Thailand Letter
Dearest Family, Monday, October 19, 1998 7:50 p.m.
I am sitting in the front room of our townhouse and there are no curtains on the windows - we have a big cement wall in front but people could still peek in if they wanted to. It makes Myrth very nervous but I guess I am used to it or something because it doesn't bother me. I wanted to write a quick note and thank Bob and John for their messages.
I checked with the mission office today and talked to President Goodman - he said the church could get my ticket back to America much cheaper than going to Singapore with Bob and John. They will only reimburse me for the price it would cost them for my ticket so I will just go ahead and go home with Virginia and Marc and Cherri. IT WILL REALLY HELP ME TO HAVE YOU TAKE A LOT OF MY LUGGAGE WITH YOU!!! I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up leaving at the same time from the airport and arriving close to the same time in Los Angeles so it won't really matter and it isn't worth it to me to pay extra. President Goodman said he would give me the name of the lady in Salt Lake who gets our tickets to see if she could arrange for me to fly part of the way with you but I am just not smart enough to make the connections I would have to make so I'll just leave it the way it is. It will be like flying home with you guys just to have you here for the week of preparation and looking forward to your coming.
JOHN - Thank you SO much for your letter telling me about Ruth Cardon's home coming at the church. We were together when the new volunteers came in and I could hardly talk to her because I wanted to go home then too - she went to Hong Kong for a week on her way home - did she tell you about that? She is such an articulate and smart woman I can just imagine how wonderful her talk was - I hope no one expects that of me!!! The people here will be SO interested in hearing about what she said. We will have fun talking about Bangkok when we get together in the future - we have been friends for a long time and I know she gave my name to the church authorities when they were looking for people to come here. We also had the same companion for awhile and that will be fun - Ha!!! You asked what kinds of clothes you should bring when you come - I hope the rainy season will be over by then and it should be. It rained SO HARD today while we were at school that we had to stay inside for about an hour because the school parking lot was all flooded and it is raining again right now!!! They say that Winter will soon be here so that means the high will only be 80 instead of 95 - bring comfortable and cool clothes - slacks and shirt for church.
BOB - I am SO glad your trip to Zions was cancelled. It is hard for me to even imagine going through canyons so narrow that you have to swim sideways in order to get through. The letters I have had from Byrd always say that no one from my family ever goes to the cabin so I have known that you haven't been there much. I think about it often but it is hard to go there alone and no one else seems to enjoy it like I do - maybe some of my grandchildren will go with me sometime. Some of the most fun times I ever had there were the times Jessie and I went after going to Young Women's camp and then with Sarah and we caught AND CLEANED a lot of fish. Chris and Wayne really enjoy it though. I am SO anxious for you and John to come - Gulati will do everything he possibly can to accommodate you. I have never heard of the Center Point Apartments and I don't have the faintest idea where Langsuan is - I hope you can stay in the Chateau De Bangkok. Would you be interested in going on the tour to the River Kwai - it's about World War II and it's along way from here but the tours are nice. John MUST go to the floating market and that is where the teakwood place is. I also want you to go to the Fish Museum here - I haven't been there but everyone says it is fabulous and it is close to Pattaya - the beach. You both MUST go to Ayutthaya and I hope you will go to Lopburi with me and attend the little Branch there.
ROY AND PATRICE - I have thought about you so often during the past week. I hope your trip to Disney World was wonderful and I know it was. I can just see the children carving their Halloween Pumpkins - I hope you will take pictures. This is birthday month for your family!!!
Myrth has been in bed for about an hour - she is completely exhausted and we haven't even started teaching yet. We only got to two schools today - we spent a lot of time looking for and buying boxes they need and having some copies made. The school took us to a very nice restaurant for lunch today - Myrth had rice again and I had Chinese noodles that were delicious. She is going to have a very difficult time keeping up - she keeps telling me the church wants us to make sure we keep in good health!!! I remember how overwhelmed I was when I first came though and it takes awhile to get used to the heat.
They just called and said we need to be at the mission office tomorrow for a meeting at noon for curriculum planning for the next phase of this program - I thought that was what we did all last week!!! We are also supposed to be to a fireside tomorrow night because Bro. Tingey is coming here - I believe he is Jimmy Willardsen's wife's Uncle and he is a General Authority or something.
I love you all so very, very much. Please be so very, very careful. Grandma B