Hmong Food Fest - newly acquired culinary skills

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7 baptisms in 2 months

Baptism of a Hmong boy. Elder Forsyth and Elder Hill found and helped

to reactivate the family and the father was able to carry out the ordinance

of baptism for his son. What a joy for that family!

A wonderful Hmong family that Elder Forsyth has been teaching. The mother is waiting to be baptized until her sons decide to commit... BUT-----

Here are her 3 beautiful daughters... Pa Ngia, Yer and Ia...

who entered the waters of baptism. My heart is overflowing.

Look how radiant they are.

Xaiv quov yog!

(Choose the Right)

From Elder Forsyth's last email...

"You know, I've really been seeing alot of miracles the past 4 months. I honestly believe it's because we're doing what God would have us do. I am trying my best to teach of Christ and center all I do on Christ. One important part of that is striving to obey the apostles words to us missionaries as well as President Howell's words. As we have done this, we've seen amazing results. This will be 7 baptisms within 2 months for the Branch, which is really huge. 6 of those are convert baptisms. It's really good for the members to see this. They're all getting a 'missionary fire' and a hope and zeal in their own lives. As we've been bringing members with us their own lives have been changed around as well. We've seen our best less-active program come by bringing the people with us to teach lol. They feel the spirit that comes through testimony. In the Doctrine and Covenants it talks about this. It says something along the lines that...When you bear testimony of Christ then angels record it in Heaven. Ye are sanctified through this testimony...Anyway, that's a terrible summary, but it's true. It's a principle. The testimony of Christ is the spirit of revelation. No one can have the spirit unless he is clean. You are cleansed through the spirit. SO, as we testify of Christ, we therefore receive the spirit which in turn cleanses us so that He can continue to dwell in our hearts. Isn't it amazing? That's why testimony meeting is so good I think, because we experience the cleansing power of the blood of Christ which comes through the Holy Ghost."

Happy Birthday, Elder Forsyth!!!!

In the news...

Elder Forsyth and his companion were assigned by President Howell to be "shadowed" for a day by a local newspaper reporter for the main Twin Cities newspaper. Here they are on an appointment with a Hmong family.

The Hmong NEW YEAR celebration in the Twin Cities!

All the Hmong Elders in the Twin Cities.

The Elders set up a booth at the Hmong New Year festivities

and got about 100 referrals.

Beautiful Hmong costumes.

Elder Forsyth looks good in pink!

Back at the apartment...

Elder Forsyth claims that living conditions are better on his mission than they were at home. Okay ---- if he's sleeping in BATHROOM, how bad were things at home? LOL

Actually, he wrote a very funny letter home telling us how great he has it on his mission...

no one steals his food, he only has to share the bathroom with one other person.

He'd better enjoy the "good life" while he has it.

Definitely not the Taj Majal!

Elder Forsyth & Elder Hill

Elder Forsyth has really enjoyed cooking while on his mission.

His favorite companion... (another) Elder Hill from CA.

At the "Frat House"

Elder Forsyth is in the Twin Cities

Elder Hadlock (l) and Elder Forsyth (r) with a Hmong member.

Elder Forsyth was recently transferred from La Crosse, Wisconsin to St. Paul, MN. He is looking forward to celebrating the Hmong New Year in St. Paul. He and the other Hmong missionaries will set up a booth and have the opportunity to mingle with 100,000 Hmong potential converts! The field is ripe, and they are ready. Here are a few excerpts from a recent email that Elder Forsyth sent home. In case you don't get the message... He. Loves. His. Mission.



"We have a Branch here of 60-80 members and it's just amazing. These people are so amazing and so humble it's unbelievable. You can feel the love radiating from all of them as you meet them. The old ladies are the best. They are such angels. It's impossible to not fall in love with these Hmong people. Their traditions and culture are so wonderful and they are the friendliest people I've ever met.



It's amazing here mom. There's so much dark and gloom everywhere and yet nothing even competes to the brightness of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! We taught a lesson the other day to this teenage boy who's older brothers are gang members. His older 2 brothers were shot and killed and his other 2 are in gangs. Anyway, they had like 10 of their buddies over while we were teaching and in the middle of our lesson we turned on The Restoration movie about Joseph Smith. It was so awesome to see 8 gangsters sitting around sipping beer and watching a movie on the Restoration. The spirit was way strong and they respect us alot. They know what we're about and the fact that we learn their language makes them respect us all the more. They're really all just lost kids at heart. They've seen alot of bad stuff and honestly, they were just thrown into a completely different world than they knew before. Alot of kids go their path, but that's what we're all about saving as many of them as we can. :)



Everything is set up for the avalanche to just hit. I feel such an amazing spirit here. You don't truly know what it means to love someone until you serve them with every fiber of your being and yearn for their eternal salvation. I love these Hmong people so much. They are such an amazing people. It's such an amazing opportunity to serve them! The world is in turmoil, but the gospel is being spread to every nation, kindred, and tongue! What a huge blessing we have to be members of the church and to receive the blessings of the temple! :)





Elder Forsyth also reports that while he hasn't been able to attend the temple yet, it is next door to his stake center, so he's looking forward to attending soon. He also had the opportunity to eat squirrel last week at one of his dinner appointments, but assures me that turkey will be on the menu for Thanksgiving.

First Pictures from the Mission Field

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Elder Forsyth ran into a few friends from back home...

The boys aren't "back in town", but they're all together again.

What I'd give to hear them sing!

(l-r: ?, Elder Mitch Westhoff, Elder Forsyth, Elder Sean Cardon

& the infamous Elder Kendall Monnett)

Elders Forsyth & Westhoff

If Mitch is this much taller than Adam, the Chinese

are going to break their necks looking up at him!

Wow! Lookc! Its (Elder) Goold!

cElder Taylor Manuele and Elder Forsyth

(where did all of Taylor's hair go???)

From the Mission Field...

Elder Forsyth's first area is in La Crosse, Wisconsin!

Adam lives on 6th Street, which is just 6 blocks away from this bridge that spans the great Mississippi River flowing out of Lake Onalaska. This pictures gives a good view of what winter will look like in a few months...

Elder Forsyth made it to the mission field in one piece, though barely. He writes of his travel...

"So today has been awesome/terrible. My attitude is great! I'm so excited to be here, but I'm sick. :-( I've had a head cold for two weeks, so waking up after three hours of sleep was no good. Also, I get sick on airplanes. No bueno! We had two separate flights. Honestly, its just a combination of being sick with the head cold. I had a headache, my stomach was going up and down, and I was dead tired. LOL! Oh, wait... I still am. Its all good. When we flew into Minneapolis it was raining hard core. Needless to say once the turbulence kicked in, I was a goner. I actually thought I was going to make it, but as soon as we touched ground, up came lots of fluids. Luckily, I didn't have breakfast. So the weather... WOW! Its downpouring! Seriously. Talk about a flood. Also, apparently, there are tornadoes in Southern Minneapolis, somewhere. Great stuff. Love it, though. :0) Its very muggy, but its also very good, temperature-wise.

The Mission President and his wife are awesome! What good people! I love the people involved in missionary work. :0) All of them are great!"

From a second page, written the following day...

"So my new companion is Elder Lauj. He's a native Hmong speaker, but he grew up in the U.S. so he knows both English and Hmong very well. I'm his first trainee so it'll be awesome. Best part? We're serving in La Crosse, Wisconsin! We're on the most eastern part of the mission boundaries. Elder Hill & Elder Hunter (his Hmong comps from the MTC) were sent to the big city (Minneapolis). There's just us, the two Hmong Elders, and four English Elders up here. Myself and Elder Lauj are with 2 Elders and we're in South La Crosse. The other 2 Elders are in Northern La Crosse. There's only 2 active families coming to church speaking Hmong, and then a few here and there. There's many less-actives, I guess. Can I just say that, honestly, I feel a great work to be done! I'm SO excited! So my new name is Elder Pab Zeb Xyoos. Zyooj is the last name of the woman who named me, so I take her name and become her "son" in a way here. Also, Pab Zeb means "rock" in English because she wants me to be steadfast and immovable in my diligence and commitments."

Elder Forsyth also writes...

"President Howell really has seen strong opposition from Satan in the Hmong area and says that it's because there is a such a great work to do. I agree with him! There is so much work to be done."

Elder Forsyth says that mail will get to him faster if you sent it to him directly...

Elder Adam Forsyth

1413 S. 6th Street #6

La Crosse, WI 54601

He also says not to send Fed Ex packages to the mission office, as they cannot forward them.