What Happens When: Old Mission Journals Are Priceless

Saaaayyy Sabok, Sok Sabaay!

That's not proper Khmer, but nothing really is, is it? One of the best things about learning this language is that no one actually speaks how the books say to speak... quite the learning process! My adorable companion Sister Nit is from the city, where they drop the R sound in everything. I've started picking up her accent a little bit and sometimes when I speak english, I stat dopping the Rs too. whoops :) This week was pretty tomada... not too much crazy! Except we did have a rocking lunch b-day party at SreyChin's restaurant. This cute little place on the shore of the river that has actual soft serve ice-cream. That's a big deal ok? A cute member, Bei Bei, (if you don't remember, she's recently active and one of my best friends here now) brought me a cake and when we showed up to SreyChin's, there were 40 Taiwanese teens in matching shirts waiting to sing happy birthday to me. I felt SO COOL. They were here for a service project or something and now they will go back to Taiwan and recognize the sisters there. Who knows. Me being born on July 13th could have effect on these 40 kids in Taiwan... We just always hope for the best. SCORE. All in all, it was a great day. Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes. I really appreciate it! We had ANOTHER fourth of July party last week for P-day. We love to find an excuse to have a little too much fun sometimes. Tuesday, I fiddled for pioneer square dance practice. It was hilarious. These ym/yw watched some square dance videos on youtube from one of the barns I used to play at in Utah. Those were good times. I didn't know how the whole dance thing would turn out, but they actually learned the dance and no one got hurt! Also, because the culture difference here, watching the dance that requires hand shaking is the funniest thing to watch ever. Khmers don't really like contact... but they were willing to dose doe! That's one for the books. Speaking of missionary journals today, I've realized that mine better get a lot better for the last half of my mission haha. Good thing Sister Gallahad lives in my house and is such a good example of writing everyday. So to explain the subject line this week, I have really realized lately that the missionaries in the Book of Mormon, though they have some pretty crazy adventures, are just like missionaries today. I also realize that one of the main reasons their accounts of missionary work are included in the Book of Mormon are because there are thousands of missionaries like me all over the earth right now that NEED to learn from their experiences. It's nice sometimes to read someone else's experience in the same situations as me. Reading the BOM is like reading old mission journals from like 80 BC. Pretty cool, right? This doesn't just apply to missionary life, but to all of life! Therefore, we ALL need the Book of Mormon because it is a journal written by really wise people that received help from God on how to live life successfully. Anyway, I had a connection moment while reading the words of Alma a few days ago. He prays with all his heart after seeing the people that have been taught go into complete wrong directions because of confusion or doubt. It happens quite a bit that members or investigators that were doing so good just seem to fall right off the path sometimes. It's way sad, because we love them some much and we wish for them to receive the light that brings us so much happiness. I was thinking about this as I read in Alma 31: 30-35. His prayer for strength to help these people really hit spot on line after line about how we feel sometimes. He prays for his fellow missionaries, for the people he's teaching, and for strength to overcome his sorrow for them. If Alma isn't a consecrated missionary, I don't know who is. He's got the charity thing down. He's amazing! I'm so so so grateful for amazing examples that have gone before me and wrote down their experiences to help me out! The reason I share this is because 1) I LOVE the scriptures. There is no better source of comfort or DIY "how-to...". Heavenly Father loves us so much, he gave us so much help on how to get through anything in this life. and 2) missions truly change you by giving you a more charitable heart and love for everything around you. President told me that when our prayers change from "please help me" to "please help them" is when the mission starts to fly by and the joy from serving becomes real. Boy, is that true! It's all on our perspective, desire, and intent!

If you were wondering what happened to Alma and his district for the rest of that transfer:

alma 31:38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith."

If we have faith, the Lord will take care of us! EVERY SINGLE TIME. Everything that is hard or unpleasant doesn't even matter because our joy is in Christ! <- that is the lesson I learned this week.

Thanks for the birthday wishes and support everyone. Love you!

Love,

Sister Haddock