Transferred

     Our Pday was moved to Wednesday since it's transfer week. 

     Last Pday, Elder Duke, Brother Love, and I went to a Chinese Market in Bangkok, to buy fabric and other fun stuff. Why am I buying fabric? Because Thailand has lots of really amazing fabric, and we give the fabric to people who make ties. We then trade them and sell them to each other. Now I have over 15 different types of fabric, from musical note fabric, to elephant fabric. There's one missionary who spent over 1000 American Dollars on fabric and labor for making ties, and he has over 200 ties. I won't go that crazy I promise.  Also, here there are places that can make you tailored suits for about 100 dollars for a brand new suit. I love how cheap stuff is in Thailand!

     Elder Duke and I were walking to a bus stop, and Elder Duke walked next to an older man and politely asked him if he would like to learn about Jesus Christ. He started YELLING at us. Like yelling a lot at us. Never got that before, and he yelled at us until we walked to the bus stop and walked onto a bus. It was kind of hard to take him seriously, since I was about

nine inches taller than him. I later asked Elder Duke what he was yelling about, and Elder Duke told me that he was yelling at him on how religion kills people, how religion supplies weapons and stuff like that.

     You never know what kind of stuff you will see when you walk through neighborhoods in Thailand, finding people to teach. I saw a mom and her three kids outside of her house, and I started talking to her, and asked her what she was doing. She said she was doing something with her kids, and after she said that I saw Elder Duke laughing. After I talked to her, Elder Duke told me she was about to hit and punish her kids. Whoops. Also, while wandering the neighborhoods I saw a cock fighting business with a ring included, a woman bathing outside her house (I am scarred for life), and at one point Elder Duke and I were surrounded by 16+ Barking dogs, 12 of which were free roaming dogs.

     I love reading stuff in English here in Thailand. Sometimes Thai people are really awful at translating and writing in English. I was looking at a Ukulele and read something on the side of the box. The stuff they said in English was so awful that I took a picture. I should invite that whole company to come to English class.

     After church each Sunday, the whole church congregation gets together to eat. One member brought a Spanish omelette. So now I can tell my friend Cannon Garner (serving a mission in Spain) that I have eaten Spanish food in Thailand. 

     While travelling to church, a very nice 81-year-old Thai woman was talking to me and couldn't stop telling me how handsome I was. Hopefully, girls about 61 years younger than me can say the same thing to me that when I go home from my mission. 

     I am getting transferred out of Samutprakan. I am going to Lopburi, a few hours north of Bangkok. I am starting to see a pattern in the areas I am serving in. Surin was known as elephant city, Samutprakan is known for the world's largest alligator farm, and now I am going to serve in Lopburi, which is the monkey city. Maybe my next area after that is Sakkon Nakkon, an area known for eating dogs (eating dog is illegal in Thailand). 

     My new companion will be Elder Fukino, he was in the same house as me when I was serving in Surin. Also, Elder Tun, a Burmese missionary who was in my district these past four months, is going to Lopburi with me as well (It's a four-elder area). I am going to miss Samutprakan. Made a lot of great friends, and even was honored to meet Brother Pronchai, one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. 

     Next Stop: Lopburi!

     Elder Brinkerhoff

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