6 months as a missionary That was fast

Hey family


Its hard to believe that 6 months ago tomorrow I was walking into the MTC not sure what I was doing yet. And look at me now I'm in the middle of Thailand teaching the gospel to those who know very little about Heavenly Father and the gospel. What a rush. To this day I still get chills when I realize that I am in Thailand, so far from home.

Sounds like a good week. With Jen and Nate moving in and all. Where is the house they found, what city is it in? what kind of neighborhood. How are they both doing and how is Kaylie doing?

Thanksgiving was a busy day. I don't think I ever realized how much work goes into it. First in the morning we went out with brother Aladin to find enough chicken to feed 30 to 40 people. (We had to use chicken because turkey can only be found in Bangkok and it is very very expensive, 2 - 3 thousand baht I believe. That comes to 60 to 90 dollars) We looked for little stands on the side of the roads, This is where the best and cheapest chickens are found, people who raise their own chickens. After that we went to the church to make mashed potatoes, stuffing and apple cobbler. The funny thing, we couldn't really follow any of the recipes that we had because we didn't have all the stuff. That's Martha Stewart for ya, always putting to much fancy into her meals. Anyways, after 6-7 hours of preparing and several runs to the local Carr Four, which is like the Walmart here, We had a dinner that would feed 30 people.

I think about that many people showed up. We had a short program, and everyone who wanted to was able to share what they were thankful for. Then we ate. Thankfully there were leftovers of stuffing and mash potatoes, Elder Hawkes and I returned later in the week and had a good free lunch.

This week was a normal week of teaching our investigators. It seems as each of our investigators progress they each have hit a problem or concern that they must overcome in order to progress towards baptism. This is something that I have learned to rejoice in, because if our investigators can build faith enough to overcome their concerns then the Lord will bless them even more and they will have greater faith than before.

There are many different types of houses that I have taught in here. Most houses have tile floors in order to make cleaning easier. Thailand is always dirty and dusty. I have taught in houses that have had couches and TV and most of the luxuries of what we have in our home in Utah. Then I have taught in homes that are smaller then my first room in the house and are made out of sheet metal and thick tree limbs and don't have more than a bamboo mat and a bed for sleeping in. It really is amazing here. I was talking to another missionary here who was saying that we really don't need all the conforts that we get back in our homes to be happy. with computers and TV and Air conditioners. People here live simpler and I think they are the happiest people I have ever met.


Today we had a Zone เถิว or in other words we went and saw things together as a Zone We went to visit the sunflower fields and monkeys again. It was fun. I'll send some photos next week.

Ok I have to go. I have enjoyed reading the conference talks. There have been many that have talked about the Holy Ghost and the power of personal Revelation. This is such an important thing to know about in the world we live today. Through personal revelation and the Holy Ghost we can learn of the love that Heavenly Father has for us.

Love you all

Elder Brandon John Holt.

Searching in the darkness for those that are lost.