This week we taught a lot of lessons sing M. Russell Ballard's talk about hanging on to the old ship Zion from conference. It was really good! It helped teach everyone about the way we can stay active in the church and what we have to watch out for and what to hang on to. I would suggest a re-read. Ming Sophal was doing great this week but she didn't come to church and she wasn't selling watermelons at the market today. So we hope she is okay because we missed her at church. After we went to her house on Tuesday we visited Om Nin and she cut some of her sugar cane down and gave us to eat. She even let us skin it! (see attached pictures). That same day we shared a message about missionary work with Om Jun and later in the week he showed us to three of his neighbors' homes and we taught them all and got return appointments. It was the coolest thing. After our lesson on Friday he said "Elder lets go talk to my neighbors." Then he invited them to sit down and listen to us. Keep in mind that this is in the middle of the jungle and so everyone is home and chillin' outside. So we got new investigators!
We have been doing a big contacting initiative mission wide and as a mission we invited 3,052 new people unto Christ in just this one week! Elder Smith and I put a big effort in and it payed off with 7 new investigators this week! That's even with him getting way sick on Thursday from who knows what. He was throwing up all morning though and had to stay in bed for a while to recover. But at night we were able to go out and still invite a ton of people unto Christ. We shared a great lesson with Ponlok about how Christ is the only way to eternal life and we should settle for nothing less than our divine potential to be like our father in heaven. We can only do this through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel and the atonement and grace of Jesus the Christ. As we taught him I could see his potential of becoming a strong member in the future and being a blessing to the lives of many. I hope he decides to follow Christ. That is all it takes really. Just a decision. Its or agency. If we decide to put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ then we can! Just choose to do right. It's all in your power to choose.
We found a new family while contacting on Friday and they seemed way down to earth. We are excited to go and teach them this week and help them become familiar with their Savior. The same night we went over to Ming Touc's house and taught her and her family. She has two kids that are members and two that are not. But the non-member kids both agreed to be baptized! She is so excited for her family to all have the gospel and we are excited to be a part of that journey.
Saturday was hectic. We lost our phone and it got stolen. It slipped out of our pocket while we were sitting on a hammock at a member's sugar cane juice place. Then someone came and said it was theirs and took off with our phone. So we have been phoneless since then! We're working on getting a new one now. But boy that was an inconvenient time to lose our phone! We had a dinner appointment with Pu Dy but that morning we heard he went to the hospital in Phnom Penh so we called and told him we can do dinner another night since he won't be there. Then another member called and scheduled us to come over. So we planned to go there and then we lost our phone! After we searched the house for it in vain (we didn't yet know it was stolen from the hammock elsewhere) our landlord lady, who is also a member, said that Pu Dy was calling her and saying that he was back and wanted us to come for dinner still. So then we had two dinner appointments in one night and no phone to tell them. So we just rode our bikes to the first one planning on leaving and going straight to the other one. Boy that was exhausting! Bt on top of all that we were late to both dinner appointments because we were waiting for an investigator who came to meet us at a smoothie shop half an hour late! But he brought his two room mates and we had a way awesome, way short lesson.
Sunday we rode out to Ming Touc's house to pick up her two sons and help them come to church because they only have one bicycle and 5 people! It was very tiring but so worth it! We had 24 at church this week and My goal is to get 30 before I leave this tiny group out in The Standing Jungle.
I know this is the true church. I love the gospel with all my heart! I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and that Joseph Smith restored God's true church on the earth by power and direction from Jesus Christ Himself. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Moroni's promise at the end is true for all! (Moroni 10:3-5) If you read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon, asking God in faith and by the name of Jesus Christ then He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that Jesus lives. He is my Savior from an awful hell. I know that all who draw near unto him will find that He draws near unto them too! (D&C 88:63) May God bless you all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Lyle R. Brewer
a'fishing
ancient Buddhist scripture
eating elephant apple
from Monk to member
grillin'
Ming Sophal
Rice
Rice2
Rice3
skinning sugar cane
sugar cane
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