Up and Downs

I'm so glad you got the pictures and the package, although I will
admit none of those pictures are from me, it was Elder Evans
pictures. My pictures were on the other CD... oh well I'll have to
try that again in the next package. I hope everything is still in the
package, occasionally things end up missing in packages. Melissa
sent me a letter with a dollar in it and when I got it the letter was
there but the money was gone. I don't know about this whole
mailing system over here =)
Yes, I just got your package and loved it to death. The best part
was using my key to scrape the Carmel off of the pictures in order
to see them =) ha ha JK it wasn't that bad. I'll admit you are all
changing back home, it's crazy. I hope I'll still recognize you all when
I get home, oh and I hope Sammy does too because I think she
would gave me a run for my money now.

That's so crazy about that Jon kid Jon. I'll admit it's got me in all
sorts of a fury. That is something that is very rampant here as well,
the only difference is in America they put them behind bars, here is
just "bad luck for you"!  I can't tell you how glad I am that you
( Brielle) have been the example you are because people recognize
you as someone with integrity and who you "don't mess with".
Oh and if something like that ever happens again just show them a
picture of your DAD with his shirt off with a look of "don't mess"
on his face and they'll be gone! Yeah Yeah dad!

This week was an interesting week. It's been full of ups and also
filled with some of the worst downs of my mission. Remember
that man I told you about (nume) who we meet and I told him to
stop drinking if he wanted to learn with us. Well this week he was
supposed to be done drinking and we went to see him to see how
it was going. When we got there he was drinking. It was really hard
because he said some stuff that was really hard to hear. He
grabbed my hand and started kissing it telling me I was the source
of his happiness, and that he didn't need God he only wanted us to
come visit him. It broke my heart to hear that. He was progressing
so well and knows the truth but won't help himself. I sat down next
to him and told him we were done teaching him if he drank
anymore,  as I was talking to him trying to help him see what he
was doing to himself, I lost control and tears started falling. I want
to help this man so much but I can't do anything if he doesn't want
to help himself. We went back a couple days later when he was
sober and talked to him again. He was the same, he wouldn't give
up smoking and drinking, which made it so that we were unable to
teach him. I gave him a commitment to read Alma 5 (a little
Hell-fire and damnation) and then turned and we started walking
away. He was yelling out "Elder Parkinson...help me...Elder
Parkinson..." it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I
love this man so much, but I'm on the lord's time and I can't waste
it on people who aren't willing to change!

On a more positive note. We got a call from the assistants to the
president the other day telling us they were very impressed with
what we had (with the Lords help) been able to do here in
Thonburi, and how we had brought the missionary work from
very low to a very high. We have been able to change this area like
I can't even believe. We have no time to teach all the people we
have. Sometimes it's a problem but oh how glad I am that it is a
problem!

This past couple of days has been Chinese new year, I didn't know
there was such A thing until I woke up one morning to what
sounded like gun shots going off outside my window (with all the
red shirt, yellow shirt stuff going on I thought it was our turn for
some "excitement"). I threw back the curtains to find the source
and found a house with smoke pouring out of it. I could only see
tons of flashes through the smoke and didn't know what was
happening. Elder Shulte and I didn't know what to do, for all we
knew people were down there being shot at. Finally after the smoke
settled we saw a bunch of people come out of the house with a ton
of new fireworks to light off again. I felt pretty stupid, as did Elder
Schulte. It was quite the holiday, all sorts of fireworks that you can't
even find on the black market in America were going off all day. It
was loud but way cool.

Thank you all for the package and for your example and testimony,
you are the  greatest. I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tyrel