Just a Joyful Jewel of a week in Kampong Cham

Hello Everyone!

CAMBODIA CAMBODIA THE LAND I CALL MY HOME: happy one year in Cambodia to me 

Also I probably had the coolest one year mark in country. We did exchanges on the 25th (year mark) with the senior sister training leaders in STEUNG MEAN CHEY (aka where I was born exactly a year ago) just super fun. 

So do you remember the nurses we started teaching?? Their names are Bong Nirut, Bong Sinan and Bong Sokun. So last Monday we taught them about the Plan of Salvation... aka one of the actually probably the best lesson I've ever been a part of. We started off teaching about the Book of Mormon, read the introduction and testified that the Book of Mormon teaches us about God's Plan. We can learn and become more like Jesus Christ and use His Atonement by applying the principle in the Book of Mormon. cue Joseph Smith, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”  So after we read a little of the introduction with them, Bong Nirut was like "I want to know more. I want to read more.” So we taught them the plan of salvation out of the Book of Mormon. We testified of the Atonement, of Christ's suffering and death for us so that we could return to our Father in Heaven. We testified that because of Jesus Christ, Bong Nirut's husband is not gone forever no. But through repentance and partaking of the saving ordinances of the gospel, families are forever! So we read Alma 7: 11-13, and then Bong Nirut wanted to read like the whole chapter so she continued to verse 14. 14 Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. After Bong Sokun read "baptism" they all were like, "Wait, what is baptism?" SO... we were actually teaching them in the church and so we happened to be in the baptismal font room place so we showed them the baptismal font and explained the sacredness and necessity of baptism. They all accepted to be baptized! THEN get this. Bong Sinan was like, "so does God have commandments or like rules because I want to follow them so i can live with Him again." WHAT THE HECK. The room was just filled with the Spirit. It was one of those lessons where I felt like I was looking from the outside. We testified of truth and promised sacred blessings to these three Bongs. Now we have a little problem because they can't go to church. They live like two hours of way and spend only two days, Saturday and Sunday at home with their kids... and then learn from Monday to Thursday here in KC. But I don't care. They know the Plan of Salvation. They now know who their Savior is. And they have the most correct book on earth, a book that if a man would abide by its precepts they would know their God, in their hands. 

It was a good week. Bong Line is having kind of a crisis but she is staying strong. Hopefully she can be baptized this next week. ALSO this week we have 5 baptisms, Soka, Sokcia, Camraun (three kids of Bong Kom, super cute and so awesome) and Ming Sok and Thela (my favorite people ever they make me so sabbay and we laugh so much together). So a fun week ahead and a lot of work. 

Also we biked to Phnom Penh three days in a row because funeral and Ming Sok and Thela so my legs are hurting but no big deal. Love it!! ALSO cute litttle Srey Ka from Battambang was baptized!! My heart is so warm!

Much love to you all and love always, 

Sister Mortell

Om Chanton



Sister Lunsford sent me this! Srey Ka!! the cute little girl we used to bike to church with. I love them both!

One of my favorite pics with my favorite candy #wefoundasnickers

Ming Sok and Thela (and sister Chhel's sister)

Exchange in Steung Mean Chey

 

Incredibly Inspiring Investigators in Kampong Cham

Hello!

Great week! Did exchanges with the cutest Sister Sok ever. She is from Phnom Penh. She is a convert of about a year and a half. She learned with the missionaries in Japan, was taught in English and baptized there. She is on fire and has the recent convert love of the gospel. So we had a great time talking to all the people about Jesus Christ!

What else? I don't know. Life is life. It’s so hard to email now I don't know what to say. Updates on people: Lika was baptized! She's one of the cutest people I’ve ever met. Even though she came about 45 minutes late to when we told her to come. Oh well... She was so excited to be baptized. Before she went into the water she said, "Wait Sister, can we pray?" So we said a sweet prayer together and then she was baptized! So happy for her! Ming Sok and Tela are still the most precious people ever and Bong Kom, and her three kids are doing great. She actually came to church. She usually has to work. She is very very poor and her husband recently died so coming to church this past Sunday was a way huge step for her. I'm so happy for her. Bong Line is doing great. She is a referral and neighbor of one of our members. She is going to be baptized this next week hopefully! Sara and Sovenchay (the GIRLS) randomly couldn't meet this week so we were kind of worried but then they came to church. Sara tapped me on the shoulder during Sacrament meeting and whispered, "Can you be my បងស្រី (older sister)?" Heck yes I would love to! ALSO this week we have three GOLDEN investigators let me tell you. They came to English class and loved the Spiritual Thought. Their names are Bong Sokung, Bong Sinan, and Bong Niarut. We taught them a bit about our roles as missionary and how the gospel blesses family and prayer. Bong Niarut's husband just barely passed away 5 months ago. Such a blessing to teach her that she can have an eternal family through living and following Jesus Christ's example and God's commandments. We asked Bong Sinan why she wanted to learn. She responded, "I want to know God." So awesome. So super golden... but.... they live way far away and go back to their hometown Friday to Monday. Sad. But I have faith and hope in them. God will provide a way, He always does!

So that's our week. I love KC. I love Sister Jennings. I love being a missionary. It actually really terrifies me that one day I will not wear this plaque with His name. I'm so thankful for my mission. There are literally no words that I could ever write or say that would accurately express the overwhelming love and joy of my mission. Yes sometimes I want to just get hit by a bus but I love it. 

ALSO the Book of Mormon is so true. Like it's actually 200% true I can't believe it. If you have some free time this week, feel free to start from the beginning. I have about 100 days left on my mission so I'm going to start the Book of Mormon over again. Anyone is welcome to join me. 

Have a fantastic week!

 

Love always, 

ស៊ីស្ទើរ ម៉ូរធែល

 

My knee is good. It's not as deep anymore. I might have a scar but I would love to have a scar from Cambodia.

Lika and Sister Jennings

Lika's baptism



Lika and Sister Jennings

I love this pic so much :). It's rude to show people the bottom of your foot. Like you can't step over anything valuable. But it's just fun to mess with people and show them the bottom of your foot if it's someone like your companion.

 

​This is cute Sister Sok. She refused to take a pic because she's "not pretty yet" but I got one.

 

Happy Humbling Hard-working Week in Kampong Cham

Hello Everyone!

So this week was actually a little interesting. Saturday I went on an exchange with Sister Davidson. She is in the Vietnamese program here so she doesn't speak Khmer but tries and finds Vietnamese people that want to learn about the gospel. So we were biking back from Ming Sok and Theila's house (Sister Chhel's aunt and niece) and we were just biking along all happy and សប្បាយ . The road we were biking is way huge. It goes from Phnom Penh to KC so we were staying off to the side of the road. I biked through a puddle and there must have been some sort of rock so my bike jerked and I skidded down the street. BUT all is well. There’s just a deep hole with some chunk of my knee skin not there. It doesn't really hurt and Sister Davidson magically happens to be a CNA so that was great and a blessing. So we tuk tuked back and got myself cleaned up. It’s really not that big of a deal. I’m just super bummed that all of my bike accidents are super lame and all come from myself. 

But besides that a pretty normal week. We had zone conference and I'm even more convinced that my parents would be best friend with President and Sister Christensen. At zone conference we talked about ordinances and covenants. It was very eye opening. It is through ordinances, like baptism and the Sacrament, that we receive the power of Christ's Atonement. As we prepare to take the Sacrament each week with a broken heart and a contrite spirit we can receive continual cleansing and renewal from Jesus Christ's Atonement. So this Sunday I tried to really focus and ponder during the Sacrament. If we are willing to change, Christ is ready to help us. He's all on board for us to come home to Him. The Sacrament doesn't have to be a life changing spiritual experience every week but those few minutes can be sacred moments with our Father in Heaven. I am thankful the ordinance of the Sacrament, the Priesthood and God's perfect commandments to help us fulfill His purpose. 

I am still loving Cambodia. I love the people. The miracle about this life is feeling God's love. I really love this gospel. I also cannot believe I have only about 3 months left. That’s pretty scary and weird. I love my mission. I can't imagine being me without having these months, sacred months wearing His name along with mine. I know He is with us, if we diligently seek Him. 

Some tidbits: 

1.       There is this legendary member here in KC, Om Chanton. I lover her so much. She says about 4 sentences: 

  1. "'sup Homie"
  2. "Au Revoir"
  3. ដើលេង រហូត  ("hang out all the time," it’s funny if you know Khmer and Om Chanton)
  4. ស្គាល់ Sistee Eldee ទាំងអស់ (I know all the Elders and Sisters)

2. Sister Davidson is the cutest person I've ever met.

3. Branch 2's Relief Society was convinced I dyed my hair or wasn't American haha

4. After my bike accident and my little knee hole, Sister Chin tells me, "Now you have 3 dimples Sistee!"

5. Sister Christensen snuck a can of Dr. Pepper in my backpack #blessed

6. I saw one of the most beautiful sunrises this week #Cambodia

Well have a great week! Be safe and have fun! Remember God!

Love always,

Sister Mortell

Look at these two beauties

Beautiful Sunrise

The Om Chanton, she is the gem of Cambodia

It hurt to bend my knee so Sister Jennings doped me to and fro and to and fro from church. #ihavethebestcompanion

 

Grateful for Great Goings-on in Kampong Cham

Hello Everyone!

This week was great. Last Monday we bused down to Phnom Penh (hooked up with some Dr. Pepper on the way) and headed to a leadership meeting with President and some other missionaries. And it was so sabbay. We had a great meeting discussing the problems and goals of the mission. AND I got to see my koon, Sister Lunsford and my MTC companion Sister Winters so it was amazing. 

This week was way great but I have no idea what to write... I'll tell you about a super cool Friday morning that turned out to be the best. So we were visiting this investigator. Her name is Ming Yuliang. She has been learning for like 2 or 3 years. Anyways we went to visit her but she wasn't home. So we decided to walk around a bit around her poum (neighborhoodish thing). But before we went out to contact, we set goals and prayed. I prayed with faith, knowing that we planned to come to this area on this day, knowing that God has people prepared, in our path to receive the gospel. So we set off on foot, in our crocs and went out to find. We saw these two girls. I distinctly remember seeing this one girl in a purple jumpsuit. Sister Jennings and I both saw her and said, "Yeah let's go." Then she escaped into our house so we moved on to a different house. And literally the first person we talked to knew the Mormons! Her name is Srey Line. We talked to her just to get to know her and she said she has been to the English class and literally she said, "puakmoomoon" no one ever knows the Mormons. So that was cool. THEN we moved on and talked to these two girls. Right as we walked back to their house they came out. We just started talking to them and telling them about us and what we do. They were about to eat so we left them with a Restoration pamphlet. We left their house and moved to another. We saw this younger boy and started talking to him. Then his dad pulled up on his moto and we talked to him a bit. He is one of the most knowledgeable, beautifully speaking Bongs I’ve ever met. He knew a ton about religion and seemed very accepting to other religions. He said, “I love religion. I love truth. "  So we popped open the Book of Mormon and read the introduction with him. He could have great potential. I think he would go crazy about the Restoration and Joseph Smith. But what makes this worth writing about is the fact that when we were in the process of talking with this Bong, our phone rings and it was the girl in the purple jumpsuit and her sister. She asked us, "Where are you? Can you come back? We want to join? WHAT THE HECK! So we went back, taught a bit and they came to church yesterday. FIRST. This work is God's work. There's so many twists and turns and little kinks and it just all forms together and somehow, it just all works. There are so many factors that could have happened through all of the kinks, God makes it work. Through imperfect, inexperienced, 20 year old girls in Cambodia, God makes sure His children, who are ready, receive His message. It is through the happy accidents the gospel is spread to His elect. SECOND. If you want to do anything that has worth, involve God! Set goals and then ask God to help. Involve God in everything!!

So that was just a cool experience this week. I'm super excited to be in KC. It's a great place. I love Sister Jennings. We have laughed a lot and we're having fun doing the happy work. I am very grateful for all of my many blessing. I am thankful for this mission. I can't imagine being me, without Cambodia and without my mission. Most of my heart is here. And it will forever be. How eternally grateful to infinity and beyond that I am here. If you are on the edge of serving a mission, do it. Yeah it's sometimes hard, super hard and it's so good. It's so so good. I can't describe it. I know this is the true church. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have a firm testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Christ. I will never leave it. 

I hope you all have a happy week and a great day. 

Love always, 

Sister Mortell

1.     I haven't missed a day yet on my mission writing in my journal. It’s such a great blessing.

2.       ah sorry the power keeps going out at this email place 

3.     We were waiting for the elders to show us a potential investigator. We were waiting on the side of the road and out of all the places he could have stood, a lookpuu walks right next to Sister Jennings and starts tinkling on the side of the road. We just burst out laughing.

 

I sent this picture before but it just warms my heart. This is Sister Chhel's mom. She made me some food because Sister Chhel told her I liked this cha thing. Super cute.



RF forever! It came all the way from Idaho :)