Done.

Dear Family and Friends,

Its been a great two years. I haven't been so happy in my whole life. This has been the most rewarding time of my life. I don't really feel like its over and I don't believe I'm going home yet. I also haven't packed yet though so maybe if I do that it will feel real. I'm excited to see you all and I miss you boat loads. I'll have lots to tell you when I get home and I'm sure you'll have an ear to listen for maybe a month. But for this last time I will tell you how my week went.

Monday I went to a Chinese lady's ice cream shop and she asked me what I wanted. I said "beats me!" and then she started going off in Chinese! I told her I didn't speak Chinese and she looked very confused. "But you just said Bin Chring! That's Chinese for ice cream." So of all the words I chose to say I happened to say the Chinese word for ice cream at a Chinese Ice Cream shop. 

Tuesday we met with Ming Sophal in the morning and helped her prepare for her baptismal interview next week! She is doing very well and has an amazing testimony! We went to visit some other investigators in Baray Village and saw an older woman digging at a huge pile of dirt in her front yard and so we rode up and offered to help her! We moved the whole pile and spread it across her front yard. She purchased the new dirt so that when it rains it won't be so muddy! It was fun to get all sweaty and hot before biking some more! 

Wednesday we taught a new investigator who told us we should get a big projector and show Jesus videos around the villages and that everyone would convert if we did. I thought it was a worthy effort but it isn't the best way to do missionary work haha. We also met Daly and helped prepare her for her baptism this Sunday! Then we taught English class and went over to Bong Ponlok's house and taught him a lesson on the Importance of Jesus Christ. He committed again to read the Book of Mormon to find out if it is true.

Thursday was Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm grateful for My Mom and Dad who gave the gospel to me and taught me to walk in the light from my youth. They are the best examples of dedicated service to the Lord. I am so grateful for their sacrifices for me throughout my life. I could not have asked for better parents. I am so grateful that I could serve the Lord for two years. I don't feel like it was a sacrifice but more like a blessing. I am grateful for my siblings and their great examples to me and their help in all the aspects of my life. I don't know what I would do without them. I am grateful for my companion Elder Smith who has been the best last companion I could ask for. I am grateful for the many wonderful friends I have made here and have waiting at home. Most of all I am grateful for the Savior's sacrifice for me and the Father's tender mercies and love towards all mankind. I learned of the savior's unending love very acutely after thanksgiving lunch with the Senior couple and all the missionaries in my zone. We sat down in a circle and they gave us each a snickers bar and told us not to eat it. They then told us that in order for everyone else to eat their candy someone has to give theirs up. I volunteered readily and they chose me. They then asked me to sit on a red table cloth in the middle of the circle and proceeded to ask each missionary in the room one by one if they wanted to keep their candy bar and that I had to pay for it by doing 10 push ups. So the first one said yes and I busted out 10. The second one said yes and I busted out 10 more. Then the third said no but the senior sister said I still ha to pay for it. So 10 more. As I waited for the next answer Sister Leavitt explained the atonement of Jesus Christ reading scriptures and the spirit filled the room. I kept pushing. 4. 5. 6 people. 7. 8 people. Some said they wanted it others said no, and yet still I pushed for them so they may keep their candy.  I was getting very tired and my arms began to shake. At the beginning she would ask me how I was feeling and I felt fine. As she asked me now I felt to say that it was hard. She asked if I could do more and I said I would if I needed to. 9. 10 people. And the last missionary when asked if they wanted their candy bar said that "if I say no the he will still do them so I will say yes." And so the last ten push ups came very hard. With only five left I began to falter. I couldn't get up all the way. They kept saying I could do it. And I had to. 4 left and I had to catch myself from with my knee because I couldn't get up all the way. 3 left and my arms were shaking. 2 left and I was gasping for air. 1 left and I could barely get off the ground, let alone lift myself to the top. When I finished I felt hot tears come to my face as I realized that the savior felt much much more than that. The savior felt like he couldn't go on, but he did. The savior paid the price for all our sins and our sorrows and pains even if we choose not to receive that gift. He has descended below all things that He may lift all to the presence of the Father. How grateful I am for Him. He who has saved my soul from everlasting damnation. He who paid the price willingly. He who was the perfect lame without blemish, without sin. I know that He conquered death and sin. I know He lives. He is the only way. 

The last three days I will summarize shortly. I met with Sombor and Khen, two guys fluent in Chinese and working as translators at the Chinese factory in the Standing Jungle. They are very intelligent men who were intrigued to know why Christ was important in their lives and committed to read the Book of Mormon to find our for themselves and pray to ask the Father. We also met with Daly one more time to help her to prepare spiritually for her baptism on Sunday. Sunday was a long and eventful day. We rode a car with Daly and her mother Sinat to Kampong Cham in the morning because there is no font in Prey Cho. We got there during the sacrament hymn and I was asked to get up a give a farewell talk to the members of Kampong Cham, We found out during second hour that the font had a big crack in it and we wouldn't be able to fill it all the way because the water will all flow out. So after the services and the baptismal talks we went out to a very shallow font to do the ordinance. Luckily Daly is maybe a little over 4 feet tall. So the baptism was completed successfully despite the many challenges and Oh what a sweet experience it was. Then we rode back home and made a very quick lunch before going to church again in Prey Cho where I also gave another farewell talk. After church I got a text from the Zone Leaders telling us that in order for our mission to reach its goal this week every companionship needed to get 36 contacts. Thats triple what we usually get in a day and we only had half a day to do it. But as we rode through the night the lord showed us who we were to talk to and we achieved our goal and finished the week having invited 104 souls unto Christ. That is what its all about.

I love my life. I love the savior. I will see you all very soon.

Last Mission Email.

-Elder Lyle R. Brewer

Two years already. Now it's Bonus.

Dear Family,

I had a great week! Tuesday we met with Ming Sophal in the morning and she told us how she has been receiving a plethora of blessings since she has put her faith in the Lord. Every night she goes to Prey Totung market and buys watermelons to sell in the morning and she prays that the Lord will help her sell all of them. Then every morning she sells every last watermelon at the Prey Cho Market. If she buys 150 she sells 150, if she buys 200 she sells 200. And while we are at her house teaching people come asking if she has watermelons at her house after she sold them all! They really like their watermelons and the Lord is truly blessing her to sell. She had an accident this Saturday evening bringing her watermelons home and a car came to close so she had to cut to the side and fell over. She hurt her back and lost all her watermelons but she still came to church with a smile the next day! I feel like no one can skip the trials of life but only some can persevere like she does. She is preparing herself for baptism on the 6th of December! I'm very excited for her. 

Om Jun, our investigator who has successfully quit drinking after a very long time, is getting baptized next week! So this week he helped us go teach and find new families in his village! On Wednesday he walked with us to a couple families he said wanted to learn and we taught them. Then on Saturday he walked around the whole village with us and invited everyone he knew to listen to our message! He just opened his mouth and spared not! At one point he took us to a little shop that sells vegetables and stuff for the village and he told everyone there to listen to us. There were twenty or so people there and I just started preaching! I felt like Alma from the Book of Mormon. It was awesome! Om Jun is a way awesome guy and is wildly funny.

We met with an investigator that I like to call an extended contact. We saw him many times and he knew our names but we had not ever been able to meet him for very long. We finally were able to sit down with him this week (on some rocks because he had no chairs) and teach him how to pray and how to quit smoking. He was very excited about the way we taught him to quit smoking because in our earlier meetings he had intimated that it was impossible to quit. I told him that the actual was quite the contrary! He committed to try it out and stop smoking little by little. He's got some good faith in only our words alone!

Ming Srey is a member that was not going to church when I got to the area and felt very confused and not very happy and thus felt like she did not want to go to church. Well she has been coming to church now for 4 weeks and is very happy! We gave her a picture of Jesus Christ and told her how proud He was of her and her progress. She was very happy to tell us how much different her life was since she began to go back to church. She felt happy again and not so worried about things she cannot control. Her faith is in the Lord and she is happily enduring now. Its wonderful to see my efforts come to fruition. With the Lord, my companion, and me, we can do pretty much anything.

Sarith is a man we met as we were riding to an appointment. He hollered at us in English saying "hello! How are you?" We promptly turned around and began talking to him about our message of Family Happiness and being cleansed from sin. He accepted a return appointment and when we went back he was excited to listen to us! We shared with him about the nature of God our loving Heavenly Father and about how He calls prophets to teach His children the way they should live. We spoke of the purpose and life of Jesus Christ and what we need to do to follow him. We introduced the Book of Mormon and taught him the way he can know for himself if it is true. He was very receptive and open to our message and committed to read and pray. He said he really wants top know for himself if it is true! The unfortunate part of the story is that he will be moving far away this week. The good part is that it is still within reach of the missionaries  in Kampong Cham! I feel like he is a great man with great potential!

Ael Jan Than is a great older lady we stumbled upon while contacting. She said she wont go anywhere but that she wanted to listen to our message. We said we would come back. Another day we came by and taught her neighbor the message of the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. Then we went to follow up on Ael Jan Than and as we sat and talked with her under her house the neighbor man comes over carrying the Book of Mormon we just gave him and told us he couldn't read it because the font was too small. So Ael Jan Than asked to see it and started looking at the pictures in the front. She asked me to explain them for her. As I explained the spirit testified to her and to me that what I said was true. The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Christ's divinity from another people in a far away land who had no communication with the Jews in Jerusalem. The book is of divine origin and was translated by the gift and power of God. When I asked her to read and pray she said she knew it was true from what I said. She recognized me as a servant of Christ and told me that she knew I wouldn't come all the way to her country in this small village from America just to lie to her. She also complained that the font was too small so we are going to go back and give her a big font copy of the Book of Mormon and she committed to read and pray. 

Ponlok hasn't met with us in a while but last night he met with us and told us how he really wished he could have met with us sooner but he has been so busy! He was excited to tell us that he had been reading in the Book of Mormon and felt that God was answering his prayers. We read with him the testimony of the three and eight witnesses found at the beginning of the book and he said the book must be true if these men would testify in that way. I feel like he is going to be an amazing member.

Well as the title suggests, I am past my two year mark as a missionary. November 20th 2013 to November 20th 2015. Now I'm just serving a little overtime to reap those last few souls that I can! 

I love you all and I know that Jesus love you too. He is our savior and He lives. May you strive to be more like Him as I do likewise.

-Elder Lyle R. Brewer

Our Landlord's cat caught the mouse in our house for us.

Great Cambodian sunsets

caught a baby tokai

visited Phnom Bro (Boy Hill)

fed some monkeys

Transfer 16. Week 3.

Dear loved ones,

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

Transfer 16. Week 2.

Note from MOM: We are so excited to see Lyle again!!! He will be arriving home on Dec. 5th after a 31 hour trip. I hope he will be recovered by Sunday night the 6th, because we will be hosting an open house for him at our home from 6:30-8:30. I am sure he would love to see you. Please let me know if you will be attending. Thanks bunches for your love and prayers for him these last two years, keep them coming until he arrives home. He will only be here thru the first few days of January then he goes to BYU. 

Much love and appreciation, 

Tami and Roger Brewer

 

Dear ones,

It was a great week in Cambodia.

We met with some really cool investigators this week. We met with Sophal on Tuesday and she is doing great! She has some great faith and really loves Jesus Christ. She agreed to be baptized on the 6th of December! We worked closely with Om Jun and Daly to prepare them for baptismal dates but they both skipped church. It rained quite a bit this week. They say the rainy season is ending and the cold season is starting but its just raining more now and getting hotter every day. I also got to do an exchange with Elder Paramore in Kampong Jam on Friday. It rained insanely hard all day. Since he took over my area when I left Kampong Jam to go to Prey Cho we got to meet some of my investigators and they are doing great! We had an amazing lesson with a girl named Jenda whom Elder Smith and I started teaching. When I was there we only taught her how to pray and set a return appointment, so when Elder Paramore and I went we taught the message of the restoration. It was a perfect lesson. She asked perfect questions that led right into the next point and she was so interested to know which church was true, which mode of baptism was right, who restored the church after the apostasy. It was fun to walk her through it all! ThenSaturday morning we continued the exchange (since we started it on Friday afternoon) and we went contacting. We got 4 return appointments and when we tried to find somewhere for lunch we stopped at this little side shop that looked like it sold. They invited us in but no customers were there. When I asked if they sold rice they said they only sell breakfast food. But then she started asking questions about us Jesus and seemed really interested! Her dad walked in (this older man of maybe 60+) and said "hey can I join Christianity?" We said of coarse! But he was just messing with us. We ended up sitting down and having a long conversation with him about religion. He had some very interesting views. I've gotten very bold I've noticed. Being a missionary holds with it some power in the calling. I make every statement with boldness and power that I know comes from the truth of my message and the power of God. I leave no room for doubt that I believe what I teach. Well as we sat the lady gave us a soda which we accepted gratefully and we sat there so long that she actually made lunch and brought us a plate! It was way delicious! Then we we finished lunch she sat down and asked some more questions and we gave her a book of mormon and taught her some great principles and invited her to church. It was quite a meeting. All because we were hungry! 

Sunday we went around inviting people to church and then we had 26 people at church! Last week it was 14 so that was a huge jump! My goal is to get 30 before I leave this area. Its a small struggling group but the members that are active are very strong, their faith having been tried time and time again. One of my favorite members ever is Pu Dy. He is the group leader out here and is just the best guy. He and his family have been members for something like 7 years and before that he was a high ranking monk for 30 years!! I'm really gonna miss him when I have to go. 

This is the best Journey I've ever been on. I love every second. I love my Savior. This is His church! I hope you all may reflect on your testimonies and ask again in humble prayer for Heavenly Father to confirm the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. Doubt not fear not. I love you all, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Lyle R. Brewer

Pictures are of me helping a member grind rice into liquid she will use to make treats that she sells. Way good!!!

Angkorians

Dearest,

So Monday and Tuesday I went with Elder Quirante, Elder Long, and Elder Um to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. It was a wonderful place. The ruins of an ancient people who have since lost their former glory and majesty. The people who built these huge temples are the predecessors to the current Cambodian people. I'll attach some pictures at the bottom.

Wednesday we had a surprise guest appear on the road in the middle of nowhere-ville (aka Prey Cho). A friend of Elder Smith's. A Cambodian woman who lives in Phnom Penh and owns an orphanage and works with his mom in America. She brought a duffel bag full of goodies and then went with us to our lesson with an investigator! It was just perfect. She was such a great help! She shared an amazing testimony and it brought our investigator Ming Sophal to tears! We were very grateful for her presence. 

On Friday we met again with Ming Sophal and her son and two nephews and taught them all about the restoration and they agreed to be baptized on the 6th of December! That will be awesome! We met a few members and not so active members and have been teaching the importance of personal revelation, especially about the Book of Mormon. No one can know about spiritual truths unless the spirit reveals it unto them. Also, no one can endure to the end unless they are receiving personal revelation frequently. We need to be in tune with the spirit so that we can recognize when He speaks to us and what we need to do. This will help us to overcome trials and tribulations when they come, and they will come!

We saw some beautiful scenery this week and goly I love Cambodia and this wonderful jungle farm land that I live in. It's looking to be the best of best times ahead. 

I'm convinced more and more each day of the divinity and reality of my savior Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. He is the redeemer of the world. The anticipated Messiah. He reigns in heaven and on earth. He has established His church again on the earth in its fullness through the prophet Joseph Smith. He will shortly come again and in His glory consume the earth. He will present His kingdom perfected before the father and we shall be His. Let us learn of Him and take His cross upon us that we may be perfected through Him. He is the way. He has provided the means whereby all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. All man will be saved. But only those who progress and improve their time while in this life will be exalted in the celestial kingdom. Let us live a celestial life by the celestial law that we may be there in the next life. And so that when Christ comes we shall know Him because we shall see Him as He is, because we shall be like Him. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Elder Lyle R. Brewer

It's getting real

Hello Family and other loved ones,

I appreciate you reading these each week. Its quite something to endure. With the length of what I usually write I imagine there aren't many who actually go through the whole email. But i'll include pictures for those who like to skim to the bottom (; hahah

This week began with a good Monday evening where Elder Smith and I went and visited a contact we made a week ago and taught them about God and His plan and how to pray. I love showing people who God is. Most people here have no concept of God the way I know Him. What a blessing it is to help His children learn of Him and learn how to enter into His rest. I feel like Ammon before king Lamoni.

Me: "Do you believe in God?" Them: "I do not know what that meaneth. God is my earthly father and mother.." Me: "Do you believe we have a spirit?" Them: "yes, I believe we have a spirit." Me: "God is the father of our spirits. He has all power and all wisdom and is the creator of all things. He listen to us when we seek Him in humble prayer and grants us blessings according to our desires and needs if we exercise faith in Him." Them: "What do I do in order to pray to Him?" Me: "You must humble yourself before god and have faith in His son Jesus Christ and you must call on him and speak the thoughts and intents of your heart and ask for whatsoever thing you stand in need of in the name of Jesus Christ." 

That's basically how every lessons goes. So this week we were able to do that a whole lot because we got 11 new investigators. A recent convert in Prey Cho referred us to two families. That was way fun! Tuesday we visited the people of Kampong Jam for the last time and then Wednesday morning we took a cab to Prey Cho and started proselyting there. When we showed up to our house we found that two mice had crawled into our mop bowl and died. It was pretty gross. Its been a pretty mellow week other than that. 

Church was a great uplifting experience. For our opening hymn we sung "Did you think to pray" and the spirit was very strong. I was asked to talk again and so I spoke to the importance of recognizing the spirit in our lives and receiving personal revelation. I talked about how important it is to have a testimony and to seek out personal revelation in order for us to stay firm in the gospel and to build our foundation on the savior Jesus Christ. Why did the pioneers endure the over a thousand mile trek to the Salt Lake Valley? Why did they not give up when their enemies were burning down their houses and their temple? Why did they keep pushing forward when they had to bury the Salt Lake City Temple foundation that they had been working on for years when the US army came to check on them? Why? Because they had some dreams, and they had some visions. Because they heard the voice of the Lord from time to time and recognized His spirit. Because they had personal revelation to sustain them. We all need that every day. We cannot stand up against the mighty whirlwinds and fiery darts of the adversary if we are not built upon a sure foundation, which foundation is Christ the Lord! We need personal revelation the way that Moses did when the army of Pharaoh was on their tail and the had nothing but a lot of water in front of them. Moses needed revelation and he got it. You and I face similar trials in our lives where we feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. We need personal revelation so that we will know what to do and what to say and where to go. We need to cultivate that spirit of revelation in our lives and learn to recognize it. We do this by daily feasting upon the words of Christ in the scriptures and through His holy prophets past and present. We need to seek Him in fervent prayer each day on our knees asking for guidance and seeking His presence. We need to be humble and make time to listen to the soft impressions of the spirit so that when that trial does come, and we are standing before the red sea with a lot of angry Egyptians at our backs, we can recognize that prompting from the spirit that tells us to move forward and go through the sea. God speaks to us. Make time to listen. Learn how to hear His voice. This is His church. He leads it through His prophet Thomas S. Monson. Jesus Lives. In the name of the savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Lyle R. Brewer

moving

an old silver coin issued by the french government while it ruled over Cambodia. The member who owns it said it's worth $25 dollars.

Another old coin they used in Cambodia issued by the french

Rushed to the hospital

Hello Family!

So my subject line sounds a little morbid but do not worry! I will give that tale its justice in just a couple paragraphs below. Don't get lazy and skip to the bottom! (;

Its been a very strange week. Preparation day was relaxed and then since Monday and Tuesday was a huge holiday we did deep cleaning in BOTH our houses. That was fun. It's really nice to live in a house that isn't filthy. Naturally our home needs attention always since we only come home late and night and leave early in the morning. Cleaning happens sparingly whenever time allows. So it was nice to have a couple days dedicated to it. Still not moved into the new apartment until maybe next month but I won't be able to enjoy it because I'm getting transferred! It's my last transfer in the country and I'll be spending it in only Prey Cho instead of both Prey Cho and Kampong Jam 3rd. That's really a blessing even though I'll miss those people I got to serve in Kampong Jam. I will still be with my trainee Elder Smith so its not that much different! Just more time to help that struggling group and less time riding taxi vans all the time! 

Wednesday was spent in Prey Cho. We taught our friend Om Jun, the old man with the sunglasses in a previous email. He is struggling to quit drinking and we are helping him by following up every day! He said he really wants to be baptized on the first of November and said he would quit drinking so he could accomplish that goal! We hope we can help him to do so! Then we taught English class to only 3 students since it was a holiday the day before (like I have mentioned before, the effect of holidays last a whole week after they are over). 

Thursday we went and taught Daly who was planning to get baptized this Sunday the 18th. We gave her a bag of study materials and reviewed with her the importance of baptism and pumped her up for this Sunday! Then we visited Om Jun again to make sure he was still committed to his goal. We are planning on going there every day starting this Wednesday just to follow up on him and make sure he is keeping his commitment! Then we met some more members and their daughter had come back from Phnom Penh for the holiday and we helped her get in touch with the Elders in the area she is going to be attending so she could feel more comfortable going each Sunday! We met with a newer investigator named Tok and taught him the discussion on the Restoration of the Gospel. He was very into it and has some great potential! He said he would try to come to church this week! We tried to give him a Book of Mormon but he told us he cannot read. I told him we could teach him how to read so that he can read the Lord's holy word and he said he would like that! So I'll keep you updated on that! That night our Landlady (also a member) told us she had a group of 30 people who want to come to church with us in Prey Cho. They are from another place far away called Roka Kaong. They used to be members in another church but all left due to them finding out that their church was corrupt. So they wanted to find a new one after two years of inactivity. So Elder Smith and I decided to do a special fast for them on Friday.

Friday we returned to Kampong Jam from Prey Cho and after lunch we begun our fast and rode 20 kilometers out to a member's house to do some service preparing her ground for planting by cutting the grass with some sickles. We hadn't worked 5 minutes when Elder Smith said "Oh dang it." I looked over to see him poke a deep gash on his left pointer finger and blood squirt out like the black night who loses his arm to King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It took me about one second to realize his finger was not falling off and then I ripped my Cambodian scarf off and wrapped it around the bleeding mess to tourniquet it and stem the loss. I just whispered to him "Elder that's a lot of blood." We quickly assumed it would need stitches and a quick chat with Sister Christensen on the phone confirmed it. She told us to find the fastest car to the city and meet her at SOS international hospital. We went out and stood on the street while the members tried to get him to rub menthol all over the cut. We denied their medical advice and prayed to find a car. We were in the middle of nowhere but as soon as we close the prayer Elder Smith successfully hailed a small car with a very kind man who drive us all the way to Phnom Penh in only 2 hours. The whole drive there I taught him as much as I could in our mixed conversations and got his number to refer him to the Elders in Phnom Penh. On arrival at the hospital President and Sister Christensen were both waiting there for us. President thought we looked goofy wearing service clothes and dress shoes so he took a picture and then they took us into the room where they put three stitches into his wound. It was quite a trip. That night we slept at the Assistant's house and then got a car first thing in the morning to take us back to KC. We had them stop on the road that took us up to the member's home and then paid a tuk-tuk to drive us the rest of the way to our bicycles. We then had to ride our bicycles 20 kilometers back to Kampong Cham still fasting and completely broke from all the travel bills. When we arrived back home at 11:30 am, sunburned and starving, we broke our fast and drank cold lemonades and ate a fresh apple from the fridge. I was laughing with joy as I bit into the best tasting apple I had ever had. We were completely exhausted and crashed for two hours after feasting on Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches (we were too tired to make real food). When we recovered we went and taught four lessons.

Sunday morning I woke up with a bit of a sore throat due to the exhaustion of yesterday I assume. We went to church and looked for Daly who was to be baptize but couldn't find her. We called her mom but the phone didn't go through. I called our landlord to go ask her if she was coming. A couple minutes later she called back and said that they were not coming because they were busy. The font was half filled and people waiting but no one to be baptized. That was a sad tale. Guess we'll try again in a couple weeks!

Then we had to take a projector and like equipment with us on a car to Prey Cho so that the branch president could show the Sunday Morning session of conference. No one from Prey Cho was able to come and watch conference since it was a holiday this last weekend and there were no cars to take them to KC. So 15 of the expected 30 came to church with us in Prey Cho and watched half of the session before leaving. Turns out Phnom Penh is closer to them so they are going to go join the Toul Sangkae branch. Right after church a recent convert named Borey came up to us and told us she had two referrals that she wanted us to go teach. We called them and they set an appointment right there! It was way exciting. All in all another great week!

I know that Jesus Lives! This is His church! I'm so grateful to be in His service out in this wonderful country. It's sad that my time will be coming to an end soon. I hope I can continue to be in the service of the Lord in the next chapter of my life. As this chapter wraps up I will give my all to Him who created all. On whom I depend on for my daily breath, I shout praise to Him. The Holy One of Israel. Believe in Christ! Repent! Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him! Let His love surround you. You are a child of God. In the name of His son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Lyle R. Brewer

After I wrapped it

Getting stitched

stitched

Borey who gave us the referrals