Week 22: Trip to the City and New Companion! (tarantula)

Busy week, here's some of it:

Played soccer this morning and here's me and my new comp, Elder Tree (roll the r) afterwards.​

We got one of our toilets replaced and the old one was sitting out front, had to take advantage of the moment. ​

Just a guy climbing a mango tree to pick some fruit for us. Hopefully he'll come to church soon...​

We had an adventure getting to one house by climbing on a wall to avoid a puddle. ​

Hand off from my trainer, dad, to my second comp, mom.​

The most satisfying food I've eaten in a while. Carl's Jr just opened up a month ago. First drive thru and free refill drink machine in the country if I'm not mistaken. ​

Riding the tuk tuks in style​

Also ate a tarantula on the way to the city. Worth it to say I did, but wouldn't really recommend it.​

Lunch one last time with the KC group before transfers. 

Last photo with Schiefer, me, and this awesome family. We call them mom and dad, super cool. They basically are the church out in Preycho.​

Sorry I can't write more! Got a super slow computer this week. So frustrating to just sit here and wait, but thus is technology. I also get to practice patience. Hope all is well stateside or wherever you are in the world!

Elder Taylor

Week 21: Transfers and Fresh Faces!

Transfers: Every six weeks when missionaries are moved around areas in the mission.

We had transfer calls Sunday night and we were way off on most of our guesses. My trainer got me spot on though. I'm staying in Kampong Cham and a native Khmae is coming to mommy me (be my first comp out of training. Your trainer is your dad) So hopefully my Khmae will get way good! My trainer is going to train again in a different area in the city. It's the area that has trash mountain if you've ever heard of that. Also my MTC comp is moving into Kampong Tom which is in my zone. So we'll see each other every once is awhile. His comp is the older brother of my comp; we both get natives! There aren't very many natives in ratio to American missionaries. Also another elder in my house is going to train so I won't be the youngest in the house. That's the biggest news of the week, but here are some other photos: 

Played soccer for the last time as this group of elders. Thursday those leaving go to the city and then new people show up Friday. ​

These two sisters are leaving on their mission this week as well. They're starting off in Cambodia while they wait for their visas and then they are out to Australia. ​

Our guess of where people were going. The "Transfer Board"​

First time I've been inside a rice factory. The van we were riding in back from Preycho stopped and picked up several sacks of rice. ​

This little girl had a lot of fun playing with our rings.

Little boys are fascinated by frogs and all things creepy crawly too. ​

My lunch. Peeled off the scales and fished out the meat. Haha. ha... yeah..

All chilling eating together. Also ate a couple big red ants at this place off a tree.

We had a family home evening out in Preycho and a lot of people came. Way good. We played musical chairs after the spiritual though and it was a lot of fun. Started off with a huge circle of chairs. ​

What we thought was our last night after English class together. Got a text the next day though that transfers would be Friday instead of Wednesday so we have one more English class together. 

This week we also had our recent convert ordained to the priesthood out in Preycho. He is an awesome member and will help greatly in the strengthening of the few members out there. The work goes at the Lord's speed. We just have to remember to always do our best so He can bless us with success. 

- Elder Taylor

Week 20: So Many Photos Picking is Hard...

Had a very full week. Here come the photo highlights: 

Got my hair cut today. Elder Schiefer went for a nail cleaning face cleaning cucumber mask, and ear cleaning. Way funny to watch.​

Found this lady with the coolest monkey as we were leaving the market. I asked if I could take a picture and then she just put it on me. Coolest thing! I would love to have a monkey that was that cute and chill. It got scared of us white people after me though and refused to let anyone else hold it. ​

Had some fun by ourselves this P-day morning. We rented out a soccer field ($2.50 an hour, gotta love Cambodian prices) and played a bit with a soccer ball, the frisbee I found the other week, a shuttle cock that you kick like a hackysack, and played 4 square using the circle in the middle of the field. 

The super cute kid that lives with our branch president. (Not birth child but he is raising him as pretty much his own) The kid fell asleep like 5 minutes after this photo. Funny guy. ​

​This Saturday was a big day of service. We did a service project in the morning, went to the first baptism in the new building, and did another service project for someone in another elders area. First we were going to build a chicken house, but it took so much work we just ended up setting the 4 pillar foundation. Which is the hardest part. Also we had to dig up one of them with other cement posts, rocks, and scorpions on top. Quite the interesting project. Then in the evening we waded into another mud field similar to the rice field, but this one was growing a vine. We weeded out all the other non vine plants and they came up real easily. Way fun. ​

Also this lady is 92 and still kicking. 

Crazy big, cool looking frog I found coming home one night. ​

Pizza is always the right answer for what to eat after zone training.

​Zone leader and his fabulously selected quote of the meeting. ​

​I got doped (rode a dope seat, got biked) on my own bike since I was lighter than the other elder. First time and it went quite well. Just got a little sore in the upper leg area. ​

Same place as picked fruit last time but this time they had this cool bamboo pole that was really good for picking the fruit. No tree climbing needed. ​

Had a big meeting where people came up from the city, Phnom Penh, to teach the members how to clean the new building. First time a lot of them have seen a vacuum cleaner and this weird mop/polisher contraption they had (I've never seen one like it either) ​

Happy sunrise from Cambodia!​

Found a sign that has my name on it! My name sounds really close to heart and the sound is in a lot of words.​

Halloween outfit and photos. We messed up and didn't get a group photo. We had the party at the senior couples house and they invited the neighbor kids over and we taught them how to trick or treat! ​

Decorating cookies. I made an "Elder Ghost" ​

Just doping a Khmae kid to a lesson. Doping is the term for giving someone a ride on your bike. Is that a term in America? I can't remember. ​

Life is busy; life is good.The work moves forward!

Elder Taylor

Week 19: Frisbee, Fruit, and Happy Halloween!

Picture narrative jap-uh-d-owe-m (start):

I found a Frisbee next to a trash pile! And it glows in the dark! Also we have this one investigator, Sok Gia, he is the son of our recent convert Puu Jan, and we normally play with a hacky-sack shuttle cock thing after our lesson or do something to fellowship. Well this was an exchange day and I forgot to bring the toy, but I found the frisbee. I told him that it was my favorite and got him to try it and he is way good at it! Just right off the bat he was throwing and catching left and right one handed. Way fun time. ​

This was out in my small area, Preycho yesterday (Sunday). We only had the group leader and his family and us at church and then San showed up half way through Elder Schiefer speaking. Way surprised because he just moved two hours away. Anywho this was Elder Schiefer's last time seeing him because San told us he won't be able to come back till December after transfers.​

Had my planner I lost a month ago returned to me. It was at the small front shop of a members house we used one time to teach an investigator in. She hires a slightly special girl to work the shop front and a couple days ago the member went into the shop and saw my planner on the floor. She asked the girl how long it'd been there and she said that she's just been looking at it everyday for a month wondering why it was there. Frankly I think it's a miracle that it wasn't completely destroyed by the rain storms we've had recently because the shop isn't totally enclosed and I'd have though it would flood some, guess not. Way cool to have it back though!​

Went to teach Om Han and his family and his wife and kids were next door cutting some grass they use to make brooms. They told me to try some of the fruit on the tree, which I've had before. Then they said I should climb up and get some more. Comp said I could, so off came my shoes and up I went! Way fun to climb something again. Then we took the fruit and shared it with Om Han and everyone. I taught the story of Lehi's vision of the tree of life and the fruit on it (the gospel of Jesus Christ) and how it brings joy into our life and we desire to share it with everyone. The fruit we had just eaten served as the perfect way for him to relate the teachings to his life. Just so happens that this fruit, ply mian, is his favorite fruit. Way cool experience. ​

 ​

Om Han - Coolest blind guy I've ever met​

First time English Class contacting for our new building! I stood on the corner of that intersection and yelled while holding the sign. Other members ran around and handed out fliers to people biking and riding their motos by. "T-nack awe-ng-g-lay. ought git luew-ey ought git tuh-lie."English class, don't think money, don't think expensive (free) ​

Elder Schiefer was going to go for eating 4 plates of mii cha (fried noodles). Two plates big noodles and two plates normal noodles (skinny), but they ended up giving him two big plates of noodles and two normal plates of noodles, all combined on one big serving platter. He did end up eating four plates worth, but couldn't quite finish it off. ​

So a few weeks ago I pulled the chair out from under Elder Lasswell as he was sitting down at a district meeting and he got me back this past week. He accidentally broke a back leg off of my desk chair, but left my chair there. So I went to sit, plop myself down, and crack fall straight on my rear, breaking the other back leg.​

This little dude jumped onto my tire off the gate leaving the house. ​

Bat zoomed in from last week. 

This dragonfly landed on my bike seat right after I got off and was eating a fly. Go dragonflies!​

And to top it off our normal internet cafe was closed today, but thankfully I remembered seeing another place that I am currently emailing from. ​

Om Han and his family reading scriptures after we gave them a pair of glasses so they can read.​

Just another wet day in Cambodia when your back gets destroyed by mud biking around. (I've put a waterbottle on mine so I don't have a problem any more) ​

Other than that life is tome-uh-d-aa (normal) over here. Weather is always the same. Enjoy those fall colors you people in the US. 

I'll leave you with this scripture: 1 Ne 10:19  For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

Happy Halloween!

Elder Taylor