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

April 19, 2011 Letter

  

Hey Everybody!!!!
What a great week it is right? This last week was Dad's birthday. 49 years old, boy is that getting up there! It was Khmer new year this last week too. I have sent some pictures, but I have gotten to the point where I have to many to send.I will now send just the good ones each week and when I return you can all see my adventures.
I have been working really hard lately, and every time I look at the calendar it is 3 days later. Time is flying. Feels like it should be about November of 2010. My good friend, Doug Oman, has now left to Boot Camp for the Army. Good Luck to him. Time is coming up for Hayden Higgins to leave to Omaha Nebraska. Missions are great. If only everyone knew how great they really are, they would all serve.
This last week had some good food. Eel and more squid. Food tastes better every time you eat it.
I want to share an experience this week. We have an investigator who smokes and drinks. We are teaching him and his family. They are amazing and go to church and love reading the scriptures. When we were teaching them about the Atonement he told us that he wants to quit smoking and drinking. What a great time for that to come up. Made for a very spiritual lesson and his family is so willing to help and encourage him everyday. It is a lot easier when they come asking for help instead of telling them that they need help. The Lord has been blessing us greatly with this family. Such great support for them.
As you can tell from the pictures that I have sent I have lost some weight. I continue to work on it. I have already lost enough weight to say I have lost a Cambodian. Now I am going for two.
I love this work and am so blessed to be trusted with this great responsibility from the Lord to teach His children. I am grateful for my great family and friends who support me in this work. I pray for each of you individually. Thank you all so much. I love you all like a fat man loves his cake.
Love,
Elder Matthew Nordgren

April 12,, 2011 Letter

To Whom it may Concern,
Hey everybody! Another great week! Sounds like it has not been as busy at home this week, but still pretty busy. That is the same for me. It is Khmer New Year!!!!!! That means everyone leaves the city and it is empty. We don't do any proselyting this week because of it. We work on other things like the area book and spring cleaning. We also have Sports day this Saturday. Playing sports for a whole day is going to be super fun!
As many of you know I was recently transferred to 12th branch. It is a good branch and very strong. Very good leadership. My companion is a work in progress. He is a hard worker and he will be done with his mission in June. I will be his last companion. He is pretty focused on going home though. All things I can learn from.
This last weekend we got to watch General Conference. Seems like a big focus was getting married and the temple. All stuff on the top of my list for when I get home. There is a time for all things. Now is the time for the work of the Lord in my life. It was very spiritual and lots to learn like always.
I am having good times on my mission, and I write in my journal every night. So I will have plenty of stories to tell in a year and a half. I don't have any pictures this week due to no energy in my batteries in my camera. Next week there should be plenty of pictures to send. I got no more to add for this week, but I love you all and thank you for the support and prayers. They always help.
Love,
Elder Matthew Nordgren