Week 1 Chaing Mai

Dear Friends and Family

This past week was transfers week. A lot of hustle and bustle was going on. I found out that I had to move from my area. I thought to myself, I dont want to move I love this area. I love the people here and want to help them progress. It was really hard for me to leave that area. The night before I left I was with my good friend Won on a bus going home. He is really like a brother to me. I cant tell you how much he has helped me grow and progress. He told me one thing, " Dont forget me". That brought tears to my eyes as he go off the bus. It was so sad to see my friend that I care for so much walk away with tears in his eyes as well. I can tell you one thing Heavenly Father does things for a reason. As I got off the bus my companion Elder Klein turns to me as says, " The harder it is to leave an area the hard you work. The better missionary you were and it means you loved the people that you served" and he also said," These people wouldnt have found this gospel if it wasnt for you. Heavenly Father has said that you time is up in this area and now is time to find those other lost sheep that are waiting for you to find them". This brought me to a whole new level. I havent moved from my area in 4 1/2 months so I dont know what it is like. I know that God has sent me to Thailand to do his Will and to find those that need to hear about this gospel. I knew at that point that I was needed in some other part of Thailand. I knew that Heavenly Fathers hand was in this. 

I went to transfers and I got a new companion Elder Christensen. We were sitting right next to each other when our names were called. It was pretty funny. We served in the same house about a transfer ago so we already get along. Elder Chris has about 4 months left in his service. So we will work hard this transfer that is for sure! Where I got called to serve though, I wasnt really expecting. I got called to serve in Chaing Mai. It is almost at the very Northern part of Thailand. I have only heard stories about this place and how beautiful it is and how good the branch is up here. All I could say is lets go! So we hopped on a sleeper train, one you can actually sleep on and took a 13 hour train ride to Chaing Mai. It is such a beautiful place! It reminds me a lot of Burley. Just because Chaing Mai has mountains here. I have already spent a few days here and had my first Sunday. It is such a great place and I feel as if I will grow a lot here as well. I cant wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me.   

Before I got my mission call my mom and I were discussing where I wanted to go or where I would go. I told my mom that I wanted to go somewhere where you had to go through the jungle to find your investigators. All I have is a pack, a GPS and a knife to cut through the jungle with. Well I told my mom I would go anywhere where Heavenly Father would want me to go. I got my mission call and before I opened it I went into my room and said a prayer. I thanked Heavenly Father for this great opportunity to serve him. I told him I would go anywhere He needed me to go. I opened my call to Thailand. I was happy and nervous at the same time. I didnt know what to think. As I have learned the culture and language I know that I was sent here for a reason. Heavenly Father had prepared a plan for me in our pre-earth life for me to come here. When I got my mission call I said I will go to Thailand because this is where He wants me to go. Sometimes you will think why am I going to go to this place I know nothing about. I know that He has a hand in all things. He knows our potential and knows what we can do. I am thankful for my parents, leaders and my bosses who have helped to prepare me for this great journey. 

If you get a call from the Lord will you do what you are asked? Will you do His will? If you get called to do something that you may think will be hard look not at the negative but the positive. I was sent here to help people come closer to Christ. There are people out there for me as well as all of us to find. I challenge you all to look for the good in each situation. If you have a calling look for how much good you have done and why you think Heavenly Father sent you there or gave you a calling! He knows your potential so that is why he called YOU. Heavenly Fathers hand is in everything. I know it and I testify of it. 

Love Elder Hinckley

 

I am leaving behind some great people in Samut Prakaan. My companion Elder Klein, Brother Won, Elder Nelson, and Sister Peem.

Sister Peem and I.

This the transportation I rode to Chiangmai. It was a 13 hour ride on the train. We went at night so there wasn't much to see. I did go to bed on time at 10:30 pm.

All aboard train #4 to Chaing Mai.

The church house in Chaing Mai.

 

Week 18 Samut Prakaan

Dear Friends and Family

This week was such a hard week. Things for some reason didnt go as planned. I mean there are times that things will go as planned but this week as not one of those weeks. Elder Klein and I had set up many lessons for this week and had planned to have 2 baptisms but it just didnt happen. It doesnt mean that we were slacking off but means that even though we had a lower week means that we are going to work even harder this next week. 

We did have an RC Nam who had called and told us that she had just not been keeping the commandments ever since she was baptized. So what Elder Klein and I did was we wanted to meet this last Tuesday and just talk with her with a member to see where she needs help. That lesson was sure lead by the spirit that much I can say. Why? Because it went in a way that I didnt think it would go. After we said the opening prayer I could tell that Elder Klein and I didnt know what to ask without sound to persistent. I just asked about her family. You have a family right? You still live with you family and siblings right? It went from there we talked about her family and both of us Elders families and showed her pictures of our families. We talked about happiness and if she wants to be happy with them. Then from there Elder Klein and I started to bring in the gospel and how it has blessed our families lives. Then we asked the member who was with us sis Gade if she would talk about how the gospel has blessed her life. Then we talked about how Heavenly Father loves of us his children and how we are all a big family here on earth. Also how the gospel can help us in our lives here on earth. Then we talked about the Book of Mormon and bore our testimonies of it to her. Elder Klein and I challenged her to go home and pray to know that what we taught and talked about was true, also that she would repent and read the scriptures. We both think that this lesson with her got her back on track. We met with her again this last week and she was doing so much better. You could see the glow that she was doing a lot better. 

A RC/LA asked Elder Klein and I if we could meet with him. So we meet this RC/LS at the church. I dont know what he wanted from either of us so what we decided to do is just go over how keeping the commandments will bless us and bring us happiness. We used the scripture Mosiah 2:22, 41. I think we hit it right on the spot. He hasnt been to church in a while but as he is starting to come to activities like English Class and Book of Mormon Class and even Temple Prep Class. He is someone who needs just a few pushes in the right direction to get him going again. 

Also during this week I was able to go on a switch off with someone in the next area over. I new this missionary and I did as I would do in my area and that is just work. He had no lessons  so what we did is tract and for about 2 hours. We had Book of Mormon class later that night and then had studies the next day. That was about it. I thought to myself why was I sent there and what did I get out of it. What Elder Klein told me what that I was sent there on special assignment to help this missionary. I didnt know this before I went. I guess this missionary has just been having a little harder time with wanting to work and enjoying what he does. His companion told Elder Klein that the day after he had changed and was different. I dont know what exactly what I did but his companion said he was easier to work with. On that switch off I was able to study Christ like attributes in PMG. I studied about patience, charity and love, faith, obedience and virtue to name a few. After I was finished with that personal study time I cant tell you how I want to improve. It was just the study that I needed. I want to improve in all of those aspects. It will take time, study and patience. 

Right after that switch off I had to go on another switch off because Elder Klein who is the district leader asked me to do so. We again had no lessons and no one was able to meet. So Elder Nelson and I did something we had never done before. We just went to all of the near by streets and contacted for 3 hours. I cant tell you how big those are. The streets just keep going and going. Something else I saw was a lot of poverty. It was sad to see. Just people doing the best that they could and doing everything to get by. I saw happy people and sad people. I saw a lot and it is to much to describe. I think if all of these people were to accept and have the gospel they would be much happier even in their circumstances. I just wanted to help everyone! I wanted to tell them all about the gospel. I know that even if you arent in the best circumstances you can still be happy. I have so thankful for the gospel in my life. I am very blessed to have grown up in the gospel. I want you all to think of how the gospel has blessed your life. Or how knowing about Christ has blessed your life. What has the gospel provided for you? 

On Sunday we had the opportunity to help a man get to church who hasnt been in years because he has a disability and cant walk. When we told him that we would take him to church this next week he started to cry. He says that he prays to Heavenly Father everyday. His praying has sure paid off. I was so happy to help this brother so that he could partake of the sacrament. After we took him home we came back to the church where we had a ward council for the first time since I have been in Samut Prakaan. We talked about investigators and Recent Converts. We talked about getting the ward leaders involved. We talked about how we need to get these people the good word of God. We also talked about something that people do all over and that is when Less Actives come back to church. Make them feel welcome and dont say where have you been? You should be here? Blah blah blah. You wont get anywhere with that. Make them feel happy to be there at church. Say how are you? I am so happy you are here! Are you ready to learn about...so on and so forth. This was a huge step for this area. Something that has needed to be done for a while and now it is going to get done. We need all hands on deck with the tools to build this up for every soul is great and shouldnt be left behind.

Even though we didnt have the most successful week we sure did have some miracles this week! I am so thankful to be a missionary! I know that this church is the true church of Christ! I know the Book of Mormon to be the true word of God and that gospel will bless our lives! 

We have transfers this Thursday so I dont know if I will move or not! 

I hope you all have a great week! 

Love Elder Hinckley

Follow the big arrow to the church.

Brother Surat is one of my favorite people in our ward. He is such a fun loving man.  He will be blessed for all that he has done.  He's been a member for 6 years.

Elder Nelson, Brother Won, Elder ?, Elder Klein, my companion and of course me.

WEEK 17 Samut Prakaan

Dear Friends and Family,

This week was a very hard working week. We did a lot of inviting! We did our best with the lessons this week. We didnt have a lot because things just dont always fall though. We had a training this week and it was a Zone Training. We talked about our Vision for Thailand. We want to see more stakes created in the next year. To do that we need more people. To do that we have been inspired by the talk by David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the 12. We gave a talk in which he said, " Invite one, who will go get one, who will go get one and that is how the kingdom of God is built". I have see this a few different times and it has inspired me. A lot of the time I ask members, non members, recent converts, and less actives if they will invite one person to church. So far we haven't see much because we have just started using it. It is picking up a little bit though. I guess we will see where this goes in the future. I challenge you all to go invited a person to church this next week. Maybe this person is a friend, relative, a less active member, whoever this person is ask them to invite a friend. This is how the kingdom of God is built. One by one! Other vision we have is to have a temple here and we have talked and talked about this. All we can do is find BRAFT! Baptize Retain Activate Find and Teach! This is all we can do and pray of course. During the training we talked about our divine calling and how this calling came from God. He wanted me to serve a mission so he put the means forth to help me serve one. I am grateful for the opportunity to server here in Thailand! It is a place where I can grow in the gospel and tell so many people about Jesus Christ and what he has done for all of his brothers and sisters and what God expects of us. Then we talked about working in unity. We all picked a song from the Hymn book and all at one we sang the song. At the end of the song we all said that it sounded horrible. Only if we would have all sang the same song then it would have sounded more beautiful! We all have a responsibility but we need to work together. Not only us missionaries but members as well. If we coordinate our efforts with members and with God we can do great things. Then we talked about prayer. The zone leaders told us of the activity that President Senior did with a missionary while they were getting trained. President Senior said okay lets get to know each other. So the before the missionary could get anything out President Senior asked for all these things and then walked away. This is not how two people get to know each other. This is like our prayer to God, if we just ask for things and then end our prayer that wasnt very effective. We need time to ask Heavenly Father what he wants from us. When was the last time you asked Heavenly Father how he was doing and what you could do to help him? I challenge you all to take time this week and talk to Heavenly Father. I testify that you will feel the spirit and his love for you! 

Later after the training we received a text saying that we were getting another Elder for Samut Prakaan. It was a bit of a surprise. I guess two other Elders in the mission did not get along so great and it ended up with pushing and shoving and one Elder running away. No one was hurt and the Elder came back but this caused a huge emergency transfer this past week. A lot of the mission was affected. We got another Elder because of that. It was great to get another one for this area. We do need all the help that we can get. From that Elder Klein and I are companions and Elder Nelsons new companion is Elder Luker. Elder Luker is full of the spirit and loves the work. 

On Sunday in investigator class the teacher ask we what blessings we get from coming to church. As I replied to his question you could feel this spirit fall upon the room! It wasnt over whelming but you could feel it. I said the blessings you receive are not always physical. You can receive happiness and love from God. I also said that one blessing is the opportunity to take the sacrament. Those blessings are personal. The sacrament opens up so many more blessing that thought we possible. I felt the spirit so strong during the next minute or so. Later that day Elder Klein and I went inviting at this pier where there was a lot of people and birds! It was successful and we did well. Bro Won is preparing to serve a mission and he came with us as well. He just took pictures the whole time. Please pray for brother Won and that he will find the means to pay for a mission. His family is not LDS and needs prayers from all of you. When we go inviting he will come and will dress up in a white shirt and tie and invite with us. He will be a great missionary wherever he serves. Then we went home and made homemade Thai food! Yum! 

Have a great week! 

Love Elder Hinckley

 

Elder Hinckley and Elder Klein out on Bangpu Pier inviting people to church and to learn of Christ.

There were tons of birds flying around. No one got hit by poop, thank goodness, but a successful inviting opportunity.

 

Week 16 Samut Prakaan

Dear Friends and Family

This last week was a great week. We were able to visit some less active families and this week we will be able to visit more less actives. We were heading to the church this last week and the member that lives right across the street from the church came over to us and was talking to us about some less active. She was saying that she went to visit some less actives in the ward and she told us that they want the Elders to come visit them in their home. This member was tell us that all these people need is a little push to get things going again. I know that we can do it and help them find their way back on the path. So this week we will be visiting as many people as we can. 

Along with visiting people we were able to visit the patriarch of Thailand. It is cool because he is in my ward and he asked for us 3 Elders to come over and teach his less active son and his to be wife. It was great! I was able to talk to Bro Ponchay about him being a patriarch has been. He told me that he will have been the patriarch for Thailand 20 years in June. That is a crazy long time. I cant believe it. When the first stake in Thailand was being formed Elder Maxwell was in Thailand to form it. The forming of the first stake in Thailand was at a hotel, that hotel I dont know. What I do know is that Elder Maxwell felt impressed to go outside and look at all the people that came for the first stake forming in Thailand and Bro Ponchay was there. Elder Maxwell felt really impressed to talk with him so he had his guys get him. Elder Maxwell then told him that he would be the patriarch for Thailand. As far as he is aware of he is the only patriarch for Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and one other country I think. That is a lot! He has done a lot of blessing. I asked how many blessing he has given and he said over 1,400 blessings. That is amazing! He knows English and is blind as of right now. He can read brail ( the stuff with the little bumpy dots). He is so cool and intelligent! It was such a pleasure to meet with this man for a little while. 

Other than that I have bad news about an almost RC of mine. His name is Doughnut. After the 24th of Dec we havent had contact with him. I have called him everyday looking for him. He doesnt have the Holy Ghost. Something happened with his phone and he havent been able to contact him for a long time. Elder Klein and I called him this last Saturday just trying to see where he is and trying to contact him. This lady answered the phone and I think it was his wife. We asked where he was and she said that he isnt coming to church again. We really wanted to talk to him and she said no, but Elder Klein kept persisting on the lady and then the truth finally came out. She said Doughnut is gone and I have no idea where he is. He left days ago and I dont know where he is. Elder Klein hung up the phone and told me what she said. The room went silent and nothing was said. Not a word. No one said anything for the rest of the night. We were all quiet until we went to bed. I dont know what happened. I hope we didnt say something that would cause him to leave. All I can do is pray for him and hope that all is okay. I know that Heavenly Father is watching over him. Please pray for him.

Well I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Take care and start the new year off great! 

Love Elder Hinckley 

Elder Hinckley with the only Patriarch in the country of Thailand.  People from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar come to Patriarch Ponchay for their blessings.  This gentleman is blind. When Neal A. Maxwell came to Thailand to organize this Stake, the first building they had church in was a hotel.  Elder Maxwell saw Brother Ponchay standing outside and knew he was the man.  He has been a Patriarch for 20 years..  Elder Hinckley was asked to come over to his home and teach his son and soon to be wife.

Week 15 Samut Prakaan

Dear Friends and Family

I along with my 2 companions have been working as hard as we possibly can this past week. My companions are doing all they can. Those two Elders are good examples to me. This past week we were able to go and visit a Less Active family. When we got to the house the husband wanted to eat with us. So we took this opportunity to sit and get to know the family. The food was not important at all. Us talking to the family and building a relationship with them was far more important. We were able to sit and just talk about life, our missions, their work and so on. At the end of the lesson we shared a simple scripture and just told them that they are missed at church and they are still loved. This family is a very humble family and I hope our visit pricked them just a little. 

We were also able to meet with our awesome bishop. We talked about the ward and what we wanted to do as far as goals. The bishop was able to talk to us as well about what he wanted done. It was a good meeting. One thing we talk about was how they want the number of baptisms this next year to triple. As we discussed this we think they will be shooting for 6,000 baptisms this next year. Is this a goal that we can achieve? Yes it is, as long as we have all missionaries on board and have faith that it is possible. I know it is possible and I know we can do it. 

Speaking about goals this past week Elder Klein brought goals back to my memory when he asked if I had goals. I showed him the goals that I have right now. They are my Thailand Mission Goals and on the paper I put all the goals I want to complete by the time I leave Thailand. He took the paper from me and said I should have done this. At this point I started to talk about something that I did in high school. I was at my friends house one day and his dad was talking to me about this guy who accomplished all this goals (it might have been a book I dont really remember). So what the guy did is he created a vision board and wrote down all these goals. He said that if you write them down and look at them often then you will have a great chance of accomplishing them. Well I thought about this and decided to do what this man did. At my house I have a big white board and one day I wrote down all these goals that I wanted to accomplish by the time I finished high school. I looked at these goal everyday. I wrote down goals I new I would be able to do and others that would make me stretch and others I thought were impossible. I can tell you as I looked at these goals everyday I had a mindset that I would accomplish my goals. Each time I met my goal I thought to myself I knew I could do it. It it possible. By the end of high school I can tell you I was able to accomplish more than I ever thought I would be able to do. By setting goals I was able to do things I didnt know I was able to do before. Elder Klein really liked this idea and talked about it at a district meeting that we had this last Tuesday. I challenge you all to set goals. Right now! What have you wanted to do and you havent been able to do it yet? Lose weight? Read a book series? Get good grades? Save money rather then spend money? Whatever it may be I challenge you all to set goals and look at them often! I know that you will be able to accomplish them. I know that the goals that I made for my mission I will accomplish. I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season! Full of giving and the spirit of Christ.

Before I go I want to share a scripture with you that I read just the other day. I thought about this scripture and I feel like this is one I need and that everyone should use. It is Jacob 2:17 "Think of your bretheren like unto yourself, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you." I really liked this scripture because sometimes we need to share what we have with others. If we have a surplus we need to share what we have with others. If others need clothes, food, service, etc share. Help your friends and neighbors like you would want your friends and neighbors to help you. I know it isnt the first thing we think of but I know that if we share with others what we have we will be more Christ like and have more happiness.

Elder Hinckley

 

 

 

Elder Hinckley and his two companions, Elder Klein and Elder Nelson. Elder Hinckley really likes being in a tri-companionship. He feels they can get a lot more done with the third companion. Not many missionaries like this opportunity but Elder Hinckley can make just about anything work. They are at a members home for dinner. I wonder if they had to play for their dinner.