Well lots of news from home today!!!! I like it.
Dad did you meet my favorite Tow Truck guy From Escalante... The one who likes to charge 400 dollars to jump start your car?
Thanks for getting back to me on the Mutual activities and the PEC. Um, I’m not allowed to search other websites nor do I really have the time to... so for the mutual activities maybe I’ll just give the websites to my branch president and have him do it or you could copy and paste some ideas for me and email it to me next week.. And for PEC, my branch president and I read the handbook frequently to help train everyone and figure out how things are supposed to be run and for PEC its very vague. So we have been doing it for two weeks now and we don’t really know what kind of content we are supposed to talk about.. In the handbook it just says discuss the needs of the priesthood... And that’s about it.. So I was looking for like examples of things done things talked about.. any suggestions are welcome…
Dad did you meet my favorite Tow Truck guy From Escalante... The one who likes to charge 400 dollars to jump start your car?
Thanks for getting back to me on the Mutual activities and the PEC. Um, I’m not allowed to search other websites nor do I really have the time to... so for the mutual activities maybe I’ll just give the websites to my branch president and have him do it or you could copy and paste some ideas for me and email it to me next week.. And for PEC, my branch president and I read the handbook frequently to help train everyone and figure out how things are supposed to be run and for PEC its very vague. So we have been doing it for two weeks now and we don’t really know what kind of content we are supposed to talk about.. In the handbook it just says discuss the needs of the priesthood... And that’s about it.. So I was looking for like examples of things done things talked about.. any suggestions are welcome…
Its super hard because we don’t have a ward of 400 people like we do in America.. We only have 25 real active people who have been members for a few years and don’t know what to do at all because they have never had a responsibility in their whole lives!!! So ill see what I can do.. Right now the Branch President Is 27 years Old with an Elders Quorum President who has been a member for a little over a year and doesn’t know how to do anything. His clerk is a 20 year old boy and his Young Men’s President is 18.. No councilors, no high priests, No seasoned priesthood holders at all. In the entire room I’m the most seasoned Priesthood holder! And Missionaries aren’t even supposed to be in that meeting but President needs me.. HA
Way to go Jared on the W's !!! I remember when I was growing!!! Mom would buy me cheap soccer cleats that were ugly because I would just grow out of them every season!! I also remember all the aches and pains! In the ankles and in my heels! In the knees as well.. I mostly kept quiet and didn’t bring it up because I wanted to play! I figured if I’m going to go to practice and go to the games I would rather play than sit!!! So I played through the pain!!! It does go away I promise! So my advice it to do your best to just play through the pain and don’t let any time get away from you!! The longer you’re not playing, the more practice is getting away from you! So do your best to push and when the game is over that is when you can sit down and rest your legs.. Be the One Little Buddy!! Ya can’t do it sitting down..
OK did I ever give you the results of the huge transfer we had last week? All companionships in the mission were changed except for three.. That is a big transfer!! I now have another Native Companion, Elder Khan! We got to serve together in my first area for a bit so we already know each other and he already knows a ton of English so there is no problems there we speak Khmer and English 50/50 and its sweet.. He is my Co Zone leader but he came up from JR companion so I am having to train him a lot!!! I now have 20 people in my zone and have some brand new missionaries and first time trainers. I’m the only person in my Zone that has ever trained before, so there is a lot of training and instructing to be done. Lots of companion exchanges and teaching!! There is a lot on my plate at the moment.. Like I mentioned before, I play a super important role in my own area as well as in the Zone!! When I had my interview with President he said, I need you to be my eyes if you see a need tell me and I will call together the District Presidency and all the Branch presidents and give you the floor to address any problems if you need to.. I thought.. Wow I have a lot of power!!! It was almost scary.. After that he talked about how I now have a Co Zone Leader and he gave me Marriage counseling for like 20 minutes on how you have to share the leadership with your spouse. It was weird!!
OK so one story... I have been teaching a Man, I think I have told you about before.. His name is Sovann. For the last 4 months, three times a week, I have been telling this man that he needs to find a way to go home from church on Sunday. Because he asks us to take him home on our bikes or he asks members for money to get a ride.. And it’s going to be a problem if it goes on any longer.. He promises every week that he will do it, but sure enough every Sunday he comes unprepared.. This man was in an accident in 2001 and left him blind with no sense of smell and is unable to use his right arm and right leg. And he has a huge Dent in his forehead... A big dent.... Like you could pour a 16 oz. soda into it and not spill a drop.. And he walks a Mile to church by himself every Sunday morning! Some days he will remember things really well and others he literally has 3 second memory.. I’ll tell him... OK I want you to remember the number 5 in your mind. Ill count to three and then ask him, ok what number did I ask you to remember, and he will say the wrong number or I don’t remember. Some things you can say key words and he will remember!! for example.. I have read the story of Ammon with him before and reminded him like ten times.. so now when I say OK, Who is Ammon and what did he do. He won’t remember a thing... But then I say ..Sheep.. And it clicks in his head.. then he can say, oh Ammon prophet servant to the king protects the sheep from bandits cuts off the arms converts the king and his people through his service.. He is super interesting and every time I go teach him I am humbled..
Way to go Jared on the W's !!! I remember when I was growing!!! Mom would buy me cheap soccer cleats that were ugly because I would just grow out of them every season!! I also remember all the aches and pains! In the ankles and in my heels! In the knees as well.. I mostly kept quiet and didn’t bring it up because I wanted to play! I figured if I’m going to go to practice and go to the games I would rather play than sit!!! So I played through the pain!!! It does go away I promise! So my advice it to do your best to just play through the pain and don’t let any time get away from you!! The longer you’re not playing, the more practice is getting away from you! So do your best to push and when the game is over that is when you can sit down and rest your legs.. Be the One Little Buddy!! Ya can’t do it sitting down..
OK did I ever give you the results of the huge transfer we had last week? All companionships in the mission were changed except for three.. That is a big transfer!! I now have another Native Companion, Elder Khan! We got to serve together in my first area for a bit so we already know each other and he already knows a ton of English so there is no problems there we speak Khmer and English 50/50 and its sweet.. He is my Co Zone leader but he came up from JR companion so I am having to train him a lot!!! I now have 20 people in my zone and have some brand new missionaries and first time trainers. I’m the only person in my Zone that has ever trained before, so there is a lot of training and instructing to be done. Lots of companion exchanges and teaching!! There is a lot on my plate at the moment.. Like I mentioned before, I play a super important role in my own area as well as in the Zone!! When I had my interview with President he said, I need you to be my eyes if you see a need tell me and I will call together the District Presidency and all the Branch presidents and give you the floor to address any problems if you need to.. I thought.. Wow I have a lot of power!!! It was almost scary.. After that he talked about how I now have a Co Zone Leader and he gave me Marriage counseling for like 20 minutes on how you have to share the leadership with your spouse. It was weird!!
OK so one story... I have been teaching a Man, I think I have told you about before.. His name is Sovann. For the last 4 months, three times a week, I have been telling this man that he needs to find a way to go home from church on Sunday. Because he asks us to take him home on our bikes or he asks members for money to get a ride.. And it’s going to be a problem if it goes on any longer.. He promises every week that he will do it, but sure enough every Sunday he comes unprepared.. This man was in an accident in 2001 and left him blind with no sense of smell and is unable to use his right arm and right leg. And he has a huge Dent in his forehead... A big dent.... Like you could pour a 16 oz. soda into it and not spill a drop.. And he walks a Mile to church by himself every Sunday morning! Some days he will remember things really well and others he literally has 3 second memory.. I’ll tell him... OK I want you to remember the number 5 in your mind. Ill count to three and then ask him, ok what number did I ask you to remember, and he will say the wrong number or I don’t remember. Some things you can say key words and he will remember!! for example.. I have read the story of Ammon with him before and reminded him like ten times.. so now when I say OK, Who is Ammon and what did he do. He won’t remember a thing... But then I say ..Sheep.. And it clicks in his head.. then he can say, oh Ammon prophet servant to the king protects the sheep from bandits cuts off the arms converts the king and his people through his service.. He is super interesting and every time I go teach him I am humbled..
When I go to his house I think.. Why am I here, he isn’t going to remember anything anyway.. But then when we go inside his house and see his humble living and we go up to his room which is like a cave.. He doesn’t have any use to his family so they keep him upstairs most the time in the dark and he just sits on his bed all day!! When he had his accident his wife took the kids and left him so all he has is his brothers and sisters but they ignore him.. So when we go to visit him I think of the help he could have received if he were in America. I just listen to him talk and watch him and it puts a hole in my heart to know that there really are people like this in the world. Injured with no help.. Left alone.. crippled with no hope of recovery.. nobody to come and visit them and give them a reason to keep going.. No education.... No money.. Nowhere to start.. no outlook, no direction, no nothing! Just sit there day after day after day until one day they are gone and only one or two people would even know.. That does not sound like the Plan of Happiness to me! It’s a Miracle of the Gospel for this man! He now has purpose.. He has Identity. Instead of feeling thrown away and avoided, he now feels loved by his father in heaven. He now has people who knows that he exists!! Members of the church who go and visit him with us.. Friends who help him find the bathroom at church. His other Brothers and Sisters in the gospel who have that same knowledge that they are Sons And Daughter of God and that this life is TOUGH and UNFAIR! And all we can do is lift another to get through it.. I’m grateful that I have had the opportunity to teach and Baptize this man and be a part of his Conversion. It has taught me a lot about life and given me another building block in my testimony of the Plan of Salvation.. It truly is the Plan of Happiness!!!
I’m running out of time again.. I’ve got lots of errands to run and I have to ride my bike and not a tuk tuk.. Since I have a Khmer Comp he cannot afford to split the cost of a ride into the city with me so we are going to ride the bikes!!
I’m running out of time again.. I’ve got lots of errands to run and I have to ride my bike and not a tuk tuk.. Since I have a Khmer Comp he cannot afford to split the cost of a ride into the city with me so we are going to ride the bikes!!
Things are going great! So even with all the things to do there is still smiles and Laughter.. The other day I was thinking about what we can do to get people in the branch to actually DO SOMETHING to fulfill their calling!! And revelation struck one night as I was laying down going to bed.. The next day I talked about it with My branch President and in this Last PEC meeting he tried it out and I think it’s going to work!! My idea was to apply the missionary reporting system into the branch. So instead of saying Elders quorum president organize home teaching and next month nothing happens. We are going to say.. Elders Quorum find two people today that came to first hour but didn’t stay all three hours and then tell me who they are after church.. So instead of telling the Aux. Leaders to do things on their own and having nothing get done.. we are going to constantly give them mini tasks and follow up closely to make sure it gets done!!!! That way we will see actual progress!!!!! I’m super impressed that President actually took my idea (that came from the Lord in an answer to a prayer) and tried it out!! I love my branch President!
I’ll keep you updated on my account!! I’m planning on getting the things all the missionaries get before they go home soon, because I don’t know where my last area will be. If it is out in the middle of nowhere, then I’ll be in trouble because I can’t come to the city and get anything.. So I thought I would do it while I’m here.. Things like a custom painting of me and anything else I want done by a member from my first area.. A suit or two.. I still have not done that!!! And a few other things.. so yeah, I’m spending my personal funds on food so I might need extra for these next few months while I make some bigger purchases and send this box home to you. But then when I go to my last area it should dip back down.... As far as boxes go.. do you plan on sending me anything in the near future.. if you do ask me first before you send anything..
That is all!!! Thanks family!!!
Love Elder Anderson!!!
