Senior Missionaries are allowed to keep up with current events. We are aware of the horrific events that occurred in Portland and in Connecticut. We weep with our nation and the families that are trying to cope. I fear that people will blame God for allowing these acts of violence and murder to happen. He is not to blame. Instead of blaming Him we need to turn to Him for comfort and hope. He sent His son Jesus Christ to this earth because of the evil that is here. His Son did the will of His Father. God's plan is one of happiness for each us. This plan required an infinite sacrifice. The Savior took upon Himself all of our sins and sorrows in the Garden of Gethsemane. He experienced a horrible death on the cross. Because of the divine within Him he was able to resurrect Himself. These acts of selfless love and sacrifice prepared the way for each of us to overcome death and be forgiven of our sins. God is good. He is love. He stands at the door and knocks. I pray we each will draw closer to God and to our Savior. Let us each strive to have the Light of Christ shine brightly in our lives. Light will overcome darkness. May God heal the USA.
We are seeing Christmas decorations everywhere throughout Phnom Penh. The people love twinkle lights and glitter. Christmas lights are seen year round, but the addition of the Christmas tree turns our thoughts to something more than just bling.
Our church Christmas concert was Saturday. Friday evening we had one last practice. We left our office early to be able to help. Elder and Sister James offered us a ride. We arrived at the church building at about 4:30. We finished rehearsal about 9:00. No one had eaten dinner. We had never been to "the famous" Mike's Burgers. We decided to stop there before going home. The burgers were good but not the best food choice at 9:00 pm. Dale had a rough night because of it. The following morning we had to be at the church by 6:15 for our Institute class.
Dale taught an excellent lesson. At 9:00 am we attended a teacher training meeting. At the conclusion we were offered a Khmer lunch provided by a local restaurant. We had chicken legs (not feet), rice,pork soup, marinated carrots, cucumber,and onion. After lunch we finished a few items of business in our office and walked home. Dale took advantage of some down time to rest while I did a couple loads of laundry. We got dressed for the concert and rode in a tuk tuk to the church.
The Christmas Concert was wonderful. The guards at the gate counted 1,100 people in attendance.
Let me share some of the "behind the scenes" glitches we faced.
1. Everyone was told to wear white under their costumes.
a.) Mary came in an orange dress with a black insert at the bodice and forgot her sandals.
Her costume had enough layers that the orange dress was OK. I searched the shoes of the choir members to find sandals for Mary. Sister Capener sacrificed her shoes for our cause.
b.) One of the angels showed up in black, one showed up in brown polka dots and one showed up in a floral print blouse.
We searched among our group for lighter colored tops for each of the angels. The main angels fabric was very sheer. One of the girls brought a light colored camisole. The main angel wore the camisole. It could be seen through the costume fabric. The back was questionable but the front was OK. Fortunately the angels never turned their backs to the audience.
The angels asked if angels wear earrings. I told them no they don't. They accepted my answer.
c.) One of the shepherds wore sneakers. I hoped Sister James wouldn't notice. He was suppose to bring sandals.
d.) Our African King took a picture of the script with his Samsung Galaxy Seven.
Dale was in charge of getting the kings down the aisle on time. As he sent them on their way he noticed a glow on the African kings face. Our king was reading the script from his Samsung that he had cleverly placed inside the gift he was to present to the baby Jesus.
I was a bit panicked when I discovered that the position of the Nativity riser had been changed. When I had made the discovery the room was filling with people. People were sitting where the shepherds and kings were suppose to be. I had to do some quick shuffling.
The photographers were getting in the way too. I had to tell one photographer he needed to move because in about 30 seconds the shepherds would be kneeling where he was kneeling.
Overall the program went well. The second to the last song the audience was invited to sing Jingle Bells. The room burst into song. The people were clapping and having a wonderful time. The program ended with everyone singing Silent Night.
Our final responsibility of the evening was to gather the Nativity people together and make sure all costumes were returned. Clean up went quickly. Elder and Sister James provided us a ride home.
Pictured are choirs from each of the church branches in the area.
Practice night photo.
Setting up the manger area.
An artist from TaKhmau Branch offered this painting to be used at the concert. It was placed in the foyer.
Earlier this week we ate dinner at MaMa's New York Deli. This is MaMa and her grandson.
Sophea Hun recently graduated from Build Bright University in Business Management. She owns a rice business.
Thursday and Friday we held a Career Workshop. Sister Johnson and Sister Brunelle are pictured here with Elder Meier. Elder Thomas and Elder Wright were also scheduled to take this course. They attended the Thursday morning session. Elder Thomas had debit card problems that he needed to resolve before he flew home the following evening. He and Elder Wright were not in attendance for the afternoon session. Elder Thomas had never used his debit card while serving his mission. He needed cash for his trip home. When he inserted his card into the ATM machine it ate it! Thursday afternoon was when the bank would allow him to retrieve his card. His card was returned to him. When he put his card into the ATM it was confiscated again. Friday morning was his last chance to retrieve it. As a result the Elders did not complete the work shop. Sister Brunelle is ill and was returning home after 10 months of service. She visited several doctors in Cambodia but none could help her. It was determined she should return to the states to receive medical help. It was a pleasure to meet and work with Sister Johnson and Sister Brunelle.
After church today we were invited to Elder and Sister Westovers home to make cut out sugar cookies with one of the Vietnamese branches. Pictured here is Sophy Lam. Her home was burnt down when she could not pay bribe money to the firemen. She has a positive outlook on life. She is one of the first PEF students we met when we arrived in Cambodia.
Christmas music was playing as we worked on cookies. The aroma of fresh baked cookies filled the air. I was reminded of Christmas traditions at home. Happiness is good memories...
The packages are piling up at the mission home. Some packages are big and some small but all are filled with love from home.
Life is fragile. May we each count our blessings and cherish every moment we have together.
No comments:
Post a Comment