Zippy Zion-like Week in Battambang

This week was super awesome. One of the better weeks of my mission. So I’ll just give you the rundown of Battambang Branch 2. Bong Tii is literally so awesome. She is faithful and just really chill. She has a great desire to follow God and she's going to be baptized this Saturday. Then we have Ming Kiang who is also great, a little different but she has a great heart. Craziness happened this week. So Ming Kiang lives way far out and we bike and bike in the heat. Usually we bike out to her house once a week. But last week she said she wanted to be baptized and then go to Thailand so she wanted to get baptized sooner. So we biked out to her house 3 times this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It was exhausting. And we soon figured out that she is actually not married to her husband. His wife died last Decemeber and then he married Ming Kiang. So they are not married which causes a problem for her baptism. They are so poor they can't afford to buy a marriage certificate. So then she told us that she would leave with this group that was going to Thailand this Sunday. She wanted to go to Thailand, work (pick mangoes), come back, learn again, get married with the mango money and then be baptized. So on Friday we saw her again, said goodbyes and it was a really tender experience and lo and behold on Sunday we see her walk into church. So she's apparently not going to Thailand haha. She's become one of my good friends. So that's the Ming Kiang story. Our other investigators, Assing and Thib (Ming Chon's granddaughters) are literally the cutest people ever and I want them to be my little sisters. 

But let me just tell you about yesterday! So yesterday we met with Bong Tii's brother, Lookpuu Huen and niece, Srey Hoan. Srey Hoan sat in on a lesson with Bong Tii and now she wants to learn. So Sunday night we biked out to her house and I maybe had the coolest lesson and most joyful night I have ever had. We came to their house and Bong Tii was there and like 9 of Bong Tii's relatives, nieces and nephews were gathered around. They all want to learn. And so we taught them about God. We just briefly explained what we do. We are missionaries. We teach about Jesus Christ. We teach the restored gospel of our Savior because we know that only through this gospel we can change. We can repent and receive relief from guilt and joy from pain. I asked them, "What is hard about this life?" the Lookpuu quickly answered, "Having enough food for my family, sickness, work..." and as we were surrounded by 12 of my Khmer brothers and sisters, Sister Lunsford had the privilege to testify of our Savior. And then we simply taught about prayer and our Heavenly Father. The Spirit was with us, I could feel it. Prayer is so special to me. We literally have Heavenly Father's ears and heart ready to listen to us at all times. It is by a prayer that we have this gospel today and it is by prayer that we can know for ourselves that we are His beloved sons and daughters and it is my prayer that we can know of truth. So I will pray for them. I hope they can feel of the joy that only the Savior can bring and love that only Heavenly Father can give. 
I am so happy to represent my Savior and my Father. 

Love always,  

Sister Mortell

ស៊ីស្ទើរ ម៉ូរធែល

Ming Kiang

Ming Kiang and Sister Lunsford