Dear Elder Slavens

Dear Elder Slavens
Elder Trenton J Slavens
Thailand, Bangkok/Arizona, Gilbert/
Texas Houston East
Elder Dallin J Slavens Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Elder Chancellor J Slavens Idaho, Twin Falls

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Women's HERstory month

What even happened this week. I can't remember. 

All I know is that Elder Ouk and I worked pretty dang hard. Just like, you know, visiting a ton of people and asking them whats up and teaching them about stuff and stuff. We gots people who wanna be BAPTIZED, you know???

Before my mission, I had no clue what a 1.)drunk person or a 2.)poor person looked like. Now I know very clearly. And when both those elements are combined into one person, it can be a very dangerous combination. They want a lot of rice.

We had a lesson with this one dude, and I was like "what should we teach? I think something new since he is smart and has been a member for a while" and Elder Ouk was like "let's teach about prayer" and I was like that's the first thing we teach to people. Not new, bub. But I decided to go with it, and when we get to this dudes house he started going off about how, even though he is a faithful member, feels like he's never had a prayer answered. 

Also let me tell you about what is going on today. We are doing a Halloween party. Don't tell anybody, but it is going to be a SURPRISE MURDER MYSTERY PARTY. Everyone is expecting a normal party with bobbing for apples and stuff, but little do they know that we have requested one Elder to DIE and another Sister to be the MURDERER. Pretty cool. 

I have 3 months left.

See you in 3 months.

Elder Slavens



​Sleepy


Wearing a hat


​Chickens and bikes and sand and chairs and legs and and. 


Robot 


When we went to Carl's Jr. I left a stellar review inviting them to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ with my phone number left on the card. 

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Ned's declassified school survival guide for dummies

I was asked by Elder Osborne where I was going to go after P-day and my answer became the quote of the week:

"We're going to go eat fish with a dude"

And that we did. 

My new favorite part about Elder Ouk is when he quotes Charlie bit me. When ever I get hurt or stub my toe or something and yell, he yells right after me and says, "Charlie bit me! Ouch Charlie!"

Let's talk about some of my investigators, because they are all super cool and pretty crazy wacko nut job sack of hammers.

We are teaching a family who used to be protestant. They just joined the protestant church and there were crazy miracles involved in bringing them together as a family after years of fighting. They were united in Christ. But then we came in and started teaching them about a church that wasn't the protestant church, which they originally joined. 

We brought confusion into their family, but by asking them over and over again to read the Book of Mormon to see if there was more truth about Christ out there, finally the mom and dad have joined us. Not yet baptized, but working at it. 

Another old dude we teach has an awesome story of ow he found our church. He was contacted by Elder Osborne, the other dude living in my house with me who was my bff at BYU and we hung out all he time, one year ago. And he was he worst investigator ever. But after one year of learning with Elders, he has finally made it to the point where he is ready to get baptized. And Elder Osborne was the one to interview him because he is now back, just in the neighboring area.

This week i heard a lot of inappropriate things said about me by strangers because they all thought I couldn't understand what they were saying. 

Bye. 

Cambodians discover bubble wrap


GH0ST SELFIE 


Picture with a hat on my head. This was when Elder Ouk was practicing how to interview someone for baptism because it was his first time, so I had to pretend to be someone else. 


Our neighbor who we call mom.


Going to do the interview (which was located where his girlfriend before his mission lives) 


​Coming up soon next month is the water festival where a million Cambodian dudes row these big 'ole boats 


Study


​What am I covering with my hand? 


A dog poop left on our front door! 


​Disposing of it 


​I think I always take pictures with this guy


This guy promised to take me hunting in Vietnam after my mission 


​The cutest puppies ever


Butts were made for sitting


Walking on a bridge to an old dudes house


They opened a carls Jr. in Cambodia so I had that




I finally ate a tarantula


I think you know I think so 

Sunday, October 16, 2016

I don't want to hurt you, but I want you to get hurt

That is what my companion told me as we woke up one morning.

RED ALERT! RED ALERT! 
This is a call for help, people! I need the help of anyone who was there that one time that one person told me that one thing! I remember at some point in my life, a Cambodian woman (I remember not who it was) kept calling me, "Naughty boy..." without knowing how creepy it is. Please! If you were there, tell me where and when and who it was! I need to remember because it was so funny!

There was one night this week when the 4 people living in my house gathered around to hear Elder Ouk, my companion, tell Cambodian ghost stories. One was about a ghost that flies around and eats peoples gall bladders. Another ghost is just a flying head with intestines coming out of the neck that eats other peoples intestines. I don't know how these ghosts get in to eat just the innards. Pretty impressive. 

And somehow these incredibly lame ghost stories gave me nightmares. 

One day this week Elder Ouk had to sign up to vote. So we got to go visit his family and vote in his home town because it's mandatory to do it that way here. And he lives in the funnest orphanage in this whole dang country. We were fed well. 

And now for the life changing moment of the week. And it all is about Sister Trinh. Sister Trinh is a tiny Vietnamese Sister missionary who was called to serve in Cambodia, and is super quiet, until you get to know her. I am her missionary leader, so I got to know her. She changed my name to Elder Slavendurs and she always says she hates me and I laugh super hard after she says it. 

So to get back at her I told her there were no options, and she had to do the special musical number all by herself in a big meeting. She accepted, and then cried for 2 hours. I didn't know that until the day of the meeting. But then she got up and sang Joy to the World. And after she sang, she asked if she could say a word before she sat down. She said,

"I don't know why Elder Slavendurs asked me to sing today. There are many other missionaries that can sing much better than I. Actually, when I practice this song, my companion always smiled because I sing so bad! But now, I sing and am not scared. I can sing now! I am a good singer! And I will remember this day for the rest of my life, and for my eternal life also" 

And I just started bawling. I wasn't trying to change her life by asking her to sing, I was trying to PUNK her! But it made this big lasting effect on her! 

Moral of the story, I am a cry baby!

Ok bye

Me, Elder Ouk, and Elder Ouk's mom as we were going to sign him up to vote. 


​Me rockin' that classic zombie pose in a picture with Elder Ouks mom 


​I want her to be my mom. She said she would take me to Vietnam when I finish my mission. 


Me and Elder Ouk eating rice at the orphanage he was raised in 



Orphans


Babiesh


It is super rainy in Cambodge right now, so everyone's houses are flooded


On a boat 


CRUNCH! Would you believe me if I told you there was a Red Lobster in Cambodia? 


A member took a picture of me and used an app to turn me into a girl 


Even though Elder Waters in Brazil is busy baptizing someone every other second, he still has free time to get a haircut! Wow! #BallerBuzz 


​We did service this week building a road since it was so flooded 


​This was the handy work


A different angle, because allz da fans be wantin' more angles of dis facez 


They gave us food after 


​A classic spiritual thought after English class 


​Hello?


​We're going to visit some old Asian people 


​Flowers! 


Puppies


​Not a puppy...