Dearest Family, August 18, 1998

JEANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Your package of pictures came today and I LOVE them - they are wonderful and I agree, it is like re-living your trip!!! You are “certainly on the ball” to accomplish as much as you do with all the things going on in your life. I LOVED your sweet letter too and I can remember how empty our home felt when Bob left on his mission and we still had Roy and John home - when you look back on it you will feel like it was such a short time but right now I know that 2 years seems like an eternity!!! I loved hearing about your experience at the MTC - I knew that would be hard but you were in good company and you wouldn't have it any other way. I want to send Ricky a t-shirt from Thailand - I think that would be kinda' fun for him to wear. I may have to send it to you and have you forward it or something because you still haven't sent me his MTC address. I laughed when I saw the picture of Jessie and Barji wearing the “Heart of the Ocean” pendants - I'll bet they wear them more than you and Ann will. I agree that Jessie will be a fun and perfect companion for Barji at Utah State - and Barji will be the same for Jessie - THEY WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.

JOHN - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER CONCERNING MY VISA CARD. I won't need any more money for awhile so don't worry about it. I was so organized about my driver's license and had it renewed before I came on my mission - isn't that the way it goes!!! The person who stole my wallet won't have any use for that - I wish they would send it back to me and just keep the money. SNAILS, SNAILS, AND MORE SNAILS - They about drove me crazy too. Have you tried the “beer method”? Bury a shallow bowl of beer in the ground so the top of the bowl is level with the ground - the snails are attracted to it by the smell and fall into the bowl and drown. I tried it and it works but I felt silly buying the beer. Paul Theobald has a lot of methods like that so ask him.

ANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR NEWSY AND WONDERFUL LETTER!!! I'm SO glad you went to Hayley Crawford's wedding reception - you are such a good family person to be in charge of “keeping up with everyone”!!! I feel bad for Ramona too and I feel bad that you think that I think she is putting on an act when she says she can't remember things -I really don't believe that. Ramona is a very wonderful person and I can relate to her memory problem - I will probably be much worse than she is. I'm sorry Glen had a stroke - he will recover though and Shirley is the one to pity - Ha and double Ha!!! I'm glad that Lucile Webb called you - I have written to her several times from Thailand but I know it is hard for her to correspond - she also is a very wonderful person. What Brooke Roney said about the Princess here in Thailand is very true but she is more loved than anyone else in the Royal Family except for the King and Queen - most people want her to inherit the throne instead of the Crown Prince who is in line for it. (Bro. Roney said he didn't think she was very pretty.) I'm glad the Woolley reunion went well - that is quite an undertaking for Sue isn't it?

BOB AND CLAIRE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHECKING ON THE CONDO FOR ME. I get really excited when I think about it but at this point I believe I can be happy any place. I have moved around so much I am in the habit of making “My place in the Sun” without too much trouble so don't worry about me. The place where I am being transferred (Bang Su) is in Bangkok and it is the school where Janet and Darlene have spent a good deal of their mission. I will have to find a place to live close to it and it is quite far away from this apartment - I will have a lot of help in finding a place to live - the BMA usually takes care of things like that. I don't believe there are any good shopping places close in that area so I will not be tempted like I am here!!! I will keep you posted.

I am going to try to send a copy of this letter to Susanna. I think about her so often - what a wonderful experience she is having and I will be so anxious to get home and hear all about it. How does her friend Rosie like Brazil?

I have some funny things to write about. Monday when they served lunch I was SO hungry and they put this bowl of what I thought was soup by my plate. It was just delicious and I was enjoying it when one of the teachers came to me and said, “Bawbwa - that is supposed to go on your rice”. I felt so silly - it was curry and I LOVE their curries. I thought it was strange because so many of their soups are quite watery and this was quite thick. OH WELL!!!

Today, after lunch the teachers asked us if we would like to go see the JEDI that was right by their school along with a big and beautiful Wat. We walked to it and when we went up to the opening we saw these big buckets - one of them was filled with eels and the other one had fish in it. I walked on a little ways and one of the teachers called to me and handed me a plastic bag with some of the live fish in it - they gave Helen a bag with some eels in it. Then they guided us to the pier by the river and told us to “free them”. That is such a strange custom - they get the eels, fish and turtles and then sell them to people so they can free them and receive blessings. I am supposed to be free from all my problems now. I can't believe all their superstitions and customs.

I have three students coming in about ten minutes so I will close for now. I can't tell you how much I LOVE your messages. I hope the Roys are home from their Colorado vacation by now and that they are safe and sound. I will worry about all of you for the rest of my life I guess.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B