Crazy Week.

Hi Family,

This sweet girl in my branch I love SO MUCH.
Srei Saran. or something close to that. :)

So this week was a good week but a crazy week. I'll start with the most important. I am getting a new trainer. Long story short there is a sister serving in the city and she runs into family all the time. So she needs to be emergency transferred. There is another sister who is being trained and her companion is sick all the time, so they want to transfer her. I think there are other things going on that I don't know about. But today they are basically doing this crazy emergency transfer and they are taking my trainer Sister Lemon. Haha I love how I say THEY are taking her like it is this big secret government thing or something. Basically she is being transferred to be a sister training leader and I will get a new trainer, named Sister Cheek, a native Khmer! Sister Peach will be staying with my as well here in Stung Mean Chey. Honestly I am sad because I love Sister Lemon! We get along so well. And I'm quite positive when I say these past 2 weeks have been the longest and hardest 2 weeks of my life. And so I feel like I have grown really close to her! BUT I know that there is a reason, and I am excited for what is ahead of me!

Something that hit me from my studies in PMG is this line in the atonement section of the 3rd lesson. It is talking about Christ and it says essentially that Christ was prepared and willing to make the sacrifice of the atonement. I really like that. He was prepared and willing. That is what I want to be my whole mission. I want to be prepared to do whatever it is that Heavenly Father/President Moon as me to do. I want to be prepared to be the best missionary I can be. And then, no matter what I am asked to do, I want to be willing to do it. I realized I just want to completely give myself over to Heavenly Father and His work. It's not about me at all, I'm just lucky to be involved! So I have been trying my hardest to have a willing attitude about this emergency transfer! It has really helped.

Also along those lines, I had another realization. These past few weeks I have wanted to be here, but I have also wanted to be at home, and it has been SO HARD. I can't want to be at home. I still love home and I do want to be there, but I'm done like actively wanting to be there. So i'm sorry, It's not you, it's me. I just don't want to be with you anymore. (For now. Please take me back in a year or so.)

Adorable children in my branch.
We had fhe with their family last night.

My companions and I had a super awesome "vision/goal" setting session this week. Since I have been here there has been like no vision about what is going on in the area. We just kinda bop around helping whoever needs it (which is everyone). So it has been really good, but it didn't really feel like we were accomplishing much. So we sat down and talked about what the main problems are in the area, what we want to focus on, etc. It was AWESOME! We decided we really want to focus on families. There are hardly any families in the congregation, and most of them have some family problems, so we are going to work on strengthening them. We also really want to work on the auxiliary leaders. Unfortunately like half the leaders of the ward are inactive. That needs to change. Also we decided we want to make the atmosphere and church more reverent. Right now it is just so crazy and hard to feel the spirit. So those are kinda what the next transfer or so will be dedicated to! And I'm so excited! There is so much work to do and I can't wait to do it! I know a lot of these changes will be slow in coming and that I might not even see the finished product, but I am going to work my hardest to help. These people are so sweet and so wonderful and I just want to give everything to help them!

I went on an exchange this week for a day with Sister Iron. She is a sister training leader. We were in the city of Phnom Penh. It was really fun! Mom you asked if i'm in the city or not. I'm kind of like on the outskirts of the city. I don't really know how to explain. Definitely where I work all the time isn't "city". But we are really close to Phnom Penh and we ride in there every p-day. I love my area.

The view from my house, my balcony actually.

Dad you asked about the rain, it is just kind starting into the rainy season. This past week we got caught in the rain a couple of times. IT WAS SO FUN!! Wow I love it! Obviously it's not ideal to walk into a lesson soaking wet and then try to teach over the rain pounding on their tin roof, but it is HILARIOUS. I laugh all the time.

So I told you about one investigator, her name is Ming Ranier. We committed her to baptism one of my first days here. She is so awesome and LOVES the scriptures and is so sweet. She has such a good, strong testimony. But she doesn't come to church! When we talk with her she is all about coming to church, but then she doesn't show up. :( I am so devastated! She is supposed to be baptized this Sunday, but I just don't think there is any way that can happen. I hope we can figure out the reason why she isn't coming. I love her so much!

Me doping on the bike home from church

Despite that, yesterday was actually so good! We went before church to invite some less-actives/investigators to come to church. We kind of instead somehow got these three Lookpuus, who were smoking and drinking, to come with us. One is inactive I think, one is an investigator of the elders, the other one just like randomly came. IT WAS SO FUNNY. They are so sweet! But we kinda had a shortage of bikes so I had to "dope" on the back of Sister Pechon's bike to and from church. It was absolutely hilarious. Doping is when you like sit on the back metal bar thing that is above the tire. People do it all the time here. It was so funny. I have a blurry picture I'll send to you.

How is everyone doing? I haven't heard much lately. I heard about mom and dad's trip! What is the latest with Nick and Shawn? Shawn are you working? Nick and Chelsea? Give me the details people!

I love you all!

Sister Homer

This is what I look like on a daily basis.