The woes of Garrett, the long-legged Frenchman

I will start off with the most recent news.  Last night we got transfer calls, and I am transferring to a kite, or province, called Battambang.  Bat (the animals) dome (like a space dome) bong (read it like it sounds).  It is apparently pretty awesome up there.  Really pretty too.  

I am pretty excited to head out to the kites.  I am sure you can find it on a map; it is on western side of Cambodia, and it is really big.  The reputation of Battambang is that during the Pol Pot genocide that province was one of the worst places.  They have a certain word which sounds like, suhhow.  Which pretty much just means vicious or crazy.   

They also called me to be the Zone leader (the leader of a group of districts of missionaries) up there in Battambang.  I do not know a lot about it but it is a pretty big zone and when President Moon called me last night he said that they are actually preparing to split one of the branches into two, so things are definitely progressing up there.   

Quite honestly one of my biggest worries is being the Zone leader up there.  Also, the Zone leader I am replacing is a straight up baller.  He used to be an AP (assistant to the mission president), and he is ending his mission.  Really awesome missionary.  I definitely have some big shoes to fill.   

I will definitely miss the members in Sen Sok and our recent converts.  I am excited to start in a new area though.  

Channary and the member who would always teach her with Garrett and Elder Hem.

Channary is doing well.  She is now down to 1 tooth on the top.  She got four of them pulled and now has just one.  We met her the day after, and she had toilet like paper in her mouth.  It was kind of funny as she would try and talk with the toilet like paper, but we could not really understand.  She is doing well though.  I definitely will miss her.  

We were able to get some new investigators this past week.   We had one lady who is a referral come for all 3 hours of church.  We have also been working with the Branch President to get all the new recent converts callings.   

 Sen Sok

I had an interesting experience last P-day.  We went to a place in Sen Sok so Elder Hem could get his haircut.  It is a place that we go all the time because they sell vegetables and fruit and bread in front of their home.  Well, out of nowhere, a very drunk Cambodian man decided it would be cool if he came up behind me and started to kick my legs.  I am not saying he kicked me like he was kicking a soccer balls, but he definitely let me know he was there.  Quite honestly I do not remember what all he said, but I remember him saying the Khmae word for "French," "freaking French," and "freaking French and his long legs."

Well, we walked more into the house and he followed and was just annoying.  He was right up next to me on my left and was just crazy.  Speaking small English words (quite honestly not the smartest guy...calls me French and then tries to speak English with me...) and just being annoying.  Either way eventually, I sat down more inside, and he left.

I can happily say though that I do not even know his face because I did not even give him the time of day.  I just looked forward the whole time.  Elder Hem said I had good patience.  So, that was kind of fun.  One of the funniest parts was when the lady whose house it was tried to scare him off by telling him that French people know how to fight and that we hit people all the time if we get angry.  I think she was just trying to help because I am the only one in Sen Sok who buys her bread.

A young member couple invited us over to dinner. They also had several of the youth from the branch over. He made a whole chicken.  You just picked off a chunk with your hands. Also, I ate fried cricket/beetle bugs of some kind.  It actually had a good taste, but the legs were sharp.  

Chicken eggs are a thing of the past.  I eat duck eggs now.  Just slightly more expensive, and they are much bigger.   I am starting to try and make omelets and stuff, and duck eggs work great.  I buy 10 duck eggs for about $1 and 20 cents.  

Fun update on the old branch president.  Our current branch president told us that the old one (who is no longer with us and lives far away) told a few people that the elders receive a salary of $200 a month and that the branch president gets $700.  If only they knew…. (Missionaries do not get paid. They pay their own expenses. Branch Presidents, Bishops, etc. are all non-paid volunteers.)

Dinner with a young member couple (same as above) and some of the youth of the branch. 

I want to share a cool experience I had of my last district meeting lesson.   Last week I had no idea what I wanted to teach for district meeting.  I prayed, studied, started to prepare for certain topics only to come to a dead end and feel that those topics were not right.  I really struggled as to what I should teach.  Last Sunday we were listening to a conference talk and one of the speakers said something that just sparked something in my brain.  I feel like I was really inspired by the Holy Ghost, and afterward, I decided to teach about trials and tribulations.  That was a topic that I felt was the greatest item of concern in the district and in many of the individual companionships.  I am truly thankful for inspiration.

 My main point was to say that when we have many trials and problems on our missions first look at our work and our lives and see what we can do better.  We can all improve and qualify for more blessings.  But after we are trying our best we need to keep working hard, don't quit and just realize that Heavenly Father is just polishing us and helping us to become better.

I really like what I read this morning in Alma 1:25 about that even though they had trials and persecution they were strong in their faith and they continued to follow Jesus Christ will all diligence.  I love their example.  Missions have many challenges and trails, but we just need to continue to keep working hard and going forward.  I remember a line that I heard at leadership conference, ""accept whatever happens, and just keep working hard."  I try and apply that every day.

Each apartment or house in the mission has emergency food and supplies in case there is a huge problem.  Well, the senior couple gave us some new rice because it was getting old but still good to eat.  We found that one of the bags had some little bugs living in it.  Not a ton but little beetle type things.  The lady just told us to put it in the freezer and then pick them out and the rice would still be good.  So we put it in the freezer and then the next day we used the rice.  I did not put it in the pot and water and such; Elder Hem did that.  Well, half way through my meal I notice there are small black things in the rice.  Not a ton but enough to notice.  Well, I realize that they are the shriveled up little bug things that he never picked out.  I tried to pick out the obvious ones, but quite honestly I did not even think twice about eating it, and I know I ate some shriveled cooked bugs with my rice.  Welcome to Cambodia.

Only in Cambodia can a 40 year old man stroll out into the street and into the place where all of us are using the computers in just a towel and it be okay.