Update 40: New Comp, New Area, New Experiences

So this week I have been with Elder McDonald in the southern part of Phnom Penh. We have both been in the country for 7 months and it is amazing that we have been able to learn enough Khmer to get around without a problem. Today at the market I was trying to get a lady's attention to buy some soap. She looked up and looked really confused, looking at me and then around me. Talking to her more I found out she was surprised because she had expected to look up and see a Khmer person, so when she looked up and saw just lil old me she was very confused. That is until I started speaking more Khmer to her. She said I sounded just like a native. Score! Don't worry about me getting a big head or anything, for every complement there is almost always someone who will tell you otherwise. But you still enjoy em when you get em.  Here's the stuff: 

This trashcan was in the mall. I guess they mean paper, but I just think of gasoline, hairsray, and all those other wonderful combustibles. ​

Ran into my old companions at the mall! Elder Try tome=big, who just finished, and his little brother, Elder Try toic=small. Gotta love Burger King 50cent icecream cones. ​

We went bowling. I had one strike. Must've been beginners luck ​

winding up for the bowl​

Think we should all get new bike helmets? ​

New companionship bonding over burgers. Eat like you mean it.​

The district. We had a guy come to church on Suday visiting from America. I translated for him and at the end he gave us money to take the district to lunch. He has served before in California and he said he always took the district out there to lunch. ​

Ready to race the Porsche? You see some way nice cars in the city.  ​

We got soaked biking home one night. Not even the rainy season!​

Helped decorate for a Relief Society activity. It was good to use my lungs again like that. Went to blow up the first balloon and she was acting all worried, telling me to use the pump thing or I would hurt my neck. Guess it's a good thing I've got years of band practice to qualify me. ​

A school razor blade cutter. How mad/trouble do you think I would get in if I brought this to public school in america? ​

Made some banana bread. We've got an oven in the new house!​

Have you ever seen people trying to flip water bottles and land them? Well I was sitting on my bed, top bunk, and holding my water bottle. I decided I'd just give it a go, not really expecting anything, and I landed it! Dead perfect upright. So of course I had to take a picture or I would've forgot. 

There is this awesome lady who sells delicious smoothies on the street to our house.... ​

Finding less actives. This guy was way cool about me taking a picture. *note - it is very common for dudes not to wear shirts here*

Last time eating pizza in TukThlaa 

First, and last time I suppose, that this road way waaayyyy packed with traffic.​

Moving day! Pack up the tuktuk and here we go. It was Elder Try's dad who came and got us. That would be so weird to have you dad drive up at the end of your mission and say, ok hop in son. ​

The work is only just beginning. I'll let know more next week! 

All my love,

Elder Taylor អែលឌើរ

Update 39: Beware the Ides of March

I had a bit of a bumpy week. Lets just say that on the night of the ides of March my insides had a bit of a roller coaster ride the laid me out for a couple days.   Also got transfers calls (every 6 weeks it's possible that I'll move areas and transfer calls are when president of the mission calls us and tells us where we're moving to or if we're staying). I thought I was staying in my area, TukThlaa, one more transfer for sure. Nope. This transfer had a ton of curve balls, and one of them is my leaving. So this past transfer we split my area in half and now I'm leaving and the other elders are taking over the whole area. I'm sure going to miss my members, recent converts, and investigators. We've had some great progress with our investigators. The other half was doing well too, so now they'll have almost 40 investigators. As far as my new area I'm moving from north stake to south stake and splitting an area in half down there like the other elders did in my area last transfer. My new companion is elder McDonald. He was with me in Kampungcham, same house. Anywho, life never gets boring. 

​Had a farewell gathering for Elder Try (and I guess me, unknowingly) on Sunday.

​For our weekly missionary meeting we had a potluck! 

Elder Try fried up some chicken heads for lunch this week. he says they're cheap and great.

Cambodia being pretty.

Love you all and love serving the Lord! 

Until next week. 

- Elder Taylor

Update 38: Fellowshipping and Food

Food is central in most all cultures in activities and get-together's and so it is here. Had some fun times this week fellow shipping our investigators and members:

Since Elder Try is dying (finishing his mission and going home) in a week, our recent converts bought us a cake! And we ate "Cow Climbs the Mountain" Strips of beef with an egg mix fried up with vegetables in butter and dipped in some scrambled egg dip.​

A member help got bored while we were teaching​

Me and our two recent converts: Muayseeing and Jewin (reallyl hard to write Khmer with english alphabet...)​

This was the cake night cow climb the mountain. We ate behind the church and this was before we left. The conversation went something like this: *girl tries to take a selfie of us all* Ï'm too short! Who's tall. Elder Taylor! Come take the picture!" ​

Muayseeing studying the scriptures. He was reading Jacob 5. We had a good time discussing it right after this photo. ​

Cow climb the mountain party. This is what marrying couples do at weddings ​

Love these people​

​the cow climbing the mountain getting fried​

Elder Try caught a bird in the church​

We had a huge activity at the church for all the members in Phnom Penh = 3 stakes = a lot of people. ​

Even got memes in Cambodia​

Another food party we had. ​

As you can see we like food here and most of the time it tastes kinda good. Sometimes really good! 

Questions: What was your favorite missionary moment this week?

Seeing my investigators that have just become members fellow shipping one another and having unity together as we continue to study and learn about Christ's teachings. We really are one big family of brothers and sisters. 

Love yall! 

-Elder Taylor

Update 37: Times of Trial

We all have them, right? 

This week has been a bumpy one for me. Main one was that my bike was stolen on Tuesday. I had just come to the church to teach an investigator after lunch. Just a couple people there. I locked my bike as always, but the elder I was with (we had swapped because Try had a meeting) didn't. Right as we're finishing teaching the lawn caretaker comes in yelling that someone stole my bike. I run out but am too late to even see them. Lawn caretaker had come around the corner of the church just in time to see them ride off. After a bit of discussion they followed him on a moto, but it was too late. The church is right by a major intersection and he could have gone anywhere. Coupled along with that I've had my fair share of normal stresses living in a country on the other side of the world trying to do something I've never done before. Amidst all these weights that drag me down, somehow I have not yet completely fallen. The one thing that really keeps me going, keeps pulling me up out of my self pity, self critique, and self doubt is scripture study. Somehow what I study has just the thing I need to hear. What kept me going this week is Alma 36: 3, (25, 27) this particular set of scripture is the missionary prophet Alma giving parting advice to his son Helaman. I find it very applicable to apply my own name in place of Helaman:

3 And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.

25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;

27 And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me.

7432: Trying out the "Special meat" aka dog. We had a little party with four of us and it wasn't actually bad

8072: bigger than life in Cambodia

8069: Pork taco meat going in the slow cooker

8067: Super cool Chewin got baptized! Muayseeing also got confirmed this week

7437: Some service at a members house. Same place we removed the stump and this time we filled it in with cement on top of broken rocks. 

7430: I feel like this sums up serving in Phnom Penh very well. Waiting for an investigator to show up. Studying the language. members come over with their bag of fruit and salt dip. Chill and eat together. 

7422: Hey I didn't know I sold furniture. 

7423: Thought this was a particularly cool skyline photo to demonstrate the differences in buildings here 

7421: This label made me laugh. Yes, it is a room. 

Until next time.

- Elder Taylor

Update 36: Fastest Week Yet

I swear I blinked and it was Monday again.

7417: Baptism! Muayseeing. His uncle baptized him. He started learning with the elders, went to church, and saw his uncle there. He had no idea his uncle was a member and his uncle had no idea his nephew was learning. Fun finds! 

7401: Did some service for a member. She ended up using 48in bolt cutters to cut her little locks on some trunks she lost the keys for 

7394: They love to wear masks here. Doing other service and it was dusty so they gave me one. Thought I'd take a selfie and it turned out pretty cool. 

7393: Rice topped with sugar and coconut shavings = dessert 

7391: We moved two coach chairs up a super narrow spiral staircase 

7384: Lotus plant something. You eat the inside of the seeds like acorns. Half are not edible though. Only the big ones have a seed. 

7382: Helping our member who takes care of the church grounds 

7375: My two favorite brothers in Cambodia

7370: An unfortunate translation. Supposed to be crab

Funny story: two boys (6 and 8 ish?) took a bath in our baptismal font we had filled up this week. You just never know what to expect here. 

May you all have a fantastic week!

- Elder Taylor