October 8th, 2018: TEMPLE IN CAMBODIA

WE ARE GETTING A TEMPLE IN CAMBODIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I REPEAT, A TEMPLE IS GOING TO BE BUILT IN CAMBODIA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't even know where to start to share my extreme feelings of joy and gratitude in my heart for how amazing God is and His work on the earth and how blessed the people of Cambodia are. These last few days have been full of emotions and many good tears shed! None of us have been able to watch General Conference yet, but we all got a text from President Lewis at around 6:30am Monday morning, saying that at around 2:49am Cambodia time President Nelson announced that a temple will be built in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We had all the Sisters serving in our zone (10 Sisters) sleeping over at our house because we all had a city Zone Conference yesterday. The topic of our zone conference was ancestors and family history work because of the special Khmer holiday this whole week. So we were all personal studying about temple and family history work and it was silent in our house, then one of the Sisters picks up her phone and whispers, We are getting a temple... and we were all like What?? and then she said a little louder, We are getting a temple in Cambodia... We all check our phones and read the text, and our whole house starts bawling and jumping up and down hugging each other. It was one of the happiest moments I have ever experienced. We had no idea that we would EVER be getting a temple this soon in Cambodia, but it is just a testament that the Lord is hastening his work on the earth. and the other 11 temples announced! and the 2 hour block for church! The world is changing, church policies are changing, but God's purpose is constant: "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" on both sides of the veil (Moses 1:39). So our special city zone conference on temple and family history work was made so much sweeter when half the mission got to be together after the announcement. President Lewis called on me and another Elder to share our feelings with everyone about that morning and what happened. Its amazing that I have been in Cambodia for almost 18 months, and near the end of my service, the prophet of God announces a temple to be built in the land that I love and for the people I cherish so much. It makes all the hard exhausting times of my mission so worth it. God is so good. The church is SO TRUE. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ grows more and more every single day even when I feel like it cant grow anymore :) I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY and I LOVE CAMBODIA and I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. My heart is so full of love for my Heavenly Father, my Savior, my eternal family, and my people here in Cambodia.

Please watch General Conference if you haven't!!!

I promise it will be worth your while.

Sister Bashford

Pictures:

1. Just a little over 6 acres of heaven! (still to be determined where the temple will be built but we are pretty dang sure this is the place)

2. All of the city missionaries in front of the "unofficial" spot for the new temple!!

3. Me, Sister Clark, and Sister Pratt together for the last time before Sister Clark goes home this month!

 

 

From Mom:

I still can hardly believe the announcement. I get choked up every time I think about it. All the work you’ve been doing has paved a way for the amazing members in Cambodia and other SE Asian countries. I saw the pictures President Lewis took of you guys celebrating at the site where the temple will be built. Best blessing ever! You will have to go back in several years when the temple is dedicated.

We had a fun time in CA. Kanika said she showed you all of the pictures of us on the beach, so I’ll just include a few pictures, I don’t want to rub it in. :) Kanika said it was making you miss us, so that’s good because I want you to come home. Your last few emails have me a little nervous; I’m afraid you’re going to stay in Cambodia. Lol

I’m looking forward to this week off with no vacations. I want to organize closets and make plans for the group home. We should find out this week if the county approved our land variance application. If it’s approved, then we will move forward in the next couple weeks.

URGENT: Okay I need your response tonight or very soon about your homecoming. When I agreed to have your homecoming on the 16th, I didn’t realize that carson will be in Anaheim at a volleyball tournament that weekend. The following week is Christmas, so you would have to wait two weeks until the 30th of December to give your homecoming talk if you want Carson there. I think it would be worth the wait, plus you can go watch him play volleyball with me, but it’s totally up to you. If you decide to give your talk on the 16th, I can send carson to his tournament with a teammate so all the rest of us would be there. The 30th is the weekend Kenzie gets married, so I’m not sure if that’s a good/bad/indifferent thing.

K, let me know your thoughts. If you want me to make the decision for you I will. :)

I love you so much. Our sweet little eternal family is all I care about. As you kids grow up and leave me, I realize more and more how Heavenly Father feels about his children. HF had to let us all go. He taught us, then pushed us out of the nest. I’m in that stage right now, and all I care about is making sure my babies are prepared as much as possible to be able to fly. I just hope you’ll always fly home to hug your mom. <3

Have the best week ever. I’m sure you’ll be on a huge high with the temple announcement for the rest of your mission. I’m so glad you got to be there when it was announced. The church is true. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ so much, my testimony is stronger than ever. I can’t wait for you to be my temple buddy. I Love you sweet daughter!

 Hi mom :) ok yes the 30th is fine i want carson to be there and i would love to watch him play. when is the last day of school for you guys? is christmas on a sunday? or are they doing some special program? I wouldnt mind doing it the week or two after. and the wedding shouldnt interfere with anything hopefully. 

Mom literally i have been so emotional the last few days its been amazing. These people need a temple so desperately and we really did not think that a temple would be announced for at least another 15 years or so. President and Sister Lewis had this mission plan for the next 25 years and a temple announcement was hopefully in there somewhere but we had NO IDEA it would ever be this soon. Its a serious miracle and the new church block change and our mission schedule change (it was pretty drastic - additional 5,000 proselyting hours a year for our mission) just make me feel like the end is near. the revelation we are receiving now with President Nelson is preparing us for the Second Coming of Christ. ITS UPON US. haha i feel like one of those crazy people with the signs in new york city that say REPENT! THE END IS NEAR! REPENT! hahaha. But i am definitely coming back here for the dedication in a few years. THIS IS SO EXCITING MOM I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY BEFORE EVER.

I actually commented that on your instagram but didnt want to make it sound like it came from me hahahaha. also hearing your voices in the video of carson doing the backflip made me excited to come home :) dont worry mom, i will come home when my time comes but for now i am grinding. I am interviewing with President next week and i think i am going to request to be with Sister Stewart or Sister Chan-tung for my last transfer. all my companions have been way lame the last 5 transfers and i just want to finish strong with a companion who wants to work hard.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM literally cant wait to go to the temple with you and possibly Hannah soon?? have you talked to her at all recently about anything like that? if not you should ;) im also way ecxited for her to get her blessing next month. even with carson being a turd everything else is going amazing and we have so many blessings to count in our family every day. LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Maalee Bahhvuud