Howdy Howdy!

First off before I start my email, I think I found somebody that knows you, Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the Branch President's wife Sister Chaimongkhon. I'll be attaching a picture of her but she asked me if I remembered what areas you served, and I couldn't remember. Do you think you could send me the different areas you served? That would be awesome! She asked me how long ago you served and I said about 30 years and she said that it fit with who she is thinking of! She then asked what Mission President you served with and I could only remember President Hogan and she told me that that fit as well! I think it's a tender mercy from the Lord. If you could send some missionary pictures of you back in the day that would be awesome. She said she wanted to see you to remember. She has been a member for about 35ish years so she would have been a member when you served. It's gotta be right!:)

Anyways thank you all for your emails. Mom, I'm sorry you didn't get to go to that concert! That sounds like it would have been so awesome! If it's a concert with good ol' Jimmy Taylor than it must have been good:) And I'm so greatful for you guys going to Chris's mission farewell. He must have enjoyed that alot! I'm trying to send him an email later. And Drewby thanks for the advice. I really really needed that. I have been studying up on how to just give my mission my all and your knowledge should help me so much! Thanks brudder. And Hayley, you gotta gotta gotta tell me where steve and wyatt get called to! as soon as you find out!!! Don't forget:)

This week was an eventful one! First off a couple of funny stories. We were teaching the same Less Active member (Bro. Robbin) this time as the last time when I gave that coconut to that nutty girl, and another strange thing happened haha. We were talking to him on his porch (if you could call it that) and pretty soon this drunk guys shows up. I'll attach a picture with him. He was shirtless and drunk off his rocker. He kept yelling to me in his broken english, "I LOVE YOU!" "I LOVE YOU!" And he would talk in Thai about how he felt like he could never die and how he was scared to ride in airplanes. It was the funniest thing of my life. He would then like spit HUGE globs of spit everywhere and sometimes we would be so tipsy that he would spit on his own leg and stuff. Then he told us that he needed us to see his daughter because she had been to America. So we started going over to his house, and my companion whispered that we should ditch him. So as soon as he went around to let us in through a gate we hopped on our bikes and away we went hahah. I hope he's not mad, I'm sure we'll see him again, hopefully more sober this time haha.

The next one was when we were in a taxi. I was riding in front and hadn't looked at our taxi driver in the face until probably mid way through our ride. But as soon as I took a look at him, I knew something was weird. I looked at him and his left eye and watched as it slowly began to bulge out of his eye socket. I continued to watch and figured out that he had a normal right eye but a pigs eye for his left eye! And everytime it would start to pop out, he would reach up with his fingers and push it back in. It was the craziest thing of my life! I was so scared and I should have invited him, but I just felt so nervous. He just kept pushing it back in haha. I will never forget that experience haha.

We also rode the bus this week. And in Thailand alot of the time the buses will stop at the bus stop, but we were riding it on it came to where we needed to get off and the bus driver slowed down and opened the doors but didn't stop haha and so my companion thought it best to just jump so we jumped out of the moving bus haha. I felt like James Bond, but come to think of it, it probably didn't even look cool at all. And finally we were in a market place where like hundreds of people were out. and at 6 o'clock they have loud speakers in the market area that blares their national anthem each day. So everyone was bustling around to and fro but when the national anthem started playing, everyone froze. It was like a flash mob. Everyone in the entire market place froze on what they were doing. And I kept looking around like "Is this real life?" and then as soon as the anthem was done (45 seconds) they went back to what they were doing. hahaha it was so cool. We need to do that in the United States.

This week we also had two baptisms! Our investigators Beam/Mint got baptized and we had the sacred opportunity to baptize them. It was the best experience ever. They are such good people and we love them so much. And I felt the spirit so strongly during their whole Baptismal Service. The best part is that they are free from their past sins. Completely clean through and through. It's humbling to me how Heavenly Father let me take a small part in that. I really didn't do anything. These investigators had been investigating for a few months, so I didn't find them or anything and the Spirit taught them everything they needed to know. It's humbling to know that we really don't do anything but be a vessel in which the Spirit can work through. I have a hard time because I always get in the way with worries and doubts that come, and all Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want is for me to move out of the way so that their work can progress and save lives. It's such a beautiful thing! I can't get over how much the gospel truely blesses everyone, no matter what you have done in life. I want to be closer and closer to the Savior everyday. I love feeling his spirit and although I'm pretty sure the animals in Thailand can speak Thai better than me, I want to bless people through his gospel in their language. I have along ways to go, but I feel Heavenly Father's hand everyday, whether it be to take caution or comfort my weary heart, he's always there. I was thinking about the Hymn, "I'll go where you want me to go" and when the chorus says,"Ill go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, I say what you want me to say, I'll be what you want me to be." When I get to heaven I wish with all my heart to have Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ say, "Welcome Home my good and faith servant, you have gone where I wanted you to go, You've said what I've wanted you to say, and you are what I wanted you to be." His gospel is the best and truest. We also had Elder Wong from the Seventy come and be at our district conference Saturday and Sunday. He is the funniest guy in the world! I don't know if there are any talks by him, but if there are, look them up. He's a great disciple of Christ.

Anyways, the work is going great here in Thailand. We are all hoping and working and praying for a Thailand Bangkok Temple here! Pray for us and that. I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

With so much love,

Elder Tanner