Happy Halloween

Hello Family and Friends,
Last week I blogged that the PEF program is in transition. This week I had to decline a loan for Nikha a young lady who will not be 18 until next June. The last blog I mentioned age is not a factor. I meant if you are  18 or older age is not a factor.  Nikha recently moved to Phnom Penh from Kampong Thom thinking she would be going to college. Because she has several months before she will be 18, our counsel to her was to earn and save money and return to see us closer to her birthday. At that time we can discuss a loan if she still needs it. Dale has been working hard to create reports and fact sheets about our PEF graduates.  It is important to determine if  these graduates have secured life supporting employment. We hope to gain understanding concerning  the real educational needs of the people in Cambodia. We want to understand more clearly what types of legitimate trade schools are available and what the job placement is after taking their courses. The majority of our graduate students received college diplomas. A handful have gone to trade schools. We have lots to do before January 2013 when we are to implement  the "new" PEF regulations under direction  from the "new" Self Reliance Center. Certain steps we were told to begin immediately.  Age qualification was on the list. Nikha came to our office with the hopes of receiving a loan. Her cousin, Pisey, just graduated in accounting from college. She had received her first PEF loan disbursement at age 17. A month ago we disbursed money to another 17 year old. There is a fairness problem here. Nikha was amazingly understanding about the changes. Dale hopes to be able to determine what these changes will mean for the students in Cambodia. He hopes to get a good picture of  good job availability here and what education is required. He will present his finding to those in leadership over us. The sooner we accumulate this information the better it will be for our students, us and whoever replaces us next August.

We work in the South District building. It is usually pretty dirty, but this week it was cleaned from top to bottom. The cleaning crew even shampooed our carpet and washed our windows. The glass on the framed pictures in the downstairs lobby were clouded with dirt and now are crystal clear. This was in preparation for the South District Conference. The district was blessed to have Elder and Sister Wilson of the Quorum of the Seventy attend as guest speakers. I think every conference should have visitors come. The concern to make everything "perfect" really helps with the upkeep of the buildings. To be fair, the South District building is somewhat of a challenge to keep clean. The lobby is exposed to the outdoors. Birds frequent it leaving behind what birds like to "do". They also bring their berries inside to eat. The people themselves, however, have not learned the value or use of garbage cans. What is dirty to us looks very clean to them. Dirt, dust and mud are a way of life. Every day cleaning to them is hosing things down and letting it all drip dry.  Garbage is swept into piles near the street with hopes the garbage collectors will do their jobs. You've seen the photos.

The South District Conference was not well attended. Many people missed some wonderful messages. President Moon was amazing. He gave his message totally in Khmer. Pretty impressive. The people here have quickly come to love him and support him as their Mission President. One of our PEF students has been in the hospital in Vietnam for tests to determine why she has been sick. She was diagnosed with an auto immune disease and must get plenty of rest, eat well and exercise more. I spoke with her husband on Friday. He said that in sixteen years as a member of the church he has never had a Mission President visit in his home. He said that President Moon visited him and his family this past week. He was so happy and so honored that President Moon would be so concerned for his wife and family.

We have a new shopping mall due to open this January. I decided to look it up online to understand more of what to expect. I think it will be very expensive. Darn...we don't do expensive. The site I went to had a couple of  thoughts I will share with all of you...it has nothing to do with the new shopping center...

"Your brain has two parts: the left and the right. The left gets nothing right, and the right has nothing left."

"One basic difference between God and humans is, God gives, gives and forgives. Humans gets, gets and forgets."

I am sure the stores shelves and clothes racks in the USA are well stocked with trick or treat candy and  Halloween costumes and decorations. I was surprised to see the following in our neighborhood dress shop window...

There was a fairy costume for a little girl but I guess someone purchased it. If they did their little girl is going to be one really ugly brown fairy!!!

Saturday morning at 6:30 we taught early morning institute. At 9:00 we attended a teacher training meeting. As we were walking home we decided to try a new Vietnamese restaurant. It was OK, but we will not go again. The presentation was very nice. The plate is a plain white plate. The corners are decorated with cucumber slices and little carrot piece centers to create the illusion that the plate has a floral pattern.
We shared a meal. Glad we did. We had a chicken rice dish and pork deep fried spring rolls that had a underlying fishy taste. We were burping spring roll the remainder of the day. Hope we stay healthy.

We caught the construction crew that works a few buildings down from our apartment cleaning up for the day. The guy in this photo is always so happy to see us come by. He gets so excited and says hello and just laughs. He let Dale take a photo shot:

He soaped up a little more for the picture. He and about five other guys have made this work site their home until the project is complete. They set up a little cook spot just to the right of the dirt pile that shows in the background. Just beyond the corrugated wall is a dark hole. It appears to be their living and sleeping area. Saturday morning on our way to work we passed by this spot only to discover they were getting ready for their day. I had to redirect my view to across the street...I saw nothing fortunately. The people on the streets in the early morning are doing what all of us do early in the morning...we just have doors and curtains for privacy.

Dale's Dream Machine!

We are doing great. Dale's asthma seems to be under control. It looks like our institute class will be held early Saturday morning from now on. Those that attended this past Saturday voted it to be their preference. We are looking forward to having our Saturday afternoons and evenings free. It will be nice not to have to walk home in the dark. This week we plan to attend a Young Single Adult Activity. It will be on Wednesday. There will be games and dancing. It just happens to be on Halloween so we will be having fun while you are having fun. 

Have a Spook-tacular week.

A good week...

Hello again family and friends,
With the holidays in full swing, Monday the streets were quiet...

 This soon changed as the news that King Norodom Sihanouk died in Beijing,China. He was 89 years old and died of a heart attack. The Cambodian people view him as a very compassionate man. He helped the country gain independence from France. Unfortunately he also provided legitimacy for the Khmer Rouge and all the carnage and devastation that brought. The people view King Sihanouk as an advocate for the plight of the poor and powerless. He was loved very much. He began his reign in 1941 and left Cambodia 2004. His ballet instructor son, King Norodom Sihamoni, took the throne at that time. He is 59 years old and pretty laid back. He does not get involved in the plight of the people. I do not understand the purpose of having royalty but it is very important to the Cambodian people. The government is headed by a Prime Minister. In Cambodia it is Mr. Hun Sen. With the death of King Sihanouk some people fear the government and its potential burdensome power. King Sihanouk's son is not married and will probably never marry, thus there is no heir to pass the crown to.

Wednesday King Norodom Sihanouk's body was flown back to Cambodia.  Viewings will last for the next 3 months. He will then be cremated. We had planned to visit the Royal Palace Wednesday. With the king's death that plan was squelched. People that had gone to their homelands for the holidays came home early. The stores were full of people stocking up on needed supplies because businesses by afternoon would  shut down in respect to the king. All roads leading to and surrounding the Royal Palace were closed to traffic. People dressed in black and white and wearing black and white ribbons congregated along the streets that are on route to the Royal Palace. I spoke with some of our PEF students a few days after the kings body arrived. They reported they had waited up to five hours to view the king's body  pass by them. Several  said that their trips home were at a snails crawl often taking three hours to return home. Normally the trip home would take minutes, not hours to travel. We have been told that the Water Festival in November has been cancelled because it falls during the three month mourning period. I do not know the extent for the "no celebrations" rule during this time period. I asked about weddings but the people I asked could not understand what I was wanting to know. Like Dale said, most of the population here has never experienced a King dying before. They probably do not know all that is required either. Interesting days ahead.

Monday morning we passed by  Mr.Youra a tuk tuk driver we see every day on our walk to work. It was a slow morning and he had his daughter with him. I think he was tending her while his wife set up her shop.

This is his wife's shop that is set up and taken down each day. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next months because there has been much construction work going on behind her booth. The market is expanding and we wonder if she will eventually have one of the shop rooms that will soon be available or if she will lose her corner spot. The market rooms are about the size of a small walk in closet.

In the afternoon Mr. Youra had his son. We were able to meet his wife also and his sister who speaks some English. We were so impressed with the wonderful supportive family they have. His tuk tuk is stationed about half way between our office and our apartment so we have never used his services. He is just one of the regular neighborhood people we greet each day. If we didn't already have our regular driver we would probably call for his services. Perhaps one day we will give him a call.

Elder and Sister Rhyne invited us to join them for dinner with three of their Vietnamese Family History helpers. We had rice, chicken, vegetables and gravy. By request we had bananas and  pancakes for dessert. After dinner Elder and Sister Rhyne gave a lesson on the importance of seeking to find our ancestors and then we shared our testimonies. It was a special evening. In a couple of weeks we have been invited to join the group again for a games evening.

Sister Rhyne, Sister Bui Mai, Sister Han and Brother ?

During a quiet moment we realized we had not taken a photo of our apartment from a distance. So this is what it looks like a block away.

This is the entrance to our apartment complex. The window directly above the Gold 1 sign is our living room window and to the right is our bedroom window. On the left is the stairway windows. If you look closely there are stairs in the center of the entry way. They lead to the first floor. There is major construction happening on that level. Apparently someone is either renting or purchasing the first floor area and will open a small cosmetic hospital. We were told it would be completed in another month. It should be interesting to see what traffic this brings.

This weekend was fantastic. What a spiritual feast we had with conference. Anyone who has not viewed conference can do so by going to the official church website lds.org and click on General Conference. The changing in age for young men to serve missions at age 18 and young women at age 19 has our young people rethinking their future plans for starting school.

We had a potluck lunch with the Senior couples between sessions. There was great company and great food. Sister Tuck baked  chocolate cupcakes and Sister James helped frost them. Yum!

Elder James, Johnson, Tuck, Meier and Spencer waiting to be called to the table.

Sister Johnson (near the stove), Sister Henderson (left) and Sister Westover (right).

We were at the Westover's apartment. It is an older apartment, but has a nice layout and is somewhat spacious.

Elder Westover (front) and Elder Henderson (right) also waiting for the dinner call.

Kunthy is Elder and Sister Spencer's translator. She is also one of our PEF students. She served a mission in Washington State in such unknown places like Camano Island, Everett, Lake Stevens, and Bellingham.  She was very excited to talk to us about these places. She said we made her miss her mission.

Notice she is wearing a black ribbon on her blouse in honor of the king. 

 On Friday we had training via Skype concerning the Perpetual Education Fund program. It is being changed. It will go through a gradual transition phase. Cambodia will be one of the last countries to fully be on board with the new plans. We will have a paid in country employee oversee the program with Senior missionaries as volunteer workers. We will have a set budget allocated for loans per year. Not as many loans will be distributed. There will be a stronger emphasis on vocational training. It will be called the Self Reliance Program. There will be alternative ways to pay off  loans. We will eventually be working with NGO groups in the country and seeking available scholarships and grants to supplement loans from the church. At the present time loans are calculated to be paid off in 8 years. With the new plan loans will  be paid off in 1-3 years. Age will no longer be a factor in who receives loans, however, high priority will be towards return missionaries. We already have our in country employee hired. He will be moving into our building in the next week or two. He needs to have internet set up. We believe that there are many positives to the new plan. We are looking forward to the coming months to assist and watch these new plans begin to unfold.

The women love their high heels. It is crazy to watch them driving their motos  wearing these, but they do it.

Heang Channath and Elder Meier.

 Channath graduated from culinary school and came in today with her certificate. She is a wonderful young woman. She is a nanny and loves the children she cares for. We do hope she will apply for a job in her field of study. Often our students do not pursue jobs in their field of study and settle for their current positions. 

 Institute is going well. We have been holding class at 6:30 Saturday mornings for the past three weeks. We are planning in November to return to the 5:30 Saturday evening time unless the demand is greater for the morning hour. It is definitely a sacrifice to be out the door before 6:30 to set up class. I am amazed when I think about how our own kids attended early morning seminary for years. I never had to fight with them to do it. I marvel at their diligence and discipline in doing this. I also think of their teachers and have gratitude in my heart for their faithful service in providing my sons and daughter spiritual guidance each school day. I hope that what Dale and I are doing will make a difference in the lives of the young people we serve. This year we are studying the New Testament. My prayer is to come to know my Savior better. I hope that our students will also gain a stronger relationship with Him.

Happiness is all around us...hope you find a daily "happy" this week.  

Sunday comes quickly.

Family and Friends,
Time on a mission is its own beast. When life becomes challenging in negative ways time seems to drag. In contrast, when life is smooth and easy, time flies. I love the fact that I have been keeping a blog because it is a record of our mission. I do not love the fact that Sunday blogging comes quickly each week. Today as I was waiting for my turn to use the lap top I began to drift off to sleep. As I slumped down into my chair and was just allowing myself to succumb to sleep I heard  Dale say, "OK your turn!" I knew that meant I would be sitting at the computer for the next couple of hours. It may not seem that I write that much. It certainly does not take that long to read each blog. Those of you that have ever prepared a special meal...or any meal for that matter, know that it takes far more time to shop, prepare and cleanup a meal than it does to eat it. The reward is knowing that someone looks forward to the meal and enjoys it. I have had enough people tell me they appreciate these blogs to keep me motivated to continue writing. You are my incentive and I feel accountable to have something to share with you...even if it is just a snack.

This month is filled with holidays in Cambodia. Unlike the United States where holidays begin and end on specific dates, specifics are "fuzzy". The people in Cambodia take advantage of every opportunity not to work. The current holiday  is actually  Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of this week. As Dale said," In Cambodia the people take off two or three days prior to the holiday and will return ten days later." Businesses and schools seem to take it in stride and accommodate for the vacationers. Like the Khmer New Year holiday, the streets are becoming deserted and the garbage is piling up. Rotting garbage mixed with the rainy season flood water allowed to bake in the hot sun for days results in unbearable air to breathe. Looking forward to walking to work!

Saturday as we were walking home I was somewhat pleased to see that "the toothless lady that lives on 63rd street" was not home. It makes me believe she must have family and has gone to one of the provinces for the holidays. We took advantage of her absence to take a picture of her home seen in photo below.

This is her home. It is smaller than I thought it was.

Her home is actually much nicer than many of the smaller city street dwellings. She has a nice brick floor and as I explained in the last blog this spot is in a covered area and sits a bit farther from the street traffic than most.

Remember the "new kid on the block"? We do not know where he went. A new store will open soon which shares the same vacant lot with him. He may have been told he had to move. He was just becoming part of our daily routine. Alas he is gone.

The streets of Phnom Penh are walled or gated. Behind the walls and gates are private homes like the one seen below. Outside the gates are homes like the above two examples.

People that live in homes secured behind gates also drive Lexus or other expensive cars. Often times these homes are occupied by people that work for the Embassy. Homes like this have guards. There are no automatic gate openers. A toot of the horn and a guard promptly opens the gate. 

Guard jobs seem boring. It is, however, a good job for students because they have down time to do their school work. Most guards are college age students. One of our PEF students just became a guard for a primary school. The school provides him with room and board. He also has weekends off and can live at his parent's home on those days.He is able to attend church. He struggled for months trying to find work. This guard job is a blessing for him. Not every one is so blessed. Often, school and work conflict with church. Our PEF students are required to remain active in church and attend their Sunday meetings. They are told to do their best to make their schedules work with their church obligations. This can be challenging.

It seems like laundry day comes as quickly as Sundays. I only wash once a week. Friday evening is the time of choice. It is actually the only time that seems to work for me. I wish I read Korean because when the machine gets off balance I would like to know how to solve the problem. I would like to know how to program the machine to "rinse only" or set it on the "spin cycle". Every week there is some fluke thing that happens. This Friday I noticed that water kept flowing out to the ground hose on one of the two machines I was using. Both machines began washing at the same time. Both should have ended at the same time. When there was 10 minutes remaining the machine that had the steady water flow switched back to 20 minutes. I finally turned the water source off.  The machine finally drained and went into the spin cycle. What should have been 10 minutes remaining ended up being 30 minutes.  An exciting Friday evening is NOT standing around in our laundry room waiting for psycho machines to complete their jobs. I really  should be grateful. I have it way better than so many.

This week we went to Kean Svay for church. Dale decided that perhaps a face mask would be a good idea to wear. The dust was flying. Dale is still recovering from last months asthma attack after our visit to Kean Svay. This time he took several other precautions. Lets pray that he can keep his asthma under control for the next 317 days.

Yes, we have a little count down on our computer letting us know how many days we have left. It is not that we are anxious to return to the states...well maybe it is that we are anxious to return...I don't know... missions are a bag of emotions...there are all the wonderful things that are happening here and then there are all the wonderful things that are happening on the home front... and then there are all the frustrations that happen on a mission... and there are frustrations at home...and... I don't know why we are counting down...I guess we do it because the computer has this nifty little program that we can use for free. We also have a clock that shows us the time where all the important people in our lives reside. When I'm thinking of you I look at the clock and know if you are sleeping or waking up or doing something in between. 

This sweet sister always greets us. She lives off the main road leading out of Kean Svay.  On our first Sunday we arrived at Kean Svay she greeted us warmly and asked if she could ride in our tuk tuk. She lives quite a distance from the meeting house. Her home is not out of our way.  We have given her a ride ever since. She often walks to church. It is a very long walk from her home. I imagine other members of the church if they have room give her rides also. I believe her name is Do (long "o" sound). 

You have seen pictures of this tuk tuk before. This is the famous CTR ( Choose The Right) tuk tuk. We caught Kosal's family just as they were leaving. They have had their tuk tuk since the mid 90's.

We saw many buses, vans, tuk tuks and motos loaded to capacity with passengers and baggage preparing for their trips to their homeland provinces for the holidays.

 This is a family leaving church.

Kean Svay Baptismal Font.

We attended the Gospel Principle class today. Attendance at church today was low.  Many members had already left to go to their homelands. Two of the Elders remained at home ill.  The other two Elders taught the lesson. We had no translators today so Dale and I were on our own to figure out what was being taught. I quietly read the lesson to myself. I wanted to share a portion with you on our blog.

Part of the lesson teaches that we all will have trials in our lives: sickness,disappointment, pain, sorrow, and death. These experiences are for our good.  If we allow them to, these trials will purify us rather than defeat us. They will teach us to have endurance, patience and charity.

Because of our weaknesses, all of us except little children will sin. A Savior is provided for us so we can overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection. If we place our faith in Him, obeying His work and following His example,we will receive a fullness of joy.

Dale and I plan on taking one day this week to be tourists.  Hopefully we will have a few good photo shots to share with you next week.

This coming weekend we will be viewing the rebroadcast of General Conference. The Senior Couples will gather for a potluck lunch between sessions. It should be fun.

Plans are being made for a Christmas Choir program involving several of the Christian churches in Phnom Penh.  The plan is to invite many dignitaries to the event. Elder and Sister James, our public relations couple, are the instigators of this plan and will be overseeing it. Who knows what impact this will have on the community and relationships between religions here.

Sunday comes quickly and therefore I will be writing again soon. Have a blessed week.

The rainy season is officially here.

Family and Friends,
We have experienced rain in the past here in Cambodia, but now is truly the rainy season. We were told it will last through October. Prior to this season we experienced fairly predictable showers. They would usually   begin around three or four in the afternoon and last about an hour. The streets would fill up and then drain fairly quickly. What we are experiencing this month is steady rain throughout the day and night with a few hours of no rain. The temperatures have decreased which is quite pleasant but if we had to sleep outside in the rain it would be cold. I now understand when we were told that many older people die from exposure to the cold. I have become more aware of the reality of the living conditions here. Dale took some good pictures of daily life that are shared in today's blog.

Last night Sister Rhyne and I shared a tuk tuk to attend the General Relief Society Rebroadcast. There were only four of us in attendance. I imagine the other people watched it online at home. I was surprised at how few were there. There was one location to view the meeting in English. There were viewings throughout the church buildings in the city and the provinces for the Khmer and Vietnamese.  There was a Khmer viewing of the meeting in the same building  we met in. About 10 sisters in attended that viewing. I don't think the members understand the significance of these meetings. What great messages of hope and comfort. As Sister Burton the General Relief Society President spoke, I reflected on my own experiences and the experiences I am aware of that so many of you have had. For those that did not hear her talk she spoke of how all that is unfair about this life will be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile we can find peace and comfort and strength through the Savior.

As we left the building to go home our tuk tuk traveled our route to work. It was about 7:30 in the evening. It was dark and raining. As we passed by the home of "the toothless lady" I looked to my right. I could see her lying down as if settled for the evening. Her home is a platform about 5 feet square raised about 3 feet off the ground. This platform serves as her bed, a place to prepare and eat her meals and to sit and visit with friends. It is about 20 feet from the street in a small corner where a building and a wall meet. There is a overhang which protects her from the hot sun and cold rain. As far as I can see all she owns could be put into one small moving box. It would not be filled. Where she showers and gets her water I do not know. I sometimes see her walking back to her corner from a side street. Last night when I lay in bed I pondered on her life. I wondered what her childhood experiences were. Did she ever marry and have children? Does she even have a family? What was her education if any? When she dies who will mourn her passing? Where will she be laid to rest? I reflected on the evening's message from Sister Burton, that all that is unfair will be made right. This toothless woman is a child of God, a daughter of God and she has value. The big whys in life...why was she born in Cambodia into a life of poverty? Why was I born in the United States being blessed with more than plenty? I do not understand. I am grateful for my circumstances, but somewhat sickened for this woman's situations. The reality is she is one of hundreds in such poverty. Some times poverty is the fault of the individual but not always. In Cambodia many were born into "this trap". These people need a miracle. Faith precedes the miracle. The Atonement is the miracle that will right this wrong. For us that have much it is required that we give much...we can give of our time, talents and material means. Perhaps Dale and I are God's Hands in helping a young woman or man gain the skills and education necessary to prevent another generation from becoming the "lady that sleeps on a platform on 63rd street Phnom Penh, Cambodia". I hope so.

The remainder of this blog will be pictures of this weeks life in Cambodia.

    Monday this cutie petootie visited us. Her grandma or mother...not sure which came to inquire for her daughter about the Manila Temple trip. Our trip has been cancelled because no one could afford the air fare. There are two other trips planned for mixed age groups. Ours was a young single adult trip.We hope she will be able to join one of these groups.

It was raining really hard the other day and I opened the curtains to our office to check it out. We ended up looking at more than rain falling from the sky.

This view is looking directly down from our office window into a ally which is several blocks long. A whole community resides here. Looking off to the right in the fore front is what appears to be a rack with merchandise on it. The other day I watched the big orange box get stocked with ice and beer. I think perhaps this is a little store in this small community.

As soon as it started to rain the alley came to life. People put there large basins out to collect water. This man is washing his clothes. He dumped laundry soap in the basin and using his feet stomped and swished his clothes clean. He was able to fill his basins to capacity several times. His clothes got washed and rinsed and he had running water the entire time. It did not take very long to do this either. Drying the clothes is another story.

Later it is time to prepare a meal. The orange box becomes a serving table. The collected rainwater is an added advantage for cleaning and cooking. Outside is as much a part of the house as the inside is. The reality is that more happens outdoors than indoors.

It is hard to see but this is a home directly out side our office window. It is pretty much exposed to outdoors. There are no real walls. The room is divided by sheets.The blue tarps to the left are used as protection for the alley community in the previous photos.

This is a close up of the same home. They have a vase of flowers to make it pretty. The box like platform is the bed. The mattress is set off to the side so the platform can be used for a table or whatever. There home reminds me of the Adirondacks we used for  girls camps. I prefer tent camping. I like to zip mother nature out. Notice clothes hanging off to the side.

A new restaurant opened about a month ago. It is "The New York Steak House". Dale thought this cow was cool.  It is fatter than any live cow we have seen in Cambodia.

As we were walking home from work we came upon these guys pulling electrical wires along the road. There is some sort of time warp here in Cambodia. Apparently jobs are hard to get and so the country chooses not to use modern tools. Cambodia is up to date with cell phones, laptops, palms,  television remotes, and cameras but when it comes to demolition is remains a hammer smashing at bricks. From our office we watched a work crew passing buckets of rock down an assembly line.

I was amazed when Sister Rhyne said one of her trainers from Hong Kong had not been to Cambodia in over 7 years. As they traveled through Phnom Penh he commented on how the country has progressed. He told her when he was last here there were no stores along the roads and that the streets are so clean now. Really!!! Apparently we are blessed to be here now that it's cleaned up. Hmm...

The Khmer of the week. One of these cookies is not like the other. You choose...Stereo or Oreo?

We plan to have a wonderful week and hope you have one too.