All Khmer District!

Hello family. This week was super great. I found out who my new companion is. Its David Archuleta! No i'm just kidding. But in my own personal opinion I got an even better companion. His name is Elder An. Yep, I'm training a Khmer. I'm so excited. I got 1 of the 2 Khmers who came in. There were like 10+ american elders that came too. I'm so excited to have my first khmer companion. I'm the last one in my group to have one. He is super cool. He is from Phnom Penh, from Bochengtong. He is a convert of about 1 year and 5 months! He is super cool. He has 4 sisters and no brothers (total opposites). His sisters and parents are all nonmembers. His parents did not want him to serve and didn't even want him to serve a mission. They didn't want him to go at all. His dad is actually very high up in the Buddhist community. He's called an Achah. Basically a teacher. So he has no family support at all. (so if anyone wants to feel free to send him an email so he can actually get a letter from someone feel free i already asked and he said he would like it if somebody emailed himVeasna.an@myldsmail.net ).

Elder An is, i can tell aleady, going to be one of my favorite companions. I don't even feel like I'm training him. His teaching skills are already so good. He just got back from the MTC, and you can tell he really took in the lessons that he got there. He developed great study habits and is very diligent. He is super positive and really excited about the work and inviting people unto Christ. Its so easy to be with him he is kind, easy going, and just wants to teach people about the gospel. He's really excited about getting new investigators and baptisms so he is very courageous and open to talk to people. He takes critisism super well and is wanting and willing to improve. I hope some great things can happen in this area over these next 2 transfers. He has increased my desire to serve already, and strengthened my testimony. I hope that i can give him the skills he needs and the strong testimony he needs as his trainer too.

yes that is a massive python, it could eat people no question.

Overall things here this week, there isn't much else  to talk about. The week was very good, and we saw some great miracles. Especially in a family who is so poor, that committed to saving 500 rial a day, so they can afford to pay the moto to take them to church every other week. In the end we didn't get any investigators at church, but we definately can't overlook the little miracles and successes. A potentional Melchezidek priesthood holder (inactive) came to church and we were able to get another inactive back for the first time in years. We were also able to get all of our recent converts at church too.

Sometimes you just work so hard and the results really don't show. If you think about it too hard, you realize there is so much to do, and it is overwhelming. Sometimes i wonder how we are ever going to get the church in this country going on their own. Then I think about how far its come, and imagine where it can go, a temple in the country, with family after family going in to be sealed for time and all eternity. Then it's all worth it, no matter I know that this is his work, and it will be done at some time or another, we cannot lose. I know this church is true, and it is the stone cut out of the mountain that will fill the whole earth. I'm so grateful i have the time, the health, the opportunity to serve a mission for the Lord.

Love, Elder Rucker