This is my fifth book about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Indochina. This time, my research was into the journals I kept as a missionary. Collectively, they amount to four volumes of handwritten history.

While not mentioned inside the book, I realized that others like me were pioneering missionaries in Thailand. As I thought about when pioneering ended in Thailand, I selected June 18, 1995, when the Bangkok Thailand stake was created by Elder Neal A. Maxwell.

I think I was fair and honest about my experiences, both the highs and the lows. For example, when others in my group were called to be assistants to President Morris, I was disappointed and distraught, and I wrote that. Little did I know that an even more special assignment was coming. Two months later, I was called to work with Sister Srilaksana to complete the translation of the Book of Mormon. In fact I translated the index myself (Sister Sri reviewed it of course).

Chapter 1 - "Decision and Departure"- The chapter includes finishing High School and my first year at the University of Utah. I had an amazing senior year as I was selected as Utah’s Sterling Scholar in Science and was able to be one of two Utah delegates to the National Youth Science Camp in West Virginia.

Chapter 2 - "Learning Thai" This one is all about learning Thai. Let's say it was mighty difficult as Thai is a tonal language with its own alphabet! The fact that there are no spaces between words in a sentence was yet another thing to learn.

Chapter 3- "Born in Khon Kaen"My first assignment was Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand. I had a twenty-six-year-old companion (not my last one either). The challenge with the language was difficult. At this point, the hard part was understanding what the Thai people would say to me. The four missionaries put on a musical number in the Town Square, in hopes of getting more to attend our fourth coming Open House.

After about six weeks, as we were visiting with an investigator, she broke out laughing. Why? Because I had progressed to a level where I could lead the discussion.

Chapter 4 - "Chachoengsao Opening a New City"After just four months in Thailand, I was given a monster challenge. I was called as a senior companion to a new "greenie" who had just arrived, and we were assigned to a new city (Chachoengsao) where there had never been missionaries before. I decided that one thing we needed to do was to introduce ourselves to the people. Somehow, I had no fear in doing just that, even with the mayor of the town. Before I left, I was assigned another green missionary, but this one was 26 years old.

Chapter 5 - "Thonburi - The Big City"I served three months in Thonburi, just across the river from Bangkok. Thonburi had a wonderful little branch. My companion and I engaged in teaching three sisters the gospel. All three were eventually baptized. We also used the members’ help to create soundtracks for church film strips.

Chapter 6 - "Ayutthaya - Preaching the Gospel" I was assigned to Ayutthaya, a town about 60 kilometers from Bangkok. There were four of us. I was assigned to another older missionary who was a native Thai. I had a lot to learn about self-control. My companion asked me many times, "Why do you let these little problems bother you so much?"

The good news was that we had lots of investigators, and many were progressing. We held English classes and Bible Study classes. Why Bible Study classes? Years later, I learned my native Thai companion was first converted to the Bible, and that's why he thought we should teach it along with English.

Chapter 7 "Chiang Mai - Into the Fish Pond" I was sent to the beautiful north of Thailand. The humidity and air temperature were less than in Bangkok.

This was my problem group. My “senior” companion (we were zone leaders) was trunked out, ready to go home. We had a pair of Sister missionaries, one of whom was laser-focused on finding a husband. It was difficult to get much real proselyting done. Couple that with the fact that I was bitten by a dog while riding a bicycle. This led to rabies shots. I was lucky that an American doctor was in town. He was there because his specialty was rabies, and this area of the world is full of rabies.

Chapter 8 "Bangkok - Translating Scripture" I had three special months working with Sister Srilaksana Suntarahut, whom the Lord chose to become the Church's translator for Church materials in Thai. Her conversion was special. It took less than two minutes while reading less than a page in an English copy of the Book of Mormon. For many reasons, she was "the Mother of the Church in Thailand"