Week 35: One Year Ago.....

A year ago this week I got my call and my wonderful family dropped everything and drove to Provo to see me open my call at 11:30 at night. Opening my call was the best and most overwhelming feeling I've ever felt. I know that God needed me here in Cambodia but I also know that I needed these specific experiences in Cambodia to help me become the person God wants me to be. I love my mission!

Another amazing week in Cambodia! But, I am having a hard time recalling what happened.....

I teach English class twice a week and it is so important because about 90% of our investigators come from English class! I teach the intermediate class which means I speak mostly English in the class and if they do not understand me I will translate into Khmer. At the beginning of my last class I asked a question in English and everyone looked at me confused so I translated it and a girl in the front row gasped and said, "She knows Khmer!" White girls speaking Khmer is always shocking to them. lol. Trying to teach the Cambodians to say, "Th" is the funniest thing. We always tell them to put their tongue in between their teeth and say, "Thhhhh" but it always comes out "sssssss". Anyway, we started class with an opening prayer and explained that we pray to thank God for this church building and to ask God to help us learn Khmer.  At the end of class we shared a 10 min spiritual thought and then many usually stay and visit! Its great! We get a ton of referrals from it! This week a girl came up to Sister Om and I and said, "I noticed that when you pray, you close your prayers in Jesus Christ. I do too! I am Protestant. I am wondering since we all worship one God but why do we have so many churches?" Such a good question.  There are so many churches who believe in the same God but yet there are hundreds of them. IF we have one God, It would make sense that we would have one true church. We answered her question and shared with her the restoration. It was amazing. I love seeing how God prepares people. Sadly, she is not in our area but I hope that she will be able to figure out for herself if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored Church with the fullness of the Gospel.

Our mission just received a group of new missionaries! It is weird to see Sisters younger than me in the mission! Because they were new they all had a training. I live with the Sister Training Leaders so when everyone came into the city to go to the training they all stayed at our house! It was so fun! 10 Sisters in one house and only two bathrooms with 1.5 showers.... (its 1.5 because one of the showers in broken..) It was a party! We put all the bed mats out in our front room and had a "sleep over". Super fun!!

I love my companion! She is SO GOOD. I know I say that about all my companions but they are all so great. One thing that Sister Om does that I appreciate is when we are contacting and I speak, people will not listen to me and will look to my companion to say it for me because they know she is Khmer, BUT she will not say it for me. I love that so much! It helps me a ton! It makes me feel like she's respectful of my efforts to learn their language. It is soooo kind of her. I am teaching her English and she is teaching me Khmer. Its perfect! 

 

No pictures this week. Sorry. I'm at a sketchy internet cafe and I can't get pictures to download. Oh fun times in Cambodia!!

Week 34: SISTER OMMMMMM!!!

Hello! This last week was transfers so it was pretty crazy but I can't think of anything that happen... 

But I do have a new companion!!!!]

In case you didn't read my last email (which I'm sure a lot of people have stopped reading them... Its fine. I'm fine..) my new comp's name is Sister Um (but you say it like Om) and she is amazing!! She is from the city and we actually serve only 30 mins from her house! It would be like me serving in Nampa! Super Hard! But she is needed in this area! She is 28 years old and loves making food! Her testimony is so powerful. She was actually part of the Baptist church until she started having questions that the church was not able to answer. Her mom was a member and she started taking the lessons and was baptized! And then her sister was baptized and her dad followed! And now her family will all be going to the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity! SO happy for them! When she testifies of how the gospel can help your family it is so powerful. She has experienced first hand how when you understand the Savior and God's love for you, you start to love deeper within your family because you realized that your family can live together for forever. I love teaching that concept to people and allowing them to have the hope that there is more than just this life. 

Well I don't have a ton of stories so I'll update you on one of our investigators!

We have a girl named bong Vanarowet (I have no idea who to write that in english) who is married to an American who is a member already! She knows some English which is how they communicate! She knows a lot about the church because of her husband and when they lived in America for five years they found missionaries who knew Khmer that could teach her but sadly the missionary got transferred! They tried with other missionaries but learning the gospel in your own language is hard but to learn about it in your second language is very difficult. Now, they are in Cambodia and waiting for a visa for one of their kids! Sadly, her husband had to go back to America to work while she stays here until they can get a visa! She is so good and so ready! Thanks to her husband, she knows a ton about the gospel and knows all the commandments and has been living them already. We have a date for her baptism next month and I asked her if she had told her husband yet. She said she had and he wants to baptize her but she would have to wait two more months until he has time off. She said that she didn't want to wait any longer to get baptized. "I have been waiting five years to become a member. I don't think I can wait any longer!" She truly is one of the elect God has prepared. I am so happy because they are planning on getting sealed in a year and hopefully they are in America by that point! I hope that if everything works out, I will be able to see them be sealed to each other for time and all eternity!

Okay I have to go! I love you all! Bye bye!! Happy Valentines day! 

**When a missionary is done with their mission we call it "dying" and because I was her companion before I "killed her"

 **Sister Sung!

 ***The "super clean'" market we go to!  

 ***DON'T LOOK JESSIE!!!! Wilber, is that you?? 

Week 33: Staying in CKM... YES!!!!!

I just want to start off saying CONGRATS KADEN ON WEBER STATE! So excited for you! Can't wait to see your football games when I'm back! I'm seriously so proud of you! I have told everyone in the internet shop, even the random Khmer people who have no idea what Football is. So proud of my brother!

So I got my transfer call! I am staying and I will have a new companion Sister Um! I have never met her but I have heard all about her and earlier this week I met her family on an exchange! Her dad was telling me all about her and how proud he was of her! He showed me all these pictures of her and told me stories about her mission! I love her family! What I know about her so far is she is from Cambodia, she has two more transfers left, and is good at making food! She sounds amazing to me!  I am also so happy I am staying in CKM also! I am not ready to leave!!

My exchange this week was with Sister Hall and Sister Jin! They are so fun! I loved serving with them because they made everything a party! Sister Jin made the most deklicious dish! When you translate it, it is called Curry and bread. I think it was the best thing I have ate in Cambodia. I am going to learn how to make it.

**Recent convert in TTp, Sister Sung, Sister Suen, and Barbie looking me. My sweaty face looks waxy. This is the trio I was in.

We had zone conference this week! I love President and Sister Christensen so much! I remember when I got my call someone told me that another reason I was called to Cambodia was because of my mission presidents and I 100% agree with that. I love them so much! Sister Christensen shared a video about learning a language that I just loved. (I know I share about Language a lot but I'm not going to lie, it is my biggest weakness and biggest trial for me in my mission.) It said,"It is a revelatory privilege." That really hit me. For everyone that is called to serve and speak a different language, God has given them this gift, this opportunity to learn the language. So cool. 

Yesterday two girls showed up at church and wanted to go to sacrament! So we told them to come back at 1 for the next meeting! The meeting started and they didn't show up so I thought they ditched on us, which is normal (it's fine, I'm fine), but I got a call from the elders saying that they were waiting for us downstairs. I went downstairs and couldn't find them anywhere! I knew there was a baptism in the international branch in one of the rooms so I peeked in to see if they were in the room and they were! We watched the baptism and when they came out they asked, "When can we be baptized?"(Yesssss) It was a perfect set up. It is cool to see how God seeks out the ones who are truly ready to learn. CKM is doing great! We got a bunch of investigators this week! I am excited to be with Sister Um and work with these new investigators! 

Week 32: Two things I want to share

 I am so thankful for the support I have from family and friends while I am on my mission. I may have taken it for granted and didn't realize how much it helps me. I am also so thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know when we are going through a trial or experiencing sorrow and pain there is someone who 100% understands what we are going through. Whether that be receiving news of a loved one having cancer, being overwhelmed about the future, or the feeling before entering the mission field, Christ understands exactly how we feel. We can always rely on him and turn to him when we help.  I am so thankful for the Atonement in my life and having the opportunity to share it with the people of Cambodia! 

So..... I am in a trio now! Sadly, SIster Heang found out her mom is very sick last Monday and has no one to help her. President has allowed her to be released until she feels like her mom is healthy enough to come back on her mission! We don't know exactly when, but she fully anticipates on coming back! She only took two small backpacks home and left the rest! Either way, she has to come back to get all her stuff! That girl has so much faith and is amazing! I feel like she trained me more than I trained her.  We agreed that in heaven we were best friends. I love her so much. 

My new companions are Sister Sung and Sister Suen! We have all been living in the same house so it wasn't too big of a change! They are both from Cambodia and we will be together until Feb 8 (transfers).

They are so fun! Sister Suen only has two weeks left on her missions. She is such a good cook and has the coolest conversion story! (Her uncle in America gave the Temple Square Sisters her number and they taught her the first couple lesson over the phone before she found the missionaries in Cambodia!)  Sister Sung is a little ball of sunshine. She has the prettiest hair ever! When you see a picture you will agree with me. She has a goal to be on The Voice in Cambodia (Yes, Cambodia has their own "The Voice". It's really big here. She and I served in the same zone in my training. She likes to learn funny phrases and so far I have taught her "Gucci", "Guess what.... Chicken Butt", and "It's no biggy." She is teaching me the traditional dance for Cambodia and I am teaching her how to Waltz (even though I don't really know how too.. but she thinks its pretty!). I am learning a ton from both of these sweet Sisters, espeically about the culture! It will be a fun two weeks with them.

The Office Elders called Sister Heang and I last week and asked us to help make a work out video for the mission. They asked the most in shape Elders and Sisters to make it. In the words of Sister Sung ,"It's no biggy." Jokes. I'm just kidding. LOL

A few weeks ago when I was with SIster Semones she told me to eat this "really yummy fruit" so of course I did and it was the grosses thing I have ever had! It tasted like I was eating puke. I would eat a tarantula over that fruit any day! Well, I had another encounter with it. We were at a recent convert's and she was so happy we came to her house! She is the happiest, most loveable person I have ever met. In Khmer culutre they show their love for you by giving you food! She came out with this foot long melon looking fruit. She gave me HALF of it! I was crying while I was eating it. I told her it was because I had something in my eye. I was also trying so hard not to gag. I ate it as fast as I could. MISTAKE... she thought I wanted another one.... haha  I about died. I convinced her I was full already and that I'm just a fast eater.  aahhhh I am gaging just thinking about it. 

We were eating out one day and usually when we eat out, I dont ask what it is we are eating. I have found sometimes it is better to just not know and pray it will taste good instead. While we were eating SIster Sung turned to me and said, "Guess what... CHICKEN BUTT" and pointed to the meat! hahaha   Chicken butt is actually really good!

In English class this week we had a new student, BUT she was French! She wanted to learn English! The only problem is none of us know french! Since she was a female I was the only one that could help her! Through Itranslate and acting things out, we were about to communicate! I learned some french also! It's so different compared to Khmer! 

Probably one of the worst songs to hear on your mission is Home by Blake Shelton or Michael Bublé. We live next to KTV Club and ever night around 8:30, right as we go to bed they play it LOUD. Yaap (in khmer this means annoying.) 

Shout out to Liv D for entering the MTC this week! I am so excited for you Sister Demordaunt! Sweden needs you!! and Shout out to The Smith Family and Ben Cochran for the Christmas letters! It was so fun to get my first two letters in Cambodia! There is hope! Letters can actually get here!  Thank you again! 

I love you all so much! Everyone should go and try to help the missionaries in your area! I KNOW they would really appreciate it! 

Thank you and love you!