Painting Trees and Teaching the Gospel

So, this week was a really good week. Last Sunday was a great day. All of the new investigators we had picked up the week before, came to church. Those investigators names are Bounlom, Touy, Poot, and Pone. All but Pone are from Branch Two. Bounlom and Touy are great. They are friends of a strong member and are both 50-60 year old women. They are doing great and have a Baptism goal for the 20th of August. Poot is a 17 year old boy who is related to some members. He was really quiet the first Sunday but this last Sunday he opened up. I taught him the Plan of Salvation and explained the importance of receiving ordinances like baptism in order to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. When he heard this, he said. “Well then, I think it is important for me to be baptized.” Pone is a ten year old boy and the grandson of some strong members. We didn't get the chance to teach him last Sunday. But before we started teaching him the Sunday before he expressed a desire to be baptized! 

Also, Sister Basa, that was doing well a few weeks ago, is back. She had to go to another part of Lao for a few weeks, because of a death in her family. She came back this week and came to church last Sunday. She is a golden investigator. She reads the Book of Mormon a lot and has great understanding. We challenged her to baptism this week and she gladly accepted a date for the 30th. 

Also at church last Sunday was a Family! They were great and we got to teach them. They have two kids and are super nice. They also live pretty close to the church too, so that is great. 

This week, on Tuesday, we had a fun service activity at a school here in Laos. Sister Jensen is super talented at painting. So, she painted a tree and some other things on this wall and then we had the school kids do hand prints be the leaves on the tree. We helped out with that, painting the kids hands and helping them put it in the right spots. In the end, I think it turned out really well. 

We had lots of other teaching during the week. All the recent converts are doing great. One of my favorite RC lessons for the week was teaching Brother Bounma. We spent a whole lesson talking about family history and temple work. At the end, he was so pumped and excited to do his family history and to help some people close to him that had passed away. 

Lots of teaching English like normal, t,his week we had Thursday off from teaching because it was Women's day so happy women's day everybody. 

That is about it for today. Another great week!

--Elder Cheney     

ฉะนั้น, หากเจ้ามีความปรารถนาจะรับใช้พระผู้เป็นเจ้า เจ้าก็ได้รับเรียกมายังงาน
เอ็ลเดอร์ ชีนีย์

ແລະ ຈົ່ງເບິ່ງ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບອກພວກທ່ານເຖິງເລື່ອງເຫລົ່ານີ້ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ກ່ຽວກັບປັນຍາ ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ວ່າ ເມື່ອພວກທ່ານຮັບໃຊ້ເພື່ອນມະນຸດດ້ວຍກັນ ພວກທ່ານກໍຮັບໃຊ້ພຣະເຈົ້າຂອງພວກທ່ານນັ້ນເອງ
ແອວເດີ ຈີນີ

Teaching English and Visiting people!

7-14-2017

So it really hasn't been that long since I emailed last. only a few days so not that much has changed. We taught a lot of English like normal and taught at the church a lot as well. Things are going really well in that regard. All of the investigators we picked up last Sunday are from Branch 2 so we only can meet with them on Sunday. So tomorrow we are expecting a good return of those investigators coming to church. 

Yesterday, we had the day off from English teaching and had a good day. We went up and visited some of the Branch 2 members. The main person we visited was an older lady who is a less active member that is in the process of coming back and preparing to go to the temple. She was so happy to welcome us into her home. She kept saying she had been a member for 12 years and nobody ever visited her. I think this is one of my favorite parts of visiting members; when you find new people that have been overlooked and take some time to visit them at their house. So, we had a good day there and where able to eat lunch and get to know this Sister better. After her, we visited one of the members of the Second Branch Presidency, Brother Khamwad. I think I wrote about him before. But he is an amazing guy. One of his hobbies is translating church manuals into Lao. He just loves to get a manual, read it in English and write the Lao above the English on every line. Right now he is doing the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church; Gordon B Hinckley book. 

So, this week has been good. I will have a better update for everything next Saturday.  

-- Elder Cheney

ฉะนั้น, หากเจ้ามีความปรารถนาจะรับใช้พระผู้เป็นเจ้า เจ้าก็ได้รับเรียกมายังงาน
เอ็ลเดอร์ ชีนีย์

ແລະ ຈົ່ງເບິ່ງ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບອກພວກທ່ານເຖິງເລື່ອງເຫລົ່ານີ້ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ກ່ຽວກັບປັນຍາ ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ວ່າ ເມື່ອພວກທ່ານຮັບໃຊ້ເພື່ອນມະນຸດດ້ວຍກັນ ພວກທ່ານກໍຮັບໃຊ້ພຣະເຈົ້າຂອງພວກທ່ານນັ້ນເອງ
ແອວເດີ ຈີນີ

President Johnson Comes to Town

July 9, 2017

This was a great week and was pretty full of things to do. Lots of teaching the gospel at the church with a lot of the normal people. So, things are going really well with all the RC's (recently converted) and Investigators. Coco was confirmed yesterday, so that was great. Our investigator Sister Basa, kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a few days. Apparently, she had to go to a different part of Lao because a relative died and that part of Lao doesn't have any phone signal at all. We were planning on her getting baptized yesterday but will have to push it back for a little bit longer.

We have had a branch correlation meeting with our branch mission leader Brother Ninta every Thursday for the past two months or so. It has been way great. We have the meeting at the Jensen’s (Senior Couple) apartment. The Jensen's are always so nice and cook us dinner because we are rushing over right after English class. This meeting is one of my favorite parts of the week every week. One, because we get fed awesome food; two, we get to talk about the work here and set goals and make plans for everything; and three, the Branch Mission leader, Brother Ninta, is so awesome. He is a Returned Missionary from the Thailand Bangkok Mission and he is just an awesome example of what an RM should be like. He is so serious about the work and at the same time is just a fun guy. He is so faithful it is just amazing. 

Another fun part of the week was visiting an older member. She lives far outside the city, but there is no good public transportation that goes there so we rode our bikes there. It took us about an hour and a half to get out there and about an hour and a half to get back. Then later in the day we had to make the half hour trip to the church and back so we hit about 4 hours on our bikes that day. This older member was quite enjoyable to go visit. We had a really good time out there. Funny story; on our way back I heard somebody yelling behind me "Teacher Teacher". I stopped and looked back and it was one of the English students I taught at the hospital about 8 months ago. She was happy to see me and we stopped and talked at her house for twenty minutes or so. 

This weekend was great. President Johnson came to visit Lao Saturday and Sunday. That was a good treat. We had activities and stuff on Saturday and he spoke on Sunday. The President did a lot of interviews while he was here because there is a group of about twenty-five people preparing to go to the temple. Most of these people are going for the first time, so a lot of his time was working on that. It was a great 

Sunday, we were able to get a lot of people to church and we were able to teach a lot of people. We got four new investigators from yesterday at church. The first one is a strong members grandson. He wants to be baptized, so we started teaching him. His name is Pone. The second and third are both about sixty-year-old ladies that were brought to church by a member in Branch two. They are both super cool and have both come multiple times now. We were just too busy to teach them before. Their names are Bounlom and Touy. The fourth is a young man named Poot. He is 17 years old is a quiet guy but he seemed interested and committed to study the Book of Mormon and pray for an answer.

So that is that is kind of it on the update. Things are going great. Today, we are taking advantage of having a Monday P-day and going to a museum that is closed on our normal Saturday P days. Then later tonight will teach English and then have a FHE at the church.

As always, things are great here.

-- Elder Cheney

ฉะนั้น, หากเจ้ามีความปรารถนาจะรับใช้พร ะผู้เป็นเจ้า เจ้าก็ได้รับเรียกมายังงาน
เอ็ลเดอร์ ชีนีย์

ແລະ ຈົ່ງເບິ່ງ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບອກພວກທ່ານເຖິງເລື່ອງ ເຫລົ່ານີ້ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ກ່ ຽວກັບປັນຍາ ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ວ່າ ເມື່ອພວກທ່ານຮັບໃຊ້ເພື່ອນມະນຸດດ້ ວຍກັນ ພວກທ່ານກໍຮັບໃຊ້ພຣະເຈົ້າຂອງພວກທ່ ານນັ້ນເອງ
ແອວເດີ ຈີນີ

Surprise Wedding and Biking

So, this week has been great!

Last Sunday was an interesting day, there was a surprise wedding at the church. There is a member here named Khampee. He is an older guy and he works as the driver for the senior couples here. He is really amazing and is a big help. He does a lot of DIC work and does everything for our visa's here in Laos. So, last Saturday we keep hearing all these rumors about an event at church the next day and how members were preparing food for the next day. We end up calling Khampee for some visa question and before we hung up the phone, we asked him if there is any event going on after church. He said there was Then we asked. “What’s going on?” He replied that he would rather not say. The next day he got married to another member, Sister Mack. We did not even know they were dating. It was quite funny. One amazing part about the wedding was it brought us a lot of investigators to church. To be exact it brought us 21 investigators to church. The sad part is there are still only two Elders to teach these people so we only got to teach 6-7 people out of the group. We can't wait till new Elders come up here. They are sorely needed especially on Sundays. Sunday we have to talk to members and set up appointments. We have to translate for the English speakers. Teach investigators and much, much more.

The week was great. We filled it with visiting members and teaching English like usual. One night after English teaching we went out to visit this one family. We had a good time out there and as we were walking out the door it started raining quite hard. Knowing that it was getting late and that it was a long bike ride home we got going. After about 300 meters I ran over a screw and blew my tire. After that we had to wait on the side of the road for 15 minutes or so until a vehicle came that could give us a ride home. This vehicle is called a TukTuk. It is a three-wheeled vehicle that is like a motorcycle on the front and has a few seats on the back. The rain kept coming down harder and harder and by the time we got home all the streets are flooded and we were thoroughly soaked. 

  

Another fun biking story; yesterday we went out to visit a member that we had never biked out to before. I estimated it would take about 35 minutes or so. We headed out and the road there ended up being this crazy hill for several kilometers. It took us about an hour to get out there. The member was not really bothered by our tardiness and we ate lunch out there and after a while of talking, we headed home. The way home ended up actually being 35 minutes with all the nice down hills we had going for us. 

Our investigators are doing well. Tomorrow we have See's son Coco getting baptized. So that is going to be great. We also have another investigator on date for the 9^th. Her name is Basa and she is doing great. She has been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon and has really been showing her faith on every commitment we have given her, despite all the finals she has at school right now. 

So, things are going super good right now! God is definitely moving his work along here in Laos. Great things are happening all the time. 

--Elder Cheney

ฉะนั้น, หากเจ้ามีความปรารถนาจะรับใช้พร ะผู้เป็นเจ้า เจ้าก็ได้รับเรียกมายังงาน
เอ็ลเดอร์ ชีนีย์

ແລະ ຈົ່ງເບິ່ງ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບອກພວກທ່ານເຖິງເລື່ອງ ເຫລົ່ານີ້ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ກ່ ຽວກັບປັນຍາ ເພື່ອພວກທ່ານຈະຮຽນຮູ້ວ່າ ເມື່ອພວກທ່ານຮັບໃຊ້ເພື່ອນມະນຸດດ້ ວຍກັນ ພວກທ່ານກໍຮັບໃຊ້ພຣະເຈົ້າຂອງພວກທ່ ານນັ້ນເອງ
ແອວເດີ ຈີນີ