Clint Mission #34 9/7/98
Notes from a letter to Lisha:
A mission is the best thing. It has helped me so much and I am just starting. Just like Elder Wells said in one of his letters the first part of the mission the missionary gains strength, help and testimony. Then later can really help the people. It has helped me to want to be strong in the gospel for the rest of my life. I also want to help the people here!
My mission President told me in one of my interviews to try and pray with the intensity of a crisis situation each time we pray. Which means really try hard to have good prayers. I have tried to do this and also try to pray in my heart like it says in Alma 34:27.
Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.
Also when we pray we should use 3 Nephi 18:20 and also remember that it has to be according to the will of the Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given you.
Elder Brooking gave me this quote:
No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God and it is through sorrow and suffering toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in Heaven. ( Orson F. Whitney)
Dear Family,
I live at House 17 near Olympic Stadium of Nehru Road, with Elders Heywood, Hoare, and McCormick. Elder McCormick and I attend the 2nd Branch at House 30 in the North part of the city. On your map there is a big radio tower at the North East Corner of the city. The church ( house 30) is near that tower. The Johnson’s live at house 30. Brother Johnson is the District President and oversees the cannery. Sister Johnson does Genealogy. My area is the Kampuchea Krom Area.
There are 7 Elders coming in on the 24th. 2 Viet. And 5 Khmae. With that huge load President White asked the 3 Elders who didn’t have parents coming to go home early ( however it was a choice) so the church didn’t have to rent another home for a month. Elder Fernandez returns to Seattle Washington, excited to go home to 2 younger brothers and a father after his Mom died 8 or 9 months ago. He wants to help his family join the church. Elder Raden to Oregon will now see his little brother for a few weeks before he leaves on a mission. Elder Fartin returns to Canada. I’ll try to get Elder Fernandez’s E-mail Address.
I will not have one of the newest Elders, but will have a new companion later this month.
Our maid’s name is Vanee, she had to work extra hard today—she took Saturday off. She is a little slower paced compared to super maid 2000 at 43233. However still very good to us. She has a great fruit tray prepared every night.
Chanee sewed a patch on my shirt and you can barely see the rip now. Everything is on the inside. I have a little scare of thread on the outside.
My first real full week in my new area. We have a bunch of new members and inactives to keep us busy, but shy on new people to teach. We had an awesome first discussion with a family earlier in the week and then heard later through the person that referred them that they no longer wanted to study. That was disappointing, but we aren’t going to let them slip away that easy.
Yesterday at church we baptized an awesome young man Sovannaa, 17. I helped teach him from about half way through the 4th discussion through the 6th. He really knew his stuff and was excited to be baptized. He has a best friend in the branch named Raet who referred him. They came with us today to play basketball. It was the first time I’ve played ball since tearing it up with Elder Hoare in the MTC. Elders Daniels, Heng, McCormick and I plus Sovannaa and Reet. The court was not very nice but it was fun! Also we broke a pretty good sweat.
This week I met a lot of new people and am learning my way around the area. It is still hard as it is city and so flat. There is a shortage of landmarks to keep me oriented, but I almost got it.
It still rains here for 3 or 4 days in a row and rest for a day or 2 and then again. Most rain comes in the late afternoon or night. It is usually not too wet we just have muddy feet. There are also a lot of puddles. However yesterday , Sunday Night, we got caught in a downpour. We were about 15 mins from home and it was 20 mins before six ( curfew). We had to go. It was pouring and had been for about 45 min. The roads were rivers and every now and then you would drop into a pot hole and be pedaling through 3 ft of water. About 2 and ½ blocks from home I blew a tire. I just walked my bike home the rest of the way as it was Sunday and almost 6:00 p.m. I pulled my bike into the garage at 5:59:30, soaked.
This week the major thing has been the big battle we are seeing between good and evil here. The hardest part is the hate, poverty, and problems that we see. There is a hate between the Khmae and Vietnamese. Even our own members are caught up in the hating of Viets and blaming them for problems. This is hard to see, and even harder to change something that has been a part of these people’s culture and history. I wonder Dad if you found similar things in Germany, a country that has suffered from war. We are urging and encouraging our members to be examples of good and Christlike love, In their families and with their neighbors. Each day we try to go out and do the same, smile, talk with people, show that we care, and invite them to learn more about Jesus Christ. I’ve seen the gospel change people and also change their lifestyle.
We have some more member referrals to meet for the first time tomorrow. Elder McCormick and I also try to speak Khmae as much as possible. Today at Lucky’s a lady got mad at us and told us not to speak Khmae if we couldn’t speak it clearly. ( All righty then.)
I hope things are good for everyone at work and school. I love you all and think of you. I sometimes talk with you and want to show you things in my head as I am out and about. It is still kind of like a big dream still sometimes. It is awesome, especially when teaching and procelyting is successful. I haven’t received any mail yet this week so I am going to answer Mom and Lisha quick.
I love you all. Good luck and do good. Smile and help others!
Love your Son, Brother and Missionary.
Journal Entry 8/17/98
At the first of the month we were told to leave this day open on our planners. They ( AP’s and President) have kept it a secret too. We knew that we were going on a mission activity of sorts but we didn’t know if we were going to do a service activity or what. We wore P-day clothes and rented a tour bus with AC. We drove for about an hour North out of Phnom Penh, to a place called Oudong- ( U Don) I did not hear to much about the history other than the area was an older capital city to Cambodia. ( like Filmore is to Utah ) Also heard that Pol Pot and the Khmae Rouge hung out there. It is two small hills that stick up out of the flat landscape. They are very wooded like jungle and have many old Buddahist temples and things. Not to mention the great view from the top. I enjoyed looking out the window of the bus, as we drove north along Sap River, at the people and the scenery.
Oudong is two hills that stick up out of the flat Cambodia rice field and palm tree landscape. On top of these hills is several old Buddhist sites and temples, and Cambodians selling pop to hot sweaty tourist. The most impressive was a big What ( temple) that used to be big and nice and had a huge Buddha statue. The Wat was hit by a bomb in 1979. The columns that once held the roof still stand also the outer walls and part of the big Buddha. There were several other small Wats and small religious tower on the mountains. We looked at all of these and also talked with a few of the people there. I would have been cool and more educational had there been a tour guide or monk or someone to go with us and explain what we saw. On the far hill they were building a brand new What. On this construction site we met an old English student who was working there, coincidence to meet him there. After about 2 hours of hill climbing and picture taking we had sandwiches, chips, carrot slices, an apple, cookies, kit kat on the bus. We are very spoiled and do not have it too rough, here in Cambodia. We are so blessed and enjoyed so many things compared to the people around us here in Cambodia. Also from the trip we saw how much in terms of area and people here in this country have yet been reached by the gospel.
After Oudong we went up the road a little farther to a Wat recently built by Hun Sen near the site of an old palace of Cambodian past. The old palace was just a hole in the ground, again with no tour guide, or sign, or anybody who had studied enough to tell us. Most of the people do not know much about the history. Those who sold us pops and worked and lived in the area theses areas just as clueless as us. The best part here was we were let into the Wat and allowed to take pictures. It is a big room with a Buddha statute at one end and lots of paintings on the wall that tell stories. For us the most interesting is the paintings of Buddha with marks on the palms of his hands and on his feet. Buddha taught these marks were the marks of a God. One who would come later and be greater than Buddha. We talked about Buddha was as prophet who taught laws that are very close to the commandments and said, “Do not worship me later another greater will come.”
After this a slight stop to look for the house of a silver smith but really just caused a big commotion in a neighborhood as all these white people.
Back in Phnom Penh, President White treated us to dinner at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The day was very fun, although it felt kind of weird not to be prosyleting. Just not the same feeling. The best part of the trip was the opportunity to spend time with each of the missionaries, the couples, and our dear President and his wife as a mission family.