Anyway, so the cool story! So this week on Saturday we went to go meet with one of these families that had 3 new investigators that we had found earlier in the week! We met with them on Thursday and then planned to meet them again on Saturday night. When we came back over on Saturday, we were bummed because they had left for the evening to go out and party or do whatever normal people do on weekends...totally forgot!! Ha anyway, so we were sitting outside of their house and then their neighbors came out and they were talking to us and asking us some questions and then the topic came up of why we were trying to find them and what we wanted with them. I told them that we were missionaries and we teach people about Jesus Christ! As soon as I said this the wife started to laugh at me and make fun of me a little bit! Well this just made me want her to listen to our message even more because I knew that it could bless her life so much!! Anyway, we kept on talking about Jesus and then we got to the subject of prayer and she really started to gain an interest! It was so cool to literally watch her whole countenance change! To go from someone who thought we were crazy to eventually inviting is into her house to continue to teach her! Yeah...she invited us into her house!:) So then we began to teach her and her husband about prayer and the power of prayer! She had told us about how busy she is and how she does not have enough time to even breathe during each day! She told us when we first started to talk to her she had absolutely no free time to meet with us, but as we continued to teach her, her heart was more and more softened! She told us she could learn on Wednesday evening, Saturday, and Sunday!! We were so pumped! We continued to teach on prayer and taught them how they could pray on their own at any time they wanted to and that they could pray for blessings that they wanted to see in their lives! I promised her that if she prayed with all of her heart, that Heavenly Father would help her have more time in each of her days and help her still be able to have enough money to support her family! As I said that promise to her, I knew that it was direct inspiration given to me from God! We then asked them if we could come again on Sunday evening and they immediately accepted!
So the next day was Sunday and we went back to their house to meet with them! They could not come to church because right now she still has to work on Sundays. Anyway, we went back over and we felt very inspired to share the Plan of Salvation with her! It was so awesome! She could not keep her eyes off of us and she and her husband listened to every word that we said! Also, a neighbor came and joined in as well! The coolest part of this whole experience, and one of the coolest things that has happened to me on my whole mission, was at the end of the lesson I asked her to say the closing prayer. She was nervous, but still agreed to say it! She asked me what she could say or ask for and I told her that she could ask for good health or for safety or for more time off or work or even if she wanted to she could ask about the lesson that we just taught! I told her that she could pray and ask Heavenly Father if everything that we had just taught her was true and if it really came from God or not. Right as I finished saying that she looked up at me and stared me right in the eyes and said, "I know it's true. I can feel that it's true already." I could not wipe the smile off of my face for the next hour after that lesson! I felt like I was on cloud 9 all the way back to my apartment! How amazing!! To watch someone go from making fun of you for believing in Jesus to looking up at you with such a strong hope and desire and faith in her eyes, and have her tell you that she knows that what you’re telling her is true… that's just about the greatest gift that any missionary could ask for!! Not to mention this all happened in a matter of 2 days! It's amazing the miracles that you are able to see out here on your mission!! I know that this was not at all because of me!! God placed her in our path because He knew that she was ready to receive this gospel and as long as we were a little persistent, He knew that afterwards she would know that what we were saying was true! It just reconfirmed my testimony that God knows each and every one of us perfectly! He loves us all so very much! I felt so lucky that God trusted me with this wonderful young couple! I am so grateful that He gave me the right words to say at the right time so that we could help these 2 lost sheep come back into the fold!
I am here to tell you all there is not a greater or happier service to be doing on this earth than serving a mission for the Lord! And on top of that, I get to be doing that service in the very best place that this whole world has to offer!! I would not change these experiences for anything! I don't know why I am so lucky as to see and feel and do all of these amazing things, but I am eternally grateful for every experience that I have had so far out here on my mission and can't wait for another year ahead of doing the exact same thing, but just enjoying it slightly more because I don't have to worry as hard trying to learn a completely new language:) haha Anyway, that was my amazing story for you all this week! I will definitely keep you updated on how they are doing! If you ever are lacking in things to pray about in your daily prayers, please feel free to put her (Bong Srey) in your prayers that she will be able to get some work off so that she can come and worship on Sundays and also not feel so overwhelmed with life!!
So yeah, that's pretty much it for this week! We have a lot of new investigators, which is super good because a week ago we did not really have a lot at all, but now we are going to be a lot more busy which is good!:) It's not that fun when you’re not busy!! Haha but when you’re busy, you sweat a lot...it’s a love/hate relationship!:) People would always tell me you would get used to the heat and now I'm beginning to think that what they wanted to say is that you get used to sweating your guts out for 2 years, rather than your body adjusts to the climate here...that makes a lot more sense I feel like!:) haha Well, I think for this week that's all I’ve got for you guys!! Just want you all to know that I know that what I am doing out here is absolutely 100% true!! I know that this is God's work! I feel and see His hand in it every single day! I have learned so much more about love while I have been out here really truly trying to gain a love for the people here in Cambodia like my Heavenly Father has a love for them! Which really has not been that hard because they are the greatest people in the whole world! I am so grateful for all of the hard trials that I have had out here on the mission as well! A mission has been the most spiritually and physically exhausting thing that I have ever done in my whole life and yet somehow, everyday I have the strength to be able to wake up and do it again and again! I'm grateful to Heavenly Father that he gives me that strength everyday! I know that without Him I am nothing! I am so grateful for the Atonement! Man, am I grateful for the Atonement! Without it, I would be soooooo very lost in this life! I know that it's something that needs to be used by all of us every day! Not just the times that we do something terribly wrong! As we use it every day it will be easier and easier not to run in to any of those big mistakes! I love my Savior and am so grateful that he died for me and also lives again for me as well! I know that through him and through his Atonement, we can all be saved!! All he wants us to do is trust in him and follow him to the end! I know that this church has the fullness of the gospel once again restored on the earth and I am so grateful that I have this time to be a full-time representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I love you all and hope you have a great week!! Many prayers headed your way from the Kingdom!!
Love,
Elder Steadman
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| Zone Conference |
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| With President & Sister Moon and Elder & Sister Gong |
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