Guided footsteps

Hello everyone! This week has been another solid week here in the Kingdom of Cambodia! :) So this week I have a super cool story that I want to share with all of you! This last Thursday my companion and I had about an hour of free time right before we were to go back inside the house for the night, so we decided to ride our bikes down the main road instead of taking a right like we usually do to go to our house! Going straight is longer, but we had time so we did not mind ha Anyway, as we were driving down the street I said a little prayer in my heart that Heavenly Father would point out the people that I could talk to that would spark an interest in the things that I had to say. We kept on riding down that road for awhile and then I felt all of the sudden that we should take a right, so we took a right and we went down this road that I have never been down before and it was a super, super long road! haha We saw people every once in awhile, but it just did not feel right yet to pull over and talk to them so we kept on going. Then we got to a road that we were familiar with and I knew that if we took a left, that we would get back on the same main road that we were on and be able to continue riding. However, when we got to the fork in the road, my companion said that he wanted to take a right instead. I had no clue where that road led to, but we were not in a hurry so I was down:)

We went down that road a little ways and right when we were about to turn back, I felt like we should pull over and talk to a person that was sitting outside her home. I asked her if she could help us know how to get back to the main road and she continued to tell us what we could do to get back on the main road. Just as we were about to leave her, an older woman was riding her bike by and the woman that we were originally talking to said, "Just follow her… she knows how to get to the main road." So we looked at the lady on the bike and before we could even get anything out of our mouths she said, "Hello Elders! I haven't seen you guys in a while!" We were both shocked! My companion just took a shot in the dark and asked how long she had been a member of our church, because usually the only people that know to call us Elders are the members. She said that she had been a member for four years! After that we asked her if she could take us to her home really fast so that we could know where she lives and go back and visit her another day. She took us to her home where, as it turns out, another woman her same age lives right next to her who is also a member. My companion and I could not believe it! It was such a cool experience to be able to find these two "lost sheep." It was such a huge testimony builder to me to see that Heavenly Father literally guided each and every one of our footsteps that night! Each and every decision that we made that we originally we thought was our own was, in fact, inspiration coming from our Heavenly Father so that he could lead us to two lost members in our branch and help bring them back into the fold! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!! I know with all of my heart that this is the work of God that I am doing right now at this point in my life! It’s hard work, but it’s the most rewarding work that I have ever done! It’s always good to have experiences like that one to be able to remind yourself on hard days that God is always watching out over you and his other children! It also has made me worry less about if my thoughts are coming from the Spirit or not. I am learning to just do what feels right and most the time if you’re doing what feels right, you are in fact following the Spirit!

This week we were supposed to have some baptisms, but there were some small complications that arose with work and other things. We are hoping that next week we will have some investigators who will be able to have the opportunity to receive baptism! They have all been working so very hard to bring their lives in harmony with the teachings of the Savior! It truly has been a humbling experience to watch! This week I also got to build another house, so that was fun! I could totally build a house for my wife when I get back home! I don't think that she would be incredibly impressed though, considering houses are a little more extravagant over in America! But if she is down to settle, I can make a dang good bamboo house with tin walls! Hear that ladies!? If that doesn't real them in, I don't know what will! ;) haha

Anyway, I am loving my mission more than ever! It’s so nice being able to communicate with the people here a little easier! At first I had so much love for them, but I just could not understand a single word that they were saying. Now I have even more love for them AND I can understand tons of what they’re saying! What a blessing! I feel bad for everyone who has come to Cambodia and not had the opportunity to learn the language and converse with the people in their native tongue! That is a blessing given to me that I will never be able to repay my Heavenly Father for! I love my mission! I love the people here and I love this work! You are all in my prayers and I hope that you will all be safe this week and enjoy a wonderful Christmas season with each other! :) Love you all so very much!

Love,
Elder Steadman

These pics are all from a war museum they got to tour :)