Hey guys,
It was a good week. We had some investigators who told us they want to stop learning but
the lady who botevy saw came to church and brought her family. Shes so cool, She's
getting baptized in like 3 or 4 weeks so pumped!... buuut we have 2 investigators who were
supposed to get baptized next week but they ditched out on church so they have to wait
now. Its so hard to try to teach why church is important. Lots of people just think its
pointless. Its tough, but the members who DO think church is good are just so awesome.
There's this one family which is the only active member family in our area and they
honestly are the COOOLEST people ever. You all would love the wife, I dont think I've ever
seen her not smiling. It's just night and day seeing people with the gospel and not.
They're amazing. Im going to remember this family literally forever. So awesome!
So something that I am realizing every day here is how much the missionaries play a role
in the church here. In some areas they are just the life and blood of the church. We have a pretty big responsibility to make sure all the right things happen here. Ha Elder Brewer and I will either give a talk every Sunday or teach the class after sacrament meeting. Its pretty
funny. Right now we're trying to reactivate our first counselor. He has been
inactive for a while. We're trying to get him to come to church but he told us that he
receives all the blessings of the commandments HE follows and right now he doesn't need
the promises from going to church ha so if anyone has any good comebacks for that one,
I would love to hear em.
So this week we got some promising investigators and also had some investigators that
said they were done. One of them has a baptism date too so we're trying to help her, but her
life is just so busy and she thinks that "God's road is just to hard". So we're going to
try to help her see how much help she can receive from God just by believing. The other
guy just straightup said "yeah theres just no way Im joining, my dad is super high up in
the buddhist community and theres just no possible way" I felt so bad for this dude, the
only reason he doesnt want to learn is becuase of his dad. Oh well hopefully if we keep
coming he will read the BOM and realize how good he can feel and learn all the amazing
stuff thats in the book.
We started teaching this one guy named Ponloek. He has a restraunt and is a super cool
guy. We were teaching the plan of salvation to him and i was struggling to say this one
word and then he just stopped and said "You know what I cant really understand you that well,
but I know you're trying really hard, and that makes me want to learn more." ha i was just like wow your like the realest dude ever, thank you so much. I don't know why i just
thought that was the coolest thing ever for some reason.
So there is this treat that a lot of people sell here and its called bong imes. There way good and one of our members rides her bike all across the town and sells them. We visited her and she started teaching us how to make them. She has this machine made our of lava
rock and you put this super sweet rice in it and then this milk comes out after you rotate it. Well Elder Brewer did it perfectly and then it was my turn. Ha well i clogged it in
like 10 seconds and we had to take it all apart and re-do everything ha she was laughing
pretty hard. I felt bad, but it was way funny. I guess i just cant to anything Cambodian
without cutting off my finger or just ruining it.
I went on an exchange this week with a cambodian elder name Elder Long. He's a way
cool guy. Before he got converted he was in a pretty big drug gang. He was the #3 dude
out of everybody. He told me his conversion story and why he served a mission. Its just so cool to see how drastically this gospel can change someones life for the better. He's just sohappy now and helping so many people. SO SICK. Elder Long interviewed Om June for his
baptism and I dont think I have laughed so hard on my mission. I shed my first tears from
laughing. This man isnt the smartest dude in the world, but he could be the funniest. We
asked him some questions and he would just say the word of wisdom for everything. Ha it
was hilarious. Elder Long guided him along and he eventually said all the right stuff. We asked him if he wanted to live with his wife in Heaven and he was just like "Yeah sure why
not, lets just go together." ha and when he laughs his whole face just scrunches together
and his mouth is all the way open with no teeth. Coolest thing ever.
I was at a members house yesterday and they were eating these fresh clams they just got and they cracked one open and all this blood stuff came out and then they shoved it into
my mouth ha. It was nasty, tasted like straight blood. Fun experience!
Life is all good here in the wonderful country of Cambodia. My area is doing ok. Its just
hard to see so much poverty. I had a 100 dollars in my pocket today and i was going to
change it so i could by some food. I looked at it and was just like man, this one piece of
paper right here literally could change your life as i looked at a little 10 year old kid who
was picking up beer cans to recycle. This country sometimes seems forgotten. Theres just
so much poverty and the sad part is a lot of the people here can't really do anything about
it. A lot of people just have lost hope and then their kids see it and its just a never ending
cycle. I want to change it, i just haven't figured it out yet. Its super sad because i will see
lots of little kids not going to school because they work to help get food for their families.
We are so blessed, we have absolutely no idea.
If any of you guys are feeling down or dont understand why something has happened you,
Mosiah 23:21-22 is a great one. Gives us a good perspective. I love you all
ELDER SMITH
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| The one the only Om Jun |
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