Elder Ed Plothow: First Week in Siem Reap

First off, two of our investigators, a mother and daughter, from Stung Meanchey got baptized yesterday. I should be getting some pictures of the baptism from Elder Asay. Leaving an area is bitter sweet. It exciting to go to a new place, but it was sad saying bye to all the members. But I got some pics too, so it is all good.

Siem Reap is wonderful and gorgeous! I love the provinces. The first day we went to help the second councilor plant corn and pineapple, and we got to bike past Angkor Wat. Well, we didn't actually see it, but it is surrounded by a moat and lots of tall trees so we couldn't see the actual thing. But the road leading to it and the road we took that went around it was very pretty. Surrounded by these super tall trees that made it cool. And the scenery throughout the province is really open and wide and pretty. The complete opposite of SMC 3. It was good for the soul to see all that nature, pretty.

White washing is weird, cause we both don't know anything about the, but so far things have turned out really well. I am in branch one. And branch one has two areas for two sets of elders. One has tons of work to do and lots of investigators and most of the members. The other is pretty much the opposite. Usually they white wash area like the latter. But for some reason we got the really good area. (I'm not complaining) :)

Plus one of the elders that used to serve in our area just moved to the other so he has been showing us around and the roads are pretty easy to remember.

So my new comp is named Elder Chao. (it means grandchild) His parents are Vietnamese, but he was born in Phnom Penh. He has lived in Cambodia his whole life. He speaks fluent Khmer, Viet, Chinese, and a little bit of English. He is very enthusiastic and ready to do work, so it is great! He will probably be my last comp--crazy.

Well it is 2015. I honestly can't believe it. 2014 has felt like the fastest year of my life. I honestly can't believe I have been a missionary this long, time is so strange as a missionary. But ya I remember when I was in Kampong Cham thinking about 2015, about how far away it was? And now it is here. What?

Well there isn't a better place to end your mission that Seam Reap. Next week we are planning to go to Angkor Wat. And we are going to go hard. So sadly I will not email next week. We are going in to the morning all the way till we have to start proselyting. I'm pretty pumped!!!

Dec and Jan are the nicest months in Cambodia the weather is sooooo nice.