In Which I Learn to Eat Crab

Baptism of Hiang Li this past week.

Hey friends,

This week was interesting. Some unexpected challenges arose. But it's okay. We're hanging in there, and we are healthy and happy, sok sabbay, as they say. Sometimes we get spread so thin over two areas and training that I forget what's really important. But my new motto is: we do what we can. Also trust the Lord. Yes, also that one. 

Also give yourself chill time. That's another important one. P-days are sometimes saving graces. This P-day I got to go back to my roots AKA we went to the National Museum! Like every good Cambodian museum, it had little or no interesting/relevant information, lots of objects that looked the same displayed over and over. My former co-workers would have cringed. The museum was open-air and none of the artifacts were in display cases. So, so much for temperature control. At the very least, they didn't allow us to take pictures of the objects so I suppose there is some level of artifact handling going on. It was cool to see so many ancient things. And it was interesting because each object had a little plaque that told where it was from, like Kampongcham or Battambang or whatever. And it's just interesting to see all these places in a new light. We miss so much of the history and culture as missionaries! I wish I could take a crash course in Buddhism. Maybe someday. 

Monday night we went to an FHE at a member's house in Toukork. The husband is in the bishopric and the wife is the stake relief society president. And plot twist: we found out the wife's brother is the bishop of the Teuk La'ak ward. So they were there and our worlds (or wards, rather) collided for a bit. The Elders were invited as well; and after a lesson, they pulled out the food (In Cambodia FHE is about 10 percent about the lesson and 90 percent about the food). And the neakming had made us spaghetti! Legit spaghetti with homemade sauce! And they had ordered a pizza from Pizza Company (the pizza of Cambodia). It was all delicious. And she made fresh spring rolls, which were possibly my favorite part. So good food all around. 

The next day we had another food adventure, not quite so delicious. We went over to Hiang Li's house (where all my sketchy stories have gone down--fire, rats), and they were eating crab. But this was not like Red Lobster style crab. When you say you don't like food in Cambodian it translates to you don't know how to eat it. But that was actually really the problem! I didn't know how to eat the food. So Hiang Li broke off the legs for me. There was a tiny, tiny amount of meat in it. But it was way sketchy. Good news; I'm still alive. 

Speaking of Hiang Li, we got her baptized on Saturday! It was a great experience. The coolest part was that the whole family ended up coming! The Bishop arranged for a tuk tuk to come pick them up (because as of now they're down to one bike). So Ciat and Navy got to see the church for the first time. I could tell they had a great experience, and the members were doing a great job fellow-shipping. It's just too bad they are leaving this week. But they'll be back. In the mean time we're planting seeds. 

Hiang Li was so happy. As soon as we saw her at the church (they arrived well over an hour before the baptism started), she ran down the hall and gave us a big hug. We've seen her testimony grow a lot over the past few months. Even though she can't really read yet, we've started to practice reading with her. We give her a verse to work on as homework, and she even takes her BoM to school and reads it! So it was a great day. And I'm excited for the day when they'll all be baptized. And then go to the temple! It'll happen. 

So that is it for this week. Things are good. We take it one day at a time. And the little moments like Hiang Li running down the hall and hugging us make it all worth it. This Sunday is transfer calls, which means next week I'll know about my last two transfers: where I will go to die, if I will train (hint, I will there's no getting out of it-- fourteen sisters are coming in!). So stay tuned.

Quick spiritual thought: I finished reading Leviticus today. It was a bit rough. It's taken me awhile, but it's been interesting. It's pretty much all the laws that the Lord gives the children of Israel. Sometimes I forget that Jehovah is the same God as Jesus Christ. But then He reminds us of His freeing the Israelites from bondage--in overlay for the Atonement and His freeing of all of us from spiritual bondage. When you look with the right mindset, you can see Christ and His Atonement all throughout the Old Testament. But after laying out all His laws in this book, the Lord says "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them..." then He goes on to list all the temporal blessings he will give the Israelites. And then He promises them in verse 12: "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." And that is His promise to all of us. He just wants us to keep His commandments and keep our covenants so that He can keep His and shower blessings upon us. 

That's all for this week. Be healthy and happy!

Love,

Sis Fields

My card reader won't download any more pictures.  My pictures next week!

At the museum.