We've arrived...

In the above photo we are still on the plane. We had been traveling for about 24 hours which includes layovers in LA California and Taipei Taiwan. We tried to sleep on the plane, however, economy flight accommodations are pretty tight. I got up and moved around some; being short I was able to prop my feet up on the drop down lap table.  It was dark and I had a lap blanket I used for privacy.  Dale could not do much readjusting of his sitting positions. When he tried to put his shoes on to leave the plane he discovered that his feet had swollen  considerably.  Fortunately the swelling gradually left as he walked. We had lots of fun at the gates to enter the country. It was a bit hectic but we managed to finally get past the gates of entry. Beyond the gate we were greeted by several of the Senior Couples serving here. Our mission president and his wife were among the group of greeters. A group picture was taken, but we have not received it. Once we get it we will post it.

We spent our first night with President and Sister Smedley in the Mission Home. It is a beautiful, very old house with incredible wood work and many of the furnishings are beautifully carved. Many of the buildings in this area are gated with barb wire along the top to prevent unwanted guests.The Misson home is no exception.  The above photo is the guest room of the Mission Home. We were exhausted from out trip but were advised that in order to adjust to the new time zone we needed to force ourselves to keep awake and busy.  We were given about 15 minutes to freshen up and then we met the Smedley's in the dining area for lunch. We spent some time getting to know each other.  We met some of the people who work in the office and some of the caretaker staff. The khmae staff are wonderful people.  We had fun trying to speak khmae with them. They just laughed and were so surprised.  They would say "you speak khmae!"  We only said some very basic words, but they were very excited that we were trying. President and Sister Smedley had quite a bit of training for us so we spent a good portion of the evening doing that.  Part of the training was on food and water safety. 

This is a photo of our sink with produce we bought this week.  The carrots are huge.  The water is unsafe to drink so we have bottled water.  The produce also is not safe until it is cleaned well.  The carrots are soaking in bleach water.  This same process is done for all fruits, vegetables and should be done for meat also. I am still getting use to this.  My hands smell like bleach most of the time.  Washing dishes has also become a major job.

We ate khmae pancakes.  I call them that because I bought a box of Bisquick and when I scooped out the flour there were tiny ants in it.  I made pancakes and we ate it anyway.  Western food is VERY expensive. Our grandson, Owen wanted to know if we would eat bugs on our mission.  Well, we have started small and we will see what the next 17 months brings.  The ants are really microscopic in size.  Ants have made their home in our office also. At first I could not figure out what these tiny bugs were.  Looking very closely I could see that they were ants. So far our apartment is bug free.  We did see two geckos on the laundry room wall, but the laundry room is open air. In the mornings the laundry room is used by young women who sit on little plastic stools.  They use large metal bowls to hand scrub clothes and they also use the machines.  I suspect they are doing laundry for tenants in our facility. The washers are very different from ours. One of these days I will take a picture. 

These pictures were taken today, Sunday March 18.  We had to be to the Tuol Tom Pong Branch by 8am so we took a tuk tuk. We usually walk everywhere. The streets were fairly quiet today. Weekdays the roads are packed with tuk tuks, motorcycles, cars, trucks, fruit carts, etc.  There was a gentle breeze this morning which made for a very enjoyable ride to church. I did see a man who had caught a rat in a cage and he was carrying it down the street with his dog at his side.  I do not know what he was intending to do with the rat and I don't think I really want to know. The poverty here is incredible.  We attend three church branches.  Today we went to an 8am sacrament meeting and then we walked to our office building to attend the International Branch. Next week we will attend the Kean Svay Branch.  We will need to ride in a tuk tuk because church begins at 8am and the meeting house is quite some distance from where we live.

 

Saturday we went to our office thinking we would get lots accomplished.  That did not happen as we had lots of visitors and then we received a phone call to attend a wedding at the Tuol Tom Pong Branch at 1:00 pm. The new Branch President requested Dale be at the wedding to confirm the marriage was being performed correctly.  The Branch President did great. We were told that it is rare to have a wedding at the meeting house. Everyone was pretty excited.  The wedding was quite fun and we met some more wonderful people.  FYI:  Most weddings are held in the streets of Phnom Pehn.  Huge canopies are set up usually close to the person's place of business, which could also be their home. The canopies are draped with fabric and flowers. As you drive by you can hear music, and speeches and peer in to see lots of people enjoying lots of wonderful food.  Life goes on around the canopies.  Tuk tuks, cars, bikes, pedestrians simply make there way around these tents, their daily routine uninterrupted. There is always a wedding in progress somewhere.  Although people do not have much money they go all out for weddings. It is my understanding the groom foots the bill. Gifts are usually money to help pay for the celebration which cost thousands of dollars. The average person here makes $100 or less a month.

This week has been very long and very full.  There is so much I would like to tell.  We are still adjusting to our new time zone. At 6:00 pm it is dark everyday and at 6:00 am it is light again. We haven't had a chance to see a sunset , but hope to in the next week or two. We have had little free time.  In the above photo we are at our first official Cambodian restaurant.  We had a great meal.  It was a rice bowl...the bowl being a hollowed pineapple filled with rice, chicken, pineapple, veggies and coconut milk.  It was GOOD. Restaurant prices are very inexpensive. Each bowl was $3.50.
It gets hot here but has been bearable. The humidity is not bad at the present time. We hang our laundry to dry and it actually dries.  I was so proud of Dale...he ironed his shirts and one of my blouses.  He did a great job.  I was so grateful he did the ironing.  I was getting overwhelmed with doing dishes and sanitizing everything.
This Thursday we will travel to some of the Provinces.  I do not know which one but will find out tomorrow.  This means we pack our bags and spend a couple nights away from Phnom Penh.  We will be back Saturday morning.  We teach Institute Saturday evenings.  Our first class was this past Saturday.
Family and friends thanks for visiting our blog. We love you and are grateful for your prayers.

We received our arrival picture. Here it is.

We are on our way...

Family and friends,

The day has arrived.  We had our last breakfast at the MTC (eggs,bacon and hash browns for Elder Meier and oatmeal cinnamon and sugar  and applesauce for me). We will have lunch here in about 30 minutes and then we board our shuttle to Salt Lake City.  Our flight is at 4:50.  Are we excited..yes!  Are we anxious...yes! Are we ready...too late... its going to happen whether we are ready or not.  Can you ever really be ready?  Those that know me well know that I overwork everything.  I could have years to prepare and would find "just one more thing do".

We have had an absolutely wonderful MTC experience. We have met so many great people from all walks of life and experiences.  To rub shoulders with these saints young, middle aged and old has been incredible.  Everyone has a story and everyone has great faith and hope in their Savior and Heavenly Father.  We all agree there are no coincidences in life.  The Masters hand is upon His children. He knows us all.  He knows what trials will best help us to come unto Him.  What experiences we each will need to be able to serve His children well. My knowledge that our trials mold us and can perfect us has been verified as we have met with so many who have endured much and desire to give much to others. I am in awe that Heavenly Father trusts Elder Meier and I to serve the people in Cambodia.  We feel greatly blessed for this awesome opportunity.  

We met a young elder from Cambodia here at the MTC.  We will be teaching his 22 year old sister Hem Maria in our institute classes.  Elder Hem was so excited to meet us. We were excited to try out our language skills. He helped us a little. We took a picture of him and had a print made.  At dinner last night we took the photo into the cafeteria and had Elder Hem write a message to his sister.  He was so happy. It is very rare for Cambodia to send missionaries out of their country . Elder Hem is going to Korea.  He is such a great missionary. He is so happy and full of life.  He is so proud to be able to serve.

FYI:  It is OK to take photos at the big map at the MTC.  The note at the side of the map just says not to take pictures during high traffic hours between 7:30-4:30 weekdays and no pictures on Sunday.  

Cum Reap Lia!!! We will tell you more once we are in Cambodia.

Sister Meier, Elder Hem, Elder Meier

Is this guy happy or what?

Week Two at the MTC

This week we went to Salt Lake City everyday except for Monday.  Monday we attended a session at the Provo Temple and had a day of training on teaching Institute. I was grateful for that training which helped me understand some better ways to create lessons. We also had language training Monday evening. The remainder of the week we spent in Salt Lake City learning about our responsibilities concerning the  Perpetual Education Fund program. 

Tuesday morning Elder and Sister Ball who live in Orem, Utah picked us up at 7:45 and we went together to Salt Lake. They remained in Salt Lake and we caught a 4:15 pm express bus back to Orem. The MTC shuttle service picked us up from the bus stop and brought us home. Tuesday training was great. That evening we arrived back at the MTC just before the cafeteria closed.  I was really tired. I thought it would be nice just to go to bed.  I did not express that thought out loud. We went to the evening devotional.  The guest speaker is unknown until the last minute. About 15 minutes before the devotional is to begin the congregation sings hymns. This night as the song was coming to an end everyone stood up. I am short and could not see what was happening. I was finally able to peak between the bodies of the people in front of me and there standing on the stage was Jeffery R. Holland a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.  He gave a powerful talk on the Book of Mormon and how it changes lives. I was so glad I went.  The remainder of the week we took a 6:15am shuttle from the MTC to the bus stop in Orem,Utah and from there boarded the 801 express bus to Salt Lake City. Each morning we woke up to snow on the ground and a chill in the air. We huddled together waiting for our bus. We were in our missionary attire so my legs were exposed to the cold and I wore a light weight jacket. We will not need winter clothes in Cambodia. Our training for our responsibilities concerning the Perpetual Education Fund was wonderful. This program is truly God's plan for his children in parts of the world where there is little hope of opportunity. Through the Perpetual Education fund people obtain skills to be able to get jobs to help improve their lives and the lives of their families.  In the words of President Hinckley in General Conference 2001, "Education is the key to opportunity [and] with good employment skills, these young men and women can rise out of...poverty.  Most of these students will attend technical schools...in the areas where they live.... They will learn skills which are in demand and for which they can qualify. They will learn self reliance and integrity for they will repay the money they receive from this program.  When they do so, they will experience a wonderful sense of freedom because they have improved their lives not through a grant or gift but through borrowing and repaying.  They can hold their heads high in a spirit of independence." In most cases these people will become the leaders in their communities and in the church.  Dale and I are grateful to have the opportunity to help move this program forward in Cambodia.  At the present time  in Cambodia there are 165 young people taking control of their lives through the Perpetual Education Fund program. 

More to tell about our second week. Besides being able to hear from Elder Jeffery R. Holland on Tuesday evening we had another exciting event.  Thursday we walked from the Church Office building to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for training. We had lunch in the cafeteria of the Church Office building. On the way back to our class we had to walk through the underground parking lot.  As we were walking we saw in the distance a small cart with the Prophet and his councilors. Then as we were about to enter the hallway leading to the Joseph Smith Memorial building the rest of the Quorum of the Twelve walked passed us. It was amazing.  There was security all around.

We begin our  final week at the MTC tomorrow.  Monday we again go to Salt Lake City, but this will be on an MTC bus because there is a larger group of us going to tour Welfare Square. I have heard it is quite the place. This entire week we will learn about the Welfare program of the church. We depart for Cambodia on Saturday at 4:50 pm.  Family and friends... this is really going to happen! Until we blog again, may God bless each and everyone of you.

The Mission Training Center

Hello family and friends,
Our arrival at the Mission Training Center was awesome.  Ron, Dale's brother drove us to the MTC and we were directed to the back of the Jacob Hamblin building. When we got out of our car there were about a dozen Young Elder Missionaries waiting to help us with our luggage and escort us to our apartment. It was awesome to be surrounded by so many worthy priesthood holders. It was a hoot when they saw our accommodations. They were impressed as their rooms can't compare. Even our hallways are pretty nice with mini lounge areas, etc. Not just anyone can roam the halls where our apartments are located. For these  young men it was a treat to sneak a peak of the unknown.
Every day this week has been incredibly busy. We were trained in Preach My Gospel. The training is pretty intense. We did lots of role plays to help us improve our teaching skills in sharing the gospel.  We were given various scenarios and critiqued on how we did.  It was very good training. Our teachers are returned missionaries attending BYU . They do an incredible job.
Tonight we had a testimony meeting for our language training. All the Senior couples had the opportunity to bear their testimony of the gospel in the language of the country they will serve in.  There are three couples going to Cambodia. The Greer's will depart for Cambodia on Tuesday. They live in Provo,Utah and go home each night. They plan to pack on Monday. Next to leave the Mission Training Center will be the Rhynes and then us. Dale jokes that we are on the remedial training program. Most Senior couples leave  after one or two weeks of training. Not us. The truth is that the MTC is beginning a new training program that better prepares the Seniors for their missions. We are the first of this new group of trainees. I am glad we have some extra time here.
The food is fabulous. The cafeteria is huge. A person could get very rotund here. There are many choices of entrees, desserts, etc. There is also a fabulous salad bar and continental breakfast area.  It is mind boggling how many people are served 3 meals a day here. Tonight we had a variety of Papa Johns Pizza choices. I imagine Papa Johns is elated to have the MTC's business. There was lots of pizza consumed this evening. Parents, your missionaries are well fed here.
We have met so many wonderful people. Many left today for their assigned mission areas. It was really exciting to watch them board their shuttle to the airport and their anticipation to begin their service for the Lord. It is so uplifting to be apart of this great work.
Thanks for visiting our blog. We love you and appreciate your support and interest in what is happening in our lives.

Our Apartment

Hello Family and Friends,
We recently received this website which tours a unit in the apartment complex we will be living at. You are welcome to take the tour at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThoD8E-FCTo . It is not at all what we were expecting. We are pleased and feel a bit spoiled to say the least. It is quite nice...small...but nice. We are not quite sure where we will store our four very large suitcases. We may start a new apartment decorating trend...end tables with zippers...cool!

We are on the count down to our departure to the Mission Training Center.  The cupboards are pretty much gutted.  We ate our last can of  roast beef tonight. We still have four hot dogs, one pound of  bacon, two fish patties, one can of salmon, one dozen eggs and fourteen jars of peanut butter to go. Yum!

Welcome to our home via youtube.
lia sen hauy

A NEW DEPARTURE DATE

We recently were notified that our entrance date into the Mission Training Center at Provo, Utah has been changed from February 27 to February 20.  We have flights scheduled to leave Portland, Oregon on Friday February 17. Ron, Dale's brother will drive us to Provo from Salt Lake City on Monday February 20. The final weekend prior to entering the MTC we will spend visiting with our son Jay and son Jon and his wife Diedra and with Ron and his wife Annette.

We will rent our home to our friend Doug Harada. Thankfully he has consented to use our furnishings which has reduced what we need to pack and store. That does not mean we are just walking away from the house. We have lived in the same home for about 30 years. I calculate 30 years+ 4 children+ 6 grandchildren+ hobbies+ SALES+ craigslist+XYZ = lots of work to do. We are clearing out rooms and closets and shelves so Doug can make our house his home for the next 18 months.

We continue to learn the Khmae language. We can not boast fluent speaking and great comprehension but each day we make improvements. What we do know has boosted our confidence. Each word learned is a step in the right direction.

To our senior friends who desire to serve missions our advice is that it is never too early to prepare.  We received our mission call Labor Day weekend and the time has flown by.  There is quite a bit to do when leaving your home behind.  Young missionaries, for the most part, pack their bags and leave. Us older folks have financial institutions, the IRS, doctors, insurance companies, vehicles,the mail service, home repairs and upkeep,shopping, family member needs, pets, etc. to take into consideration. Because the Lord wants us to serve His children, everything does come together, but we have learned that it is never too early to write the "to do list"and start checking it off.

Our good news for the day... no more SHOTS!!

cumriap sua!

Hello or cumriap sua! For about a month we have been learning the language of the people we will be serving in Cambodia. It is definitely a foreign language to us. There are very few words that even sound anything like English.We are also learning to read and write.That too is very foreign. Since this photo was taken we have taken the post its off the wall. Our vocabulary list is too numerous to continue this method of learning words. We do have about 300+ flashcards that we have made. Some days are discouraging but we have found when we keep plugging away at memorizing and practicing that we are actually able to understand some words and phrases. The other evening we wanted to learn about the floods that are happening in Thailand and wondered how Cambodia was fairing. We happened upon a news broadcast from Cambodia.  We actually understood a few of the words the reporter was saying. That was encouraging to us. Knowing the basics of the khmae language will help us feel more comfortable as we meet with those we are called to serve. For now dear family and friends "cumriap lia" or goodbye.