A member of the 12 apostles is coming to visit Thailand

Area: Bang Bua Thong
Companion: Elder VanDenBerghe

May 6, 2013

Hey there Everybody!

Momma - that’s so awesome for the Schuttes; I love those guys so much! I will defs get that picture for you! I can’t believe Braeden is like back and Caroline is off and Mikaela is about to send in her papers!

Dad - How did the Maple Leafs make it to the Stanley Cup?? Toronto sounds pretty fun I don’t know what it’s going to be like going home and not having street vendors and restaurants on the sidewalk and crazy street performers and nasty dogs running around I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself! I am going to be hitting up the Thai garage sales today 55

Mikaela - Woohoo atta girl congrats on the license! You’re a reffing monster that’s ridiculous! That’s so sick about your papers I can’t believe it I can’t wait till you hit the field!

Chrissy - I have been out of school way too long 5 5 so your blood levels have low oxygen right? How did that happen? Remember the Titans really is the best ever!

Teddy - that all-nighter sounds like a partay I’m so glad you love seminary. I love repentance so much it’s such a blessing! 

Kenny - ripsticks are awesome! I really like that scripture it shows that like Nephi was like a regular guy and in fact he had trials his whole life long he had many sufferings but he is such a great example for us in overcoming

Ben - ARSENAL!!! Sweet jersey man! Elder Barfuss in my district really loves arsenal too so does my zone leader Elder Doria. Uncle Devin is so funny!

Jeana you are so cute thank you for teaching the kids at primary!

This week we had specialized training from our zone leaders and it was excellent oh yeah by the way a member of the 12 apostles is coming to visit Thailand along with a member of the presidency of the seventy on the 17-19 of May he will be having a meeting with all of the missionaries on the 18th and then on the Sunday with a general meeting that will have members from all across the country coming to attend. The last time there was something this big it was when Pres Hinckley came back in 2002! I am so excited this is going to be huge for the church here. We still don’t know who it is or what the purpose of this visit is other than to train and strengthen the members of Thailand! So in preparation we have received instructions from our leaders and from the Lord to really focus our efforts and retention and reactivation specifically by teaching 20 rc/la lessons a week and then teaching their family and friends it’s a big initiative but I love it it’s going to help the church here so much! We have already been able to find several less-actives teach them and invite them to return. There are so many less-active members in Thailand there are a total of 26,000 members on record but only 3,500 are active so we have a lot of work to do!

We are still really working hard on helping Jawwaw receive an answer that she recognizes about the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel it’s kind of hard when you want to help them so much buts it just up to them to exercise their faith and act!

Thanks for the pics they are awesome all the little guys are growing up ahh Chrissy lol!

Love you guys so much!

Elder Cahoon

Elder VanDenBerghe with a family in BangBuaThong daughter 3 days younger than our Olivia, Elder Cahoon said it was such a blessing to watch her grow and think of his little sister at home. What a cutie!

Elder VanDenBerghe is such a boss!

Area: Bang Bua Thong
Companion: Elder VanDenBerghe

April 29, 2013

Hello Everybody!

Hey, I’m so glad to get your letter! We had a sports day for p-day today it was so much fun played soccer and hours of dodgeball and a fun basketball game that’s kind of like ultimate frisbee but it’s with basketball and someone on your team has the net and helps it go in! A bunch of the young men from Pakkret were all there to play too it was way fun to see them again and to be able to talk and joke around with them.

That’s crazy that Caroline is off to the MTC and that Joseph is back and soon so will Elder Wood be too!

Mikaela - that sounds like a way good party good luck with your driver’s license. I love teaching primary! it’s so much fun! Do you have a calling?

Tina - that’s rough about your teeth, what happened to your back?

Teddy - life is great! Being a missionary is the best thing out there!

Kenny - I love Sis Stanford she’s so awesome! That sounds like such a fun activity!

Ben - Have you been practicing basketball man? I haven’t played in so long we were shooting around today for a little bit and I was pretty terrible! haha

Jeana - I am learning to write and spell too I take spelling tests every day but it’s really hard sometimes and I make a lot of mistakes I bet that you can spell better than me already

What happened to the bike in the picture?

We had a great week! Elder VanDenBerghe is such a boss! He is way good at talking to everyone and is getting so much better at the language so fast! He is such a trooper too. I really like to ride my bike and I ride my bike really fast but he just keeps on trucking! I am continually impressed by him while we are teaching he usually doesn’t share a whole lot but the things he does say really invite the spirit! And the spirit helps the investigator to understand the message that he shares. Sis Jawwaw interviewed for baptism this week but she didn’t pass. She has not been able to fully understand and recognize the answers that she has received; also we need to help her have a better understanding of her Saviour. We have been helping her with these things and overcome her last couple concerns and she should be ready for another interview this week. She has been reading her scriptures and been marking them up a ton and always has something to share with us from her studies. We are also going to start teaching the son of a less-active family who hasn’t been baptized and he’s like 11. He has got some severe ADD or ADHD or whatever he’s kind of a wild child but I really like this kid and we are the first missionaries they have let in their door in over a year though many have tried. I am sure that this kid Jiim is going to be the key to helping this family and Elder VanDenBerghe seem perfect for the job as we both have 8 siblings and are used to helping and teaching kids.

In other news there are two wonderful sisters in my branch they are sisters whose names are Toi and Tiew they are in their 40's and are still single  but really want to be married and also want to still live in Thailand this is not a immigration or money thing. They are just a couple of really nice ladies who are way solid members. They asked if I could ask my parents to ask around for them and/or find them a husband. Toi has added me on Facebook and speaks English really well in fact she is an English teacher. So you could like send her a message and talk to her via Facebook. Thanks for your help in looking into this :)

Well my time has come once more and unfortunately I am a miserably slow typer but until next week I love you all sooo much. I love being companions with Elder VanDenBerghe and I love being a missionary and taking a part in this marvelous work!

Love,

Elder Cahoon

เอ็ลเดอร์คาฮูน

The following is a letter received from Toi Sukjai:

Hello! How  are  you? It 's nice to meet you.  We are member in Thailand. I know  your son your son are very special. He is very polite and neat and so kindness. We serve in investigator class and family history and library. Elder Cahoon tell us to email to you.  We wish you a happiness and thank you for your kindness . May God bless you. Take  care. love Tiew  and Toi Neelaniyom (Our picture is me and my sister and my dad in HongKong Temple.)

Happy Birthday Kendra!

Area: Bang Bua Thong
Companion: Elder VanDenBerghe

April 22, 2013

Hello Everybody!

Songkran was a hoot! We were just on the side of a street outside of the chapel down in Sinakarin soaking people as they drove up in the back of pickup trucks! Sometimes we would play it with ice water we would buy this huge block of ice and put it in our water supply, but sometimes they would have ice water too! Soo cold! Ok so I guess not Canadian cold but it was pretty chilly! 

Training is going swimmingly, Elder VanDenBerghe is awesome! He doesn’t let the fact that he is new hold him back from talking to everybody! And his Thai is way better than he thinks. He likes working hard and I hope I haven’t been killing him on our bike rides we have had some pretty long ones. Greenies are so golden! We have been in some lessons lately where he explains things so great and the spirit just comes in and takes care of the rest I don’t even have to explain anything. He’s got greenie power and the spirit helps him out so much! It is so much fun helping him out and remembering being right there it’s a lot of fun seeing it from the trainer’s side. Every once a while he will say some things in Thai that are pretty funny especially because I said the same things back in the day. For example, calling an old lady a dog instead of a mother and saying to hide when he’s trying to say to teach. It’s really nice to be back to working really hard and being very obedient, it was really hard before, but I learned a lot of patience. Another cool bit about training is that I feel like I’ve got an upgrade in everything I seem to have better studies, speak and understand Thai better, teach with greater power, all of my concerns and most of my weaknesses are being made stronger as I am in need and as I seek help from the Lord in training.

Our investigator Jaawaw got interviewed for baptism yesterday but she didn’t pass. She has recognized that she receives these feelings of peace and swelling in her heart. She just still has not put two and two together. We are excited that she has received these answers and will help her to build her testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel.

I am so happy about that play the pics are awesome and I am sure that Teddy did so well

Chrissy - thanks for the sports update haha Elder VanDenBerghe has been filling me in too It’s kinda weird I am finding out how the world is back over there 

Mikaela - WooHoo thats so awesome about your papers good luck on getting a job

Happy birthday Kenny! You’re welcome haha I sure love you how old are you turning like 7 jk haha 

Love, 

Elder Cahoon

P.S. I am getting a suit cut this transfer we bought the fabric today its gonna be way sweet and about a hundred bucks for a tailored suit pants and vest!

It's a Boy! haha

Area: Bang Bua Thong
Companion: Elder VanDenBerghe

April 15, 2013

Hey Guys!

What a whirlwind adventure of a week! I am training and we had general conference and it was all in Thai and we have sonkraan and today we are playing in it all day!

First off my luug my child the apple of my eye haha that’s little over the top! I am training Elder Vandenberghe he is from Holiday Utah and is from the same stake as Elder Banta our district leader who lives next door. He also has 8 siblings and he is the 3rd child and his older brother just got back from serving in Taiwan he is about 6'1" his shoe size is about a 10 he has brown hair and brown eyes and is way skinny. He LOVES the NBA and college sports as well as the NFL his favourite team is the eagles (it’s where the rest of his family is from) he is a big Jazz fan and he roots for BYU true blue thru and thru. He speaks Thai way good already especially for a greenie (in Thai a noongkhiaw) he is pretty fearless at talking to people already. Training is a blast especially when you’ve got someone as good as Elder Vandenberghe we have had a lot of fun and we just barely met.

This week has been crazy between transfers, conference and sonkraan we have had a 6 o'clock curfew Friday Saturday Sunday and then today again as well so that means we study at nights which is kinda weird and it also meant that after conference we just like had to go home. I kinda feel bad for Elder Vandenberghe we haven’t been able to do too much work between conference and sonkraan. But when we were out we hit it hard and found some solid new investigators. I love the faith and enthusiasm of new missionary it’s so refreshing and awesome especially after the recent struggles I have had last transfer. When we went out to work after conference ended yesterday we got absolutely soaked! There were people all over lining the streets and just soaking everybody who goes by and pasting them with flour. We managed to avoid the flour but we were drenched by the time we got home although it felt kinda nice cause it was cooking hot!

Conference was phenomenal! This time it was all in Thai cause we are the only white people in our branch. It was really good being in Thai really made you concentrate and I got a lot out of it. We also had our investigators Jawwaw and Arunsi attend and then a recent convert family brought their friend who we have taught as well her name is Pon they all really enjoyed it and felt the spirit and Jawwaw was there for all 4 sessions! She loved it. It was soo great! Pres Senior asked us to take questions to conference in order to receive answers. A couple of my questions were; how can I serve the Lord with all my heart and how I can be a good trainer. To the question how can I serve with all my heart? I received the counsel that I need to continue to be obedient and that I need to believe and be true to the faith that I currently have. Also that I need to ensure that Daniel Cahoon is becoming a missionary not just putting on a tag and doing missionary things. For being a good trainer the 2 things that impressed me were that I need to be an example in all that I do and serve him and others.

Some other fun things that happened at transfers is that Pres Senior made some last minute changes to the trainers and Elders Ellsworth, Terry and Murray are training this transfer as well. Also Elder Banta got a new companion as well and it’s Elder Barfuss my noong from the MTC! This transfer is going to be outstanding! I love this work! I loved Conference, I love my luug Elder Vandenberghe and most of all I love all of you back home!

Love,

Elder Cahoon