Email - 3/25/09

Hi everyone!
We are approaching the hot/dry season and the hottest month of the year is the end of April and early May. I’m not sure why it’s the hot/dry season. It stays super humid all the time! Khmer new year is in April. It should be interesting, because everyone goes back to the province they were born in to spend the time with their families, meaning basically none of our investigators will be here, or they will be partying. I wonder what we’ll be doing for those two days. hmmm.

We’re really excited about our chapel. Its going to be massive. The building we’re in now is pretty small, so it should be a nice change. I’ll be long gone from Ta Khmau by the time it’s done though. And yeah, Hong Kong is the closest temple. We don’t get to go though. The branch just did a trip up there this past week! One family from our branch went. It was the branch president’s family. They have a huge family and they were going to be sealed. How awesome. The church pays for the bulk of the trip since there is basically no way a Cambodian can afford the trip. I talked to a bunch of them this Monday and they were all just glowing. You could just feel the spirit coming from them. I can only imagine how it must have been for that family to be sealed together. They have two kids who have served missions, one in the field right now, and a daughter that just got called to the Everett Washington mission. How cool! Another sister from our branch just got her call to temple square too. I’m so excited for them.

Marin is not doing so hot. He did not show up to church on Sunday to be confirmed and receive the Holy Ghost, which is kind of a big deal. We went to talk to him and he said he was watching his neighbor’s kids and couldn’t go. He told us that we have to meet him according to his terms because he had recently made a “master plan” for his life. I just about gave him a master smack (jk). We’re really trying to work with him to get his priorities straight. From now on he can only stay for one hour of church because according to his master plan, he will study the English dictionary at the same time church is. So he can’t stay at church. We’re going to be spending some time with him. I really hope we can help him develop this faith that he apparently does not have.
Tolaa will be baptized this Sunday. We’re so excited for him! He is our all-star. He is so ready and so excited. He keeps telling us he can’t wait for his baptism and confirmation so he can tell people he’s a real member in God’s true church. He’s really excited to bear his testimony too. He’s a great guy and I love him to death. His wife is doing better. Her friend is learning too now, and she’s rock solid. I hope her example encourages Tolaa’s wife a bit more.

The leadership in our branch is really good. We have some solid RM dudes here who help out a lot. We need more of them though. We need some members in the late 20s-30s range. That would help the branch progress so much.
I don’t burn anymore. I’m getting dark pretty quick. I have a good watch tanline going too. By the way, my bike has a bell on it. I wanted one of the squeeze honk horn things, but no go. And yes, all bikes here are all old like that. Mine is actually on the nicer end. It was a $40 bike lol.

We had some great success and some great trials here this week. The days are getting hotter and not too many people wanted to listen this week. But, I know the Lord has prepared those people for this message. We just have to find them.

That’s it for the week! Love,Elder Donnelson