So you know that awkward friend at the party? Thats me in Thailand

Providing 6 hours of service planting rice

That awkward friend that you really love and brought to the party but he had no idea whats going on cause these people although nice aren't really his friends (yet). So like he sits there lost and not sure what to do but has a huge smile on face cause the party is awesome. Yeah that's me not understanding whats going on but loving every second

12:00 am. I'm in a bus going across Bangkok, walk around a sketchy street corner into a hotel. Yup. Thailand.

Next day, wake up, casually here that another bomb has been found in Bangkok....looks like we won't be proselyting in that area today.

Wooow! and then TRANSFERS! Yeah, so my trainer is Elder Sayavong, a Khon Lao that learned how to speak English, Thai, and Japanese all within the last year and a half. Hes a really amazing elder with such a strong testimony and hes willing to really carry the companionship. He has me teach quite a bit and then ends up clarifying what I had said after my 2nd or 3rd attempt at explaining....things will work out. one day I will get the hang of this language

Lets see so I've got a few stories. So we are at the transfer meeting in Bangkok, and I get assigned to an area called Surin which is an 7 hour bus ride away. Pretty intense. So we catch a bus at 8:30 pm and yeah. Chillin on a bus, the even give us food like an airplane but the bus food is way better! Sweet yeah? And then its like 3 am. Still have no idea what I'm doing here in Thailand...really confused, jet lagged cause i have no idea of what time it is but grateful to be safe in Thailand. so in this confusion I somehow got into a tuk tuk at 3:30 am heading back to our house. Which is way sweet cause it has a few rooms with ac. Yeah water isn't the best to drink. but it'll be alright cause we have all our filtered water.

And I saw an elephant crossing the street and a bunch of water buffalo just chilling next to the road. Oh I'm not in Hawaii or Utah anymore...

I guess you can all tell that I'm still a bit sabson (confused) and overwhelmed because I have next to no train of thought going on right now. not sure if anything is making sense...but I'm just gonna roll with it.

So my signature. yeah at first i couldn't find the right vowel but now typing on this thai keyboard i have. but I'm lazy and wont change it. and also the way i have it on the bottom of the email is the same way my missionary tags I got in Thailand are spelled! and another note on this spelling. I've been told that my name sounds a lot like a girls.....cause when the Thai people sound it out it sounds like "Alice" so then there's that....They also think my name sounds like Elvis. oh well

Lets see. What else. We had a baptism this Sunday and will have a few more next Sunday, these are really great people that absolutely love the gospel. I love the investigators and all the people in Thailand even though I have almost no idea of what they're saying to me! Awesome right?!

So I also worked in a rice field planting rice for like 6 hours. now I'm super sun burnt, but my dark tan is starting to return. Oh you know I'm super stoked to be tan again. but not excited for the weird shirt tan.... Also does anyone know how dangerous leeches are? cause apparently I picked a few off my leg when i was working in the field.... jk. i don't think there were leechers in the field. at least that's what our investigator had said....

And Thailand literally has like every single type of weather. Like I bought a bike then that night we had to bike back home in like a torrential downpour (sorry mom, i have yet to treat the mud stains on my shirt, but maybe ill go and buy fenders today) Then the next day we had to bike out to a super far away house to teach someone and I was drenched in sweat. oh this is great. which brings me to the conclusion....

If I didn't believe that this gospel is true, why would I go through all of this? Running out of time but yeah. I know what I'm doing is a righteous and sacred work and there is nothing else I would want to do right now. Serving the people of Thailand is such a blessing. Quick thing for all you to study/look at.1 Corinthians 9. Love this chapter and I feel like it has really helped me want to have a desire to learn and be more like the Thai people. When you truly live like them you gain an appreciation and understanding like none other.

Oh. and I've eaten a lot of food that I don't really know what it was. But hey, I'm alive, not feeling too sick, haven't thrown up, and my stomach is doing pretty good. Go figure. But maybe I shouldn't go and push my luck.

Street vendor food is good stuff, take it easy, have a blessed week, choose the right, and shout out to all my friends and family that keep on getting engaged while I'm away. I guess you all just didn't want me at the weddings huh? (jk, love you all and wish you the best of luck).

Oh and in my area they speak Cambodian, Thai, Burmese, and this dialect called Essan. Yeah. I really have no idea what I'm doing, but it'll be alright. SUU SUU SUU! (fight fight fight)

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.