Sister Zoe's Cambodacious Journey: My First Khaet!

Dear Family and Friends,

Saying goodbye to Tuol Sengke was so so so hard. I spent all day Tuesday going and saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to Meng Kim was the hardest... she said "but sister, you'll be able to come back to the city for my baptism, right?" Saying no was the hardest ever. She got way sad... I walked away with tears in my eyes. She taught me so much. Her knowledge is incredible. We went to teach her about fasting and tithing and she knew everything already. We asked her how she knew, like who had taught her, and she said, no one, I read about it in the gospel principles book. I heard Visal (her uncle) talking about it and got curious. WHAT TEN- YEAR OLD DOES THAT??? Ah, she is the best. Then there's Ming Saraai. Oh, man. I miss her so much already. We just went and helped her cut lettuce and just talked with her. I have never laughed that hard ever. She is the cutest. She was talking to us about the future and making predictions apparently I’m going to get married very quickly when I get home and them I’m going to bring my husband back to Cambodia, so she can meet him. haha Basically that was just her way of telling me that she wanted me to come back and visit her. And I definitely will. I love her so much. Then saying goodbye to Sister Xiong. Man, she is amazing. I learned so much from her. Like so much. Good thing she lives in the states and we can see each other. As I was leaving Wednesday morning she said "what if I don't see you again before I die (end my mission) and I got way way way sad.... But if that is the case, we will have a great reunion in the motherland. (:

Wednesday- transfer day. Man, let's just say that it was a miracle that I got all my stuff packed... my suitcases were literally bursting at the zippers, but I somehow got it all in there. I don't know why I have so much stuff... there's a bunch of stuff that my mom made me bring that I haven't even used at all, and that takes up like half of one suitcase. Super annoying... thanks mom. (: We got to the mission home and it was so fun. Everyone was there. It is just like a giant party. Super sabbaay (happy (: ) Then it was time to leave... I said my final goodbyes and boarded a bus. The group I was traveling with (my zone, well some of them) are the coolest elders ever!! Also, my companion for the trip was a Khmer sister named Sister Om. She is 26 and lives in the same house as me. She is so cute. The bus ride was only 3 hour, so that made me way happy. We stopped half way through at this way sketchy rest area... I did not use the bathroom... because I don't know how to use a squatter toilet yet and I didn't want to make the rest of the trip with pee all over me... hahahaha. Sister Om tried to get me to eat some Khmer food, but I wasn't really hungry... we did eat some really delicious mango though. Like so so so good. We got there and got straight to work. This area is so hard. Everyone is less active. Like no joke! Even the Branch President and the Relief Society President are less active. We definitely have our work cut out for us here... We had 6 investigators, but none of them were progressing... I’m slowly realizing that that is how it is in every area here in Cambodia... and I’m okay with that.

So I live in a house with 3 other sisters. Sister Nhem, my companion, she is the funniest. She knows so much English and she thinks so is American and it is the funniest thing ever. She is such a drama queen. We call her the princess because it's her way or the highway... She is such a crack up though and we've already laughed so much together. Then there's Sister Brown and Sister Om (the one from the bus) Sister Brown just finished training and already knows so much Khmer. Perks of having a Khmer trainer, at first I wished I had a Khmer trainier but then I really thought about it and realized that I probably couldn't do that and if I had a Khmer trainer I wouldn't have had Sister Fields and that would have been the worst thing ever. I love Sister Fields with all my heart. She is home by the way and that is so weird to think about... ah!!!! But both of them are the sweetest and I am really going to learn the language this transfer. I’m excited!!!! We live upstairs in a house of a member. Her name is Ming Jeng and she feeds us all the time!!! Also, with two Khmers in the house food is constantly being cooked, so I’m probably going to get way fat this transfer... haha me and Sister Brown have made a deal to go running every morning together to try and stay semi skinny. Hopefully it works.

On Thursday we met with a new investigator. Her name is Jareeya. She is 17 and we got her from English contacting. She isn't very educated, like most of the people here in Kampong Cham, their literacy level is way low, so she doesn't really understand everything that we are teaching her, but she came to church and brought the pamphlet and her Book of Mormon with her even though she can't read. We are really going to teach things simply and try to get her to understand our purpose as missionaries. She is the sweetest. I can't understand her to save my life. She just kind of mumbles things and somehow it's a language... haha but she lives inside a hospital- the sketchiest hospital I’ve ever seen. It looks abandoned and kind of haunted, but it's still up and running... all the buildings are separate and then in between them there are just houses everywhere... kind of odd, but whatever.

Speaking of not being able to understand people.... I can't understand anyone... I feel like I am in my training again, like I just got in country. They talk way fast and not clear at all. They drop all their r's... so rain becomes hian... it is the hardest. It’s like a whole new vocabulary... I’m praying really really hard for the gift of tongues to start kicking in and helping me out big time. haha

Highlight of my week- SERVICE!!!! My very first time doing service. We got to harvest hicama. I know that is spelled way wrong, but I don't know how else to spell it. Hopefully you guys know what I’m talking about. It was so so so fun!!!! That is one huge perk of serving in a khaet, service and free food. Everyone is a harvester, so they always give you food. hicama, mangos, peanuts, corn, you name it and it's always so delicious!!!! The corn is so good; like state fair corn. mmmmmmm (:

I think that is all for this week. Love you all. Happy leap day!!! Hopefully you do something fun. Sauce thinks that because this day only comes around once every four years you should treat it like a holiday, so take that advice and run with it. Do something super fun!!! Love you all!!!

Love,

Sister Loftus

Double D