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I just got an update from the Coxes (they're the senior couple in Nong Khai, which is just across the border from Laos). So far, they've had 42 Laotians come across to be taught the discussions and baptized. All of these new members are still active, too. They're expecting to have 50 members by June.
The entire branch presidency is Laotian (the branch president is Khamphee, the driver of the van which takes the investigators across to Nong Khai; the first counselor is Brother Tung, who was baptized in Minnesota several years ago and is the grandfather of many of these new members; the second counselor is Khamyom, who was baptized back when I was there). All of those who bless and pass the sacrament are Laotian, too.
There are three senior couples there (Elder and Sister Forbes; Elder and Sister Clark; and Elder and Sister Martin will arrive there next week). There are no young missionaries stationed in Laos yet, however, and only President Hansen and the APs have gone over (once, a few months ago, for a training meeting). President Hansen is still waiting for permission from Salt Lake to send missionaries there.
I'll post more updates as I receive them.
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While visiting Utah State University with my daughter last week I found a "Map of World Missions" in the Institute of Religion. The map was correct with respect to changes in the missions of Japan in July 2001, thus placing the map's date some time after that. On that map Loas and Myanmar (Burma) were assigned to the Cambodia Phonm Penn Mission. Thus at some point in the late 1990's or early 2000's responsibility for those countries was shifted from Thailand to Cambodia [ Perhaps Presidents Goodman or Slater could give us a precise time]. Such a move ignored that fact that Laotion is much closer to Thai than Cambodian]. Moving responsibility back to Thailand simply makes sense, thus the return of Laos and Myanmar to Thailand Bangkok that occured last year.
Anyone know the latest on the work in Laos?
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We'd like to announce a new site, Thai Testimonies, which has grown out of the Christmas Testimonies project. We were very pleased with the testimonies that were submitted, and because of the power of those testimonies, we've created this new site to bring together the faith and spirit of both the members and the missionaries. The year 2005 is the 200th anniversary of the Prophet Joseph Smith's birthday and the 175th anniversary of the organization of the Church, and President Hinckley has called for a yearlong celebration of the Restoration. Please take a few minutes and write your testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and President Gordon B. Hinckley. Please write in Thai if you can; if not, feel free to write in phaasaa elder (instructions are at the bottom of the page) or English. Thank you!
The site is at: http://prajagphayaan.blankslate.net/
Ben Crowder
Jon Haase
--
เราอยากจะประกาศเว็บไซต์ใหม่ซึ่งเรียกว่า ประจักษ์พยานไทย ซึ่งก็เกิดจากโครงการประจักษ์พยานคริสต์มาส เราพอใจมากกับประจักษ์พยานที่พวกท่านส่งมา และเพราะว่าประจักษ์พยานเหล่านี้มีอำนาจจริงๆ เราสร้างไซต์ใหม่นี้ที่จะรวมศรัทธาและความมั่นคงของทั้งสมาชิกและผู้สอนศาสนา ปี ๒๐๐๕ เป็นปีฉลองครบรอบ ๒๐๐ ปีของวันเกิดของศาสดาโจเซฟ สมิธและครบ ๑๗๕ ปีของการจัดตั้งของศาสนาจักรฯ ประธานฮิงค์ลีย์ขอให้ฉลองการฟื้นฟูทั้งปี กรุณาใช้สี่ห้านาทีและเขียนประจักษ์พยานของท่านเรื่อง โจเซฟ สมิธ พระคัมภีร์มอรมอน ศาสนาจักร์ของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งสิทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย และประธานกอร์ดอน บี. ฮิงค์ลีย์ หน่อยครับ ถ้าเป็นไปได้อยากให้เขียนเป็นภาษาไทยนะครับ ขอบคุณมากๆ นะครับ
เว็บไซต์นี้อยู่ที่ http://prajagphayaan.blankslate.net/
เบ็น คราวเดอร์
จอน ฮาซา
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Before becoming part of our mission earlier this year, Laos and Burma were part of the Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission. President Towers had visited both countries a couple of times a year but he was rather far from both and that was probably one of the factors in putting them back in the Thailand Bangkok Mission.
As far as Burma goes, President Dickson and President Towers went there not too long before the change and baptized several dozen people in Rangoon, the capital city. President Hansen visited Burma in early August 2004 and met with several members. The last time I heard, there were around 50 members there, with at least two humanitarian couples (one in Rangoon and one elsewhere). So far the only thing the Church has translated into Burmese is the Joseph Smith pamphlet.
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There aren't very many posts on here, but everyone who's served in Thailand
certainly has many memories that could be shared. So, please take a few
minutes to write up one or more mission memories and post them here. Here are
a few ideas:
1. What was it like to be a greenie?
2. What surprised you most when you got to Thailand?
3. What do you miss most about Thailand?
4. Any amusing language stories?
5. What was your favorite Thai food? Why?
6. What was the weirdest food you ate on your mission?
7. What was your favorite area? Why?
8. If you opened (or closed) an area, what was it like?
9. What was it like to become senior?
10. What was it like to be a trainer?
11. What was your most memorable zone conference? Why?
12. Any spiritual experiences you'd like to share?
13. Any good bike crash or khlong stories?
14. Did you ever go back and thiaw? How was it?
This is just a handful, of course; feel free to write about whatever you want
(provided that it's not gossip or demeaning). And if you're not a "writer,"
don't worry, because anyone can tell a story.
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Back in the 70s, the Thailand Bangkok Mission put together a mission band
called Sidthichon Yugsudthaay ("Latter-day Saints" in Thai). The band sang
a mixture of popular songs of the time, both in Thai and English. After a
while the group was disbanded, however. (Does anyone who was involved with the
original group want to write more about it?)
On the last day of August, 2003, I was serving with Elder Lund in Sanaam Bin
Naam (Pakkret branch). That night we got a call from President Hansen calling
us to serve in a missionary choir (seven elders and four sisters) which would
tour Bangkok. He wanted Elder Lund to sing and me to play the piano.
The following Wednesday night we all went to the mission home for the first
rehearsal. Those in the original group were: Sister Biggs, Sister Hart, Sister
Taggart, Sister Patchari, Elder Vogel, Elder Calder, Elder Pettit, Elder
Heaton, Elder Smith, Elder Lund, and I. We met in the living room and there
Sister Hansen told us a little bit about the original group. She then said
that our mission had gotten permission to start a new group, to help with
public relations. Our first fireside would be in Bangkhae three weeks later.
We spent the next hour and a half at the piano, singing through all the music
we had available to see what would work best. Elder Heaton accompanied on the
violin in addition to singing.
After another evening rehearsal we all agreed that it would be better to
practice in the mornings, so rehearsal time was changed to 9:30 on Wednesday
mornings. Wednesday was preparation day but for the most part we were content
with sacrificing that time to help build a better name for the Church in
Thailand.
On the day of our first fireside, Saturday, September 27, Pakkret flooded. The
traffic was so bad that Elder Lund and I had to get out of our taxi and walk
for half an hour to get to the office. At some parts the water was over a foot
deep. Everyone arrived in Bangkhae safely, however, and we ran through our
music until President Hansen and Elder Ho (a visiting General Authority)
arrived. To start the fireside we sang "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in
Thai and a member gave a prayer. President Hansen then spoke for a few minutes
and set the tone for the fireside. We sang eleven songs, including "I Am a
Child of God," "He Sent His Son," "Jesus Was No Ordinary Man," "I Stand All
Amazed," "Joseph Smith's First Prayer," "Song of Testimony," "Go Forth With
Faith," "We'll Bring the World His Truth," "I'll Find You My Friend," "I Heard
Him Come," and "I Believe in Christ." During "I Stand All Amazed" the lights
went down and a slideshow with paintings of Christ's life was projected on the
wall behind the choir. Then a nine-minute video presentation on the
Restoration (created by Elder Bloom and Elder Blodgett) was played. The lights
came back on again as the choir sang "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." The Spirit
was very strong throughout the whole fireside but especially during those two
songs and the finale, "I Believe in Christ." At the end of the fireside Elder
Ho got up and spoke about how special music is.
The next time we sang was on Wednesday, October 29, at the Center for Crippled
Children in Pakkret. Sister Hughes of the General Relief Society Presidency
came, as did David Baring of the Wheelchair Foundation. After some remarks by
President Hansen and Mr. Baring, the choir sang "Because I Have Been Given
Much." We then helped distribute about 20-30 wheelchairs to the children.
Following the ceremony, we took the children to their rooms (there were about
ten to fifteen children per room) and visited with them for a while.
Over the next several months the group changed almost every moves period, with
missionaries moving in and out. The choir sang in Bangbuathong on Sunday,
November 9, and in Thonburi on Saturday, November 15.
For the Christmas performance, we gained Sister Matheson, Sister Kravetz,
Sister Hall, Sister Redd, Sister Thitiphorn, Elder Bennett, Elder Muir, Elder
Dawson, Elder Luker, Elder Robinson, and Elder Main. On Friday, December 12,
2003, we were one of a handful of choirs to sing Christmas songs at Journey to
Bethlehem in Asoke. Pres. Daryl Garn of the Asia Area Presidency and his wife
were there and also attended the Restoration fireside in Bangkhen that Sunday.
We added some prelude songs to the fireside ("The Spirit of God," "Come,
Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and "How Great Thou Art"). Our next fireside
was in Srinakarin on Sunday, January 18. The following Friday we piled into
the two office vans and drove to Ayutthaya, about an hour away. We sang again
in Bangnaa that Sunday. Elder Lott and Elder Heaton did a violin rendition of
"I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go." President John Dickson, Asia Area
President, was in attendance and said he really liked the fireside. Our next
fireside was Saturday, January 31, at the Don Muang open house. We also sang
the next Sunday, February 9, in Bangkapi.
At the end of February, President Hansen announced that the choir would be
singing at the dedication of the new Chiang Mai chapel a few weeks later. Sang
in Asoke on Saturday, March 13. On Thursday, March 18, the group took the
night train up to Chiang Mai. We arrived there at 9:00 a.m. and spent the
distributing fliers around the city and helping prepare the open house. We
sang all afternoon and evening, providing background music. That evening we
performed the fireside. The next morning we sang for another three hours at
the open house. The Chiang Mai district conference began that evening with the
general adult session, and following that session the choir did the fireside
again. Sunday morning the choir sang "This is the Christ" after Elder Ho
offered the dedicatory prayer. One of the speakers in the morning session of
the conference became emotional as she talked about the fireside. She said
that the choir members were God's angels sent to Chiang Mai. "I asked God,
'Are you here?' Through your music, He told me, 'Yes.'" After the second
session we all got on the train and went back to Bangkok.
After the Chiang Mai tour I moved to Udorn and I'm not sure exactly what
happened, but within a month or two the new Sidthichon Yugsudthaay band was
started. I'll leave it to someone who was actually involved to write *that*
story, though.
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Adventures in Thailand is a series of e-mails I had my family send out to my friends while I was on my mission. For those who are interested, I've put them online at http://www.blankslate.net/mission/mjournal.php
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The announcement that Laos and Burma would become part of the Thailand Bangkok Mission came a couple of months after I moved to Udorn (which is in the northeast of Thailand, about an hour from the capital city of Laos, Vientiane). There was indeed a branch in Vientiane, albeit small. At that time it consisted of a couple who had lived in Minnesota for several years, been baptized and sealed in the temple there, and then had returned to Laos. There were also three other members, including Tamjai, who had been taught and baptized in Udorn by Elder Thatcher and Elder Turner in January. The branch had perhaps fifty investigators at church, however, but those people couldn't be baptized because the government wouldn't allow it. They could come to Thailand to be baptized, but it was too expensive to arrange travel, boarding, and food. At the beginning of May the senior couple in Udorn, Elder and Sister Cox, offered to let small groups stay at their house while the missionaries taught and interviewed them and to provide food for them. So Elder and Sister Cullum (Elder Cullum is the branch president in Vientiane) sent a young man named Ting over. Elder Nattapon and Elder Thacker taught him most of the discussions but decided that he would need to come back later to finish up and be interviewed and baptized. He returned three weeks later (Elder Nattapon had moved by then and Elder Ensign-Lewis replaced him). After they felt he was ready, I interviewed him and he was baptized that afternoon. A little over a week later, a group of six Laotians arrived at the bus station. There were two mothers (Wee and San, the daughters of the Minnesota couple), Wee's 15-year-old son Lix, a 16-year-old girl named Pou, and a 19-year-old boy named Noi. Elder Allen and I taught the boys and Sister Redd and Sister Clark taught the girls. We taught them all day Wednesday and Thursday, and then on Friday morning Elder Ensign-Lewis and I interviewed them and they were all baptized that afternoon, except for Sak. The second group arrived near the end of June, right after Nong Khai opened. Wee's husband, Khamyom, came, along with two of their daughters (10-year-old Mam and 12-year-old Becky), Sak, and Samniang, Sak's 19-year-old sister. Two days later I baptized Khamyom, confirmed him right there in the water, and gave him the priesthood, and he then baptized his two daughters. Elder Eberhardt baptized and confirmed Sak and gave him the priesthood, and Sak then baptized his sister. It was a wonderful experience. By the beginning of July there were seventy people attending the Vientiane branch. Those we had taught received callings -- Khamyom was called as 1st counselor in the priests quorum; Sak was 2nd counselor; Samniang was an activities worker in the Primary; Wee was a counselor in the Primary presidency; San was a counselor in the Relief Society presidency; Ting was branch mission leader; and Lix and Noi were passing the sacrament. The third group of Laotians came to Udorn mid-July and consisted of Kaew (San's husband), his daughters (10-year-old Yee and 12-year-old Yui), Khai (Wee's older brother), and his 11-year-old daughter Ueng. Khamyom baptized Khai and Elder Thacker confirmed him, and then I baptized Kaew and confirmed him and gave both of them the priesthood (all right there in the water). They then baptized their daughters. A few other groups have come to Udorn since my departure at the end of July. By October there were ninety people at church there.
This hastily thrown-together sketch doesn't do justice at all to such an intensely spiritual experience, but at least you can get an idea of the miracles that have been happening there. About the time this was all starting to happen, Elder Cullum went to talk with one of the government officials with whom they'd been working. The official granted them permission to have missionaries come teach English, which was a major step forward. That very day, when Elder Cullum got home he got a call from Church headquarters saying that they could now baptize and establish the Church in Vientiane. The Lord has been opening doors and the people are truly ready. "Searching in darkness, nations have wept; Waiting for dawn, their vigil they've kept. All now rejoice; the long night is o'er. Truth is on earth once more!" (Hark, All Ye Nations!, #264)
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Tons of weblinks to watch and listen to TV, Radio from Thailand and around the world. :P
http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/stanti/thaimedia.html
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In 1968 when the first missionaries went to Thailand since Elam Luddington in the 19th century, we travled regularly to Laos to renew visas. In 1993-94 when I was president we traveled to Laos a number of times to initiate humanitarian work there with the first shipment of humanitarian good being shipped in 1994. Burma, Laos and Cambodia were all part of the mission in 1991 when I arrived as president and continued to be when I left in 1994.
Larry White
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