Dale's mom died Saturday afternoon August 18th at 1:00. She was surrounded by those she loved. Those of us that were not at her side were with her in our thoughts and prayers. In her final days she was kept as comfortable as possible. It was hard work for her to leave and hard work for those that cared for her. The bonds that were made in the past week will be forever cherished. We are comforted in knowing that mom is having wonderful reunions with family and friends that she has not conversed with in years. Most importantly, she is with her eternal sweetheart, Hans. Mom's funeral service will be Thursday August 23 in Stevenson, Washington at the Ward building. A viewing will be held at 11:00 and the service will be at noon. We are in Cambodia but our hearts are in Washington at this time.
Blossom of a Banana Tree
The week began with Dale getting his new crown. What a relief. His temporary crown was bothersome. He could not chew properly. He seems to be doing great now. He was told to come back in 6 months to have it checked.
Wednesday we had a Zone Conference.We have had difficulty figuring out which meetings we are suppose to attend. This time the Assistants to the President gave us a reminder call. I guess we are to attend the South District Zone Conferences. This time we almost did everything right. We arrived on time. We had our scriptures. We had our Preach My Gospel Manual. It was very hot. We left our apartment as usual and walked to our office. Zone Conference was in our building. When we arrived we realized that Elder Meier should have been wearing his suit. Oops! I guess you could say,"No sweat" this time!
The tire service shops were busy this week. Our missionaries have no clue we shot this picture of them getting their bikes serviced. Just a great every day moment in the life of our young missionaries in Cambodia.
The same day we saw these guys trying to steady their bike as the bicycle repair man was preparing to replace their flat tire. They stopped to ask if we wanted to buy any of their merchandise. "Not today."
Yes we are on a mission. Saturday all the Seniors went on a boat ride on the Mekong River to visit a couple of the islands where the people weave silk fabric. The silk worms are not raised on the islands we visited. But the thread is sent to the islands to be woven. Notice the very brown water. I have seen pictures of places in Cambodia with beautiful blue water. These tourist areas are off limits to us. The missionaries who experienced these areas are those that were involved with the Mercy Ship. In the above photo most of the Senior couples are on the lower deck staying out of the sun. We were allowed to wear pants because of Dengue Fever. Apparently every 5 years the Dengue Fever is bad. This is a 5th year. We were taking precautions. Everyone also used mosquito repellent.
This is the lower deck. It was very Khmer. There were 18 of us and 11 life jackets. When we were leaving the boat a plank was lowered. It was like walking across a log. The first island we arrived at Dale decided he could just jump off. He did great. I decided to follow. I did not do so great. The drop was farther than it appeared. I landed on my feet and then my bum. It wouldn't have been bad except that it was muddy or I thought it was muddy until I smelt my muddy hand... it was cow crud. These islands have no clean water. I had brought toilet paper and germ-X. I used LOTS! At the next island I walked the plank.
It was a great day on the "LOVE BOAT". I just wished it would have been dark so we could have experienced this rig lit up. Cambodians love Christmas lights.
These boats are all along the river. From what we could see. It appears that these might be their homes.
This was a whole community. On the hill there were people playing volley ball.
There is a mix of the people living in boats on the shore and then larger homes on higher ground.
Pictured to the left is a floating village. We believe these are Vietnamese homes.
Fishing on the Mekong River.
We arrived at the silk making community. The entire island comes out to greet visitors. They come with their arms loaded with scarves and fabric hoping that we all will buy their wares. I did buy one item. If you buy one thing the people swarm around you wanting you to buy more. I hate saying "no" but did. We just smile and say we already bought something. They are disappointed. It makes me sad.
Saying goodbye to the sweet children who wanted us so badly to buy all their silks.
As we were boarding our boat Dale took a photo of the livestock being bathed. Off to the side you can see a mother washing her clothes as her children play by her side. Life here is like camping. And not KOA style!
We all fell in love with this little colt.
We passed by a grassy area where several cows were grazing. They were all labeled to indicate who they belonged to. This fine specimen of anorexia apparently belongs to the tenants in apartment 3. "Proud to be APARTMENT 3!"
I will end this blog with a story that the grand kids might enjoy. We were taught about dealing with stress at our Zone Conference this week.
There was a young man who lived with his family on a farm.He was always worrying.
The family depended on the farm for food and income. One year the rain was more than normal. The land flooded. The young boy said to his father,"We will have no crops because of the floods, this is terrible, what will we do?"
His father replied,"It may be a bad thing or it may be a good thing only time will tell."
A while later the young boy was doing his chores and fell and broke his leg. His leg never healed correctly. This young man said to his father,"My leg has not healed correctly this is terrible, what shall we do?" His father replied, "It may be a bad thing or it may be a good things only time will tell."
With time the father discovered that the flood had brought with it rich soil that produced a wonderful crop the following year.
A few years later war was declared in the country where this family lived. All the young men were called to become soldiers. Many were killed. The young boy was now old enough to be sent to war. When he went for his physical the army could not use him because he had a bad leg. He was to remain home and help his family.
Let us not waist time and energy worrying about things that it is too soon to tell what the outcome will be.
Remember, "It may be a bad thing or it may be a good thing only time will tell."
Anyone for a Ferry Ride?
Have a Great Week.
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