Clint mission #31
The letter to go with journal entries came today too. I am just going to share a few things that were not in the journal entries.
8/3/98
Dear Family,
Wow, this has been one of the craziest and most challenging weeks of my life. Elder Lloyd has been sick with bronchitis. I am still not allowed to use a camera except at baptisms. There are 6 Elders in my house now. House 43233, as this is best for our areas right now. Elder Fernandez and I, Elder Madden and Sober, Elder Lloyd and Brooking.
The biggest thing that stands out in my mind about this week is Sopawn’s baptism and going out with a district missionary companion for 3 days in a row. I would go out with Vee in the morning from 8:00-12:00 from 12:00-1:00 I would have lunch at the church with Bro. And Sister Olsen. Bro. Olsen was my companion until Tal would come. I then would work with Tal from 1:00- 6:00 p.m. Elder Fernandez worked with new Elder Sober in his area. While Elder Madden filled in for Elder Lloyd in his area with Elder Brooking.
In all of this mess they decided it was easiest just to move in and that is the way it has stayed.
We are working with another good young man Kosal. He is a friend of Tal and the gang. He bakes French bread in Chba Ampoa each morning and has been studying in the afternoon with us at the church. He committed to baptism this week for Aug 30th. He is excited and pushed his way up to have a front row look when Sopawn was baptized yesterday.
Saturday the 1st the young people who have been attending Seminary and Institute had a party. Seminary and Institute are held each Saturday. They study the Doctrine and Covenants in English and then talk about it in Khmae. Most know quite a bit of English and help those who don’t. It is taught by members who know some English too. It is easier for me to speak English sometimes to these younger people. They went to the Olympic Stadium to swim and then came back to the church for Pizza. I heard it was really fun and most wore their T-shirt to Church on Sunday. “Gathering of his Sheep “ C.E.S. Activity 1998 Asia. ( Church Education System )
I am working hard on my language skills. I have started a new vocabulary book, and I am constantly writing new words.
Dad I will send you pictures and a list of those I have baptized.
I am really busy and the weeks just sail by. This week I did a lot of contacting by myself in this new area. The people in this area live by the river. It is also a busy small business area. It was very difficult to find someone to listen. Many Missionaries have this a lot, but it was a bit of a change compared to sitting at the church and teaching as fast as you can.
Most of these people have never heard of Jesus Christ. I give them a pamphlet with a map to church, a simple testimony , answer a few questions and try to schedule an appointment. A rare few are mean or rude, most just say too busy or are not interested. Also lots are scared when they see this white boy in a tie pull up and start speaking Khmae. You can hear the people as we ride by they know who we are: : Jesus Christ”, “Jesus Christ is coming” or for those who don’t know about the church “Frenchmen”, etc. What an awesome responsibility! I hope that many of those people that turn us down, that a seed has been planted for the future.
It seems that we work hard like this for awhile not finding too much and then the Lord blesses with a couple of goo member referrals or someone who wanders into the church. I know that Heavenly Father wants us to share the gospel with our brothers and sisters. Especially when like me and our family -we are so blessed.
I love all of you, so much! Keep up the good work.
Love your Son, Brother, Missionary, and Best Bud,
Elder Clint Rogers
Dear Family 8/17/98
It is official as of yesterday, there is a new branch in Cambodia, making a total of 5. Yesterday we had a special Sacrament meeting where the boundaries were announced and also the new Branch President Nou Houn. On your map everything east of Monivong Road and south of Mao Tse Tong is the new 5th branch. I am excited and humbled to be able to help as the Branch Representative and help get this Branch going. Often I remember something Bishop Jennings once said, “Make sure you young men watch how the ward works, because you will soon help a small branch somewhere on your mission.” Sunday the 23rd we will meet for the first time, in the same building from 8:00-11:00 a.m.
This week has been patience week for me. I think the hardest lesson comes by way of Sopawn, Sopawn likes to talk and tries so hard to answer questions right and things, that you really have to concentrate to know what he is saying. Then you have to jump on opportunities to speak. The problem is this he has come from the providence to Phnom Penh in search of the Church and now as found it and is a member, but has no job and lives in a one room house. I really want to help him get established with a job and things in order to bring his family in and unite them in the same house and in the gospel.
Sopawn has asked this week for a job and if he could live at the Church. He thinks for some reason that he must be at the church studying. Elder Fernandez and I have been trying to help him see how important it is for him to be a good father, and help them have a chance to study the gospel, and also that the church can’t support him. The day most of this broke, I was on a split with a District Missionary as Elder Fernandez was sick. I asked how it was going trying to find a job. He is in a new city and has been praying hard but has not done any looking. I opened up with him to Nephi 17 and we talked about Nephi had to do the work but Heavenly Father guided him to build the ship. We compared this to him. Also I had a decision to make because I was carrying the news of a job offer for his wife as a maid for a couple who are members coming soon to work for UN I decided not to tell him and still haven’t. Maybe it is the answer to his prayers and ours but I didn’t feel right about telling him. We continue to follow-up with him this week, no job yet but he is truly looking.
We made the Viel Shao run this week. It is actually outside of Phnom Penh past Chba Ampoa. I put the old Japanese Red Rider on cruise control and made it in 30 minutes.
We met with a family who has not been met by the missionaries for awhile and come to church pretty good. They were excited to see us. However we felt like we were going to see the inactive people in the house. It turned out that their older son came who is a member in another branch and Elder Fernandez knew him. The Son was having a bit of a rough day and was also assigned to speak in Church. He felt like going for a ride on the ‘ol moto and ended up at his mother’s house, while we were there. He said it was an answer to his prayers, and we didn’t find any inactive members home.
I love to read my Book of Mormon each day. I’m in Mormon close to finishing the book again. I finished it once in the MTC. I like building chains: Listing scriptures that have the same promise or contain the same themes. I will send you some when I am done.
I have also been thinking a lot about the people. There are lots of people over here who work hard to make ends meet. They are stuck in the day to day stuff. It is hard to get them to give you a minute and then even harder to help them glimpse the promises of the gospel that have been given to us by Jesus Christ. But wow the change that comes to those who accept and want to know more like Luu Thom, and the faithful members here.
Hope things are well for all of you.
Sorry not much time today. Love you all very much.
Love your Son, Brother, and Missionary.
Elder Rogers