October 29, 2017

This week was probably the longest but most eventful week of my whole life.

Tuesday: We were coming home from contacting in the pouring rain and our bikes got stuck in so many mud puddles. We were riding down the street and my front tire fell in a pothole and I flipped, broke my shoe, and bruised my foot super bad. All week I thought I had broken two of my toes but I think now I just deeply bruised it. That night we ate dinner at an Indian family's house and it was some of the best food I have ever eaten but way hard to communicate because Khmer was both our second languages.

Wednesday: sat on the toilet for maybe half an hour that morning from all the spicy Indian food. Could barely walk from my hurt foot. Taught one of the best investigators ever. her name is Bong Vani and she is literally so ready to hear the gospel and be baptized. She also has the most adorable babies.

Thursday: We showed up to one of our investigators houses and they weren't home but there was a puppy on their front porch thing that screamed like a goat any time we got near it. We probably stayed for like 10 minutes just taking videos of it and laughing so hard I almost peed my pants.

Friday: We rode with all the missionaries to a service project at an investigators chicken farm. It took an hour and a half to ride there and we rode past Angkor Wot! I didn't get to take any pictures though or the police would yell at me because we didn't pay to get in. We rode the hour an a half back and I got super sunburned but now i'm fine. Overall it was about 60 miles that we biked.

Saturday and Sunday: we literally had lessons every single hour of the day and biked so much and it rained so hard and I was always wet and muddy. I spoke in sacrament meeting and it was a really good Sunday.

Sorry for the bad grammar and short email. crazy week. So much going on. Love you all!! Keep praying hard every day and reading your scriptures!

Sister Bashford

Pictures: Biking to the Chicken farm

Happy Halloween!

Sunset from the roof

October 22nd, 2017 SIEM REAP!

I LOVE SIEM REAP!!

This has been one of the most tiring but fun weeks ever! Sister Snooks and I get along great and we have been working hard all week.

So being in the provinces is a huge difference from being in the city. In the city you are constantly breathing exhaust and you cant see the sky because the buildings are so tall. But in the kites I breathe such clean air and it is open and so beautiful.

One of the CRAZIEST things happened this week. So we were going to visit a potential investigator that lives next door to one of our recent converts, but the girl wasn't home so we sat with our RC for a few minutes. When we were about to leave we see this lady walking down the dirt road wearing all gold and a crazy crown and walking in a weird way. She comes up to us and just stares with this smile on her face and motions for May (RC) to come over. May grabs a gold cloth and puts it down on their tuk-tuk and the lady sits down. She just stares at us for a few seconds then in this creepy monotone voice starts to speak in this very traditional way that is used for royalty. I couldn't understand half of what she said because it was so different but the only sentence I could understand her say was "I am not a person, I am an angel." We booked it out of there so fast after she was done talking and we had to ask a member who was there with us what she said. Apparently she is May's mom and her husband left her for another woman so she went a little crazy and then became possessed by a spirit. She said she goes every day to a rock that is the spirit of her father and the rock teaches her. She said she has died 6 times and this is her seventh life, and that May will also become possessed by a spirit like her. Literally so crazy. POSSESSION IS REAL. This isn't the first time I have seen it here in Cambodia. The people here are so in tune with their ancestors and with the spirit that they can either become easily converted to the Gospel because they feel the spirit of God or they can easily be possessed by a different kind of spirit. I have heard so many stories of Elders having to cast out devils on their missions here and it is just so crazy to be in the middle of it.

Other than that, we have three investigators with baptismal dates and so many others who want to learn! The work is furthering in all parts of the country and all over the world and i am so grateful to be apart of it!! The church is true, and I love being a missionary!! Love you all!

Sister Bashford

Pictures

1. Sister Snooks, my new companion!

2-4. Psaa this morning

Siem Reap apartment

October 15th, 2017 Transfers!

Guess what???

I am being transferred to SIEM REAP!! AHHH I am seriously so excited!! I am so sad that I am being transferred from Tuek Thlaa and Tuel Kork because I am missing two baptisms (including Napai's) this weekend but I am so pumped to be going to the coolest place in the country! For those of you who don't know, Siem Reap is the province that has Angkor Wot, the country's largest tourist attraction. Look up pictures of it. It's beautiful. My new companion is Sister Snooks, and I am so excited! She was the trainer of my MTC companion so we are all just switching companions.

This week was pretty normal but as I am typing this email I am wearing more make up than I have ever worn in my whole life with two sets of fake eyelashes and crazy hair. I look like I just came out of a movie from the 90's. We did something called Srei Sa'aats (Pretty Girls) today and it is when people doll you up and you take a ton of photos in traditional Khmer robes and it is so fun!! Sister Christensen, the mission President's wife, even came with us!!!

I hope everyone has a great week, and the next time I email I will be in Siem Reap! The Church is true!! I love being a missionary!!

Sister Bashford

Happy Birthday Carson

On their way to the mission home for transfers.  Maile is headed to Siem Reap

Very large dead rat in the street :) 

October 8th, 2017 General Conference

Hey everyone!

So General Conference was last weekend for everyone else but since it takes a week for it to be translated into Khmer, we got to watch it this weekend! I cannot emphasize how amazing and important this conference was. I received so many answers to my questions and personal revelation for me. I know that if everyone really takes into heart the words that were spoken, your lives can change! I know that everything that was said was true, because it was testified by God's living Apostles and Prophets, and everything taught was what God wants us to know today.

This week I dont have too much to talk about, we had the usual lessons and ate the usual foods. But something that was so amazing for me was to see the faith of one of my investigators. Her name is Napai and she is basically the most "golden investigator"ever. A month or so ago she showed up at the church and told us she wanted to learn about what we taught. We couldnt meet her for a week or two because we had Pchum Benh and other things but she continually came to church each week and desperately asked for a Book of Mormon. We committed her to baptism on the first Lesson and she was so disappointed when she found out she had to learn about 7 more lessons before she could be baptized. Every time we see her she is just glowing with how much she has learned and grown from reading the Book of Mormon and how much the spirit has touched her life. She has told several of her friends about the Gospel and we are now teaching one her good friends. She has read almost half the Book of Mormon in the month we have seen her and I am so excited for the happiness she has found and the ways her life is changing from receiving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know this Gospel is true and I am so blessed to be a missionary. Some people may think that missionaries are the ones who convert people, but it is not us, it is the Spirit. We are just privileged to be the ones who get to watch the conversion take place. The Lord is so involved in the details of our lives and He is preparing those now who are ready to hear the Gospel. I love my Savior and Heavenly Father, the Book of Mormon, the Gospel, and being a missionary!! I love all of you and hope you all have the best week!

Sister Bashford

Pictures:

1,2: view of the streets around the Oresay market (psaa oresay)

3,4: selfies with Sister Davidson!