Week 14....Cambodia really is a 3rd world country

Man it has been another crazy week! Prei Toal or trash village has been out of control this week. This week we had crazy meals and my stomach is still messed up. Some members fed us crane meat, fermented duck embryos, and sadly yes.. even dog. I'm sorry everyone! I had to, they don't have any food as is and I just had to. I will never again! But anyways so Prei Toal.. All the people are getting really sick with chicken pox. It has broken out bad! So we visited a lot of people and administered unto them giving them help and blessings if desired. And according to their faith they have been healed. The people have so much faith! They truly have strong testimonies that through faith and Christ they can make anything happen. And they need it because they are really struggling with all the sickness and poverty. They inspire me everyday by some of the members faith in the village. I mean it is pretty crazy there too don't get me wrong, but it's really starting to feel like home, I forgot what a real house looks like :P This week we've done a lot more contacting and found 4 new investigators to teach!! One in particular is really neat to me because he is mine. Usually Elder Cannon does a lot of talking because he knows Khmer already but this guy named Lim Hou speaks a little English and man is he prepared. He comes up to me and asks who I am and what I'm doing and I tell him I'm serving a mission for my church and then he asks if he can come and I'm just in awe like YESSSS please (: This week we taught him about the Restoration and he came to our English Class on Wednesday. He has a sweet wife who is so kind and the cutest little girl probably about 1 that crawls all around his house and it's just such a precious family. I'm really excited we are teaching them! (: Sometimes lessons aren't so easy though, this week we were teaching a family in their little bamboo hut and outside a huge fight broke out with the people next door and it was just scary but then the family just told us to focus and teach with the Spirit so that bad feeling could go away and it ended up being an amazing lesson about the priesthood and we are working with the men in the house now to be worthy to use their priesthood in their lives to bless their families (: Another experience that was cool was Elder Cannon and I were tracking and this lady comes out of nowhere and asks us to come see her husband he is really sick. So we follow her through like a maze house and find this tiny stuffy room and the littlest Cambodian man is in there and has been sick for 2 months. He hasn't eaten in two months and you can literally see his bones through the thin layer of skin. He can't respond or do anything so we wonder what we can do, and then I feel the strongest spiritual prompting and tell Elder Cannon, "We can heal this man I know it."Then the lady asks us to give a blessing and it's on her faith because this man is out of it and she tells us she believes. So we bless this poor man and afterwards he sits up straight with tears in his eyes and bows to us. He acknowledges us and I know the Lord answered that woman's prayers and through her faith that man will be okay. I just know it. The Lord is helping us. Guiding us and is there for us. I had to bless the bread in Khmer yesterday at church and I know the Lord loosed my tongue because that prayer is HARD. He is everywhere. Guiding every step. Helping us find His children that are prepared and helping us be instruments in His hands. This is the most important work I could ever do, and I've never been so grateful to do it. These people need it more than ever right now and it's an honor and a privilege the Lord trusts me to do this work for Him. I love Cambodia and I love this people! Best mission in the world! Until next week.

Elder Spencer Paul Nhem

 OK so let me explain these pictures.  #1 in trash village, #2 in between where Elder Nhem lives and trash village & #3 Penny's bed.  I'm so happy he has a mat and a pillow.  I know it's silly but I feel so much better :)

Email to MOM:
Hey Mom!!! I haven't gotten any letters yet it'll take awhile I heard so just gotta be patient and rely on email. But I'm feeling great, a long hard week and I've been having really bad nightmares lately.. like every night but this week was really successful. I taught a lot more in lessons, contacted a lot more and got 4 new investigators and Ohm Srei Ohn committed to baptism this week!!! It's such an amazing feeling helping these people Mom!! My stomach got a little better but is back at it again because I think it's from eating a mee cha but I'm not sure :P It's all good, if it gets bad Sister Moon says to just let her know and she will give me some medicine. We teach about 6 recent convert families and have some amazing and golden contacts, I'll talk more about that in my big letter. The food is crazy here, just so you know this week members fed us fermented duck embryos and dog.... YUCK i hate all of it but it's all they have so I had to.... :O  But yeah I have a mattress thingy now to sleep on the floor and stuff but hey so yeah I'm in trash village every single day just doing what I can (: And I love you too and miss you tons! And your cooking haaha.

Email to DAD:
Another week,  another adventure.  Well, I ate just the dog meat with some lime and pepper... and yes duck eggs with baby ducks in them.. SOOOOO GROSS DAD! It was so hard not to spit it out but the branch president was watching me like a hawk to see my reaction so I had to smile and swallow it :O And the bathroom is a huge tile room with a toilet with a butt sprayer and a shower.. It's nice (: hehehe I'll tell you what i just sent Myk, it's kinda funny.. I'm so clumsy and was running away from a dog this week and fell off my bike and broke my chain hahaha :D And then another time I got spooked and distracted and accidently hit a cement wall this week :P Man I'm the clumsiest person ever but you already knew that :O  Love you!

I hope you all have a strong stomach.

Embryonic duck egg....yummy!