Song Kron Strikes--weekly letter from the boonies of ˹ͧ¤ÒÂ

So this week I can't really remember what happened. we had a switch off with the AP's on wednesday. that was pretty chill. the one I got paired with is from tenessee and he has got some wacko ideas about the gospel... one of them he was like "so, have you ever thought of this, How many wives does God have?" haha. I'm just going to assume it is one. but yea. it was fun, he was a fun guy to be with. it was nice to have a switch off with another missionary after being with the same one for 2 months now. man, thats a long time to be with another dude 24/7!

But yea. So also, songkran started this sunday. and let me tell you, these khon thais go HAM for song kran. It is crazy. kinda like 4th of july in utah where everyone is shooting off fireworks like crazy. except for you have people driving around in trucks throwing buckets of water. everyone is standing on the streets throwing water, and you have people with power sprayers lying in the bushes in wait to wreck you as you ride past on your bike. It is super fun. Its like a gigantic war zone. and sometimes as deadly. apparently quite a few people get killed during song kran. and quite a few missionaries get hurt. so mom and dad. If I die, I DIE. They are making us go in at 6pm so we aren't out when all the drunk people start roaming. but, just coming home from church after conference at like 2pm I got soaked. It was a battle just to try and take different little back alleys where there wasn't anybody to try and avoid getting wet. But, I got soaked. Good thing I wasn't wearing my suit!

today we get to play songkran all p-day. well, at least until 6 that is. it should be fun. hopefully I don't get a face full of water and eat gravel on my bike. but, I'll leave that up to my companion. he usually hurts himself like that.

This week was pretty normal otherwise. Went to swensens after district meeting on tuesday, as per tradition. swensens is an american ice cream place. I'ts soooo good. and pretty cheap too. 50 bot for 2 big scoops of ice cream if you go on tuesdays. and conference was fun to spend some time. didn't seem as eventful as last conference. but it was good. 

Also, I got this guy at the walking street market to make me a ring out of a 5 bot coin. its really cool, and he even wrote my name in thai on it. dooopppeeee. 

oh also we are trying to get this old guy baptized this week. it should be on sunday. but we will see if he can get off the whiskies by then. he seems to be doing pretty swell. this is the one I talked about who had the pink skinny jeans and chill flannel shirts. He would be a solid addition to this branch. because he is super fly!

also there is this lady that just cry's and cry's whenever we teach here.... its kinda weird.. she is a drug addict we found out... so I think she might just be mentally fried form all the crap she has done. but. I digress.

Hope ya'll have a good week! thailand is pretty hot. and pretty wet. whenever it rains all the bugs and little animals try to come into our house to seek refuge. I found a frog just yesterday night.

.... we ended up throwing it off our balcony and it splattered against the fence of the adjacent house.....  sorry little frog. next time don't mess with me in my HOOD!

have a great week peeps! love ya

-Elder Smith

Nother Week of Missionary Wurk

Mom sent me a post card set from the Sacred Gifts
exhibit at BYU. Jesus and I are giving the peace sign:)

So last pday we were able to go to Udon. There we went ice skating, ate at a really expensive Korean buffett then went bowling. It was really fun, but Elder wheeler fell Ice skating and busted his chin open. So after that we went to the hospital where I got to watch them put 7 stitches into his face. The wound went so far in I think I saw his chin bone. haha, that kid is just getting beat up. Also in the week we went to this one members house and cleaned up her yard and driveway. It was stinking hot and I sweated so much, but that is the usual. I just hope my clothes can stay white enough to wear.... already my "white" shirts are getting tinted a slightly grey brown color from all the sweat and dirt that is here. One thing is for sure I won't be taking any of these clothes home with me... Guess that means i'll be coming home naked.

soooo also when we were having a district meeting this crazy lady walked into the church crying and wanted us to teach her. The whole time we were teaching her she would just bawl and stuff. She had like 8 different bibles with here and had read all of them and knew about the book of mormon very well... It was kinda weird. We were unsure if she was just very emotional or actually crazy. It will take some more time to deduce this one. also we did, MORE CONTACTING. every day! one day we spent two hours straight just roaming around a scooter parking lot contacting people. then later that night we went to a street market to contact more. The street market only happens once a week on saturdays. But it is really cool because there is alot of people there, and alot of cool little things you could buy. There was a guy there that made all of us missionaries rights out of coins. Mine isn't going to be ready till next week, but still, he did it for free. He said since we were elders we get them free. I don't know why but someone must have left a good impression on him! :)

so still just doing my thing here in nong khai. transfers are coming up in a little over two weeks. also, we get to watch general conference next week! yay! its like the release of a new movie!..

not really

anyways, have a good week family!

love, Elder Smith

Buffet in Udon then off to bowling and ice skating.

Check out my awesome bowling score--5 strikes, a couple spares.

Wheeler and his stitches from falling while ice skating.

Terrific Korean restaurant in Udon.

Welcome to the Grind

So, another week down. Yea. last p-day I was able to find an awesome flannel shirt for only 3 bucks. sweet. I will never wear it here. but, when I get home. I will be super fly. also, they got some way cool shoes here though too... might pick some of those up for when I get home too... not that that day will ever come. but, if it does, I will be prepared for the real world once again. where you can go one day without taking a constant shower in sweat!

Last p-day right after we emailed we were riding our bikes down the street and elder wheeler got hit by a car door. A lady fllung her door open and hit his handle bar and he went flying and skidded along the road for a couple feet. luckily all he did was scrape up his elbow. It was like in the cartoons.  Afterwards the lady, saying in thai, "I'm glad that you are white because if you were thai I'd be having to pay"... thinking that we didn't know thai... oops. that's awkward ain't it!

So yea, after that we went to this market where they had a bunch of trinkets that old people would like but are really of no interest to a teenage boy... except, they had some toy guns.. those are kinda cool. GUNS. 

This week we did alot more contacting, then also did a bunch of home teaching. There are hardly any priesthood holders here so they have us home teach alot of people. but that will make up for all the times I was supposed to home teach but never did before my mission!

also... hmmm. I found this old guy at the tesco(pretty much exactly like walmart) and he came and we taught him. then yesterday he went to church as well! He is way cool. when he came to our lesson he was wearing pink skinny jeans and a short sleeve almost flannel-like shirt. What a boss. He is such a chill dude. He also has a daughter he wants to bring to church because she is making bad choices in her life.. so, hopefully this can be the family we are looking for!

oh also, yesterday we were trying to find this lady to home teach. we went to this house someone, probably her son, was there and yelled to her.. she was in the bathroom. we waited on the front porch until an old fat lady came out just wearing a towel. we were like... are you sister.... luckily she wasn't... so we ran away really quickly to find the right person.

also. there was this guy that was a less active that we invited to come to a sports activity we were doing on friday. But when he came, he was high as a kite on mary jane. so the whole time he would be screaming and acting like a dofus. It was kind of funny. he actually played really well though. Maybe they do have a point with this medical marijuana stuff... ;)

ok. also, we went to get indian food from this one guy on wednesday. it was soo good! but... the next day. BOY DID I HAVE SOME DIARRHEA. That is the only time I have gotten diarrhea really bad, and it wasn't even from thai food! the heck!

speaking of fecal matter. our district leader told us about how one time he was on a squatting toilet and he had diarrhea so explosively that it got all over his shoes and his legs. he's is thai. lol! happens to the best of us.

the members are also very open about their diarrhea stories... this one member gave me an in depth description of an episode she had recently had... yea that was the last time I asked how someone was doing.

Its also hot as crap here! but what else is new :) 24 of april is transfers. so we only got 3.5 weeks left. that means only 3.5 weeks left of being a greenie!

Have a good week ya yo'z!

-Elder Mark Hamilton Smith

Another Week Another...Week

I love the mangoes and sweet sticky rice.

Ok. sooooooo this week we had ZONE CONFERENCE! yaaaaaay! we traveled to Udon which is the center of our zone, only about an hour bus ride away. It is bigger than Nong Khai. but still nothing compared to bangkok in size or amount of people. We listened to president senior talk, had lunch, and ate a crap load of Ice cream cake. It was waaaay goood!

also, I had some other interesting experiences. 

First off. I was brushing my teeth one night and somehow I accidentally stabbed myself in the nose with my toothbrush. Then, blood started gushing all over the sink and all over the dishes that were in the sink. kinda nasty... don't tell my companion! ha. I washed them ok. we're fine.

We went contacting alot, as always. And there were a few days where it was KILLER hot! then it got all rainy and stuff. which isn't normal. but right now its overcast again and slightly breezy. pretty chill!

There were multiple times where little asian girls came up to us and wanted to get a picture with us. because we are WHITE. and because I am attractive. I think... maybe not. ok most likely not.

also, fun fact about thailand. It seems as if very other person you meet is a transvestite. yea I'm serious. we see them every day. But some of them have for sure got sex changes because they have breasts and an adams apple.... there were a couple where I would think "that is a very ugly girl with broad shoulders..... why does she have an adams apple? oh gosh..."

here is another fun fact about thailand. there is this one restaurant where the water they give you comes from a garbage can. literally, they let it drip from the faucet into a big garbage can. then when they fill up your pitcher they just dip it in the can. yum! yea, I drank from my water bottle after I found that out....

Thai food is good. and surprisingly, the microwave dinners from 7-11 are really good too! and pretty cheap. only about a dollar. oh there are 7-11's everywhere! in bangkok there is one every other building. I don't know why. but It is something that has caught on in thailand majorly big. They got some really cool asian food weird stuff too. also, they got McDonalds here. but its really expensive and "classy". ha. imagine that! a plate of thai food is like 30 bot. where as if you went to McDonalds it would be 150-200 baht.

This week at church we had zero investigators show up. 4 promised they would. ha. no one else in our district had anybody show up either. the sisters were supposed to have a baptism. but the person just didn't show up. Just the thai way of saying "I'm not interested anymore".

We were only able to get one lesson with a member the whole week, also. The members are so hard to get to come, and with people bailing so often its hard to get a solid lesson through. but I assure you guys we're trying hard, so yea!

Still hanging in here I guess.

I hope you have a good week!

-Elder Mark Smith

Flash back to Karate Kid I

Zone Conference in Udon. Mom thinks I need to work
on my selfies.

these other pictures are a chinese burial garden ... cool! Buddhists don't bury their dead, 

they burn them. but not the Chinese!

Coming Up on a Month in Thailand

Live animal trap with a super, flying mouse in it.

So what did I do this week? well, a lot of missionary work. and ALOT of contacting. It seems pretty mundane, and boring. But, I do it. My trainer says im a really good trainee. and that I work hard, so I think im getting this right. I just hope I can get to the point where I love to do missionary work.. right now im just... indifferent about it. ha

Click Here to view Catfish, Sculptures and Contacting

Sheesh I really don't know what to say. This week there was some days that were really hot, and some days that were abnormally cool. Like today, its still hot, but there is a slight breeze and its overcast... but still no rain. Its supposed to get really hot soon. I don't think I am excited for that.

On the 18th i'll have been on my mission for 3 months! yea! that will have been 1/8 of my mission. most of that having been the mtc.

The thai is coming along.... slowly.. but, coming. I can read in thai really well. I'm glad I focused really hard on that in the mtc. it really comes in handy. especially when you are reading scriptures with people,  they expect you to suck at reading, then you surprise them.

so, lets see if I can come up with some weird stories of what happened this week. yesterday a weird guy asked us if we could buy him a gun from american. we were like "why do you need a gun??" he then told us he had a bunch of middle school age kids that would harass him. so we said, "what are you gonna do, shoot them??" "no, id just shoot it in the air like you guys in america always do". haha. the things these kids see on tv.

also we traveled out into the BOONIES yesterday to find a golf course that we could possibly slink around and contact people about the gospel. along the way we found a home with a lady that makes rice mixed with ants and other bugs. Its like special food for animals that has protein in it. it was kinda weird. but yea. ESAN.

Fecal Update:

my poop seems normal now. There was a time when it was diarrhea, then I was constipated. but now I got some pretty "solid" poops!

anyways. thats my week. have fun, don't have too much fun in utah!

 Elder Mark Smith

Why don't you knock on doors? --MOMOMOMOM

Mark:  no we don't knock doors... but its mainly because people don't have doors. they live in shacks. and the people with nice houses have fences that keep people out. so yea, only walking down the streets going to places with large amounts of people to ask them if they want to be cleansed from sin. yaag lang baaaab. that is what im am saying to all the people. ha yea. I try to be a goober to make it more fun. they want us to talk to every single person we walk past no matter where we are or what we are doing.

Maybe singing hymns or the new Frozen soundtrack would be better, jk. --MOMOMOM

Mark:  or dancing. I could do the Napoleon Dynomite dance. I bet that would get em.

"Mom, my retainer broke. What do I do?"

$14 Watch and now I can wake up on time and
swim with sea monsters at 100 feet below.

Why is that a flying, super mouse in that live animal trap? --MOMOMOMOM

Mark: Here, Mom, watch this and you will understand. Click Right Here

P Day Already? jk, It's About Time;)

So we did a whole lot of stuff this week! like, A LOT.  But I realized I never told you about my companion. He is 20 yrs old, been out a year and his name is Elder Wheeler. I'll send  you a picture. He is a good trainer. He works really hard. and I like that. Because I want to be a hard worker and follow all the rules. We haven't found too much stuff in common but we are working better together and its getting easier to talk to him about stuff.

Next subject. On Monday night I was washing my dishes and I found a cochroach in our clean dishes. It annoyed me, so I went and got the cockroach spray and chased it out and went HAM ON IT.  After that I found 3 more and slayed them as well. So you can just call me the cockroach slayer now.

Also, we had a meeting and they said that we need to take the inviting up a notch again. Now, we talk to every person we pass no matter what and ask them "do you want to be cleansed from sin?" if they say no we move on. Theres not a whole lot of people in nong khai so sometimes it is a little tedious. but I have no problem going up to people and saying random crap so it doesn't bother me too much. Oh, the other companionship of elders baptized a girl this sunday. We found her 2 weeks ago. She seemed really ready, such a fast baptism. Her name is Sister Bang. I'll send you a picture.

 its funny because here you set up a bunch of lessons for them to meet you at the church so you can teach them and we even confirm with them like 3 times over the phone. then they just don't show up. These thai people are wacko! I am glad the I am from the U.S where people are blunt and rude. That way at least you know for sure if they are interested.

hmmm.... what else did I do. we biked a lot! one time we were going to visit a less active member at  7 at night . It was way dark, and they were out in the BOONIES! Since thailand isn't the best industrialized place there were no street lights. and it was DARK.  we were freaking out and I had just said, " man this is sketch, let's go back". then a member driving a motor scooter showed up and guided us to the la persons house. It was definitely a miracle.

 Oh! also! I found a fat little caterpillar in my food. Ha, i took a picture. 

I asked my trainer what we normally do when that happens, he said "ask for a coke!" because apparently the coke kills bacteria and bad stuff in your stomach, because its a potent and nasty drink or something.

So yea, we have been struggling hard here, every night I usually get home and have sweat pouring down my face, Its like  taking a shower, but with my own bodily fluids! it is kinda refreshing though to sweat that much, it makes it seem like I worked hard or something. and it cleans out my pores...acne is down to miniscule amounts. ha .  so yea. If there is anything specific you want to ask just tell me and ill fill you in. I haven' t had too many amazing things happen yet but it is pretty crazy and weird down here.

I am getting better at thai. For what its worth my trainer said my thai is better than some people that are already a transfer in.. so im doing ok. always trying though. Never satisfied. That way i'll keep progressing. and yea, its sad that it takes so long for some people to get good. especially the sisters. by the time they are good they have to go home. ha! 

 I love you so much mom! you are the best :)

 and dad too! show him this letter.

love you dad

love markie

we actually have a washing machine. then we just air dry them. Its not as humid as you would think. Well, at least, our clothes get pretty dry with a fan on them

the sisters that are here in nong khai took the photos. That was right after we had a baptism in the river which is behind the sign. We were excited abou the baptism.

well it wasnt us that baptized in the river. that was the other companionship. yea. I wouldn't be caught dead in that water... well, the only way I would go in is if I was dead ... . . . . yea

We don't have good sunsets. no. all it is every day is an orange sun because the pollution is so bad. Ha. and its the exact same every day. the weather is very consistent.

yea there are 4 elders total and 2 sisters. Us 4 elders are in one APARTMENT and the sisters are in another place. (obviously ) yea. theres actually been talk that they might not have one of the elder companionships stay next transfer because 6 missionaries in a small place  is almost too much. but I think ill be moving anyways. because I am gonna have a follow up trainer and they would keep me and have the trainer move in.

so we eat out every meal except for breakfast. the members don't have wifi, but everyone has a  phone with a data plan. actually, for some reason, lots of them have 2 phones... i don't understand it. but yea, they have nice phones, nice motor scooters, and nice cars, then they live in shacks. They spend all their free money on those things that  they see american people having. personally, id rather have a nice house to live in. Its really interesting to see how they live and to see what their culture sees as valuable.

ha yea maybe. is it 11 pm there right? oh we get fed be a member every sunday night. but other than that we don't.... I think its just because its nong khai though. I've heard other places the members feed them a ton. Like in bangkok, or asoke.