What Happens When: it's Boot Scootin' Boogie time
Suisadaay! Hello from Cambodia, where it is currently 107 degrees - nope, i'm not kidding!
I hope you all remember the dance Boot Scootin' Boogie from the 4th grade music program, because that is the exact dance I taught to the relief society ladies in my ward this week. For international women's day, all the ladies had the day off so they had a church activity. We learned from a great object lesson. The RS president handed us brooms and asked us to sweep up the floor from the foyer and to gather the dust into these white napkins. She then taught us that like the dust, sometimes our blessings are not seen all at once, but they're there, you just have to gather them all up! It was simple and so true. We thought the floors had already been dusted, we couldn't see the dirt on the ground until we started sweeping and we had handfuls of dust by the end. How many times do we think we received all our blessings already and fail to see the many blessings around us each day?
Then after, the hired DJ came and played some Khmer-mariachi 60's music (more evidence that Cambodia is actually mexico, just asian style) and all the elderly ladies made Sister Leng and I dance with them. So. Funny.
This week we did a lot of contacting. Landwise, our area is HUGE. We bike for hours and talk to as many people as we can down the road to see if they want to learn with us. It's been good see more of our area and "skoal all the plovs" 'get to know all the roads'.
We had Zone Training this week which was really good. I learned a lot, like always. In particular, I loved the point we talked about: don't forget to love. sometimes we are so focused on other things like fall-through lessons, baptisms, obeying all the mission rules, cbr books, teaching records, and everything else that we easily forget to listen with love and really try to understand our investigators and their needs. We also talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon in conversion. Our main goal for this month is to get all of the people we meet to really read, understand, and gain further witness of the truth of the Book or Mormon. In Cambodia especially, everyone has to work to survive. There's just not enough hours in the day it seems like, so everyone forgets to read or just doesn't find the time. So we are focusing on helping our people read, even if that means we have to go over and read with them. I really like reading just a few verses with them and picking out something that can help them in their situation right then and there. Someday I can't help but wanting to yell as we bike, "The Book is blue, the gospel's true, and it's for you!" Love being a missionary.
So one of the girls I taught, now a recent convert from my old area, Kim Sia, tags along with the sisters on p-days to meet me at the mission home. HOW CUTE IS THAT. Friends for life. Who knows, she could very well become a sister too any day now. :)
There is the sweetest old lady in my ward named Om Im. She is just adorable and maybe 4 1/2 feet tall. She's a member of 2 years and still going strong! I can't get over how cute she is. Every time she sees us she comes over and will hold my hand for all of our meetings straight.
This week I also got to see Sister and Brother Moon all the way from the homeland! They came to visit Cambodia again, ( mission president here right before I got here, but I knew them from the MTC). It's a nice thing to see familiar faces some times! I love em and Cambodia sure does too!
Have a great week everyone, Thanks for all your letters, emails, and prayers! I sure miss and love you all.
With love,
Sister Haddock
ps. I looked up Haddock in my khmer dictionary and it literally means "the most normal fish" ok. fine. Hotdog is more exciting I guess.
a lot of people live in little buildings like this. usually cement, one room, squaty potty houses.
sister Leng and I selfie pros
Pres and Sister Moon!
sometimes when it's fast sunday we make our own feast. Including Korean Kimbap (sushi). Hey, there are perks to being my companion. SO MUCH RICE