WELCOME TO BATTAMBANG

Hello HELLO

This week was amazing as always :))) We had transfers on Wednesday morning and Sister Eckman and I found out that we are apparently english class leaders too so we will be in charge of the english classes out here in Battambang. We took and 8 hour bus ride up here and IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL I CANT EVEN EXPLAIN!!! I love it here. 

We have an investigator Ming Huot who brought 3 of her kids to general conference, she is a really new investigator and we are really excited about her. We are also teaching Sombat, the son of a recent convert, and another couple that I have not met yet. We also got a lot of new potentials this week it was amazing I feel like the Lord was just putting people in our path all day long that are prepared to receive the gospel. Also I met Sister Dy's parents at general conference which was way fun. 

When we went to visit some recent converts this week we biked out to the middle of nowhere about 40 minutes away until we got to this little village. It really is just fields of trees and rice fields for miles on end with nothing until the little village at the end. BUT it was the most beautiful bike ride. I feel very blessed to be serving in this beautiful area with these amazing people. 

AND WE HAD GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I loved all of general conference but especially the messages from the first Presidency. I felt very blessed to be a part of the solemn assembly and the spirit reassured me that we have a living prophet today who leads and guides the church with The Savior. I know that he loves us and is inspired of God. I love the new concept of ministering and truly trying to reach out to everyone one by one because that is what the Savior would do. 

I loved President Nelson's remarks about personal revelation and how God is willing to reveal His mind and will but we need to come seeking. We can receive a personal witness of all things through personal revelation and we don't have to be stuck wondering. But we need to come seeking. We need to put in the work and pay the price because God wants to speak to all of us. I also loved President Oaks remarks on the small and simple things. It really is all about the daily decisions and small and simple truths we learn in primary that are going to get us through hard times and this wicked world. As we do so our spirituality will increase and this is something we all need in todays world. I also loved President Eyring's talk and how we need to pray to know the needs and hearts of others and how to help them.'And how to increase our ability to receive the spirit. We all need to be unified in this work and help everyone in our path along the way.

When we receive any revelation or promptings from God we need to ACT immediately and I know we will be blessed. This has happened countless times on my mission as I have heeded the promptings of the spirit I am able to help bless the lives of others and Heavenly Father blesses me. The work is hastening. I love the work and am thankful for a Heavenly Father who knows us individually and has a plan for each and every one of us.

Love,

សីុស្ទើរ​​​​​​​ស្រ្តាតហ្វឺត

TRANSFER CALLLLLS

HELLO

This week was so good! We got transfer calls last night and I will be going to BATTAMBONG :)))) I am super stoked to go out to the ខេត្ត (khites) and see what its like because I have been in the city my whole mission. I am going to be companions with Sister Eckman and will be Sister Training Leader. I can't wait!!! I will miss TTP and CTM though. Sister Eckman is just getting out of her training so we will hit it hard! Also Sister Dy is from Battambong 2 and so I will get to meet her family and all of these people she has been talking about these last 2 transfers which will be super cool. I AM PUMPED!!!!!!!!! Also can hardly wait for general conference next week! 

Other than transfer calls this week was a slower week. Most of our investigators have already headed back to the khites for Khmer New Year. Srei Lek is such a miracle investigator we continue to see miracles with her everyday and I will miss her, she makes us laugh. She asks the most bizzare questions and always asks me who my husband is and if she can meet him... Super funny. But she is so good! 

This week one of our recent converts shared with us a little bit about her past. When she was 2 years old her parents got divorced and they didn't want to keep her and so she was sent to live with her grandparents. She has grown up not really knowing her parents, and having to do everything on her own because her grandparents don't care much for her either. She said she has never know what it feels like to have love at home and people that really care for her. She said she has felt more love from strangers than from her family. It was super heartbreaking to hear. But she said that every time that she reads the book of mormon she just feels so warm and she said she knows that because of this Heavenly Father really loves her and has a plan for her. She has felt so much warmth from this church and she is so happy that she found it and that it fills her life with love. This gospel truly can heal us!  

The Book of Mormon is so powerful!!! I was really loving studying Alma 58:10-12 this week

10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. 11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. 12 And we did take courage...

I know that the Lord hears our prayers and will strengthen us and deliver us out of our afflictions and tribulations. We have assurance from Him that as we trust Him, He will help us. There is so much hope and strength that comes from the gospel and from reading the book of mormon. I know that the Lord is truly involved in the details of our lives and has a plan for each of us. 

LOVE YOU! 

Sister Stratford

សីុស្ទើរ​​​​​​​ស្រ្តាតហ្វឺត

A member has some mango trees and let us pick some mangos to take home! SUPER DELICIOUS

I LOVE RICE

HEY FAMILY

This week was a good one! Things are really picking up we got 3 new investigators this week who all came to church and so we are excited to start teaching more about the gospel. We keep seeing more and more miracles with our investigators but the best part is seeing the way their lives change and how their happiness increases as they come close to their Savior. I think one of my favorite parts of Cambodia is watching Khmer people exercise. We went and visited a widow in our ward this week who just got out of the hospital and she was demonstrating to us her exercise routine,I haven't stopped laughing since. I really wish I could show you a video or get a picture its so funny and makes the work better. We had interviews with President this week but he was in a big rush so we didn't really have any time to talk so I don't have any cool insights to share from that this week.

I don't know what happened or switched for me this week but I LOVE RICE. I used to not eat it too much because it always made me feel sick but now I can't go a day without it - super strange. 

I was studying this week about centering our lives on Christ and truly this is what brings us the most joy and happiness.

I love this verse in Isaiah 64:8 `But now, O lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.`

``If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Fathers presence in the celestial kingdom. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.` (Elder Maynes)

As we read the Book of Mormon everyday and apply its teachings and try our best to center our lives in Jesus Christ we will see immeasurable blessings!!! There is so much joy in living the gospel and truly the only real way to happiness is found in the gospel teachings. I am so thankful for the Savior and the immense joy He has given me in this life. 

Love Sister Stratford :))) e

e

KIM GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!

Helloooo,

KIM GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK :)) But let me tell you it was soo
stressful. We had the baptism all lined up for 5:30 Monday night (she
has school finals the rest of the weekend). We get to the church at 5
to get everything ready to go, and there is nobody at the church. No
guards to open the water for the font so we go look and by some
miracle it is already filled. The bishop calls me at 5:15 and says
that he can't make it to the baptism, and neither can any of his
counselors. Come 5:25 nobody is at the church. So we are scrambling to
find some members to come and help us perform the baptism and we are
just waiting there with Kim. But we ended up having a lot of people
show up and started the baptism at 6. It always works out but there is
always crazy stories with baptisms here. But long story short KIM is
our newest member here in TTP :) She is so great!!!

We got 3 promising new investigators this week Thida, Navi and Chanti.
Thida reminds me of Abby they are both the same age and have the same
body type and personality. I have loved teaching her and getting to
know her. She is super great and came to church with her brother. We
have been really trying to get to know our investigators families and
have gotten a few brother that have come to listen in on lessons and
come to church as well so things are looking good with some new
investigators to work with!

We had zone conference this week and the focus was on the Book of
Mormon. I got called on to share why I know the Book of Mormon is
true. I learned so much about the importance of using the Book of
Mormon in teaching and helping our investigators gain a testimony of
the Book of Mormon. All of our investigators that are reading the Book
of Mormon and really trying to study it are the only ones who are
progressing. I am so thankful that we have the Book of Mormon and that
we can learn from it each day.

I loved in Mormon 5:23 this week where it says "know ye not that ye
are in the hands of God? There is a lot of peace and security that
comes knowing there is a God in heaven who is our Father, who knows us
and cares about us individually and collectively, and who will
communicate with us directly and through His living prophets according
to our needs. I love the work!!

Sister Stratford

SISTER MARKER

HIIII

This week was a hot one. Lots happening over here in Cambodia, Kanha came back and started meeting with us again and we got her on date! Kim is supposed to be baptized this evening, switched her date because of school finals, by her older brother who got baptized about 4 months ago so I think this will be a super powerful baptism! I am super excited and hope all goes as planned! You never know what's going to happen baptisms are always crazy but we are excited! We had a little miracle this week with one of our investigators. Her name is srei lek and she has a really hard time remembering anything and isn't all there and so we were going to drop her, BUT she has been consistently coming to church the past 5 weeks and when we taught her she remembered the law of chastity and word of wisdom before prayer which was kind of weird, never taught that lesson first but you just do what the Spirit directs and we see miracles! We are really hoping that we can help her remember the simple truths of the gospel and bring her closer to Christ. 

Ming Naet that we haven't met with forever is still in her kite we are way sad about it, her neighbors told us she was really sick and so we are hoping she can get better and come back to the city. Sina is still progressing and we have a lot of great new investigators we are hoping will continue to want to learn. ALSO we had 2 members from TTP and 1 from CTM receive their mission calls this week and they are all serving in CAMBODIA WAHOOO. They will come next transfer which we are super excited about we are kind of lacking missionaries (especially sisters) right now. We only have 88 missionaries and 22 sisters. But we should be getting lots next transfer so we are pumped! Also President Moon came and visited the mission and we were able to visit with him and his wife in TTP super cool.

This week I was studying a lot about the Book of Mormon. I have made some goals about using the Book of Mormon more and I want to be able to answer all of our investigators questions through the Book of Mormon to help them really base their testimony and conversion on it. One quote that I loved was "Within the book's pages, you will discover the infinite love and incomprehensible grace of God. As you strive to follow the teachings you find there, your joy will expand, your understanding will increase and the answers you seek to the many challenges mortality presents will be opened to you."-Elder Stevenson. THIS IS SO TRUE. I have found so much joy from this book. There is so much power in it and most importantly it brings us closer to our Savior. 

"...they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."(Jacob 2:8)  

The Book of Mormon truly heals us and brings us to our Savior, I am so thankful that we have this book and I promise that as you read it you will feel of your Saviors love and draw closer to Him. And you will receive power to overcome the temptations of the devil. REAAAAD IT EVERYDAY! 

I LOVE YOU ALL 

SISTA Stratford

(I changed my name to Sister Ford because Stratford was too hard for people to remember and say. If you translate that it means marker in Khmer so I am now Sister Marker)

NON STOP SWEAT

Hello,

You know that feeling when you bake some cookies on a hot July day and you take them out of the oven and the steam hits your face and its super hot? That is about what it feels like in Cambodia right now only x10. We are in the hot season and I am sweating to death but I am so happy because ITS MANGO SEASON :))

Kim accepted to be baptized and is on date for the 17th of March. I am so excited for her! She is a super amazing investigator. Sina is also still progressing and we have a lot of potentials we are working on right now. So the work is good! We had an exchange in Steng Meunchay this week which was super fun. 

This week I studied a lot about desire. "The Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtue and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit so does everyone. The Savior is there to help you keep going... He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek." (Elder Holland) 

"As you desire of me so it shall be done unto you...Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good - yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously...Then whatsoever you desire of me in righteousness... you shall receive." (Doctrine and Covenants 11: 8,12,14)

"We are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so."  I know that the Lord blesses us for the desire of our hearts and that we truly do get what we desire in this life. I know that 'all things work together for good to them that love God' and I have a strong testimony that the Savior is truly involved in the details of our lives!!

Have a great week!!

Sister Stratford

This is jackfruit and its my favorite fruit here