Soooooooooo.........this week I got to go to Phnom Penh for a couple days for the leadership meeting. It was really, really good. Mostly because I got to eat KFC. Surprise, surprise, they dont have that in Battambang. Just kidding though, the meeting itself was actually super good. President Moon taught us about the Fall of Adam and the relationship between that and the Atonement. It was a really great meeting. I learned a ton, but way too much to stick in this email. but don't worry because I keep a huge list in my notebook of cool things I learn that i want to tell you guys about.
Maybe I should just say this right now: I'm suuuuuuuuper hungry as I'm writing this and therefore tired and cranky. So my email might be kind of short/boring because I really just wanna go eat. Sorry. Rice and Khmer curry is calling my name just down the street. We got to email l;ate this morning because we were waiting for her bike to get fixed, which brings me to a funny story that happened just like a day or two ago...
So we were on our way home (PS if you cant remember, its just me and Sister Fife this week because Sis Ky went to the temple with her family. She should be coming back today or tomorrow but no one really tells us anything) so anyway, sis Fife and I are on our way home, and I was kind of in a bad mood because we had just had a really bad day of plans falling through and my investigators havent been progressing very well as of late. And so I was just complaining to Sister Fife about how im trying really hard and I dont understand why first branch isnt having success. And she was just like, "Sister Davis, you are never going to have success if you dont have faith and a good attitude. Look at all the missionaries who have a pep in their step. What are you missing?" and i was like uhhhhhh...pep in my step? and she goes "Exactly!(she's yelling at thispoint) You need to put some pep in your <<BOOOOOOM>>!!!!!!!"
^and in that EXACT moment, her tire exploded, like 10 feet from our house gate. We were both in a cranky mood because it hadnt been a great day but when that happened we both just couldnt help but laugh, it was too perfect. And then we turned around and saw this random, ancient Cambodian man on the side of the road, pointing and laughing at us. He was probably a little crazy. But it was a hilarious image that we laughed about for the rest of the night.
Now that I think about it, we had so many transportation issues this week. On the busride back from Phnom Pneh, I had this annoying old man sitting behind me and he would put his nasty bare feet up on the side of the seat and inadvertantly poke me in the butt. A lot. I ended up just hitting his foot with backpack. Love those busrides.
Anyway, when Sister Fife and I got back from Phnom Penh, the bus came into Battambang at about 8:30, which is well after the time that we are supposed to be inside, and also after the elders get home too. the bus dropped us off at this random bridge with absolutely NO way for us to get home unless we just started walking, but obviously we cant just have two white sisters start walking alone through the shady part of BB (if you have to be out past curfew, you are supposed to have Elders escort you home). But lucky for us, OUR PHONE WAS DEAD. So not only could we not call a tuk tuk to pick us up, but we culdnt even call the elders. Long sotry short, a stranger let us borrow his phone and after mutiple calls, we got Elder Plothow and Elder Brewer's phone number and called them and asked them to come pick us up "at the fruit stand near the sketchy bridge in third branch". So about 20 minutes later they pull up. Elder Plothow was apparently all excited about "getting to go on an adventure" even though he had already gotten into his pajamas, and Elder Brewer had been going up to the weird men standing on the bridge asking if they had seen two white girls. All the men were like "yeah....they're standing right over there." (we tend to stick out). keep in mind it was pitch black and pretty late at night. Elder Brewer told us that every time he saw a weird person standing on the side of the road he would think to himself "DON'T STEAL OUR SISTERS!!" Anyway, I doped sister Fife home on Elder Brewer's bike. It was a tiring, albeit funny adventure.
In terms of how our work is going, third branch is doing really well. They set a goal to have 150 people attend sacrament meeting and just yesterday they hit 140!! So its climbing and we should reach our goal pretty soon. Its really a matter of getting the members involved, inviting friends to church and also inviting back less-active members who dont go to church any more. We also have an investigator in third branch named Bong Noy who should be getting baptized this week! She is amazing. She is a widow who has such a quiet, sweet spirit and she is beautiful. She is almost 40 but she looks like shes in her twenties. She has two kids that are half mexican, because her late husband is from mexico. They are CRAZY. But super funny too. I'm really excited for her. I feel like she has really found something in this gospel that was missing in her life before.
One of the downsides is a member in third branch named Om Neang. She is probably in her 60s and has major health problems. She cant really walk, and she is completely alone because her kids have no interest in in helping her and her husband left her and now lives in Phnom Penh. She lives maybe 5 minuites from the church but has absolutely no way to get there and Sister Fife and I have been SCRAMBLING, doing our very best to try and find some help for her. She says she prays like 5 times a day for God to help her find a way to church, and its heartbreaking. Usually shes has a great attitude and always has a smile on her face when we go visit. But she just recently got even more sick, and she's in a lot of pain right now. So the last couple times we have gone to see her she has just been in tears. We have sent the elders to give her a blessing and the branch president has gone to visit her, but I still feel like its not enough. We're trying to coordinate a way for her to get to church, but the members are being.....less than helpful. Thats another story though. Maybe I'll tell you about that one...well, later. Anyway, it's really hard. I feel like I'm responsible for her. and it kills me that she cries every time we visit her because I feel like im not doing enough, but i dont know what else to do. We're honestly trying our best. Hopefully something will come up soon. She has an amazing spirit.
So anyway, Im starving. Dragonfruit and curry awaits me. I hope you guys all have a fantastic week! Battambang is still fantastic and I never want to leave!!! Love you all so so much!!!
Love, Sister Davis
This was a pancake breakfast we had together on Friday morning to celebrate the fourth of July!!!! Elder Plothow and Elder Brewer on the left, and then Sister Peterson and Sister Dy on the right. Picked out the only red and blue I have in my closet. We listened to MLK's "I have a dream" speech because we were just listening to anything and everything that had to do with America that we could find. Almost reduced me to tears. Sister Fife and I sang "Proud to be an American" at the top of our lungs.
Sister Fife sleeping on the way down to Phnom Penh...
Aaaaaaaaaaandddd on the way back to Battambang. I got em coming and going.
yes, i am in fact aware that my double chin is giving fat albert a run for his money.
And this picture sufficiently exlpains the double chin. We went out for ice cream on the fourth of July too and Sister Fife and I shared an "Earthquake". 12 scoops. 12 delicious scoops.
Pictures from a very VERY rainy day. Out of nowhere, the sky just erupted and DOWNPOURED on us. and Sister fife and I were quite happy about it. We really enjoy biking through those nasty thunderstorms.
completely...and utterly...SOAKED. Like more wet than if I had taken a shower. Our landylady laughed at us for taking this picture. I went back inside our house and was like..uhhhhh okay im just gonna stand in the bathtub for a little while thanks.
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