Transferred and The Island

Hey! I am gonna be super lazy this week so here are some bullet points of what happened and what's new with me and my area:

• The night before we left for my new area, Kampong Cham, my two favorite Cambodian families fed us dinner! So yeah two dinners in one night! I had only had one dinner appointment my whole mission before that night, I almost forgot I was in Cambodia (jokes).    It was really hard to say goodbye to them. 

• Transfers were crazy. Packing, riding the bus, then having the bus breaking down and finally getting into the city late, 10:15pm! Then up again at 5 am to play basketball so I was really tired, but BALL IS LIFE!

• We chilled in the city (Phnom Penh) until Thursday because Elder Cunningham's Visa was messed up and we have to go back down again this Wednesday, but it was fun to eat a lot of American food and to chill with all the Elders that I love so much and hadn't seen for so long!

• I am serving in Branch 2 in Kampung Cham. The branch is super awesome and there are some really great members, but on average we only get about 40 to 50 people at church every week, which makes things hard. 

• We have 5 investigators which is a lot different from Battambang, but the best part about it is 2 of the 5 are some of the strongest, most intelligent, and most faithful people I have ever taught. They are amazing. Lee Meng is a 40-year-old who is an absolute baller, and he is already helping the branch run better and giving advice. He knows five languages and he drives a car. Also, he has been to church for 5 weeks straight, all three hours. YUP! 

• The other guy is Chantuu. He is a college kid age, but he is just straight brilliant. We read the scriptures with him, and he understands everything better than me. Super cool!!!!! So things are good. Lot's of time spent finding new people, but we just need to trust in the Lord and be grateful for those elect that we do have. 

• This area is hard because there are huge empty fields that take up about a fourth of our area, then we have the city part of KC which takes up about half of our area, and is all shops, and lastly all the area that isn't in those two parts is either too far away or is Muslim. 

• In Khmer, Cham means Muslim and Kampung means port. So basically this place is the port of Muslims. Long story short, they aren't as nice and friendly, and it is much harder to have people to listen to our message, but you GOTTA LOVE IT, BABY! 

• The best part about my area is that we have the island in it. I am not sure what the island is called, but it is just straight beautiful. I love it there. It is a long bike ride, but being on the island makes me feel like I am in rural Cambodia where I belong. It is amazing there. Also, the church building here is BRAND NEW and it is way dope!

Anyway,  To end I will share a little bit of the talk I gave in Sacrament yesterday. 

Our faith must be centered around Jesus Christ. When I first entered my mission I thought that faith was believing in things you couldn't see. Which is true. But true faith is more than that. I could have faith that Duke is gonna win the national championship this year, but if that didn't happen  - then what? Did I not have sufficient faith? Obviously, that comparison is a stretch, but what is most important, is building our Faith around the only perfect being that has ever walked the Earth. Around our Savior, Jesus Christ. The only faith that can be pure, trusted and sufficient, is faith in Him. In his love, in his Atonement, and in his mercy, to offer us a second chance and the chance to have eternal life. One of my favorite verses is found in Ether 15:34. 

It reads, "Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I 

be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen."

Our whole purpose in this life should be centered around our eternal salvation, around our chance to achieve eternal life with the help of our perfect, Heavenly Advocate, Jesus Christ. Although we all face trials and suffer, we may always have faith and hope that through Jesus Christ everything will be okay! 

I love my mission and these people, and I desire their salvation! Please center your life around receiving the most glorious gift God has to offer and look to the future with hope!

Joy in the Journey! I met a dude who knew Donovan Mitchell. All the way out here in crazy Cambodia. That is how you know he is gonna be a legend! OOPS. Go Titans, Utes, Duke and everyone else. Also, read the Book of Mormon! I love you all!

// Elder Gochnour  

ឱ​ បាត់ដំបងបណ្តូលចិត្តអើយ

YO YO YO!!!! LET'S GOOOO!!!!!!!!!! This week was LEGIT, to say the least! Trying to be better at staying under me email time so let's get right to the chase.

I GOT TRANSFERRED! I am so sad and heartbroken. I love this city of Battambang. The title of the email is a popular Khmer song that talks about the city of Battambang, being in the center of the singer's heart. This song describes how I feel about leaving this place. It is crazy the love, friendship and care I have gained for the Cambodian people in four short months. Getting on the bus tomorrow knowing that I probably won't be coming back to this fantastic city for at least 2 years is pretty hard to wrap my mind around. I love these people. I know that the people I’ve met in this amazing city were meant to change my life and to help me have a better perspective on life. 

BUTTTTT the good news is I am going to Kampong Cham, which is another Kite (an area outside of Phnom Penh)! So basically I am just going Kite hopping haha, not a city rat quite yet, but I am so pumped! The best part about all of it is I get to be comps with Elder Cunningham!!!! HE IS A HOMIE! He went to Woods Cross before his mission and he is way good friends with Elder Sam Bennion (Elder McDougals cousin), and he loves basketball, the same music as me, and pretty much everything else that I like. I am pumped to go get work done with him.

The song Blessings by Chance the Rapper, is kinda how this week felt. There were so many times I had doubts that everything would work out, that we wouldn’t get our investigators ready for their baptism & I about gave up all hope but the Lord delivered. He always will, we were very blessed. So the big news is we were able to baptize 3 out of the 4 people we planned for! (Benjamin said that he wasn't quite ready and that he wanted to wait 2 weeks)

Dee and Mae were baptized which was pretty much a miracle. They are brother and sister and pretty much only have each other and their mother who is extremely sick. I taught them for the first time, the second week that I was in country. Fast forward four months, after dropping them a few times, losing hope, and meeting them countless times, they are now members of the true church of Jesus Christ. They are so unique, but seeing their conversion really helped me to understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. If we keep trying and keep showing hope in these people then one day everything will work out. Dee bore his testimony about all the churches that he has been apart of and ended up talking for 13 minutes haha, but at the end, he talked about the faith that he had in Jesus Christ, and I felt peace to know that he had finally entered into the true fold of God.

My favorite story and miracle of my whole mission is the story of Pu Toic. He is the same man that about four weeks ago had nothing to eat on Sunday and was saved by the gift of one bag of rice. The lessons that we’ve had with him have been some of the most humbling experiences of my life. He collected cans for a week or two just to scrape by and to save enough money to buy his kid $60 dollar glasses, for his broken eyes. The next day, his son was playing in the road and his glasses fell off, and got smashed by a car. Toic didn't get discouraged. He kept working hard. He missed only one week of church because working was his only option to have enough money to buy food. He truly put his faith first in the Lord and made monumental sacrifices in order to do what was right (Jacob 2:18-19). As he bore his testimony at the end of each of our lessons I felt the spirit so strongly every single time. Teaching him was a breeze because he already was following the gospel in his heart. He felt the love of the Savior and did everything he could to live according to it. He never lost hope. And today he is a baptized member. He was able to take at a loan from the bank and now has a tuk-tuk (kinda like a taxi Khmer style) which is one of the best jobs in Cambodia. He has enough food and he is happy. I really can see how much better his life has gotten since that first day that we met him, and Sunday I was lucky enough to confirm him. He has been blessed both temporal and spiritually. Before he had to hand bike two hours to get to church, and now he takes our investigators that don't have a moto to church. He is one of my favorite people, and his story truly is a miracle. If I were to not have one more success story my whole mission, my mission would be worth everything to me, just because of the story of this man. I love Pu Toic.

One of my favorite things every week is reading the emails from all of the boys!!!! I am so glad to be out here doing the same work as them. I love hearing how Christian is getting bit by dogs, James is baptizing in France?, and Ty is going to the office hahahah! Michael Scott would be proud! Love all the boys! Keep doing WORK!

Anyway, Chinese New Year's was this week and everyone loves it here. We went over to a neighbors place and they hooked it up with some random cakes, noodles, and soda hahah! Kinda hard to meet people because everyone was way drunk, but it was fun to have a little celebration. This week was a perfect week to say goodbye to these people that I love. We also went to the Bamboo train on Monday which was way fun!!!!!! It was the most Americanized place I have been for a good minute. The church is true. Read the Book of Mormon. Joy in the journey.

//Elder G

Joy In The Journey

Phnom Simpov

So the first news of the week is I officially reached 180 lbs. on the mission....! WHAT THE. 

I guess all I have to say is oops hahaha. This country will really do it to you. The good news is that I am just packing on the pounds because Dengue fever has increased by 300% in Cambodia.... So just in case I catch it I will have a few extra pounds to lose :) (don't worry mom I wear bug spray)

Anyway super amazing week this week! I LOVE MY MISSION! I am just gonna cut right to the chase. We had a lot of success this week and hopefully, we will have four baptisms this week. I don't know why, but the Lord is really helping us out here. Please pray that everything can go smoothly and that they can enter into the straight and narrow path because life can get pretty crazy here sometimes.

A really humbling experience happened this week. We got a referral from this recently returned missionary and he led us to their house. These people were poor. Like really really poor. They are both about 55 years old and they have a two-year-old child. The Dad has hurt legs and is hardly able to walk, and cannot leave the house because they don't have a Moto and he can't ride a bike. The wife collects aluminum cans all day, every day and yet she only makes about 50 cents a day. Yes, 50 cents. She works about five to six hours every day for fifty cents. I don't really know how they eat. I don't know how they survive, but yet they still have hope. They let us share about God and you could really see the hope enter into their eyes as they gained the knowledge of an ultimate being that loves them limitless. This place is really humbling. I feel so spoiled for the things that I used to take for granted back home. That couple, who has nothing, scraping by with the raw necessities of life, had happiness. And although they don't know if they are going to eat tomorrow they still smile and laugh. Humbling. 

Other than that we had a fun trip to Phnom Simpov last week again! It is pretty amazing there. Look up pictures if you don't know what I am talking about cause I can't send any. Lot's of monkeys, shrines, and caves! Also went on an exchange with Elder Lackey on Friday. He is a great guy!

I don't really want to write much more this week so I am gonna keep it pretty short... Pretty crazy that I hit my 6 month mark this week. 

One thing that I realized when I was studying is that our earth life is a lot like when missionaries go out and serve a mission. We came to earth to learn, grow, gain experiences and be tested. I came on my mission to share the gospel, but also to strengthen my own testimony, to learn, to grow, to live on my own, to become independent. The similarities are crazy. When Adam and Eve fell they were cast out of the Garden and were taken away from the gift of being in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Here in Cambodia, I am very far from the presence of my amazing Earthly parents. We have trials in life that allow us to become stronger and help us to learn for ourselves. I have had trials on my mission that have tested my faith, and allowed me to learn for myself. When I first got to my mission I was looking forward to the day that I could go home and step off the plane and just have everything be over, but this week I have realized (with the help of my Dad) that it is always about the JOURNEY! 

Right now I don't want to go home, but I am learning that that is part of the process.  I do look forward to the day that I can be reunited with my family. This week my thought process has changed a lot. I have realized how much I love these people of Battambang, and of Cambodia in general. I fear the day that I have to leave these people and say goodbye to this amazing, fun and unique culture. 

I think that is how our earth life is too. We come to Earth and we build relationships, friends, and meet amazing people. We don't want to leave them. Death is a part of our earthly life and no one looks forward to death but it is a hope for us to live with our Father in Heaven again.  I know I am not making much sense, but what I am really trying to get across is that LIFE and this mission is all about the JOURNEY!!!!! 

I was thinking about 2 Nephi 2:25 "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." This holds true for my mission too. I left my parents, friends, and home to come to this place. But that shouldn't be a sad thing. It should be something that allows JOY!!! So, in the end, I just want to say that I am trying to find joy in this journey. I am trying to enjoy every single day whether it is sweating in the hot sun, gaining weight, killing spiders, or fixing my bike. I would invite all of you to find JOY IN THE JOURNEY as well. Don't waste time waiting for life to be perfect and to be in a situation where everything is going smooth. Every situation and place in your life should be a time of happiness. Don't be someone that is always waiting for tomorrow to be happy. BE HAPPY TODAY. Those good days will come, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the bad ones too!

A quick quote from President Hinckley "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef in tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.

Life is just like an old time rail journey…delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

Anyway, that is all I got for this week! Sorry, I wrote so much. FINAL SHOUT OUT TO RALPH AND ABBY FOR MAKING ME AN UNCLE!!!!! SO EXCITING!!!! I LOVE THAT CUTE BABY OLIVER JAMES!!! And also you named him after me without even realizing it hahaha YUP! In Khmae James and Jacob are the same name, so yeah, taking after his favorite uncle already. OOPS! 

P.S. I took James McDougal's advice and tried to use the quote "I am not a businessman, I am a business, man." by Jay-Z in Khmer and let me tell you, it didn't work out. 

JOY IN THE JOURNEY!!

Elder Gochnour 

Rollin' With It

HEYYOOO

This week was probably the most fun week I have had out here in the Bodi! I loved every second of the week and had some really funny, spiritual and awesome experiences. 

My companion and  Elder Peck's companion went to the city for MLC (because they are Zone Leaders) and then did exchanges with the Siem Riep District so I was at a different house, with Elder Peck (the biggest homie)(from my group) for the whole entire week, in two different areas with twice the people to meet and we put in work!!! The Lord was truly watching out for us and helping us. It was so much fun. One day we kinda ran out of stuff to do and when we were planning we just decided to put "Head out!" from 3 till 7:30 and trust in Lord. Although I don't want to make it a habit, it felt like everyone we talked to was willing to accept our message or at least sit and talk with us. God was guiding our work.

We also had some of the funniest experiences I have had in my whole mission. 

• While riding our bikes down the road a stray cow came OUT OF NOWHERE and just about knocked me off my bike but at the last second, he turned, narrowly missing me and my first collision with a COW.

• Elder Chaparro got locked in one of the bathrooms so I legit kicked the door down, James Bond style. 

• On the exchange, we didn't have enough bikes for the other elders so I rode this kids bike that was the smallest thing in the world. It was hilarious. The bike was called "The pumpkin party"  and we just rolled with it... literally. 

• We were walking around in my area and saw some kids playing soccer, and so I and Elder Peck went full MESSI on them. It was pretty comical. Two white dudes in shirts and ties on a dirt/trash field, playing with kids half our size that had no shoes. I took a second and looked around and thought to myself that this is kinda like what you see on all the pictures, advertisements, etc. back home and yet here I am living it and I couldn't be happier. 

• There was a blood moon on Wednesday and in Buddhism, everyone goes nuts about it haha so we went to the roof and watched the floating lanterns that they sent of to celebrate. I ate this stuff called snake fruit and it was MONEY! It kinda tasted like sour patch kids (or as close as you can get to it) and it was delicious. 

I had a very humbling experience this week. We taught this Pu (man) who is usually super duper drunk and although he told us he hadn't been drinking. He was just kinda rambling and I was just thinking to myself, "Why are we wasting our time on this guy who will never be able to give up drinking and probably never get baptized." I ended up just saying to him that we weren't going to be able to come back and visit very often, and that we needed to go. As Elder Peck and I picked up our backpacks I noticed that he started to cry. I was really confused. Here is this man that seemed so okay with his life and seemed like he would probably never be able to accept this gospel, however as we sat down again and talked to him I was greatly humbled. 

He told us how his son had passed away four or five years ago. While walking to school by himself his son was hit by a car and killed. I could feel the sadness that filled this man from head to foot. He started drinking because of the loss of his son, and his life was never the same. Here we were, the exact people who could give him the hope and knowledge to overcome his sadness and we were about to leave, taking away that opportunity for him to change. We shared a scripture and taught about the plan of salvation, and promised him that we would come back to see him. Although I know that change will be really hard for him, I know that he needs the love of our Savior in his life. He needs the hope of this gospel. We all do. We all need the eternal perspective that maybe one day we can rest from our labors in the kingdom of God and that man can hold his son in his arms again. It was very humbling. I vowed to never make this work about me, but to be able to spread the love of the Savior with everyone I come in to contact with and to be a respecter of all persons. 

Anyway, that is pretty much all that I have for this week! Another amazing week in Cambodia! I love you all and I hope you know that I miss you. I hope you know that this work is truly the work of the Lord. I truly know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I truly know that we are all children of the same loving Heavenly Father.

Oh... and GO EAGLES, BLUE DEVILS, and MY NEW NIECE/NEPHEW OOPS!

//Elder Gochnour