A MUST READ BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

In Cambodia here, sadly it doesn’t feel like Christmas at all. In fact yesterday at our district lunch, it was discovered that Christmas was in only 5 days. We had all completely forgotten. It’s sunny and hot and so my mind wants to keep telling me that it’s still summer and fall hasn’t even happened. That, and I’m pretty sure they only deliver packages every Monday to the mission home. So I think my boxes won’t make it in time.  We have our "Christmas" on the 23rd in the city. Then we stay the night and have an area conference in the morning of the 24th. Then it’s back on the bus and back to regular schedule..until who knows when? The Cambodian New Year in April I think…  Anyway I don’t know what will happen. I’ll get them eventually. I might get luck and have a Senior come visit Siem Reap soon and they can bring them with them.
I’m not worried. 

I have been thinking about an aspect of Christmas lately, however, that has made me reflect on my own life.  The kids here have no toys. Never have and never will. They play with garbage and old food as their toys. Specifically Styrofoam, that is their favorite.  I’ve watched kids over the months play with rocks, dead bugs, shoes, garbage, bike and car parts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Legit toy! This last Sunday there were a few members from America that came to our branch and they gave each kid like a 15 cent toy and it was the greatest thing in the world to them…and for me I’ve always considered that garbage.  It’s made me think back on my life and all the things I have had and how maybe I should have appreciated more things than I did! To see a little boy treat a tiny toy Dinosaur like his most prized possession he has ever had just makes your insides turn to mush. And you just want to find all those things you overlooked and give it all to him! This Christmas for me has been focused on appreciation and recognizing major blessings that we don’t see as blessings at first until we see the bigger picture, until we get a larger, wiser understanding. It is a part of life! Everyone must learn it from childhood to adulthood and this is just another step in my learning experience of learning to appreciate. And it’s been a big lesson.

Anyway, not much progress in the area this week. We have made a lot of progress contacting lost people and inviting them back to church and we are being patient with finding investigators. We have like 4 and one came to church last week.  Chin up! Press on! No effort is ever wasted! That is my and Elder Phans motto for this transfer.

I’m still getting organized and planning an attack on this area! Right now I’m still gathering Intel and learning the streets..  Finding out who is in to help and who is not.  We have an area right by Angkor that we love to go walk around in because its filled with people who have lost their mind. Like last week I mentioned a woman who calls us her children and we have to call her mom or she gets super upset!

There are several people like her who have drank so much or have experienced so much famine that there is nothing left of their sanity. You never know what is going to happen when we go there to try to teach a few people. They fight, they dance, they sing, they freak out, who knows.  Um, I don’t have much else, I want to have something to talk about when we Skype! By the way I’m afraid to skype! I don’t know what to talk about! I don’t know if I’ll be happy or just bust out crying because I miss all of you so much! I have no idea! Nervousness fills me. I’m doing well another week…only like 65 more! Make the most of it while I can!

Love you,
Elder Ryan Anderson