Best week ever because...

Our family has been greatly blessed this week with a miracle from heaven. We are pleased to present to all our family and friends Avery Marie Meier, daughter of Jon and Deidra Meier. She arrived on June 19. She is 20" long and weighs 7lbs. 14oz.

We were in the Kampong Thom province when we received news of her arrival. The evening we received the good news we had difficulty connecting to the Internet. When we did it was for a short period of time. When we logged on to our email Jon had left a message. We use our computer for calling internationally. We were able to call Jon and Deidra. After congratulating the new mom and dad it got silent for a moment and we were able to hear the little squeaks so characteristic of  healthy happy bundles of joy so new from Heaven.

We visited with PEF Students in Kampong Thom, Siem Reap and Battambang. We were gone from Tuesday morning until one o'clock Saturday afternoon. After speaking with Jon and Deidra we were not able   to reconnect the rest of the week. We were anxious to get home to see what Avery looked like. Of course that was the first thing we did when we arrived at our home in Phnom Penh. What a cute little munchkin!

HATS OFF TO THE BEST WEEK EVER!

This week has been very rewarding. We were able to meet with the Senior couples that do member leader support in the countryside. They are by themselves and need to find translators. Translators are usually a young adult and often one of our PEF students. The Senior couples have a great challenge when communicating with the members. Concepts, etc. often translate a bit off from what is intended to be taught or said. Senior couples in the Provinces are truly on their own. They have to travel a couple of  hours to buy canned goods, breakfast cereal, etc. As a result they shop the local markets hiring someone to assist them in purchasing safe foods at fair prices. Kampong Thom has the least shopping choices. Siem Reap has a Lucky Store. Battambang has no grocery stores. Some packaged items can be purchased at small little road side shops .Of the three Provinces mentioned  Battambang has the safest restaurant choices. The missionaries in the Provinces are exposed to more wild life than the city missionaries. One Elder in Battambang woke up to a snake coiled around his bedpost. But then our city Sister missionaries had an army of roaches storm into their house. Apparently it was pretty horrendous. Just like a Alfred Hitchcock movie. Today we had a gecko run into our apartment but fortunately he ran out as fast as he ran in. I was glad. Sister Yeates said they had a problem with geckos. They do eat bugs,but what goes in comes out in another form. Not a healthy situation.When speaking with the young missionaries many loved their transfers to the country. The countryside is very beautiful. It is unique and there is a lot of ancient history.  It is pretty cool. The Province Senior couples miss mingling with the other Senior couples but  all of them say they are grateful not to have to fight the Phnom Penh traffic. The lack of traffic was nice but,we were glad to get back to Phnom Penh  to sleep in our own hard bed and eat home cooked Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. (We need to grocery shop).

On our trip to the Provinces we  didn't get out of the car to tour. We were able to take drive by photo shots.

People working in the rice paddies. They need to be careful not to get leeches on their feet and legs.

On the route to Kampong Thom the road is lined with plastic cricket traps. Lights inside the plastic mounted on the fence attract the crickets at night. The crickets fall into water placed in the plastic boxes and drown. In the morning the cricket farmer gathers the insects to sell at the market.

A guard stays near the traps at night so no one steals his catch.

Prepared Crickets for Sale

Anyone Hungry!

We did stop at the silk farm. It was free to tour and close to the main road. It was very interesting. Here are just a couple of the many photos we took at the farm.

This is about the second or third step in the silk making process. The silk worm spins a cocoon on these man made trays. Eventually the cocoon is cleaned and is pulled into thread. Everything at this farm is manual labor.

These workers sit in a hot room and work silently. There is no music. They do the same thing for hours. 

This is a very small part of Angkor Wat. A person needs to spend days here to see this amazing area of Cambodia. We were on a schedule and did not stop. The little bit we did see was incredible. No pictures can capture how large and detailed these structures are. Everything was built without machines.

This may be the only time we see elephants on our mission. They are a part of the tourist experience in the Angkor Wat area.

This past week was packed with things to see and do, and people to meet and missionary responsibilities. The above touristy things were fun and interesting but meeting with the people was the real reward of the week.

When we were visiting with  Elder and Sister Yeates we were able to go to an area where at dusk bats in a steady stream emerge from a cave. This flight lasts close to an hour.  In the early morning they return to the cave in the same manner. It is incredible to witness.

The most amazing part of our trip to the cave was a 13 year old boy  standing near by watching the bats. Elder and Sister Yeates have connections with Operation Smile. They were able to find out this young mans information. He allowed them to take his picture and the hope is that he will have a better life because he was at the cave that day. 

We also met with one of our PEF students who will graduate this November. Her husband built her a little shop off of their home. The location is not the best. It is in a low traffic area. We hope the word will travel about her shop and people will come.

Soucheata  Khuon's Shop

They have had some hard knocks lately. Their daughter has been sick and needs medicine every week. Soucheata just had surgery for a kidney stone.  Doctor bills have caused some harder times than usual for them.

This is not Soucheata's home but it is on her block.

 And you thought you were having a bad day.

Until next week Oink!Oink!

Hey, Hey We're the Monkeys...

This past Monday evening we were invited to a local orphanage. The theme was The Importance of Family Home Evening. There was a wonderful spirit of  family which was amazing since these children have not experienced a traditional family unit.

This is Yang Yang.  He stole our hearts. He is a four year old fireball.

All of the Senior Couples were invited to attend a special program the orphanage planned in honor of President and Sister Smedley. The Smedley's will be leaving in July. The orphanage is owned and directed by two Latter-Day Saint sisters. This facility houses and cares for about 20 children. The residents range in age from 4 to 18 years. These children have learned many LDS primary songs along with  traditional music and dances of Cambodia. These children's mothers and fathers can not afford take care of them. The children can visit their families if they want during the major Holidays. There is one young man who came to live at the orphanage at age 7. He is now 18. His name is Patitka. His family rejected him because of the color of his skin. He is black. He is a real charmer and is rising above his rejection from his biological family. He oozes with talent, has great leadership skills and has a huge heart. He taught all the children the dances that they performed for us. If guided well he has the potential to succeed in life. I hope he can rise above the ills of Cambodia. It can be difficult to do well here. Unfortunately there are prejudices.

We were told to expect a light refreshment of fruit. The plan changed and  the orphanage delivered a feast. I felt bad I could not consume all that I was served. I  had a huge portion of raw onions...I ate what I could but knew that I would be miserable for days if I consumed all of them. The older children performed traditional dances while we ate our dinner. Yang Yang and the younger boys did the Monkey Dance. Yang Yang and his best buddy had difficulty sitting down with their monkey tails.

The women in Cambodia are beautiful. Above the older girls are doing a dance of blessing and honor. The dance ends with the tossing of little flowers at the honored guests. One of the girls fought back a giggle and  gracefully kept it in check as she tossed flowers at us. It was probably because of our own expressions. We are not use to being pelted by little flower blossoms.

After the program everyone was invited to dance. We danced the chicken dance, the Macarena, and some  free style dancing. Yang Yang was my first dancing partner. I started to dance with him and in a blink of an eye he was gone. I found myself quickly on the dance floor alone. He had too many exciting things happening. To my relief I quickly found a new partner. Elder Meier even got in on the groove. Who can refuse the children. It was a great evening. These children are well cared for and loved. They are hungry for hugs and acknowledgment. They also care for and love one another. Elder and Sister James are working with the orphanage to find funding to keep them in operation. Times are tough.

The lady in purple on the left  is the main owner of the orphanage. I don't know where Yang Yang is but I speculate he couldn't resist romping with the new orphanage puppy. Yang Yang's buddy is the little guy in the front row on the end right.

This week we had the opportunity to join the young Elders in teaching the gospel.  The Elders are teaching Angel from Thailand. She is about 40 years old. She is working in Cambodia for a few years. She has been attending the International Branch since December. In the past month she has been studying more diligently The Book of Mormon and she testifies that changes are happening within her heart. She said she knows the principles taught to her are true. Prior to receiving The Book of Mormon she had become Christian. Although she believed in Christ she said she had never found a church she desired to become a member of. She wanted to find a church, but none of the ones she went to seemed correct. She said she is feeling something very special about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She is truly seeking truth and studying things out before she makes any commitments. We were able to meet with her for an hour Tuesday and Friday evenings. Next week we travel to the Provinces so we will not be able to work with her. We pray for her and know if she makes the right choice she will be baptized and be greatly blessed. The Lord finds his children that sincerely seek truth.

Table Decoration at the Orphanage

The vase leaves and stems are one unit cut from a green plastic pop bottle.

The flowers are folded colored straws.

I think rocks serve to add weight.

I do not know this ladies name but she greets us every morning when we walk to work. Dale decided to snap her picture. She sits in this little box from morning until evening. Sometimes if it is really hot we have caught her sitting just outside of it. She is a guard for one of the homes along the block. Every home has a guard.

Above is Sophea. She has this little stand at the corner near our office. Every day she waves,smiles and says  hello. Her greeting and smile are a bright spot in our daily routine. She sells coconuts, rain ponchos, pop and probably some other small items that I do not know about. This is a typical business for many people here. They set up their tables and chairs every morning and put it all away at the end of the day. Some people take their things with them to their homes. Others chain their tables to a tree or whatever is near their shop spot.

We took a photo of  the above signs and then looked up.


Yep, these guys have on their Hear Helmets.
                     Way to Go!




We traveled to Kean Svay today. The air was really bad. I wore my face mask and this time Dale put a towel over his nose and mouth. We pray that he does not get sick. He is still recovering from our trip to Kean Svay last month. I hope the air will be clear in the Provinces this week.

These are the Kean Svay Elders following our tuk tuk to their house. It is inspection day. We gave them high scores. They probably would not have gotten such high scores in the United States, but we are working with Cambodia standards. This place is dirty. The Elders will be moving soon. The house they live in presently often has no water. When that happens they shower outside. I suppose this is not so bad except their neighbors are a bunch of girls. These guys really should be able take a shower inside their home away from an audience, bugs, rodents and mud... after all there are two inside bathrooms. A Cambodian challenge is to cook, clean and do laundry with no water.  

******
It is hard to believe that another week is past. We have had our challenges since we have been here. We have been kept busy which is good. When we first started this adventure the idea of a mission and the anticipation of moving to a foreign country was exciting.  The reality is that we are simply serving in another part of the Lord's vineyard. It really doesn't matter where we serve. The Church is the same everywhere. I testify to you that there is perfect order in the Lord's church. What the Lord teaches us in the scriptures and what our church leaders teach us today are in perfect harmony. As we serve in Cambodia I can testify that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. At church in Cambodia we sing the same hymns that are sung in the United States, we study out of the same lesson manuals, we review the same conference talks, we partake of the Sacrament every Sunday the same way, we work towards and prepare to go the Temple. Everything is the same...well almost the same ... having popcorn Sunday during General Conference at church ...that was different...but hey...it is Cambodia! The Lord is aware of His children  whether they live in a mansion or a small dwelling made of tin. He loves us all the same.

This week happiness came in a bundle of energy named Yang Yang.
 We wish you each a "Yang Yang" moment this coming week..

We slayed the dragon...

Family and friends we are happy to announce that we can again download pictures. For $2.50 "Prince Charming", Dale resolved the problem. The past two weeks had few photo shot moments. There are some photos that I was tempted to shoot, but out of courtesy to the people I opted not to.

We have been wondering how most of the people we see on the streets live. I believe we got another glimpse of  life for the locals this past week. The streets are closed in by gates and walls. These gates and walls mostly are topped with barb wire. We did go through one neighborhood where glass shards planted in cement or some kind of mud on tops of the fence walls to deter intruders was used. Walking home Saturday evening after our institute class I was able to peer into an opening in one of the gates. I viewed a dirt area where three people sat enjoying the cooler evening air. I'm am pretty sure that dirt area is home.

On Friday Dale was asked to assist in giving a blessing to a less active member of the church. He no longer drinks, but his liver is damaged. We went to his home which is a "hole in the wall". There are no windows. The entrance to his home is a sheet of metal that can be slid shut for privacy. It is not on a slider...it probably is just lifted into place. I didn't study it out. His home is about the size of a single car garage.What I remember seeing is a small entrance way to take off  shoes. From there we stepped onto a matted area for sitting on the floor. There is a small cooking area and a bed. I do not know what he uses for bathing and toilet needs. He has a teenage boy and young girl living with him. His home may have gone further back than I could see. The only light came from the opened wall which serves as the entrance. The home is located on a narrow walled street. If a person was looking for his home they probably would not find it without a guide. In fact Elder and Sister James who called for Dale to assist in the blessing had been to his home and when Elder James tried to find it he could not. A member of Jay's ward from Salt Lake City, Blair Wu, was accompanying Sister Loy and Sister Loy's companion in teaching this man who needed the blessing. Elder James had given Blair one of his cell phones in case he got lost. He called her and she went out on the main street to wave us down. We had met Blair when visiting Jay's ward before we entered the MTC. It was good to speak with her. She is doing an internship of some kind. She will return to the states when done.

This guy  was in the corner ceiling of the cultural hall at the South District building where we work. While we were taking this photo, Khunteavy who is the secretary for the Seminary and Institute Department wondered why we would take a picture of a roach. She didn't think much of it. Big bugs and rats are just part of every day life here. Sort of like we see possum and slugs. We all have our disgusting creatures living in our native lands that we accept as part of life. We get out the salt to kill our slugs and they get out the salt to spice up their bugs.Pretty much the same things don't you think?

Here's the picture I was unable to share last week.

Pure Drinking Water

A lot of thought was put into getting the best slogan to sell this product.

Last Sunday was voting day in Cambodia. In the states we have social security numbers to verify that we have voted.  In Cambodia  the people vote in person. Before they vote they dip their finger in black ink. Monday it was kind of fun to see who had voted and who had not. I was pleased that so many had voted. With regard to the out come of the election, everyone knows who the winner will be. At least the people recognize that they have a right to vote and so they do their part.

Sipengh is a proud voter. He REALLY dipped his finger. The girls above tried to keep the dip at the tip!

I love the Perpetual Education students who are married and bring their children with them to the office. I need to create a small toy box. The only thing I had in the office when this little guy came in was a black sock. I cut out paper eyes and a nose and made a make shift sock puppet. 

I had a hard time getting him to warm up to me, but he finally took a piece of candy from the sock puppet. 

. Put this in your book for "101 uses for Forks".

This past Monday all the Senior Couples got together for Family Home Evening at Elder and Sister James. I had to take a photo of Elder James' ingenious way of clipping a poster he wanted displayed for his lesson to the frame of their window. Do you think he ought to patent this?  There was no warning on the package not to use forks in this manner. I am pleased to report no one was injured.

Our last blog I spoke of how Elder and Sister James were not going to be able to move from their ghetto apartment. They have been given the go ahead to move. They have found two places and will probably move in the next week. We are very happy for them.

I hope to have some good pictures next week. Tomorrow night we have been invited to an orphanage that is   owned and managed by two Kmer sisters from the church. Part of their story is in the documentary that can be viewed from the blog entry on "Learning about Cambodia and the People". The children will present a recital in honor of President and Sister Smedley. They wanted to do something for the Smedley's before they return to the states. All of the Senior Couples have been invited. This should be a really special evening.

We were informed this week that we will be escorting a group of young single adults to the Manila Temple in November. There is lots of preparation that takes place prior to this event. We do not know at the present time if we will be taking a bus to Siem Reap and flying directly from there to Manila or bus to Vietnam and then fly to Manila. If we can avoid Vietnam that would be great because Vietnam requires visas for Dale and me. The first option only requires our passports.I also believe the first option may be less expensive. The trip is for singles but we have a couple of singles that will be sealed in the temple and return married. It should be a wonderful experience. 

A group of about 20 saints went to the Hong Kong Temple two weeks ago. Elder and Sister Spencer were in charge of that trip. It was a challenge as they had all ages of saints. Most had never left Cambodia. The traveling experience was scary for many. Some of the older people were fearful to use the escalators and the moving conveyor belts. I got some great tips from the Spencer's to help with a smooth travel experience.

Dale still struggles with his asthma. Your prayers are appreciated. We are not sure how to get a handle on his problem. He is faithful in taking his medication. The air here is just not good. We may need to visit a doctor here.

THERE WILL BE NO BIKE STORIES.

Here is an email I sent to Elder and Sister Ellingson the couple we replaced at the PEF office:

You may be interested to know that "Harry", Ratha Meas has your bike. Elder Rhyne asked if we would like the bike. We said yes, but have not really used it since parking it in our garage. Harry came to visit us this past week. Our conversation revealed  that he would have to drop out of school next term because he has no transportation. Elder Meier had just mentioned to me  that perhaps we should let the elders have the bike since I did not have a bike and Elder Meier did not want me riding the streets of Cambodia. The amount of solo trips Elder Meier would make are so few that we decided the bike was just gathering dust. When Harry came to the office it seemed the right thing to do. After the fact we remembered the warning we had that the people here get jealous of each other and problems arise. We were told if you give something to one person you should expect to do the same for all. We hope we were directed by the Lord to give Harry the bike and there will be no problems.

Our "sewer boots" remain good as new. We have been taught that if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. We are prepared... so bring it on.

Have a wonderful week.

No Photos...

Dear family and friends,

At last the technology eating monster in Cambodia has consumed our ability to down load pictures from our camera. Until we can find a prince charming to slay the mighty dragon our blog will be without pictures. This is a great challenge for me. As they say "a picture speaks a thousand words". No pictures = a lot of writing.

This past week has been a rough one. Dale has been hit hard with his asthma and has been visiting the throne room frequently. We go into the office each day, but it has been a struggle. I think of young elders who are home bound when their companions get ill. It is not fun for anyone when such things happen. Dale has been faithfully taking his medication and we hope in another week he will have his health back.

Monday we went to work as usual. We had scheduled two students for interviews in the morning. As we were waiting for them to show up Sister Smedley knocked on our door and asked if we planned to attend Zone Conference. We did not know about the meeting and so said we would come after our interviews. Shortly after her visit President Smedley knocked on our door and apologized that we had not been informed of conference. I think it may have been on the calendar but the branches we visit are in two zones. We did not realize we were suppose to attend these conferences. Now we know and we will do better next time around.  After our interviews we did slip into the meeting. Perfect timing on our part. It was time to set up for the luncheon. Sister Smedley had two and a half small bags of chips to divide among 40 people.She was commenting on how to ensure everyone got a small portion of chips. (I had one suggested to smash the bags and tell everyone they could have10 pieces). The solution however was in our office cupboard. We happened to have some small paper plates. In Cambodia plates are either BIG or small. Spoons are BIG or small... napkins are the size of two toilet paper squares and are 1 ply..I hope you get the idea. We were able to feed the multitude by putting about 5 chips on each small plate. On these plates it appeared to be a mountain of chips. It's all in the presentation. Sister Smedley ordered sub sandwiches from a place called "Fat Boys". She discovered "Fat Boys" by a flyer placed on the windshield of her car. For any future entrepreneurs apparently this method of advertisement does work. Sister Smedley ordered 40 sandwiches...that's a significant sale. We also had ice cream, toppings and a homemade cookie. One challenge in Cambodia is to eat your meal before the ants do. Our church building is full of ants about the size of  grains of sand. Within a half hour ants will invade with fury any food item left uncovered. Timing is important. On this day we humans won the race to the supper table. I believe the score now stands at ants 10, humans 1. I'm reminded of that old childhood favorite..."The ants go marching one by one hurrah, hurrah..."

Our first two months in Cambodia were nonstop farewell and welcome luncheons and dinners. Other than our new mission president and his family coming soon and President Smedley and Sister Smedley returning to the states the airport commotion for us Senior Couples is very quiet. We are left to ourselves to conjure up fun off time things to do. 

Tuesday evening we broke from routine and visited Elder and Sister Rhyne. We had ice cream with chocolate sauce, veggies and watermelon. The Rhyne's recently moved to a place about a half block from us. The layout of their apartment is very much like a house. Prior to this move they were living in the apartment where we were planning to live until we were given a second option. The Lord was watching out for us. We could have been living in an insect infested, hot, pipe belching apartment "in the hood".  A big clue to the quality of the neighborhood is the elevator sign prohibiting prostitutes. Elder and Sister James are surviving this apartment complex presently. Unfortunately for them, their apartment is also their office so they gave no refuge except their car. They want desperately to move. They were informed they could not move until their contract expires in six months. When the Rhyne's received permission to move they had someone to take over their contract. After they moved that replacement fell through. The James' are stuck because the church does not want to develop a reputation for breaking contracts. The James' have stayed in a hotel simply to get a good nights rest. In 2003 when these apartments were first rented to the missionaries they were new. Since then more complexes have been built. In 2003 they were nice apartments for Phnom Penh. Not anymore. I think we all have seen this type of evolution.

A few weeks into our mission we were able to teach the gospel along with the young elders to a young girl named Anne. She is from Thailand. She only had three discussions before she went back to Thailand. She began emailing me and has kept me informed on her progress. She had planned to be baptized on May 27 but the missionaries want her to learn more before she takes that step. Her mother has started attending church with her. It is pretty cool to be able to share my testimony with her and to have this correspondence as she learns about her Savior and Heavenly Father.

We teach institute on Saturday evenings. This past Saturday We had 3 recent converts to the church enroll. They are refugees from Sri Lanka. They had to flee their country because of the civil war in progress. Their translator (not a member of the church ) also from Sri Lanka came to class. He is married to a Khmer lady and they have a little girl. He is interested in the church. He did not bring his wife and daughter to class but they all attend the International Branch together. We attend that branch one Sunday a month. It is the branch for expats and their families. It's membership is very small compared to the other branches. We all speak some sort of English. I say that because the members are from all over the world. We each listen intently to each other to understand our common language. In institute class we are studying about the final days of the Nephite nation. The men from Sri Lanka were very interested in what was being taught. The blood and carnage recorded in the Book of Mormon is very close to the situation they left behind them in Sri Lanka.

The people in Cambodia are very kind and giving. I had mentioned to one of our PEF Students that I was looking for some clips for my hair. I purchased some at a market near our home a couple of weeks ago. I commented that I was pretty sure I paid too much for them. I told her that I do not feel comfortable shopping. I do not like to bargain.  I like a bargain. I just do not like to bargain. The next day she delivered to the guard outside our church building hair clips to give to me. Today I commented on a small purse that one of the sisters in the branch I attended had. I asked where she got it. She said her sister brought it back from America for her. I said I was looking for a smaller purse to use on Sundays. She said she would get me one. I asked how much she thought it would be and she said "no sister I will get you one...you don't pay"..."you have come to help our people" ..."I will just get you one". I am finding I better not make anymore comments. I truly was just wanting know where a good place would be to purchase a purse and about how much they cost in order to bargain fairly.

The rain is coming down and we are safe in our apartment. Another week without Christening our "sewer boots". I am not disappointed. In fact I am grateful. Just like having a 72 hour kit. You have a kit but you really don't want to have to use it.

I have some Khmer photo moments but unfortunately cannot share them. I will do the next best thing.
On our water bottle. Brand: Steve  "The Quality Drops"
A local ice cream shop. LECONE   ICREAM ISWEET

Here Meas Sameth's daughter is doing what kids all over the world do when given the opportunity. Kids love their blankets, favorite snuggle toys, a snack and a good show. Meas Sameth is over the Employment Resource Center in Cambodia. His daughter is visiting his office.

Until next week may you find joy in life's simple pleasures.