week 3 MTC

Cumriabsua!!!

This week went by so quickly! And yet I was still craving a p-day more than ever. I think it's because we now have 2 "investigators" to prepare lessons for and teach. So we're a lot busier now in study time, which is always. By the end of my 9 weeks here, I'll be teaching 4 investigators. and then out in the field, Lookruu said we'll have 15-20 at one time! I don't know how Im going to do it. there's not enough time in the day, especially when I can't even speak Khmer!

But the script has gotten much better. I had trouble memorizing the characters, but believe it or not it got easier once we started reading and writing in whole words and sentences. I think i had to see these funky squiggles in context to see them as real letters and now im starting to get it. it's pretty fun. It's like a puzzle. It still takes us FOREVER though to figure it out. It takes us about 15 minutes just to translate 2 lines of scripture. Even lookruu, who loves this language admits that reading and writing in khmer is "a total mess." i couldnt even begin to explain how complicated it is. just take my word for it.

Speaking of crazy languages problems, get this: the other day, Lookruu was teaching us how there are two different words for "heart." One is your emotional, feeling heart and the other refers to your actual, blood-pumping heart. The latter is two words. The first word translates into "to pick" and the second word translates into "coconut." So the word for heart literally translates as "to pick a coconut." Lookruu told us that and with a smirk he goes, "that's what it means, so deal with it." i love this language.

One cool thing that happened was meeting these two Eldaas from Cambodia. They're twins and they don't speak much english, but we had a conversation with them yesterday! It was so cool! Less than 3 weeks and we were able to converse with these guys in broken Khmenglish (like spanglish only with khmer). They told us about the missionaries in Phnom Penh, the crazy weather and the AMAZING fruit and food. first thing im doing when i get to cambodia is buying myself a fresh mango. if everyone in cambodia is like these two eldaas (which im told is the case) then i cant wait to get out there. I love those people already.

SPeaking of, here's my spiritual thought for the week: I was talking to Eldaa Flint the other day about John chapter 13 and how its kind of a sad chapter because Christ is leaving Peter behind right before his crucifixion. Anyway, John 13:34-35 is that one scripture I know you all know: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." I've heard it a million times but it sounded so different to me this time. This was the very last thing Christ would say to his apostles, and the last message he wants us to hear. It's the one thing he wants us to remember above all: love on another. I think we all know that I'm not alwayas the most patient or loving person, but this is what Christ wants us to do more than anything else. So anyway, I love that scripture right now. Pretty much all of John 13 and 14 too.

On that topic, I'm totally loving my dai kuu (companions). All three of us are getting along so well. And we work well together too. 2 days ago, we gave a lesson that went really well and after we got out, Sis Peterson was joking about how excited she was and she started doing this weird dance that actually made me cry i was laughing SO HARD. she brought it up again later that night and, i kid you not, i was on the floor laughing. It made me think about how its a miracle that more missionaries are considered bipolar. People always say, "I never cried as much as I did on my mission and i never laughed as much as i did on my mission." i can personally attest to that. I havent cried really but ive been down and bummed out and ive also been laughing so hard my stomach hurt. Its definitely an emotional rollercoaster but im taking it day by day.

I got some pictures of our softball team! For our gym time, our zone (which includes people speaking Hmong, Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese) decided to play softball at the fields across from the mtc. and my team DOMINATED. First game was Cambos vs Viets (10-1) and the second games was Cambos vs Thais (the score of this game is still hotly debated, but the Cambos maintain that it was "a lot to a little.") And yes, we Cambodian-speaking missionaries have the coolest nickname in the MTC.  everyone was like "Sister Daivee i was so surprised at how competitive you are!" obviously they havent quite gotten to know me as well. Last night I told my roommates that im actually a very 1) impatient and 2) argumentative person. They were like "REALLY?!?! we dont think that at all!" I told them if they said that to any of my friends or family they would all laugh their heads off. So either I hide it really well or im literally not the same person. pretty sure its the former. 

I had a couple other things i wanted to tell you but im running out of time so i'll save them for later. I saw a great talk by Holland on SUnday about missionaries so ill share some stuff about that with you next week. Khnom srolan thvee kaa neakphsopsaaysaasnaa! (<-- Yep thats a word. Dont even try to read it.) It means "I love being a missionary!" I miss you all and love you so very much. Thanks for all the love and support.

Srolan,

Sistaa Daivee