Missionary Mail 4/1/09

This has been a great and pretty interesting week! We had some frustrating, long days but had some great success as well.

We had one investigator who has a baptismal date already and was doing so well! We asked him if he had been reading in the scriptures and praying about it, like we had asked him to try out and he said yes he had, and it gave him a really good feeling when he prayed. He started progressing really fast after that and started coming to church and to activities. Not long after though he apparently made some new friends and we haven’t seen him at church in two weeks and he ditched all three of the appointments we had with him this week. It really hurts because it is becoming apparent that he does not yet understand how much this gospel can help him and his parents. And if he won’t meet us, we can’t help him. It’s a tough situation. I spend a lot of time praying for that kid.

Someone who has allowed his life to be changed by Jesus Christ is Tolaa. That man is amazing, and so full of fire. He lives about twenty minutes away from the church and only has an old bike. His bike was broken but he had said he had a way to get to church. The Sunday of his baptism rolls around and church is starting and he wasn’t there! We snagged a member with a moto to ride out with us so the member could dop him to church. (Give him a ride). Well before we could even ride out through the gate, Tolaa comes walking through the gate, and he had walked for 45 minutes in his torn up sandals to get to church. That is the kind of thing that really makes you sit back and consider your personal faith. For a man who two months ago was in a severe accident and could not walk to come 45 minutes on foot to come and worship this new God that he did not know a few months ago is pure faith. He was baptized after church that day, and his wife and good friend also sacrificed so they could come be there to support him. Elder Moore baptized him. It was such an incredible experience for all three of us. We’re really short on time this week for email but I’ll send pictures net week. He is going to be an amazing member of the church. In his own words he “hopes he can really see our little branch grow!”

Also, we knew there were going to be transfers this week but normally the calls come Tuesday night if you are leaving. Elder Moore has been here for 7 months now so we thought he was gone, but no call last night, so we thought he was staying with us.
This morning, we got the call though, and it looks like he is heading to Phnom Penh 12th branch. I’m more than a little sad. We were just really starting to bond and we were really having some success through the Lord. But I know there are people who need Elder Moore in Phnom Penh. I’m more than a little scared that I’m going to have to know the area and all the investigators houses and all that. There aren’t street signs or addresses or anything like that here so it can be hard (lol). My new companion will be Elder Shipley. He’ll finish out my training. I’m really nervous but I’m going to miss Elder Moore too. It has been a pleasure serving with him and I feel like we have really opened some doors here. The members love him, I hope I can fill his shoes.

Just some funny tidbits from this week –

Most people think I dye my hair. They never see blonde people and it is so hard for them to believe this is real!

There were two huge concerts this week right by our house, and apparently they were both really famous singers here. All the member kids went. They make those concerts free. For the first one, it was about 100 yards away, so we went up on the roof of our 4 story building and took some pictures. It was so loud even inside with all the windows closed!

We also found some strawberry cake mix in the cabinet this week and made cake in the microwave. It was really good. We ate a whole cake during nightly planning.

People here eat these tiny oysters like candy. They are just tiny little things people scrape up out of the river. A member had some when we went to visit (part member family) and offered them to us. They are pretty nasty. They pretty much taste like what you would expect of dirty river oysters. But I have definitely eaten worse.

Speaking of which, we met this old guy named Gon a few weeks back, and he wanted his 20 year old daughter and her husband to learn, so he invited us over. We went and taught a few times, and he is really the only one who retains anything. He is like a crazy sponge for knowledge. He is friends with the District President so knows a little about the church and told us he can never join because he’s a sinner. (drinks and smokes). He has a ton of potential and he loves what we teach. He just doesn’t realize he would be an awesome member. I have high hopes for him! Yesterday we went to teach and they had made lunch for us. They made a common dish called somloh majoo gruen (I have no idea how to spell it in English or Khmer. It is normally not too bad. This however was disgusting lol. They but Brohoke in it, which is this paste stuff they make from rotten fish. They put a TON of brohoke in there and the beef was like chewing on a rubber band. It was really bad. Elder Moore eats just about anything and even he was having some trouble. I swallowed a lot of big chunks of rubber that day.

So when we went to Tolaa’s house last night to teach there were two neak mings (middle aged women) who were shrieking at each other and just screaming and cussing because their kids had gotten in a fight. One of the lady’s other little daughters was sitting over by Tolaa’s house just crying because she was scared. She’s the cutest little kid. A couple weeks ago I taught her to do thumbs up and say oooookay whenever she sees a barang. (They call all white people barangs. it’s the word for french.) Well anyway I saw her crying so I went over and gave her a big smile and a thumbs up and said some stuff to her in Khmer and she just got the biggest smile on her face. She cheered right up and came and sat in Tolaa’s house while we taught and to get away from the yelling. It is really amazing what a few kind words and a smile can do for these kids. It is the happiest thing in the world for them when you tell a little boy how cool his shirt is, or a little girl how pretty her shoes are or something. That’s probably the fastest way I cheer myself up when I’m down. I just wave at a little kid and smile as we ride by the watch their faces light up. There is nothing sweeter than a little kids joy. It brightens my day every time.

Ok, well Email is short today; we have to get everything done quickly so Elder Moore can pack!
Love you! Elder Dinosaur