Seven

A Letter to พี่เอ๋

This morning I was thinking about Thailand--wishing I was still there. I've been wanting to write to one of the member's I taught while on my mission, who I visited over the summer. I didn't have any current contact info. for this family. All the phone numbers I had, no longer worked. So while I was in Thailand this summer, I just decided to show up at their house and hope they were home. They were! Even the kids were there because they had a week of school. Every time I see this family, I get a little weepy. They are so dear to me. My companion and I found them one day when all of our appointments had fallen through. We were out and about trying to find someone to teach and we went down this road thinking it would take us out to the main road. I had only been in Thailand about 3 months at this point, so my listening skills in Thai were starting to get pretty good--but still not perfect. We got to the end of the road and it was a dead end, except for a small side street. We asked a man who was working outside if the side street went through to the main road. I distinctly heard him answer in the affirmative and immediately hopped on my bike and rode down the street. My companion distinctly heard him say "no, the street doesn't connect," but since I had already ridden off, she followed. พี่เอ๋ (pronounced "P" and "A") was outside playing with her two little girls. We stopped to talk to her and at the very least invite her to come to English. But she was so prepared. She invited us inside and we taught her about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. She was so intrigued that she called her husband at work while we were there, and invited us to come back the next evening when he was home too. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she read the whole thing in about a week and then proceeded to read Gospel Principles and ask us all sorts of questions about the scattering and gathering of Israel--a topic with which she was very interested. After I had moved from the area, she and her husband were eventually baptized. I kept in touch with them my whole mission, and their family even came to visit me in another area where I had moved. Needless to say, I will forever feel close to this family, and I love the moments when I can remember how sweet my time with them has been.