Prep Day 2 Email

Hey family!
This has been a great week, and way, way busy!
The hot dogs we had last week were pretty good! They were probably pork; they just aren’t like American hot dogs. They put mayonnaise on them here, which is really weird. We took them back to the church and the four of us watched a movie. OH, I don’t think I told you guys! We can watch movies in our mission. Any animated Disney/Pixar movie is approved, along with twenty or so others; including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of The Rings, Eragon, and National Treasure etc. It’s pretty awesome! We watched Monsters Inc. last week.
Food has been interesting! Rice is eaten with every meal here. The food isn’t bad at all. It takes getting used to, thats for sure, and it wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s good. My favorite thing right now is chaa mnoah sac koo, a rice dish (obviously) with a mix of pineapple and beef and veggies that you put over rice. It’s really good.
I have a great food story for you! We went to Tolaa’s house (man we are teaching) one night to spend some time with them and work with his wife some. She can’t read so she can’t read the Book of Mormon meaning she learns slower and is taking longer to develop faith. So anyway, they’re really poor and we always bring them little snacks that we eat together while we teach but I think Tolaa was disappointed that they never had anything to give us. So, earlier that day he had his Uncle kill a dog, and what did we find when we went over that night? A big steaming platter of dog meat! He was so happy that he had something to share with us, so we chowed down. Honestly it wasn’t bad! I wouldn’t eat it by choice, but I ate it! Now I can tell people I’ve eaten dog. Most people here will never eat dog, or if they have they will mostly deny it.
Right now we are not teaching any full families. I think about something Brother Masters told us in the MTC and it helps me to understand why most people aren’t interested in Christianity at all. He said the people have come to accept the harsh mercies of an unreal god. And then on the other hand, when they do decide to learn, this is what he said about them. For a people who have come to accept the harsh mercies of an unreal god, learning of a Father in Heaven who loves us, and can truly bless us, it is earth shattering! That’s what I want to bring to people. I want to help them overcome the complacency they have with their uncaring god. If I can help one person here understand this gospel and understand the love of The Father for them, I will have had success. It’s a hard work, but it can be so rewarding!
When we teach we switch off, but its still mostly Elder Moore teaching. I teach too but small parts. The language is coming along, but I definitely notice a difference on the days I didn’t work as hard in my language study. Although when I’ve done everything I can and trust the rest to the Lord, it is an awesome experience.
We are actually having a baptism next week; I’m pretty excited about that.
Investigators here take a very long time to progress, that’s just how it is. We’re teaching most people over like 3 months before they get baptized. That’s just the way it is when you teach people who have no knowledge of the gospel or of Christianity.
Ok, so a rundown of a day in the life of the Takhmau east missionaries.
We wake up at 5:30 and have exercise time until 6 (which we don’t always use.). It’s hard to work out knowing you’re going to be on a bike all day lol. We have until 7:00 to be showered and dressed and have eaten breakfast. 7-8 is personal study, 8-9 companion study and 9-10 language study. At 10 we leave the house and start the work. We normally have 4-5 appointments scheduled for the day, the rest of the time is tracting and occasionally we have meetings. We have lunch anywhere between 11 and 3, depending on when we have time. We’re supposed to be in by 8:30 every night and we barely make it most nights. It’s very, very busy.
The city is pretty cool. We work in the city itself, ad the countryside and small villages all around as well. People here do all kinds of things, anything from pick fruit to sell shampoo. It’s a rough life and I don’t really know how people get by..
We have zone conference tomorrow! I’m so excited. We’ll be in Phnom Penh all day for it and Elder Perkins of the Asia Area Presidency is coming. It should be so cool! I’m saying the opening prayer though and it has to be in English... I have only prayed in English 2 or 3 times in the past 2 months! I’m a little nervous. Elder Moore said last time he prayed at one of those things in English he kept accidentally saying Khmer words! It should be an amazing, spiritual day though. I’m really excited.

In closing, I wanted to share this with you

The Standard of Truth
The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
Doctrine And Covenants 4
Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; for behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; and faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

Ok, well thats it for this week! I love and miss you all! Elder Donnelson

Preparation Day

Week one - excerpts from Taylor's email

Helloooooooooooo!
Today is Wednedsay for me. I think it's Tuesday night for you guys. The mission home was cool. It’s a big nice house in Phnom Penh. It was the 4 of us and 6 natives staying over night and there was also a MASSIVE transfer the next day - almost the entire mission. 9 people finished their missions that day too. Pres Winegar is awesome, and is a great and inspired man. He understands Khmer completely and speaks it alright. The next day everyone came to the mission home for transfers and at 1:00 that day I met my trainer Elder Moore from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been out 6 months and is an awesome trainer. I was surprised I didnt get a native trainer but even more surprised that out of the 10 new trainers, only 2 were native - Pretty incredible. This trainer is great though. President was inspired to put me with him.
As for the area I’m serving in .......TA KHMAU, just southeast of Phnom Penh. I love it so much; this is an amazing area. There are only 4 missionaries here for the whole area and we live in the same apartment. It’s very different from any apartment you’d see in the U.S. It’s nice and everything, just a different style building. The other two elder's with us are Elder Allred and Elder Jensen (Elder J. has been here over a year and a half), but the rest of us are young. The Lord must have a lot of trust in us. It is a lot of responsibility! We are the front lines in God's army in this part of Cambodia. Every day we ask people we teach if they have seen us before and almost every single time, they say no. There is a lot of work to be done. The work is great but the laborers are few? I think that’s how it goes.
Ta Khmau branch is amazing, absolutely amazing. People have their problems like anywhere else, but these people do the best they can with what they have and strive every day to be the best people they can be. We have a brand new branch president and these people have an incredible amount of faith.
The youth of the branch are amazing! They are truly the backbone of the branch and there is a decent group of them who fellowship new youth or investigators, etc... the best part is that people go on splits with us all the time. It is so incredible and the youth's ability to teach is amazing. We have 2 or 3 lessons taught with members per day and a lot of times they are just like eh i don’t have any plans can I come teach more with you? It is so cool.
As for bikes, there is no such thing as a new bike. The bike I bought from the store was used and pretty old but its tough and has carried me through some rough places already. Only one thing has broken on it so far which is amazing. It’s a tough old bike!
We're moving into the hot dry season so obviously its really hot during the day. It hasn't rained in Ta Khmau since I've come but it will soon enough! It’s very hot, but it’s going to keep being hot no matter how mad I get at the sun! I'm loving every minute. The sun got me good though, my arms were burnt and gave people something to laugh about for a few days. They say something as I ride by and I respond and they're always just like oh man the barang understands, oops. By the way, all white people here are barangs (French). I’m also much bigger than your run of the mill Cambodian and that allows for some fun.

So, about the work! We normally have 5 or so appointments per day which also means about 5 hours per day of finding (tracting). We go out and just talk to people, teaching and trying to find people who want to learn. its hot exhausting work, but salvation was never easy as Elder Holland says.
A lot of people have said the first week is really hard and your first Sunday kills you because you understand nothing and you're exhausted. I was very, very blessed to have great companions and amazing teachers in the mtc. I did not have a bad experience my first week. This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. Don't get me wrong, it has also been the hardest of my life, but so, so rewarding. I don't understand most of what is being said and I feel useless sometimes when we teach because I can't really say much but when the Lord has something He needs me to say, it has been brought into my mind and I have been able to speak and fully understand full portions of the conversations. The language sounds completely different from in the mtc but its still recognizable as Khmer. The members on the other hand are much easier to understand since they slow down a little bit around us so we can listen and learn. To sum that up, they are so, so great.
So on the first Sunday I was sitting in sacrament meeting with a family, by the youngest daughter who I think is like 12, and she was telling me to go bear my testimony! I wanted to but I figured I could make it a good opportunity and got her to promise me she would bear hers after if I went. She promised, so I went and bore my testimony and then she did not! lol. She played me like a flute but it was a great opportunity. We also taught the new investigator class that day and it went really well!

FYI- Pday for me is Wednesday (which is your Tuesday).
I know now more than ever that this work is the most important on the earth. We're at war, fighting against Satan for the salvation of souls. Here in Ta Khmau we're greatly outnumbered, or so it would seem but I can tell you with confidence and faith, that I know we're not. D&C 84:88 assures me of that. We're never alone. After five hours of finding in 90 degree heat with 90000% humidity, after frustrations and rejections and we're ready to quit that is when the angels lift us up. We are the most prayed for and well protected group of people in the World. Here in Ta Khmau with the Lord we will never falter. The worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God, and I love each and every one of these people (even the monks who glare at us). For the next two years I have the chance to dwell among this people and share with them a gift of immeasurable worth. Keep us in your prayers and know that we will not fail. We are representatives of Jesus Christ. This is my job. How cool is that? This is it! It does not get any more real.
To Corey and Dylan back home, Congrats on your calls guys! It’s a shame we couldn’t be in the MTC together. Work hard and pray harder.
Love, (the sweaty and soon to be skinny)Elder Donnelson

A few more from week one...

A few pics from Elder Donnelson's 1st week in Cambodia!