Siem Reap

I forgot my journal this week... so this letter may be a little rough.. also my card reader has viruses on it so I can't send pictures this week... #Cambodia... I hate using hashtags but I feel like that was appropriate for the situation... haha

Monday:


Regular Pday activities and then we went teaching... who? I don't actually remember because I don't have my journal... haha sorry!


Tuesday:

New companion Sister Kosal

We Bong Savon's baptismal interview! She passed! She is going to get baptized on Sunday this week! I am so excited for her. She was so so happy after the interview was over, she was super stressed about it. There was nothing to worry about though she did great, and she is for sure ready to be baptized. I love her so much! I feel so so lucky to have been able to teach her. She has the like the sweetest spirit ever. Then we went and taught Bong Sokpheak, and she just talked about her mission and how she misses it so much. I told her I was leaving and she was like "why it hasn't been a transfer yet" haha dang this transfer went by way too fast. Bong Sokpheak is so awesome though, she is an RM, with two kids, and she is divorced. She was inactive when we got there but now she comes to everything, even insitiute! She really is super awesome, I just love her! When you come to Cambodia you will need to meet her. Then we went and did some English Contacting and taught a new investigator, her name is Soyriaa, she is like 23 years old, and she is protestant.We taught her lesson 1 and she asked tons of questions, it was great. I love how the gospel really does answer every single question! It's really amazing! After that we went and did some English Contacting for the English graduation party we had on wednesday.


Wednesday (or goodbyes are the worst)

In the morning we went and saw Bong Savon... I wasn't going to cry, but she started talking about how she doesn't have enough money to stay so in the next 3 months she is going to move, she going to move to her hometown. Which is an area that doesn't have missionaries and doesn't have the church. I know that one day we will have one there but it was just hard knowing that there is a good chance I may not see her again before I leave... plus I just love her so much!!! I love that no matter what we will see each other again! Anyways she started to cry, I started to cry, we all just sort of cried... I just told her how much I love her and that it's not important that I am here or not, what's important is that she is getting baptized and following Christ, because if she does that no matter what we will see each other again. It's just crazy that I have only been here a month and a half it literally felt like a week, and I love it so much! The people of Toul Tom Poung for sure have a piece of my heat. Ahh I love them so much! Then we went and saw Lookyiay Cheret. We taught her about the joy fullness of the gospel. She is already so good. We never know what to commit her to because she is already so awesome! After that I realized that I had to go to the mission home and receive training so that I can train. Sister Kimball had to decorate for the Christmas party and she needed Sister Yin's help, so they stayed and I went this huge group of the Youth of the Ward. Haha they came because they wanted to see me before I left and then they ended up taking me to the mission home. I have a picture... but my card is yap. I went with Srei Guyo, Ganika, and like 3 other YW. So I went to the mission home got trained and then we all went back to the church for the graduation party. Saying goodbye to the YW was hard! I seriously love them so much. I really want to come back to this area some day. I just love them! Then after that we had a graduation party. It was good I had to say goodbye to everyone which was hard, but it's okay...all is well!! Seriously though I have loved Toul Tom Poung Area so much!!! They have the best people.... love them... also we have seen a lot of miracles in this area... I will for sure miss it.


Thursday


My suitcase broke on the first flight of stairs... kind of a struggle to start off the morning haha it was my huge green one to, but crazy enough after tying it with some rope everything made it through that 7ish hour bus ride to Siem Reap!


Friday:

The Elders showed us around the area and we met some of the members. Then in the afternoon we went and tried to find the President's house, and a miracle happened because we found it, and turns out that one of our investigators lives down there so we ended up teaching her. She is 14 years old and her name is Gimlaen. She is sooo good! She is the only one in her family that wants to learn so we will need to get parent's permission, but she is great! Love her! She comes to church everyweek and she LOVES YW'! I can't wait to get to know her even better.


Saturday:

Cleaned the house and got it ready to go for Monday. Then at like 2 we went to the church to meet a BM that was going to help us with the area, but she didn't show up haha... it actually worked out really well because we ended up just helping the RS clean because only two people showed up to clean the church.! After we had English class because in the Kites we have it on Wednesday and on Saturday. It was good we met some more of the members!


​Sunday:

Ming Rith took us to some member's houses. She is super awesome and she loves missionary work. She has an investigator that lives by her house she has been taught all the lessons she just needs her wedding certificate. We are going to try to help her understand the importance of it haha! Anyways we went to teach her and Ming called her over and said hey we are learning with the sister's right now, and then she gave the best comments! Seriously she is legit. Then we went and saw Bong Chantee. She has 5 kids and her husband is currently in jail. She is having a hard time but she still come to church everyweek. Her kids are adorable! I love them so much! She is great as well, she really has a lot of faith. She knows that everything will work out. It's just hard for her because she needs to look after the kids because she has a new baby so she can't work, so she has no way to get money. Her daughter goes to work and school, and sort of provides for them... it's just hard... She is amazing though.. her entire family is... Church went well! We had a BM meeting and the youth are super great and want to help the missionaries! I love it! haha I wish I would have been more like that! Other then that they had us go up and bear our testimonies, and then I had to translate for Sister Jackson... haha the Sisters translate for her every sunday! It was then I realized how much different Camboidan is then English, some stuff makes sense but it doesn't translate. Haha it was good though!

New area

Monday:

We switched houses are new house is sooooo nice! it's like America nice! Thank you Elder and Sister Levitt!!! Then we went and did some contacting.

Crazy trying to adjust to this new area and everything but so far so good! The area is gorgeous, the closest members house is like 50 or 40 minutes away so we bike tons, but I love it! My comp is good haha we don't speak English like at all... only sometimes with Sister Spangler, but it's good. We usually understand each other just fine! I really love her! !We both love missionary work! It's been fun though she is a really hard worker! Overall week 1 was pretty good!! I hope you all are doing well!

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Sister Schwab