Week 76: Members #1

So it has been an interesting week for sure. Definitely one that I'll never forget. 

Transfer calls came on Tuesday night and one of the Elders in my house was not too happy about the next transfer coming up. He was completely silent the rest of the night and he decided to walk out of the house around 10:20pm to get some fresh air. He didn't bring his phone or any money either, so we knew he was just going to be right outside the house. He had been out there for a while and we are supposed to go to bed at 10:30pm, so we knew something was up. We then checked on him and he was just outside the house sitting down and thinking about life. We told him he needed to come back in for the night and he said just give him a sec. So we went inside and waited for a couple minutes and he still didn't come in. I was kind of worried something bad was going to happen and so we went back out and he was gone. We looked for him for about an hour after calling the President, but we had no luck. In the end he didn't come back to the house till about 2:00am that night! So yeah kind of a weird start to this transfer. 

Also one of the sisters in my MTC group just finished her mission this week, which is insane! I'm getting so old on the mission :/

We ate at a pizza buffet last week for p day and I ate probably over 30 slices of pizza (it was thin crust though). All in all, I felt way sick afterwards and never wanted to eat pizza again haha. 

We focused on some LA work this week by visiting members with other members. We are gonna make a strong push to meet with as many members as we can this transfer. Specifically bringing members to visit other members! The key to missionary work is the members and there is no way around that. Members trust each other, they understand the culture, the little things that missionaries miss. I can't stress the importance of working with members to strengthen other members and investigators. It is crucial!

On Saturday I got to work in Ubon for a service project. It was a whole zone service project, similar to the one we had last transfer. We got to scrape off paint in this one building, and then repaint it with a better color. It's very exhausting to scrape off paint trust me!!

The next day was Stake Conference in Sisaket, which was awesome! The members in Thailand are so great and have such strong testimonies. 

Lastly I interviewed with President after Stake Conference and he taught me a thing or two about Patience and Charity. I feel like I have become a little impatient lately, but my mission President reminds me that love is the most important thing. I need to have more love for those around me and have more empathy for them. 

Sorry this email was all over the place. I had like no time to write it! 

Love, 

Elder Lowe 

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Elder Depain

Missionary meal

Mark and Betsy go to Thailand

30 years in the making - Mark and Betsy finally get to go to Thailand.



Mark has wanted to go to Thailand since we got married, but we wanted to wait until after our kids were grown so that we would not miss any of their activities. 

Just to get out the door was a challenge.

Mark had been in Guadalajara since Monday and was due back into Louisville Thursday mid afternoon, but they had plane trouble and he got stuck in Mexico.  With a prayer and good luck he was able to make it out, then to Houston and on to Louisville arriving around midnight. 

We left for Thailand at 4:35 AM.  Flights from Louisville to Chicago, to Shanghai to Bangkok.  It was a super super long flight, and Betsy was squished between Mark and another guy for the 15 hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai - yuck. 

Hanging out in the United VIP Lounge in Chicago while we wait for our next flight

Shanghai Airport!

Landed in Bangkok!!  YIPEE!!

We arrived in Bangkok around 11:35 PM and it took about an hour to travel via taxi through Bangkok to get our hotel.  We stayed at the Riva Aron.  It was a nice small hotel with a restaurant on the roof.  It was right in the King's Palace district.

Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is a large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple. Nearby is Wat Pho Temple with an enormous reclining Buddha and, on the opposite shore, Wat Arun Temple with its steep steps and Khmer-style spire.

So amazing.

After arriving at the hotel, Mark was so excited to take his first shower in Thailand, even though he lived there for 18 months on his mission, that night was his first shower.

IT was a very small, but excellent room.  It met our needs as we knew we would not be in the room much.  We tried to get a good night's sleep, but really couldn't, so we got up and ready for our first Sunday in Thailand.

We had a delicious Thai breakfast on the roof of the hotel overlooking the River Aron and Wat Arun Temple.  Our hotel is practically next to Wat Pho Temple.  

The view with Wat Pho in the back ground - it's that close

The little street to our hotel

Wat Arun

River Boat

We took a taxi to the Asoke chapel.  Mark attended Church here in his last area.  It was Stake Conference, President Johnson (a missionary from when Mark served his mission is the Mission President).  We had a wonderful visit catching up with him and his wife.  After church we walked over to the Thailand Distribution Center and Mission office.  It's a grand building.  Many speculate that the new Thailand temple will be built there because of it's convenient access to public transportation. 

Monument Circle at night

At the Asoke Building

Distribution center and future site of the Thailand Temple

 From there we travel back via taxi to the monument center, enjoy a diet coke at McDonald's and then walk to find Mark's apartment from his mission.  He went straight way to it... no problems.  

Streets conjested

Tuk Tuk

Monument Circle

Yeah - Diet Coke

Mark at his last apartment in Bangkok, 33 years ago

From there we toured the Kings' Crematorium

And then to Wat Pho

That evening we met with Jern Jern.  She came to our hotel with her sister.  We enjoyed dinner at the nearby restaurant - we ate on the roof with a magnificent view of the Wat Arun across the river.

Jern Jern and her sister