First of all I want to say Happy Father's day to my wonderful dad. You have been such an incredibly wonderful influence in my life and an example of kindness and love unfeigned which I will be forever grateful for. I pray for you often Dad, I can feel your payers in my life every day. I feel so utterly blessed to have such a righteous father. My Heavenly father was very kind to have chosen the family he did for me. I love you so much Daddy!
This week has been an amazing one! Tuesday started us off with Zone training about how important Members are in missionary work. Then later this week I listened to a talk by Henry B. Eyring about that too! Members truly are the most fundamental part of our work. I'm not really a full time missionary. I'm only in an area for about 3 to 5 months before I go off to another part of the country. The members are there for life! People accept the gospel so much more readily when it is introduced to them by their friends and neighbors with whom they are familiar already. I can't tell you how much the success rate goes up for investigators when they have a friend in the church. This work is so vital. It's member missionary work. Not Just Missionary work. So I encourage you all to invite your friends! Do your part! When we get a referral, Missionaries treat it like a precious gift to be taken care of with all diligence of heart. And as a matter of fact I'm having 2 baptisms this Saturday! One of which is from a part-member family, a referral from his wife who is a member! The other is an 18 year old who learned with missionaries 7 years ago! The joy that fills my heart as I think about these to souls that are about to covenant with their Father to serve him all their lives is a Joy that is beyond description. How powerful this work is!!! How great is the atoning blood of our Savior Jesus Christ! It changes hearts and people and lives. How great is my Calling to make these things know unto the children of Men, unto my people here in Cambodia.
I got to build a house this week also! It was very fun! Also fairly quick too. They threw it up in only 2 days! Lots of sawing and hammering and what not. Also Climbing!
Our other baptism is named Vichika, He has read and prayed and told us he Knows the Book of Mormon is true with all his heart! I'm so excited! In probably 2 months he is going to move back to Phnom Penh and then maybe If I get transferred there later I could have the opportunity to teach him again, but as a recent convert! The Lords work is moving onward!!
Thursday it rained all day really mean-like. Just The start though... It rained every day after that too! Luckily on Saturday and Sunday it was only sprinkling because if its raining hard then no on comes to church, or goes anywhere for that matter haha. But they came to both the Baptism of some people in the other Elder's branch and church on Sunday! Friday many roads were very muddy from the heavy rain and I ended up caking my shoes and pants and bike wheels in mud. My wheels wouldn't even turn there was so much mud in them. We had to stop and lift our bikes and carry them to a paved road and then take a stick and carve my tires out of the mud. Super adventurous.
Saturday morning we taught someone really far out with the help of the Senior Couple and their car. then on the way back we got some cool pictures on a suspension bridge! Then later that day I went to the church to translate for some girls from BYU doing an internship here and helping Cambodian children get proper nutrition and food! So that was way cool. One of them actually has a mutual friend with me! So the world continues to get smaller and smaller my friends. Another one was the older sister of one of my companions friends from middle school. That day we also practiced a musical number for Zone conference that our Zone will be performing.
Church was incredible! We had a father's day program which consisted of the youth singing and giving talks. Then some fathers came and bore testimonies. I had the opportunity to translate for two couples that were visiting from Utah. On of the men had served in Fresno, California Cambodian speaking and had done some incredible things with his language. That mission has long since closed, but he has gone on several trips her and is working in Economics in Cambodia. His wife and his brother and his brothers wife all came for this trip to sight see. He also taught them all Khmer and they use it all the time back in the states when they don't want anyone to know what they're saying. So expect to be taught some Khmer when I come home brothers and sisters. That's all the time I have for today! I love you all! Here are some pictures!
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