Hello Family


Once again I need to apologize for last week, if I had had the problem in the beginning I would have time to rewrite the email.

Well as stated I almost 100% sure that I will be moving this Thursday but, tomorrow they will give me the call and tell who is moving. But sad to say I won't know where I'll move until President Smith tells me on Thursday. It's a little strange to think that I will be moving because I have become so used to the area that Lop Buri feels like home. As one of the members said here though to me the other day, the Lord has more places for me to go and more people to teach, and here is where he has prepared people for the next elder to come.

Many members have told me that they are going to miss me though. I will miss them as well. I don't know if I have ever told you about Friendship books. Missionaries and some members as well have books that you can sign and leave photos and addresses in for later contact. I have been passing mine through the branch. I'm not really sure where it is right now, I should go look for it.

Sister Webb the sister that went home several weeks ago for a family problem, has returned. So we have sisters in Lop Buri again. I think our English class likes our sisters better then the elders because when we told them about the sisters coming back this week, they burst into cheering.

Elder Hawkes and I are going to Bangkok tomorrow to renew his visa and maybe mine as well I'm not really sure on that part. We have to do it tomorrow because Elder Hawkes visa expires tomorrow and he will be an illegal alien if its not renewed. I don't think the church would like that too much.

I'm sad to hear about Brother Dutzi. I will always remember the German guy that slept and snored on our couches as I watched TV. I remember how excited he was for me to go on a mission. I'll will miss him.

Oi!! Connor is getting his Eagle. Is he really that old. I remember how stressed I was to get that so I could start driving but I couldn't get my permit before I was in drivers Eds. I also remember how scary the review was. I had to remember all the stuff I had did for the last few years. But I'm way glad I did it. It is becoming a more rare thing in the nation. With that a lot of job opportunities were opened to me as well as a lot of other experiences. Man, Connor driving I'm glade I'm on the other side of the world when Connor learns to drive that could be scary. Good luck mom. lol :P

We have seen a little bit about the earthquake for the TV that we should not be watching. I think Thailand has a few different charities going on to help out.

There seems to be a lot focused on Thailand in the last year or so with the church. I remember President Nurock telling me about the wheelchairs a few months ago. He is a counselor in the mission presidency, has some very good connections in the government. He lives in this branch. Will you save to article? I would like to see it later but here it I would lose it.


Ok I sent some photos of Christmas and Brother Somsacks baptism and a huge bug that we found

love you
see you next week

Elder Brandon J. Holt

Hello family

Well, Where to start. Lets see. This week has been a normal week for missionary work in Lop Buri. Elders Hawkes and I have noticed that as we begin to Baptize our investigators we have less people to teach. So for the last few days we have set out to find new people to talk to. These are when you get some of the best stories. For Example the other day a guy pulled up to us on his scooter, and started talking to us in English in an Australian accent. That was strange because you had a guy who is Thai who speaks English fluently with a different accent. It was almost as if we were in a different country, I'm going to have to tell Matt (Ruben, a friend serving in Australia, Mom) about that, he is right it is a totally different language from the English we speak.

Other than that nothing really exciting happened that I can remember now. Today our zone leaders have set up switch offs with the Elders in Ayutia and Lop Buri. I am going to switch with one of the elders there. So I'll be in Ayutia for the next day or so. Elder Hawkes will stay here with the elder that will switch places with me.

Moves meeting will be the 28th this month. That's coming up really really fast. And I'm pretty sure that I will move areas this time. So I'm starting to go around and get pictures and addresses of every body that I want to stay in touch with.

The weather here has been pretty nice. Its been a nice 85- 90 degrees with clear skies and we had a few days where it rained and cooled off. That made it nice to sleep. Elder Hawkes and I have been trying to bring down the energy bill by not using the AC. hope it works.

Oh man Connor, you broke your nose, ha ha now you are just like me. except I did that twice. You are probably going to have a crooked nose like me too.
REEL BIG FISH came to town again huh. well I'm glad they choose to go to Murray theater. The salt palace is a pain to get to. I think Murray theater is the best place to go.
oh i miss those good times in swimming any ways

Sounds like the family had a good time for Christmas. Its been a long time since I went and skied at Alta. I think the last time was with you, Dad when I was in 6th or so grade. That was a pretty place.

WHAT!!! mom finally let you buy a Mercedes, wow that's brave with Connor turning 16 this year as well. you definitely have to send me pictures.

Well I have to say as I look back through the last few months it has been an Adventure like you say mom. And its going to keep going when I change the areas. Everyone tells me that each area is its own separate world from the next. I can't wait.

I'm afraid that moving is going to be a bitter sweet experience because I'm leaving all the people that I learned to love as well as get to change areas.

well I 'll tell you more about it as we get closer to it.

Next week we are going to have Zone conference. It will be on Monday so Preparation day is moves to Tuesday next week so it will take me a little longer to write back.

OK I've got to go

Love you

Elder Brandon John Holt

- Show quoted text -

Happy New Year

Hello family

Well. It has been an interesting week. As I think I talked about last week, New Years is waaaaaaayyy more celebrated here than Christmas. For the last 5 days every school and most places have been closed for the celebration. Starting on Thursday most of our appointments fell through so we spent a lot of the time exploring Lop Buri and trying to talk to people. One characteristic that I notice about the Thai people is they sure like to party, A lot. So that it is interesting to try to invite. They also are a very friendly people willing to share anything with a foreigner who can speak Thai. So many times we had to refuse the invitation to sit down for a drink. I love it here.
This is what it has been like the last 5 days give or take. On New Years Eve, Elder Hawkes and I were invited to a party that the members of the branch here were having. They had games, karaoke( something that is very big here at parties) and Yummy yummy food( grilled squid, rotten fish( yes it is true, its good too, its called Blalad) Rice and fruit) But at the stoke of 9 the missionaries magically disappeared and returned to their homes.
This Sunday Brother สมศักคิ์(Somsak) was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His baptism went really smooth. I don't remember how they went back in the states, but here they do the baptism after church. There were two speakers,the first was Elder Hawkes the other was an older member that has become friends with Brother Somsak. Then we had the baptism the spirit was way strong there. Brother Somsak asked the Branch President to perform the baptism. After Brother Somsak bore his testimony (this is a great success for the missionaries because one of his biggest concerns was public speaking, because he had never done it before. It became such a problem that it took Elder Ito and I a long time to get him to accept a baptism date) he did also, even his wife complimented on how well we taught him to speak. After that the branch President spoke and that was the end.

Mom one of my favoriet chapters in Preach my gospel is chapter 3. It has the lessons that we teach in it. There is a lot of information that helps us teach about Heavenly Father in the first, second, and third lessons.
Concerning Obedience. As I study in the morning I have been focusing on two things lately. Faith and Obedience. It is true what Elder McConkie says about Obedience , and I have learned that over the last 7 months. Like wise I have been trying to teach my investigators that as well. It is through faith that we are obedient, and as we are obedient Heavenly Father gives us more understanding. Then we can learn things such as what the power of faith can truly do.

OK i have to go. I'm looking forward to hearing Connor's results of state and region at the end of the month.

I love you
Elder Brandon j Holt

First Christmas in field

Hey everybody

I hope you had an awesome Christmas. Mine was pretty good. Before you called Elder Hawkes and I had a good day of work. In the morning we went out with one of the members in the ward and sang some songs for the students at the school he works for. Then we went back to our house to study and open presents :D. Then we got our call from our land lord, asking if he could come over for a little bit. Fearing an Inspection we cleaned inside and outside the house really fast, But he really only wanted to come over to wish us a Merry Christmas and invite us over to dinner at his house. He was a really nice guy I haven't had a chance to meet him before. He assured us that if we ever needed a place to stay after we finish our missions and come back to visit that his house is open for us. That was nice, I might have to take him up on that offer in a few years. We then were invited to eat some ice cream by another member and her soon to be husband. They are both really cool people The soon to be husband is the CES director over the north Eastern part of the Thailand. And he knows English almost as fluently as I do.

Then we rode around for a while and invited a few people because all of our appointments fell through for the night.

Today I only have a few minutes because we went and hiked to a waterfall with some members here. It was awesome. To give you an image of the trail we were on imagine Indiana Jones and the raiders of the lost arc. The first part of the movie when they are hiking to the tombs. That's kind of how I felt . We have some fun pictures but time is short and I can't upload anything.

After the hiking adventure we went to a buffet and ate till we were full. mmmmm what a great day it was. Anyways I have to go teach at an appointment now.


Oh and I also have been thinking of what kind of music that you could send me that wasn't just hymns and mormon Tab.

Have you ever heard of Eric Whitacre. If not Allyson has. Anyways I sang a song in my senior year that he composed. The BYU choir sang and recorded a CD of his music around 2000- 2003 I'm not sure really when. But that would be a good CD to sent as a gift in a few months Hint. Hint. wink wink. ;)

ok enough of that.

I love you all and hope to hear from you next week. Thank you for all your prayers they really do help over here.

Elder Brandon J Holt