 |
| Chandi's Baptism |
So this week was super good. First of all i would just like you all to know that Chandy is officially baptized and confirmed! I got to perform my very first baptism and it was awesome. It was such a nice service and just everything was really good and well done. This was was a very good week. Elder Jorgensen and I were so blessed this week. We got over twice as many lessons this week as we have gotten any other week this transfer! This was such a fast week. We got 6 new investigators this week! Now we have 10 investigators, we had 11 but chandy got baptized now we have 10. So awesome. We have 5 investigators at church this week. The best part is chandy knew the new investigators that came to church, he's actually their old teacher, and they live next to eachother. So we are excited to get chandy to work helping up teach some lessons.
So for this week it was obviously really good as i've already told you, can't believe how fast this transfer went, next week i'll be telling where i'm going if i move which i probably will. Friday i went on an exchange with Elder Ballard which was fun, can't believe he is almost done with his mission. I've been in this house with him for my whole mission in the country, almost 6 months it will be. He is a good guy and i'll miss him a lot, he taught me a lot.
So for this week it was obviously really good as i've already told you, can't believe how fast this transfer went, next week i'll be telling where i'm going if i move which i probably will. Friday i went on an exchange with Elder Ballard which was fun, can't believe he is almost done with his mission. I've been in this house with him for my whole mission in the country, almost 6 months it will be. He is a good guy and i'll miss him a lot, he taught me a lot.
This last week a little boy Rotonack (he's in the picture i sent a while ago with me standing with a kid on my shoulders, he's the kid on my shoulders) anyways he loves me and he bought a statue thing for me. Its a weird statue but its just so awesome because its from him. He was a job 5hours a day 6 days a week. He get 1.25$ a day for working and that statue thing probably cost him 3 or 4$. It was so nice. So i think i'm gonna buy him a book of mormon stories book because he wants a jesus book, and give him a ctr ring that McKenzie's parents sent me. Print him out some pictures too, they go crazy for pictures here. If you just pull out your camera and start taking pictures they will just start bust up laughing when you show them the picture its hilarious, they will never stop saying "1 more just 1 more" "ok now me, just me". Its too fun.
 |
So I got transferred. I am now going to be serving in branch 1 in Phnom Penh. Was kind of disappointed i didn't get to go out to the provinces but that’s alright. Technically I am emailing from my future area right now. I'm replacing Elder Baird who is going home Friday. I'll be taking his companion Elder Chan. Who isn't khmae, he is from america but he is chinese or something. So yep, somebody younger than me, that's right i'm going to be senior companion. The other scary thing is about 5 weeks ago i hear him pray in khmae for zone conference and it wasn't that great. So i will have nobody to lean on anymore for translations, its gonna be crazy. Also another fun part, the house i'm staying in has another companionship its going to be Elder Khan, who is a khmae, and Elder Pearson! Elder Pearson is in my group from the MTC and we were super good buddies and we always studied together. As far as i know he is my District leader too, woo! But he is going to for sure leave next transfer because this is his 5th transfer he is going to serve there. So i'm super excited about that. Also, they have a bench press so excited to use the bar to start doing the 300 workout to get in shape, but not go too crazy because i don't want to be one of those elders that gets hurt from lifting weights. So i'm really excited to serve in branch 1, as far as i've heard the members are great, the work is going really well, and if the members like you they love to give referralls, so i'm very excited to get things going there. I will be meeting in the stake building too, i've sent a picture of it too. It is sooo nice, its nicer than all the american buildings i've been to its awesome.
This last week was really fast though, this whole transfer was, it just keeps moving faster and faster. It was a hard week though, we had 0 investigators at church. Luckily though the area is doing better than when i showed up though, i guess thats all you can really hope for, leaving it better than when you show up.
The real star of the week is Chandy. He had a really great experience that i want to share with you guys. Last week Elder Jorgensen and I felt inspired to share the Family Proclamation with our recent converts and some investigators, and we had a specific referrall in mind for each of them. We shared it with them, and asked them to do the same with their sister, or child, or wife, etc. We did the same thing to Chandy. We also taught him about eternal marriages and in order to get married in the temple and obtain the highest degree of glory he needs his wife to learn about the gospel. We also gave him a triple combination book of mormon too, a brand new one that was realy nice to replace his copy of the book of mormon so he could have D&C and the pearl of great price (thats important to the story). So the next time we come he told us this story. "I was thinking about what you guys said to me, and i knew i had to share this with my wife, but i was really scared and i thought she wouldn't like it. I thought there is no way she is going to like it. So i prayed to God, to help me have to opportunity and courage in order to share this with my wife. I went to work, and i couldn't stop thinking about it, so i prayed again, and i decided when i got home i was going to share it with her that night. When i came home that night she was sitting on the bed reading my new book of mormon. She told me, i like this book, its a good book, its pretty, i want this book. I told her that this book was the new one the elders gave me but they told me to give you my old one (the just the book of mormon copy). She said no i want this book this one is pretty. So now she reads it every night, and i have to steal the book away from her when she is sleeping so i can read D&C". So that is Chandy's story. His wife is going to start learning now. He said she reads it every night and asks him about things she doesn't understand, for example, resurrection.
That was my week. I know that God really does answer our prayers, just like He answered Chandy's prayer. I know that if we pray for the strength and courage to stand up for what we believe in, the Lord with bless us in our efforts with sharing the Gospel. I remind you all to please read, or re-read, President Monson's challenge for this year. The ABC's. Attitude, believe, courage. Believe in yourselves, believe in the power of this gospel, believe that there is someone out there looking for it, and believe that the Lord will help you share it. Have courage in your abilities, have courage in the Lord. Have courage that no matte what stands in your way you can do. I know that this church is true. I know that this is the restored gospel. When Joseph Smith went into the grove and and prayed, he was attacked by Satan. Satan attempted to shut his mouth. Let us follow Elder Hollands advice and not shut our mouths for him. I love you all so very much thanks for the letters, emails, prayers, and love.
Love, Elder Rucker
This last week was really fast though, this whole transfer was, it just keeps moving faster and faster. It was a hard week though, we had 0 investigators at church. Luckily though the area is doing better than when i showed up though, i guess thats all you can really hope for, leaving it better than when you show up.
The real star of the week is Chandy. He had a really great experience that i want to share with you guys. Last week Elder Jorgensen and I felt inspired to share the Family Proclamation with our recent converts and some investigators, and we had a specific referrall in mind for each of them. We shared it with them, and asked them to do the same with their sister, or child, or wife, etc. We did the same thing to Chandy. We also taught him about eternal marriages and in order to get married in the temple and obtain the highest degree of glory he needs his wife to learn about the gospel. We also gave him a triple combination book of mormon too, a brand new one that was realy nice to replace his copy of the book of mormon so he could have D&C and the pearl of great price (thats important to the story). So the next time we come he told us this story. "I was thinking about what you guys said to me, and i knew i had to share this with my wife, but i was really scared and i thought she wouldn't like it. I thought there is no way she is going to like it. So i prayed to God, to help me have to opportunity and courage in order to share this with my wife. I went to work, and i couldn't stop thinking about it, so i prayed again, and i decided when i got home i was going to share it with her that night. When i came home that night she was sitting on the bed reading my new book of mormon. She told me, i like this book, its a good book, its pretty, i want this book. I told her that this book was the new one the elders gave me but they told me to give you my old one (the just the book of mormon copy). She said no i want this book this one is pretty. So now she reads it every night, and i have to steal the book away from her when she is sleeping so i can read D&C". So that is Chandy's story. His wife is going to start learning now. He said she reads it every night and asks him about things she doesn't understand, for example, resurrection.
That was my week. I know that God really does answer our prayers, just like He answered Chandy's prayer. I know that if we pray for the strength and courage to stand up for what we believe in, the Lord with bless us in our efforts with sharing the Gospel. I remind you all to please read, or re-read, President Monson's challenge for this year. The ABC's. Attitude, believe, courage. Believe in yourselves, believe in the power of this gospel, believe that there is someone out there looking for it, and believe that the Lord will help you share it. Have courage in your abilities, have courage in the Lord. Have courage that no matte what stands in your way you can do. I know that this church is true. I know that this is the restored gospel. When Joseph Smith went into the grove and and prayed, he was attacked by Satan. Satan attempted to shut his mouth. Let us follow Elder Hollands advice and not shut our mouths for him. I love you all so very much thanks for the letters, emails, prayers, and love.
Love, Elder Rucker
