Khmer Week!

Hello people!

Go World Cup! I wish I could cheer for America or Cambodia, but neither of them is in it so my big is Denmark! YAGA! Kevin De Bruyner about to eat.

This week was an interesting one and I have zero time so here is what happened:

• On Saturday our two baptisms that were supposed to happen this week suddenly just fell through. One of our investigator's mother suddenly passed away which is very heartbreaking, and another went to his province. Rough stuff, but things are still going well in our area! Just kinda how life is!

• We got transfer calls and I will be in the same area and I will be comps with a guy named Elder Pov who is a native. I am super excited and I am hoping that he can help me speak Khmer a little bit better. We have a lot of work ahead of us this transfer and it seems like we don't have time to get everything done, but I think that if we proselyte by the spirit we will have lots of success.

• Khmer Week was this week.  We put away all American food and snacks and went full Khmer! Rice or noodles for every meal and only bananas for snacks. It was a fun time haha although my stomach wasn't feeling it. We even ate some Duck Embryo which was actually pretty tasty and some chicken foot made by our neighbors in a very good soup! 

• Here is a quick funny story: We were waiting for our investigators to come to church so we just started trying to usher people into the church from off the road. Sadly we had no success except a guy on a moto who thought we were asking for a ride. You gotta love being a missionary

I am happy and I know that Jesus Christ lives and governs this church. I know that although every day isn't the most spiritual and life-altering, I do know that this gospel can change peoples lives. This church is true. I have been reading a lot in the New Testament and I especially love the simplicity of the verse in John 14:15 "if you love me keep my commandments!" If we really love God we must show it by our actions. We must live according to His commandments in order to have his spirit and follow His perfect plan that he has for us!!!

Also, my favorite scripture is Moroni 7:41 so go give it a read and think about it for a good minute

Joy in the Journey!  

Love Elder G

One year older, not so sure about wiser

I HOPE ALL MY HERO'S HAD A WONDERFUL FATHER'S DAY!  I am so grateful for my Dad and Grandpa's AND also for all the men in my life who have been a Father to me from church, sports, and school.  I am better for knowing strong Men in my life.

And now.....HELLO PEOPLE!

THANK YOU so much to everyone that wished me a happy birthday! I am so grateful for all of the amazingly thoughtful people I have in my life and I feel so blessed. This week was an interesting one, to say the least, so here are the good parts:

• After getting ditched by some of our investigators we decided to go visit a family of members because some of their children have gone less active. After visiting for a little and sharing a spiritual thought, the father of the household who is our First Counselor in the Bishopric whipped out his guitar and started playing Country Roads by John Denver! It was fantastic. He knew all the sounds of the words, but he doesn't know any English so he was just saying sounds that weren't really words which were pretty funny, but also just amazing. We ended up just belting a little John Denver on a Thursday in the middle of the Kingdom of Cambodia. 

• Zone Conference! The last time that we get to hear from President and Sister Christensen in the mission. I won't go into too much detail, but they talked a lot about what it means to be a successful missionary. We have accountability to the Lord on how hard we work for these two years. Pretty crazy to think about. It was pretty powerful to hear them and a few other missionaries that are going home bear their testimonies. I really felt the unity of people doing their best to share the joy of the gospel in that small meeting room. I am so grateful for the influence of President and Sister Christensen in my life.

• We got dropped by a few of our investigators. Another one of them got a job on Sunday and two high school girls said that their fathers didn't want them to learn about Christianity. You win some, you lose some. But we also found some great people and an awesome family of four that is pretty exciting so things are looking up. They came to our ward party and had a great time. 

• We also had a baptism for a girl named Heang! It was a pretty awesome experience. When we first met her she was actually atheist and did not believe that we have a living God who loves us. Little by little as we continued to meet with her and as she continued to try to accept the gospel in her life she was changed. She felt the love of her Supreme Creator and was changed by it. She is awesome and it was pretty amazing to see her baptized on Sunday!!! I know how much light the gospel can bring into our lives by living it. I am not gonna lie before my mission I don't know if I knew this, but now... I KNOW. The love of Jesus Christ really can change people

For my birthday we ate well! I went to a place called Jars of Clay and got some Lasagna (which just isn't a thing here) and some cake and ice cream. Nothing compared to the cake and ice cream back home, but still pretty tasty! We spent most of the day teaching lessons and then went to the church to teach a lesson AND some of the members came and surprised me with a cake. It was so nice of them to think of me and they even gave me some gifts. It was really fun to celebrate with them! At night we tried to make some s'mores, but our jerry-rigged fire was just absolutely not working. We ended up cooking our marshmallows over a burning sock from one of the elders in our house! Welcome to Cambodia! It was a good birthday haha! 

To end I would like to share something pretty cool I learned in personal study. I was reading in Mormon in the truest book on earth (Book of Mormon) and I stumbled across some thought-provoking verses. 

25 And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. And it came to pass that we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us.

26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.

The Nephites were able to beat the Lamanites and hold them off in this certain battle. They were able to come off conqueror even though they were the underdog. However, we come to learn that they were able to have success WITHOUT the strength of the Lord. Although they won, they were still weak like their brethren because the Spirit of the Lord did not dwell in their unholy temples. We learn a valuable lesson. I think that God is waiting and willing to bless us with strength and His Holy Spirit. However, often we don't do the things necessary in order for him to bestow that blessing upon us. That doesn't mean that if we don't have the spirit then we won't be successful. I know plenty of people that are way more successful than I will ever be without the spirit in the Lord and lots of people that live much harder lives than I do, even though the Spirit abides in them. The Nephites still won the battle, but think about how much better their lives, and their future could have been if they had the Spirit to be with them. The Holy Ghost makes life better! Do what you must in order to have it in your life.

That is all for now. I love this gospel and my Savior

Elder Gochnour

Migraines and Summer Rains

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying the excitement of the new summer season, it is one of the best times of the year! 

To start out I would like to publicly apologize to everyone that has had a migraine because I judged you and I was so wrong. Before this week I believed that migraines were just really bad headaches that people got and then just called it something different. Just gave a severe headache a more intense name. My thought process was altered when I could no longer think at all because of a bulging migraine that came to me on Friday night. My comp had to interview the other Elder's investigator who lived 45 minutes away, biking as fast as we could, attempting to not crash into the heavy traffic. By the time I got home, I felt like someone had taken my head and used it as a basketball for a few hours and then screwed it back on. The pain eventually subsided and we didn't miss any work, but man do I pity those who have had migraines. 

Other than that we had a pretty good week! In terms of missionary work we actually got a little bit wrecked. The orphanage got a new leader and he is much more of a stickler on rules and has to get everything approved with the big people up top so we will see how that goes. They weren't able to come to church this week, but the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead so you never know. (sadly they swept this year...). Another one of our investigators that was about to be baptized got a job on Sunday and is out for the next month or so, which is a bummer but life moves on! We are hoping she can work everything out a little bit later.

Noteworthy things:

• A woman started breastfeeding as we were attempting to teach her. Lots of people and not enough clothes on in that house

• Went to the new mall called Aeon 2 that they just built in Phnom Penh and that place is insane. It is almost nicer than America. I just walked in and my jaw dropped. I found a dope bulls hat that I almost copped, but then I realized that it was first hand, and equivalent to American prices... No go. 

• Taught a guy who had a broken arm when I was on an exchange with Elder Herrera, but it had healed into place broken so we tried to bend it back for him hahahaha. Kinda a "you had to be there" type of moment

• One of our investigators named Seyha, and his family is moving out of our area which is pretty sad, but he sat us down before he left and told us his life story. It was the craziest thing I have ever heard, but I came to realize the importance of God's plan for all of us. No matter who you are God has a plan for you so TRUST HIM!

One way that I have really recognized God's plan in my life was on my last exchange with my trainer, Elder Herrera. He has an amazing story and really has taught me so much about how to be a good missionary, but also how to be a strong, independent and trustworthy person. I am grateful God placed him in my life. 

Not too exciting of a week, but sometimes the not exciting weeks are the best ones because it gives me more time to focus on the SAVIOR! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I know that he is my best friend. I have a testimony of His perfect life and even more of His perfect and enabling Atonement for all of us. I especially have gratitude for His ability to heal us from our trials and our sins. Like Nephi I want to gladly proclaim: 

13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulcher for the space of three days 

he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; 

and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. 

Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, 

for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name. 

Looked to Jesus and find healing in His wings! And you can look to Christ by reading the Book of Mormon so do that too.

Lebron deserved it. Happy Birthday, Mom! 

Joy in the Journey

Love,

Elder Gochnour

THE ORPHANAGE!!!!!!!!!

What a week to say the least. My comp is still district leader and we now have 8 Elders in one district, so we have to go on a lot of exchanges. It is kinda a bummer because I don't get to see our investigators as often as I would like, nor do I get to spend much time in our area, which is amazing, but you take what you get and you don't throw a fit. With that in mind, I went on two exchanges so I wasn't in my area much, but we still had an amazing week! 

Here are the main things that happened:

• While on one of my exchanges we were riding down the road and heard some sirens blaring pretty loud. We decided to pull over and see what all the fuss was about and about 30 seconds later 5 tanks passed and a few trucks loaded with armed soldiers haha. Crazy! It is almost time for the election!

• We made our first attempt at ministering with our ward this week. Things are pretty slow getting started because it is all so new to the wards here and probably everywhere, but yesterday we were able to go visit a lady from our ward. Turns out she goes to church almost every Sunday and the relief society president was just visiting with her friend haha. Our meeting turned into us giving four straight priesthood blessings to some older ladies. One of which, was 98 years old!!! Crazy. 

• This morning when I tried to withdraw cash from the ATM from my mission funds, the machine just ate my card so I don't really know what to do haha, but I will figure it out. You gotta love Cambodia. 

THE BIG NEWS OF THE WEEK! While I was on another exchange one of the Elders that went to my area contacted four orphans, while passing out English fliers. They seemed pretty nice and said we could go visit them at their orphanage. Elder Tuft and I decided to give it a shot on Saturday afternoon. Long story short, instead of just meeting with the four orphans, the whole orphanage sat down and was willing to listen to what we had to share. Because they were all Christian we connected with them about our love for the Savior and the amazing opportunity we have to pray to a loving Heavenly Father. We closed with a prayer and invited them to church. They all said they would go! And we talked to their leader who is just a 23-year-old dude, and he said the orphanage doesn't care what church they go to as long as it is Christian, and he also said that we he was looking to find the truth! The next day we rolled up to church with 16 orphans between the ages 14-18 and it was so dope! We didn't even have enough room in our chapel to fit them in so we just had to set up some more chairs in an off-shooting room. They are awesome and we have a lot of hope for them! It is pretty cool to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can give you hope and joy no matter where you come from. Whether you are a white-kid from Holladay, Utah or an orphan from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it doesn't matter. The love of Jesus Christ and the blessing of His infinite Atonement is applicable to all of us. Things are going great. We feel very blessed and are trying to tie off all the loose ends. We managed to get 30 investigators at church with the help of all the orphans. We aren't sure how we are going to go ahead with teaching them, but we are going to talk to the bishop tonight so I will keep you posted!

This week I have been studying a lot about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 
We all know that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can receive a remission of our sins, through sincere repentance, but too often we forget that the Atonement is for saints too, not just sinners. The Atonement allows us to push beyond our personal, human capabilities and become better people. It allows us to conquer our weaknesses and fears. Christ's sacrifice can give us strength when we feel that our tank is empty. 

As we learn from the powerful speech offered by King Benjamin in The Book of Mormon "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord." Through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, we can become SAINTS. We can have God's power manifest in my life to push us beyond what our natural capabilities are. I really have come to love and appreciate the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my life and the precious scriptures that teach me so much concerning that subject. 

However don't take my word for it, take an apostle of the Lord's word and read this talk 
by Elder Bednar: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar_strength-lord/

To end the letter I would just like to say how grateful I am to be able to serve this mission and to learn about the grace of God. I would also like to give a special shout-out to my WONDERFUL Mother!!!!!!!!!! If you know Jeni, then you know that she is the best mom ever. It is her birthday this week so please give her your love and a hug because sadly I can't. Happy birthday mom! I love you. Also, a SHOUT-OUT to my awesome Grandma Gochnour!  Her birthday is also this week!  I love her and I am so grateful for her example of love that she shares with everyone she meets.

Joy in the Journey. 

The church is true. 

Go read the Book of Mormon if you don't believe me

Elder Gochnour

1 Week, 2 General Authorities

Missionary Conference May 2018

WHAT A WEEK!

To start off I just want to give a few very special shout outs. First to my boy Elder Ference just dominating in Thailand with the big Bday on Saturday! South East Asia repping! And of course, SHOUT OUT to the one and only Mary Anne Tidwell turning 19 on Sunday! Everyone send her some love because she deserves it. One year older and wiser too! Happy birthday MARY!

This week was pretty amazing and filled with a lot of meetings. 

On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have Elder Bednar and Elder Evans come to our mission. 

We had a mission conference with every single missionary and it was so fun to see everyone and to feel that we all have for each other in a small chapel room in Cambodia. It was pretty amazing to hear from Elder Bednar. He is brilliant and knows how to teach and testify by the spirit. I was amazed at the doctrine that came out of his mouth and the things that we learned in only a short 3 hours. He also didn't just give a talk, but we had a discussion and it really was just an amazing experience. I learned so much and I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to be in a room with two general authorities of the Lord with less than 100 people. Pretty fantastic. I can personally testify that my testimony of the organization and the elect calling of Elder Bednar was strengthened in only three short hours. He truly is a chosen servant of the Lord. 

That night we had the chance to take two investigators to hear him and Elder Evans speak again, this time to the Cambodian people. It was again amazing to hear their words of wisdom. They talked about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, paying tithing and preparing to be the people that will be able to maintain a temple years after it has been built. I love one thing he mentioned, "The Lord hasn't given us a list of do's and don'ts for what we can and cannot do on Sunday. He trusts us to use our agency for good. If we are ever questioning whether we are keeping the Sabbath day holy we need only ask ourselves, "Would Jesus Christ be proud of me doing this?"" 

I really loved what they shared. We also had a chance to have Stake conference with all of the North Stake in Cambodia! It was awesome and we again got to hear from another general authority, but I forgot his name. I especially loved hearing the testimonies of my mission president and his wife, and the love they have for the Cambodian people. I love them too! We somehow managed to get ten investigators at the meeting which was a miracle because it was at the stake building (sometimes difficult to get the word out and explain directions), but thankfully it all worked out. On top of all that I had my last interview with President and Sister Christensen before they go home. They are amazing people and have positively impacted my life in so many ways. I learn so much when I talk to them. They will be missed! I loved hearing their words of wisdom and life advice that hopefully I can apply and become a better missionary and person!

Well other than all the big meetings it was a pretty regular week! Here are some funny things about the week: 

Because it was my companion's one year mark, me and Elder Shumway (homie) decided to make him the best breakfast in the world. Elder Shumway tossed together a delicious pancake and I made some eggs, toast, and brown sugar oatmeal for him. He was gonna eat like a king. However, halfway through his breakfast he just felt way sick and was pretty much out for the whole day. Luckily it was weekly planning so we didn't miss any proselyting, but I think I almost killed my companion. Sometimes serving doesn't always end up how you thought it would..... (we think he got sick because he ate pizza and he is allergic to dairy, but it was a funny coincidence)

We went golfing for an Elder's birthday and it was way dope! I felt like Tiger just getting my stroke back! I was actually just kinda terrible, but it was a very fun time. The funny part about this story was that one of the guys accidentally threw his club into the water we were hitting into... Great!!!

Well other than that things are great! Golfing was a blast and we played soccer today and I was basically just Hope Solo protecting the goal out there! We have a lot of awesome investigators that can always go to church, but they can only meet Saturday and Sunday, so sometimes things feel slow, but they are actually very good. Because it is hamburger day there is a deal for 5 burgers for 5 dollars at Carls Jr.!!!!!!!! You know where I am eating for the next three days. Also, because they are splitting the ward we have 6 Elders in just one ward haha. Imagine that. I hardly ever saw ANY elders back home and now there are 6 of us in one ward.

To end the letter I just want to share an amazing scripture that Elder Evans talked about. 

Ether 3:11: 'And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I SHALL speak?'

What an interesting question. The Lord asked the brother of Jared if he believed what the Lord was going to speak. Do we have that same faith as the brother of Jared? Are we willing to perfectly adhere to the words of our beloved prophet and apostles? Some might think that doing whatever is asked of us by President Nelson is ignorance or blind faith, rather I believe that it is faith enough to trust the Lord and all that He does for us. All that he will reveal for us. Do we believe the words that the Lord will speak? I sure hope I can strengthen my faith adequately enough to be able to trust the voice of our Heavenly no matter what the circumstance is. No matter what storms or trials come! 

WE MUST BELIEVE THE WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK!

That is all I got. Lebron is a legend. I love my mission, my family, and my Savior.

Love,

Elder Gochnour

 

An Elect Convict

What a week, what a week! No pink eye or disease this week so things are great! 

We had an awesome week: nothing too exciting except some raw missionary work which is better anyway. 

Story of the week: 

There was a man who had been in jail for ten years, which truthfully his sentence was fifteen, but because of good behavior this man got let out five years early. Three stolen motorcycles and five years for each one. He went into jail with a wife and two kids, and a pretty regular life. Fast forward ten years. This same man lost his wife who went and married someone else and lost contact with his two children. He lives in his little sister's house, but he is unwelcome there, and yet this man is happy. 

He is happy because while in prison he was able to find hope through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He became sufficiently humble to seek after a loving Heavenly Father and find peace in Him. This man is named Lina and was let out of prison two Thursdays ago. That Sunday he found a church and entered, finally able to worship after so many longs years in a desolate Cambodian prison. The Elders there referred him to us because he lives in our area. Lina is an amazing man and has such a desire to learn more about the Savior. On top of all that it has been incredible to teach him because he is extremely knowledgeable in the Bible, but now he has an even better chance through another testament of Jesus Christ, The Book Of Mormon. He attended all three hours of church on Sunday and he truly is elect. He has been such a blessing in our lives and I really have come to know the meaning of the scripture, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

This man has made mistakes and so has had to suffer in prison for 10 years and lose all that he had.  He has become poor in spirit, sufficient enough to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his life. Blessed are the poor in spirit because the Kingdom of Heaven is happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.

Other than that we had a pretty regular week! We had two baptisms for an 8-year-old named Raymond, whose parent are not members, but his grandmother is, however it still is a convert baptism because his Grandma lives in America now. We also had a baptism for a 17-year-old girl named Srey Pin. I really have seen the blessings that have come in her life from following the gospel because before she said she always felt so lonely and now she feels like she has so many friends. 

Living according to Christ's gospel can make you happy! I know that without a doubt in my mind. 

It was awesome to see those two enter the waters of baptism. 

I got to see everyone at transfers which was pretty awesome because there are so many amazing missionaries here that I have become such good friends with. Also funny story: We are teaching another 17-year-old girl named Cing Choan who really has a desire to change her life, but she was devastated when we taught her the word of wisdom. She said that she would try her best, but I have never seen someone take it so hard, she was almost crying. In the end, she said she was willing to follow the Word of Wisdom even though it would be hard. 

I don't know when the rainy season actually starts because everyone says something different here, but I am pretty sure it is the rainy season because it just POURS every day and leaves the streets flooded. I have submerged my feet into a flooded street while biking probably five times in the last week! 

Fun adventures though.

Lastly, Elder Bednar comes tomorrow which is gonna be legit! I am so pumped. I have been studying his talks and trying to prepare spiritually for him. LET'S GO! 

Also, I was taking the sacrament and I realized the significance of Jesus Christ's eternal sacrifice. Everyone in the whole world could partake of the sacrament every week if they believed. These blessings are available to EVERYONE because the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ are limitless. Pretty cool realization. JOY IN THE JOURNEY! I love my mission and the Cambodian people and my Savior and all of you! Shout out to all the people preparing to go on a mission. Read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of it

Also, the Jazz picking up another Dukie, you betcha! 

Elder Gochnour

Missionary Work On The Other Side

Spent all my time talking to my fam which was way better than writing out a poorly composed email so here is a brief summary. 

It felt like I was literally stuck under the waterfall part in Grizzly Rapids in Disneyland for two straight hours because that is how hard it rained on Tuesday. The rain caused the streets to flood, which caused me and Elder Taylor (Exchange) to bike through three feet of chocolate brown water. That water, therefore, caused me to have pink eye. 

Since then I have recovered. 

You gotta love it baby. 

Great week and the work is progressing well. We got transfer calls and nothing changed so I will still just be working with Elder Tuft in Pochentong as the English class leader. LET'S GO!!

My investigator from KC died on Monday. Not enough time to explain the details (maybe my mom can help) but I know that he is doing work on the other side of the veil. I think he was one of the, if not the, happiest people I have ever met. I know he is teaching the gospel to his ancestors and fulfilling the vision that President Smith saw of the spirit world. 

In Doctrine &Covenants section 138

 "30 But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.

31 And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.

32 Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.

33 These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,"

Life is fragile, but it is worth it. I am grateful for the gospel and the hope that we have of life after death. 

I love my mother. She is my sunshine. Please, everyone, give your mother a hug today. 

The church is true. 

Elder Gochnour

Snails from a member and
we figured out a way to eat them

bees and bugs salad - not my favorite look at the up close if
you have a strong stomach!

I Love My Mom

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO!

2 quick shout outs. First to Coulson Rich for the dope package! I love you man. Second to my sister in law Abby! Hope you had the best birthday ever!!

Well, to start I woke up this morning and felt like someone put my stomach in a blender and turned it on for the whole night. The number of times I went to the bathroom was in the double digits.... but other than that things are pretty amazing here!!

The weirdest thing that I saw this week:  A guy driving a moto with probably about 30 geese just tied on, quaking all the while. On top of the fact that this dude literally just tied geese on to his moto, there was a dog going at one of the gooses, legit just biting its face. All the other geese were trying to protect him, but they were tied up so it was to no avail. That was a very strange site. 

• This week was completely amazing and so full of miracles. The guy Seta that just kept having miracles happen left and right finally came to church. He along with nine other of our investigators and four potential investigators somehow all found a way to go to church. It was a pretty amazing sacrament meeting, and it feels like we are doing nothing to make it happen, but rather the Lord is just blessing us. 

• On top of that, we had Mongkul and David get baptized this week! It was a pretty awesome experience. I love the joy and excitement that they wear on their shoulders as they put on those special white jumpsuits. Mongkul is a 15-year-old who already is a great member help in all of our lessons, and has a strong desire to serve a mission. David is a 10-year-old that has gone to church his whole life but was never baptized because his parents aren't members. It was a very wonderful Sunday! 

• On top of all that, we had been trying to visit and encourage some less actives to come to church and all of them showed up. It was amazing! I saw some of them and couldn't believe my eyes. It really was a miracle from the Lord. 

We had two exchanges this week which made things pretty chaotic, but very fun. I was able to spend time with a guy named Elder Richards who is from Maryland and is in his training. It is so fun being around people who are new to the mission because they have so much excitement. We were contacting and huge rain storm hit us out of nowhere. We had to ask a lady for a poncho, but it was hard to put on because we were already so wet, so some random lady just helped us put on our poncho and put our arms through the holes and stuff. I love this country. I had another exchange with Elder Selman who is from Corner Canyon and very close to going home. He was called to speak Vietnamese, but he learned Khmer so well that now he can proselyte in both languages pretty impressive. 

Another funny thing that happened was that people moved into our house haha and it was not good. We own the third, fourth, and fifth floors and they moved into the second and first, but there was no barrier between the stairs so you could literally just see them as you walked by the stairwell. On top of that they have two very young kids that just yell and cry all day haha so we were a little worried, but our landlord put up a divider and a cover so things are good now. That was pretty funny though. 

We taught a lesson to a recent convert last night that was pretty powerful. They are one of the poorest families I have met, but they always sacrifice to go to church and feed the missionaries, and they won't say no. We decided that we wanted to teach them about heaven because they deserve it. When preparing, I learned that in order to achieve heaven we must do everything we can do. We must do as Nephi did in 1 Nephi 3:7 to completely and wholeheartedly follow the commandments of the Lord. If we do that then we will be able to have a shot at heaven. But like my basketball shooting, we will always miss that shot if it weren't for the Savior. We learn in 2 Nephi 25:23  "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." So even after we try our hardest we will still fall short? That is disheartening. What must we hope for then? We learn in Moroni 7: 41 "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." We can have hope through JESUS CHRIST. Through Him all of our wrongs will be made right. Through Jesus Christ we can make it to heaven. The lesson was amazing and that man is one of the most humble and yet the happiest person I have ever met. If anyone deserves heaven it is him. 

This week I have been studying a lot about mothers. Man oh man am I lucky to have the best one. I love you Jeni B Gochnour! I love studying the amazing stories of mothers in the scriptures because a mother's love is one thing that can't be compared. One of the missionaries called me mama's boy and I wasn't even mad! One of my favorite quotes is "Be the type of missionary your mom thinks you are" SHOUT OUT TO MY MOTHER! I love you. 

Hope everyone had a fantastic week! I love you all. Thanks for the love and support. Joy in the Journey! And like Elder McDougal said, TAKE NOTE!!!!! YUP!

Elder Gochnour 

"CRY" unto God!

SHOUT OUT to the Jazz baby!!! Super teams have nothing on the boys! Jazz N ation till I die!

This week absolutely flew by. It felt like I blinked and it was over. There were some pretty amazing experiences and miracles that happened this week so I will just jump right in.

Remember the guy that didn't have any food and then his friend just miraculously brought food over to his house. Well, he didn't end up going to church last Sunday which was a bummer, but he told us that this Saturday he was going to change his life. We weren't quite sure what that meant, but we went to meet him on Saturday and he was a new man. He had gotten a nice looking haircut and cleaned up his house. He really was making an effort to change his life. After some small talk and discussing what we had eaten that day, we invited him to say the opening prayer. Not long into his prayer, he started crying (also we were teaching one of his friends and he had no shame). He was balling and I just felt so touched by the spirit. As he poured out his heart to God, you could feel how strong the spirit resided in that humble abode. I had to open my eyes as he spoke directly from his heart to see if God was standing right there in the room. After he closed his prayer and wiped his streaming tears off of his face, we all just sat there without moving, but yet so spiritually moved. We all took a moment to soak up that experience. Someone who had truly just cried unto God and was heard by his Maker. Powerful. The lesson was amazing and the spirit was as evident as the humidity that hung in the air. At the close of the lesson, it was decided that Elder Tuft would offer the closing prayer. Again, when we opened our eyes we saw those same familiar tears falling down this man's face. I was so incredibly touched by that experience. I know that God answers our prayers and he is just waiting for us to pour our heart out to Him so He can help us feel that perfect love. 

I won't go into much detail, but the work here is moving along briskly. As Elder Ference always says, it is an exciting time to be a missionary in this part of the world. We should have two baptisms coming up this Sunday and then a few more in the following weeks. It seems like all the success we are having just comes as blessings from the Lord. I just feel so lucky to be along for the ride. 

I am especially grateful for the ward that we have here in Pochentong. We have amazing leaders and members, which is a huge reason that things are going well. We had ward conference and it was one of the best meetings that I have been a part of. Our bishop and stake president spoke, and it was amazing. We sang a special musical number with some members in our ward at ward conference and it may have been the worst musical number of all time. Not kidding. Just straight brutal. I know that Reece Harper and the Holladay 18th ward choir could have really bumped up our game. They are splitting our ward which is pretty exciting. I feel really blessed to be in this area at this time. Although, it kinda seems like all the referrals we get are like 20 to 30-year-old girls which are a little harder because we always have to have male member help but you do what you gotta do!

I went to Sen Sok again for an exchange with Elder Killburn and it was a fun time! In that area you don't teach English class so you just end up doing a lot of contacting. It is always fun to see other missionaries styles of teaching and how I can be better.

• Funny stories We have an unbaptized child that is an investigator because he is 10yrs old and in a member family, but never was baptized. We are teaching him and his siblings who are all pretty young children. In the lesson of the law of chastity, it was very hard to get through anything without them laughing. Things really fell apart when the youngest kid named Ryan asked if it was against the Law of Chastity to fart. Long story short not the most spiritually touching lesson, but a very funny one too. 

•  Everyone's excuse in Cambodia for not being able to walk, remember anything or just being sick is that they have high blood pressure. I may have met the funniest man in my life that was a victim of the high blood pressure disease and he was repping a huge green cowboy hat. I wish I could have gotten a picture. 

We also had zone conference with Elder Meurs. I won't go into much detail, but he is over the Asia area presidency and he did a mission tour. It was a fun time and there were some pretty great things that were said. I learned a lot and really felt the spirit. The best news about it all was the Elder Bednar is coming to the BODI to meet with everyone here and all the missionaries to next month! YUP!! SO pumped. 

Spiritual thought for the day is the importance of prayer. I have always kinda lacked at prayer throughout my life, but I am really trying to just not go through the motions anymore. One thing that really helps me is after I pray I usually just sit there for awhile and try to listen to the still small voice. I would invite you to do the same. It really makes your prayers so much more meaningful. 

Alma 37:37

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day

Say a prayer and make it meaningful and then act on it!!

I love you all! Thanks for the support and love. I love being a missionary. It makes me happy. The gospel makes me happy.

GO JAZZ! The beard has nothing on us.

Love,

Elder Gochnour

$10 Week!

Hello!

This week may have quite possibly been the most interesting of the mission. Here are some bullet points to things that happened:

• I didn't budget very well this month and enjoyed myself a little too much at Domino's and other American restaurants. The result of that was being a little behind on mission funds for the rest of the month. In order to combat this issue Elder Tuft and I decided that we would take the challenge to live a whole week off of ten dollars. Let me tell you, it was a very interesting week. I had some of the worst food of all time haha including ground beef that had been in the freezer for around 6 months and mystery soup that a member gave to us... BUT WE DID IT. We accomplished the amazing feat of a whole week only costing us $10. There honestly were some miracles to help us out on the way. Although I faced some of my lowest lows, I am now in the green! Shooters gonna shoot baby!

• We gave 6 assisted investigators to other sisters and elders in our area and officially decided that we are going to be John Stockton this transfer. One of those assisted investigators was an old man that was very interested in the church but could also be quite creepy. He took us to dinner, but he also told me that I have very strong legs and he even winked at me a few times. He also found out our first names and kept calling me Jacob. We will leave it at that.

• I was able to go on an exchange to SenSok with my trainer Elder Herrera! It was fun to spend a day with him and remember all the good times we had together. I got drenched by some girls on the street who celebrated Khmer New Year two days after it had ended. (During the New Years celebration people squirt water at people passing by)

• Srey Touch (spelling?) it got baptized this week! It was a blast and she is one of the strongest people spiritually I have ever met in my life. She invites everyone she knows to learn about the gospel and always bears her testimony of the importance of the Book of Mormon. She also is just happy. She laughs at everything. It was amazing to see her enter the waters of baptism and know how much it meant to her. It was so rewarding to see that she understood the covenant she was making with God and is willing and prepared for her part. She is amazing. It was also fun because I and Elder Tuft went to a Japanese thrift store and bought matching suit jackets so we could be styling out for the occasion! YUP! We also had to clean out the font and just got soaked haha because all we had was a hose but it was a fun time.

• We yelled America the Beautiful as loud as we could to open our comp study one day. I sure do miss the USA. No place like the land of the free 

• We have an idioms book that we started to use at every hour of the day in our house. Not the most productive thing, but what can I say? A spade is a spade. 

• There is a pig slaughterhouse in our area that is devastating to hear the cries as you ride by. I also saw a guy with a dead pig just chilling on the back of the moto. 

• Our area is doing amazing! We had five at church and the members here are so amazing and so helpful! I love it here. 

•  I had another bike crash and rallied my bike! I am a clutz

• I finished The Doctrine & Covenants! FIRE!

There were many more things that happened, but I will just cut it short for the sake of time (idiom). 

The coolest miracle that happened this week was with a guy named Seta. We found him contacting one day and I felt the spirit strongly that we needed to talk to him. He was born as a Christian which is very rare, but he told us that he had lost his faith. However, he also said that he wanted to believe in God again and come back. We went back and shared the story of the Prodigal Son with him, and it was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have ever had in my life. The spirit in the small shack on the railroad was almost tangible. He understood that he was the lost son that needed to come back and find God again in his life. Before we left he said an amazingly powerful prayer. The next day he called us and soberly said that he had nothing to eat and no money to buy food. 
We encouraged him to pray and trust in the Lord because that was relatively all we could do. That night we went and visited him. He said that a friend that he hadn't seen in forever had gone to his house and brought him a meal of food and left him with some rice. I know that because he prayed and trusted in God, through his faith, a miracle occurred. 

There are too many times in my life where I have realized experiences like that just can't be coincidences. They are miracles. God is a God of miracles. He works through our faith. If we trust him and do according to his will then we will be able to work marvelous wonders. I am so grateful for the chance that I have to be a missionary. There are hard days, but I still feel happy even when everything goes wrong. I am grateful that God loves all of us and manifests miracles in all of our lives. We simply must look for them and have adequate faith. 2 Nephi 26:13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.

CONGRATS TO WILL AND OLIVIA ON PENNY!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HER AND GIVE HER THE BIGGEST HUG IN THE WORLD!!! 

ALSO, GO JAZZ! Don't sleep on Rubio!

Love,

Elder Gochnour