Update 29: First Full Week of the New Year

Questions:

How is the new area going?    Starting to get to know all the roads and houses of people we visit. Way more American food to temp my wallet.  

What messages did you share this week?  This week we shared a lot about service, missionary work, and the temple. 

Any investigators??   We actually have several. Some can't meet too often though. Two have prepared themselves to be baptized this Saturday! We teach English class twice a week (wed and sat) and we (missionaries here in Phnom Penh, my companion and I get a few) are getting lots of people who want to learn from those. 

These guys guard the church building. It's super common for buildings to have guards. This one guy was trying to grab a bird I think. Love how the guy on the ground has his hands clasped together in anticipation. 

Do you see it? (It's an airplane! and a Cambodia sign.)​

#throwback Here's some calculus a member had me help with. I think I did it right... One of our investigators is teaching himself how to code C++ too and I took a look at programming just the basic "Hello World" program and didn't remember any of it on my own. Kmae is taking over! ​

My name is everywhere. (It's how they romanize the word for heart.) ​

Fishys! ​

Very polite dog. (There was another one there that was not so polite)​

Service project! Cutting limbs off a tree for a nice old lady that literally looks like an upside down L. ​

Super cool member who was some high up general in the Khmae military. He had all kinds of awards and things from Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, England. ​

ons of road construction going on down this one stretch of road and I just had to get a picture in one of these things. ​

All of my companions up to this point. My dad and the two brothers. ​

Had two flat tires this week, which was annoying, but it all worked out for the best. Each time I had a flat tire I came out of the church to discover it. I realized after some thinking that it is a blessing that it didn't happen while I was riding because that could have been bad depending on where I was at. Also second time I wasn't able to get a new tube but Elder Try, my companion, was able to fix it himself using a piece of rubber, some aluminum, a makeshift can of fire for heating, and a compressing machine to melt the rubber to my tube. You work with what you can get here and the Lord makes it work. 

Hope your new years is starting off with a blast! 

- Elder Taylor

Week 28: I Made it Big in the City!

I'm in Phnom Penh! My new area is Tuk Tlaa. It is close to the airport so airplanes fly over head quite frequently. We have an orphanage in our area with several members there and they are all super cool! I've met lots of new people and it's hard to remember all the Khmae names, but I'll get there! One really cool thing is that I've had lots of complements on my language and that I speak super clear, especially since I've only been here 4 months. I know that the Lord truly helps me with the language so that I will be able to teach his children. Ok you know what comes next (at least if you've been reading my emails): 

New planner for the new year! (next 6 weeks = one transfer)​

Had some more bike fun yesterday with a flat tire. It all worked out quite well though. My super cool blind member in KC pumped up my bike for me when it didn't need it and here a couple weeks later my inner tube exploded from the extra pressure. It happened while I was in church, so it was a blessing that it didn't happen while I was riding it or that could have been really bad. Then a senior missionary was at church and he drove me to the bike store since I'm in the city now and he paid for my new inner tube. Then my actual tire was frayed and had a hole in it too and the store gave me a new one for free. ​

​This is a Cambodian "normal" bike shop. Random guy on the side of the road.

Here is the installation of the new tire and tube!​

The new study place​

Nothing like a new jar of peanut butter! ​

Elder Tree Sr. My new comp. He's a super cool guy and knows lots of English, but his pronunciation needs some help. We help each other. ​

The new house. You can't really see it because of the trees (mango and jack fruit). It's a proper neighborhood though with speed bumps and a guarded gate at the front. And most everyone has a car. It's a condo sort of complex, they call them boar-A's. Super different from the countryside. ​

City life. Name of the game, dodge the rear view mirrors. ​

Goodbyes in Kampongcham​

Some of my favoritest people in Cambodia. Sad to leave them. ​

The senior couple in KC, aka the Clauses. Love them so much too. ​

We put on a play of Christ's birth for the Christmas party. I was a councilor to King Herod. ​

I like this photo for a couple reason. First is that I was getting a picture of the white thing on the truck with a cowboy hat. Lots of the cars have them and I think it's super funny. They also have them in neon green. Point two is the random guy I caught yawning. ​

Khmae kids being cute. ​

God loves us. It's a new year with lots of potential. Take it by the reigns and come off conquering! 

- Elder Taylor

Week 27: Christmas Transfer Calls!

Spent the week in a trio because Elder Tree was in Thailand. He made it back Friday all healed up! Had a good time with the other elders and I miss being with them 24/7. Christmas Eve was also transfer calls. I thought I might get to do another transfer in KC, but to no avail. I'm leaving tomorrow to go serve city side. Funny thing though, I'm going to be serving with Elder Tree's older brother, Elder Tree Sr. And he only has one transfer left so in mission lingo I'm "killing him" since he goes home after a transfer with me. I'm frankly quite sad to leave this area. I have really come to love the people here. They have watched me grow from day 1. From knowing practically no Khmae to being able to say a lot more, but still not a lot in the grand scheme of language. I'm sure there will be really cool people in my new area as well, but it's always hard. It's worth it. For Christmas we got together, all the elders and sisters at the senior couples house and had a very nice dinner together and watched the Christmas devotional. Shout out to my family and their awesome Christmas gifts! I love y'all! 

Pictures:

Skype call home​

Ninja missionary​

All set up to watch The Best Two Years Christmas Eve

I also got pizza and a package Christmas Eve. They sent the package up from Phnom Penh on a moto just so it would make it in time for Christmas​

Christmas! ​

The coolest kids ever that I love so much and will miss very much​

My super cool recent convert, who is blind, pumping up or bikes for us while we do service at his house​

Got to go to the island while in the trio! They built a huge bamboo bridge, do it every year. But soon there will be a stone bridge and no more yearly bamboo bridge. ​

Branch presidents family. We helped do service in their rice field. Carried the cut rice to a harvesting ground. My marching band rolling step actually came in really handy walking down the narrow rice paths with 6 bundles of rice on my head. ​

Mosiah 9: 22  For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;​

Trio fun on p-day​

 Merry Christmas holiday seasonal wishes! 

- Elder Taylor

Week 26: I Almost Went to Thailand.

So this week I haven't done much proselyting. (teaching) My companion started getting sick right as I started getting over my cold. His upper lip started swelling and only got worse. Wednesday we called our leaders in Phnom Penh and had the senior couple in KC look at him after we stayed home all day. Thursday we rode a bus into Phnom Penh. Spent all morning early afternoon at the doctors office getting him looked at and medicine prescribed. Stayed at the mission home to wait and see if he started getting better. By that night he was still getting worse so we went back to the doctors office. They had us go to a proper hospital and get a scan done of his face to see if the root of the problem was dental (pun intended) because he had some work done a few months back. Finished up that about 2am and slept at the doctors office with him. They have three beds there for patients. Spent all Friday at his bedside helping translate, manage information from doctors, relaying it to our leaders, and all kinds of fun stuff. They decided he needed to go to Thailand to see a specialist. His passport was back in KC so the senior couple made the 2 hour drive down to bring it. It was decided that I would stay here and one of the assistants to the president, AP, would go with him. So thus I almost went to Thailand. His lip started leaking pus about 30 min before he left for the airport so they helped squeeze out what they could. Then he left for the airport and I stayed with the other AP and office elders. So I guess I can say I've been an honorary AP for a day. Came back to KC by myself on a bus. A little odd. Haven't been alone like that in 6 months. Now I'm in a trio with two other elders here and were trying to balance visiting everyone in our combined three areas. As of right now my comp is doing well and he will come back on Thursday. They're going to keep him a bit just to make sure he heals up 100%.  

Pictures:

This is at a resturant I like that makes a mean chicken burger, but I love this for the message. It's like serving a mission. Looks nigh impossible, then you start. And you keep going. One. Stitch. At. A. Time. You do your best, and then you're done! I'm already 1/4 done with my mission. Weird to think about. ​

We got another paper Christmas tree! All the Christmas spirit! ​

Elder Denkers, AP I was comps with. Way cool dude​

The office elders. I think I might wind up office elder one day. Sounds right up my ally. (They work with computers, make videos, and do odds and ends to keep the mission going) ​

My comp, Elder Tree, a few hours before he got shipped off. ​

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Eating my dinner at 2 in the morning... ​

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They have tons of decorations in the city for Christmas! Sadly I did not get to eat Coldstone though. I also found one Christmas tree in KC. ​

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We caroled to the class of one of our members when we visited his school last p-day. ​

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All the little kids swarmed when the white people walked into the school. It was so cool to see. They just kept flocking to the fence. The picture doesn't do it justice. ​

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Visited a rubber factory at the rubber plantation! One of our members works high up in administration there or something and gave us a tour. (the school was for the workers, so not many white people visit there, we had to drive a ways out from the city part of KC) ​

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Fun photo in the rubber tree forest. ​

Life is crazy, but God is always my rock. In this Christmas season may we remember all that Christ has done for us so that we can always find peace, no matter how turbulent the waters of our life becomes. Love y'all and Merry Christmas! 

Elder Taylor