Hello!
I love Cambodia and I love the people around me! My eyes have been exposed to so many things I have never seen or could even fathom. The people we teach and the adventure we get to go on everyday. My biking skills through traffic is becoming better. Remember that Joke of Mama tomato and baby tomato crossing the street and how the mama tomato looks back and says "Ketchup". Hah, yep that story is no longer in my mind as I am riding my bike with my companion! But anyway, the people we are teaching are precious. We went into one of our investigator's houses and it was flooded. The entire house was like an aquarium. As we walked in, there is a wooden bed by the corner. There were snails and fish in her house. I'm sure one of the snails got in my shoes. So we climbed on the bed and taught her as things were swimming around us. The lady was so hungry. I gave her the yogurt I had in my backpack and the look on her face was priceless.The stories and experiences make me want to cry every time. Some of the Khmer people have little to nothing. They hardly have any food. Another story, there is a lady, her name is Ming Chreb. She was supposed to be baptized next week, however we got a phone to visit her ASAP. She unfortunately got in an accident. Her left side is basically paralyzed. She lives in this little shack with her son, who is also paralyzed from birth. She can't even work to feed her children. As I was sitting face to face with her, I just so wished I could give her everything. I felt helpless but I remembered promising her power of God. That moment was powerful. The elders gave her a blessing and in the middle of nowhere after that, she said "thank you God, thank you God". That was even more powerful.
The progress of the missionary work here has been growing. We have been delegating our schedules to meet with the less actives, old and new investigators, and members. My companion and I have seen miracles each and everyday. One of the most important things I have learned is that those daily miracles from God are not for me nor my companion, but for the people we teach. Furthermore those miracles are when the Khmer people are experiencing Christ. As a result, my companion and my faith is much strengthened through the miracles God blessed the people we teach!
Everyday, my conversion is being more rooted because of the people we teach. They have such strong testimonies of Christ. The experiences and history they've had with Jesus Christ is a direct manifestation of God's miracles in their lives. In the very beginning of my mission, I followed more of my own path of teaching and let only, serving the mission how I wanted it. As each day passes, I am realizing that the hardest thing I've had to do in my life is to give up my will and give it all to God. God is showing me to depend more and more on Him, most importantly, His will. It's not my mission or my investigators or my baptisms, but rather it's God's mission and they are HIS CHILDREN!
I am learning more and more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ from the people we are teaching. One of our investigators who is of a protestant background asked us about the Atonement and the word: "donwai tuan" -the Atonement in Khmer. Donwai is to offer and tuan translates as ënough in Khmer. She had asked us how much enough is enough, what is enough? I thought it was really interesting. She asked if Christ saved us all, then what is the purpose of following his footpaths. The way she worded it was so simple but a challenge for me to translate my testimonies in Khmer. So I thought about my conversion and how the Atonement applies to my progressing conversion. I know that I am saved through his Atonement, but the purpose is to apply it to this life on earth. The goal is to become closer to Christ and in the reach of BEING ONE with GOD. BEING LIKE GOD. It is the progressing state of understanding, experiencing, and sensing his pain and Him knowing all of ours that convert us. It is so much more than just being saved, but more of feeling the prints in His hands in order to become closer and closer to him. I believe that this is a vital fuel to true conversion.
I am also learning to trust God much more. The trials that are given are the very substance and testament of my conversion. I am here to serve Him for a reason and I trust that miracles will continue to happen. I trust that the situations back home will be ok and God will take care of it.
The flood in Cambodia and my companion, Sister Sung riding her bike!
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