Welcome to Battambang Elder Gibson!

I am sending my first letter from Battambang province.  Friday was transfer day, so we took a tuk tuk to the mission home. Then we all boarded a big coach bus that is run by a local company called Capitol Tours.  Well, we left around 2:45ish and road all the way up to Battambang.  We finally arrived at the church at 9:15ish at night.  We made a few stops along the way for 5 min. or so to go to the bathroom or buy some snacks. As we drove up it got very rural and we saw a ton of really beautiful rice fields, palm trees, heavily wooded hills and areas, etc.  Really cool.  

Baby crocodile farm

A little bit about Battambang.  It actually has a decent size city.  No where near as big a Phnom Penh, but it is a decent size city.  Very quiet though.  Not a lot of people around.  Battambang actually has a brand new branch/district building built about a year ago, and it is really awesome.  Finally I am in a branch where regular people can find our branch building.  It is on a main road and it is the big pretty building that everyone has seen before.  So that is cool.  

 Baby crocodile farm

I road through a path/road and my tire got stuck with mud so I pulled off to the side of the road and started to use my hands to pick mud out of the back.  Well, as you know Cambodia has tons of prostitutes and it just so happens I stopped my bike in the general area of one.  Well, she came over and kind of tried to ask me what was wrong with my bike and offer her help.  I got out of there in 1 second.  I got on my bike and said bye bye and road another fifty yards and got all the mud out.  My companion thought it was pretty funny.  

 Baby crocodile farm

Yesterday we got stuck in a huge rain storm.  Huge.  I had to get to the church at 5 to interview an investigator for baptism.  Totally soaked.  That was the first time I was legitimately cold in Cambodia. 

In America people take vans. Here they just jump in the back of a trailer.

So in our mission we have 3 zones in the city (Phnom Penh), north, east and west.  Then each of the 4 provinces have their own zone and then some of the missionaries in Vietnam have a zone.  Our zone is the biggest zone of all the provinces.  We have 5 companionships and 2 senior couples missionaries.  So 12 in total.  We have two districts in my zone and 2 sister companionships.  For the church in Battambang, we have 1 district and two branches and word on the street is that they have started the process to try and make a new branch.  Battambang is a decent size city but nothing too big.  It is actually very quiet.  

Shoes are taking a hit. Don't worry. Super glue fixes it all. 

We do most of our proselyting in the city area, but sometimes we bike out to the member’s houses that are much farther away.  For example, last night we really wanted to meet an investigator so we biked really far up one of the national highway roads and then randomly just took a left turn into a dirt path.  I could not see anything.  Just trees around us.  Pitch black and I was afraid we would ride off the path into the bushes and trees.  No house lights or anything.  Pretty cool actually but we had to really push it to get out to their house so we were super tired.  So yes, people live very far and outside of the "city". 

Yes, I am the only zone leader up here.  The missionaries up here are good.  Most of them are really hard workers.  We share the house with other elders. We have had some fun times, so it is actually pretty fun when we are at home together.  My companion (an American) and I speak Khmae for our planning session at night and then for companion study in the morning.  It is kind of hard I am so used to just speaking Khmae all the time.  Still improving and working on it though.  My companion is great.  

Bridge that sways back and forth violently whenever someone drives over it. 

Early on in the week I came across two scriptures that I love and that really set the tone for our week.  Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible" and Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”  I really love these two scriptures.  They just make me feel so inspired and ready to go.   

Family Home Evening with some member in Sen Sok. 

We have a lot of "potential investigators", with only one that has been taught past the first lesson.  That is kind of a bummer, but we can change that.  We just need to start meeting with the people that are potentials that have met with the previous elders a few times before and really help them to start to progress.  I really want to work with the members, because from what I have seen the members are awesome!  There are a lot of them and many families.  From what I have seen they are willing to share the gospel and are fairly strong.  Right now I am trying to get to know them all.  First, I am starting with their names.  I know that will be the key up here, and I really just want to have the trust of the members so we can start to receive more referrals.  I know this area has a lot of potential and I am really just looking forward to a whole week of proselytizing, plus knowing the area, members and potential investigators that we have a little bit better.  Quite honestly, I just feel excited.