Angkor Watt and Father's Day

June 9

Hello everybody. This was a pretty great week.  Quite fast to be honest. It's a little sad though because Sister Tsuchida will be emergency exchanged out of Battambang to go to serve in the city. I don't know what happened in the city but I guess president decided he needed her there. If i've never told you before Sister Tsuchida is from Japan. She is super cool. She learns khmer and english. I don't know how she does it. So she will be missed.

So this week:

Monday-Wednesday. We went to Angkor Watt! It was super fun to go around Angkor. I was able to go with my companion, Elder Brittain, as well as 2 other people from my group, Elder Mitton and Elder Lor. It was lots of fun. I have definately picked up a lot of souviners this last bit of my mission, that's probably all i will be bringing home.

After that things were pretty fun. We went around teaching normal. 1 good story and 1 bad story.

Bad first. So we went to that investigator Choeun again. He said he was going to go to church.. again. He said they are going to go because monday they are going to have to go far away to work so they are going to make sure to go this sunday. Sunday comes and he actually went to the members house to drive the tractor. That's when i called the member and they said yeah he showed up to drive it. So i called all the members to tell them to get ready in order to go to church. 20 minutes before church starts and the members call and say hey elder the tractor hasn't gotten here yet. I call the members back and they said Choeun went back home. I have no idea what happened and he either shut off his phone or it was out of battery. So lame.

Good story. Our investigator Thida is doing great. It's been fun because while teaching her (which we do at the branch presidents house) we teach 2 inactive recent converts and the wife of the branch president (who isn't the strongest) and it hasn't strengthened them all and they all are starting to come back to church and be active. This last time we went to see her, the branch president took our picture book and opened to the picture of lehi's vision, and showed it to Thida and said is this the picture? She said yes, she said she had never seen that picture before but saw all of it in her dream. She also mentioned how she was on the building (the pride building) we were able to help her understand it a little and let her know what she's doing is right, that this is a sign god wants you to be baptized. She is learning really fast and is very excited. I wish i could have her read the vision but she can't read. Luckily though we were able to get her to ask her husband to read it for her (who has learned before). Hopefully some day he will learn too.

So that's life in Cambodia. I love you all so much. I know this work is true and is the work of the Lord.

June 16

Hey everyone. Decided to switch internet places and look! sending pictures worked. sweet. So first of all happy father's day dad! I hope it was a good one. I don't remember what they do in America but here, it's a full on program, the whole thing is dedicated to fathers. This usually consists of last minute speakers (usually youth) a special musical number (by the youth) and then the fathers came and stood in the front while all the youth gave them each a gift. Haha, so that's how father's day works here. I missed you but it wasn't that big of a deal, because i'll see you in 2 weeks. This was honestly the fastest week in the entire world. I don't have any idea what happened to it.

In worldly news, have you guys heard any news about some sort of big storm going on in China or something? That's at least what they are all saying around here. If that's true it must be crazy because we are getting some rain from in and it has rained so much these last couple of days it's crazy. Stuff is already starting to flood. It's really weird biking around now, all those places that used to look super dry and dead are going green. I have to try to find an old picture of when it was dry and take a picture of it now to send to you guys so you can see how crazy it is. 

So this was a pretty fun week. Wednesday was an interesting day. We only ended up going to 1 house out in Kampong Preah. The house with all of our recent converts. We had a really good lesson on repentance. Before we left however the older one, maybe late 40's, literally started to wrestle with me. She is honestly so strong i was tired from wrestling with her. haha. She is so crazy. Friday was another fun day, I was way too ridiculously tired though. I went on an exchange with Elder Pettit (District Leader) that day, and the night i was there we were up until 12 talking. Not a good idea when you have to wake up at 5:30 and proselyte in the cambodian sun. Especially since we had service that day from 10-1 cutting fire wood. That was fun though. I'm glad now i know how to cut stumps up into firewood. I'm not kidding i could seriously survive in the wilderness no problem now. 

This week was a great week. We are helping our investigator Thida prepare for her baptismal service this Saturday so hopefully that works out. She is having lots of great questions and learning really fast. Which is super surprising considering she can't read. Elder Brittain and I are getting along great and we are having a lot of fun serving together.

I can't believe i only have 2 more of these emails.

I love you all so much, Elder Rucker

As of Lately

May 27

So I just got off the 7 hour bus ride to get down here to Phnom Penh. Yes it's my last time here in the city. That's weird. I just got done shopping at the Russian Market where i bought a couple of movies and a little souvenir or 2 as a gift. It's really funny in fact. I was going around to all the shops i always went to or took people too, and 3 of them even gave me some free stuff as a going home present. I got 2 little scarf things and a free movie. It was great!

Monday was tons of fun. We went and rode the bamboo train. Really not that great. Nothing too special with the bamboo train. However, I am glad that i have ridden it. It was a good 'ol Indian Jones ride. It was fast, and rickety, and you felt like you could die at any moment. We were literally on our way back and the brake fell off of our train. That's how sketchy it was. But it was alright. It was fun. We met a lady at the halfway point they stop at (where they sell all sorts of stuff for the foreigners) and the lady thought we were the coolest people ever because she knew khmer. I was telling her we had to go and she almost starting crying she was so disappointed. She just wanted somebody to talk to so bad. That night we did a good 'ol Family Reunion which consists of singing, praying, sharing a story from Jesus Christ's life, a couple of rounds of Hot Potato until everyone's faces get drawn on, and then drink soda until you are sick. So much fun.

Tuesday we went to Siem Riep for a special conference with Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Elder Wilson, President Moon, and their wives. It took the whole day and you are going to think this is weird, but it was disappointing. He didn't have anything prepared to speak about it seemed like, so he opened the whole 2 hours for Q&A. The most fun part about it was the car ride with all the Battambang missionaries packed into a van.

June 2

So this week was a pretty normal week. We were able to start meeting with our Recent Converts and investigators again. One of the biggest problems that we are facing right now is that the tractor is no longer coming from kampong preah (our far place) to take all the recent converts to church. The driver got in a huge fight with his wife, borrowed money from the branch president, etc, which basically means he is too embarrassed and doesn't feel like coming to church anymore. Our last hope for anyone to drive it to church was our investigator Chouen. We went to his house in order to meet with him Saturday. We showed up and the wife instantly says "sorry Elder we are going to have to lie to you" (meaning they can't go to church Sunday). The husband finally shows up and his countenance says i don't want to meet right now. We were able to share about Abinadi and Nephi (in a non official lesson setting) then we were able to give him a blessing since he was sick with a fever. It was the most spiritually strong blessing i have ever given. We left leaving him clear blessings of church attendance, and a bold commitment. His countenance was changed when we left, and you could see the gears running in his head, thinking about going to church. The story was great, but unfortonately the outcome was calling him Sunday morning to get an answer of "sorry Elder we can't go to church today". It was such a sad morning. That day we ended our fast with a prayer for them, as we know that we will not be able to go meet them anymore since it takes a whole night with Elder and Sister Yeates when we can teach more people closer to the church in Ordambang where 4 families didn't come to church. Its always sad to see that happen.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity that i have to serve here in battambang, i'm working hard and there is nothing to worry about.

Love always, Elder Rucker