What Happens When: "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"

Hello Hello! I'm happy and healthy this week, I hope you are too.

Well, like the subject line says, this song has been on my mind in the passed few hours. Mostly because it was quoted in a conference broadcast from SLC to Asia that we had the privilege of watching yesterday. It was quite the story actually. We got to church for a big district (like a stake, but smaller bc jungle life) conference to watch the broadcast and of course the flashdrive that had the translated conference on it probably got stolen on the way there so one of the most talented people I've ever met actually TRANSLATED IT LIVE. The whole thing on the fly, using some kid's cheap headphones and a hand held mic. BUT first they had problems getting the projector to work, then finally we started watching it and the screen started waving all around, and then like 10 minutes in to it, the power went out. Quitethe "ការលំបាក" (hardship) and then finally it all started working again, and man I have never seen someone translate so well in my life. By the end at the very last talk by Elder Stevenson, the translator was out of breath and brain power, I felt so bad. but he did manage to translate (with some hesitation ... bc he's probably never heard this song before) "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam". It came out like "Jesus just wants me to....uh... smile" and it was great. I can't think of anything better to explain the week. Lots of experiences where we just had to smile and be happy.

Last p-day, just to add to scholarship app stress and needing to the usual race of emailing, we found out that my companion's grandmother had passed away. That was quite a shock and really sad for her. That put a hold on some of the stuff we needed to get done, and after lots of tears and some brownies (thanks to sister spencer), everything was going to be ok. All I could do was try to be helpful and comforting for her. Everything is good now and it's all been a good learning experience. Lots of prayers and blessings and comp unity this week. All good.

Then a few days later we found ourselves out in the jungle in one of our far areas teaching great investigators and members. Then we had the really awesome opportunity to attend a small free khmer literacy class that is sponsored by the church out there in the jungle. It was really humbling to see all these ladies there, most are members and have lots of little kids. They ride in with their 3 kids on one rusty bike and then they all learn khmer script together. It's so shocking to realize that I learned the script in a matter of weeks really, and these ladies are in their 20s - 70s and they still never had the opportunity to learn. I love that they bring their kids and grand kids and they show a great example of diligence and desire to change their lives no matter how busy and tired they are. A quote from the district conference we watched reminded me of that experience: (again, this was in khmer but I think this is what it was supposed to say) "Even in the poorest places there is faith, hope, joy, and the spirit". Even in the old shacks in the jungles of Cambodia, we see hope, faith, pure joy, and always feel the spirit. It's amazing!

I had a moment this week where I was reminded of a good friend from back home who was serving his mission when he said something like, "I don't need anything, I really just need you to pray that I will have the ability to eat more food!" Well it happened that when we biked out the far area this week, we already had a lunch appointment set up at a member's house there, so we were going to teach some other people first and then go to that member's house at the end. BUT as we passed another member out there, we both misunderstood what she said or something because she pulled us under her house and made us fish and rice too! We tried to politely decline, but you should know that it NEVER works to say no to a khmer grandma making food. NEVER. She made us eat so much rice. I was really grateful, it was really kind of her. I know how much these people care about us and they're willing to go with out food just to feed us. So we thanked her a lot and a shared a message with her and ran to the next member's house in fear of being too late and offending her too just to be fed more rice and fish.. man. I haven't eaten that much rice in a long time. We both were praying under our breath as we ate that we would be able to bike back out after that. It was really good, but I haven't eaten white rice for like 3 days now because of it.... That same day a miracle happened!

We knew that our investigator that we usually meet at the church lives out really far. LIKE 15 kilos. That's not that bad, but it's pretty far to bike at 1:00 pm and on a high way to the jungle, but we decided that her progressing towards baptism was worth it. We didn't actually know where her house was.... just knew that it was 15 kilos east, so we decided to go there are we would eventually find it. Well, we biked a kilo too far and after asking some random civilians playing pool, we were directed back home, kinda low in hope to actually find their house. After turning down some weird jungle paths, we decided to turn back and call the elders as a last resort. Then it all changed when as soon as we got back on our bikes and I see something out of the corner of my eye and across the street. What is it? our 11 yera old investigator, just hanging out on the side of the road waiting for us. 2 hours later than we planned and right when we needed her. Her house was one of the many many brown wood houses that lined the street a little ways from the main road. I asked if she'd been waiting long, she said, "nope. I've been playing with the baby pigs, but just thought I'd look for a second to see if you gave up on coming yet" and then we had a great lesson about the 10 commandments and she's on her way to baptism. Pretty good. We ended up biking some 35+ kilos that day. All in all, it was worth it, and all the rice probably helped us power through it. Sometimes the weirdest things happen out here.

I've been studying the temple a little more these days. Not in hopes to make my "temple trunky-ness" worse, but just because I LOVE THE TEMPLE.

"We're not just building a temple here, the Lord is building us" --Joseph Smith. That's about how I feel about South East Asia right now. We're working on BUILDING.

There was a baptism in our ward yesterday. a Ming (women) who has been in a wheel chair for a long time because she had a piece of a grenade in her back causing spine block or something. She got surgery this week and can WALK. She's amazing. And was baptized yesterday. SO cool. She was so happy to finally be able to be baptized! I'm really grateful for all the amazing people I meed each week and all the lessons I have learned here. Of all, I've learned that Heavenly Father loves us. He loves each and every one of us, His children! He is aware of each of His children. Even in the jungles of Cambodia. He needs us to be smiling sunbeams in a place like this. And I LOVE IT.

I love you all, hope you have a great week!

Love,

ស៊ីស្ទើរ ហត់ដក

Sister Haddock

p.s. keep March 26th open to come see me......

some more cute kids that I love

Traffic jam in front of our house because ANGELINA JOLIE showed her movie about khmer for free at the park and all of cambodia went.... she's around here somewhere.... We're all keeping our eyes out.