June 7 Pics

Scroll to see what I'm about to eat!

Mmmmm...   Tasty!

I love Fido!

Nice to have when gas is $7 a gallon!

My new comp Elder Ny

Yummy crab claws.

Nothing exciting on this plate, move along.

Crab claws or snails?

Elders Nordgren, Ny, and Walker

Fish heads, fish heads...  No, wait.... dog heads, dog heads, eat them up, yum!

Neigbors dog.

Pig snout.  In the background is tomorrow night's dinner.

Okay, now...  fish heads...

Foot long Gecko

Snake on a stick.  Soon to be....

McSnake!

June 7, 2011 Letter

Dear Readers,
Different week. Sorry about no update last week. Had a meeting with the Mission President. We talked about me returning home to get my shoulder fixed. The plan is going home on the 17th of June. I am not sure 100% though but soon we should all know.
The work is moving faster than I can right now. So many great investigators! Should have four baptisms coming up in a few weeks. It is all going so well! Me and Elder Walker got a third companion added for when me and him both go home so the third member can show around the new two elders that will replace us. His name is Elder Ny. He is a temporary missionary and is from a city just outside of Phnom Penh. He is way funny and super fun and a great worker.
Life is changing for us all very quickly. I hear a lot about changes at home. I have also heard about Grandma. She is in my prayers. I have just sent a lot of pictures about what I have been eating lately. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did eating all of it. Dogs are going to disappear when I get home. I will be hungry. Heather watch your dog real close when I'm around. Well I don't have too much more for the week, but thank you all for your prayers and I will see you soon.
-Elder Nordgren

Mother and daughter baptism (Hol and Vin)             

                                                          baptism pic (Hol, Vin, Ya)

Branch President, 

this is our investigator. she has been learning for two weeks and is prepared by the Lord for sure. She is so faithful to the gospel and almost had to give her husband up for it. But the Lord has mercy and she past her small test of faith and will be getting baptized the 19th of june. 

her name is Mek

May 24, 2011 Letter

Dear Digest,
I have had a great week. With some baptisms and an MRI behind me the future is looking more questionable than ever. I hae sent some pictures of the baptisms. Hope you all like them. It sure did take some work to get them baptized though. No more baptisms till June 5 I think.
The MRI went well and I am waiting for the doctor in Hong Kong to tell me what he thinks I need to do. Bangkok or America? I would like to start a vote on this. Ok I am only kidding, it all depends on how bad my shoulder really is. But thank you all for the prayers. I couldn't push on without them.
This transfer is halfway over now. And when it ends I will have been out for more than 8 months. We had an exchange with the zone leaders this last Monday. One of them, Elder Egan, told me that it is time for the rising generation in the mission to step up. Always working on being better in the mission.
This country has some beautiful sights. Let me tell you what a typical day is out of the eyes of Elder Nordgren. Wake up and see pictures of your amazing family. Next you are staring at the wall working out and getting ready for the day. Then come studies. If I look up from my studies I see pictures of Christ. I see lots of Khmer writing everywhere. The back of my eyelids are dark when praying, but when I open my eyes it is always interesting to think where I am in the world. We get on our bikes and their are people everywhere. Moto bikes in the thousands. A wreck here and there, but nothing new for me. When I get 5 seconds I love to look up at the clouds. They are beautiful here. So puffy and large, but then you look in the distance and you know a big rain is coming fast. Better buy a disposable rain poncho. My eyes have seen so much in the time that I have been here. I love looking at what they can put on a moto bike. I have seen pigs, chickens, up to 6 people on one bike, and refrigerators. So often the electricity goes out and we are left in the dark with no AC. Sooner or later it comes back on though.
This country is amazing and I am glad to hae the chance to be here during this time of my life. Thank you all for supporting me and the leaders of this true church. More to come next week.
-Elder Matthew Nordgren

Baptism of Suong

some member's kids at church

coagulated pig blood (so tasty)

last p-day We painted our bikes. a can a spray paint only costs $1.25 so it was cheap to do it and it looks so much better! it is almost like new!!!!

this is my bike and Elder Miller's bike in the same pic

May 17, 2011 Letter

Dear Readers,
Another week flown by. With Zone conference yesterday, this week will be flying by too. Last week for p-day we painted our bikes. I hope you all like the pictures. It took about 4 hourse to complete the job. It is so worth it though. I also included some pictures from the baptism this last Sunday. Suong is a great kid and he was happy to be baptized. He will be getting the priesthood soon too. Exciting times in his life.
During Zone conference we recieved our worm pills. It is a two day process of pills. I took the last of them this morning and should be worm free I hope. Actually I think I like my worms. They are making me much smaller. I am losing weight again and I think it is because of my worm friends that like to swim around in me.
I included some other random pictures too. All good times in the mission. Only 7 months in too. Time is flying, but I still got some time for plenty of pictures. I have been losing weight again lately. Not sure of numbers, but it is enough to change the wardrobe again.
I will be getting an MRI this Friday morning hopefully. It is sounding like surgery soon after too. Either in Thailand or here in Cambodia. Which ever place, the doctors will be told what to do by the Area doctor in Hong Kong. Thank you all for the prayers. They help and are always appreciated.
This coming Sunday we have 3 baptisms so next week I shall let you know how they went. It should go well and be exciting.
I don't have much more for this week, but thanks everyone for all you do. More to come next week.
Love,
Elder Matthew Nordgren

May Pics

Snake Hunting

Cambodia Sunset

Me and Elder Miller

Flood in the apartment after a hard rain

Me, Elders Miller and Christian

May 10, 2011 Letter

Dear Readers,
Happy Mother's Day! We get two phone calls a year home and I just had my first one for this year. As missionaries we can use "Skype" a great video call site. I got to see my new niece, Caety. What a gorgeous gift she is. I have missed each familiar face in my family. And with Clint and his weirdness in the background is a good reminder of home.
Our baptisms this last Sunday didn't happen. She had an abortion some years ago, which means an interview with the mission president. Abortions are very popular here in Cambodia. This next Sunday she should be baptized. Another investigator Suong is also going to be baptized this Sunday. He is amazing with the best questions ever! It will be a great joy to see him enter the waters of baptism. Our other two baptisms are postponed a week. Vin and 18 year old girl who works at a factory (Sweat Shop) can't meet us for three days with puts the baptism back a week. Her and her mom will be baptized together and it will be a joyous occasion. Our area is progressing very quickly.
Another investigator Mek has been prepared by the hand of the Lord! What a great blessing. She has seen miracles in her life from her prayers and church attendance in the first week of learning. She says that it must be true if great stuff like this comes from it. In church there was a talk given on honesty. A great learning experience for us all. Blessed so many investigators and it made them want to go every week. We are being blessed greatly it this part of the vineyard.
As for my shoulder problem. It is finally finding a solution. Got some medicine that is helping and so much love from President and Sister Smedley. My family back at home has been the biggest help with their prayers. I have seen so many miracles this past week. I am glad to be serving a mission. When you serve you get more blessing than you could ever give. I love my mission and it is flying by so fast! I have been gone for 7 months now. Can you believe it? Well that is it for this week. Thank you all for your support. I love you all!
Love,
Elder Matthew Nordgren

May 3, 2011 Letter

Family and Friends,
Well another week has flown by. What a hard working week it was. It is getting a lot hotter here, and with the rainy season at the front door, the humidity is super high also. Sweat comes in the gallons in Cambodia.
All of our hard work is paying off very fast. This Sunday we have 2 baptisms for our area and 3 in the branch. With 4 more baptisms later this month. The Lord is greatly blessing us. I will let you know how it goes next week.
Also transfers are this week. I am not going anywhere and not changing companions either. !2th branch is treating me well. Lots of great people here that are so willing to help the Elders teach. it is amazing what happens here each week.
There is great news going around the world lately. Osama Bin Laden has been killed. I have heard two stories about how it happened. To say the least, the Lord will slay the wicked to bring about His righteous purposes.
I got no pictures this week due to rain. I got no case for my camera and it rains with no warning some days. Better safe than sorry. I will try to have some next week.
This Sunday is Mother's day! I will be calling Sunday night. I hope all can be there. I will only have around an hour to talk though. So Happy early Mother's Day.
Well that is it for this week. Thank you all for the continued prayers, they help more than you know. Love you all and will talk to you next week.
-Elder Matthew Nordgren

April 26 Pics

Pictures from a museum in Cambodia.

The work of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouges' Killing Fields

April 26, 2011 Letter

Family and Friends,
Hey everybody! Another week gone by. Feels like just the other day I was emailing. There are only 104 weeks on a mission and they go by so fast. This week I am sending some pictures of a museum that we went to last week. It was humbling to say the least. Those skulls are skulls of people  that were tortured. For months they were whipped and beat. Barely any food to keep them alive, and when they had no more use for them they were shot in the head after the torture. This is the Khmer Rouge. Killed over 2 million people. Anyone with any smarts or knowledge. this all happened about 30 years ago. That museum was hard. Walking in there was a bad feeling there, knowing that over 10,000 people were murdered where I was walking.
My week was great though. Our investigator I talked about last week was drunk the other night. A set back, but we never give up with a child of God. He loves the book of Mormon along with his wife and daughter. We were supposed to have a baptism this Sunday but she stated a job at a sweat shop and works late everyday and on Sunday too. Not sure what to do for her. We just had some investigators come back from their homeland for the Khmer new year. They will be baptized in the coming weeks.
I got a great package last night with lots of chocolate in it. Had to rush it to the fridge. It was all halfway melted, but still tasty chocolate. I have been having problems with my shoulder injury from football. My mission President gave me a blessing on Monday and spoke what God wanted me to hear. I will be ok very soon. Thank you all for the prayers and thoughts. This Week I also got a letter from Elder Caleb Reilley. He is doing good. And another from Haden Griggs. Someone tell him thanks for me and congrats on his first kiss. He should laugh from that.
We are always working hard. So much progress, and the Lord is greatly blessing each of us here. This gospel changes lives just like it is changing mine. Thank you all again and talk to all of you next week.
With Great Love,
Elder Matthew Nordgren

April Pics