Companion Elder Todd
No email yesterday, but a Skype call. He surprised us by calling very early. It was 7:30 PM when he called. We began with questions his friends had asked:
James:
How many people have you converted? 1 person
What is it like in Thailand? Hot and Humid He is in a different part of Thailand so it feels really good in the morning. Morning is like 70's and then by 11 it gets super hot and humid.
How good are you at speaking Thai? OK, but it needs work
Does he miss any of us? Of course, I miss all of you.
Brandon:
What are you eating? Farang food - MCD, Sizzler, KFC. The only Thai food he likes is a Thai Omelet.
(Kai Jeow)
Us:
How far is the cybercafe from your apartment? A two minute bike ride is the closest but they don't always use the same one.
How big is the biggest bug you have seen? Cooked Cockroaches several inches long (ewwww) He has not eaten any.
Have you seen any poisonous bugs/animals in your area? They have millipedes in their house.
What are you drinking? Water and soda He said he is still working on his water goal first and then might work on his desire to try to eat Thai food.
What time do you normally leave your house in the morning? they leave by 10:30 and return by 9 PM bed by 10:30.
It was fun to talk with him and see him happy and smiling. He seems to me to be saying the words he said to us in Thai very well. He really loves the people in his mission (They all say that, but I really think he does) And we asked him about his spending habits because he keeps withdrawing cash from his account here. Because he is choosing to eat Americanized food it is costing more money. That and he and Elder Todd recently discovered a bakery they are going to fairly often. Too funny. He was more of a candy sweet guy here so I have to wonder what they have at the bakery that he is getting.
Laura was very glad to see that he was alive ( haha). She told him she missed and loved him. He actually said that he was missing them too. He got to hear his brother (Matthew) play a piano piece. Matthew told him how he finished the fourth Harry Potter book and that the next red Vs Blue comes out soon. Anthony was not interested in the you tube video information. It is funny how you tube and video games are so on the bottom of the importance list. Talitha told him about her solo and getting first place. Anthony was excited to hear that Matthew has his back flip and is working on his front flip right now.
The Skype feed was really good, I barely noticed a delay from when he spoke and when we heard him.
The entire family (all five of us) sat in rows in front of the camera so Anthony could see all of us at the same time.
He lives in a house that is very far from the downtown area. They get up at 6:30, Take a shower, get dressed, Iron their clothes ( yes he says he is ironing and getting better), and brush your teeth. Then at 8 they begin their studies and go until 10:30. Then they go out and do the work.
He told us the crazy story about the boy with the dog again as being the craziest thing that has happened so far in Thailand.
We asked about his arrival in Thailand. He said that they stayed the night at the Mission Presidents home and then was introduced to Elder Hess, handed a bus ticket for 6 and said see ya. (Haha) He said the bus was actually pretty fancy, like a tour bus. The overnight buses are nicer. He said there are definitely worse buses and vehicles to ride in. We asked about if he was excited to talk to us and he said Yes he was He even thought it would be really fun to talk to us. But then wondered what we would talk about for an hour. Not to worry, we filled the time up.
We asked him about returning to Thailand after his mission and he requested we wait until he returns and then all go back after he is released.We were thinking the same thing. He said a lot of missionaries parents come to get them from in country but the missionary is not able to do all the things the family would want to do and they are still performing their missionary duties. It is better to wait and experience all of it together completely. We told him our Stake President offered to go with us and release him in country. (Haha) Anthony wondered if that would really work. We let him know this was a joke.
We asked him how far they bike each day. His first answer was far and then he added 5 km at least. (funny he was used to metric). He does feel more hungry each day from all his exercise. He also said he is the same weight he was in the MTC and at home.
The kids asked him about his Pikachu and he told her about Brother Ton, a local member that loves to draw drew it and many others for him. They also asked who they teach, and he said everyone.
Grandma Mary called on FaceTime on the iPad and was able to see him and talk for just a minute or two. Technology is great when no one lives near each other.
Matthew told him about his Deacons Quorum and going to the movies and other things alone, including Lagoon and Anthony's response was eww boring (about Lagoon) .
PDays lately have been boring, errands and chilling. No adventuring yet. Next week they are thinking of going to the end of the Himalayas. They will ride all the way in a sǎwngthǎew which is a truck bed with a bench on each side and normally a canopy to protect from the sun. When they arrive they will watch the sunrise. He cannot see the Himalayas from where they are in Chiang Rai.
We lost the Skype connection a few times during the call but overall it was a great call.
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