Jump for Joy in Kean Svay

Hello and Happy Sunday or Monday or whatever it is!

I hope everyone had a great week. It has been an exciting couple weeks for Kean Svay. Two weeks ago, we had 3 investigators in Kean Svay and now... we have 13! It's all because of the great members and new members here in Kean Svay. They have courage like no other and share the gospel to everyone.

This week I had so many tender mercies and hands of God in my life. First of all, Sheilla (recent convert in Ta Khmau) is moving to California to go to school! What! Anyways we got to see her this week. She said goodbye. She leaves this Wednesday. Good news: 1. when I go home it will be more of a possibility to see her. 2. there is a temple in California. Lots of them. Wooh! I pray that she will find great friends and find the church in California. Don't worry. I helped her find one 2 minutes away. So I hope she does well. America is very different from Cambodia but the gospel is the same. Also she can go to the temple in about 11 months and I get home in about that time. Mortell family lets go to San Jose and get Sheilla to the temple! Anyways... Another Hand of God named Ming Srey. She is one of my favorite members here in Kean Svay. She has such a hard life. Her home isn't the safest place (don't worry I’m fine but there’s just sometimes shady stuff going on), one of her children was taken away, one is in jail. Her parents were killed during the Khmer Rouge and she was left to take care of her three younger siblings at age 8. She has a hard life. Harder than I can imagine. We met her and she just started crying and saying she didn't want to live but that she would live for her children. I just sat there not knowing how to help. So I just explained to her. I said, "I don't know how to help. I can't understand your life, your problems, your heart. But Jesus Christ does." It's so true. Sometimes I feel so helpless here. People in Cambodia have hard hard lives. It's heartbreaking. Sometimes I feel silly saying that we have a message to share with you when the people I'm teaching might not have food for dinner. But. It's true! Jesus Christ understands. He knows and He loves us. And I believe that all will be made right through Him and His loving, infinite atoning sacrifice. 

This week has also been very sweet to see the changing power of the gospel. Last week we met this girl, Bong Phat. She is 21 years old. Since she was 13 years old she has had nightmares. She says evil spirits tempt her and treat her badly when she sleeps. That is really scary. But the gospel has more power. We started to teach her. She wanted a Priesthood blessing so the Elders came over. It was a sweet blessing. We then came back a few days later and she looked like a totally new person. And I’m not just saying that. She truly looks different. She's eating more, she's more confident, she smiles more. She truly has changed. I asked her "have you been reading the Book of Mormon?" I already knew she had. No change could happen without the power of the gospel. She reads the Book of Mormon all the time. She came to Stake Conference. The Elders saw her and couldn't believe that she was the same person. I'm so grateful to be a part of this work. The gospel changes lives. If you apply the principles of the Gospel. It may seem too easy or like we don't qualify for the blessings of the Atonement. But God only requires us to try. To believe, repent and to try again. So awesome. Everyone can have a mighty change in their heart through our Savior. 

Well that's about it. I hope you all have a great week and a happy day. 

Love always, 

Sister Mortell

Ming Srey :)

Biked past a cool wat (Buddhist temple)

Ming Sokha from Ta Khmau

Just a casual bike picture. It's super dusty so I used my krama for a mask

Our investigators, Srey Mum and Tida

Eating snails with our investigators and Elders

Sheilla!

Another cool wat

I apologize--I look super dorky

Our investigator, Vari. She's super cute!

Interesting Inspiring Week in Kean Svay

Well it's been another week in Cambodia. And a great one. Normal week but still a great one. So these past few weeks we've had a mass amount of referrals and help from members to get new investigators. These past two weeks we've had 8 new investigators. This work is so awesome. The gospel can draw people from any place, any home, and any family because of its light. I'm excited to start meeting these people and see them experience the changing power of the gospel.

Also it's been exciting for Chbaa Amphouv (our other area). Srey Mom and Tiida were former investigators before. Sister Chin and I started to meet them again. They are both 16 years old. They are from English class. They are about the cutest, friendliest girls ever.  They came to church and are excited to continue to learn. They love the missionaries and we love them too. We're hoping we can start to teach Tiida's family soon. We will see. As for our other investigators in Kean Svay, they are doing well. Since we have many new invesigators, I'm not so familiar with their stories but I'm excited for these next couple of weeks. Bong Tooc and Bong On are both doing great. Bong On is super excited to be baptized. She loves the church and the gospel. She reads and prays all the time. Bong Tooc is so great too. She is afraid to be baptized. She's afraid of the reaction of her family. This is sometimes a hard problem here in Cambodia. It's amazing to see these members here fearlessly defend their faith. Cambodian's culture is Buddhism. A big part of the culture and religion here is to respect your ancestors. They pray to their ancestors and worship them. Many people think that if they believe in Jesus Christ, they forget and disrespect their ancestors. That's what’s so cool about the restored gospel. We have temples. We literally have a place and a way we can save our ancestors. It's so awesome. Even in a place where there is no nearby temple and mostly all of the records were destroyed during the war years, my testimony of temple and family history has grown so much since I've been a missionary here. Anyways what was I talking about? 

Last P day we went to a prison during Phol Phot and Khmer Rouge. Very eye opening and very interesting. A little disturbing and a lot of sad but it was a cool experience to understand the history of Cambodia. Before I thought Cambodia was cool but it's way more than that. It's the most interesting place I think on the earth.

Also maybe a weird #CambodiaMoment: I was cooking an egg for breakfast a couple days ago and a gecko literally feel from the ceiling into the pan. What the heck?

Anyways, the work is great. The Gospel is true! Get excited about the gospel! Thank you for all the love and prayers. 

Love always, 

Sister Mortell

Thanks for the pictures Sheilla!

Happy Hard-working Week in Kean Svay

Hello everyone! Well this week was really good. We had transfer day this past Wednesday. I said goodbye to a cute Cambodian, Sister Chhel, and said hello to another one, Sister Chin. She is Sister Pace's koon (child, trainee). So we share the same mom #missionaryhumor. She's super cute and awesome. She loves to sing, make food, teach me to make food (hallelujah), do nails and she has so much courage. So what happened this week? Well this is my first time leading out an area. It's so hard to remember where all the houses are but it's been okay. We're plugging along, doing the good work.

So this week was awesome. Super big Hand of God this week for me. Last Sunday I fasted and prayed that we would be able to have investigators, that we could find those that have been prepared for the gospel. And you know what? Six new investigators this week. I'm so excited to start teaching and meeting them. The gospel has power. It's so cool to experience the changing power of the gospel and seeing it in someone else's life too. So I'm super grateful for God's help this week. He knows I'm a wimp and can't do it alone. Also another wimpy, Hand of God moment this week. Sister Chin and I were biking home from one of our investigators houses. And it was dark and the road was super silent and a little scary. We started getting a little uneasy. And in the dark the street looked way different. So both of us said a little prayer in our hearts. And literally like 7 seconds later we see two bikes and two white shirts. Turns out the Elders' house is on that street. So they got to bike us home. What gentlemen. But talk about Hand of God. 

This week we had another fun service activity with Ta Khmau. And what did we do? We moved dirt. And built a house. But it was fun to do service as a zone and to see some of the members in Ta Khmau. 

Sorry this week was just good and normal. I think I'm really starting to love my mission. Also I feel like I say that every week. But there is so much joy in wearing a name tag, biking through grossness, and spreading the joyous news of the gospel. I hope everyone has a greet week. Sorry this email is kind of lame. Cambodia cannot be summed up in an email. Too crazy and too good. Well good luck and have a great week. I’ll be enjoying fresh mangoes that we pick off the trees.

Thank you for the prayers. 

Love always, 

Sister Mortell

Sister Pace and Sister Chin--our crazy family

Sister Chin :)

 

Great Growing Week in Kean Svay

Hello Everyone!

Well transfers! And I'm staying in Kean Svay! Maybe I'll actually stay in an area for more than 9 weeks who knows! My cute companion Sister Chhel is leaving and Sister Chin from Steung Mean Chey is coming! She's the koon (child) of Sister Pace too! So both of Sister Pace's beloved, wonderful children are serving together. Which is going to be awesome. I'm super excited! I'm kind of nervous because it's super hard to remember all the houses because an address in Cambodia is useless. But I will try my best. The big highlight of the week was zone conference with President Christensen. I feel super pumped. We focused on teaching repentance in every aspect of the gospel. I thought that was so cool. That's what the gospel is, change! This work is not teaching facts or spilling out information about the life of Christ. It is helping people change and know Christ. To experience the Atonement. How wonderful is that? We are given this life to change and to become like our Father in Heaven through Christ's Atonement. This week I studied David A Bednar's talk from the General Conference October 2007? "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart.” So cool. The Atonement digs out the weeds and plants the flowers! One of the verses that has become a major theme of my mission is Mosiah 3:19. Becoming a Saint through the Atonement of Christ. And I know that sometimes the process of Becoming requires a little sweat, stress and some tears. I feel a deep gratitude for those hard times. Those precious moments are like Heavenly Father trying to help us become like Him. I'm just pumped about the gospel.

I really don't have much to say about this week. It was just the normal biking, eating, studying, teaching kind of week. We also did move dirt once again. Let's see the Language? Yeah it's still kind of hard but hey last week we were biking and I actually read a word spray painted as graffiti on a house in Khmer and knew what it meant.

Also one very sad tender moment this week: Sister Kosal called me from Ta Khmau a couple days ago. She said that Ming Narri died. Ming Narri was one of my favorite people in Ta Khmau. She has been sick for 20 years. Sister Kosal and I visited her every Wednesday morning and sang Christmas and church songs to her. She started getting really weak and sad when I left. I had the chance to see her when I went on exchanges with Sister Kosal. I just held her hand. I love her so much. But the gospel is true so I know she is in good Hands. I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet her, to gain a new friend. I didn't know that serving a mission was also gaining more family and friends. It's pretty awesome. 

Anyways kind of jumbly email this week that doesn't make any sense but what does make a lot of sense in Cambodia? I wish you all health and happiness and a very great week!

Love always, 

Sister Motell (my name in Khmer doesn't have the R sound)

  

So much Digritty (mission motto: DIGRITTY=dignity + gritty)