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.