Outrunning Ninjas.

Letter from January 8, 2012

Thanks for the packages! I got the second one with the Captain America action figure... thanks! It was awesome. I also got one from grandma and grandpa that was really cool to get.

I have a crazy story to tell. I've debated whether to tell it now or wait until later so mom doesn't freak out.  But I can't wait so here it is.

 Every P-Day we go to the mission home which is more than 10 miles away from where we live. It requires us to go on a very busy road and every time we ride it we have funny experiences.  

So last week, we were riding from the mission home back to our house. We were riding along, having a normal, missionary conversation when all the sudden a crazed Cambodian man cuts right in front of us and starts sprinting across the street. He wasn't paying attention to oncoming traffic and motos were swerving out of his way and honking their horns. I turn to Elder Nielsen and said, "Wow. That guy must really be in a hurry. Look at him go! I think he's going to get hit!" So, he gets to the other side or the busy road and we noticed he was calling for someone. Then, he starts running down the other side of the street into oncoming traffic waving at everyone. After a few seconds he makes a sharp turn and comes sprinting back to where we were. By this time me and Elder Nielsen are busting up laughing because we could not figure out what he was trying to do. Then when he was 20 meters behind us, we hear him yelling, "BONG! BONG!" Which is just how you call for people that are older than you. It literally means "older sibling" When I turn around, I see him waving at US trying to flag us down! I look at my companion and just say, "Um, I think he's trying to talk to us? He replied, "So should we stop?"  I told him no, too risky. He eventually comes running up to us. We looked at each other and thought, maybe he REALLY wants to be a Mormon?. 

Then, in a moment of confusion he jumps on the back of my companions bike and starts yelling Faster! Faster! (In khmer of course) Khmers are really touchy feely and he was pretty much bear hugging my companion so it was super funny and we're both just looking at each other laughing really hard. He was completely out of breath and didn't say anything but kept looking back really worried.

So to break the ice I ask him, "Sokh Sbaay tee?" (How are you... or literally translated is "are you happy and healthy yes/no? ) He starts saying, "They're after me! Ride faster! ride faster!" My companion gives me a strange look of wanting to laugh,  worried, and very confused. We keep riding. Then, in a panicked voice he proceeds to explain how he had just been beaten up... he was running away from bad people he was "tangled up with" and owed money. He kept using a word that we didn't know but what we soon realized was, we were suddenly in a "high speed" bike/moto chase down Rosi Blvd in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My companion was worried sick.  I didn't know what to think so I just started laughing. He looks at me and in a very dramatic voice yells, "Elder, what do we do!" (Its impossible to truly put into words the chaos of the situation.)

I look at him and said. "Listen to him. Elder get on your horse and lets get outta here!" Then we kicked our bikes into high gear and started flying down this busy road. He kept saying to get him to the police station! He kept smacking my companion in the kidney yelling faster! faster! We had about 2 kilos until the mission home and it was honestly one of the scariest moments of our lives.

By this time in our mission we both know how to work traffic in Cambodia. Bikes are the bottom of the food chain, but they're the easiest to maneuver when there's heavy traffic. So we're weaving through traffic and he starts yelling that they have swords! they have swords! (I know that word because of Nephi's experience with Laban in Khmer) Not what we wanted to hear. We later learned that gangs carry big samari swords. Guns are too hard to get so swords are the weapon of choice. So ninjas really do exist.  

We quickly realized it wasn't a joke and I immediately felt like a character on a video game. We got this huge rush of addrenaline and made incredibly good of time in a traffic jam. I need to stress that my companion was really freaked out. The guy holding on to him for dear life was all bruised up and had a cut on his face that was bleeding. 

We finally get to the police station, drop him off and hurry home. We go inside, lock the door, look at each other, and just started busting up laughing. It really was a funny experience. We are convinced we saved his life. 

Interesting side notes:

-We asked the guard at the church about the word we didn't understand... Definition : Mafia

-Apparently were chased by the mafia

-Elder Nielsen is still in shock. 

-Elder Nielsen said when he was a young boy in primary singing "I hope they call me on a mission, he pictured something completely different" 

-We talked about the experience at DM and one of the locals in a really serious voice asked where it happened. We told him which street. He said in a very matter of fact voice that there's a large mafia population there. 

SO Mom, all is well. Don't worry. I am much bigger than any gangsters (ninjas) here. They're all built like Joseph... but shorter. 

Me and Elder Nielson 

We have a new branch president and nobody really knows whats going on. I had to do almost everything last week. Play the piano for sacrament meeting, teach the second hour, teach the 3rd hour, gave someone the holy ghost, the priesthood, Play the piano for priesthood and talk in church next sunday laying out a vision for the future of the branch. 

I love it. But we are good and tired. We raised our church attenedance from 42 to 62  

I love you all. LIfe is good. I love the gospel. I love my Savior. 

Elder Nelson