UPDATE!!!! AFTER 21 MONTHS WE CAN START COUNTING DOWN THE NEXT 90 DAYS UNTIL ELDER MITCHELL'S RETURN! Conor's return date is Friday July 15, 2016 He is currently serving as AP (assistant to the mission president) and living in Bangkok. His companion is Elder Paxton from Spanish Fork, Utah! Conor loves him and President and Sister Johnson dearly. He continues to thrive, stay healthy and spread the good news of the gospel. We have been so blessed to share in this experience with Conor and those he has served. Conor is so grateful to all of those who have supported him through letters, packages and prayers. Although he has expressed sadness to think of leaving the wonderful people of Thailand, I know he looks forward to returning home and being able to personally thank those who have contributed to his success as a missionary. Our family thanks each one of you as well. The next 90 days cannot come soon enough when waiting for a hug from your son! August 11, 2015 Elder Mitchell is in Rangsit. A suburb of Bangkok and is serving as District Leader. His companion is Elder Greenwood from Payson, Utah! Great story behind these two and great work is happening with their diligent efforts and faith. May 17, 2015 Sorry it's been so long since updating this site. there have been multiple times that I've tried to download Conor's photos; but, Weebly's server has gone down in the middle of the download. I've gotten frustrated and given up; but, hopefully today is my lucky day. He's doing great! Sends his love and appreciation for all of you who write to him and support him. April 1, 2015 March 16,2015 my week was unbelievable!!! this week was so filled with miracles i cant even begin to tell you! one thing that sticks out though was we broke the church attendance record this week!! 64 at church when usually we have around 43.. it was incredible to see! lots of referrals and help from members :) Arne and i brought in 10 investigators and gave away 4 others to the other elders so it was a blessed day for sure :) no baptisms unfortunately. however, next week you can expect a few. i dont dare throw out the number. i will just let you see next week what it comes out to be :) we are cracking down hard right now trying to keep up with the pace of the Lord. we have more appointments and people to take care of than we can handle but somehow the Lord prepares a way everyday! we are so busy with teaching we havent eaten dinner in 3 days haha and wont be eating tonight either! crazy good crazy fun! there is work to do here and we are blessed to be the ones here to do it! :) . it is such a good feeling to not have time to eat for the purpose of teaching a family toward baptism :) way worth it! Cutting season is what we like to call it haha :) so ya we are currently taking the training we were given and applying it hard! thus we saw incredible things these past few days! im reading things i havent read (like the book The Power to Become and King Follett's Sermon) simply to try to spark a new idea and other than that we are just being exactly obedient and doing the little things that are easily forgotten and thus things are coming to pass! :) we set goals each week right?? last week ( after i told you we were doubling our efforts) we did just that. every sunday we send in our results on our goals and we met every single one of them but one! it was incredible! we are learning how to teach by the spirit, in unity, and together more than ever and the Lord is just dumping blessings on us, so much that we were able to help the other companionship get balanced as well and give them some of our investigators because the Lord gave us so many!!! way cool :) history in the making! yes we are fully accepted here. it is rare we ever get persecuted and if it is it usually some white guy who hates the church haha but ya these people are amazing and great to us for the most part. March 1, 2015 we got balanced again yes we did!! :) this week was crazy busy!! being in a trio this week was way different but way way fun! one more full week of being in a trio and then back to the norm but i love it! these guys im with are so sick! :) we have a lot of fun and have been going HAM on the work! we had some ups and downs this week for sure. got to go meet a few part member families and rewardingly see them come to church yesterday! we had another baptism! Bro. None (not 'nothing' but it sounds like the word 'Cone') he is soooo good holy crap he is good! future Branch Pres for sure :) he has been lots of fun! there is such a big excitement in the youth up to about age 30 right now about bringing everyone back who is "resting" and to help the Elders get more people in the branch so they can become a ward and get a real building :) i love it!! we have so many solid investigators!! i dont know where to begin to tell you about them really... we did have one however that i have been torn up about.. you may remember Bro Sacred (bapt two weeks ago now) ya well his old preacher has been convincing him that we are full of it (the kid is only 17 and knows the bible like nobody's business) and so our last lesson turned into a battle of knowledge and trying to show him why our church makes sense in a logical kind of way. we walked out on top in the knowledge battle no doubt and testified hard at the end. but we walked out knowing he still was not going to open his heart. you gotta remember this kid still needs the HG or else his baptism did nothing and counts for nothing.. anyways i called him Saturday night and asked if we was going to come get the HG or not and he told me he just doesnt have confidence in what is right. so i did what we know how to do here and that is simply be a Challenging and Tesitfying missionary. so i threw down for about ten minutes promising him blessings if we would just come and recieve the HG and then after that it would show him the correct path for him. the phone call ended the same way it started. i felt i said what was needed an did what i could but honestly i have been crushed. i sat up all night thinking and praying for him to just open up his heart.. idk maybe i said something wrong. but in the end he did not show up... we will give him one more shot with some of the memebers going ham on him and if he still doesnt come to get the HG we will drop him and he will be on his own from there. way sad to see someone so great go astray due to the power of man... little does he know the opportunity he is missing out on and the greatness of the true and EVERLASTING gospel. one day he will see though and that is what is so great about God. i just hope for his sake it is sooner rather than later..so on a better note!! :) yes my matchmaking i believe is still coming along!!! she got baptized just like we promised her she would the week after i left Sisaket!! :) i will send a picture!! so awesome!! February 16, 2015 Elder Mitchell was transferred to the northern part of Thailand, Chiang Rai, on January 22. He said the north is where his favorite Thai food comes from, so he is eating well. His email time has been cut in half with this transfer so he apologizes to those whom he has not had time to write back. He hopes that all will understand. Here is an excerpt from his letter last week: MOM!!! :) hey there!! the work is awesome!!! we had a baptism this week!! brother Beak is his name :) he is a stud!!! he does sound systems for a living and has a bumpin car!! he actually came from a Christian background so i get the best of it all here in working with people who are ALL kinds of religions! there are soooo many churches out here it is unreal haha. the odds really are stacked against us due to all of these religions (mainly working with those who are Buddhist of course) but day in and day out the Lord always provides a way for us to find success and find those who are prepared :) im so blessed to be here in Thailand. i think of my friends everywhere else and can only picture myself here for soooo many reasons i couldnt even begin to tell you :) We recieved Training this week and new way of balanced came out on Friday. we are focusing hard on Families right now to prepare this place for the Temple that will soon be here! :) so the new balanced way added a little more pressure on us to get 2 lessons with those who are just part member families. anyways, we only had Saturday and Sunday to somehow reach that goal. but with a lot of prayer and purpose in mind the Lord blessed us hard and we got it!! :) truly a miracle knowing we only had two days to get that along with some other things added onto balanced but we did it! :) then come to find out yesterday when we had to give our results we were told that the 'new balanced' wasnt even going to be implemented until next week haha so we went above and beyond the call i guess :) sorry that was a tangent.. good stuff though :) oh and i will try to be better at sending pics sorry i just have zero time. it sucks really. but i will send some pics today hopefully!! :) an i hope i dont put off the impression im only excited about the fun stuff i get to do... i love this work mom. everyday gets better and better and i truly love what i get to do out here. i can see now how much i took this gospel for granted in my life. but now i can really see the beauty of it and how miraculous it is in our lives and the lives of others :) i wish i had time to tell you of all the little miracles each day i get to experience and see ALL due to this gospel. way sick! i love it! :) still continuing to learn from Wheelz like crazy! so sad to think this is our last full week together... but im going to take full advantage and learn all i can :) we are expecting big things this week for his last week. going out with a bang for sure :) January 5, 2015 Elder Mitchell rang in 2015 with just another ordinary day in the life of a missionary. NO WAY! True to the Conor Mitchell style, he ventured out for the unusual-an elephant encounter! His words, "it was AMAZING!! Everything you would it expect it to be! I got to ride on the head, which almost nobody does! ... it was awesome and then being lifted up by the tusks was a thrill!" December 31, 2014 Hooray! We finally have some photos to share and news from the East! Elder Mitchell has been busy with his work in Thailand. The holidays have altered his P-days and opportunity to share photos and information; thus, no updates to his website. He has not explained all of the photos; but, it's still fun looking at them! He got a new companion in December, Elder Takeuchi. He is Japanese but from Hawaii and Conor says he is learning a lot from him. Conor was able to stay in the same area and the same house that he's been in since he arrived in the country. This was exciting for him so that he could continue to work with some of the people he had built relationships with and see them progress in the gospel. So this is how they do Christmas in Thailand! And to begin the New Year Conor writes on Jan 1, 2015: So.... im sorry i have no time today to write to any of you (kade, keats, mom, dad) im headed off to go ride ELEPHANTS in 20 minutes!! :) no big deal.. ;) so i have not read any of your emails i apologize. the opportunity came up to go ride the elephants in a convenient way with Somsak and his fam this week so we are taking it! :) but i did want to tell you all again how grateful i am for the Christmas you all made happen for me :) the 12 days of Christmas was the best thing ever!!! :) all the effort you all put into it was incredible and i cant thank you enough! i hope you guys had the time of your lives in Palm Springs you punks! ;) haha im jealous! i miss the freaking ish out of you all and hope all is well! :) i want to hear about any new years resolutions you all made on monday! :) i love you all so much! have an amazing couple of days HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2015 baby! :) do something crazy on the first day of the year for me! im riding an elephant... what will you do today?? ;) love you guys! i have the best family! :) November 22, 2014 Conor had an awesome experience with overcoming the language and really gaining a testimony of the Spirit and how it can be felt in spite of a language barrier. The sister missionaries had been teaching two girls, Geek and Boo, and the sisters had to miss teaching the last discussion to them; so, Elder Mitchell and Elder Watkins were asked to step in. Conor got through teaching and felt with his short comings in the language, he may not have done a very good job; but, had faith that he delivered what needed to be shared. Once the girls' baptism date came and there were several elders as well as members available to baptize the girls, they asked for Elder Mitchell to do it! He didn't think he had made much of an impression and yet this was their request. Another testimony builder for Conor and the power of the Spirit. He continues to inspire not just those in Thailand but those of us here sharing in these amazing experiences. Random photos follow along with those of his baptisms. We don't always get an explanation of the photos. November 16,2014 BIG NEWS! สวัสดี ครับ so im glad to hear the pictures were entertaining!! wait until this weeks! blood blood blood! ;) hahaha jk jk dont freak out. all is well! ok so little do you all know, i have been typing all day today with no left ring finger hahaha. well i have it but it is all bandaged up. so we had the opportunity to go do some service for an RC (recent convert) of ours by helping him harvest rice! it was awesome and way fun!! be sure to check out the pictures in the dropbox. so i started to get way good. too good for my own good i guess and i was going too fast cause i cut my finger pretty dang good haha. good enough to wear i stood up and could see my bone ha. so we walked over to the RC's house where all of the members who were making lunch were and showed them. they just threw some goop stuff on it and thought that would be just fine as i sat there and spewed blood everywhere even through the goop hahaha. so after about 5 minutes i said "ya rather than sit here and pass out, im gonna go to the hospital" haha so they all said oh ya lets do that. duh?? anyways... i actually stopped by our house and attempted to just super glue it shut, but i couldnt get the blood to stop enough. so sister Tan (my Thai mother) took me the hospital ha. hindsight it is a good thing i went there because i cut the tendon on the inside of my finger clean in half haha. so they had to stitch that back together first (2 stitches) then they stitched me closed with another 3 on the outside. but after getting the bandage changed yesterday, they should have put at least 4 more haha they did terrible. but oh well. they cleaned it and im on some meds to keep away infection and what not so im good with it. oh and when you watch the video just observe how NOT SOFT they do things haha it was terribly painful but it is all good now!! adventure for the week for sure! :) nobody stress. makes for a good story is all. they say anyone who is good at harvesting rice has lots of cuts ;) haha thats what i will tell myself anyway.. November 3, 2015 Photo updates. Conor has not been writing general letters. He chooses to spend his time writing to individuals; so, it may be taking him a little longer to get back to some of you. He appreciates the letters and packages that have been sent and he says that he is doing his best to write back to you and he will soon. Some exciting news for him this last week was that he didn't get transferred! He was excited to stay with Elder Watkins in Sisaket for another 6 weeks. They have 13 investigators that they are currently teaching. He also told us about Brother Hot that he met a few weeks ago. Conor had introduced himself to Brother Hot on a university campus where he is head of security. Brother Hot was smoking 40 cigarettes a day and drinking 6 cups of coffee. The Elders challenged him to cut to 30 cigarettes a day and 5 cups and to draw strength through prayers. They called him 5 days later and he had dropped to 10 cigarettes and completely done with coffee. They had a hard time meeting up with him after that and Conor asked for me to pray for Brother Hot. I shared this and Keaton also started praying for Brother Hot. I told Conor we were keeping him in our prayers and this was the update last week: wow you guys are amazing!!!!!!! thank you so much for your prayers on him! that just gave me the biggest testimony builder yet on the power of prayer because after a week of no contact with him we got him again and now i know why!!! :):):) you guys are the best!!! :) here is the latest update on my main man Brother Hot! finally got a hold of him, in a different way this time.. i refused to let Brother Hot give up on us and not respond to us so i told my companion we are going to find him at the University (where i found him, which is where he works as the head of the Security) and then he wouldnt have a choice but to see us again. so we took off to the university, rolled up to the gates, and told the security guards we needed to see there boss right now (Brother Hot). so they called him up, found out where he was and escorted us through campus to his office. i was on cloud nine when i saw Brother Hot because i knew just looking at him he was doing great and hadnt forgotten us or his Father in Heaven , and his Father in Heaven hadnt forgotten him. sure enough we sat down with him to see how he was and he is down to only 2 cigarettes each day!! (keep in mind we havent been able to talk to him for over a week, so he is doing this all on his own). we asked him how he felt and if he was praying. he said "i am praying and i feel good, i dont even shake anymore when i dont have my cigarettes, i feel that god is helping me". he is soooo awesome and we (and himself) plan to have him baptized this month. the only thing he has to do now is find the time off work because the cigarettes wont be a problem. oh and a little side note to show even more of his faith is the fact that his wife is hard core Buddhist and wont even allow his Book of Mormon is their home (also the wife who built him a giant pyramid of cigarettes so he never runs out. the instigator to his addiction to cigarettes), yet Brother Hot still is pressing forward. he also text us yesterday just so excited to tell us he finally picked up of the Book of Mormon for the first time and read it!!! he was so happy to tell us about it! it is so cool to watch him and others grow in the gospel and makes me wish i would have appreciated it as much as new converts do :) keep praying for Hot!! he is on his way there, and he needs us all! :) 2 weeks of photos! Con wrote a general letter to us because he was so limited on time. As you will see, he is still the same Conor and yet growing so much! so i dont have much time and you are going to be really mad im sure... i have time to send you a short something and hopefully kade as well. dont think i think kade is more important but i havent gotten to write him in three weeks and i am really feeling the need to personally get to him. this week's update is going to have to be real real short and not too exciting.. with that being said, the reason behind not having any time is because i had probably the best day yet here in the mission!!! i wish i had time to send you a bunch of photos and what not but i do not.. i dont even have time to really talk about it. so im going to keep you all on the edge for the next week haha im sorry i know that is not fair but i really cant email any longer. i have to be home by nine so we only bought one hour of time tonight. we just got back into our area so i have had no way of contacting you. so next week i will be sure to respond to everything in your emails and take extra time to email next week to make up for this one!! im really sorry and dont get used to this, it wont happen often at all but i had to take the opportunity today since it was a once in mission opportunity! so i will answer what i can while i can with that out of the way just to ensure you things are good!! i have read both of your emails and appreciate them sooo much :) my family is the best, im blessed! so i will try to answer a few things from both your emails... dont think i am skipping the personal stuff in either one because i want to really expound on my thoughts and feelings with you both and right now i cannot so i am going to next week. for this week i will stay broad and just answer the other stuff. :)as far as conference, we dont get to see it until this weekend! kinda stinks but oh well!!as for kade (and taylor) things will come through. love em and pray for em. (this too is another point i want to expound on when i have the time) im just glad kade is keeping you guys in mind and letting you at least be there to communicate with. that's already a step forward. soooooo many things i want to tell you and talk more about in your emails so forgive me!! in closing though, yes we had my first baptism this week (i did not baptize him, his friend who just got the priesthood did, huge story on them :)) as for my health, i have not been the same since that poisoning haha. even today would have been sooo much better if i was feeling better but i still have rot gut, diarrhea, and feel like i gotta puke some times. they say it happens to everyone so i will wait it out a bit longer... dont freak out or call president, its just the shits really. not anything serious.i still blow at the language of course but the only way is up from here!! im slowly getting it, still worried though.gosh dang i love you guys, and unfortunately i do think about home often and already just want to talk about everything with you here!! but i love you so much and you are always in my thoughts and prayers. im doing well out here! dont even worry! my stomach could help me out and cooperate but thats about the only thing i need! :) oh give keats my love too. i will try to send her something but im not sure... thanks again for everything and sorry to disappoint this week...love you tonsCon Welcome to Thailand, Elder Mitchell! He made it! If you would like to see more of Conor's arrival in Thailand, go to the Thailand Bangkok Mission Facebook page. There are two videos of his arrival that you can see him in, Conor gave me permission to share his testimony from his letter today: just like to share a short testimony... i know this church is the true church and i couldnt imagine myself serving elsewhere. i am so grateful for this opportunity to spread this gospel to thailand and bring joy and happiness to their lives. i cant even explain the happiness, joy, and blessings this gospel has brought to me, especially since being out here serving. i know that God knows each of us individually and does want us to find true happiness in this life and more importantly the life after this one. i know that we are guided by true prophets and that the book of mormon is the word of God. there is no doubt in my mind that God and Jesus Christ live today and they love each and every one of us. if you dont know that, i challenge you to get on your knees and ask. i promise if you do so the Lord will hear you and answer your prayers if you let him and do so with real intent. i love this gospel. i love my family. i know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is so real and that no matter where we stand right now we can all find our way back through our savior. Sept. 16,2014 Bangkok or Bust! Elder Mitchell flew out of SLC on Monday night. He lands in Bangkok today at 9:30 PM which is Wednesday morning at 10:30 there! We were able to speak with him last night while at the airport. He sounded great and excited for the next phase of his adventure. He sent some photos before leaving the MTC and expressed his love for those that he's already served and have served him. My sister, Courtney, shared a snip-it from a letter that Conor wrote her this week. (She had told him that he was a modern day Helaman) Thanks, Court! Helaman... if only i could be half the man he was court ;) haha but thank you very much i will take the nickname with honor and do my best to live up to it!! :) haha you saw that picture huh?! that rain was wild that night!!! misery likes company, so i had to grab some of the other elders and make them break the rules with me to go out there ;) haha ya i guess im still typical cono, cant seem to follow EVERY rule around here haha. gotta stay normal some how right?? being zone leader was such an awesome opportunity!!! i loved it! despite the fact it took away from some of my personal time, it gave me an opportunity to better serve those in my zone and helped me grow and turn outwards. i was the blessed one, they helped me more than i helped them :) ( about the video he shared) YES!! that is my absolute favorite video in this world!!! (even better than 21 Jump Street ;) ...) the more i watch that video and share it with others the more i learn We have one person who will ALWAYS be there, like it or not, who we can turn to. God, he loves us, knows us, and wants us happy. a dear friend to me (Dr. Rich) shared a quote with me before i left. he said this; "Every adversity and every defeat, carries with it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit...IF we look for it" take from it what you will, share with whoever is in need of hearing it. i would give you my stand point on what it means to me, but i want you, and who ever else you wish to share it with, to take it and apply it in your own way. apply both to right now, and in the past. and better yet, keep it in mind for the future. im sorry that was a tangent, got all missonary weird on you there haha i promise im not weird yet!! ; Thanks for the song ( we'll bring the world his truth), I'll remember every time ;) Carry On!! September 4,2014 Only 2 weeks left in the MTC for Elder Mitchell and he will hit mainland Thailand! Two weeks ago he was made a Zone Leader (ZL). Conor oversees 100+ missionaries that are all Asian speaking. A big responsibility but very rewarding. He is becoming more comfortable with the Thai language and is loving and so appreciative of all of the packages and letters from everyone back home. He asked us to watch and share with everyone a Mormon message video called "Wrong Roads" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNQC-_srxH8 He says this video has really helped him. August 21, 2014 Sawaadii Khrab!!! Sabaay dii may kab?! (hello! How are you?!) I definitely feel of the support! I am so blessed and so grateful for everyone and their support. I have tried to set a good example, i know i could have definitely done better but hopefully this mission will help me do so! things are good!! gotta be short once again with this general letter! August 11, 2014 things are good!! gotta be short once again with this general letter! food is great! i have gained 4 pounds so far! pushing for like 10 or 15 so i dont come back a lurp!my comp is still a boss!! love him! also super tight with four other kids here who i will soon send a picture of, but i thought i would just let you know i do have more friends than my companion here haha. the other guys are Elder's: Li, Black, Copley, and MERRELL. merrell is such a stud! best buddies!language is comiing along, still harder than... (insert your own word here) but i will get it!!missing home, missing my friends and family more than ever! miss my dirt bike, my car, house, boat, and everything else but hey i love it out here too so its a fair trade for the short time being.nothing changes around here so dont ever expect much from these emails hahai have made a hit list (one of my roomates included) containing kids i want to pummel before i die. for those of you who know how much i enjoy fighting, that has been my biggest challenge because sometimes these kids just need that. but i will refrain ;)the dorms rock!! wow do they rock!!! i will try to explain more next time because i am getting kicked off but i love you all!! thanks for the support!!if you get the opportunity please please please look up this message! it is amazing! hits home everyitme! it is called "the hope of gods light"!! it is on lds.org or heck you could probably find it on youtube these days. church is cool! talk to you in a week!Elder Mitchell August 4,2014 ( He didn't give me much to work with this week) i truly am doing great! :) of course its hard, i have had a few days where i just dont feel adequate for this and the pace tears me down but over all its awesome!! :)im being more positive than ever before cause i freaking need it more than ever before haha July 28, 2014 alright, for the general letter... sorry to be short but this is hard to write a lot with just an hour ha. i miss home life, i really do! but i dont mind it here at all like most people say. this place is all about attitude and how you choose to approach it. the food is good, people are great, and the work here is exciting! the spirit is always so strong and everyone i s excited to be here so it makes it easier knowing we are all here for the same reason. there is some bad though, dont get me wrong.. i cant stand shaving every day and i have to or they wont let me in class! i know that because i have tried.. the worst part is probably just being on such a tight schedule all day every day. im too layed back for that style but hey i dont have a choice haha so im getting used to it! i am definitely learning so much here an my testimony is growing! there are so many talks here we get to see that are exclusive the mtc and it sucks because i wish you could all here them. they have definitely shaped me and changed a few things about me. but this language is so rough haha and i find myself feeling down about it more than good about it but it is good for humbling me a bit. learning the language has made me rely on the man up stairs a lot more and realize im nothing without him!but enough of the weird missionary talk, im not that guy yet. haha well i dont think i am?? maybe you all can correct me on that. anyways, i hate to keep it short, i will try to get better at giving you all something worth reading, but for now just bare with me ;) haha as a whole, things are great here! hope to hear from you all soon! love yo and miss you all like crazy! someone needs to let me know and keep me updated on how my teams are doing by the way!! (Boston Red Sox and the Denver Broncos)love,Conor July 21, 2014l not any time to send out a general letter like i had planned... so next time.. haha you can share anything i told you guys with anyone. heres what i can quickly say. my companion is a boss!!! Elder Davis is the name and im pretty sure we were meant to be twins. he is from St. Johns, Arizona and is an awesome dude!!! my whole district, (especially my room, freaking rocks! :D most important, my companion loves to lift too ;) MTC. hard, fun, over whelming, food is good, people are amazing, attitude is absolutely EVERYTHING here. love you all!!! |
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