Elder Joshua Decker: November 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

From e-mail 11/18/2012

Well, things are all good here and you can tell people that I'm great! I'm still healthy and about the same weight, about 95 kilos, haha! I may look like I gained a little but I'm about the same. We are about a 10 minute bike ride to the mission home if we fly through all the traffic but I'm on a road called Campuchia Kroum or however they spell it. I can only write it in the Khmae writing script. But not a lot of crazy things this week. I'm still going to sing in the choir for the big Christmas party on the 15th of December and then our branches in the north zone are putting on an activity for all the people that will come and we sent out flyers and tried to invite everyone to come and I'll be presenting about the restoration with my comp in a room for a 7 min. hit at a time to different groups that come in and it should be a really good way to get members involved in missionary work.

Then on Sunday we got a really awesome new investigator and then an old member from KT came to the city to get ready to go to the temple today and she is super awesome. Then last pday Sophal took us out to dinner and it was way fun. (In Josh's own words:) "But get this: the guys at the house before totally forgot to tell us where the power and water bills come and this Friday the power company cut our power and because apparently there is a crazy big meeting for big people and President Obama is here too and now we're going back and forth from our house with a set of clothes for the next day and sleeping at a different house till Wednesday now cause the stinking power company is closed till Wednesday because of the stupid Pres. Obmabma freaking stupid!!!!! Stinkin Cambodia and the president can still mess things up everywhere he goes! Obama is messing my life up around the world in the future!"

We're going to play soccer at 1 so I'm going to do that and not get hurt mom! I love you! I will have some really fun pics up for next week. I got a paint job on the bike and you will love my new look dad. I'm rocking it old school now! Love you all!

From e-mail 11/12/2012

Well, we heard about the election....super sad on the other side of the world too. I was super bummed but I guess things will go on. Things are good, this week I was a little sick and rested on Tuesday and got better I think because I took a round of antibiotics just to help my system and I think I might do that on a regular basis just to keep healthy. We had a good time last pday and I got a new suit that I'm going to pick up today. We had a baptism on Saturday and Thursday was zone conference and guess who had to do the live translation into Khmae...ya, I did. Haha, it was super cool and a lot of fun and funny too cause I got to say funny stuff to the Khmae Elders and Sisters that used the headphones and it was fun. Zone conference was good too and I wrote more about that in my letter.

I don't think they know much about Christmas but we are having a huge whole country Christmas thing that our church is throwing and inviting the King to come and I'm going to be singing with the choir so that will be in December and then our district is doing a Christmas party and it should be a fun month. Then I think there is a sports day coming up for the water festival in Cambodia. Look it up, it's a big boat race. It's just hot right now and it kind of stopped raining already here. It rained yesterday but just a little and then last night a little. The branch is good and we are having growth and doing a lot of good work. My comp is good and still learning the language. My language is doing really good, I'm just working on talking like them and speaking clearly and learning the big words that make me look smart, haha! I translate a lot for the senior couple in the city here so its good. We have some super cool investigators now. One is the daughter of a member I know in Kampon Thom so that was super awesome and I love her mom a ton and it's super cool. We have some super awesome people getting baptized really soon and I'm just happy for the area and the chance to serve here.

You asked me about food lately....I've had dog, it's pretty good but kinda salty. I had frog the other day and it's pretty good and they have the deep frie d meats place right next to my house and it's awesome! I love it! I have people that know me now in the area and I buy stuff from them regularly now. Super fun - Cambodia is a great place! They love the nose!!

From e-mail 11/5/2012

Well, things are super great! I'm in an area called Tuk Luek and you probably have no idea how to say it but it is ok, I can barely say it too! Anyways I'm doing super good. I'm still in the north zone and my branch meets in the building here and it's super cool to look out and see a giant church building in Cambodia. It's almost surreal and I love it. Last week we had a great pday and the pics are on the blog so you can see where we went as a zone last Monday. It was a crazy long day, left in the van at 8 a.m. and got home at 6 at night super dirty, hot, sweaty and tired. It was me and Elder Anderson last week in the area cause we both transferred and we were companions for a week and that was super fun. Then we moved houses in the old area that I was just in and then we had transfers on Friday and that was awesome and I got some letters from old members in Kampong Thom and a new tie from Sophal so that was cool.

I have a new companion Elder Davis, we have a sick companionship, we are super good together and we are dominating right now and we're on fire! It's super cool and I'm super excited to try and get this branch up to 80 people coming and then see if we can help them get a stake in the north district before long here so that will be super cool.

We have some big Christmas parties planned here and I'm doing good. My health is good, my bike is good and I love my mission so much! Love you!