Week 6: The Gospel is Burning a Hole in My Pocket

Can't remember if I mentioned this last email but last P-day I got my hair cut for the first time here. Doesn't look too bad. I also got my last vaccination so I'm all ready to go on that front. 

     Random cool thing of the week: finding hidden notes in the MTC. First one to be found was in the bathroom and told us to go look for another note, a scavenger hunt. We waited till we were done for the day and went and found the other note in the ceiling which in turn led us to the final note behind a picture frame on the wall. No grand prize but it did list some emails, so I'll have to see what the elders who hid it have to say. Probably just good job. Second one was in my dorm room. I noticed that this metal plate on the wall had scratch marks like it had been rotated so I got out my screwdriver, undid it, and found a note inside that said; "God loves you." Looks like the same writing from the note that was Elder Millet's bed when we first got here; "You're special."

     Eventful happening of the week, while we were saying the closing prayer after teaching Om Thom the fire alarm went off in our building. Om was saying it and I looked up, wondering if Lookruu would break character, but he finished saying the prayer and said by to us. Turns out there wasn't a fire so it was all good. The alarm didn't stop going off though so we wound up going outside after we were cleared instead of staying inside for class. We practiced reading the Khmae Book of Mormon as companionships. It was the first time I've read a verse and it went pretty well; I've been practicing reading individual words. Six weeks in and I can finally, kind of, read. 

     Cool side note, Lookruu Garlick has been teaching for two years, so when we get to Cambodia he will have taught all the non native missionaries that are there. And he might come visit in a year. It would be so cool to be able to talk to him in Khmae and understand it all. 

     Random: Finished my first planner. It's pretty satisfying to look at all that I've done so far. Then I stop and think I've still got a lot more to go. Here we go!    Also we have twins in our zone. One brother is going to Indonesia and the other is going to Thailand, but both came in on the same day, to the same district. So crazy. But one brother is leaving any day now (visa problems) and the other is here with me for another three weeks.   For Sunday devotional the speaker showed some "Home Front" series Mormon ads. They were pretty funny if anyone wants to look 'em up. Not sure if you can find them... 

     Ok. Coolest experience of the week: skyping a member in Cambodia last night. For TRC we've been teaching return missionaries here at the MTC, but now we are teaching members in Cambodia. Elder Millet and I taught Seihaa (say-ha), which means August. He was probably in his 20's, forgot to ask. It was hard to hear him but I got the gist of what he said and he had great English that he would use occasionally to explain something. We had a good lesson about exercising faith in Christ and invited him to share an experience when he exercised faith and grew. Then we challenged him to apply what he learned from that experience in the upcoming week. Before and after the lesson he said some funny things. When we were just getting to know him he was telling us how it was too hot there. He talked about how he had brown skin; we have white skin, but soon we'll be brown too. He also asked how many missionaries were coming with us and when I said 21 he got the funniest, surprised/amazed face I've ever seen. He also complemented us on our Khmae, said we were really good. It's encouraging, but I know I still have a long way to go. He even said we could probably both be AP's. (Assistants to the mission president, guy in charge of all the missionaries in Cambodia) Not sure if he meant right now or have the potential. I'm going with that he meant we have the potential. He was just so funny, easy to talk to, and awesome.

     The gospel is burning a hole in my pocket and I can't wait to get out to Cambodia and share it with all of God's children there. ​
- Elder Taylor