Fantastic Fun First Week in Kampong Cham

Hello Everyone! So this week was crazy! I said goodbye to my beloved Battambang. I love that place so much. A lot of my brothers and sisters served there and live there! But all is well! So we all headed down from Battambang and bused to the city, said goodbye to missionaries leaving, saw some of my mtc sisters. I think I'm about the only one that hasn't served around any of the sisters from my group haha. I'm either in the city when they aren't or in the khets when they're in the city. Whatever, but it was still way fun to see people. So after a crazy transfer day and some meetings I headed on another bus to KC with Sister Jennings, my new companion. And can we just talk about the bus ride to KC? The bus stop is literally the best place ever. For most of my mission, since my training I have been trying to find spiders. Every p day in Kean Svay with Sister Chin we would go looking for fried spiders. And the bus stop to KC has spiders! So I bought two and when we got to KC, Sister Chin and I ate spiders while watching the stars from the most beautiful view in Cambodia. I'll send a picture of our balcony next week. Anyways but it doesn't end there. The bust stop has DR. PEPPER. What the heck! I've only seen DP in one other place in Cambodia. So it was a fantastic start to Kompong Cham. Also I still don't know how to write Kampong Cham in English so I’m just going to call it KC. 

KC is great. There are two other sisters here, Sister Chin (my old companion, i've literally lived with all my Khmer companions again and have served in all of their hometowns) and Sister Sok. There are three branches here. Sister Jennings and I serve in branch 2 and 3. The area has a lot of investigators. I think our job this transfer will be finding those that are ready to progress and finding new investigators. I have faith that there are people in this area that are ready for the gospel. God truly does prepare people. There's not much else to say. I'm just really pumped about the area and Sister Jennings. I feel a new motivation and desire for missionary work. I'm trying to be more diligent and to have more faith. Sometimes as missionaries our lives are so planned I feel like sometimes we forget to include God in the work. And if God isn't in the work, nothing happens. So I'm truly going to rely on God and love and serve my best these next transfers. 

As for random awesome moments this week:

1. I met Sister Chhel's mom and sister! Her aunt is our investigator. Sister Chhel really wants her mom to learn but she's pretty Buddhist but maybe this transfer!

2. I met Elder Kiav's dad and he is so preciousl. He walks, talks and laughs just like Elder Kiav. I served with Elder Kiav in Steung Mean Chey and Posat. Also Elder Kiav's dad wears a Garfield tie every Sunday. 

3. We saw the most beautiful sunset last night. Literally took my breath away. 

4. Our investigator Ming Tavi came in late to church and in the middle of the Sacrament she came bursting through the doors saying, "Sorry Heavenly Father I came late, my brothers and sisters are you healthy and happy?" it was amazing. 

5. We then went to teach Ming Tavi and she was going on about the millennium and after this life. She knows way a lot from other previous religions. And I was literally so surprised that I understood what she was talking about and then I just told her about family history and that everyone gets a chance and she was like, "that's what I’ve been asking the whole time!!" So she is awesome. 

6. ALSO across the street from the church in KC there’s a tennis court! I have never seen one in Cambodia. I asked the people and they say they have never used it for tennis but they play soccer on it. Right next to the tennis court there were these lookpuu's playing badminton. They were so good! I have never seen so talented badminton players. They invited us to play. Maybe next p day I can convince missionaries to go with us

7. I said goodbye to all my friends and បងប្អូន in Battambang. When I told Ming Chon I was leaving, which by the way she was showering when we got there. So after interrupting her shower, I said goodbye and she just started to cry. I was so privileged to introduce her to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. 

8. We probably ate like 32 bananas this week

Goodbye, 

Sister Mortell

Saying good-bye to my dear Sister Lunsford

 

Spiders!

Sister Chhel's cute mom

Cute Sister Jennings

 

 

 

End of an Extraordinary Era in Battambang

Goodbye to Battambang! Transfers!! I am sadly leaving my home Battambang and being transferred to Kampong Cham! Another khet! This will probably be my last area of my mission! I'm leaving my dear sweet child Sister Lunsford and Sister Winters (one of my favorite people ever) is coming to take my place and I'm going to be with Sister Jennings! I'm super excited! Also Kampong Cham is Sister Chhel's hometown so I will have served in all of my Khmer companion's birthplaces haha. Super fun! So that's pretty big news. I am super excited for Sister Lunsford and Sister Winters. I'm so jealous of both of them. 

Anyways this week seemed way long but really good. Our week started off great with one of the best district meetings ever. Elder Lasswell taught about the Book of Mormon. Sometimes in Cambodia especially because lots of people can't read and because no one has background with the bible, as missionaries we've set aside the importance of the Book of Mormon. But literally the Book of Mormon is our greatest teaching tool. In the introduction it does not just say, "we invite all Christians... or biblical scholars...” It says, "We invite all men, everywhere" I have gained such a testimony of the Book of Mormon. If I even wanted to doubt that the church was true I would have to lie to myself and to God because I know with all my heart that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel and is the word of God. Anyways so we were challenged to get a clean copy of the Book of Mormon, start fresh with a question in mind. So that's what I'm doing and plan to finish with the time I have left on my mission. I challenge all of you to do the same. 

So after a great district meeting, President and Sister Christensen came for interviews! I love them so much. President helped me a lot. He counseled me to be more grateful. Some parts of my mission have been really hard for me and sometimes I stress and worry. But President Christensen told me that if I developed an attitude of gratitude, stressing will not be a problem. So I really have tried to be more grateful. More gratitude in my prayers, writing specific things every day I am grateful for, giving thanks to God in the very moment. We can be grateful in every circumstance if we have a firm faith in Who we are grateful to. That is another goal these next transfers of my mission. Gratitude! Also if you study "happiness” in the Book of Mormon most all the scriptures reference gratitude. Gratitude and joy (our purpose in life) are very much connected.

My time here in Battambang has been wonderful and amazing and I truly love this area. I have been blessed to be here when Battambang is growing so much. Our zone this month had 32 baptisms and more to come. So crazy. The Battambang Boom! A large chunk of my heart will be in Battambang forever. I felt like I worked hard here and I tried my best even if I didn't know what I was doing. I love the people. I love Bong Tii, Ming Vii, Vonnate, Channy (sister Chin's sister), Bong Riam (English class student), Sokea (Englissh class student), Ming Chon, Assing, Thib. I just love my Battambang brothers and sisters. I'm excited to meet some more in Kampong Cham. Thank you everyone!! Have a great week! 

លាសិនហើយ បាត់ដំបង, 

Sister Mortell

ស៊ីស្ទើរ ម៉ូរធែល

A couple of random things.

1. I saw this white girl at church sitting next to Vonnate and I thought maybe she was a tourist visiting. Nope! haha Vonnate (our recent convert) invited her to come to church. She is from Finland and is volunteering to teach English at Vonnate's school for a couple weeks. So funny. She’s fluent in English but I told her "kittos!" Thanks to papa for teaching me.

2. I still can't believe Federer won Wimbledon. A bunch of Khmer people have rf (federer) hats but they don't know where it comes from but I can literally never find a place to buy them!!

 

This explains everything :)

This is the FAM. Lookpuu usually just wears a krama (scarf) as pants skirt thing but we asked if we could take a picture so he rushed and put some pants on haha

 

 

 

Down-right Delightfully Dear Week in Battambamg

Hello! I hope everyone is doing great! This week was busy and weird but also super fun and memorable starting off with Tuesday morning. So I get this call Tuesday morning and its Ming Kian's voice. She just tells me, "Sister help me. Sister help me." So apparently her husband lied to her and she literally has no money so she left her house and she didn't have anyone else to call. So after a long day of trying to figure out what we could do, lots of frustrating calls and trying to understand Khmer people (plus Ming Kian talks way fast and throws in random incorrectly pronounced English words) and lots or prayers she somehow made it to safety. Some people, who I believe were answers to our prayers, let her ride with them to this market in the other Battambang area. So now she is there, living with them and trying to find a job. We call her every day to make sure she is okay. She asked for one thing, "When you see me again bring a Book of Mormon (she can't even read) and pictures of Jesus and you.”  She also wanted us to call on the usual day we meet her so we could teach her. Talk about one of the most inspiring and sweetest people I have ever met. It's been a privilege to have her in my life. 

This week was also way fun too. Bong Tii and Ming Vii insisted that we have lunch together. So we ate lunch with them this past Friday. Super delicious. We were doing companionship study Friday morning and I get a call from Ming Vii, "Sister, where are you. Did you forget?? I am angry!" I was like what the heck we didn't forget. So we rushed over and she just says, "Sorry I lied. I just want you to be here for longer and I want to teach you to make food." So we made food and ate together. Probably two of my sweetest friends here in Battambang.

Then super fun day on Saturday. Sister Ren (she served about a year ago) wanted us to come over and celebrate Vonnate's baptism. So all the elders and sisters headed out to her house and we ate koo laung phnom (cow climb mountain). It’s a big deal food here in Cambodia. Also get this. We got all the food together, loaded it on this tractor wagon thing and then road a tractor to their rice field and ate in the middle of the most beautiful rice field. Such a cool day. And then Vonnate was baptized!! It was such a great day! She is so cute. She told us, "When I got out of the water I felt like God was near me. I felt so warm." She is the sweetest. 

Also this week we met probably the coolest Cambodian ever. Ming Rannee. She is the mother of Kanya who is a member. She said she wants to learn finally. Most of her kids are baptized and she told us, "Hey let’s all just be soksabbay together" and I don't even know why she is the coolest person ever. She is just so spunky and has so much style but also lives in a dirt floored house. She is like the Khmer Julie Andrews. Anyways so she is great and I'm excited for her to learn. 

So it was just a fun, good week this week. I love Battambang. I'm sad that I might leave soon but who knows? 

I also want to share this scripture I read during personal study. I think it’s become one of my favorite scriptures. 

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The reason I love this is because I know it’s true! I love the last part, "a very present help in trouble". God is with us through it all whether we realize it in the moment or later, much later. He is our present help always. Even the white handbook for missionaries says, "Your Father in Heaven should be your first source of help." I am so grateful that I have a Father that cares what I think, what I have to say and what I cherish. He is my refuge and strength. 

I hope you all have a great week and enjoy July!

Love always,

Sister Mortell



Bong Tii and Ming Vii with our delicious food.



Bong Tii insisted that I hold this guava in the picture.



Cute Sister Lunsford in Dombouk Kpueh

Bong Sa'aem is the cutest!

Vonnate's baptism! Also two of my very sweet friends got baptized too! Bong Sa'aem (Bong Tii's sister-in-law who loves me and I love her to pieces), and Sokia (one of our English class students). Such a happy day!!!!

 

 

This is Srey Kaa. She is one of Bong Tii's nieces. She is 12 years old and she reads the Book of Mormon every day. There wasn't enough room on Bong Tii's moto so we biked with her to and from church. She is adorable!

 

Charming Cherished Cambodian Week in Battambang

Another great week in Battambang with the usual! This P day we did Srey Sa'at pictures. Super fun! Also so much make up and heavy clothes! In everyone's houses they have huge pictures of themselves or family members all dressed up with photoshopped backgrounds so we had to do it too. 

What else this week? Happy 4th of July! We celebrated with a district meeting haha and found a place to eat burgers! Super fun. Proud to be an American and also Khmer.

This week was just usual I can't really remember any specifics! But Asing and Thib were baptized. They are probably the cutest people ever. They are so sweet and a little sassy too. Also you can ask them any of the 10 commandments and they know them from heart. They were way excited and a little scared to be baptized. I'm so happy for them! Those three are some of my favorite people in Battambang. As for this week, Vonnate is scheduled to be baptized. She is 15 years old and is so cute. She is a returned missionary's niece. It's been such a sweet time teaching her and getting to know her.

I'm just so happy that I'm serving a mission. Sometimes it’s easy to think of how hard, emotionally, physically, spiritually the mission is but you love it. At some point you end up loving your mission, whether the beginning, end or middle. And I love my mission. I love the people here. I love my Heavenly Father. I love Jesus Christ. What a blessing this is!

My mission has changed me. And by my mission I mainly mean the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed me. The Book of Mormon has changed me. Prayer has changed me. The Holy Ghost has changed me. Changed as in there is something inside of me that I can never deny and it is a testimony. It started really small and is still very small but I know it’s there. And that little seed has grown. And my testimony, knowledge and love for the gospel has become a part of me. I know God lives. I know His Plan of Happiness is real. I know God listens to us. I know He hears every word. I know we can repent. I know Christ lives. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know the Book of Mormon is true. And I know all of this because of the Holy Ghost. 

Thank you everyone. Have a great week! 

Love always, 

Sister Mortell

Sister Lunsford taking two years to open up this coconut at Bong Tii's. So fun!

Asing and Thib's baptism with Ming Chon! They are possibly the cutest people I have ever met. 

Cambodia is so cool!

 

 We did Srey Sa'at (Beautiful Girl) pictures. It's a must!

Sister Chhel and Sister Her

 

 

 

Best Beautifully Blessed Week in Battambang

Hello Everyone!

So it was a great week! We went to Siem Reap again for zone conference. No Angor Wat yet. But it was a great zone conference. Also let me just brag about President and Sister Christensen. They literally are the best. They are basically the most spiritual, hilarious, genuine, spunky, smart people I have ever met. President Christensen is my dad, just a little shorter and less hair. And I truly think my mom and dad would be best friends with them. This mission and the missionaries here are beyond blessed to have them here with us. Anyways... so zone conference was super great. We learned about the Light of Christ, Manifestations of the Spirit and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I think I've known it before but it's never hit me this hard that through the Holy Ghost, I know my Savior and my Heavenly Father. This is why the Nephites, who had just been visited by Jesus Christ Himself, prayed with all their hearts for the Holy Ghost to be with them. So this is my desire. I will pray with all my heart to have the Spirit with me.

The work is going well here in Battambang. We are now teaching another one of Bong Tii's relatives. Bong Tii is silently and humbly changing our branch here in Battambang. She has become one of my very best friends here. As for the Family (we call them the "FAM" lookpuu yuit, yoan, srey ka) they are doing well. We are meeting them today. I hope we can help them progress and have stronger faith in our Savior. 

Asing and Thib are going to be baptized this next Saturday! They remember so much and are super excited. They also are probably the most beautiful, cutest little girls I've ever met. I am so excited for them. 

Update on Ming Kian: for the second time now she has said she is going to leave and lo and behold she is still here! She is having a very very hard time. The reason she needed to leave was because she has literally no money. She now has no money to come to church and she is struggling to get food for her son. She has sold all of her jewelry and she has cut off her hair and sold it. She is pretty close to rock bottom yet when we come she still smiles. She still laughs. This week we visited her and we just let her sing to us old Khmer wedding songs. We shared our testimonies. I pray that she will find a way. She is a very special person to me. Even though she doesn't totally understand some doctrine she has love and love comes from God. She knows she is a daughter of God. It has been a privilege to be her friend and to share with her the love and the light of the gospel. 

Anyways it was a very sweet week. I am thankful for my friends here in Battambang and for this privilege to serve my Savior. 

Also I have become the sister that everyone gives their too overdeveloped baby duck eggs to. So many baby ducks this week haha. Feathers, beak and all very delicious.

Love always, 

Sister Mortell