learning the Gospel. He's a great young man.

Manob is still struggling a bit with his food not selling well. He sells very close to Sister Dawgrag and they are friends. Manob was a referral from her. He hasn't come to Church yet because of his financial situation. He understands well but needs help coming to Church.

Nxng came to Church for all three hours this week! That was a really great step for him. I feel that he will be ready for baptism this January. He's doing really well and is progressing quite a bit more than we anticipated. He has developed some good intentions as he has learned the Gospel more and more and he will make a good member of the Church.

Aa is still struggling to come to Church. His wife had the special experience of seeing her father in a dream as she prayed every night. She brought this up as we taught them last week. I feel like they are such an adorable family - Aa, Naang, Nam Khaang (Dew as in dew on the grass) - and they just need to understand how coming to Church will help them and they will come here fairly soon.

We met another new investigator named Phaybuun on a 10 minute lesson. We went back to see him and he had kept commitments and loved it. It was amazing, he understood so well. We will be going back to see him for a third time tonight. It was such a short lesson at first but enough that he was very interested.

Pawng came to Church! This is his third time as an investigator and the second time he's investigated with his wife. He showed up at Church even though we had to cancel our appointment with him on Saturday night.

I know that the Lord loves these people here in Thailand. As I get closer to getting home, I don't really want to think about it because it just makes me too sad. I love Thailand too much. I am addicted to Thailand and I love these people and the opportunity to teach the Gospel so much. I will never forget what I have learned here as I have seen the power of the atonement in my life and in the lives of others.

I love you all so dearly and pray for you all daily!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

One of the Best Weeks of my Entire Mission!

2010-12-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

December 20, 2010

Dearest Family,

This was one of the best weeks of my entire mission. We saw so many amazing things happen that we never expected and found so many people just out of the middle of nowhere and learned so much.

The standard for missionaries is to aim to teach 20 lessons per week. We have not gotten more than about 10. This week we got 24 lessons! It was incredible because first of all, it didn't make any sense how we did it besides following the simple but wise advice of the zone leaders and it also didn't make sense because we found a lot of great people to teach, too.

The Zone Leaders extended a challenge. They said that we could get into someone's house to teach a lesson everyday. We simply have to pray before hand, ask God for help and then go out and teach 10 minute lessons which are basically like extended invites where we get them to feel the spirit. We did this a BUNCH of times. All we did is say: “Hello! We are missionaries who teach about Jesus Christ. Can we sit down and talk for about 10 minutes?”

Thai people almost always accept an invitation to sit down. Granted, they don't open their heart every time but they are given the opportunity to feel the Spirit through that prayer. We met so many people to teach, people who felt the power of prayer. We found one investigator who said he loved prayer because it made him feel peace that he had never felt before. We found that as we teach investigators that prayer is the method by which they can receive revelation and ask God questions, they come to understand the true nature of this gift from Heavenly Father. They feel the power of receiving answers and they feel the changing power of the atonement in their lives.

That brings us to Brother Chaang. We went to see him and he hadn't prayed but he had read daily. We told him he had to pray to understand the scriptures and recommitted him to pray. And then we went back yesterday. Brother Chaang is changing every time we go see him. He talks to us and is so friendly to us. He's smiling more and this last time he said to us. "Elders, I have never read the scriptures regularly before but as I have started reading them daily I have felt the power of them - the power of them to change me. But I can't quite explain it." Sister A laughingly said to him "Dad (when they are together as a family they refer to each other as Dad and Mom), it's called a testimony!" We all laughed and really felt Chaang's growing testimony. He will be ready to be baptized by this next month as we continue to pray and love him.

I love Brother Chaang probably more than I ever expected was possible. I want him to progress so badly because one day, I want to see them sealed in the temple as an eternal family - Sister A's dream fulfilled. The pictures of the temple all over their walls will be symbols of their commitment to God and the covenants they made in the temple. One day, they will go to the temple together and be sealed for time and all eternity.

Elder Thrap found a statement in a notebook here in the house from training in March 2009. It said "A missionary is someone who leaves his family for a short time so someone else can spend eternity with their own family.” There are days where it's hot, we are tired and we aren't entirely into everything but I know that as we remember why we came to Thailand we will have a correct perspective and the correct motives.

There's TOO much to tell from this week: Manob - an investigator who understood everything we taught. A lesson on being true saints and getting rid of the natural man and why we must go to Church. Teaching the boy who comes to Church every week. Really forgetting ourselves and going to work.

I know that if we aren’t humble, we cannot do anything. We must acknowledge the Lord's hand in our lives. We must learn to obey the Lord's will for our lives even if we don't understand. I learned that this week. As we trust in God and do what the Zone Leaders suggest, we will be blessed. It's like painting the blood on our doorsteps. Do it willingly and God will bless you. I love the Lord and I love Thailand.

I love you all dearly and pray for you all daily. Pray for all to be well and pray for us to recognize the hand of God in our lives.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

The Church in RoiEt Has Many Families and Couples

2010-12-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2010

Dearest Family,

In the last two weeks we have taught more lessons than I have taught in a long time. It's crazy. Elder Thrap is a good influence. He has a hardworking, dedicated, organized personality and I have been working to emulate that more. His Thai is getting really good, he's becoming braver and less scared of talking to people and he's always willing to try new things. It's the joy of having a greenie.

We’re teaching a referral from President Sutheb, Ah, who is doing really well. We’re working to get his wife involved. He noticed in President Sutheb's life an increase of peace, direction and family happiness. Sutheb and Waruni are wonderful examples of members of the Church. They understand the doctrine, the way the Church should work and have a desire to help the Church grow in Thailand. The Sisters are teaching his older sister. It's a family affair. President Sutheb was referred by his older brother and his older brother's family is still active, even though his brother has since passed away.

The Church here in RoiEt has so many families and couples. That sets RoiEt apart from my other areas besides Chiang Mai – the number of full member families. I love to see Sister A's family coming to church together, even though Chaang isn't a member yet. Little Khaaw Glong is so adorable. He speaks really quietly and is always so polite. He's a tiny little guy, about nine years old and he looks so handsome with his shirt and tie. Then there's his older Brother Faang who passes the sacrament and Sister A and Brother Chaang.

Chaang is a bit stubborn. Yesterday as we taught him I thought about the things that I have seen with him. I compared his desire to get an answer from God and to follow God with him buying a can of coke. Chaang can't expect God to give him a 10 baht coke when he's only given God about two baht worth of effort. I asked Chaang how much he thinks he had given God and he admitted about two baht. We talked about repentance with him. We asked him if he is willing to begin to repent. He said that he didn't understand. The word repentance in Thai means "to return (to) heart". Chaang began to ask questions. How do I repent? What will it do for me?

Repentance is one of the greatest blessings that God gives to His children. We all make mistakes and these mistakes stop us from moving forward. The mistakes of the past leave us feeling like we can't move forward. But as we learn the Gospel and the steps of repentance, we understand that when we sin, we simply forget who we are. We forget we are children of God and that we don't always need to make the same mistakes over and over again. God wants us to see that. And I want Brother Chaang to see that so clearly. The reason he's been an investigator forever is because he hasn’t known how to find faith in Christ. He hasn’t known why he needed or wanted to have faith in Christ.

As we repent, we develop faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance brings the power of godliness into our lives. We need to think of this as we go to Church to renew our covenants with God. The word for covenant in Thai has an interesting connotation. The first part of the word is a common root in Thai that is often used to show connection between two parties (relationship, for example) the word covenant in Thai literally means to bind and promise. When we make a covenant with God, we are bound to Him. Does it mean we are always going to be perfect? No! If we were there would be no need for covenants and there would be no progression. Our covenants are the means by which we grow closer to God and enjoy the power of godliness in our lives. As we make covenants with God, whether at the sacrament table, or in the temple, we are in essence, inviting the power of godliness to come into our lives and to be with us always. We are humans, so we will make mistakes, but the covenants that we make with God call us to a higher plane of existence and discipleship.

As far as for Chaang, he's not quite ready to make this covenant with God. We are going to have to push his baptism back a bit, but I know that he will receive that answer. He must give God the full 10 baht. Once he does, he will know that God lives and loves him.

Wirayud is struggling a bit because of work. He hasn't been to Church regularly lately and he went to Chiang Rai this weekend. He hasn't been reading the scriptures regularly and he's been asking us why his life seems more difficult now. I don't think he quite understands why we read the scriptures.

Lessons learned this week:

1. Patience - God needs us to be humble for Him to change our lives. We must not have pride and instead learn to accept his timing. It will all work out. I know that we must have patience if we want happiness.
2. Repentance - We must repent daily and find ways that we can be better.
3. Love - Charity. We must see people as they are and we must learn to love those we serve.

I love the opportunity to be training again. I love this time here in RoiEt. I feel extremely happy and very grateful for the blessings that God has given me. I am so grateful for the blessings of the Gospel and the power of God in our lives.

I love you all dearly and know that God loves you too. Please take care of yourselves and I pray for you all daily.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Greetings from RoiEt

2010-12-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

December 6. 2010

Dear Family,

Greetings from another week in RoiEt - the first full week here with my wonderful son, Elder Thrap! He can speak Thai very clearly. He teaches well, asks excellent questions and inspires thought in our investigators’ hearts. He's knowledgeable of the scriptures and has a great desire to be here.

You asked me if I could understand everything when people speak Isaan. That's an ironic question. Yesterday it was apparently "Let's all speak to Elder Newman in Isaan and see how much he understands day." Unfortunately I can pick up the gist of it and a lot of times I understand all of it but I can’t hold a deep conversation in it. Seriously, EVERYONE was speaking to me in Isaan at Church.

Yesterday was Thai Father's day. It's the King's birthday. As I thought about that, I reflected on all the things that my Dad has done for us. Thank you for your sacrifice and your support of all of us. Thanks for making all of us feel loved and special. I love you lots. Happy Thai Fathers’ Day! I miss you.

Then I thought about our Heavenly Father. Thailand doesn't know Heavenly Father. They don't understand that we have a Father in Heaven who is the creator of our Spirits. I love this Father so much. I love the fact that he is always so willing to help me even when I make about a million mistakes a day. Heavenly Father's design for his children is one of happiness. He's a perfect Father. And to explain about the love of this parent to the Thai people is an amazing thing.

I remember one day in Thonburi we had had a difficult week. I looked at the map of Bangkok on our wall. I turned to Elder Iverson and asked, “Do you see this map? How many people on here do you think love God?" As a missionary we come to feel like I imagine God might feel. Everyday we wake up and see millions of people that we love but who don't love us or don't pay attention to us. That is love. Love is sacrifice. It suffereth long. Love will never fail. This love has the power to change our investigators.

This week we taught Brother Chaang (Elephant) and he's a bit stubborn. He's been an investigator for three years. He told us he doesn't know Jesus Christ. I ask him if he had ever read the Book of Mormon regularly. He said no. I told him, he must read the evidence of Christ. Through Christ we are spiritually born and we find the peace and joy that we seek in this life. For the first time in Chaang's history of an investigator who has been so indifferent, he said the words dedicated. In Thai this word is to set up your heart. Elder Thrap and I are praying so hard that he will continue to open his heart and let in our Father in Heaven, our Savior and the transforming power of the Gospel. We are all working to become like Him and to transform our lives. God loves us all so much. Even though we make many mistakes and aren't perfect.

I love Chaang and his family. I want this family to be prepared to be sealed in the temple and to have the peace that I know the Gospel will bring into their lives. I know that this is possible as we pray, teach by the Spirit and help Brother Chaang to come closer to the Savior.

Wirayud and his wife, Arum, will be legally married by May. I am not sure what to do with them in the meantime... They came to Church for the first week in two weeks. We may just teach them once a week until they can get baptized.

We also saw former investigators named Bawng and Num who are both struggling. They don't have peace. Peace comes from keeping the commandments. It's just as simple as that. That doesn't mean that our lives will always be serene and still but we will know what to do because as we keep the commandments we know who we really are.

Don't ever let anyone else define you. Let Him define you. You are a child of God with endless potential and with the power to become like Him. These people here in RoiEt are all his children. Imagine the power that has. The supreme creator of universes, the Lord of all creation has his eye upon all of us. He helps me everyday as I strive to overcome temptation and sorrow as we journey in this life.

I love the Lord and I love Thailand. I know that I was called here for a reason. I am so grateful for all that God has given me. Particularly my family here in Thailand - for all the fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers that I meet every day. And especially my family in America - our eternal family. I love you all so much. This Christmas time I think of how the Savior's birth and sacrifice makes eternal families a reality. I know that family can be together forever. That's such an amazing thought. And it's possible because of Jesus Christ.

I love you all and pray for you daily,

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Elder Newman and Elder Thrap

2010-11-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

My New Companion, Elder Thrap, is Fantastic!

2010-11-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

November 29, 2010

Dearest Family,

How are you all doing today? I am having an absolutely marvelous time here in RoiEt this week because we have seen so many miracles since Elder Thrap came here to RoiEt. It's so fun to have a companion that is as fantastic as he is. Let me tell the story from the beginning.

First of all, this week was a bit crazy. Tuesday morning Elder Pimsuwan and I were having companionship study when we got a call from President Smith. He said, “Elder Newman I am going to ask you to train again.” I was shocked because I've been in RoiEt for six weeks and I had already trained! Elder Pimsuwan was moving and he joked that he would be going to International with a Thai companion.

We finished up our time together and I thought about what I learned from him. The greatest lesson I learned from him was the power of repentance. He once told me that repentance isn't just about correcting sin but it's also about making the good things in our lives better. We all have challenges in life and we all need to rely on the Lord in order to overcome these challenges, but sometimes we neglect the aspect of repentance from the side of making good things even better. Our desire to press forward and to become more like the Savior is a journey of repentance. In Thai the word for repentance is return heart. I like to think of repentance as us returning to the heart that Christ and Heavenly Father have given us. The new heart that we took upon us as we were baptized. The new heart that we can have every week as we take the sacrament and every day as we keep those sacred covenants of baptism. I know that the Lord wants us to repent. I learned so much from Elder Pimsuwan and I was so grateful to be his companion.

We got packed for moves meeting and Sister Waruni and President Sutheb drove us and the Mahasarakham Elders to Khon Kaen. I love Sister Waruni and President Sutheb. I call Sister Waruni mom and she calls me son. It's so awesome to think that even in a small town in the middle of Thailand there are members like this who sacrifice so much for the Church. They have been members for less than 5 years and he is the branch president and she is in the primary. One of their daughters is learning at BYU Hawaii. Another daughter is not yet a member and is working in Bangkok.

We got to moves meeting after a very unrestful bus ride and I waited for my new companion to come. His name is Elder Thrap! He speaks Thai VERY clearly and is so diligent in everything he does. And Elder Pimsuwan... This is the biggest news for him. He is in International with a Thai companion. Everyone was so shocked at moves meeting. It was the talk of the meeting.

The bus ride back to RoiEt took forever because the bus had a problem with the brakes. But, when we got back everything started going crazy well. It's amazing - I have so many stories from this past week. I don't know if I'll have time to tell them all!

In biggest news - Sister A's husband, Chaang (elephant), is on the track I feel. We taught him yesterday and for the FIRST time since I have been here, he started taking a more active role in the lesson and he prayed for us. He's never accepted the commitment to pray for us. I invited him to pray at the end and he got on his knees and prayed. It was a great lesson where we used 2nd Nephi 32: 8-9 to explain why we must pray, since he hadn't prayed since we met him. And we left him a chapter to read. He's doing really well. His attitude changed SO much since the last time we met him. I think it was the fact we were bold with him and invited him to prepare to be baptized in this short period of time. Please pray that Chaang will progress and that he will feel the power of the gospel in his life. Please pray that Sister A will be a good example and that their son, Khaaw Glawng will also progress!

We also met with Wirayud who is struggling and is having a lot of temptations come into his life at this time. Please pray that he will be able to do those things that are right and realize that he call still progress for baptism. He didn't go to Church yesterday due to an emergency.

As far as for other happenings I will summarize:
1. Meeting adorable families at the public park who we will hopefully get a chance to teach.
2. Meeting a former investigator who attended Church about 20 times.
3. Meeting a potential who was extremely willing for us to go visit him.
4. Meeting someone in the park who had been baptized in another Christian church. He used the word baptism. I was shocked. No time people know that word really because it's a borrowing from English.

This week, I saw how the power of faith, obedience and sacrifice will make our lives holier and how we can see many miracles as we open our eyes. The best option is to choose the right and choose to live after the manner of happiness. That's the way our lives must be. We have challenges but as we work to conquer the giants in our lives, we gain a new perspective and life becomes what it should be - a matter of joy. Sometimes we get too caught up in the things that aren't important. I know that as we focus on the Savior and the things that are important, it is then, and only then, that we can have the peace and happiness that we wish to have.

I love you all dearly and pray for you all daily. Thank you for all you do! It's exciting to train again. This time it's not as stressful - probably cause of the fact that we have a place to live!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

New Isaan Zone Conference November 2010

2010-11-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

RoiEt Branch is big and really strong

2010-11-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

November 22, 2010

Hello Family

I hope that you are all well. This past week went by extremely quickly. I can't even believe it. I feel a little more tired but pretty healthy. Riding my bike all over, talking to everyone and being out in the sun all day is pretty tiring. I probably won’t be going to Bangkok this week. I don’t need to renew my visa until next moves.

We didn’t have a cell phone for a few weeks. It was because of an odd experience. We were going to visit an investigator and were waiting for Brother Jan (Brother Moon). Elder Pimsuwan and I were so tired that we closed our eyes for a minute. We think someone came and stole it from the back of Elder Pimsuwan's backpack. We didn't notice until we got to the investigator’s house. By then it was too late. So we called the office. They said they would get on it. It was a bit frustrating.

RoiEt is quite the branch. It's big and really strong. The thing that surprises me the most about RoiEt is the number of endowed members. The branch president and his wife, Sister Waruni and President Sutheb are the best ever. They are so humble and they love the Lord. They have only been members for about 4 years. Sister Waruni said that she had never heard the word God before the missionaries talked to her. Our ward mission leader is Father Khiaw (green). Here in the Isaan the word brother and sister aren't used as often as the typical Thai pronouns, Father, Mother, older sibling. Father and Mother are two words that they use in the Isaan a lot. In Bangkok you have to be really close to use those words.

This last week we had Zone Conference. It was a really good time. They talked about the new scriptures. I feel that these new scriptures will change so much for Thailand. Understanding of the scriptures is crucial to our understanding of the gospel. We talked about attending Church and helping investigators keep the Sabbath day holy. We talked about why we go to Church. Here in Thailand they really emphasize renewing of the covenant with God on Sunday. I really like it. I feel it's the correct attitude to go to Church with. We all do things that make our Father in Heaven sad but every week we can come to Church and change our lives. Change ourselves.

I love Thailand. I love Thai people so much. It's amazing to think about how much God loves all his children and desires them all to come to know him. But we are just so stubborn sometimes. It reminds me of Sister Laantaa in Nongkhai (inactive) who said that we are too stubborn sometimes to receive the good things God gives to us. We really are simply too stubborn. I love this opportunity to become less stubborn. But we have to repent and learn everyday.

This week we saw how sometimes our investigators do things that we don't understand. We had a few investigators move to another province without telling us until the day before. We are trying to figure out what to do with them. At this time we are working to find new investigators. We are finding some and we are hoping to work more with the branch to work with part member families.

I love you all so deeply and pray for you all daily!

Elder Jacob Newman

Life Doesn't Work Out How We Plan

2010-11-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2010

Dearest Family,

Talk about a crazy week this week. I am emailing later than usual because of exchanges with the Zone Leaders which was a bit crazy this past weekend. They came to exchange and do an interview for Wirayud and Arum to get baptized. That's probably the most complicated and intense story of the week.

Wirayud is a great candidate. His wife, Arum, can hardly speak Thai but they both have strong testimonies and are doing really well. They interviewed, however, and it came out that they cannot get baptized because they are not legally married and as of right now cannot be legally married because she is not a Thai citizen even though she was born in Thailand. And the process to change her citizenship is a lengthy and an expensive one that they could probably never afford. We aren't sure exactly what to do. It's still up in the air. I am not entirely sure how to proceed with him.

This week Wirayud also didn't go to Church. Elder Brown and I did exchanges this weekend. At first we thought that something had happened that Wirayud might have felt a bit discouraged about his interview but the after-interview talk went so well and there were smiles and laughs. It turns out that he was talking to his mother in Chiang Mai, he hung up the phone and then she passed away. I was so sad. I literally was shocked to hear this. The timing is extremely difficult. I am not sure exactly why he is going through this right now. We are praying extra hard for him. I love this couple and I hope that everything works out for them.

I liked the part in your email about the testimonies in your ward. Life doesn't work out how we planned. That's the greatest lesson I feel I have learned since coming to RoiEt. I feel that as I have reflected on my mission and all the things that have happened, I have come to see that it hasn't worked out exactly as I had planned. Or anything like I have planned. But I feel that the lesson we all must learn in life is to love the things that come our way. We must make a conscious decision to be happy and to live after the manner of happiness. We can let the actions of others or our circumstances dictate our happiness or we can decide to be a true Saint and find happiness in life. I feel that as I have made this decision, despite challenges, I feel happier and much more confident about life.

As we work with our investigators, I have seen how everything in our lives is about our choices. We must decide what we are going to do and how we are going to respond to our situations. I feel that on my mission I have seen so many times where the right choices have led to happiness. That's what we all must learn to do, heal from the past and move on to the future. Life doesn't work out as we planned. But if it did, would we really progress? Could we be happy? No. Happiness comes from realizing what life is about and what it isn't about. Life isn't about being rich, being well-liked, popular, or any of those things. Life is about becoming like our Savior and repentance.

Repentance is how we find joy. It is a change of thought and a lifelong process. As we take the sacrament, we come to realize the power of the atonement in our lives. This week they used the new Thai translation of the sacrament prayers. I felt the power of them more intimately. I felt the power of the covenant more powerfully. I want to look at my life everyday and find out how I can be better and do the things that I must to bring my life in harmony with His teachings more and more.

Anyway, I love you all so much and pray for you all daily. Thanks for all you do!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Elder Newman in a Special Training Meeting

2010-11-08T08:29:00.001-08:00

I Feel Very Happy Here in Roi Et

2010-11-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2010

Dearest Family,

This week seems to have gone by fast. On my birthday, we had district meeting and the Sisters surprised me with a slice of cake from 7-11. Then we taught English and had pizza to finish off the night. It was a good day and it was fun to be with Elder Phimsuwan for my birthday. The mission gives cookies to those who have birthdays at Zone Conferences. I got them at the special training. They were amazingly delicious.

Besides that, this week was pretty normal. We continued to work with our current investigators but some of them were unable to meet with us. Wirayud is doing really well. He still doesn't quite understand why he needs to pray about the Book of Mormon or the restoration which is making me a bit nervous as his baptism approaches here in the next two weeks. I haven't planned a baptism in a long time. The last one I planned was Sister Jiab's in Nongkhai because Ploy's baptism in Chiang Mai took place shortly after I left and in Thonburi our investigators weren't quite to that point.

I feel so grateful to see the change that has taken place in Wirayud. He told us of this change as he expressed his feelings that his relationship in his family has improved. His wife cannot really speak Thai but she has great desires to be baptized. Wirayud is from Chiang Mai and speaks Thai very well even though it's not his native language - his native language is a hill tribe language. Elder Phimsuwan and his companion met them at the public park one day, shortly before it was going to rain. They had had a day that wasn't too great and then they met this really fantastic investigator. God really does watch out for us.

So much in our lives is up to our decisions. That's something I really learned this week. We have a decision if we want to follow Jesus Christ. We have a decision if we want to have happiness in our lives. The Gospel doesn't make decisions for us but it gives us the light and understanding needed to help us make decisions. That's why we love the Gospel - because we know how to make choices that will be the best for us. I really love this opportunity to see the world so clearly. We see people as they really are, not as they seem. We see how the choices we make to do the simple things have such an impact on our lives.

I feel very happy here in Roi Et! I feel very blessed to be here with a good companion with some good investigators. I am grateful that the Lord is teaching me everyday to be a little better. We all have questions. Sometimes God doesn't answer our questions in an instant. Rather, God takes time. And teaches us. I am learning how to learn from God. We all are learning how to learn from Him. The best moments in which we learn are the moments when we admit that we don't understand and ask him to help us understand the things that are happening around us. And then God will open our eyes and help us to see the things that are truly important. God can help us to move mountains in our lives. We, however, have to get the shovel ready and dig. God helps us because He loves us. But we must always remember that we have an obligation to do our part.

I love the Gospel because it gives us such a clear perspective on the ways things are. And the way things should be. Don’t ever let the actions of others around us allow us to lose our perspective. We must remember that the actions of others are unimportant in the grand scheme of life. What is important is our reaction to those actions. We have a decision to do the right thing. The choice is ours.

I love the Lord and I love you all so very much. I pray for you all daily and hope you are all doing well.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!

2010-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

November 1, 2010

Dearest Family,

First of all thank you all for the warm birthday wishes. It seems so crazy to think back about the last three birthdays that I have had. My birthday at BYU, my roommates surprised me with cookies. Last year my birthday happened to be a Thai festival where they float little boats with candles on the water and so my trainer and I ate Korean barbecue. And now this year, I find myself in my fifth (read it fifth!) area with a fantastic companion Elder Phimsuwan. I am so grateful for all the blessings I have received here in Thailand. I feel that the best birthday presents that I have received are the blessings of good health, good friends, and most importantly good family.

I honestly don't know where I would be without family. Family is one of the most important things in our lives. No matter what changes, no matter how far apart we are, we know that our families can be together forever. Our family will always be our friends no matter what happens in the lives of others around us. I love that Gospel principle. The Gospel teaches us how families can build relationships that aren't simply meant to last in this life, but meant for eternity.

This week we learned a lot of lessons. I feel the greatest lesson we learned was the power of repentance. Repentance is a change of attitude and outlook on the world. I saw that as our investigators, who are amazing right now, repented and applied the teachings of the Gospel, their lives became better. Wirayud and his wife who can't speak Thai have a desire to follow the Savior and live like him more everyday. Chamnaan and Jai want to change their lives also. This weekend we saw so many miracles with meeting new investigators. God really led us to a lot of people who have a lot of potential. I feel that as we repent and come closer to the Savior, we will see that we find joy in repentance. We must have a mighty change of heart. As we draw closer to the Savior and learn to follow him more closely, we will receive blessings.

God really loves his children. He watches out for all of us, everyone. I know that he does care. My birthday here in Thailand will be amazing. I wouldn't spend it any other way. I love the fact that I can share the Gospel with all of these people. Thailand has changed my life. I talked about this the other day with Elder Phimsuwan. The day that I finish my mission will probably be the saddest day in my life. I have grown to love a place that I never knew I could love this way. Even through all the struggles and disappointments that we all experience in our missions, we grow to love a place, a people and a time that we never knew we could. I love this place. Every day is worth the price. Of course, I always sound so serious but I mean it!

Anyway, I love you all so dearly and pray for you all daily. May God bless you all. Again thanks for the birthday wishes - so weird that I am already 21. Almost.

Elder Jacob Newman

Things Are Going Well in RoiEt Thailand

2010-10-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2010

Dearest Family,

Here in RoiEt - the 101, LA or whatever other nickname you want to call it - things are going pretty well. We recently went through a period where we dropped almost all of our investigators so we are doing a lot of finding. Elder Phimsuwan continues to be great. We get along really well and communicate well together. It's funny - my English and my Thai are getting so messed up now. Since we speak in Thai almost all the time - except for times when I teach him English phrases - my brain sometimes goes between English and Thai with no real difference in between the two. It's a bit of a challenge to get things out correctly in either language. Elder Phimsuwan speaks English very well. He just rarely will speak English with me. I love working with him. He's a lot of fun and it's really interesting to get the Thai perspective on everything.

My district includes our companionship and a companionship of Sisters in RoiEt. (It's definitely the most backcountry of the Sisters’ areas.) And, there is a companionship in a nearby place called Mahasarakham. RoiEt and Mahasarakham are pretty similar in climate and make-up from what I understand. We do switch-offs at least once a transfer.

The flooding is big news around here. All day long we hear the radio and the TV on the streets talking about flooding throughout the Isaan and the Bangkok area. There's been a lot of rain here but RoiEt has avoided the worst of it. The water, however, is really high in the rivers. The Church is working on relief efforts in Korat since Korat seems to have been hit pretty hard. The rest of the Isaan is also experiencing some problems.

This week it's the end of the Buddhist lent (Phansaa) and so a lot of people go other places on vacation. So, the streets have been really empty and there haven't been many people to talk to. We are trying to focus on finding new investigators, specifically families and people who will keep commitments. At this time, the investigators that we do have are very good. We have the adorable family of Chamnaan and Jai who have many children, are already Christian and love coming to Church. We taught them this last week and after many months of being investigators set a baptismal date with them. They are planning on being baptized on December 5th 2010. We also got to meet with the amazing Wirayut this week. He's a great investigator. Ironically, he and his wife are both tribal people from Chiang Mai. He can speak Thai and Northern very well but she, Arun, can't speak or understand Thai very much. They are reading the Book of Mormon and are really dedicated to learning more about the gospel. He told us that he can't wait to tell his friends about this in Chiang Mai. He loves the Book of Mormon.

The branch here is much bigger than I am used to. It is full of children and families. We live right across from a member family - Sister Dograg and her husband, Brother Wichian, and their children Omni and Jarom. Omni, the daughter, is about 12 and the son, Jarom, is about 9. They have been members for a long time. The branch is full of members who are long-time converts. The Branch President, however, is a recent convert. He is one of the most humble and soft-spoken, kind men I have ever met. President Sutheb and his wife, Sister Waruni, are amazing assets. They smile, love the members and really want to help the Branch. Lately, there's been an emphasized push on Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching. They are working so hard to help the members catch the vision. Visiting and Home Teaching are the heart of the Church. Without this, our membership will not be strong and will not have the pleasing word of God. Members, especially recent converts, need the help of members to understand doctrine, to build friendships and to continue on the path towards righteousness. That's another lesson I have learned - to not neglect Home or Visiting Teaching.

I love the Thai people. That's the motivation to do missionary work. Elder Day related a great story before he went home. He told of a less active member in Nongkhai. One day the missionaries went to help him gather rice. In the process of gathering rice you have to be careful to not waste a lot of rice since you have to use a sieve of some sort to gather it. He told Elder Day, “Be careful son, every grain has value.” Isn't that so true? No matter who we are, where we are, what we've been in the past or what we are becoming, we all have value in the sight of God. The world tries to tell us otherwise. Many people will tell us that we don't have value. But every grain has value. I know this to be true because I experience it everyday. So often, we merely look upon the outside value of things. We look upon the things that the world can see. But as we ponder upon the reality of human existence, we realize that there is far more to us than what the eye can see or the ear can hear. So often, in the rush of everything, I think we all, especially myself, forget about that. We must remember. We must have patience and love and charity. I love the things I've learned here in Thailand. Sacrifice brings forth blessings untold.

I love you all so very very much. More than words can tell. And I pray for you all daily. Please be happy, healthy and enjoy things!

Love you lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

Wow! What a change from Thonburi

2010-10-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2010

Dearest Family,

Wow! What a change and a half from Thonburi. Here I am in Roi Et (or it's well-known nickname LA), a place that feels about as far as you can get from the Thonburi side of Bangkok.

This past week I fell a little sick. It was probably just a cold or something like that but I am not entirely sure. I was resting in bed on Monday to get on top of it. Elder Iverson came in and said that President Smith was on the phone for me. I thought I wasn't moving for sure, but President Smith told me I would be going district leader with a change of pace.

I started packing. We had our last day at English and our last district meeting. The three moves in Thonburi went by so fast. It seemed like yesterday I was getting off the taxi with Elder Seymour, both of us confused and really tired. The night before moves the bishop had us over to dinner. It was a great Isaan meal that Sister Cherry bought for us. It was delicious and a rather ironic sign of things to come.

When I arrived at moves meeting, I didn't recognize many of the missionaries. Sixty percent of the mission is in their fifth transfer or under. I did see Elder Pimsuwan, formerly Brother Bun, who I knew in Chiang Mai. We smiled and talked. He said, “Hey, my companion's finishing his mission you could come and be the district leader in Roi Et.” I didn't think that was likely. But, President Smith announced it and Elder Pimsuwan and I had a panic attack pretty much. I have wanted a Thai companion and now not only did I get a Thai companion but I got Elder Pimsuwan, who's so amazing!

Here's some background on Elder Pimsuwan. He's actually a third generation member. His grandfather, Brother Somchay, was the second member of the Church in Chiang Mai. Before his life as a member, he had no religion but he was converted and he had two daughters who also were in the Church with him. One of those daughters is Sister Ju, Elder Pimsuwan’s aunt, a translator for the Church and mother of Brother Tua (Now Elder Siriphan) and Sister Ooy, Elder Pimsuwan’s mother. All of these two families are active members in Chiang Mai. Brother Ped, our ward mission leader in Chiang Mai is Elder Pimsuwan's uncle and Elder Pimsuwan’s dad, Brother Supagid, is literally the funniest person on the face of the earth. I love both of these two awesome, amazing families. The ironic thing is that they both are very tight friends with Bishop Arun and Sister Cherry, who worked and lived in Chiang Mai for a time. I was so excited to think that I am working with someone who is such a pioneer in Thailand. These families are the face of the Church in Thailand. They represent the sacrifice of Thai members over the past 40 years.

Speaking of Chiang Mai, here's a little miracle. While I was serving there, a member wanted us to friendship her brother and her sister-in-law to see if they would learn with the Elders. Well, we tried to friendship them - we bought stuff that they sold - delicious egg rolls and spaghetti - and we went to their house for family home evening once. We tried our hardest, but it didn't seem like anything really came of them. Sister Young approached me at moves meeting and said - do you remember Paa (aunt) Noy? She said that you went to her house for spaghetti one time and that you bought a mat from her. It all came back. Sister Young held up her camera. There she was, Paa Noy and her husband, both dressed in white, the newest members of the Chiang Mai branch.

So Roi Et. Wow! Talk about a change. Roi Et feels more like the Isaan than Nongkhai did to me. There are somtum and grilled chicken restaurants everywhere. Roi Et has a lot of really nice houses and Isaan is spoken on the street. I can understand a lot more of the Isaan than I could last time. Everyone, however, will speak to you in Thai. The night we got to Kawngaen, which is where the zone leaders are, the Branch President, Sutheb, and his wife sister Waruni came to pick us up. They are converts of about four years and so incredibly strong. The branch here is simply amazing. It's a HUGE branch. Yesterday there were about 70 people at Church and they all said that there were so few people at Church. Usually about 100 people is fairly typical for this branch. The leadership is experienced, very dedicated and there is a beautiful building.

Roi Et doesn't have a lot of people on the streets, but it has lots of priesthood (at least 15 active Melchizedek priesthood leaders) and a good structure to work with. Right now we are also teaching several families which is awesome! Yesterday one of our investigator families came to Church and they are doing fairly well. They still need to understand the restoration - they are Christians already - but once they grasp that, I feel like they will make excellent members. The branch here has so many long time members and so many memorable characters.

Our house is pretty nice. It's right next to the house of a return missionary, Sister Dograg. She and her husband are long time members of the Church. She feeds the Elders and the Sisters every Sunday night. Last night it was sweet and sour chicken, tom yum gung (a shrimp soup) and naam tog (spicy pork Isaan food.) It was delicious.

Roi Et is a small place. But a place that I feel I will come to love. I love the opportunity to share about our Father in Heaven with these people. So many people just don't know about Him. I feel excited to share the knowledge that I have gained about Him as I have been a missionary. The knowledge that He lives and loves me and that He cares about the one. I know there are people here in Roi Et, and everywhere in the world, who need the knowledge of this Father in Heaven. I am ready to work hard and to see the miracles that God will provide for us here. I can't wait to see what happens.

Love you all lots and pray for you daily!

Elder Jacob Newman

Chapel in Roi Et

2010-10-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Elder Newman has been transferred to Roi Et in northeastern Thailand. His new companion is Elder Pimsuwan.

Elder Newman in Training Session

2010-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

General Conference in Thonburi

2010-10-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

October 11, 2010

Dearest Family,

I am not sure if this is my last week in Thonburi or not. This transfers is a very crazy one. Elder Day's huge group of at least 15 is going to be finishing their missions here pretty soon. It's such a weird thought that not too long ago, I was with Elder Day in Chiang Mai and he was just on his 12th moves. And now here he is finishing his mission. Elder Hunt, an AP is finishing too. There's going to be some pretty major changes in leadership and in trainers. The mission is getting so young now that people have to go senior companion younger and younger. I will be curious to see how this next moves works out.

Thonburi this week is doing alright. We saw four investigators at Church - Sutheb and Plaa along with Bo and Oo. They all attended sessions of Conference. It was pretty amazing that they all came. Sutheb is still having some struggles with keeping commitments - especially reading but he's pressing forward slowly but surely. Bo is doing really well. We taught her a lesson this week where she took notes as we taught. I've never had an investigator do that before. She was intensely taking notes as we reviewed prophets and talked a little bit about General Conference.

General Conference was a good experience. I can understand more than I could last time I watched it in Thai but it just doesn't get the same meaning across really. The translations sometimes are hard because the speakers will vary from their intended course. Also ten hours of listening to really high Thai language with crazy vocabulary is a bit tiring. But the speakers were really good. I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk about the pace of modern life and Elder Eyring's talk. Conference is a really nice time to be with the members, too. Granted, the turn out usually isn't that fantastic but this year we had quite a few investigators who showed up.

I don't know how to describe my intense love for Thonburi. I have never had an area quite like it. The ward is doing better since we've been here. I feel like somehow we give them more hope for a future where Thailand can have that temple. I love missionary work, even if it is a lot of rejection and even if it's particularly difficult sometimes. There are miracles and God doesn't want us to forget that.

In reality, why does God allow us to have challenges? How can an infinite, all-loving God allow us as humans to suffer? The answer is simple: love. God loves us more than we can imagine. God lets us experience trials because He loves us and desires to have an intimate role in our lives. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to feel all that. Have we ever thought of trials as a form of love? Instead of asking why, which we are all so prone to do, we must ask how. We must ask how we can press forward with faith until we see the light. I know that

Thonburi has been a challenge in many ways - from being sick my first week and fainting in an elevator and hours of inviting and lots of rejection. But would I trade Thonburi for anything? Never. Thonburi is too deserving. The ward is too deserving of any kind of help that it can get. Thonburi has been stressful, yes, but I hope I don't move this moves because I want to spend as much time as I can helping this place to develop and grow. I will do all it takes to help this ward because it's not just their ward, it's my ward. Granted, I have my home ward in Utah, but Thonburi has become my ward in so many ways. I look around and see them as my siblings. And then I think about leaving them, and I almost can't stand the thought. Thonburi will always have a special place in my heart. And one day when I come back here, I will shout for joy that I had a chance to come back and see all these wonderful members.

As part of the Thailand Bangkok mission we have a motto. "Faith is the power. Obedience is the price. Love is the motivation. Preach My Gospel is the key. Christ is the reason." I have never felt this theme so strongly until Thonburi. The sacrifice of a mission is a pleasure for all those who decide to sacrifice. The power of sacrifice is indescribable. This power has the ability to change the world. Thonburi has changed my life forever. I will never forget the sacrifice, the miracle of Thonburi. Even if I don't move, I must express these feelings.

All is well. I love you all so much and pray for you daily.

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Greetings From a Rainy, Wet Southeastern Asia

2010-10-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

October 4, 2010

Dearest Family,

Greetings from a rainy, wet and humid South Eastern Asia Monday! It seems so crazy that another six months has passed - another conference is upon us. It seems like yesterday I was watching Conference in English in Chiang Mai. But that was actually six months ago. How fast time seems to fly while you are here in Thailand. My time in Thonburi has gone by so quickly. I cannot believe that transfers will soon be upon us (they started calling them transfers - weird right?) and that my time in Thonburi might be at an end. I don't think it's quite over yet though. I think I will be here for this last moves. I feel there's still some things left to do and some things that I still need to resolve.

Thonburi is a place that I will never forget. I don't know what to say about it exactly. Yesterday Sister Cherry gave me friendship book entry that almost made me cry. She started it off and said the words that I wanted to hear. She said first of all "We have to thank Heavenly Father that you were sent here to Thonburi. You helped our ward so much." She told me many other things that were just the answers that I needed. I don't know how she knew what I needed to hear from her family but she knew exactly what I wanted to think of my time in Thonburi as. I felt so touched to think that our Father in Heaven knew exactly why I needed to be here.

I might be the in the last set of second Elders that will be here in Thonburi until they decide to try it again in the future, but I feel grateful for this opportunity to have served here. This side of Bangkok isn't visited terribly often unless people are going to go to Wad Arun, but if I ever come back to Thailand, this will be my first stop for sure. The strong feelings that we associate with the places we love the most never leave us.

Elder Iverson told me yesterday that I am stuck on the members. And it's true. I love the members here so much. I feel such a strong connection - it's so ironic how our lives are so guided like that. The bishop's family is great friends with Brother Ped's and Sister Ju's family in Chiang Mai and know all the members in Chiang Mai since they lived there. And it's so amazing to think that I had the chance to come here in the middle of Bangkok to find some of the lost sheep.

You asked about a typical Sacrament Meeting in Thonburi. There is the teacher, deacon, bishopric member, chorister and relief society first counselor in the same family who show up every day - Brother Johnny and Sister Taeng and their family. Then there's the bishop's family - Cherry, Bishop, Kiwi, Navy, Ivy - so adorable, seriously. And then there's the other regular members - Sister Pranom who cleans the chapels in Bangkok with her two young adult sons, Sister Ganjana and her daughter Nina, Sister Fon and Brother Poniwad - a long, long time member - Brother Long, I could name them all. Usually there are about two speakers or three sometimes. The bishop takes a lot of time to speak. He's CES and a great speaker. I love him! Sacrament meeting is simple.

Our chapel is on Jaran 22, right behind it is a wad and it's also next to a coffin making factory. It's deep in a soy that's a typical Thonburi soy.

Interpreting for the deaf lady is extremely difficult and very tiring but it's been a good experience and it's improved my comprehension a lot. She's a very nice Sister.

Brother Sutheb keeps having conflicts with Church but he's doing better, he's starting to live some commandments that have been a struggle for him in the past. I can see the change within him as we have taught him over the past couple of months. He will only continue to progress as he comes to Church and expresses his faith. I have seen him give up a lot things and express a true desire to repent. He will continue to progress as he strives to exercise faith in the Savior.

We met with a referral from a member named Wan. She will take some time to understand what we are teaching but she will gradually understand more and more as we emphasize the teachings that will help her to come to know her Heavenly Father.

And we also had a wonderful experience with Bo, a referral from a new member in Stop's ward. She is living here in Thonburi and was Christian in the past but expressed that she hadn't been too church-going until she graduated. Then she started going to church and went many places but none of them felt right exactly. So she came to our church and she feels great about it. We taught her a first lesson about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. She seems ready to accept the Gospel.

Besides that we walked a lot. And by a lot, I mean a ton. We contacted a lot and found some people who have potential. Elder Panom and I did switch offs this week which was bittersweet almost. It's our last time switching off since he will be moving. I have grown to love Elder Panom and his wonderful influence. He has such an amazing conversion story that I almost can't believe it. I feel as if his influence will be invaluable for the Church in Thailand in the future. Lots of contacting - that's Thonburi. City contacting since the soys have lots of people but it's very unclear where everyone lives.

I know that God loves us. Even when we feel like maybe no one knows or cares, there's always someone who cares. God has an infinite role in our lives. He sent me to Thonburi perhaps to learn some lessons or perhaps to develop patience. Or perhaps to become more like our Savior. No matter what the purpose - to help the deaf lady perhaps - I know I came here for a reason. God lives. Jesus is the Christ. The Gospel has power and we are all a part of it. Remember that God loves us all!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

I Am a Thonburite

2010-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

September 27, 2010

Dearest Family,

Yesterday I sat at Church and I thought how I consider Thonburi to be my home. When I first came to Thonburi, I never thought I would get so attached to such a tiny branch with so few members. I never knew how much I could love a ward until I came to this little struggling ward on the Thonburi side of Bangkok. The other day I saw a shirt that said "I am a Thonburite - คนฝั่ง Thon - I can't find the letter I need to spell Thon correctly. But I thought of my time here in Thonburi. In my heart, I will always be a Thonburite. I love this side of the river. I love Thonburi. From every member, who might as well be adopted siblings, parents, aunts and uncles to me, to the sheer love I have for the area, I love Thonburi so much. It's a place of miracles and a place that I will always love.

We did exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week, I was with Elder McConkie. It was a good time. We were together for two days. We got a chance to find a really good new investigator named Athiwad. He has a lot of potential and he was met in the most random way - down a soy full of disinterested people, this man said hello to us in English and at first I wasn't sure if he would be interested, but he turned out to be the most interested person we met that day. He almost went to Church yesterday but he didn't have anyone to watch his house so he couldn't go. We taught him. As we taught him, he said "In the past I have been a bad person but I want to change" That's what the gospel about. The Gospel is about the change of self - into a true saint and disciple of Jesus Christ. And sometimes as we teach the Gospel, we find that the ones who change the most aren't our investigators, but rather us.

Thonburi hasn't had a ton of investigators that have learned for long periods of time. But as I have taught those I have, I have realized how we must evaluate our priorities in life. I have learned that I must stay close to our Father in Heaven. In the end, all things will fall apart and fade, the only things that don't fade are the truths that we cherish. As I sat there and heard this man say that he wanted to repent, I thought of how Our Father in Heaven wanted so much for his child to talk to him. That's what God really wants from our prayers - is us simply talking with him - a lesson I learned from Brother Nuy in Nongkhai. Imagine this - God has waited for thirty or forty years to talk to some of his children. For some of his children, they never get the chance to talk to him at all. Imagine the feelings of a tender parent who never gets to talk to their child. We must learn to simply talk with God.

The sad thing about yesterday was is that Sutheb missed Church for the second week in a row. This week, he revealed some concerns that I didn't see coming. We are going to have to be praying that he will have a desire to sincerely follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I know that he was prepared to meet us but he will take some work to fully repent. He's not an easy investigator. But I love him and he has a desire to be converted. He will take some time. The great things about yesterday include but are not limited to, a referral from a member from Bangkhen and an appointment to meet with a referral from the members of our own ward.

The referral from Bangkhen seems awesome. Her name is Bo and she is really interested and is going to be coming to Church this next week. I feel so happy to know that God is watching out for us. She lives by Wong Wian Yay. I have been down those soys so often but I have never run into her before. The soys in Thonburi are hard to describe. They are narrow and they are very full of people but it's a mystery where all these people live.

President Smith is very good. I like him a lot and I think he's doing a great job. He wants to help all the branches in the country to grow. He gave a talk about sharing the gospel in Thonburi that I think has caused some good action by the members. Our ward mission leader was pushed to action.

Anyway, this next week should be good. I love Thonburi with all my heart and there's going to be lots of good things happening here. I love seeing how the ward is slowing but surely changing. It will take time but I know that one day I will be able to come back and see the difference! One day Thonburi will have two wards and this side of the river will have a stake!

Love you all lots and pray for you daily,

Elder Jacob Newman

Thonburi Is Picking Up

2010-09-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

September 20, 2010

Hello Dearest Family,

You asked what Thai houses are like. Let me give you a brief description of the Bishop’s house. They live on one of the major soys in the north of Thonburi in an area called Baangphlad. It's called Chaeronsanitwong 75. This street is hard to describe exactly. Imagine constant traffic along a narrow soy - motorbikes, pedestrians, cars, taxis, and everything in between. Imagine countless food vendors selling everything from treats to rice while all around you there are people selling their wares and living the Thai life. They live on an outlet of this major street. You go into their house and take off your shoes, entering into almost a mud room base floor. Then you go up the steps into their family room and kitchen. The family room is the first thing you see. It has a bench, computer, television and two sofa chairs. Then their kitchen is to your right if you are facing towards the street they live on. You go up a step into the kitchen area. I think there is another floor. They live in fairly typical middle to upper-middle class Thai circumstances.

Their family is the most adorable and faithful family ever - I love Sister Cherry, Bishop Arun, Ivy, Navy and Davy. They all really love the gospel. He's the head of Church education in Thailand, a return missionary and a lifelong member. Sister Cherry is a convert. She told us her story: The missionaries came to see her neighbor, who wasn't interested but she said, "I was interested. I was baptized. My neighbor wasn't."

A couple of weeks ago Sister Cherry gave the most touching talk on family history. Family history in Thailand is extremely difficult if only due to the sheer lack of records. She talked about how she saw miracles as she worked to seal her family. The first time she went to the temple, she and her husband were sealed and she described her experience as she was sealed for her parents. At this point, tears filled her eyes. She said, "I can't describe the feeling that I felt as I knelt there; knowing that we could see each other again even though they died when I was young." I loved that talk and I love this ward with all my heart. This ward has some of the best Thailand has to offer.

Thonburi is picking up, slowly but surely. This week Sutheb didn't make it to Church since he was sick, but, we actually got two different investigators to Church. Tuy and Naet have good potential. Tuy enjoys reading the Book of Mormon. Naet is fascinated by the idea of being cleansed from sin. Their mother is also involved but she can't attend Church at this point. We are trying to help them understand that the feelings they feel as they pray are unique and special feelings from their Father in Heaven. I feel as if this family has some real potential to progress but only time will tell. We are going to continue to work to help them understand the most basic of all principles - who we are.

I have taken a new approach when I invite people - I tell people that God has an inheritance for them, an inheritance that as a son or daughter of Him we have a right to inherit. We come from the hand of God. And while sometimes we can't see or hear or feel Him, we still know that He loves us. If life worked out perfectly, would we learn anything? If life worked out just as we planned, what would the purpose of life be? We must have experiences in our life where we are tested and tried. I have come to realize what the real purpose of prayer is. The purpose of prayer isn't only to ask for blessings or to thank God, but to have an intimate and personal relationship with the Creator of all things. When we talk to God, we can just talk. We don't have to worry about what He will think because God loves us. God is our Father and we are His children.

I can't believe it's almost been three moves since I've been in Thonburi. Elder Iverson and I get along very well and it's been great here in Thonburi! I don't know what the future will hold. I know, however, that there was a reason I came to Thonburi. As far as the things I have learned, I would never trade Thonburi for anything. We often talk about the measure of success. The ultimate measure of our success lies not in what the world sees but in what God sees. God sees when we try. God sees when we love the people.

Right now it's raining really hard outside. Thonburi rains a lot. When I think of Thonburi days, I will think of lots of walking, talking lots of Thai, and smiling. I will think of Thai custard, laab burgers, introducing Elder Seymour to new foods and lots of hard work. Opening a new area is an endeavor for sure. I didn't expect it to work out the way it has but now I feel as if I have learned so much from it. I know that the Lord sent me here for some purpose.

I hope you all stay close to our Father in Heaven and that you remember how much the Savior loves us.

Love you all lots and pray for you daily. Thanks for all your prayers,

Elder Jacob Newman

This Week Was Amazing

2010-09-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

September 14, 2010

Dearest Family,

Yesterday we had a special conference with Elder Perkins that was really quite fantastic. There were a lot of great talks by President and Sister Smith along with President and Sister Perkins. I really enjoyed it a lot. They are changing the method of teaching at the MTC, so we are all learning about the new focuses. The new changes to the system will be good and will help us to help people feel the power of the gospel in their lives.

This week we saw some really great progress here in Thonburi. Thonburi has been my favorite area. Sure I loved all my areas, but Thonburi will always have a special place in my heart. From the members - the hilarious Sister Uy who works at the Marriott resort here in Thonburi, the bishop's amazing family - Sister Cherry and all, Brother Johnny's awesome family who runs a lot of the branch and Sister Ganjana who always seems to make us smile. From Brother Poniwat who has been a member since Thonburi opened for missionary work pretty much to Brother Bunchay a man who has Chinese ancestry who was converted, this ward has a lot of wonderful members that I will never forget. It's here that I really came to see what's important in life.

This week was amazing. We had some days that were really hard but Sunday made up for everything. We saw Sutheb a lot and he's progressing really quite well. He's been reading daily, he understands why we must go to Church and he loves learning about the teachings of Christ. He came to Church this week with his girlfriend and the members were great to them. Of course, it's always a bit awkward at first but they respect him and think he's a great guy. He's developing stronger and stronger faith in our Heavenly Father and in Christ. He's reading the Book of Mormon consistently and tells us how much he loves it when we come to teach. His girlfriend has come with him these past two weeks and she's now an investigator also. He wasn't the typical golden investigator. He didn't keep our first appointment and at first I wasn't sure about his desires. But anyone who comes to Church, reads daily, and introduces his friends is someone who has desire. He knows who he is.

We also saw another not-yet sort of kind of investigator at Church named Waan who is friends with Sister Ganjana. She has a desire to learn but is uncertain about learning with the Elders yet. It's a bit of an odd situation.
This week we ended up teaching a lot and seeing lots of great people. This is an amazing place. There's something so magical about Thonburi. The streets are really crowded, overflowing with people going to work, the market or selling their wares. The soys are narrow and full of people and there's a lot of rushing going on. But I have come to love this part of Bangkok so much.
Yesterday we had a testimony meeting at Zone Conference. I thought about my time in Thonburi and while it's been definitely not what I was anticipating, it's been probably the biggest blessing of my mission. We are starting to see things happen. Thonburi will be having investigators at Church for the foreseeable future. Thonburi before this was one struggling area, a ward on the verge of being a branch, but as we have tried our hardest, we are starting to see a kind of turnaround here. Granted, Thonburi won't be fixed in a day. Perhaps not even a year, but someday Thonburi won't be just one ward - it will be two. One day this side of Bangkok will be its own stake. We must have faith in God's timing for everything. Just because we don't see results instantly doesn't mean we shouldn't keep a positive outlook. If we keep a positive outlook and have faith, we can and will see miracles. We must continue to rely on the Savior and our Father in Heaven to see those miracles. Often the miracles are the simple things - the time the Thai grandmother smiles at you or the times people are so nice about your language. Sometimes God just tells us wait. Preparation precedes the miracle.
Also a little piece of advice: Always do your home and visiting teaching. That's a lesson I've learned very well in Thailand but particularly in Thonburi. We all need nourishment by the good word of God.
I love you all and pray for you daily. I know that God is watching out for all of us. He really does care and loves all of us.
Love,
Elder Jacob Newman

A Crazy Moves Meeting Week

2010-09-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

September 6, 2010

Dearest Family,

What a crazy moves meeting week. I never thought my experience in Thonburi would turn out the way that it has. Needless to say, it's been such a blessing in my life. From meeting the Bishop's wonderful family and all these other AWESOME Thai members in Bangkok to coming to love this branch as if it were my home ward. I feel as if my greatest growth in Thailand has taken place here. The things that are important become so clear and the things that don't matter become rather obvious. I love the Lord so much more. I love the Thai people so much more. My patience has grown. My love for the work has grown. My Thai has grown But, most of all I came to see how life is a wonderful experience. It's what we make of it. If we make it hard, it will be hard. But if we learn that God has a purpose for us that we may not understand, we will be able to look back upon our lives and see the hand of God.

I arrived at moves meeting with Elder Seymour. We had a tricky week with switch offs in Bangkhae and with lots of appointments that didn't go through. But we arrived and sat down. Moves meeting gave us some good inspiration and we heard the news that they are opening a new Elders’ area in Asoke and one in Srinakarin also. Two “heart of Bangkok” areas - well one is suburban Bangkok and the other is VERY urban. And then I found out that I got Elder Iverson from Elder Seymour's group for my new companion. He's super skillful. His Thai is SO good, he's a hard worker and he has a great attitude. We get along really well.

Elder Seymour went to... get this... Yashothorn, about as rural as you can get. It's SO tiny. He's been riding his bike a ton. His new companion is my nong thai at the MTC Elder Phetvixay. He seems to be enjoying it - I had to talk to him to get a few things figured out this past week. He will be hearing a lot of Isaan rather than the typical Bangkok Thai he's used to but he will do great. He taught me so much. I will miss him so much.

I feel a change in the air of Thonburi. This past week we saw too many good things to be real. We saw Sutheb at Church. Not alone but with his girlfriend. He came to Church on time and really loved it. He's been praying and reading daily. This last time we visited him we committed him to think about when he would like to be baptized. He's eager. He told me he believes in the Savior. He always tells us that we were sent to find him. The day we met him was one of those days that I wasn't sure what to do. I was walking down a soy with Elder Seymour, feeling so frustrated. I almost passed him up because he didn't seem that interested. But then I really listened to what he had to say. He was crying out for something. He longed for something more than he could see. And for some reason, we were blessed enough to find him.

The other Elders’ investigators, Sister Buen (Apple), Sister Taan (Sugar), and Brother Ding all got baptized. It was a wonderful service, the first service in Thonburi in a long time. About 50 people showed up to Church this week because of it! I was overjoyed. The ward is seeing progress. The ward is so lucky to have this family in their midst. The husband is not yet in the picture at Church but I imagine time will pass and progress with occur.

As far as Thonburi, I love this place. I can't quite adequately explain my love for Thonburi and for Thailand. I say it every week though, so everyone thinks I sound repetitive. I can't imagine my life without Thailand. I came here for a reason. Thailand has changed my life in such a profound way. To see the Gospel grow here in Thailand has been an amazing experience. It's like a seed. We can't expect a seed to harvest fruit overnight - that's absurd. However we can expect spurts and gradual constant growth. Thai people are ready for the Gospel, we just have to go out there and help them find themselves.

I love Thonburi because I see thousands of people everyday who are my siblings. Even just the way we talk to one another, we're all related. Big brothers, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, grandparents everywhere. I loved seeing how this week, we had an opportunity to teach people and to help them feel the power of prayer, the love of the Savior. Yesterday we went into a place where people make shoes for 12 hours a day. We sat down waiting for an investigator to be ready to talk to us. A woman who was gluing patterns for shoes told us that her husband recently died. I told her about the plan of salvation and prayers. I have never seen such a fire in someone eyes. She, however, isn't quite ready to learn due to her work schedule. But I know she will never forget when those two really white faraangs who could speak Thai told her that she could and will meet her husband again.

I feel the love of the Savior. I know that the Savior loves us and needs us to help Him. He died for us. He really did. I feel that power so often especially as I walk down the streets trying to find those people who will listen to us. He isn't just a myth or a fable. He lives. I don't know that I can emphasize that enough. And because He lives, we don't have to worry. Life is hard. But we can do it. No matter what comes our way, as long as we have the Savior things will work out. Things never work out the way we anticipated but they always work out the best way. And when we look back we will know why.

I love the Gospel and I love the Savior. Being a missionary isn't easy but it's the right thing to do and it's the most profound experience of my life. Your life will never be the same if you serve a mission. I love Thailand and I love my calling to be here.

May God bless you all. I love you and pray for you daily. We are seeing something miraculous here. Just give us some time.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Elder Seymour and Elder Newman at Wat Arun

2010-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

sa-wat-dee

2010-08-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

What a Week!

2010-08-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

August 30, 2010

Dearest Family,

What a week! I have never been so tired during my mission. This deal with the meeting they had in Bangkok made things crazy. But the week was really great. Thonburi is the most worthwhile area I have ever been in. We've seen miracles as we have worked together to try to help this ward and area grow. We are going to start working more closely with the Bishop.

I can't believe how fast the time is passing. It seems just like yesterday I was a greenie in Bangkapi, just yesterday I was hearing Laotian on the streets, just yesterday I was in Chiang Mai eating Khaaw Soy. And then to hear about Brother Sakhaa coming back to Thailand. I can't wait to be able to actually see him should he be here in Thailand. I want to be able to speak Thai with him now that I can speak Thai. He has been such an influence in my life. I love him for teaching me that missionary work is about this - the Thai people. It isn't about the glory, the fame, the ability or the skill. What missionary work comes down to is helping our brothers and sisters understand their potential as humans. We are preparing for the eternal inheritance which God has prepared for us since before we existed as we know it. When we were with God, God prepared a marvelous plan that would allow us to reach our potential. God knew our potential and wanted to help us reach it. The Thai people have that potential. We all have that potential within us. We are not simply another human. We are children of God. Brother Sakhaa helped me understand. I think before I met him, I sort of understood. But I didn't understand on the level that he taught me.

You asked me if I always study the Gospel in Thai or spend some time in English. I study the gospel in English always. Although I will sometimes open the Thai for clarification. Often the Thai translation will help us understand more. That’s because of the pronouns. We can tell very clearly when God is talking to us because he will use a certain pronoun (the royal we) and he will use the word for you that is only used by royalty.

You also asked what it means when people say that Asoke is the “Belly of the Beast.” Wow. How to describe Asoke? Take my images of Thonburi that I've given you before and multiply its intensity by about 10. It's called that because it's all skyscrapers, full of people and really western. Siam Paragon. All kinds of hotels, fancy foods, but mostly just tons and tons of people. The BTS (Skytrain) and MRT (Underground) are SO crowded. There are so many people all over the place but they all live in the suburbs of Bangkok - Bangkapi, Bangkhae, etc. Asoke is the heart of Bangkok. It's a crazy place! It's where one of the first chapels in Thailand was and it's also where the translator of the Book of Mormon lives. I would love to meet her. Her name is Mother Sri (the r is never pronounced in Thai if it is after an S, it's simply a spelling thing.)

Elder Seymour's Thai has made massive strides! He speaks Thai so skillfully now. And he reads and writes so well too! I have been working on Thai with him 24/7. As we invite, I literally will teach him Thai principles all the time. I don't know what I will do when I can't talk about Thai with him all the time. And my Thai this moves has shot off because explaining things to him has helped me understand SO much more!

My time in Thonburi has taught me that as children of God, we must be taken care of and loved. As members of the Church, the road will not be easy, nor will it be simple. But in reality, the road towards eternity isn't meant to be that way. If it were easy, it just wouldn't be worthwhile. Thonburi has millions of people just waiting to hear the news about being children of God, about that divine potential.

This week as we taught a new investigator, Sutheb shared with us how he prayed daily, read the scriptures daily and desired to come to Church. He wants to see his potential as a child of God. I asked him a question. “Uncle, do you want to a regular person? An ordinary person?” When he said no, I told him that through the gospel, we become something greater than regular, we can become something extraordinary. We can become the kind of person who has happiness, the kind of person who has the right perspective about life and the kind of person who is like the Savior Jesus Christ. We have the potential to inherit that divine inheritance from our Heavenly King. In Thai it's just so perfect, because the word for child of God is the word for prince and princesses. I love that. God in Thai is the heavenly king. Thai expresses the love we have for him as our King. I love Him. Heavenly Father loves us all and He wants us all to be happy. God doesn't want us to be miserable. If he wanted us to be miserable, He wouldn't be a very good father. It's just at times as children we think we know what's best for us. But in reality, our Father in Heaven - He knows. Sometimes we must learn the things that are most important. Is money important? Not as important as family. Not as important as the anchor of the Gospel.

We are seeing a turn around in Thonburi. Next week the other Elders’ investigators are getting baptized. Sister Apple (Buen), Sugar (Naamtaan) and Ding, a family minus their father - who's not interested yet - are all getting baptized. The first baptism in Thonburi in possibly over two years. It's a miracle! She's a miracle and is a great investigator. It's all a matter of time.

I love you all. Thank you for all your support!

Love

Elder Jacob Newman

This Week Was Crazier Than Most

2010-08-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

August 25, 2010

Dearest Family,

Welcome to another Thonburi week. This week was crazier than most. There was a major training meeting in Bangkok for all leaders. So our schedule was MESSED up. Switch-offs. Changing preparation day. Everything is crazy and up in the air. Right now, today is our preparation day. We went to Din Daeng to do "switch-offs" only to be told that we were actually going to be returning home the next day rather than doing switch-offs. The meeting involves only leaders in the mission - District Leader, Zone Leader, etc. So, I didn't go. But with switch-offs and people staying at our house, it's been a mess. Somewhat fun but mostly tiring! I am very tired. But today we are going to see a VERY beautiful wad so that will be good. It's called Wad Arun. Anyway, besides that all is pretty well.

This week I had the realization that my mission hasn't turned out exactly the way that I had expected it to turn out. I think of it as a journey of self development and discovery. From the villages of Bangkok, to the Isaan rice fields and up บนดอย (That's upon the mountains in Northern - bon doy), and back to the heart of metropolitan Bangkok. I didn't really expect to have the experiences that I've had. I didn't expect to be given the challenges that I have been given. And yet in the end, I wouldn't trade it. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, we might question our challenges. But when it comes down to it, life is about strength. Strength is something we must find deep within ourselves from our Father in Heaven. And sometimes we might only simply be an influence in a minor way.

Since my time in Thonburi, I've seen a lot of disappointments. I've seen a lot of heartache. And I've felt a lot of feelings. But if there's anything I learn from Thonburi, it's that God watches out for us. Even if sometimes, we don't fully understand. As we walk down the soys, passing houses full of people, as we walk down streets crowded with street vendors who haven't made more than three dollars that day, we see human suffering. And our suffering, our pains and sorrows seem minuscule. Thonburi needs this help. Thonburi needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our effort is paving the way for future miracles. We will see miracles here in Thonburi.

Thonburi has won a spot in my heart. From the sheer amount that I have tried to help this area work to the number of hours I have spent talking to people in soys and on the streets, I know Thonburi better than I know Salt Lake City. I've never had an area that I have known as well as Thonburi. I could literally map out exactly how it is, how the soys work and what the soys are like.

Sacrifice. That's what a mission is about. It's not about baptisms, glory, fame, honor. It's not a matter of how good we are at Thai or how skillful we are. In the end, it's about sacrifice and the sacrifice of self. We don't look at this sacrifice as a burden, but we think of how sacrifice is a process of purification. Sacrifice is the process by which men become like God. Sacrifice is the means by which we see His power upon the earth. Sacrifice is the power by which salvation was wrought. Our lives must become more like that of the Savior.

Zone Conference this past week was very good. I enjoyed it. I don't have any particular thing I want to share. It was great to be there with everyone. Also, the food made by the member who calls everyone "luug" (child) was awesome and delicious.

This week in Thonburi I heard an amazing phrase. We were walking down a soy. For my entire mission, I have wanted to walk down a soy and find someone. I think this past week we might have found that someone. At first I almost didn't invite him but then I did. He then said something to me that I will not forget. คุณเป็นบุตรของ God that came to find me. He said you are the son of God that came to find me. I felt impressed and touched. After all the days of hard finding. After all the time that I tried to do my best, someone said this to me. Even if nothing had come of this investigator, I would have still been touched to know that God was in this happening. His name is Sutheb. Theb is the word for angel. He speaks English wonderfully well. We've taught him two times and he shows potential.

Besides that, Cherry and Num are not able to be contacted at this time. Sadly, I don't know what happened with them. They have testimonies. They just need to act on them.

As far as other happenings in Thonburi. English class is awesome here. I will miss all of my students when I move. Also we went to the Bishop's house for their adorable one-year old's party for a little bit. There was laab and khanom jiin. It was way good. I love the bishop and Sister Cherry. They are a wonderful family and a wonderful example of gospel living.

Thonburi is a place that I will always remember. Not because of the amount of investigators. But because of the power of God that I have felt here. I love this place with all my heart. I've grown so close to the members. I've tried to help them the best I can. And I hope that I, one day, will see the results of our efforts.

I know that Christ lives. Last night we read third Nephi 11 in class for English. Everyone got quiet. The room had been so rowdy. Then, we read of the sacred ministry of the risen Christ and his invitation for the people to come and feel the wounds in his hands and in his sides. I love the Lord. I know the Thai people need Him.

I love you all and pray for you all,

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Thonburi Weeks

2010-08-16T06:51:00.001-07:00

August 16, 2010

Dearest Family,

It's so crazy to think about how things past so quickly. My time in Thailand. One year in country this last week. Wow! That was a crazy moment. And here I am training in the heart of Bangkok. Was this in my plans? Nope. Is it the best thing ever? Yes.

Welcome to Thonburi weeks. I am so attached to Thonburi. Actually, this week was great. I didn't feel as stressed out and while I still feel tired - that's mostly from the Bangkok air and environment. But this week we saw some great progress along with another switch-offs with the Zone Leaders. I got a chance to see the other side of Bangkok. Talk about the city!

The Asoke Zone Leaders’ area is HUGE. We rode the BTS from place to place. Imagine a jungle of concrete. Imagine some of the most beautiful and fancy buildings you've seen - from Siam Paragon - literally called the Pride of Bangkok - to the tallest building in Bangkok. Neighborhoods are overshadowed by hundreds of skyscrapers. The Thai Bangkok city life is very evident - people who work and live in the same place - running little 7-11 like places, living with their families and living with their extended relations. Imagine all of this with subways, the BTS, boats and everything in between to get around. Their area is huge and has SO many people. Like Thonburi, however, it takes creativity to get to these people. Asoke would be a very fun place to be should I get to serve there someday.

As far as the rest of the week in Thonburi - we saw some awesome things for Mother's Day in Thailand. Happy Thai Mother's day by the way, Mother! Thai Mother's day is a big deal! Fireworks, parties, it's a holiday and there's people everywhere at the Sanaam Luang. It was an interesting and very cultural experience. I really thought about how much Thai people value family. I think I've mentioned this before but people work so hard for their families here. Taxis will go out and work for 12 to 14 hours to support their family. They come from the Isaan to work so that their kids can learn at better schools and hopefully have a better future than that of their parents. Usually both parents work to support their children in learning. Family is everything to Thai people. They work long hours and in an ironic sense they can't be there for the people they sacrifice so much for because they are working for them.

Long hours. Sweat. Sacrifice. I have seen the sacrifice of so many Thai members. Just imagine the translator of the Book of Mormon - she sacrificed everything for the Church. Imagine the average members who often sacrifice personal comforts to serve in the Church. Take Bishop Arun for example. He has been a bishop most of his married life because the Church just needs him. The Church in Thailand needs every soul - especially the Thonburi ward whose active membership is fairly low. It needs every soul to help run the ward! One person cannot do it alone. We need to help one another.

This week we met lots of new investigators who have some potential. From Mod (Ant) who told us that we were representatives of the Lord, to a family - Michael (except said Michun because Thais can't say l's at the end of words) and Taa - to a few others who have some potential, I really feel as if Thonburi is going to see progression. At this time we still can't contact Cherry and Num and neither can their friend, Sister Awm. They have testimonies, they just need to act. It's very heartbreaking for me to see how they have been unable to act on their faith. They will be baptized, I feel, we must just have patience.

Patience. That's the greatest lesson from Thonburi. Patience is not just simply waiting - patience is action. Patience brings us closer to the Lord and causes us to reflect on what we must do in order to be closer to him. I know that all these things, all these challenges in Thonburi haven't been because God doesn't care. In fact, God cares so intimately. The challenges of Thonburi were given to me because God knew I could do it and knew that for some reason I needed to come here. Maybe it was only to open the area to pave the way for future success. But no matter what it is, I know that God is watching out for us. I know that He cares for us so powerfully.

Anyway, this week was awesome. I know I'm learning a lot. Please pray that the Spirit will guide us and that we won't get too wet! Thank you so much for all your support. I love you all and pray for you daily. Never forget the gem that the Gospel is!

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Wat Arun as seen from the river in Thonburi, Thailand

2010-08-10T13:38:00.001-07:00

The Joy of Thonburi

2010-08-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

August 9, 2010

Dearest Family,

Ahh.. The joy of Thonburi. How I love it here, from the branch and the development of our area to the love that I feel from the members. I love so many of the members here in Thonburi. They have strong testimonies, know their role, and desire to help.

This week was another great week. We got to teach a lot actually! I was rather surprised how much we ended up teaching. I hope the pattern will continue. Inviting in Thonburi is a bit interesting. Inviting here - as in street contacting/tracting - is an art. People in Bangkok are hurried. They don't have lots of time. They are always running on buses, song taews, saam laws, and all kinds of other transportation devices. There are not many "neighborhoods" in Thonburi. The typical Thai soys are full of buildings where people are working - sometimes out of their homes. In contrast, Thonburi is full of tall buildings where people live in condos, apartments, rooms for rent. These people are often tricky to get to if only because they don't live the traditional Thai way of life where you live on the soy and your life is right outside your front door.

I love the Thai way of life. Thais don't have doors or porches like we do. Their houses are almost more like garages if we were to compare them to America. Their doors are always open unless it rains. Thai people in Bangkok don't like the rain. And this time of year it's the rainy season. When it rains, it pours. No joke. I have never seen so much rain in my life.

Sadly Cherry and Num aren't progressing. They are so busy with work they can't really meet with us or attend Church. But Sister Awm is coming to Church and is going to keep helping them see the importance of what is going on. They want to come to Church. They want to learn. They know it's true, they must just act. That's the thing I have learned. Knowledge alone isn't enough. It takes action. We must act if we want to taste the fruit of the gospel. We must struggle sometimes. The path towards Zion isn't always an easy one, but it's a worthwhile journey.

As I learned from Elder Uchtdorf's talk on patience, patience is a journey. We must keep pressing forward on the path towards eternal life and sanctification through our patience. God has his timetable. And it’s a hard thing to accept sometimes. I wanted to see so much happen in Thonburi right away. I wanted investigators instantly. I wanted things to work out like they were working out when I left Chiang Mai - an area that was doing well despite challenges - an area that had weeks where we found new investigators almost everyday. But Thonburi just takes patience. We are building the foundation to help this branch in the future. There may be challenges but I refuse to let challenges stand in my way. With God, we can do all things. We must remember that the children of God are out there, waiting. I know that as we keep working, all things are possible. We are seeing miracles as we simply put our trust in Him. Action. That's the key. Hard work.

The mission motto of the Thailand Bangkok Mission is something I recite everyday with Elder Seymour. Faith is the power. Obedience is the price. Love is the motivation. Preach my Gospel is the way. The Spirit is the key. Christ is the reason. That last one always gets to me. He's the reason. We must testify of His atonement.

If we talk about turning points in my life, I can see countless places where my life changed a little bit. But I remember times when I felt a definite change. The greatest changing point however was when I realized who my best friend really was - Jesus Christ. He was always there for me no matter how much I hurt or messed up. I've never felt the love of him greater than when I felt it as my life began to change. I love the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not ashamed to wear his name badge or to testify of Him because He changed my life. Cheesy? Maybe. Real? Yes. Christ changed my life in such a profound way. I found true happiness and the real direction in my life. I went to BYU, went on a mission. Things always work out. Somehow. Wow!

This week was great. Elder Seymour's awesome. We're working hard. And I love it. I have lots of things on my mind right now but I know that families are forever and that you all are amazing. I know this work is so worth it.

I love you all,

Blessings!

Elder Jacob Newman

Another Thonburi Week

2010-08-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

August 2, 2010

Hello Dearest Family,

Another Thonburi week. Welcome to the most crowded and most wonderful place in Bangkok. I've never had quite the attachment to an area like I have with this one. Granted, I am attached to all of my areas but I feel so personally invested in this one. I guess it's because before last moves this area didn't exist. Our part of Thonburi hasn't really had missionaries do missionary work this intensely before.

We are in the Thonburi, Khlong Saan, Bangkok Yay area. All of these areas are full of people. Describing how many people there are that live in our section of Thonburi is almost impossible. Apartment complexes that we can't proselytize are all over the place. There are families and individuals along the streets, eating food, playing badminton, enjoying the weather until it rains - when it rains the streets are completely vacant - and enjoying their lives. You see people running on their motorcycles from place to place. You hear the sound of cars no matter where you are. Smoke. Skyline. The smell of Thai peppers, khlongs, treats. Sevens on every corner.

You asked if I ever get to do fun things that are truly Thai. Oh man! I do that every day. Eat Somtum, naam tog, khaw muu yang, with my hands. Eat with a spoon in my right hand a fork in the left. Eat along the street. Go to Seven. Eat pandan custard. Then sit on the ground with investigators. Wai investigators and people we meet. Speak Thai - you can't get more Thai than that. Talk on the phone with my mouth covered. And just being here. When we talk about true Thai, there's so much that comes to mind. But everyday is an adventure. Sometimes we just forget how much of an adventure it is.

As far as this week, we saw some good things but we also saw some disappointing things. So is the life of a missionary. But we must remember that we don't do this for fame or even to be particularly liked, it's because we love the people.

Alrighty, Thonburi tales. So as far as what happened this week. Elder Seymour gets better at Thai EVERY day. It's crazy. To see his progress is amazing. He speaks more clearly every single day. His grammar is getting better. His tones are become nice and clear. He's such a great greenie. He has helped me so much this moves. I really needed a friend to help me open up this area. And luckily I got someone who I would consider to be one of my best friends ever. We've been through a LOT together so I feel that that has brought us close together. I don't know how else to describe it.

This week I went to Bangkhae to teach English with Elder Tom. It was fun and not too stressful. After that I switched off in Bangkhae with Elder Tom. It was a good switch offs. It was funny. I actually met up with the ward mission leader from Chiang Mai, Brother Ped! He moved to Bangkhae to be with his mother and to start life anew in Bangkok. So we went to see his mom and start the teaching process with her because right now she's learning with the Jehovah witnesses. So, I met up with him and found out how Chiang Mai and Elder Jensen are doing. I miss Elder Jensen!

Elder Seymour taught Cherry and Num. They are still progressing, sort of. But they MUST start coming to Church again or they will never be able to get baptized. We set a goal with them to be baptized this last week and committed them to Church. Unfortunately they slept in again this week. I was a little disappointed. I feel disappointed because they are prepared and ready to receive the Gospel, they must just act and do the things that will bring them unto Christ. They are going to have to keep working. Sister Awm, their friend, came to Church this week and Cherry and Num said they would come but they did not yet come. Unfortunately.

But, we press forward and work to find other new investigators. We had some good attitude and our finding went very well. I love going out inviting even if it gets tiring. Sometimes we will get tired but as long as we forget ourselves and go to work, we will find! Finding investigators is an experience in which we rely completely upon our Heavenly Father and pray that they will open the door to the two of us. We must rely on the Savior to help us with the rejection and the appointments that fall through. And then we have experiences that help us realize the power of our Savior.

Yesterday we were exhausted, fasting, inviting in the beating sun. I was so tired and thirsty. We met two potentials we will be visiting today and another one that we taught yesterday. The one we taught yesterday was so kind and he seems sincere. We are trying hard to find families, too. That's who we desire to teach. We want to help the ward have more families so they can have a more complete leadership and a larger support network - building Zion.

I love the Thai people. The love of God. I talk about that every week. But every week I learn a little bit more about it. I come to see God's feelings towards his children. I come to realize that in the end, God is the one in charge, not me. I know that He will watch out for us as we do the things He has asked us to do. I know I came here for a reason. God called me to Thailand. Everyday, I try to remember that. God knew that I could do this. God knew I could speak Thai – maybe - and that I could help His work here in Thailand. God has a calling for all of us, great and small. We so often don't realize how much influence we have in the lives of others. I have grown to love every person who's been in my life. Especially family. I am so grateful to have that support network that everyone here in Thailand craves. I am grateful for the opportunity to love these people and to serve among them. The rain might pour, the heat will beat down upon us but that doesn’t matter.

I want to thank you for your love. Please pray for Cherry and Num. Help them come to Church. Pray for us to keep seeing miracles. Our good attitude and our love can go a long way!

I love you all and miss you all,

Elder Jacob Newman

A Surprise Visit by the Olson Family to Elder Newman in Thonburi, Thailand

2010-07-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 4, 2010, the Olson Family went to see Jacob while visiting Thailand. This photo shows the surprise on Jacob's face as he sees them in the Church building. He was not expecting them and appears to not know exactly what to do. the Olsons are a great family in our ward. Their son, Elder Thatcher Olson, is currently serving in the New Mexico, Albuquerque Mission.

Mark, A'Lissa, Veronica. and Taylor Olson with Elder Jacob Newman in Front of the Thonburi Chapel

2010-07-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Olsons from our ward in Salt Lake City were so wonderful to go out of their way to see Jacob in Thailand. They shared these great photos with us.

Video of Jacob Translating for Mark Olson in Thonburi

2010-07-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Olson Family filmed Elder Newman while he was translating for Mark Olson who was speaking and bearing his testimony to the Investigators' Class at the Thonburi Ward in Thailand.

Click below to see the video.

Click

Thonburi Is One Of The Best Areas In The Mission

2010-07-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2010

Dearest Family,

What a week. Bangkok is tiring! There's so much pollution and heat. This week was a very educational week - that's the best way to describe it. And in the end, I feel good about the things that happened and I feel very excited that we are starting a new moves. Moves is like a fresh start. It's such a great time to really see how we can improve. This past moves I learned a lot of lessons. I learned that we can't get too stressed out when things work out differently than we had hoped or planned. I learned that often our stress causes us to think too much. This last moves was an adventure to say the least. Was it fun? Oh was it ever! Was it stressful? Looking back I made it more stressful than it needed to be really. I feel as if our efforts here in Thonburi have helped the ward, even if we have had a hard time finding good investigators. We have met so many amazing people.

From the bishop wife, Sister Cherry, who shines with the pure light of Christ, the Bishop who works to keep the ward running as smoothly as possible to every other wonderful member here, I have to admit Thonburi is one of the best areas in the mission. I love it here. The members make it so worth it. They are doing wonderful things for us as missionaries and are eager to help and serve. Thonburi is a great place. To describe it in detail is difficult. Everyday we pass some of the most beautiful buildings in Thailand next to houses that are best described as “row houses.” Everyone in Thonburi lives “up” in condos, apartments, multi-story buildings. The streets are crowded with people selling their wares - from Isaan somtum to treats to fruit to bags and clothing; it seems like everywhere something is for sale. Each soy we walk down is full of people making shoes, bags and other handcrafts.

These people work 14 hours a day to make a better life for their children. They live in hopes that their children's lives will be better by their sacrifice. That's what love is - sacrifice. We've heard it's better to give than to receive. Very true. It's always better to give than to receive. It can be more tiring but it's so very worth it. This world is about the children of God. This work of teaching and helping souls isn't hard - it's the best thing ever. Sometimes when I hear about other missions, I hear about a lot of investigators and baptisms and all that. I have no doubt that in Thailand this can happen - but what of our faith if it doesn't? Does that mean we don't have faith? No. True faith isn't dependant on the outcome of our situation - it's about trusting God, come what may. When we, like President Hinckley, remember that discouragement won't get us anywhere, we can do anything!

Our first moves was a test in the sense of trying to figure out how to invite, where to invite, how to find investigators, how to help them keep commitments. We saw some miracles even if in the end those people decided not to learn further - they will never forget what they felt and one day they will remember that. Our attitude in life is everything - we all have challenges, it's a matter of how we take these challenges that determines the kind of person we will be. Do we take our challenges with faith and a smile, relying on God and doing our part or do we give up and refuse to go further? The theme from last moves was “Press Forward.” If missionary work were easy, the Churches in Thailand would be full. They aren't. Does that mean we give up? I refuse to give up until I find those people that I was called here to find. I wasn't called here because I needed to be the one to find them but I was called to represent the love of God. That's our calling - to show the love of God and to love the people with all our hearts. To describe my love for the Thai people is almost impossible. I never knew how much I could love someone that I didn't know even if I found myself frustrated when they wouldn’t keep appointments.

By the way, before I forget. A Thai Elder in my district, our district leader, was trained by Elder Shill. He told me to tell you that by that merit - he being my older brother and me being the younger brother – he is a member of the family. His name is Elder Panom. He's awesome. He speaks Thai so clearly and is an awesome missionary!

So, more Thonburi crazy news. Why is it that I meet more deaf people in Thailand than I ever did in America? Since I have been in Thailand - three times in the past 4 months! Once in Chiang Mai at a market. Then TWICE in Thonburi. A deaf girl lives on the street by the Church. She speaks TSL and it's about like me hearing Isaan and understanding. And then yesterday there was a very interesting experience.

After sacrament meeting, I noticed a woman who I had not seen at Church before. Then Sister Cherry came up and asked me if one of us spoke sign language. At that time I was shocked by the question and we had to teach the class last minute so I said "krappom" which means like... yes/a particle to make things polite. Turns out the women I noticed is deaf, speaks ASL is a member and just moved back here to learn and work with her family. One thing led to another. I found out she didn't come to Church here because there was no one to interpret but came to Church today to talk with the bishop and found me. So I used my shaky ASL skills to interpret the Sunday School lesson. Wow. Talk about hard. My ASL is rusty and it's hard because I have to get it to English first then to ASL just because I can understand Thai without putting it to English but my brain isn't used to getting it to ASL so I had to get it to a language that I could interpret to and from. But she understood. Her father is a less-active member of the branch. We are going to go see him this week. I also interpreted for a bishop's interview. That was interesting too. Wow! More than just random if I say so. I don't quite get it - what are the chances. She only speaks ASL not TSL. She told me a bit about herself. It was an interesting and very memorable experience. She will be coming to Church from now on and I will be interpreting for sacrament meeting. Never know when your ASL comes in handy. Every one of my friend's predictions came true. I used ASL in Thailand. Spanish - not yet.

But this week was great. Switch offs with the new zone leader Elder Gonglaa, a Thai Elder, was fun. He's a great guy. Our area is slowly but surely getting better and better. Keep praying we will find investigators. Cherry and Num couldn't meet this week or attend Church unfortunately. But we will be working with them continuously. I have faith that they will continue to progress. I know prayers work. Anyway, thanks for everything. Thanks for the pictures, the support and the prayers. Always remember that there are souls to lift and people to help all around you, so go out and do it!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Cherry and Num

2010-07-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

July 20, 2010

Dearest Family,

I love Thonburi. It's hot and the rejections are pretty intense but I love this place. It's here where I really became acquainted with the feelings of God about His children. I knew God loved his children but I didn't know how much he really did until I came here and I saw God's hand in their lives.

It's here that I have had some of the greatest Isaan food in the country. Even the taam sang here is pretty good. Bangkok has too many treats all over the place. Seriously, if we weren't walking all day I would get fat. From shaved ice, to waffles, fruit that's sweeter than sugar to 7-11s galore, Bangkok and the Thai economy run off of the food industry.

The smell of khlongs, the taste of sweat from every pore and the grime all combine against a background of rowed houses and apartment complexes with some of the most beautiful temples you can imagine. We walk all over, combing the sois for people to talk to, people to teach. And sometimes it rains, especially in the rainy season. Soaked, tired, but, oh, so happy.

We had some interesting experiences of being rejected this week but we continued to work hard and in the end it's paying off because of our two miraculous investigators. Moves is now upon us and I won't be going to moves. There will, however, now be two greenies in Thonburi. What a crazy time. I can't believe it. Elder Perich is going to get a greenie.

In the Bangkok Stake there are 13 wards/branches. There isn't enough membership to support that. In fact what happened to Thonburi is that they split it off into three branches too quickly. At one point Thonburi had 100+ members coming out. But when they split it into the two and then three branches it left the mother branch, Thonburi, weak. Of course, at that point it seemed like growth would let them split the Stake. Thonburi needs more members to function as a ward. Please pray that we can find people who will become attached to the Gospel. Please pray that members will return to activity. We want to help this branch and help these people in this city to see the power of the atonement.

I want to talk about the greatest experiences and the greatest lessons. Cherry and Num. Wow! I have never had investigators quite like this. I can't believe them. We introduced the plan of salvation last time. But before that they told us two incredible experiences. One was a dream of a friend who doesn't know they are learning with us. He said he saw Num holding a gold book, like the gold plates, and that he was cherishing it. And the other one is even more amazing. When we introduced the three degrees of glory, Num and Cherry both smiled. Num shared an experience of how he was reading the bible and praying about heaven before he ever knew anything about the Church and he said that God told him that the kingdom of heaven has three kingdoms - three levels. I was floored. They are keeping commitments better than any investigator I have ever seen. They read the scriptures daily, pray daily. They even read the Joseph Smith history. Cherry asked me to help her sign up for the Liahona and she wanted a Pearl of Great Price. They love the scriptures and are learning so well.

As for me, I love training. It's so awesome. And I realize it's an intense responsibility. Sometimes situations are hard and life gets hard but you always have the Savior to help you. Of course, I know on my mission I haven't seen that many baptisms or anything like that. Often we view missionary work as baptism. But what is missionary work really? Missionary work is an invitation to experience a mighty change of heart, to come unto Christ. Missionary work is about loving these people even if they reject your teachings. Missionary work is being an example of the Savior in word and deed. I know that the Savior watches out for us. Even on the days that it's hard. I know God loves these people so much. Even if they don't know Him, He loves them. And I love them too.

I know that this is the place I need to be right now. I am grateful for all of your support. Sorry if it's a short letter, I am so tired today! It's exhausting here in Bangkok for some reason. But I'm so grateful to be doing this with a great companion and in a great area.

I love you all,

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Thonburi Is a Magical Place

2010-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2010

Dear Family,

What a week. Thonburi is a magical place. I can't describe my feelings for this place really. I love it in such a deep way. I loved Chiang Mai for its beauty, its members and the things I learned. Thonburi I love because of how much more have I come to know God. This week I saw that God knows His children so personally. I have learned that on my mission but I didn't see how real it was until this week. And a miracle. Despite all the hours in the sun of proselytizing where we couldn't find anyone out on the streets, this one event made the entire week worth it. Well two events.

We taught another family. We've taught them two times. He wants to see results from the gospel but he's not quite ready to act. She's interested but shy about it. He doesn't see how the gospel will bring his family more happiness. But I know that it will.

Besides that we have had some good experiences inviting. There's this street called Thaa Ding Daeng that we went to that was SO CROWDED. If I were to give someone a taste of Bangkok Thai life, I would take them there on the weekend. There were children running in the streets, people eating rice on mats outside of their houses, street vendors everywhere, people talking and sitting out in the streets. Thai people living their lives.

It's so different from America. In America, we have become isolated from each other due to cars, homes, etc. In Thailand everyone is literally one big family. It's funny to be here in Bangkok where they speak Thai all the time and so I understand almost everything. Addressing each other as big brother/sister, little brother/sister, grandmother, uncle, aunt, mother, father. Thai is such a close language. Everyone has a relationship with everyone. It's not just you - you is a member of your family. You is said like big brother or you is aunt or you is father. Children and parents will use their title as a pronoun. Fathers will say things like "Daddy thinks you're great." I love that aspect of Thai culture. Thai life is wonderful.

We have been talking to so many people I can't even count how many we have been talking to. And Thai people are always nice about not being interested- they always say that they don't have time and say it with a smile. I love that about Thailand - sure it's somewhat frustrating when they feel grengjay to learn with us - but I love how nice Thai people are. From other news this week, we taught about the word of wisdom at a university, had a great English class, and a lot of appointments fell through.

On Tuesday we went to teach Cherry and Num. We introduced the restoration and the Book of Mormon. It was a powerful spiritual lesson that was taught in their shop where they sell bags by a port near a major hospital here in Thonburi. They wanted to read the Book of Mormon. They told us their story and I have never felt anyone quite like this before. Cherry and Num have been Christian for quite a while. Two weeks ago, however, they didn't feel like they could stay at their Church for some reason. They felt uncomfortable and out of place. They went outside and read the Bible together and said they read a verse in Isaiah that talked about being lead to the promised land of milk and honey. Sister Awm, their member friend, gave them an article from the Liahona and they loved it. Cherry said that the thought of that scripture came back into her mind as we taught her. She felt as if she was being led to the promised land of milk and honey. They both were extremely dedicated to keeping their commitments.

A few days later, Elder Seymour and I went out inviting - after being turned down many times and after having many appointments fall through, we were walking by a place called "The Mall Thaa Phra." And amazingly, we ran into Cherry. The exact time we were walking by she was waiting for Num while he took something to be fixed at The Mall. Bangkok is so big. How is it possible we could have met that day? She proceeded to tell me this, "Elder. I've been reading every day. And I received an answer. I've received so many answers as I have read from the Book of Mormon. I know it's true." I was floored. I have never had an investigator who received an answer in two days like she did. She also said she and Num need another copy because they "fight" over who gets to read the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately, they were stuck at work so they couldn't go to Church this Sunday. They will have concerns, mostly Num about the idea of the Restoration and the difference between mainstream Christianity. But I want to say this: God knows us. God more than just casually knows us. Things in life happen for a reason and people we meet influence our lives in profound ways. He prepares us and nurtures us. I cannot deny this from this experience. Please pray that Num will find regular work that can allow him to come to Church on Sunday. And please pray that they will understand the things we teach and progress. Pray that they will have a desire to go to Church and to receive the Restored Gospel.

Having a loog - a kid – ลูก - is such a transforming experience - being a trainer that is. I have never really felt this concerned for the welfare of someone else before. It's literally like having a child. I feel like he teaches me more than I teach him. Sure, he doesn't have as much experience with Thai but Thai's only a fraction of what we do. He knows what's right and he follows God. He works hard and has a good attitude. We are working hard to find investigators and I know that together we will accomplish miracles. We have seen so many things already. Opening a new area is not easy and Thonburi is tricky but I know that there are people just waiting. We don't know where they are until we go out there and try. I know that God has a plan for us. I don't know why this moves has worked out exactly the way it has but it has been the best moves of my mission. The days we feel the power of God in the lives of others - that's success. Success comes from the one. And we never know how the one can change our lives forever. It all starts out with a seed.

Thonburi's members are awesome. There are few of them but I swear every week more and more members are coming to Church. I don't know how it's possible. Please pray that these members will continue to come back and that this ward will flourish! I know that as we work together and pray together, it will happen! Thonburi has so much potential and these people here are amazing. I can't forget that and I never will.

Thailand is an amazing place. Miracles happen everyday, we just have to see them. I still have my sense of humor, I promise. It's there, it's just life is serious sometimes. Thanks for everything. I love you all so much and pray for you daily.

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Thonburi Is an Adventure

2010-07-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

July 5, 2010

Dearest Family,

Wow. What a week. Figuring out Thonburi is an adventure and a half that's for sure. I am just barely starting to get it a little bit. But it's still so confusing. Thailand street systems and the sheer crowdedness of Thonburi are insane. As we walk along the streets there are literally people everywhere. Imagine this scene - the streets are full of motorcycles that you can hire to drive you places, there are noodle stands, restaurants to order taam sang food - rice, vegetables and meat in different kinds of combinations - Isaan places, people selling shoes, knickknacks, students, construction workers, dogs, smoke, heat, the smell of fried treats, rotting fruit and the nearby khlong - Thai waterway. And all around us, everywhere - there are children of God. All created by the same person. Elder Seymour commented on that as we were by Rachaphat Thonburi - a university in Thonburi. There were countless students and fruit vendors, people everywhere. The heat and the pressure on the soys are somehow exhilarating. Wow - from jamming into the crowded buses to getting stuck in taxis in traffic jams.

Anyway, this week was great. We saw lots of great things. Lots of disappointments, but in the end, we are out here hitting the pavement and putting in our hours of hard work because this is the best work ever! Sure it's hard and it's hot but wow it's fun and amazing to see people change and see how even one thing can change the whole day. It's sad to see when people don't see the importance of our message - that families can be together forever - but I know that as we simply put forth our efforts we can and will see miracles. I have faith. And I know my companion, who is the best, does too.

Tuesday was zone conference. They are focusing on teaching families more. I agree that the only way Thailand will progress is to bring families into the Church. Getting into the door of families is much harder but so worth it. So as we invite, we like to ask people to sit down as a family. Please pray that we will continue to meet families who are ready to prepare to have the gospel. I know that teaching families we can help Thailand have the temple that the members want so badly. I know this is possible because God gave us families. I feel so grateful for a family that loves me. Do we realize what we have? Do we realize how lucky we are to have one another? I love you all so much and I want to help the Thai people to have what we have: The Gospel and the knowledge that we can be together forever, no matter what might happen around us.

English is picking up in Thonburi. I'm English leader and I love it. Please pray that we will get investigators from English. I love, love teaching English. Wow. It's just so fun. And in Thonburi there are so many people who want to learn English.

As far as the rest of the week - our appointments fell through - a lot. And by a lot, I mean a ton. And we ended up looking for people to teach. I felt a bit frustrated that no one seemed to be getting it. So we fasted for more investigators this Saturday. The whole mission did actually.

And then something quite miraculous happened. I arrived at Church and greeted a sister that I had never seen before. Her name is Sister Awm. Sister Awm hasn't come to Church too much because of her work. But today she came. And she brought two investigators. They turned out to live in our area. They are named Cherry and Num. They are looking for the true Church. They have been to many Churches but haven't found the Church that's right. They came to Church for all three hours. Smiled broadly and loved every minute. We are going to be meeting with them this week. This was an answer to prayers. Please hope and pray that they work out and that we will be able to teach them and help them. It was truly a miracle. Member referrals in Thailand are rare. And this couple sounds and feels amazing.

Then the Olsons showed up after sacrament meeting. Sister Cherry said that there was an investigator waiting for me at the front of the Church. It was the Olsons. A surprise? Yes. Especially on a day where there were 5 investigators at Church - a milestone for Thonburi that hasn't had more than 1 investigator at Church in forever. They got videos and pictures of me. They were so nice. I translated for them. They were nice and it was great to see them. They love Thailand. They sounded like they had a good time in Phukket. It was fun to see them and to see their reactions to Thailand.

Alrighty. That's it for today. I do want to say that I love you all very much and I am so grateful for this time to be a missionary here in Thailand. I am so grateful for the Thai people and their hearts. Please pray for us. I pray for you all daily and love you all so much. Please be safe and happy and healthy. Rely on God and always remember the power of the atonement is so real.

Love lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

LDS Chapel in Thonburi, Thailand

2010-06-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day in a beautiful place!

2010-06-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2010

Dearest Family,

What a beautiful day in a beautiful place! Thonburi of course! Today I feel infinitely better and ready to get out there and take on the world. This last week was definitely a bit of a struggle, to say the least. But this upcoming week should be fantastic, I am hoping and praying. With the hospital and all kinds of other issues going on, our lives were a bit hectic there for a bit. But this week, I really came to rely upon the Savior more.

When I was driving in the car to the hospital, I thought how scary it was to be going to the hospital in Thailand. I didn't know what to expect. But even though I was in pain, I felt at peace about everything. I don't really get why things happen the way they do - it was an interesting start to a moves that I will never forget. From opening an area with a greenie to fainting in an elevator to trying our hardest to get around Thonburi, I feel like this moves I have grown so much and come to rely on God more than I ever have in the past.

The Zone Leaders talked to me on the phone and expressed their confidence in me and in my ability to open this area. Sure it's a bit of a whirlwind but I know we can do it. I am determined to work my hardest to find those people who I was sent here to find. President Smith expects a lot for Thonburi. Thonburi is the most populated area in Bangkok and yet is only getting about 40 people out to Church a week. We want to see that change to help the members and to help the kingdom of God grow. The membership wants to help but it's a task that we all can't do alone. We are all striving together to help the Savior's work.

This week I found myself somewhat tired from all the inviting. I didn't feel like many people were listening. But then of course, once we feel like that something amazing happens. We were inviting one day and I smiled at this old man who was making shoes with his wife. We exchanged a few words and eventually he gave us the number for his house and said we could come back the next day. Unfortunately the number didn't work but I decided we should still go to the appointment because he said we could. At first he was suspicious, not really knowing what to think of us. Then I said a prayer. He said two words in Thai right after I finished the prayer: ขนลุก which means that he got goose bumps. He said, “I can feel something. I can feel something that I have never felt before.” He proceeded to explain why he even let me talk to him in the first place. He said that his life has been hard - the economy has taken his shoe business from a thriving industry to where he has to live with his children in order to make ends meet. He felt so alone and so discouraged. He said when he saw me he talked to me because I had a smile on my face and it seemed genuine. I thought about it. That day was a harder day - I felt a little discouraged that no one was listening to us but I was still very sincerely happy. I didn't think that this smile would open him up. He said he wondered how I could be happy when the world was so hard. I told him of his Father and of the love He has for him, a son of God. I know God loves all His children. I felt the Spirit strongly as Elder Seymour and I taught him. He was willing to accept another appointment and to pray in his free time.

The same miraculous Saturday night we met with a couple. I had called this potential twice. The first time he was sick and the second time he didn't answer. But this time we managed to get an appointment with him on that Saturday. He and his wife listened as we talked about families. They have two children. He doesn't quite get the role of religion in his life but we are going to be seeing him again this week. They listened intently as we told them of the eternal possibilities of family.

And finally we had one more appointment with a man named Somchay. At first I was a bit suspicious of this investigator since he didn't seem too interested. Little did I know that he would fall in love with our teachings. The first time we met he said he "ชอบมากเลย!" Which translates roughly as "I like this a lot!" Then he explained that he has been to church before and likes Christianity. We have another appointment with him today.

God really showed us how things work. I discovered that if I just keep working and helping this branch and helping these people even when it's hard and tiring that it's so worth it! And that's why I loved this week because it showed me how worth it it really is. To be with a greenie is such a refreshing experience too. He sees the world of Thailand with awe and wonder and is so excited and ready to help Thai people come to know their Savior. I love working with Elder Seymour. He has the Spirit, his Thai is getting better all the time and he is working so hard. I love this opportunity to be his trainer. I feel like a lot of times he trains me and I am his trainee. He teaches through his love, hard work and smile. His patience too. He has a lot of patience with me and with the work here in Thonburi.

I love Thonburi and I love Thailand. There's so much that happens everyday I can't record it all in words. Words cannot adequately express the spiritual and the physical experiences. The feelings I get as I teach Thai people and as I do this work cannot be explained. I think a mission is about learning that the world isn't about you. The world doesn't revolve around my needs or my comfort. There are people out there who need help. There are people who need the love of God. And that's why we do this. I love this work and this people. I can't express it adequately. And so I don't. That's the limitation of words. Please pray for us daily that we will really help this area and that we will find people who are prepared.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

It is gastritis and not an ulcer

2010-06-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

After further tests at the hospital in Bangkok, Jacob was diagnosed with gastritis. We are relieved that it isn't an ulcer. The medicine seems to be helping and he is getting back to work as usual.

A Trip to a Bangkok Hospital

2010-06-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

June 21, 2010

Hello Family,

An unexpected event today made me a bit nervous. Now before I tell you anymore, do NOT panic. I am doing fine now. I will take some time to rest and recover. Today I was in the elevator just about to go out to email. This entire moves I have felt stomach pains but it's nothing out of the ordinary until today. Today I felt an intense pain. I thought it was a parasite so I was going to get some medication. We were in the elevator with the other three elders and well... I said I don't feel so good and then I blacked out for about 5 seconds. What a way to start the moves. We went to the best hospital in Bangkok and they told me that I have an ulcer. Unfortunately that means I can't eat anything fun for at least two weeks until it clears up. So please pray that this will clear up quickly and not affect anything. It hurts really badly right now but I think the medicine should help. They gave me Aluminum Magnesium and Miraid in order to help me start feeling better.

I forgot how bad ulcers HURT. It's because of the stress. We can't find ANYPLACE to live in Thonburi and we are living in SUCH cramped quarters. I received permission to look online for apartments. To be entirely honest, I am a bit frustrated. We need a house that has two bedrooms, two western bathrooms and a kitchen. Sorry, usually my emails are so upbeat - it's just today I feel sick and really tired. But now I will get upbeat after I have complained a bit. If you could take some time to look up some houses. We are looking for one on a road charansanit wong or one that is in Thonburi itself. I can't find anything and this house is just too small.

This week was super awesome. It really was. I have never felt like I have so much confidence and love in my life. Sure, it's hard to open this new area but we saw some great things happen. We found about three really great investigators. We saw the power of prayer and hard work. Elder Seymour, as we sat in a lesson, asked the most simple but profound question to an investigator. “Do you think God loves us all?” The Spirit was so strong despite the fact that he was ill. And this investigator will continue to be a good investigator. Perhaps the most surprising thing was the meeting with a Muslim man who invited himself to learn and then showed up to three hours of Church on Sunday. He's interested to see how this will be a blessing to his life. I love seeing the shine in people's faces as they see the Gospel changing their lives, slowly but surely. It's not something you see very often here in Thailand but when you do, it's an amazing experience. Today, I don't have much to say. Sorry this may be the shortest email ever. I still love Thailand to pieces. Everything is simply wonderful but I just need to get better. Pray that I will get better.

Alright, well my companion is AWESOME. It's been a blast. Basically I feel so blessed to be with him. He's helping the area a lot even if he thinks he's not. He keeps me going and on the ball. It's been really stressful with the situation and everyone knows I am a ball of stress but I have really felt like together we get along so well and I just love him to pieces! He loves penguins too. What a coincidence. I really know this is God's work, even when it's so, so hard. I know that on the days where I don't feel well, there's a Savior who knows my pain. I know He's there. When I was in the hospital, I was so worried. I feel so grateful that I came to this place and I just need to get better to help our area grow and flourish. Right now I am just too sick. I love this work so much. Man it's hard but I love these people more than I can describe. I look in their eyes and I see children of God just longing for something. Longing to be recognized, to be loved. God LOVES them so much. Even if we don't believe in Him, God still loves us. What an amazing thought! Love that's so perfect and so infinite.

This opportunity here in Thonburi is off to a rough start with the sickness but I know we came here to find people. That's why I'm here. “Don't ever forget the people you are supposed to find.” - Those were the words of Elder Brown in Chiang Mai to me in my friendship book. I am trying so hard to remember them. How will I know who they are? I will know as I trust that I don't know but that God does know them. One by one. Granted, we will have frustrations. But I know that this is God's desire for me to be here in Thonburi. I don't understand but I trust in God. That's who I trust.

As for today, I want to let you know that I love you all so much and pray for you daily. Please pray that I will just get better and have no problems. I love you all. So. So. Much. Families can be together forever and the gospel is more than just simple teachings, it's the power of God, the power of the Sacred in action. It's changing people's lives as you speak. I love these people!

Alright, that's all I got. Home to some boiled rice and some medicine.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

2010-06-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

2010-06-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

2010-06-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Thonburi!

2010-06-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2010

Dearest Family,

Greetings from Thonburi! Our area is called Big Bangkok! So I am literally back to the city of angels. I can't believe it! I never expected to leave Chiang Mai this soon. I missed Bangkok so much. PEOPLE everywhere! So many sights and people to see and help.

I got the call earlier this week that I would be training. Ironically, I was riding to go inviting at a place called Nongpaakrang - Swampy sap forest. I talked to President Smith. "Elder Newman, I'm going to change your assignment. You are whitewashing and training and going to be the senior companion (phii)." I was shocked. Elder Jensen and I robbed of our 2 moves together!

But then we had a crazy thing. Moves meeting was supposed to be Friday. But they moved the flights and so they had to MOVE MOVES MEETING A DAY EARLIER. So we had to rush to pack in Chiang Mai to get down to moves meeting on the Nakhon Chai Air bus - it's a bus. It's funny, the bus is like fancy here and the people wear uniforms and you get food and stuff. I didn't sleep a wink on the bus. I was so sad to leave Chiang Mai. We had seen so many wonderful things in Chiang Mai that I didn't know what to expect. I will miss Elder Jensen. He is an awesome missionary and a great friend. I will miss our fun times messing up our Thai or teaching funny investigators, inviting by the mote in Chiang Mai, enjoying the fun times but most importantly feeling the Spirit. He teaches so well and teaches with the Spirit.

So we got to Bangkok. Moves meeting came around after a shower in Pakkret at the APs house. I was so nervous. We had moves meeting which was good. They announced the closing of an area in Burriram since the branch now has a member branch president. So... that opened up an interesting opportunity. I knew I would be coming to Bangkok, I just wasn't sure where. I thought for sure that I would be whitewashing not opening. Then he announced that Elder Seymour would be going to Thonburi with Elder Newman, opening an area that in the past has only had 2 Elders. Now it has 4. Welcome to Tonburi. Bangkok central. My companion, Elder Seymour, is amazing. He's so full of excitement, he is brave and will speak Thai even if he doesn't know how to say it and he's so ready to learn and grow. He needs to feel the spirit, help the Thai people, and learn Thai. I hope I will live up to the expectations that God has set for me. So at this time, I ask for all of your special prayers at this time. We don't know the area very well and we are all four living in the same house right now - soon to move out hopefully - and we are literally starting from scratch 100%. Please pray that we will be lead to those who are ready to listen to us and ready to help this small, struggling ward grow! This ward has amazing members but it's just so small! It needs all the help it can get.

Before I left Chiang Mai I taught Tum for the last time. He's a miracle. He's the man we found on a rainy night at the end of a really hard day. He felt really prepared to hear our message. I felt sad that I left Chiang Mai but I feel that I left it better than when I got there.

For a final few words. Thonburi is amazing. Wow. It's just amazing. I love Bangkok and I love this mission. Yesterday I had a really interesting comment from a member. We offered to help clean up and they said. "No. Elder. Go out and find the lost sheep." I was shocked. The welcome to the branch was fantastic. We are going to get things rolling in this part of Bangkok. I am so excited. Yesterday we went to the bishop's house for dinner. He's an amazing man and he wants Thonburi to grow so much. Thonburi needs it. His wife made the BEST laab ever. There was also a shrimp vegetable dish and masamman curry. The Bishop's name is Arun - he's lived in Chiang Mai before - member since birth. And his wife's name is Cherry. Great family. This ward is amazing. I love it to pieces. All it needs is more membership! I know I came to Thonburi to find someone. I know that I wasn't put with Elder Seymour simply by randomness. I know we are together for a purpose. But at this time, I am trying to find out that purpose. I don't know what it is. Pray for us and we will work hard. I want to please my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I love this time and this place. Please pray that we will be blessed. I hope you all are well.

I am grateful to all you. For everything. Please never forget that I remember all of you and pray for you all daily. Please be safe, happy and healthy and pray for us too!

I love you all and pray for you!

Elder Jacob Newman

2010-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

2010-06-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

What a Blessing to Be in Thailand!

2010-06-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2010

Dearest Family,

Today we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo for an activity. The Zoo is awesome. I would highly recommend it, especially if you can get in on the Thai rather than the faraang price. They write the faraang price in roman numerals and the Thai one in Thai numerals. It's pretty funny.

Wow. What a crazy week. I don't know where to start. First of all I met Sister Limsukon - the sister missionary from Chiang Mai that we met in DC. She's now engaged. She's a ward missionary. It's weird to hear her speak Thai if only because her English is so good.

In other news, one of our investigators told us that he thinks Joseph Smith is a prophet of God or "apostle" but he said he would pray about it. We were on the verge of dropping him but he told us that his pastor from his Lahuu (hill tribe) Church is complaining that we are teaching him and his family. He feels a lot of social pressure but he wants to seek out truth. We met with him at the walking market yesterday. I was shocked at his willingness to do these things.

We found lots of great new people to teach this week. Some of them, however, we are turning over to other people in the district. For example, Elder Jensen invited a man out of work who is very interested. His name is Puu. That means crab. We met him along the street and when we saw him we asked him how he was doing. He said he was Catholic and out of work. We offered to give him a tour of the Church. We went and taught him a great first lesson. He said he felt like Joseph in a search for truth.

Other news. Investigators are picking up these days. Ploy continues to do great. Ploy told us about how she was sick but how she prayed and how her testimony was confirmed as she prayed and exercised faith. She expressed a belief in the restoration and in the gospel. It was a great last lesson. We are finding some great people. We had an Errand of Angels-esque moment except the investigator was falling asleep. It was on a first lesson. Elder Jensen extended the baptismal commitment and he seemed really to have quite a change around.

I hit my one year mark. Probably the weirdest moment of my time in Thailand. I felt so old and yet so young. I don't know how to describe it exactly. I feel like I just barely got here and now it's just slipping before me. It's so funny how we think we just barely figure things out, e.g. Thai, being a missionary and then by the time we do it's almost (well key word almost) passed away right before us. Life is so short. Don't waste it. I wasted way too much of it in the past. It's a sad reality to think that time that I could have been doing things worthwhile, I just sat around. But there's always the future to change. I love that about the gospel, it looks towards the future. Sure we mess up in the past, but we can always look forward to the future. I know that this is how God wants us to think about our lives. I have seen how our investigators have changed their lives as they look to the future. I think the purpose of my mission is to gain a perspective on life and to help these people gain a similar perspective. This work isn't easy, I won't ever say that. In fact, it's really hard. But frankly, if it weren't as hard as it was, I wouldn't really want to do it. The amount of work we put in is so worth it every second of every day.

I don't think I am changing companions this moves. I know that there's something great about to happen in Chiang Mai. We are seeing things really pick up. Please keep praying we will find people who are ready to act, not just ready to listen. Please pray that we will find people who will understand the impact of our message and not merely the fact that we come to teach good. Please pray that we will work hard every day.

This week I saw that we have to forget ourselves and just love these people. I love Thailand so much. Even when it's hard, hot and no one seems to be listening, there is nothing like the Thai smile - this last week we met a man with the brightest smile I have ever seen - or nothing like the kindness of Thai people. From the old grandpa we met while inviting in a neighborhood, to the people who simply act as if we don't exist, I feel an intimate and deep connection to all these people. I look around and see children of God, everywhere. And I just love them so much. From investigators who have taught me so much about life, to the people who cook our food on the streets, to everyone we talk to, I feel God loves them all. I love them all too. Chiang Mai with Elder Jensen has been a miracle because we are seeing people change their lives. I love this opportunity to be here in Chiang Mai. To be here in Thailand. What a blessing!

I love you all so very much and pray for you daily. Never forget the Savior- even if you do, He doesn't forget you.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

My One Year Mark

2010-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2010

Dear Family,

It's pretty crazy how time flies. As this is my year mark email and as I approach that year mark, I think about how much I have changed since my time in Thailand.

First of all, the most noticeable change is the weight loss. I don't know how I did that to be entirely honest. It just kind of happened. I eat plenty but I think all the biking and the heat probably makes me thinner. I have also realized that I really do enjoy exercise it turns out. I will always have such fond memories of my first year riding my bike all over Nongkhai and Chiangmai. I will remember the times when, like yesterday, I took a wrong turn and so we ended up biking more than necessary. I will remember the times I had to dodge crazy Chiang Mai traffic and the times I was chased by dogs in dark alleys. I think my attitude towards the outdoors has changed. It turns out it is beautiful! I love being out in nature here and exercising. Granted, that's more of a change of attitude than anything else. I feel physically better here than I ever have in my life.

Second of all, I feel that my faith and love for the Savior has grown. I have felt the power of his atonement so personally as I have served in Thailand. I think that often times in our lives, we like to measure our success by something quantifiable. For me, as a missionary in Thailand, I have seen that sometimes as missionaries or as even spectators we often tend to measure success by "numbers" of baptisms or converts. I feel that for me, I have realized something. These numbers are not a measure of success. What is a measure of success is how much we desire and work to help others come closer to the Savior. I feel like as a missionary in Thailand, we don't really see many baptisms but when we do, it's a very tender thing. We spend hours in the sun and the rain finding people who are interested to learn about the gospel. Lots of days all we hear is that every religion teaches us to be good and that Christianity and Buddhism are similar in almost every respect. Most days we just get the "let me go study and think about it first" and the wonderful, polite Thai rejection. Granted, some days I've felt a little frustrated with this. And many days I wonder about the difference I have made in Thailand but I feel that as I have learned to focus on the Savior and to have faith in Him, I feel successful. I feel that I have come to Thailand for a purpose and for this time.

Third of all, I feel so grateful for family and for the gospel. The reason I put these two together is because I feel that on my mission, I have seen how living the gospel in our families, including all commandments, will bring us security. I have seen too many broken families, too many people's lives that are miserable because of their choices that have not brought their family happiness. It's so important to remember the important things. In Thailand, the eternal perspective sometimes is lacking. Once we have that eternal perspective, we see that this life is but a moment, but we must use our time wisely and we must love God. As we see His influence in our lives and apply the teachings of the Gospel in our families, true happiness and peace will come to our homes. The commandments aren't inconveniences that are meant to cause us to stumble, they are guidelines for a happy, successful life.

I feel so much more confident and loving. I can speak Thai now. Who would have ever thought I would be speaking Thai? Not me. My favorite thing about being in Thailand is how almost every conversation we have with Thai people goes the same at first. We greet them, talk for a little bit then they ask the following: Are you students? Where do you live? How long have you been in Thailand? They also comment on us speaking Thai clearly and well. It's really funny. I love how those are the first things we hear. I guess it's because faraangs really don't speak Thai that much.

This week we saw some good things but we also saw a lot of disappointments. We ended up dropping a lot of people. But this Sunday we found three new, great investigators. Please keep praying that we can find people who are really interested. It's so hard to find people to teach that are really interested. Of course, we can help them become interested but I feel like at this time, finding people who are super interested has been a bit of a challenge. We are seeing miracles though.

Yesterday we taught a man from Burma. He's from a tribal group called Kichen or something like that. The Spirit was pretty strong as we explained about the Book of Mormon and the love of the Savior. He seems very interested in how this book came about and how it can help him in his life. His name is Duy Duy. We met him one night inviting when NO ONE seemed to be out. I felt like we should have gone to this neighborhood that day. We met him and greeted him in Thai, thinking he was Thai, he didn't speak Thai at all but speaks great English.

The other two are a couple we met on one of our very frustrating "phid nad" days- everyone didn't make their appointments/they all fell through- who were so friendly. They are Christian and were gracious enough to let us go see them. We got there so late because I took a wrong turn (we almost ended up in Sangamphaeng! That's a LOT of kilos away from Chiang Mai. It's a different amphoe!) But they were gracious and seem interested. His name is Tig (t in IPA) and her name is Waw. They are Christian and attend Church in a different amphoe in Chiang Mai. They want to... ummm... what's that word in English.... prove these things? (I am forgetting English.)

We are continuing to work hard. Elder Jensen and I always have a great time together. We invite hard, we work hard and I love it. It's so fun to come home and just be beat and ready for bed. It makes you motivated and keeps you going!

Anyway, even though this week was disappointing, we are going to press forward. I love Thailand and know this is where I'm supposed to be. Elder Jensen continues to be a champ and is a great companion. Every companion has been a blessing!

Anyway, I love you all so much. Your support is awesome and I am sorry that sometimes I don't have too much to say. Your prayers help and I pray for you all daily. I love each and every one of you so much and know that together we make the best family. I love you all. Remember to eat lots of Thai food!

Elder Jacob Newman

The Thai People Are Wonderful

2010-05-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

May 24, 2010

Dearest Family,

Sorry I am emailing later than usual, today we actually did service. The faraang family in our branch, the Atnips, are moving to Bangkok so we helped them get packed up. The movers were Thai so we went to help.

This week has been a bit crazy with all the political activity and the missionary activity! Being with Elder Jensen, we put our time out there for sure. I haven't ever come back more exhausted and satisfied in Thailand. I feel like we are really putting forth our effort. We are talking to everyone. And frankly, it's really fun. I remember at first how it's so scary to talk to Thai people. But then you look in their eyes and realize that they love you for trying to speak their language and they are simply so friendly.

We talk to so many people each day. Whether it be about English class or religion, we introduce ourselves, learn new vocabulary together, feel our love for the people, laugh all day long and find people who are willing to listen. I feel like we are on the verge of something big here in Chiang Mai. The area in the past has been a little rough. It has seen some great success but it's also been a little slow. But we are seeing miracles as we exercise faith. I think the greatest miracles we see, however, are in our own perspectives. I have seen my perspective of life change. We met a man the other day who told us that he didn't think about tomorrow. He only thought about today. I thought about how in our own lives, an eternal perspective is a crucial aspect in creating a happy life. When we know where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going, life gains purpose. Life becomes more than simple suffering and happiness. Suffering becomes a time of purification. Sanctity. We see that we do have a purpose for being here and that we all come from, what I have come to call in Thai, the highest royal being.

And so the work in Chiang Mai pushes on! This last week we got a new investigator every day except for Sunday. I feel very happy about the progress going on in the area.  

As far as the rest of the week, I know that all of you heard about and probably, wait...did panic about the political action in Thailand. No need to worry. Everything is once again peaceful here in Chiang Mai. In fact, there are no symbols of red shirts anywhere. The train station was vacated of red shirts and the city is at peace again. We actually were only put on lockdown for one day because of the action going on in Chiang Mai. I heard about the action in Bangkok and I know it seems very scary. But please don't worry. The areas that were evacuated are Asoke and Ding Daeng which are downtown Bangkok. They will be able to go back soon hopefully.

Actually, Elder Oaks came for a special stake conference this past weekend along with Bishop Burton and Elder Halstrom. Elder Oaks gave a special prayer for peace in the country. It's pretty miraculous they came. The political action of last week fizzled out at a very auspicious time for them to come. In fact, it's too much to be coincidental.

Elder Halstrom gave a mission conference that we watched via Skype. It was great. He talked about changing something in the things we do today to be a better missionary. He also answered questions and gave some great counsel. 

There were so many faraangs at Church this last week. The BYU group and a group doing an internship in Chiang Raay. It was pretty crazy. There weren't enough headsets and translation was a bit difficult. SarahJane's friend will be here for three months. Pretty funny how that worked out like that. She's living in a different amphoe called Sangamphaeng where the District Leader companionship used to live. The group seems to love it even though, except for a few returned missionaries, they can't speak Thai at all. What a neat opportunity to come back and do humanitarian service in Thailand.

Anyway... Thailand continues to be wonderful!  This week there were some great things that happened. We met a family named Yuun (the dad) and Faam (the mom). They are Catholic and seriously the most generous people I have met. The first time they saw us they said to us "You look so happy, how can we be as happy as you are?" They don't quite get the impact of our message however. Granted, Thai isn't their first language - they are hill tribe people. They sell fried treats, Thai custard and drinks at franchise stands that are common across Thailand. But they don't quite get the idea of the restoration or of authority. We are going to keep working with them and help them to read in the Book of Mormon, gain testimonies and get to Church. They are so kind. They feed us so much fruit and so many treats I feel guilty. They live in a tiny wooden house that's just off the center of the city. Humble circumstances. I hope they can get it.   

Noy, a baptisimal dater, didn't come to Church this week, sadly. I thought for sure he would come but we found out he's on the wagon for baptism. We just need to get members involved and help him gain more faith. I know this is possible. He's shown his faith already by being so gracious to us and really listening to us intently.

Ploy is a literal diamond (ploy is the word diamond) in the rough. She's a great investigator. She's progressing so well and gaining a testimony. She's going to be a solid convert because she has her dad in the Church who's the rock, Brother Biw, and she has lots of friends in the Young Women's. She's reading scriptures and excited about baptism. I love seeing how her faith is growing and how she really has a desire to do the things that are right!

Like I said earlier, Elder Jensen and I are on fire with new investigators. Just keep praying we can find the ones who are really ready. We are so willing to work and so willing to find them. I just want to help these people see how having that eternal perspective changes everything. I love this place. Ah, the food, the people, the missionary work, even the heat, I just love it. Even when it's hard, I'm so glad I made the decision to come here. Life as a missionary is one of the most fun and most rewarding experiences you will ever have. I feel so focused and motivated to stay focused. My priorities have changed for the better and I see how God worked in my life to bring me to this point. It's crazy to look back and see how everything leads to the point we are at now. It's like a great chain of events that lead to a great story.

I love this time to serve God. As it approaches my year mark I feel sad to think it's almost halfway over but I'm determined to make it the best mission possible! No regrets because it's really not my mission it's God's mission. Once we realize it's His, not our, work, missionary work becomes much more fun and less stressful. It becomes about love and not about anything else. And I love it. It's been a great moves so far. One of the best of my mission and I am grateful to be here in Chiang Mai. I love you all and pray for you daily. Remember that God loves you too! I had so many experiences this week that made me think of God's love, from the man who's girlfriend left him to talking to Brother Off who's struggling right now, God loves us. Don't ever forget it. Ever.    

Love you all lots,   

Elder Jacob Newman 

2010-05-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Chiang Mai Is Peaceful

2010-05-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2010

Dear Family,

Well from what I can gather, everything seems peaceful here in Chiang Mai. There are areas where we do see red shirts but I have yet to see anything. Chiang Mai is very peaceful even if there might be demonstrations. The only place that is dangerous right now is the Asoke/Din Daeng area. Bangkok is simply huge. It's just the heart of Bangkok that's dangerous. So... Don't worry. I am safe and of course we stay away from demonstrations and areas that could be dangerous.

Here in Thailand this week has been pretty great. First, 30 plus BYU students came to Chiang Mai and will be here for three months, including SarahJane's roommate, Margo. It was funny to see them all at Church. I recognized three of them from BYU.

The sacrament meeting was great, as usual. Chiang Mai has such a strong system of support and has wonderful membership. At this time, however, sacrament meeting attendance across the country is down. Thailand's sacrament meeting attendance is actually in a decreasing pattern right now. It's so hard to see this. It hit a peak in the early 2000s and now it is decreasing. I don't quite understand the reason. As missionaries, it makes us very sad to see how many people will get baptized with faith and then fall away. The responsibility really falls upon the members to reactivate and fellowship new converts. I think that's a lesson I have seen so often in Thailand.

Frankly, missionary work in Thailand is extremely difficult. (This is not to say it's easy anywhere. This is simply a fact.) We spend a lot of time talking to lots of people and we get rejected a lot - in a very nice, every religion teaches us to be good kind of way. This, however, becomes less of a downer and more of a source of encouragement in the end. Being in Thailand has taught me the value of hard work. We go out everyday and give it our all and we will see things happen. We see miracles like a recent convert named Brother Biw who bore his testimony/gave a short talk yesterday about how the gospel is a blessing in his life and for his family. We see people like Brother Egg who is now a ward missionary and is still very active from what I hear. We see people like Jiab and her family whose whole life was changed. Granted, the quantity isn't very impressive by our eyes but the worth of these souls is so infinite. We walk around all day telling these people how much value they have. And I see more and more everyday how much value we all have. We really have so much divine potential. We can't ever forget that or ignore that.

We had an interesting experience on Saturday. About two weeks ago we invited a man at a walking market near our house that's pretty big and popular. He told us he was Christian and we told him about the Book of Mormon. He lives pretty far from the Church. We made an appointment with him earlier this week and he seemed somewhat indifferent. When we arrived at the wad where we agreed to meet, however, I was shocked. He had bought us water, waited for us even though we were late and then took us to his house. Here in Chiang Mai there are many hill tribe people. He is from the Lahu tribe. We sat down in a small yard with him and the rest of his family. We ended up at one point teaching 8 -10 people. It was a good lesson and they agreed for us to come back.

At this time, I felt so blessed to think that we ran into them at the market and that they will now have an opportunity to learn about these things. I pray that we can help them and that we can continue to find more investigators who are prepared and willing to listen and not simply เกรงใจ Elder. This time here in Chiang Mai with Elder Jensen is such a blessing. Elder Jensen is fantastic. He works way hard, is very focused and dedicated and teaches very well. He's another blessing to have as a companion. Every companion teaches us so many valuable lessons. And everyday we just keep learning together. It's fun to learn Thai together since we're similar moves in country. It's been a blast.

I did a lot of translating at Zone Conference. My strength in Thai is that I speak clearly, my vocabulary's pretty weak though. Actually, I make mistakes all the time. Tones are hard. The other day I accidently told someone that they could learn more about the church of “alcohol” rather than “our” church. The words “our” and “alcohol” are only different by one letter and a tone. So that was awesome. I have lots of funny stories about tones. I actually haven't said anything TOO crazy but I still say weird things sometimes.

I want to let everyone know that Thailand's great. I often think back at the past and think of the decisions that led me here to Thailand. And then, I think about my time here in Thailand. I just think everyone should know that I wouldn't trade it for the world. Even the days where we go out inviting all day for 8 hours in the hot sun I wouldn't trade the laughs I've had with companions, the people I've talked to, the weird and crazy experiences we've had. (Last week we taught some faraangs at a muay thai place that we passed by. Another day, I was inviting someone and a naked man with a machete climbed up the wall behind me. - I didn't see it but Elder Jensen did.) And, the spiritual things, I wouldn't trade for anything! Especially my time here in Chiang Mai. I feel a transformation in my life and in my perspective. I feel my outlook on life is different. There are things that are "important" and there are things that are important. Don't let your life become full of "then I would be happy"s if such and such happened. Look to the future but love the moment you are in. Even if it's hot and you're tired and you feel like no one's listening to you, I have never felt more joy as I have tried to help these people understand the Savior and His atonement.

I feel like I say this a lot but the gospel is more than just true, the gospel is so real and has a transforming power in people's lives. The other day we taught a man who had read from the first three chapters of the Book of Mormon. He's a Christian and skeptical of the Book of Mormon but he said the following: Even though I think it might be false, there's something special about this book. The Book of Mormon, as my freshman year second semester BOM teacher said, is the handbook of the atonement. We understand Christ from it. In Thailand, I've seen Christ more personally and felt closer to him than I ever felt possible. The Thai language gives a whole new meaning to Christ. He's our king, our lord and master. And I love him. Thai expresses our relationship with God as his children. When we teach people to pray we will use a less complex pronoun - children - rather than the formal phuagkhaaphraong - servants of thee. We talk to God like we would talk to our dad. What a special relationship.

Anyway, things are great. I'm healthy, oh so happy and loving Thailand. I love you all and pray for you all. Thailand's the best place ever and I know that I'm supposed to be here. Pray we can find those people that God has in store for us and that we will be able to do what he wants us to do!

Love you all lots and lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

I Love Chiang Mai

2010-05-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2010

Dearest Family,

I don't have much to say this week when it comes to writing, since I already talked to you but I thought I might as well drop you a short note. It's crazy how fast this year is going already. It seems like I just barely got to Thailand but this moves I will hit my year mark as a missionary. It seems so unreal to think how quickly time has passed! We need to make sure we take advantage of every moment.

We're still working to find new investigators. I feel like we worked really hard this week and saw a lot of great things even if there were some pretty sad disappointments. We expected at least 5 investigators at Church but only got our one solid, daughter of a member actually out to Church. I know that as we really put our faith on the line and just keep working as hard as we can, we'll see some great miracles. Of course, sometimes they take time. But I have no doubt that miracles can happen.

I translated for all of sacrament meeting this week. One speaker read the entire proclamation on the family in sacrament meeting in Thai. I didn't have a copy ready in English so that was a bit tricky. The new Elders and Sister gave their testimonies. Basically Church here in Chiang Mai is simply fantastic. The members are awesome and so many are so strong. I feel so grateful that I have seen this branch. The translator for the Liahona/ the Church lives here. Her name is Sister Ju. She actually knows Elder Shill since he was a greenie up here. She's way good at English. From what I can tell, she has been a member since a very young age too. The multi-generationalism of this branch is pretty amazing. I love to see how these people really work so hard to make the Church work here in Thailand. There's a lot of sacrifice involved being in the Chiang Mai district since everything's so spread apart but they all do it with a smile on their face. I just love that.

Elder Jensen is great. It's so fun to be with someone who's your same age (ish) in the mission. It's been really fun to understand Thai together and work together so far. He's a very dilligent, hard working, and dedicated Elder, that's for sure. I feel so blessed to be serving with him. It's going to be a great 2 (hopefully) moves here in Chiang Mai. We are seeing miracles slowly.

Missionary work isn't easy but it's worth it. The connections we form with people, the children of God, are invaluable and simply touching. Sure we will have the hard days, but the sweet moments make it so worth it and build our faith. I love doing this. Like I said this is the best decision I made - to come to Thailand. It's hard to see the difference we make a lot of times. In fact, I think as humans, we often wonder about the difference we make, but I have come to realize that God sees our efforts and doesn't forget them.

Anyway, I simply can't describe how much I love it here. This next week will be zone conference. Keep us in your prayers that we can find great investigators who are really dedicated to learning and that we will know what we should do. I love you all so much and am so grateful for all of you.

Love you all lots,

Elder Jacob Newman

A Trip to Bangkok and a New Companion

2010-05-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

May 3, 2010

Dearest Family,

It's been a crazy week - what with moves meeting and all. But it's been a really great week at the same time. The funny thing about this moves is how almost everyone in my group went senior companion or were placed with someone of the close age. Actually, several people in my group went trainer this moves. It's pretty intense to think that we are now old enough to be trainers and to do all of that. I realized this moves, however, how much Thai we can understand and how long we have really been here. I

Anyway, the trip to moves was bittersweet. It was really sad to say goodbye to Elder Day. He's going to be a fantastic zone leader in Srinakarin. I will miss him and our fun times here in Chiang Mai but on the trip to moves, I felt sure I would get a great new companion. I got to moves meeting, after a very restless night. (I had to sleep on the top bunk on the train, the most uncomfortable place to sleep ever. I can never sleep on the top.)

Moves meeting really focused on our efforts to find new people and to help people progress. We also talked about how this time in Thailand is a bit stressful and that certain areas are closing for missionary work for the time being. I think it was only the Sisters area in Asoke/Din Daeng. Besides that, they warned us to avoid any red shirt activity.

Anyway, it came to the announcement and Elder Jensen is now my companion. He is awesome and we are going to do some great things here in Chiang Mai. I am excited! Elder Jensen is from Arizona. He has a great personality, so friendly and speaks Thai very well. He has a great attitude and I love his style of teaching and working. He's a hard worker and is very dedicated. There's a word in Thai to describe him that means "to set up heart" which I don't know how to translate the meaning. He's served in Nongkhai and was companions with Elder Peterson, actually. It's going to be sweet. He knows Sarah Jane's freshman roommates, Courtney and Casey. We are getting along great and we've seen some great things so far. Elder Jensen has had two Thai,... well... one Thai and one Laotian, companions.

But the first random happening in Thailand that's been this random happened this week. I got off the train in Chiang Mai and carried some bags onto the platform. I looked to my right and I see. Get this. Stephanie Messick my piano teacher with her new husband! To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was way confused. We had been on the same train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. She just came here to vacation. She saw us before we got off the train but she didn't see me and then she said to me "Right when you got off the train I was about to ask if the Elders knew you." Turns out, she actually got to see me! She took a picture with me. They said they just came to travel around - they don't speak Thai, clearly, but they will probably have a good time. I was so shocked. Wow! It made my day to run into someone so randomly like that. What are the chances that that would EVER happen?

I can say that I feel genuinely eager to start the moves off and make things happen here in Chiang Mai. I feel that this is the time for Chiang Mai and we're going to see so many things happen!

I still get to translate every week in church. There are actually members who live here in Chiang Mai from America. One family has three children and he works for the government doing something here in Thailand. There are also single members who own a world renowned fly-fishing company called Rainy's where a lot of the members work who attend Church weekly. They can't speak Thai.

Did you ever see where the Church is on google earth? You should be able to find it pretty easily. It's by a wad called wad phrasing (a temple). I will write it in Thai for you to find it วัดพระสิงห์. It's a pretty big and noticeable wad that's in a well trafficked and touristy part of the city. You should have no problem finding it. It is right near our house.

A lesson that I seem to keep learning every week is how we are all children of God. I have seen that so intimately here in Thailand. Everyday we go out and share our hearts and tell these people of their eternal potential. Sometimes they don't listen. Other times they tell us all religions teach us to be good. But in the end, that piece of knowledge is so crucial and so valuable. If we know that we are children of God, we know that we come from someone who is divine. We know we have a bright future. I’ve seen that as I have taught and invited. Elder Jensen has real power when he invites. It seems like he speaks straight from his heart. Also with him, I have seen how all of the sudden, I feel way comfortable talking with everyone.

Each and EVERY one of my companions has been SUCH a blessing to me. I've seen how we can really make a difference even if it's only to the companion we are with. I've also seen how God works in the lives of his children one by one. The members in Thailand are just like that. They all have a story that's unique and special as to how they found the Church and stayed active. I think, however, the most important lesson I've learned is how much of an influence the things my own parents did for me made.

Serving a mission has been the greatest decision I ever made in my life. Hands down. I've changed drastically and I will never be the same person again. That's just the facts. I've seen how everything in my life is different. First of all, I feel healthier. Second of all, I speak and read Thai (who would have guessed that one) but most of all, I feel the happiest and closest to God I've ever felt. It's great. I can't explain. In Thai we say I explain incorrectly. That's the way I feel. Anyway, I'm doing great. I don't have much to report from this week besides just remember the difference we can make. Each and every one of us has something we can do to change someone's life today. So don't just sit around, go out and do it!

I love you lots and pray for you always,

With Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

This Week Is Moves

2010-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2010

Dearest Family,

Things have been a bit crazy this week. Our P-day was technically yesterday but we had a problem at our house. We didn't have water the entire day so we had to try to figure that out. It was a bit of a stressful experience. This house here in Chiang Mai has had problems with the water ever since I’ve been here. And, I forgot to tell you that this week is actually moves week. So it's been a bit crazy to say the least. But it's been a great week. I love it here so much. Chiang Mai is the best place on earth!

Sadly, Elder Day is going to be moving. Moves week is always such a bittersweet week. I will miss Elder Day for sure. I feel that he has been such a blessing in my life. He has helped me so much with Thai, teaching and everything in between. Most of all, he helped me to see myself in a new light and to have more confidence in myself. Through him, I have seen the true love of the Savior. His love for the Thai people shines. He is an amazing man. Elder Day is going to be a great zone leader. (He got a call earlier this week about it.) Our moves together has gone by so quickly. I can't really believe it's over.

This week I had a great switch-off with Elder Perry. (He will be returning home to Sandy this week.) We taught a lot of their great investigators and found some great new ones for them too. It was fun to see another side of Chiang Mai that I don't know as well.

We also saw a man named Luy, a less active, later in the week. He felt forced to go to Church by his mother. It was sad to see this man, who is so debilitated. He is crippled by disease and also so sad. I felt sad to see how people drift away from Christ and forget that Christ is the reason for everything. We need to all remember that when life gets hard. Christ is the reason we do EVERYTHING.

We also taught Brother Off. Brother Off at this time is struggling to keep some commandments. We taught him a lesson about diligence. As we taught him, I looked into his eyes and I realized how much love I felt for him. Brother Off is an amazing child of God who has such potential. I have come to realize how important that is. To LOVE. To see people as who they are. I want to help these people so much. I know I can do it through God's help. Somehow. Someway.

Anyway, Thailand continues to be amazing. Sorry about the delay. I love you all so much. Don't ever think I forget about you because I can never forget the people I love the most.

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman

สงกรานต์

2010-04-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

April 19, 2010

Hello Beloved Family,

This week was... the most indescribable week ever. I told you last week a little bit about the water festival that they have here in Thailand. It is the Thai New Year and known as สงกรานต์, Songraan, It's celebrated by throwing water on one another.

People stand on the side of the roads with trash cans and large buckets full of water, hoses, squirt guns and anything else that can throw water and they soak people that pass by. Imagine this across the city, everyplace, in every neighborhood. The water is often ice water. Hence, doing missionary work during this time is a little hard to say the least.

We managed to visit President Somchay and his family- they gave us some great sticky mango rice- and we managed to see a few investigators but the water festival put a stop to most everything. On our P-day last week, we played all day in the center of the city or the คู่เมือง, the moat of the city. I have never in my life been so wet. Everyone throws water on everyone. There are people in the back of trucks who will cover you in water. Buckets and bowls sell very well. Everyone plays! It's such an interesting way to ring in the New Year. The streets are more full of people than you can imagine. They sometimes will cover your face in flour. They will great you will a "Happy New Year" or "Happy Songraan."

Riding our bikes in the water was an adventure to say the least. The roads became very slippery and so we avoided bike riding as much as possible. We also came home early to avoid any problems at night. I have never seen so many people throwing water at each other. I saw a whole new side to Thai people. They loved to throw water on us since we were wearing nice clothes. I wore the same clothes the whole week. Seriously. Never wetter in my life! It was cold too, which is saying a lot since Thailand is so hot. It was pretty crazy to see how crazy it was. I didn't really get any pictures because well... my camera would have been broken for sure but memories will be forever ingrained.

Once that was over it was back to work. It felt a little strange. I have a few experiences that I want to share from this week that have been pressing on my mind. The first experience is one that I can't stop thinking about for some reason despite the fact it is so inconsequential. This week we spent a lot of time inviting. Thai people are gracious when we ask them if they are interested in learning about Christ. These are the things we hear most of the time:
1. Every religion teaches us to be good. It is in our heart and up to our devotion to that religion.
2. Every religion is very similar.
3. I am not free.

The first two are very common. In Thai it's one of the first phrases we learn after we get here in the country. Every religion teaches us to be good. I have heard this countless times on my mission. The other day however, we were inviting a man who was a security guard at an apartment complex. For some reason, the minute I saw this person I had the feeling of kinship that was so immensely intense that I cannot really describe it. When I saw him, I felt that he was like my sibling. Elder Day was the one inviting him, as I came in after since I was grabbing a drink from a water machine, but I listened. I felt so certain that this kinship would mean that he would at least let us come back and give him a copy of the Book of Mormon. But he turned us down, telling us that every religion teaches us to be good. I felt so stumped. How could I feel such a connection and a desire to help this man even though I had never seen him before that I knew of? I thought about how God's love is often unrequited. God loves us all so much even when we don't love Him. It doesn't matter where we are or what kind of person we are, God still loves us. I thought about how I felt that transcendent connection to this man, but how it doesn't often work out as we had planned. God has a perfect plan; we just don't quite get it yet. One day we'll understand why everything worked out the way that it did.

We had another really great experience this Sunday as I met some people from Switzerland. I unfortunately can't remember their names but they live in the Zurich stake and spoke German. They think they might have known Sonja. They were a couple and have been members for about 29 years. They came to Church and talked after meetings with us. They talked about how much they love the gospel. They said it took the missionaries months for both of them but they were both converted. They were wonderful people. I felt a connection to our family with Sonja serving there and many of us speaking German.

This Sunday we also had the baptism of three people! These were all member referrals. Sister Gung (shrimp), a protestant and her daughter, Blue, with the daughter of a member named Bo were all baptized this Sunday. I felt the love of God so strongly and the power of example. The symbolism of baptism is a beautiful one. They were all beaming afterwards. This next week we will see the baptism of a man named Daaw (star) who is from Burma but speaks Thai. And another baptism of the Sisters, a girl named Mai.

Chiang Mai continues to be great. Elder Day is simply awesome. I feel blessed to be companions with him. He has an awesome attitude and teaches way skillfully. Today all four of us went and saw a cave and a wad and the hill people.

I love you all and miss you all. Pray for you daily. Remember to keep the commandments and love everyone!

Elder Jacob Newman

สงกรานต์ in Chiang Mai Begins!

2010-04-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2010

Dearest Family,

First of all, sorry that I am emailing today. I thought we would be emailing on another day and so did everyone else but then we realized that getting to Internet cafes that would be open during สงกรานต์ (that's Songraan) would be a little hard so we are emailing today on the first day so as to avoid any possibility that we won't get to email. So today starts the water festival that Thailand is famous for. Yesterday people actually started playing together. It's a bit of a contrast from the normal Thai person you are used to. Usually Thai people are so quiet, refined. This, however, from the little playing I have seen so far is a whole new side of Thai people. They have no qualms with throwing water on people who pass by or putting flour on people's faces. Of course, I haven't seen anything yet from what I hear. There will be lots of throwing water around come this afternoon. I imagine that it will only be crazier come the next couple of days. The water festival comes from a tradition of thanking deity for the water that has been received in the past year. Here in Chiang Mai, from what I can gather, it's pretty intense compared to the rest of the country. We have to be in by 6 o'clock and we have to avoid certain areas of the city because they get a bit intense. So it will be a fun time here in Chiang Mai, I'm sure of it. As long as we remain safe and try to avoid getting too wet, we should have a great upcoming week.

Chiang Mai continues to win a place in my heart and take up a growing share everyday. There are too many reasons to list why I love it. From great food (which is cheap) to the people (everyone here is simply so nice) to the culture of the north (there's something magical about Northern Thailand culture and language), Chiang Mai is simply amazing. I don't really know how to describe the love I have for Chiang Mai. It's just… well... Chiang Mai. And this week I saw why I love it even more as we had conference - which we got to watch in English - and as we worked hard to help others to come unto Christ.

Some Conference reflections: President Uchtdorf gives a good talk. His talks on both being Christ's hands and patience were fantastic and really applicable to all of us. I loved how he talked about how patience allows us to learn. Elder Holland's talk on pornography was an amazing talk. It spoke to the heart of the matter and was impactful. The big focus this conference seemed to be family and how we can strengthen our family. Elder Anderson's talk about talking about Christ more often in our homes touched me and caused me to ponder on how we can better teach those around us about the miracles of Jesus Christ. And of course, Elder Christofferson's talk for the history lover in me was a hit of the conference. All in all, conference left me impressed with a desire to stand a little taller and to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ. The testimonies of Jesus Christ this time around were powerful. I felt that this conference was extremely Christ centered and very testimony building about the role of the Savior.

I felt particularly intrigued, however, by a talk Ronald Rasband gave in the priesthood session. He talked about how mission calls are assigned. I have pondered on this almost everyday since the day I got my mission call in February. I thought back to the bus ride to Salt Lake from Provo on the day I opened it. I thought about how dramatic that day was. I remember right before opening it thinking about how my expectations were about to be shattered. When I saw Thailand, I remember how I felt. It felt instantly correct even if it was very unexpected. I remembered the first time I saw Thai. Scary. Kevin showed me that on his phone - a picture of Thailand with the names in Thai. I wondered how I would ever learn to speak let alone read that language. Since I have been in Thailand, I have seen how while I don't understand God's purpose's fully, there is a reason that we go where we go. Thailand is the place for me to be right now at this time in my life. I wouldn't have it any other way because any other way it wouldn't be right. Every email I talk about how much I love it here and people probably think I sound like a broken record, but it's so amazing because it's the place that I need to be. Granted, I don't know the why of it all but I do understand that it is something that God has asked me to do at this time.

As for happenings this week, there were lots of great and neat experiences. We taught a man named หนึ่ง, which is One in Thai, and his girlfriend. We taught them at the Church. Actually, we met them while inviting earlier and decided to meet with him and he happened to bring his girlfriend along. We thought we were going to be ditched at our appointment since they came late but he called and asked for directions to the Church and then he called again but it just so happened that as I was explaining where the Church was, we ran out of batteries on our phone! But we met them on the street and then taught them. หนึ่ง feels different. He understood the material very well, asked amazing questions and has a desire to learn. His girlfriend, who we thought wasn't interested at first, became very interested as we talked about prayer. We will have to see what happens with them.

We have also been teaching พลอย Ploy - gem, a common Thai nickname- the daughter of Brother บิว- Biw. She read from the scriptures and felt the Spirit without realizing it. We taught her a lesson on the atonement that felt so intimate and powerful. We used the parable of the mediator. It made me think of the role of justice and mercy. I remember how Rachel Mize wrote a paper about this very topic and about how mercy is conditional but infinite. Christ stands ready to help us and will help us in our times of need. I know that He loves us and is our Mediator. พลอย understands well and has a desire to be baptized.

We keep working to find new people to teach, continue to work with our members and try to avoid getting too wet. It's an amazing time to be in Thailand and I love it with all my heart. I know that this is where I need to be.

Anyway, I love you all and think of you often.

With love,

Elder Jacob Newman

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2010

Dearest Family,

Happy Easter, Conference and Mormon New Year to all!

All is well in Chiang Mai for this week! It's been heating up but the weather has been great and everything is simply amazing here. I have fallen in love with Chiang Mai so quickly. I have definitely had some what I would call "transcendental" experiences in Thailand and I have had them in Chiang Mai for sure. As I walk around, I tend to forget that my skin is white. I often just feel like I am Thai because I speak Thai and we eat Thai food. We go to the Thai markets and buy Thai things. We talk to them all day, we make friends with them. Another realization of the fact that we are all children of God and really aren't that different.

I love Chiang Mai's feel and I love the branch to pieces. I have been translating about every week here. It's a challenge that's for sure. It's hard to translate into English when I fully understand the meaning in Thai. A translation cannot really adequately express the meaning of the Thai. The problem with translating is that my brain can understand everything but my mouth and brain can't re-form it into English fast enough.

On Tuesday we had a miracle. We felt that we should go to a market that is fairly close to our home. We went there and started inviting but we didn't really see too much until we were walking out of the market. We turned the corner and ran into a man who was working at his watch shop. (To understand Thailand, we must understand that everything is on the sidewalk/street. Food, shops, everything are small one or two man run businesses.) We started talking to him and he talked about his son, who he said was just like us when he passed away. We talked about how he could see his son again. Something changed when we said that. He had studied with the Jehovah's Witnesses but he said that he felt something different about this. We have only seen him once but I know that it wasn't a coincidence. As I thought about this, I thought about how the plan of salvation is such a blessing.

This week we had a visit from the APs and a Thai missionary who will be serving in Hawaii when his visa is figured out. He's a great guy and will be a great missionary. We also had a great English class - I love the English program here - it's simply amazing! I am so impressed with the Thai people's dedication to learn English. Besides that we really just got out there and worked to find people. We went to markets, on the streets, everyplace you can imagine.

During our inviting we run into so many kinds of people - from the Jehovah witnesses to very devout Buddhists and everyone in between. A statement that we often hear from anyone, no matter who we talk to, if they are Thai is "all religions teach us to be good.” I often find myself stumped at this statement because well... it's true. But Thai people are so courteous and kind. I love inviting them because they always tell us that we speak Thai well and always give us a genuine smile. I think if we all smiled more we would be a lot happier. I love the Thai smile - it's an attribute of divinity.

We gave a recent convert a lesson on gratitude that caused me to reflect on gratitude. I thought about the things I am grateful for and the things that I have received in my life. Ever since I've come to Chiang Mai, I feel like my happiness/gratitude level has reached a whole new level. I don't even know what it is - I just feel happier than I ever have in my entire life. I feel different than I ever have in my entire life. I feel as if I am closer to the Savior than I have ever been, I have found more joy in the scriptures than I ever have before and I feel as if I am learning more and more about myself and the kind of person that I want to be.

As we partook of the sacrament this week, I thought about the prayers on the sacrament. I love it in Thai because it gives it a whole new meaning. One of the phrases that used for “remembrance” includes a preposition that means “towards.” I thought about that as I was writing this and as I evaluate Thai almost daily. Are we thinking towards Christ? Are we living our lives towards Christ? It's a question that we face. Have we given our hearts to Him? I feel so grateful for this opportunity to be in Thailand especially at this Easter time. Jesus Christ is the way. I have come to see how much I love Him in Thailand. I feel as if here I have met my Savior. Our Savior is Jesus Christ. I know that He watches out for each of us and that as we reflect on His atonement, we will see its power in our lives. That's another lesson I have seen in Chiang Mai. The atonement not only can but will make us one with God. That lesson is one I learned so intimately and powerfully here as I have relied on the atonement. I can't fully explain it in words but these past few weeks I have seen that power change everything in me. No matter what our past, no matter where we are now, that atonement will help us. I know it's hard to believe that something that took place in such a distant land can have an influence on us today. But I know. I know it can. I see it everyday in the eyes of the members, in the eyes of my companions and in myself.

This Easter time, it didn't feel like Easter in a commercial sense at all (everyone's really getting ready for the water festival) but it felt like a real Easter as we took the sacrament. As we heard the testimonies of members, I felt the Spirit. From the mother who talked about her son who just left for his mission and how the atonement is what he is teaching about to the young sister who talked about Jesus once of Humble Birth and then bore testimony of His power, I loved the sacrament meeting for Easter. It's one that I will not forget. I will not forget the feeling of kinship, the feeling of love for this branch.

I look forward to Conference. It sounds like some great things happened and some great talks were given. I especially look forward to (keep our fingers crossed on this one) - watching it in English! The Thai version is SO hard to understand. I have talked about this before but Thai has levels of language. Conference uses INTENSE Thai that is really high level Thai. In fact, sometimes Church publications use words that most Thai people don't even know. It's funny - in Nongkhai they once asked the Elders what one word meant. Uhh... we had no idea, clearly! Turned out it was a word for lamb.

Anyway, for final thoughts. This week will be fantastic. We're going to keep seeing miracles and we're going to keep working hard. I love you all and love to hear all about everything at home. I am so grateful for all your support. Sorry if I don't respond to every little thing. I love hearing about it though.

Time flies here in Thailand. 10 months. Gotta make every day count!

I love you all,

Elder Jacob Newman

The LDS Chapel in Chiang Mai

2010-03-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

Elder Newman with Film (Elder Komkrid Dokkum) at "Moves" Meeting

2010-03-29T21:27:00.001-07:00

Wat Phrasing in Chiang Mai

2010-03-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Chiang Mai Days!

2010-03-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2010

Dearest Family,

Chiang Mai. Ah! It's the best. I have fallen in love with Chiang Mai so quickly. This place is different from everyplace else in Thailand. First of all, there are tourists everywhere. There is so much Chinese influence along with a great deal of Burmese influence. It's funny to see how the signs for traffic, temples, and other places have both Burmese and Thai written on them. Chiang Mai is beautiful too. The skies are so blue and the people are so happy. Granted, some of the tourists give us a little bit of a hard time for being here in Thailand. We got chewed out by a 50 year old man on a motorcycle the other day. That was a little bit of a shock for me. Typically, here in Thailand, if people aren't interested, they are super cordial about it. I can only remember a handful of times where people have gotten "mad" at us. But, we have to take into account that getting mad as a Thai would just be like us getting slightly frustrated. Sad to say, but not everyone is as nice as Thai people are!

We had Zone Conference this week. What a great time! I had fun trying to translate for President and Sister Smith for the Thai elders who sat in front of me. Our Zone Conference focused on our purpose as missionaries - to invite others to come unto Christ. I enjoyed this Zone Conference the most out of all that I have had in Thailand. It was small - there were only 12 of us - that's our Zone. It felt really personable. I feel refreshed and eager to go out and help people come closer to Jesus Christ. The Zone Conference also reminded me of the biggest change that I think Thailand has brought for me - my conversion to Jesus Christ. Since coming to Thailand, my faith in the cleansing power of the atonement has developed beyond my wildest dreams. That change and the influence of companions, along with seeing how we can be instruments in God's hands, are the greatest lessons.

I have seen so many miraculous things already that I can't wait to see what my stay in Chiang Mai will bring me! We are seeing some progressing investigators, we are finding new people and we are working with the Branch to really get things off the ground. Chiang Mai has a goal to become a stake in 10 years. That would mean two wards in Chiang Mai, one in Chiang Rai, one in Lampung. It's a goal that the members are really excited about.

The membership here is incredible. Multigenerational families are the roots of the branch. The branch is full of members who are endowed, returned missionaries, and new converts who are missionary age. There are many active priesthood holders and many great members. People raise families in the gospel in Chiang Mai. Many of the members here are from the 1970s and their children and those children's children are members. The family is the beating heart that keeps Chiang Mai branch strong.

We've been working on finding new investigators this week. We've found a lot of people and we're going to be working with them. We continue to work to find new people who will be willing to listen to us. As Elder Day and I work together with the Spirit, miracles will happen! Smiles on our faces and a song in our hearts and Chiang Mai - it's a wonderful time to be in Thailand.

This week we met with a man named Jo, a friend of a member, and I thought about humility. His wife left him and took his daughter. He's been drinking to avoid the pain. But he said as he prayed, he felt that God was there. He felt that God was willing to help him. As we talked to him, he expressed how in the past, he was... hard hearted. I thought about how as we give our hearts to God, something that God asks of us - a broken heart - we see how He stands ready to help us. It's not that we earn His help; it's that He loves us. As his children, He wants to help us. I also thought about this intimate relationship a lot this week. In Thai, I love walking around to people and saying hello older brother, younger brother, mother, father - these are how you say you in Thai depending on how old someone is. We are all part of God's family and in Thai we are all quite literally family. Thai is such a close language.

We've also been working to encourage the youth to serve missions. I am so grateful that I made the decision to do it! In the past, it wasn't on my radar at all. Actually, if you had told me that I would serve a mission, I probably would have laughed. But, this is the single best decision I have ever made in my life. And I never want to forget that. A mission isn't about the number of baptisms or the numbers of anything; it's about seeing the power of God in our lives. I understand the gospel so much more, I know what I want from life and I feel so close to God. While I'm still not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, my mission has taught me that the development of the soul, of the relationship between us and God is the greatest, most complex but ultimately most rewarding quest of our lifetime. So, any one who has doubts about going on a mission should reconsider. I'm not going to say it's all roses because that would just simply be a lie but I will say that it's simply worth it. I know it's a big social pressure in Mormon culture to do it so a lot of people feel pressured. But really, it's just the thing that God wants to bless us with. Everyday, we get to go out and wear the name of the Savior and be a witness of Him. And it's so much fun! I love it.

Anyway, I love you all. I'm healthy and everything's going great here in the wonderful place! I hope you all continue to do well. Hope you all enjoy conference!

Love,

Elder Jacob Newman