hey family

Hey you,

So this was a good week. And I'm going to start off with the best news off all....TRANSFER CALLS!!! I will be staying with Sister Mok in Tuk Tlaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A transfer where nothing is changing! I'm so excited! And sister Kacher is staying in the same house too! We are so excited!! 

Something that has been really awesome about these last few weeks with this trio is that I feel like we are a lot more bold, and I LOVE IT! I don't know why that is but maybe it's just the combination. But it's the best!

So you know, sometimes leeches slither around my bathroom. 

We were visiting this less-active ming and after we'd taught her a lesson and were getting to go, she was like "hey do you want some coffee"... haha, uh. We all were probably really awkward. And then her daughter was like "Mom, that's against the rules!" It was pretty funny. We told her we would review the WoW next time. 

We actually work with a lot of less-active members, and I love it. There is this one lady, her name is Om Fran. She is actually in Pochentong branch. Well she just randomly showed up to church, and Sister Kacher had never seen her come. So we went over there, and she is awesome! She has been a member since 1996. She used to come always, and then a while ago she got really really sick and couldn't go to church, and no one went to visit her, including missionaries or members, for 2 years! So she obviously felt kinda not good about that. Well we don't know what made her came back, but she's back. And she is hilarious! We've gone and taught her twice and she is so funny. She remembers a lot, but we didn't know that. We were teaching her and asking her questions, and then she started asking us a lot of questions, but she remembered A LOT. And then after the lesson she was like, "I really remember all of that, I was just mocking you!" Hahahha! So funny. She wasn't really mocking us, but she was just making us teach her probably just because she wanted someone to teach her. It was out of love. So she is super cool. I love her! I love these people! 

Another awesome experience is with our investigator Ming Savvy. She just fell from heaven. She actually really did just walk into church one day wanting to learn. And she's been coming ever since. Well we were teaching her about tithing and fast offerings. And we taught her and it was good, and then she was just like "I get it. Heavenly Father doesn't want my money. He just wants to see my faith." Yes, yes, you are right. She, needless to say, is awesome! Sometimes there are just really neat experiences on your mission.

Here is another neat experience. So my whole mission I've said that I just want to teach in a big mansion house here just once. Just once. Well, the other day a member in Pochentong was like, "Hey I want you to meet someone, I want them to learn and I want to introduce you." Their house was actually in Tuk Tlaa so we just went right on over there. Well, let me tell you where there was. It was a MANSION!!!!!!!!!!!! My jaw was dropped like the whole time. It was crazy. They were so nice and so cool, but not quite ready to learn yet, but we shared a short lesson with them. That was like literally going to a different world for a few minutes. Crazy!

The other day we were teaching another Less-active and her semi-active daughter, and we decided to read a story in 1st Nephi about Faith. Well we were reviewing, "Okay, who is Lehi?" And they were like, "a prophet!" And then we were like okay what else? "A child of God!!" Haha, yep you're right. We just gave up there. It was so funny. These people kill me. 

We went on exchanges this week again. Sister Mok went to Tuulsinkai and Sister Ashcraft came with me and sister Kacher. It was really fun! Kacher and Ashcraft were actually MTC companions, so that was kinda fun!

Something else I'm totally into these days is hypothetical questions. I can't tell you how many things sister Kacher and I have discussed these past weeks. We love hypotheticals. So fun. The one down side is that Cambodians don't really get hypothetical thinking, so Sister Mok doesn't have as fun discussing, but we've been teaching her the ways. There has been much improvement.

Well I guess that's it! I love you all!

Get ready for a ton of pictures!!

Sister Homer

The Trio

Lunch anyone?

The trio on railroad tracks!

A standard house, actually our investigator's house.

Exchange day!  Me, Sister Kacher, Sister Ashcraft.

Isn't this bridge thing nuts! Let me tell you, pushing your bike across it is crazy!

We rode our bikes for over an hour last night to get to this house.  It was CRAZY! And then of course there was the hour ride back.  But it was fun.  And, obviously beautiful when we got there!  And the member was so sweet!

Suasdei

Dear Family,

So, I even have time this week but I just don't have a ton to say. I don't know what it is about the city but, I just don't know what to tell you. We spend all our time biking and teaching.

Oh but let me tell you this. Oh, haha, this was crazy! Okay, so last p-day sister Kacher and I both had some warts that we wanted to get removed, so we went to the doctor. Oh my gosh. Let me tell you. Cambodia is like ahead of the US as far as wart removal procedures. This doctor took electricity and then this other metal tool and held it against my skin. Oh but first I got like a ton of numbing shots. You know how I feel about shots. Anyway, and then my warts like ERRUPTED like a volcano. And then they were just...gone. No blister. Just like some skin that needs to heal over. It was crazy. I wish I could explain. It was so cool and so easy!

Also there is this member here in Tuk Tlaa. She is so funny!!! She is older, and she is crazy! But not actually crazy. But maybe a little. Anyway, her name is Om Sailin. And she like thinks she runs everything. She is all the time telling us how to do our job. She is hysterical. I wish I could explain. But she is also really sweet. Long story short one day she was like adament that she didn't want to go to the temple, so of course we thought that was weird, so we went and talked to her. She basically just told us that she isn't good enough. Of course we told her that she really was. But then her conclusion was that she literally just wants to go to the Terrestrial kingdom, and she's certain she'll be happy there. I told her that she actually really wouldn't be as happy there as she was thinking, she was quite surprised by that. But the lessons ended with basically her being like, It's okay, I've already talked to God about it. And if you knew her, you would know that was like the end. But she is like so sweet and so funny and so crazy! Oh these members, I love them! They seriously make Cambodia awesome. I'm going to have my heart ripped in shreds when I have to leave these members.

The other day I was riding my bike and I saw this car that had a white woman driving it and her son was in the passenger seat, and literally my mind said "Mom? What are you doing here?" I was SO confused because it really looked like Mom. It was the weirdest thing! It took me probably a good ten seconds to like figure out what was going on. Haha, hilarious.

Also, Saturday night I was told that I would be speaking Sunday morning in Sacrament meeting in Pochentong about the Plan of Salvation. So, I did some extra studying and prep Saturday night, and I just got so hyper and excited because of how cool the plan of salvation is. Seriously?? It is so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the plan of salvation!!!

Honestly, that's kind of all I've got. I still love it here! I'm loving being with Sister Kacher and Sister Mok. I have the best luck with companions! Every single companion I've had has been awesome!

I love you all! Don't forget to share the gospel!

Sister Homer

Fambodia!!! Aka, my MTC group. I LOVE THEM ALL!!! Also can you spot the tanline on my arm? It's super bad, haha yes.

This is blueberry Fanta. This has been Sister Hartley's goal her entire mission. You don't know how hard this is to come by. This is monumental, really.

Dear Family

Okay, I'm sorry the past two weeks were kinda short. I'll try to be better this week, but there just might not be much to say. That being said, I will pose a question. Can my mission stay "normal" for even just one transfer? The answer is yes. And that was during my Sister Payne era. Currently it cannot stay normal. So long story short, I'm now in a trio again doing 2 branches. Actually, it has nothing to do with me and is really said. Sister Kacher's companion is Sister Thain, they are the other sisters in our house. Well, Sister Thain's mom passed away this last week, so she went home for the next few weeks for the funeral. :( So sad. So hard. If you could keep her in your prayers, I'm sure that would be great. So yeah, now we are doing two branches with 3 of us. And here is the thing, 2 branches in the city is a lot hard than in KC because our areas are huge and spread out and there are traffic jams!! It's crazy!

Being in a trio though is working out well. We have a lot of fun together and our teaching is really like fluid too. Is that like a way to describe that? I don't remember.

Here is an update, my English skills have going out the door and around the block. But my Khmer skills aren't any better so... I can't communicate.

So dad asked about my investigators and teaching in the city. Um it's different but the same. Most people can read though, so that is cool. What is also cool is that there are some really long time members here! Also there are a lot more returned missionaries. And even returned missionaries who have married each other and have kids!! They make me so excited for the future of Cambodia!!! We have some investigators right now, we kind of just dropped a bunch, but that works out with taking on 2 branches. Regardless, we are busy! Oh, the other branch I'm in now is called Pochentong.

One of my favorite investigators is named Seov Ling. She is HILARIOUS! She is 20 years old and she is just like a sassy, hyper girl. And best of all, she doesn't want to b baptized, yet. But I love that because she is really INVESTIGATING the church, which sometimes isn't really a thing. So I really like teaching her because she has a lot of questions. She came to church for three hours though yesterday, which was good!

I also think that if Sister Mok were to base her opinion of Americans on me she would think we were SO weird... oops. Sometimes I flirt with her, because she doesn't know I'm flirting and her reaction is SO funny. I know that's probably looked down on. But I don't really flirt, I just do things that people do when they flirt, like wink and say super cheesy things, like pick-up lines. It's HILARIOUS. So that's weird...I'm becoming really weird here. You would also have to know sister Mok. She is the world's purest and most innocent person. It's so funny.

Something also interesting about Cambodia is that people actually go crazy here. Like the phrase, "you are driving me crazy" actually applies here. I never knew that was really a thing.

Another thing I love about Tuk Tlaa is our new member class, during 2nd hour of church. There is this returned missionary sister here who is just a spitfire and she realizes the importance of learning and good church classes and she is a super good teacher. So I get really excited to take our investigators and recent converts to here class, where as otherwise, sometimes I'm like, not. Super cool!

I guess that is kind of all I have this week. I'm sorry if it's all just kinda normal... The other thing that is new though is that I'm just REALLY happy. I wake up and I like skip out of bed, singing, and excited for the day. That's really cool! I love this work!

Love you all!

Sister Homer

The skyline, but actually if you look down on there ground there are tons of plastic bags filled with trash that people just throw out their windows. :( sad.

Who can spot the grammatical error?

New years eve, Sister Perez and I

They really don't waste space when building houses

Happy New Year!

Hey Family,

I'm so sorry, but this is going to have to be fast today. We are having a zone barbecue today and there just really isn't much time. Do they do barbecues here in Cambodia, you ask? I also am wondering the same thing...

Here is what you should know. Sometimes, often, toilet paper isn't counted as a necessity... they have hoses instead...

I now live right by the airport and see many planes a day. The other day one flew over and I was just thinking about flying on an airplane, and I started getting anxiety about like going home and stuff. I didn't like that. I'm not ready to go home.

Sometimes 3-year-olds here still don't know how to talk...

THE FUNNIEST THING HAPPENED! I went on my first exchange this week with Sister Perez. Well, we were going to visit this lady, and we came down this ramp. Sister Perez was in front of me and I just hear her say "Oh shoot." I look around her and there is a dog. Well, this dog was baring it's teeth, and next thing we know it has a friend, and they are charging us, and they are very much going to attack. Well, our options are limited. Soooo we probably just broke into the first door we could, and slammed it shut behind us. We don't know them. They don't know us. There were a lot of people asleep on the floor... So then we like didn't really say anything because we were just laughing so hard, and then we just walked back out and left. (I don't know where the dogs went, but they left.) We never really even explained ourselves... it was stinking HILARIOUS. We probably should have contacted them but we were a little too shaken up/DYING of laughter... oops.

The youth and the YSA at our branch here are AWESOME! There are a ton of returned missionaries which is super cool!

Right now in Cambodia there are these protests going on. They are kind of a big deal. Has it been in the news at all? It kinda has two parts. (1) the recent election, (2) they want salary increases in the factory. Kinda some scary stuff going on.

Do you know I've had more Companions than I've had transfers? Figure that one out.

We have some super cool investigators right now! They are mostly all pretty new, but I'm excited about them!

I'm sorry this email is mostly just random nonsense, and even less spiritual. I promise I feel the spirit! Mostly Cambodia is just so crazy!!

K I love you all!

Sister Homer

p.s. no time for pics today. Don't really have any good ones anyway.