The Spirit of God, Like A Fire Is Burning (June 29, 2014)

Dear Krom Kruasaa nung mitpheak,

  That means family and friends. This week was super fantastic!! Its like regular fantastic except we also wore capes. *laughter erupts across the hall* 

  Last Monday was a lovely time. We went to this yummy place for lunch in which I ate an enchilada. Very authentic. Then I also purchased a snickers ice cream shake. I decided to eat my enchilada first and that was the mistake because while I was distracted a large fly decided to go swimming in my ice cream. I wasn't very happy. My companion still ate it though. So sad...

  At our meeting with the branch president on Tuesday we all started laughing because our president is a crack up. So he says "everyone laugh now" which only made me laugh all the more hard. Then he says "okay now we stop laughing" and it went really quiet while we all tried to stifle our hysteria. Our branch president has such a good sense of humor. 

   I started getting sick on Thursday and I've had to stay in a few days because I'm pretty sure I've got strep throat. Anyway it isn't very fun. 

   Saturday I felt a bit better and went out again. We taught a few lessons before the baptism. One included eating barbequed crickets. They tasted like... Anything off the barbeque. They ate them like popcorn! It was actually yummy believe it or not. We had 3 people interviewed for baptism this week and they all passed!! One of them is the daughter of a strong family here and represents the last member of her immediate family of 9 children to be baptized. It was an incredible experience at the baptism. They all three shared powerful testimonies and the spirit was so strong that I started tearing up. (That happened a lot easier on behalf of my being sick.) After the baptism we had homemade khmer curry from the family of the people getting baptized. It was super yummy! 

  Sunday the Lord again gave me enough strength to go to church in the which we had 11 investigators show up and a grand  total of 120 people in total attendance at sacrament meeting! That's pretty great seeing as we have been averaging 100 or less in the past months. We're trying to get up to 150 before the end of July!! 

  I felt the spirit many times very strongly this last week as I testified and heard others testify of the divinity of Christ and the reality of the power of his atonement in our lives. I love this true church. I know that it has been restored by a prophet of God and that today we have a living prophet who receives guidance and council from the Lord to direct this church. I love the Book of Mormon. I treasure it. I know it is true because I have read it many times and prayed many times and have felt the reassuring influence of the Holy ghost testifying of its truth. I urge you all to do likewise. I urge you all to try to see life as it is: a probationary time to prepare to meet our God. I know He lives. I know that one day we will stand before him at the pleasing bar of God to be judged of our works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. Let us each day strive to follow the example of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us remember that God is in command of our lives. He knows what is best for us. Prayer is not to change the will of God, it is designed to change us to conform with his will. Remember that no matter what you do, no matter where you are, no matter how angry you are or how far in the entrenches of sin you have fallen, you have a loving Heavenly Father who is only a prayer away. "Pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray." 2 Nephi 32:9. I Love you all and I hope you shall strive every day to do the things that will prepare you to meet our Heavenly Father and stand confidently before him. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder L. Rogers Brewer

Pictures from the baptism!

 the whole crew

 Phala and her children including (from left to right) Lina, Lineth, and Long.

 Lun and his wife Sok Leeng and their children (left to right) Restin, Ponluu, and Cheng Lim