Proof is in the Picture.

Family and Friends,
Another week has come and gone in the blazing hot country of Cambodia. We are grateful for air conditioning and back up generators when the power fails. Several of the other Senior Couples have not been as fortunate. Elder and Sister Johnson live in a fairly expensive apartment. The location is not the greatest. They have frequent power outages. The place where they live does not have a generator. On our hottest days so far this season they had no electricity. Their apartment heated up quickly. Elder Johnson informed the manager that if they did not get a generator soon they would be moving. The lack of air conditioning has played havoc on Sister Johnson's health. The Tucks reside in the Ta Khmau area. They also have frequent power outages. The Capeners live in Kean Svaay and also have power outage issues. We have been pretty lucky. Our work place is a whole other story. You have read about our Internet /electricity sagas in past blogs.

This week began with work as usual. We left the office early Monday. We had Family Home Evening at our place. We left work early to prepare our apartment for our guests. Dale presented a lesson on the principle of grace. We also listened to a talk presented by Brad Wilcox. I set up the refreshments which consisted of USA glazed donuts, lemonade and ice water and a vegetable tray.  Everyone was on diets. Very few donuts were eaten. I offered to wrap some up for people to take home for breakfast. No one wanted them.We wrapped and froze some donuts and also took some to work. Kuntheavy's birthday was Friday. We were not going to be able to do anything for her on that day because of Career Workshop. Tuesday we had donuts and sang happy birthday to Kuntheavy after our Church Education committee meeting. It worked out well.

Wednesday was a routine day up until 3:00. We left early in order to get to the airport on time to greet Elder and Sister Dilworth who were scheduled to arrive to Phnom Penh at 4:00. Their flight was delayed one hour. We had down time at home before we actually left for the airport. I used that time to begin popping popcorn for our Career Workshop to be held Thursday. I made enough popcorn to fill 16 bags.

Proof is in the picture:
Last week I blogged that I would get a picture of Burger King, home of the Whopper. We haven't eaten there yet. It is no big deal if we don't. It is just cool to see signs from home.




After greeting Elder and Sister Dilworth we boarded the vans to meet for dinner at the Tonle Bassac Restaurant. It is an "all you can eat" buffet specializing in Khmer, Vietnamese and other Asian cuisine. Because Elder and Sister Dilworth's flight was delayed,because we got a flat tire leaving the airport, and because we were traveling during peak rush hour traffic we arrived at the restaurant after the main rush of cuisine eaters had arrived and dished up their food. The lines were long and many food choices were gone. The online reviews of  Tonle Bassac are both positive and negative. The differences in reviews seemed to be influenced by the time of day the patron was at the restaurant. Our experience was on the negative side. Dinner was a bust. Travel to and from the restaurant was fun. It is always great times when we are able to talk about our different mission responsibilities and our families.  Elder and Sister Westover and Elder and Sister Kohls are great people to "hang with".

We could sense Elder and Sister Dilworths' pain as they dealt with jet lag. The first days and weeks in Cambodia can be overwhelming. After all the planning and preparation finally the arrival day comes and it sort of hits you in the face. SMACK!! Then you pick yourself up and get to work.

We were very fortunate to be able to meet with the Dilworths on Friday afternoon. We were given time to introduce them to the PEF program. Dale showed them the steps that are all part of helping students apply for loans. They were told that at any time they can call us and Dale can walk them through the application steps. Having now received a little training  they will be less apprehensive to help.  Elder and Sister Dilworth are a vital part of helping the PEF participants in Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom. WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE THEM.

Two days in the country and Elder Dilworth bought a car and was maneuvering his way down the streets of Phnom Penh. Elder and Sister Tuck sold their car to the Dilworths. The Tucks have several months yet to serve, but they were concerned that they would not find a buyer for their car when it was time to depart. They have opted to hire a tuk tuk driver for their remainder months here.

Sister Dilworth is in red vest and Elder Dilworth is in the suit.

Traveling with Elder and Sister Dilworth was Elder Pham from Seattle, Washington. He is Vietnamese and already speaks the language. I am not sure if he will serve in Cambodia or Vietnam or both.





Thursday and Friday we dedicated our days to teaching Career Work Shop. Dale does all the teaching. This time we had a large group of missionaries returning home. The group we said good bye to were the leaders for these past months we have been here. Several of these young men had served in the mission office and also as Assistants to the President. If any of you remember the documentary "Two Brothers Apart",  it will be of interest to you to know that Elder Nelson is going home. His family is actually here in Cambodia. They will tour Cambodia for two weeks prior to traveling to the USA. Elder Nelson's brother and his new bride are also here. Elder Nelson was a valiant missionary. He served well and we were blessed to have been able to rub shoulders with him. I also found out that he is from Cougar Mountain Ward. They meet in the meeting house next to the Seattle Temple. When I was in town dealing with my mother and sisters health problems I would attend that Ward. Many of the Relief Society sisters know my story and were very kind to me. I will be forever grateful for the "Charity" they showed me. It is a small world.

Elder Meier eating popcorn while the Elders work on their "power statements".

Elder Kuhn, Elder Price, Elder Hall and Elder Kim's arm.

Going around the room clockwise start with Elder Meier, Elder Jorgensen, Elder Nelson, Elder Nielson, Elder Jensen, Elder Knight, Elder Anderson, Elder Kim, Elder Hall, Elder Price, Elder Kuhn.

Elder Knight, Elder Anderson, Elder Kim.

Elder Nelson, Elder Nielson, Elder Jensen, Elder Knight.

Elder Jorgensen, Elder Nelson, Elder Neilson.








A great group of missionaries who have been dedicated to the work they were called to do. A fun group to work with.

Saturday morning we got to the church at about 6:20 and were blessed to see this little boy. His mom was setting up her road side restaurant.






When we arrived home Saturday afternoon we were greeted with a filthy apartment. Earlier in the week I kept finding white crumbles of paint on our bedroom floor. At first it was small pieces. When dime size pieces began falling I looked up and saw that pieces of our ceiling were flaking off. We had a leak that was causing damage in all three of our rooms. While we were at work a crew made repairs. We came home to floors, wall trim, counters and furniture covered in plaster dust. I spent Saturday afternoon on my hands and knees scrubbing floors and wiping down doors, furniture, trim and bathroom fixtures. I was tired by the time I was done. I also did the laundry. As of Saturday there were only two washing machines that "sort of work".

Khmer New Year is here and most places are closed. The streets are quiet. People will not return until later next week.

This is the road we walk every day. This picture was taken about 1:30 Sunday afternoon.The construction crew has moved  further up the street.  To the left a gravel road covers the work area. We hope that asphalt will be laid soon. The dust is pretty horrific. Dale's asthma has been BAD!!


Some of our tenants have left their garbage at the end of the hall near the elevator. The management posted the following request:

And with that we would like to show hearty thank you for visiting our blog this week.