Jamraun got baptized! 12/4/16 Week #74

ayyye Jomraun got baptized!! So sick. It was such a good baptism. Tons of members showed up and we had khmer noodels with curry after. Couldnt get better. Man i just love baptisms.As we were walking in the bathroom to go into the faunt he said "Im so excited!" Ha it was awesome. After it was over he bore his testimony and said he felt sinless and like clear water. It was so tight. We've become way close these past weeks. Such a homie, We are going to his house next week, becuase his mom wants to meet us. Maybe we will be able to teach his parents as well! 

This week we had some extra time so we did some street contacting and we passed this man and I felt like i needed to talk to him, so we pulled the 180 and started talking to him. His name is Booech. His wife died and has 2 young kids. He fixes motor bikes for a living. We met with him on Sunday, taught him how to pray and gave him a BOM. Hes got some way good potential. Im super stoked for him. 

Every week im just loving this area more and more. Not going to lie when i first came here, i was a little bummed. It was just struggling hard core. But its really picking up and the members are feeling it too. I feel like we are  actually making some what of a change here. Its way cool. The other day we got a call to come to a members house to help her, but really they just wanted to feed us Nome bonchayyo (its way good). Its like khmer crepes, except they are green and have shrimp in them. Anyways in khmer culture if a man can make a good Nome Chayyo he will be a good husband becuase they are way hard to make. So i told them i wanted to try, and they just started laughing, boy did i show them up haha it was awesome. It was llit perfect. I couldnt believe myself. They were laughing so hard, and told me I needed to marry a khmer woman. Good times.

Making Nome Chayyo

Training is doing way good. Elder Mitchell is working hard and trying his best. Obviously living here takes a while to get used to, but hes a good sport. When he testifies the Spirit is immediantly there. We're having a ton of fun together. Hes going to be one dang good misisonary. 

Christmas in Asia is a funny thing. I remember a year ago i was in Prae Choo with my second comp and i woke up and it was hot and we just worked all morning it was the worst haha. But it lets you think about why we  have christmas. The lights and presents don't distract us from what we really should be thinking about. Its way cooll. 

I really love what you said about succoring people. I've realized that same thing in a way in this area. I heard from lots of Elders that this is a tough area. But I noticed that if you work hard and you just pray hard and do your best you will love it.  How can you hate an area if you have worked so hard to help? If you try hard and love the people (even if its tough) you will love the place where you worked hard:)

Love you all 

Elder Smith

My fav pic i have taken my whole mission

Family Home Evening

Did some khmer medicine...;)

eating with a member (food did not sit well that night:/

Thrust in your sickle with all your might! 

Helping in the rice fields on an island

This past sunday was the most successful week i have had with less actives my whole mission. 11/27/16 Week #73

hey hey 

This past sunday was the most successful week i have had with less actives my whole mission. It was the coolest thing ever. I have been working with a lot of less active men here and some of them have been making small little changes. But yesterday 6 less active men came to church. It was the coolest. Ive never seen so many guys in my branch the whole time i have been here. I love serving and working hard but when you get to see the fruit it makes it just makes it that much better. Also, huah came to church a little late and forgot his tie so he thought he might not be able to pass the sacrament, but i ripped my tie off and put it on him and got him a spot and told him what he needed to do. It was the coolest thing watching someone you baptized passing the sacrament. Doesnt get any better than that. 

Jomraun is doing really good. He is getting interviewed this Wed and should get baptized on Saturday, Elder Mitchell and I are pretty stoked. Hes really excited as well. Jomraun has been the biggest example to me of what faith really means. Its def not a perfect knowledge but we hope and trust in something that we believe is true, and after we do that then we can KNOW. Some people just blow me away. 

Training is a ton of fun. Teaching khmer and trying to help him teach is so fun. Getting used to living in Cambodia is no easy thing. But he's doing way good. Just putting one foot in front of the other is all you need to do.We are meeting vannat today (a semi new investigator) and Elder Mitchell is going to invite him to be baptized. So it should be a way good lesson. So stoked! 

Thank you so much for the prayers. Mom thank you so much for just being a good mom haha. I just got the packages! Thanks so MUCH!! You guys are the best. I just devour that chocolate haha. Eating rice and meat every day is good, but after a while you just want some flipping american food. 

  I miss you guys so much, but right now i really feel like a real missionary. I can speak khmer really well now, im working hard, being obedient and training and am district leader over all the sisters and elders here. Life is tough, but its just so rewarding. I love you so much. Thanks for helping me get to where I am! 

Love you big big (thats a khmer phrase)

Elder Smith

I got my first son this week! Elder Mitchell is here straight from London! 11/20/16 Week #72

heyoo 

what a week. So i got my first child this week. His name is Elder Mitchell and he is straight from........... London. Thats right the first missionary to go to Cambodia from England is my son. Its way sick. He says rubbish and istead of saying a bus ride he says a  coach ride its the coolest. Im already trying to say all of the words he does. Im also practicing my accent. Im getting pretty good at it. Hes such a good elder. Tries tons of new things, works way hard and just wants to be a good missionary. Im so stoked. We're getting along great even though there is some grudges becuase of the revolutionary war. I think we will be able to get past it. Tomorrow for companionship study we are going to see The Star Spangled Banner..:)

Elder Mitchell!

Getting Elder Mitchell's things on a TukTuk

The work over here is coming along. Huah got the priesthood yesterday. It was soo cool. Hes way pumped to pass the sacrament next week. He also talked to us about how hard it is to become an Elder. Hes thinking about a mission. How cool is that?! 

Jomraun came to church again. Hes keeping every single commitment and is going to be baptized on the 4th of December. Im so stoked. Elder Mitchell just might get a baptism his first month in country. 

We have another investigator who is the principal for an elementary school. Our lessons are good but he just has so many questions about everything so its hard to get our point across. Sometimes we just say we will talk about that in a later time. 

Our other investigator Vannat is doing pretty good as well. We taught him lesson 1 yesterday and Elder Mitchell testified in his broken khmer. Spirit was there. It was so cool. He promised to read and pray to ask if God really exists and if the Book of Mormon is His word or not. He also told me that he thinks we are puakmak with eachother (HOMIES) he called me a homie. Whats up. 

About a month ago Elder Mather and I found a map and found this lost member. He hadnt been to church in a LONG time. We started teaching him and he came to church, so did another less active we are meeting with. 

Elder Mitchell and I are going to do some way good things here. So pumped. Love you dudes. 

Elder Smith

Add caption

I am going to be training in this area! 11/13/16 Week #71

That festival sounds like a blast. The house looks even cooler. Im currently sweating my face off in a sketchy internet cafe and the guy next to me keeps picking his nose and yelling at the computer, so i think we both are having a ton of fun... haha

So we had transfer calls last night and i am going to be training in this area! Im way stoked! Training looks so fun. You get to experience Cambodia all over again. Teaching khmer and all of the culture things. Its going to be a blast.  

This week was awesome and pretty sad at the same time. Elder Mather and I got a new investigator this week. He is a Principal of a school. Super educated and is really interested. Pretty good guy. He's super smart so the spirit will need to do all of the work. Im way excited to start to teach him. Our first lesson was just talking about the doctrine of Christ and what things he would have to change if he became a member. Lots of buddhism traditions. Its a HUGE sacrifice for Cambodians to enter in Gods church. Its a big deal. So he's nervous but he is intrigued also. I cant wait to see the Spirit work with him to help him realize the truthfulness of this message. Its going to be awesome!  Buddhism is really neat and teaches a lot of good things but it's super hard to teach about Gods church to them because we teach them about faith and changing your hear (repentance) and they just say its the same thing Buddha teaches haha. They just have to realize they wont turn into a mosquito in the next life. 

So yesterday we got a call after church and i picked up the phone and all i heard was this woman yell come! I'm afraid he's going to come back and hit me. So my comp and I rode our bikes as fast as we could to this village and saw this new recent convert with her daughter. Turns out their brother in law was under the influence and hit this little girl and then the father chased him down the road they fought but then the police got bribed to not catch him. and then they got kicked out of thier house becuase the person who hit the girl was renting that house to them and then the mother of the man came and starting yelling at me and then all of the neihbors came to watch and i was getting all of these different stories  and it was just a mess. Crazy day. 

jomruan came to church again this week. He should get baptized in a couple weeks. Im way excited. 

I just love  being a missionary. I think its becuase all we are supposed to do is help people. we dont have to worry about work, friends, school or anything, We just go around and try to help people and help them enter into God's true church. Couldn't think of doing anything else with my life. Missions are the best. love you dudes. 

Elder Smith

getting some service done on P-day

Teaching the Word of Wisdom to Jamraun 11/7/16 Week #70

So I dont have a ton of time today so im just going to summarize what i did this past week. 

Jomraun is doing really good. We had a way good lesson with him this week. The word of wisdom has been the make it or break it lesson my whole mission. So to be honest i dread teaching it becuase it causes so many problems but it needs to be done. We met him at the church this week and once we walked into the room we started talking about his job and what he wants to do in the future. He said he really wants to open up a cafe place and sell coffee and tea. Sooo Elder Mather and I looked at eachother smiled and started the lesson. It was one of my favorite lessons in my mission. We explained that God wants us to have joy, real happiness in this life and if we are unhealthy and sick all the time its hard for us to be happy. So we explained that tea and coffee are some things God does not want us to drink. It was a fun conversation. But in the end he said "You know dont really understand why coffee and tea are bad, but if God doesnt want me to drink it then I wont." I just about hugged him right there. So much faithl. It was the coolest. Then he came to church and went to tall three hours. Hes doing real good right now. 

A couple days ago we had the chance to do some really fun service. We were knee deep in muddy water pulling out this weed from the droguan plant. Of course it ended up into a mud fight with the other Elders. It was pitch black outside and we were a good bike ride away from our house and then i must have run over a nail or something and my bike tire just blew up. So it was a long ride back home. 

Sorry i dont have a ton of time today. But i want to thank you guys for all the prayers and fasting. It helps SO much. You guys are the best. Christmas is kinda coming up. Skyping is going to be a ton of fun. 

Love you dudes. Have a great week!

One of my favorite p-days! 10/30/16 Week #69

Hey dudes 

Sorry i didnt get to email you guys last week. We wanted to do something fun last week so I started talking to some people and they said there is a waterfall like 2 hours away. So we called a tuk tuk guy who "knew" where it was and we were off. Turns out this guy has never been there and its actually 4 hours awaw on a tuk tuk ride. It was so fun. We rode through this plantation of rubber trees for an hour and a half. It was so pretty. The water fall was awesome. After we were finished with the waterfall we were gettting ready to leave and it started pouring and within like 20 minutes of riding in the tuk tuk his modo started failing so we had to get out in the super muddy rainy road and push it up the hills and just walk, then these Cambos in this massive truck filled with rubber told us to hop in the back. So all 6 of us hopped in and he just hauled and we were holding on for our life it was so fun. One of my favorite P days.

The big open house was way cool. About 650 showed up. I saw a lot of members from my first area. There were 4 people that my comp and I contacted that ended up getting baptized. It was super cool seeing them a whole year later.

big feast after the open house

had a lot of elders spend the night before the open house!

Elder and Sister Curtis, Elder Smith and Elder Mahler, Pres.and Sister Christensen

Reppin Eagle with Sister Snooks!

Huah is doing pretty good, he was busy this past week but he still came to church and the branch president plans on interviewing him this week. I think huah might be able to get the priesthood this week. SO COOL. 

Our investigator jomraun is doing WAY good. I dont know why our last lesson with him he was just super into it. We set a date for him. He wants to get baptized on the 20. He sat by us during church yesterday. My comp and I gave talks also so he got to hear us bear out testimonies it was awesome. I have high hopes for this dude. 

So for the past 3 days i have been just way sick. Getting sick on the mission is just so boring and pointless because you don't do anything. I had a 102 fever for like 2 days straight. I couldn't get over it. Saturday was the first day of my mission where I couldn't proselyte at all. If i get sick i can usually get a couple hours in per day but i was just sweating like crazy. Not going to lie i was hating life.  But today im feeling a lot better. Getting sick and not having your mom could be the worst thing in the world.

the only thing i could eat that didnt make me throw up, dragon fruit, apples, boxed milk and chia seeds, did not taste good

As I've been serving my mission I've prayed for charity a lot of times. Im praying for it now because its a little hard right now. But it stretches me to be better. Charity fills in the gaps when we are really trying to love someone or do something. 

Right now I'm doing good. The branch is still struggling a bit. Theres just not a whole ton of stuff happening. But we are working with the BP and we are starting to get some people to have callings. We will see how it goes. I get a little stressed sometimes though. When you are in a branch like this everyone looks to the elders and its just tyring sometimes haha. But im loving it so it wont ever get old. I love you all, Elder Smith

Went on splits with Elder Sheiffer

Crazy p-day! 10/25/16 week #68

Hey guys. I had a CRAZY P day today. Got some funny stories. Ill tell you next week! No time. Love you dudes!