Airport arrival October 18, 2013

Anthony's flight arrived on time but one of his bags decided to stay in Bangkok. We got it the next night intact. We are very happy to have him home and begin to plan for his future the man he now is.

 Friends

 Holding up the signs

 Here he comes

 Walking toward the family

 Coming in for the sister hug

 Checking out our welcome signs with Talitha

 Brother love

 Dad last. Mom was after Laura but since she is the photographer there are no pics

"Death" of Elder Susi

September 13, 2013

Companion: Elder Kohler

Hello People of the World,

The time has come and everyone has been telling me that this is my last email. Well, it is true, I guess. So what do I tell everyone?

This week was alright. Mostly I was waiting for General Conference. It was great! I really enjoyed it, especially the stories. Stories are usually what I like anyway.

I have been working hard to keep focused and doing the things that we were supposed to. We had a great experience at a Sports Park this week. We wanted to go inviting, but didn't really know where to go. We had two choices: a Sports Park in the evening time and a weekend market where lots of people would be. We decided to go to the Sports Park and go to talk to people. We weren't too sure which direction to go, but picked a path and walked. We tried talking to some of the people sitting around, but they weren't interested. While walking we met this man that was very nice and wanted to talk to us. He sat and talked to us and made an appointment with us. He may be related to a new investigator of the other Elders, and is very interested.

I don't want to say too much via email, but will have a video prepared when I get home. I hope to see everyone soon.

Elder Anthony Susi

Elder Susi's last requests:

I would really like a Chili's for dinner, that would be awesome, just something simpler. I still like Chex Mix or pretzels, or a Sunkist bottle would be great.

If there is anything else to get ready besides a bed, just the room and maybe a iPhone with apps, movies, music, anything. Anything else is up to you.

Death of Elder Anthony Susi

Twice winded

October 6, 2013

Companion: Elder Kohler

Hello People of the World,

So, we worked our butts off! Monday was a great relaxing day and Tuesday is usually filled with meetings and English Class, which it was. We did some amazing work and tried visiting lots of members and Less-Active members. Thursday, we went to far away places to visit members. One lived 30km away on bus, and then an extra 10km to their house. There was beautiful countryside and it was really nice and clear.

The members were very happy to see us and felt bad that we took the time to go to their house. Later that day, we went 21km to another area, and then went an extra 10km to their house or so. The LA member was from New Zealand and her husband was Thai, and spoke amazing English. We had a great time at their house. The rest of our week was spent doing the normal missionary work: teaching lessons, contacting, visiting members and trying to find Less-Active members. The other Elders in the District were doing the same, and both companionships had great success this week. I am so grateful to be out here, I don't think many people understand that this is the best thing ever, and most people come home from these pumped to help the work of the Lord progress. I hope to see you all soon, and will email you one more time before coming home. Boy it's weird.

Elder Anthony Susi

 Beautiful Country

 Peek a boo

No-bake cookies

September 29, 2013

Companion: Elder Kohler

 Hello People of the World,

As it appears that some of you know, my companion randomly moved away to another place while I stay here in Khonkaen. My new companion's name is Elder Kohler. He is from Washington. He is companion number 17! Crazy, right? We had a lot of fun this week, visiting our investigators, and getting to know each other. There are two other missionaries that joined us here in Khonkaen, Elder Pearson, and Elder Ngaosuvan. Elder Ngaosuvan actually came from Bangkapi, my last area, so he knows me pretty well.

I don't know what to tell everyone. We kept meeting with random people that were interested. Those that were very interested weren't even people that we had already talked to. Most of the time, they saw us talking to someone else and wanted to talk to us. I'm so glad that we are using our time wisely and doing as we are supposed to as missionaries. We have also had an awesome experience meeting the members and visiting. They are loving the extra set of Elders that came. They liked it even more when we brought them no-bake cookies that we had made ourselves.

That is it really. I hope that you have a good week and talk to you soon.

Elder Anthony Susi

Amazing drawing 

 Yummy

Elder Ngaosuvan

Typhoon Usagi

Hello People of the World,

So apparently there was a storm that was very big in China. Well, that storm has made its way to Thailand, or Khonkaen at least, and has been creating havoc. It rained all of this last week, sometimes a lot, or a little. The last couple days it just went on and off, making it difficult to get people to meet with and to come to church.

We have had a great time with our investigators, especially in acquiring new ones. We met a mother and son that have had Christian experiences in their life and wanted to know why they were on this Earth and if death was the end. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and committed them to baptism, and they accepted. We also are teaching an investigator that had learned with Elders in the past and wanted to start learning again. We talked to him about the Gospel and he kept telling us how he wanted to be on the right path and he knows that this is the right path. He accepted a baptismal date, and we are happy to work with him.

I am having a great time and I hope that everyone keeps on having a good time.

Elder Anthony Susi

http://www.trust.org/item/20130923055308-11zh4/?source=hpbreaking

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK, Sept 23 (Reuters) - More than 600,000 Thais have been affected by flooding since July and more than a quarter of Thailand's provinces have been inundated, prompting officials to issue landslide warnings and begin evacuation measures on Monday.

Devastating floods in 2011 killed more than 800 people and caused massive disruption to industry, cutting economic growth that year to just 0.1 percent.

Four people have been killed in this year's flooding. More rainfall is expected later this week.

"Due to a heavier-than-usual monsoon season, 21 provinces are now experiencing flooding. We have issued a warning about landslides and have told boats in the Gulf of Thailand to be vigilant," Chatchai Promlert, chief of Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, told Reuters.

Parts of Ayutthaya province north of the capital, Bangkok, have been deluged by up to a metre of water, he said. Ayutthaya town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where several ancient temples were badly damaged in the 2011 floods.

Many huge industrial estates in Ayutthaya and other provinces on a plain north of Bangkok were inundated in 2011.

At least 10 provinces in Thailand's central plains, the main rice-growing region, have been affected by the floods but the extent of any damage is not yet known.

The flooding has hit in harvest season and output is likely to be affected, but there has been no official comment yet.

Plodprasop Suraswadi, a deputy prime minister, said he was confident there would not be a repeat of the 2011 floods, which at one stage threatened to engulf Bangkok.

"Water levels in our dams are low enough to handle any extra rainfall," Plodprasop said.

Municipal authorities have ordered sandbags stacked around shops and homes and extra water pumps have been installed in many areas.

In Prachin Buri province, 135 km (85 miles) east of Bangkok, more than 700 inmates from a prison were evacuated on Sunday and transferred to other facilities nearby after their cells were flooded.

The national disaster department said it was offering assistance to residents in flood-affected areas, including the provision of life-jackets and boats. Those living in low-lying areas have been advised to move to higher ground. (Additional reporting by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Editing by Alan Raybould and Paul Tait)

Success

September 15, 2013

Companion: Elder Proctor

Hello People of the World,

So, I've been good. We are still progressing towards awesome success!! We have had lots of opportunity to feel the Spirit, and love the experiences that we are having. For instance, we had a missionary senior couple come visit us in Khonkaen. This couple is one of those people that get things done. It is because they are older, and Thailand will do anything that older people will say. They came and helped us discover all these potential people that are interested in the Gospel and what we teach. On Friday, it was one of those days that we just kind of floated through the day. We were just full of the Spirit, and we had some plans and goals, and none of the plans made out, but the goals did. We had an experience in which we passed a guy, right after buying some food, right next to our house. We dropped off our food, and packed a bag up for him and went to find him. We found him, and he was so surprised that we were trying to give him food, that he just kept saying no and walking away. We walked and talked and we think that we made him feel better about life, because he looked like he was in the dumps and needed some food and love. We haven't seen him since, but that is an example of what we have done this week.

We are going to try to visit our members and talk to them about their family and friends. We will see what happens.

I am glad to see that everyone is alive. I hope to see everyone soon.

Elder Anthony Susi

Happy 21!!!

September 8, 2013

Companion: Elder Proctor

Hello People of the World,

Well, this was a good week. Ish. We had a great opportunity to plan a ton on how to help our branch. We have decided that we, as missionaries, feel that it is our duty to become close with members. We have started to meet with all of the members that we know and those that we don't know, but members do. So far, we are having a good time and are having success. We have mostly dealt with the Less Active members and are being able to help them to come back and help some come back to full activity. I really like doing the Less Active work. Funny enough, in honor of the Comic Con that we forgot about, we called it Operation: Dinothunder.

We are so happy that everyone is having good health and that life seems to be normal. Don't let the news and media tell us otherwise. I thank everyone for the birthday wishes, we are having a Family Home Evening at the Branch President's house about 50 km away. That is it. Maybe on Tuesday, tomorrow, we will go eat ice cream. The national ice cream parlor, Swensen's, has a special for card holder, I have, called "Free Scoop Tuesday." You buy a scoop, and you get a scoop for free. It is good.

That is it this week.

Elder Anthony Susi