Christmas in Cambodia

Monday December 25, 2017 at 12:13am

For this week, the spirit of Christmas manifested itself in ways I could not imagine it would. So many humbling experiences entered my life that week. I feel that the spirit of love, understanding and unity within the community of the church and the people I came in contact with. I got to witness, even at the tip of an ice berg of how the Savior feels as he offers his hands to the lives of those who are humble to receive them. We got to witness the pure love a father has for his daughter at a baptism yesterday. It was just so sincere.  The father got really shy to say the baptismal prayer, but tried again and again, because he loves his daughter. A heart touching moment was when a senior couple went up to him and asked me to translate to him that " one day, you are going to a great leader of the church". I felt the spirit surging all around us. I just felt like their was a pause in the moment and I wish I could capture it forever. The man started to tear up, said thank you so sincerely and walked a way. The power that comes from those words of affirmation strengthened the man's faith to continue to serve.The father's strive to live worthy for God and his family is so inspiring. The moment after the baptism, we found him and his family laying down on the cement ground outside the church. We asked them if they were going to go home, but they told us that they didn't have enough money to commute back to their house to get lunch in between and to come back for the church service. We could tell they were starving. All of the members from joining the baptismal service had already left and it was too late to ask anyone to help the family out at the time. Sister McIllece and I looked at each other and felt such a strong impression to go home and come back with the large meal that we both knew we could not finish if it was just the two of it.  We got home and made food in 15 minutes, haha and rode back to the church to eat with them. The moment they saw us entering the church gate, a sense of hope filled their hearts. The daughter smiled so much. Her father could not fathom the miracle that just happen through his sacrifice for the Lord. One of the happiest moments that I have felt is such an experience as this one. The fact that I got to see a family eating together with hope and food to fill their stomachs was such a great sight. To see the Father expressing to his children through his heart that God does answer prayers and is aware of their needs.  Right after we finished with the food, we had two new investigators who had been seeking the Gospel, walking in the church, while more investigators of ours started to arrive at church  hah like all together. at once. Brothers and sisters, I have a testimony of charity and love. I have a testimony of giving. I know that we can all make that difference as we listen to the spirit of the hearts of those around us and the rhythms that beat, to that still and small voice, to share selfless love to those around us.

Merry Christmas

With love and gratitude,

Sister Sok

When I Looked Up

Sunday December 10, 2017 at 10:18pm

Hello Hello!

This week has been on the go-go-go. We have been helping President with preparing the new missionaries training and upcoming Zone conference and exchanges. It has been really good.
We thoroughly enjoyed the administration and ministration work of the mission! There is something so joyful about being near the new missionaries starting their mission in this country this week. It is so great. We also got some times in proselyting for the rest of the week and exchanges, as well. I have many tender mercies to share, but with a limited amount of time, I will sure do my best.

Sunday was a amazing. One of our family investigators gave us a call before the church service and told us that their old Japanese bike broke down. They weren't quite sure of how to fit 5 people on a broken bike. I could feel their desire of attending church so bad. With diligent prayers from our part and theirs, Heavenly Father has miraculously provided a way for them to get to church. Another tender mercy came after Sister McIllece and I were lost by the trash mountain area, because we were trying to find a short cut. Well in the midst of being lost, Sister McIllece's bike broke down. It broke down by this small road where not many people would pass by. We got a little frustrated with trying to fix the bike with no resources around us. I took a huge breath and tried as hard to be calm, because we were already late to our next lesson appointment. Then, the sweetest voice manifested itself through this man, "Hi, Can you pray for my child?" I looked up for the first time in the 20 minutes and realized I have been feeling hopeless while struggling to fix the bike and a spirit of hope surged my frame as soon as I heard the man's voice. My lips trembled and I felt so grateful for the opportunity to be in this man's crossroad.

When I looked up, my head cleared and I faced this man whose frame seemed very exhausted, yet hopeful. He was pulling a huge cart full of recycling materials. Right then and there, I became so speechless. I felt a spirit of love entered my heart. I could not help but to cry right in front of this poor man's face. Right at the moment, I knew Heavenly Father reassured us that HE IS THERE, with us, with that man. The man further said that "his child is ill and his wife needs help from God" "I know you are Christians, and please pray for my sick child". He looked at us with such hope and walked pass us. Then, this little girl's bike broke down right in front of us. We hurriedly put the bike chains back on her bike and hurriedly stopped the poor man from walking away from us. We kept talking to him and asked where his family lives. He took us to his wife and his sick child. We got to know them for a bit and asked if we could pray with them for their sick infant. Ahh, it was such a tender mercy. I know that without the struggles of that day, I don't think I would have felt the priceless value of God's hands and workmanship of miracles to the extent of how it should be felt. I don't think I would have valued the man's sincere begging voice for help if my companion and I did not struggle to overcome each of our individual challenges by working together in unity. The price to be pay is so worth the beauty we see each and everyday.

With Love and Gratitude,
Sister Sok

A picture of one of the family investigators we are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with. Sorry my camera does not take very clear pictures. :/

My ex-comp a few weeks ago, Sister Chin with
her glasses. Me with the red scarf and Sister Chin.

New Comp!
Sis. Mcillece
While back when I was a new missionary in my training, my 1st Christmas in the country!

Waiting at the Church's Stairways

Monday November 27, 2017 at 1:26am

Hello,

On Sunday afternoon, we met a woman and her two children on the steps of the church building. She had biked to church far from her home, with a total of 3 people on an old beaten down Japanese bike.  She told us how she has been waiting for us and the message we had to share with her again. She had been waiting for a while, as well. Ahh the sweet joy she had to meet with us made my comp and I so happy. She had a 2 year old son and a 13 year old daughter with her. She told us how she has been praying and sleeping by the pamphlets we gave her, to provide her the comfort she has longed for. She expressed how much light came into her life, ever since having the Lord with her. She teared up and told us how badly she wanted to read the words in the Book of Mormon, but has not learned how to read ever since she was a child. It was such a neat experience to see how her 13 year-old daughter will teach her mother to read from that day on, every night. It was quite beautiful to hear her saying that (as she holds her baby by her heart so dearly) she said "I will change and do anything of the Lord, as long as I am able to read His words, I will, I have faith, I come here and have sacrificed because I believe in His words ". Oh my this family is chosen of God.

Brothers and Sisters, I know the power of the Book of Mormon can truly speak to our hearts.  I was fast tracked at the MTC and was in a regular English speaking group with people from different parts of the world. I remember when I came to Cambodia and did not know how to read the Book of Mormon in Khmer.The miracle of was through the patience of my Khmer trainer and the Lord's strength to quicken my understanding. In a time span of 1 week and hah the work out and exhaustion of my brain, I was able to read the Book in Khmer to the speed that they could understand me. It was a miracle, pure strength and knowledge from the tongue of the Lord. I know and have experienced this to be true!

With Love and Gratitude,
Sister Sok

We spent our Thanksgiving with the Senior Missionaries, Elder Thurston and Sister Thurston. Our zone came together, some from the city, some from STEUNG MEANCHEY! It was so wonderful!
From sisters from the right,
Sister Thurston, Sister Lay, Sis Thouk, me in the green and my comp is sister Chin in the black, Sis. Smith and Sis Stratford.

All For the Lord to help His Wife

Monday November 20, 2017 at 12:39am

Hello Hello

Cambodia is a country populated by marvelous minds, full of people who are very resourceful. I am learning more and more in how the humble souls here use their ingenuity and engineering endeavors to live day by day. It is exactly that, to live life day by day and tomorrow will happen when the sun rises the next day. A wonderful speaker at church once said, "one must not leave poverty, but one must be the agent to let poverty leave them, instead". This saying continues to have an influential effect in how I look at the lives around me, and even in my own life! I able to connect the puzzles in what he says to the experiences I have each day.

On one morning, my companion and I went to ask a member to help out in one of our lessons. As we peeked our heads in the house, we saw her whole entire frame shaking and shivering by the corner of her walls. We rushed to help her out and saw her husband standing right by her. She had been so sick with an illness we couldn't identify. The husband gave us a list of medications she had been talking and I felt clueless in what those medicines were doing to that poor woman. We spent some times sitting by her and listening to her husband begging for help. The hardest part to take in was the fact that this man is drawing his last amount of money to pay tithing, but he has no more to pay for his wife's medical bill. The image, now imagining back to it, brings me to a greater depth of humility. I mean this man, sitting by his wife, who is sickly shivering, was sobbing and asking the Lord to help him. He bore a powerful testimony that as long as he obeys the Lord's commandments, his life, and along with his family's,  will be in the Lord's hands.  It is such a comforting assurance that this man truly " is the agent in which he changed the circumstance he is in and has changed his destitute circumstance, or in other words, the agent to change his poverty, his poor state", all through the enabling power of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We may choose to leave a place when we are in the poorest of states and move or we can choose to face the challenges and be the agent to change them, all in the journey of changing our nature!

With Love and Gratitude,
Sister Sok

Some are pictures of our proselyting areas. We received permission from our mission pres, for a day to take pictures while proselyting. A group of photographers from Salt Lake came in and took pictures of us while teaching, that felt really awkward. But hah, it's all good. The pictures are of an investigator and the areas we are serving in. The area is called "Trash Mountain". It is really cool to teach in that house on top of the trash mountain, though!

My Heart is with Her: Where Jesus Meets us

Sunday October 29, 2017 at 9:24pm

ជំរាបសួរ បងប្អូនប្រុសស្រី,

I am still currently serving in Steung Meanchey and it is by far one of the most humble of areas in the country. The poverty and the destitute souls here truly need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last week, we met with one of the most beautiful families. We visited them last Tuesday. Before knocking on their door, we could hear the 12 year old daughter reading out loud to her mother. We listened to her for a bit and knocked on the door. Aww, it broke my heart when I saw them for the first time. The mother was sitting up on her bed by her daughter. Both the mother and the daughter had acidic substance/juice purposely poured on them years ago, due to a mistaken cause. The mother's body and face had been completely destroyed and her daughter's face was also severely scarred. The daughter always wears a hat to cover her head and face. We asked her if she could take of the cover and she did. Man, my heart dropped. I remember how Heavenly Father truly sent  His love for this little girl through out the whole time I was there. Her soul is so beautiful and she is always trying so hard to be a good student. While she was reading to her mother, she also had her math homework out. Ahh man, it was the sweetest thing for her to ask me to help her and to see if she solved the physics problem correctly. Knowing we both love math. It was so cute. Soon after, we started the lesson with the family. A few minutes later, the mother was so frail that she  stopped hearing what we were saying. So she helplessly fell to her bed and slept right then and there. She was so tired and her daughter felt so helpless as well, to help her mother. I just couldn't help but to look the little girl in the eyes and almost blurted out " I want you to know I love you" " But what I actually said was"Your Father in Heaven loves you so much".

Another heartfelt experience that my companion and I had was with a young 20 year old woman of the same age as me. Her brother is a member of the church and introduced her to church very recently. We didn't see the young woman at church yesterday and thought we should check in to see if she was OK. We were direct in asking to know of she has the desire to change and to experiment on the words of the Lord, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember a moment when she looked at us in the eyes and starred down at the floor and said "Sisters, I can't read". I tried reading at night in the Book of Mormon, but I want to tell you " I can't read". I want to come to church and learn of the Gospel, but I can't read. I am not smart enough! Man, it was another humbling moment for the three of us.

One of the greatest opportunities anyone can have in this life is to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to the lives that are desperately thirsting for the living water. One of the greatest opportunities anyone can have in this life is simply to know and understand their relationship with their Father in Heaven and through Jesus Christ, they can know who their Heavenly Father is for them, and with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, to know of their identity and destined glory.

With my love and gratitude,
Sister Sok

Walking on Trash Mountain

Sunday October 22, 2017 at 8:40pm

Hello!

This week has been filled with so many humbling experiences and as well as preparation work to help the new missionaries ease into their service for the Lord here in Cambodia. There will be some more trainings this upcoming week for them. Hah, there were so many of them, but all got here safe and sound!

I think one of the humbling experiences I had occurred during one night from last week when we, hah got lost again, while trying to find a potential investigator's house. It was very dark and the areas in Stueng Meachey are some of the most poorest areas in the whole country. Well, we went around the little alley ways, but still could not find the roads that would lead to the family's house. Miraculously, my companion ( hah she is so cute) almost biked into a lady,  hah oops and right away she called us, "Sisters", hah we then knew she was a member from one of the wards we are serving in. She knew the roads specifically and led us there. A few miles from getting to their house, we saw a man standing by the gate (who referred us to the pot. investigator)  to the trash mountain waiting to greet us and to walk to the destined spot together.  The way there looked a little wild. We were literally walking on mountains of trash and  piles of trash and unidentified stuff was burning all around. It looked like the whole place was a battlefield. The interesting thing is that many people live on this mountain and have been pretty acclimated to the environment. Many of the children in the areas are being raised by organizations in the help of providing them better futures and lives of their own. It is truly inspiring to see children in this area receiving sufficient education. Another humbling experience of mine was when seeing our investigators, a family of four ( who live pretty far off from church) using one small Japanese brand bike as a a source of transportation to church. The amazing thing is that the mother just gave birth to her little infant and they were able to fit four people on a bike while biking in the hot humid Cambodian climate! The father of the family is so amazing! Ahh it amazes me the influence that Christ has in their lives. The greatest way to know of Heavenly Father's love for me, truly is through the example of His Son, Jesus Christ and His mission in the lives of all of us around the world. It is truly through sending His Son here on this earth to know our divine identity.Truly, this is the work of God.

With Much Love and Gratitude,
Sister Sok

Attached are some pictures in Cambodia.

Hello!

Sunday October 22, 2017 at 7:30pm

Hello!

This is a simple video of us missionaries teaching a family how to sing "I am a child of God"! Hah we are not the best singers, but they were so cute! They are so humble. Oh and sorry if the noise is unclear, it was very dark and also raining outside.

​Love,
Sister Sok