Week 12-13: Baptisms and Confirmations:
"The power of God is real and as we do His work and His will he blesses and enables us."
Week 12:
I have to go. Don't know why I saved this email for last but here are some photos and I'll try to explain more next week!:
Week 13:
So last week I was really running out of time and this week I have a little more but still not a ton. Recap: We had two baptisms. Both have been learning for long before I got here and it was really cool to see the conversion of these two wonderful men through the efforts of previous missionaries. This week both were confirmed and now have the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost! Seeing their joy is quite happymaking. I had the opportunity to confirm lookpoo Jan from PrayCho. I didn't know all the words for the beginning in Khmae, but Elder Schiefer helped me out and then I was able to take it from there. Other photos: a cute Khmae baby playing with my Rubik's cube. Selfies at a Buddhist temple. Elder Schiefer biking through flooded streets looking like a ghost to prevent mud flipping off his tire onto his shirt.
This week:
So a couple weeks ago I mentioned I lost my wallet. Well last week I was praying and asking God to help someone find it even though I knew it was probably lost for good. Right as I was praying I remembered that I had thrown my wallet into my bike basket as I was rushing to catch up with the other elders that had pulled out faster than me from Krispy Kreme donuts. So I called the Mission Home where the bike I had borrowed was and they said they would check and get back to me in five minutes. Didn't hear from them all that day. Called again the next day and this time they really did check and they found it! Way happymaking moment. Then yesterday (Sunday) I got my wallet because a senior couple from Phnom Penh came up to discuss details for the upcoming openhouse for the new church building. Also last week on Monday I got a flat tire (no, two weeks ago?) anywho I've been riding a less quality bike and I just got my new tube from Phnom Penh with my wallet and now I can ride my nice bike again.
One day when we went out to PrayCho, one member and investigator surprised us and had some cool treats for us to try out. So we sat on a rock on a road through the rice fields and ate delicious food. It was so beautiful. Waves of green rice blowing in a cool breeze with dragonflies dancing and glinting their wings in the soft sunlight from the cloud spattered sky. It was pretty much one of the best hours of the week.
I got the chance to eat some coagulated pig blood and rice field crabs. Not too tasty but not too bad. The hardest part of eating the pig blood was mind over stomach. If I thought about it too much it was hard, if I didn't, no problem.
Adorable Khmae kids. Need I say more?
For some reason Khmaes love two dollar bills. Never seen them use one, but they have them everywhere as decoration, or good luck charms, or something.
Had to get a blanket because it gets really cold in our room at night. This was the best blanket I could find and I only bought it because it made me laugh. Khmaes and their English phrases.
Cool spiritual story: We had these new girls we were teaching and we're only allowed to teach girls if another male is present, missionary rule. And we showed up to teach these girls, factory workers late teens early twenties, and our member male fell through. We were able to get a teenage boy to sit in on the lesson though. Way cool. Then as we were teaching I taught some and thought it went pretty well. After when we were biking home Elder Schiefer said that I spoke by the tongue of angels and referenced 2 Ne 31: 13: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. The power of God is real and as we do His work and His will he blesses and enables us.
Questions and Answers:
What tender mercies did you notice as you went through your days? My wallet was found and returned. Huge tender mercy.
Were there any amazing spiritual insights you had during your lessons or studies that you've been pondering? I've been studying a lot about the plan God has for us after we die. As I've tried to comprehend it and wrap my mind around it, one key point just really stands out. God, our Heavenly Father, loves us all. He will do everything he can to help us, but we need do our part as well.
Tell me about your investigators. The two that were just baptized, Om Han and lookpoo Jan. Om Han is blind, but only for the past six years. Six years ago his eyes just started withering away. He was the last person in his family to be baptized. Lookpoo Jan is the first member in his family to be baptized and turned his life around. He quit drinking and both he and Om Han quit smoking. His wife loves it and wants to learn as well, but she is working in Phnom Penh. Poo Jan has been teaching her over the phone and praying together at night. Way cool.
what funny stories you've had or your companion has told you about. Ohhhh funny story. So we were eating lunch a couple days ago. Elder Schiefer was sitting in a plastic chair, the kind they have all over here. And there was a loud crack sound when he sat in it, but nothing happened. So we just kept going, talking. It was a group of six elders. Right as people were starting to get their food about an hour later he totally just fell flat on the floor without any warning. Then he just laid there for a bit. We all had a good laugh.
How is the food? It's a process. First week in country I ate some fried noodles at the one place and didn't really like it. Last week went back and ate it again. Liked it so much I ate two plates. So some I really like, some not so much, but I'll probably love it by the end of my mission.
Are you surviving? And thriving. It's a struggle at some moments, but when does life not have those moments? There is more learning and appreciation for the help of God in my life as I go about doing His work.
What are the streets like? Dirty. But You often see people sweeping them, so doesn't get super gross. Way more motos (mopeds) and bikes than cars. People drive on the wrong side and pass people all the time. There is a main highway and smaller dirt roads that branch off of it and more paved roads in the main city. Occasionally some neighborhoods have paved roads. When it rains hard they flood. But so far it hasn't stayed flooded for long.
What is Cambodia like? There really isn't a way to describe it all. You just have to live here for a bit. It's more developed than I expected, but it's still way underdeveloped.
What sticks out to you as you live your life? The spiritual moments when you're teaching, and the moments when you make memories with your companion doing the work of the Lord. Other than that I often forget I'm in Cambodia. It's just right to be here, it's where I'm supposed to be, it's the next step in my life. I'll put forth all my efforts here for as long as the Lord has called me and then on to the next stage of life and new places and ways to serve.
Requests:
I have a watch with a leather wrist band and I sweat a lot. Know any good ways to clean it?
We have a slow cooker and a blender. Favorite recipes for shakes, smoothies, and slow cooker meals(Just guess at ingredients I have or I can find substitutes maybe).
Have any cool photos of us together? Email them to me! Photos are a great way to share the gospel and I can print them out here.
Have a favorite song or find a cool one that would be mission appropriate? Email me an mp3 and I'll download it, listen to it for a week and think of you.
Love y'all!
Elder Taylor
