What Happens When: Service ain't plantin' flowers no more

Suisadaay!

Just so you know: my mouse doesn't currently work, the electricity has gone out twice since i started this email, and I'm way too lazy to spell check without the right click button... sosorry but this email place is one of the sketch-ier ones.

Anyway,

This week was overall pretty good and tiring! My new area is SO huge. It just goes and goes and goes! so we bike everywhere. Sometimes I swear I'm actually in an off-road biking match racing against huge semi trucks and mottos that belong on Mario kart and then I remember, "oh wait it's just Cambodia!" If you think rainbow road is tricky, you should see some of the little paths and bridges we take just to visit members! it's so fun! Sometimes when there is traffic (everyday) we jump up on the median and ride down the street as far as we can...and when the road is literally in-existent, we just stand up on our bike pedals and ride over the big bumps. There aren't any traffic rules, so we just go and go!

So we got volunteered to do some service with the elders for the head guy of Steung Mean Chey. If you didn't know, this part of the city ( and a lot of cambodia) is mostly just trash. Garbage. Leaky garbage. Everywhere. Fields and mountains of it. So they're trying to clean up parts of it to do construction. We decided to go help for an hour or two and let me tell ya, It's a miracle I still have all my fingers and toes! Some of that trash had to have been sitting in toxic sewage waste. I don't get disgusted very easily, but that one was enough where I had to take a break every couple minutes.... Hahaha! All I could think was, "Remember that one time we did service and we planted flowers at temple square? Sister, you're not in Utah anymore!" Don't worry, they were very careful making sure we had gloves and surgery masks. All is well. Actually, the most amazing part of it all is that I never cease to be amazed by how nice people are. We were working in a street divider in the middle of a busy street and people would pull their mottos off to the side of the road and take a picture of us "jun jiats" (foreigners) cleaning trash and some of them would walk over and start helping. Then,a few businesses across the street donated big boxes of water bottles. People are just so nice here! and a small part of the garbage has been cleaned! Win Win!

This week we have been teaching a lot of lessons to Less Active members because we don't have too many investigators. It's been good to get to know some of the member of my new ward. I'm currently working with the RS pres to see if we can get some sort of Visiting Teaching happening in our ward. I know it's a long shot, but it would be awesome if we could get the sisters of the ward involved in something like that. There are so many little things that I used to take for granted that I didn't know matter so much!

I was reading a talk called "the Consecrated Missionary" (my other favorite talk of all time) and I came across a quote from Parley P Pratt. He served for a total of 52 years as a missionary!!! Lately, when it's hot and sweaty, and dusty, and no one wants to meet us, I think "wow this next year is going to be a long one". Then I learned about Brother Pratt and I changed my mind real quick. He said, "and when the Spirit of God was upon me, I think it matter but very little what I suffer, what I sacrificed. Whether I secure the honor or dishonor of men, or where I did; if it so be that I can keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with joy, I have all eternity to before me, in which to enjoy myself." WOWWWW. To my missionary friends, WE ARE SO LUCKY to have this experience and have the short time that we do to serve. Let's make the best of it!

Real quick, a miracle that happened: we fasted and prayed for more investigators and to know where to find them, and then during fast and testimony meeting this girl gets up, bears her testimony and says she hasn't yet learned with the missionaries, but has a strong desire to learn, and has received permission to learn with us and then sits back down. MIRACLES HAPPEN! and sometimes, the Lord hand-feeds them to you. The work is great! I love the missionary life.

Have a great week everyone.

til next time,

Love,

Sister Haddock

p.s. I witnessed the filming of a Khmer music video in an underground food court this week and missionaries may or may not have been filmed as background dancers.