3 Weeks left

Subject: 3 weeks left

Hello family

Well after today you will only receive 2 more letters from me when I'm at the mtc.

Well this week we had our nung Thais come in. They were both nice. I say were because one of the two elders went home the day after he arrived. None of us know why but they say he will be back in 6 weeks. I hope that's true. Thailand needs every missionary to share the gospel. The other nung Thai lives in his room. He now is a solo elder meaning he doesn't have a companion. But he is with Elder Brown and I most of the time making our companionship a trio. His name is Elder Phetvixan. His mom is Thai and his dad is Laotian. he doesn't really speak Thai, but he can understand it pretty good. He is from Salt Lake over by Raging Waters and went to Highland High.
To answer your question mom, there are normally 4 to a room. At the moment we have 3 but throughout our time we have had four.
Thanks for the package. It brought my body great joy not to have chafing under garments.....lol. Also the inserts seem to be helping a lot. So you chose the right ones thank you mom. Oh the pocket mask is good too. That was exactly what I was looking for. Oh and I forget to tell you to thank aunt Carolyn for her package that I got a little bit ago.
I sent home a package today. In it is the extra garments. Some talks that I think you would enjoy, some books that I really don't need here and my Ipod. This week it seems that Ipods have been causing problems in the MTC so we are now banned from listening to them. so i figured it would be better to send it home then deal with the temptation and if in Thailand I need it I'll send for it.
Man, Connor dragged a handcart 20 miles, I remember when I did my trek we only went 8 miles and I was going to die. Way to go. I hope your testimony has increased a lot.

The language is still coming along but I still have a hard time understanding it. I feel some very hard weeks coming up in Thailand. but I'll get through them.

I'm glad to hear that Allyson was able to get the job that she wanted. Wish her and Jed luck for me when they pass by. Tell them both what great examples they have been to me as I have grown up.

Thanks for taking the photo of me and Elder Johnson to his mom. I'm glad you enjoyed them. I'll be sending home the sd card in a week or two which has some videos that i hope you will enjoy, as well as several other photos that i have.

Well this week has been somewhat uneventful. But I still learned some cool stuff. For the upcoming task next week we are going to meet a "formal investigator" and try and commit them to come to church. Then we get to go back and teach the second lesson for the first time. That's going to make this week a stresser. but I'll be able to do it.

Sunday nights are really nice here at the MTC. After dinner there is a fireside with usually someone from the MTC speaking. After that they show different church movies and talks that were given in the past. This week about half of the Thai district, Elder Brown , our new companion, and I decided to watch a talk that Elder Holland gave. In the whole hour I don't think I have ever seen any apostle, yell, plead, tell, and beg the missionaries to stay on a mission like he did. He literally yelled at us for an hour. I got a lot a notes out of it and after it was over I was ready to serve the next 15 years of my life as a missionary in Thailand.
It got me thinking. I wish they would show these talks outside of the MTC. I wish that every young man who is between the age of 16 to 26 would be able to know what goes on inside the MTC. I looked back over the last 8 weeks I have been here and am in awe. Because I would have never learned what I know now without it.
To think there were times that I even considered not going on a mission. The thought scares me. I do not want to know where I would be right now.
We need to get the young men of our church to feel that burning desire to share the gospel more before they enter the MTC. We need to involve them more in missionary work. We don't have to be set apart to be a missionary to be a missionary. Dad we need to get the young men groups working with the missionaries. I know that they will gain the desire to serve more if they do that.
I cannot wait 3 weeks until I leave. The thought only fuels the desire to serve. we truly are here to learn how to search in the darkness for those who are lost in it.

I love you all. And hope you have a great week


Elder B-Random Holt
searching in the darkness for those who are lost