Actual Mission Stories: Two Good Guys

Two Good Guys

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

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Date: December 1970 (Story by Duane R. Hurst, © October 1973)

[NOTE: This story is based on actual events, but I changed the names of other people involved.]

      Elder Suthers and I made a habit of setting the next day's goals each evening. Sometimes I thought we weren't being specific enough. So I set a goal of meeting "two good guys."

      "What kind of a goal is that?" Elder Suthers demanded. "Meet two good guys--that sounds dumb." Despite the reaction to my proposal, I maintained that it was a valid goal and expected to fulfill it the next day.

      I looked at my co-senior. We had lived in the same Samsen District house in Bangkok, but not as companions. He had then been senior to another Elder from my group during our first days in Thailand. Elder Suthers was big all over--not fat, just big. He also was skillful with the language and enjoyed teaching.

      I hadn't cared much for him in Bangkok, since he tended to brag and dominate conversations. However, now halfway through my own mission and made co-senior to him, I determined to be good friends and have success together. We got along very well from our first day working in Chiang Mai, a lovely city in north Thailand.

      I was extremely happy to be upcountry and out of Samsen. Bangkok indeed was wonderful and I met many fine people there. My sole reason for wanting the change was a need to be somewhere new. I had spent eleven months in the same location! Members and investigators usually felt sorry to see Elders transferred out of an area because we often stayed only a few months. In my case, however, they no longer showed concern. They assumed that I would always be in Samsen. I told them I came with the furniture and the mission didn't want to break up a set. It's a good thing I didn't "introduce myself" to the mission president during the last conference as I had planned, or I would have gone to the mission home rather than be transferred to the best city in Thailand.

      Sure enough, the morrow was beautiful. Slight breezes tugged at us as we pedaled our heavy clunker bikes down narrow, winding lanes in the Tinkering Area (where many artisans pounded silver metal into shapes). Shade trees invited us to share a few moments. A few lazy clouds floated near Doi Suthep, the mountain nearest Chiang Mai.

      We began pedaling a bit slower through an intersection and up a slight incline when I noticed a teenage Thai boy walking along the road ahead of us. He wore a white tee-shirt, jeans and flip-flops. As he continued walking toward us, a strange feeling nagged at my mind--a recognition of something important was trying to catch my attention. We passed the boy with smiles.

      My companion and I exchanged surprised looks. "Did you see that?" asked Elder Suthers. "Yes," I replied while glancing back at the boy. "Well, what do you think we should do?" I gazed at Elder Suthers and stated, "Let's go back and talk to him." We rushed back to the Thai.

      A familiar half-moon shape had caught our eyes. The supposed tee-shirt was the top of temple garments. I was sure that the teenager was too young to have received them in the proper manner. We had to know where and how he had gotten them.

      The boy was surprised to see us come back. A second young man came out of a nearby house and greeted the garment-wearer. The first fellow explained to my companion that his "sleeping clothes" were very comfortable and that he got them from a friend of his. We later learned that the friend's mother had once been a maid to the Elders who first opened Chiang Mai. She had been fired for stealing, but no one had ever mentioned missing garments.

      Elder Suthers became quite emphatic that only certain members of our church were allowed to wear such clothes. He offered to buy them back. He further suggested that we might be compelled to seek official help, although we much preferred to pay a fair price for their return.

      The young man became quite agitated. I felt sorry for him since he had not done anything wrong. Nevertheless, we knew our responsibility lay in recovering the garments. Elder Suthers offered a large sum, which amounted to all the money he had with him.

      Throughout the exchange the second fellow listened and began to urge his friend to sell the clothes. He supported our position, pointing out that it was wrong to keep something a different religion regarded so highly. He also urged his friend to take the money. His urging was so effective that the first young man became excited and decided to accept our offer.

      He said, "I'll do it! But I don't have anywhere to change." His friend offered his home and the first boy went inside while the second stayed outside talking to us. A few minutes later the boy returned. He was subdued and refused to take any money. I suppose he felt that we might report him to the police. Elder Suthers again offered the money but the boy refused to take it. We thanked them both and returned home.

      During our nightly goal-setting I smiled and pointed out, "You see, we met last night's goal. I wanted to find two good guys--and we did. One urged his friend to give us the garments, and the other decided to do what was right. Let's continue being specific and realistic is setting our goals." My companion grunted, then smiled.