Three hundred and thirty one ground hog days to go!

Family and friends,
These blog entries come quickly. This entry will be short. We had our usual frustrations and also some blessings.

If you recall last week I blogged about a man who set up his air compressor shop on the sidewalk. He was gone the other day when we walked by so Dale snapped a shot of his place. His hammock is missing and he has some additional furniture.

His hammock usually hangs between the post behind the umbrella and the fence.

This is the lot on the other side of the fence by his spot. The wall with all the trees along it seems to be the public restroom for this area. There is usually at least one guy using it when we walk by.

A new store is going in on the other side of the wall which we are excited to have open. It is on our route  to and from work. It will be nice to have another shopping option close to home. We also noticed that there will be a "Mall" opening near us in January.

This guy also has an air compressor shop. His has been here ever since we arrived in Phnom Penh. This is also his home. He resides about three blocks from the new shop seen in photos above.

He has a good business. People are always pulling up with their motos, carts, bicycles, or tuk tuks to have their tires pumped or repaired. Dale purchased a tire stem from this guy when he was fixing up his bicycle.

 If you recall, we gave the bike to a PEF student so he could go to school. We have learned not to give things to people anymore. This student is really behind on his loan, has quit school, had another "hair brained" plan to learn Korean to get a job in Korea. He borrowed money from a friend to go to this language training school. He has now quit that school and has moved to Siem Reap to live off of friends if they will have pity on him. He "just can't find a job". The problem is he can't find a job that doesn't require him to work. He has a sob story to tell and uses it on compassionate Senior Couples. We know he didn't take his bike with him to Siem Reap. He probably sold it for rice or a bus ticket.

This is a common sight on our walk to and from work and as we walk the streets of the city. This lady has everything she needs to prepare and serve meals. Her eating utensils are stacked in the basket behind her and in the basket up front is a little cook stove with fuel and her rice, herbs and all that is necessary for food preparation. The other day she had set up shop by the tuk tuk drivers. Apparently they chose to have their supper prepared by her. As you can imagine sanitation is not taken into consideration.

We often observe the smaller restaurants washing and chopping food directly on the ground.To keep the area clean they do lots of sweeping and hosing of the ground...that's comforting. Makes me more anxious to have dinner there.

We see lots of mats or tables set up to dry fish and other foods. Of course this is near the dust and exhaust of traffic passing by. It is especially appealing when it is directly on the ground. Our PEF students have said that people in Cambodia have lots of problems with their stomachs, etc. I can't figure out why.

As we were walking home these guys were getting ready to "nam baay"..."eat rice". They are a construction crew that have been working on a building about two buildings down from our apartment. As we walked by we saw a fire going with their black pot on top. We stopped and Dale took their picture. Everyone is always so willing to have their photo taken. I imagine these guys live on site until their job is completed and then they move on to another project and another home. Once again, "God Bless America". Please kiss the ground at home for us. I am sure it is amazingly sterile compared to here.

We did our shopping last night and I got the laundry done. I do not know if my clothes are going to hold up this entire mission. They will not be rags, but the colors are faded. At least white shirts don't fade...they do turn yellow. I have not yet found a tailor to have clothes made. Most of the people that have had things made have used members in their branches and are the Member Leader Support missionaries. We just don't get to know the members as well. I was really excited that a new tailor shop was opening up in our neighborhood but it looks like it specializes in evening gowns. I just need a couple of blouses and skirts. Ready made clothes are smaller than my size and made with transparent fabric.

The biggest blessing this week was a visit from a couple of our PEF students. Both of them female. Both requested a blessing from Dale. Both are successful in their jobs and school. One of them had just left her job and was in transition. She called us last night and told us she will begin a very good job this coming Monday. She was very happy about this. Her story of family abuse is sad. She is really a sharp woman. Family concerns and feelings of guilt haunt her. She feels an incredible responsibility to help her mother financially. Her mother plays on her daughters good heart and requires her to support her abusive, lazy son. The son is the oldest in the family. He is in his early 30's. He does not work. He steals and lies. He is in the process of getting a divorce. He has a daughter that he expects his sister to support and raise. His ex-wife to be is his equivalent in character. They were probably too much alike to be happy together. The father in this story is also abusive and left the family years ago. This family has been very wealthy, then poor and now the mother and brother and niece live a comfortable life because of our PEF student. She is the signer for the home everyone lives in. We gave some counsel. It is easier said than done. There is a cycle that needs to be broken. It will take courage to act upon the counsel she was given.

We attended the International Branch again this week. It was a fifth Sunday. We pay our fast offering to Tuol Tom Pong so we like to attend that branch on Fast Sundays. We will attend there next week. Sacrament meeting was really good today. Elder Nelson whom some of you may know from a documentary shown on the BYU channel spoke. The documentary follows him and his brother from young boys through their missions. Elder Nelson spoke on the importance of the family. He spoke about our family on earth and our family as children of god. He shared a poem that was used in a past conference talk. The message is powerful and draw homes the importance of seeking the one.

’Twas a sheep not a lamb
That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,
A grown-up sheep that strayed away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And why for the sheep should we seek
And earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:
They lead the lambs astray.
Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong,
It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead
For the sake of the lambs today,
For when the sheep are lost
What a terrible cost
The lambs will have to pay.6

Tonight we had a PEF fireside. It was the second one we held this year in Phnom Penh. It was a bit disheartening in that this program is under the direction of the Priesthood and no one was represented tonight. Dale and I and the institute director were the only leadership in attendance. The institute director did all the speaking since it was all in Khmer. We had about 25 in attendance. Our attendance should have been better. We found out that some of the branches didn't announce it. This was a second chance fireside. The Provinces do much better in getting people to come. Why the students that already have loans came I do not know. We hold these firesides to introduce the program to prospective PEF students. Communication here is not good. We probably had eight people that did not already have loans. As a result no one really had any questions. One prospective PEF student came into the chapel just before the closing prayer. He said he would visit us tomorrow so we can explain the program to him.

The month of October should be fun with institute. We are going to hold our classes on Saturday mornings at 6:30. All Saturday evenings this month but one are booked with conference meetings. In November we will return to our evening schedule. We will be teaching the New Testament. I love the New Testament. I look forward to coming to know the Savior more.

Thank you for your prayers. We pray for you also. Have a wonderful week.

We will pass this test!

Family and friends, welcome to another weekly report of what is happening in Cambodia. Our mission has been a trial of our faith. We refuse to let the trials get the best of us.I was so grateful to be able to attend the International Branch today. It was good to hear the gospel taught in English.

The day began with me being asked to give the opening prayer in Sacrament meeting and Dale being asked to sit up front with the the Branch 1st Counselor. It was of course good and beneficial to take the sacrament and have quiet time to reflect on life and my commitment to the gospel and our Savior. After the sacrament was passed we were privileged to hear two speakers. Our first speaker was Elder Lor. He is from Sacramento, California. He spoke on the Lord's counsel, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. After his message the Branch President's wife, Rudy, came forward to speak. She explained that she had been at her daughters school Saturday evening and received a phone call from Brother Ken, requesting her to speak in Sacrament meeting. She said she would do it, but after hanging the phone up felt overwhelmed. She was also preparing to teach the Relief Society lesson. She said she was telling her sad story to her husband and he told her that he would speak in her place. She finished her preparations for her Relief Society lesson and went to bed. She said she slept well. In the morning her husband came to her and told her that he was very ill and would not be able to go to church. She prepared a talk in the morning and when she got to the church she told Brother Ken what had happened. He told her that he had considered asking her husband to speak but the promptings were strong that she was to give a talk. She said she learned the importance of following our leaders. She gave an inspiring message on her love of the Book of Mormon. She is from the Philippines. Rudy said that after her aunt died it was her mother's job to clear out her aunt's home. They found a bunch of books. Her mother collected books.  They sorted through some of them to burn and others they kept. The ones they kept they boxed up and put in their basement. They remained in storage for a couple of years. When Rudy was twelve years old, her family decided to go out. Rudy stayed home. Bored she decided to see what was in the basement. She came upon the box of books. She pulled out a book that smelt musty and old. She scanned the pages. It seemed to be an adventure book. She read the book. Shortly after this happened two young men knocked on her family's door. She learned that the adventure book she had read was scripture. She was baptized May 19, 1996. She said she has read the Book of Mormon several times since. She said when she joined the church the Philippines had one Stake. She attended a Branch. Today there are two Stakes and her Branch is now a Ward. Her Branch met in a members home. Today that Branch is a Ward that meets in a beautiful building built on a hill. Rudy spoke of the wonderful lessons taught in the Book of Mormon. The message I was supposed to hear today was this. Rudy said, "It is not the condition people are in that brings them happiness, it is how we respond to that condition." Dale and I have a new direction for the next 11 months. We will  focus on responding positively when faced with adversity. It is easier said than done. Dale's mom taught us all a very important lesson when she was alive. She told us that she had two choices when she moved to Rock Cove Assisted Living. She could choose to be miserable or she could choose to be happy. She chose to be happy. The Lord would have us be happy.

Thank you to all that have been helping us on the home front while we "vacation" in Cambodia.You are our heroes. You have made it easier to serve here knowing that our home is being cared for. Our intention was not to be a burden to anyone. Well, that didn't work. We are so grateful to you for making us your "service project".

We recently received this group photo of all the Senior couples serving in Cambodia and Vietnam. So cool!

From right to left: Elder and Sister Grimnes, Elder and Sister Tuck, Elder and Sister Blinn, Elder and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Shelly, Elder and Sister Westover, President and Sister Moon, Elder and Sister Spencer, Elder and Sister James, Elder and Sister Henderson, Elder and Sister Rhyne, Elder and Sister Meier, Elder and Sister Johnson, Elder and Sister Yeates.

This week was "business as usual" until Thursday and Friday. We had Career Workshop. We taught Sister Rytting from Utah and Elder Den from Cambodia. It was hard to say our goodbyes this time. Sister Rytting was the only missionary returning to the states so would be traveling alone. She has all her schooling behind her and will return home to find work. She hopes to also meet her eternal companion. She is 27. She is really sharp and served a fabulous mission. While in Battambang we visited some of the members in their homes with her and Elder and Sister Yeates. She is loved by the members. Elder Den was to be released also. His home is about 5 minutes from the mission home. He was nervous to be released and to return home. He is going home to a Buddhist father who was not happy that he was serving a mission. I do not know if his mother is a member. She might be because Elder Den said she cleans some of the church buildings. He is the youngest in his family. He is smart and understands the functions of the church like Home Teaching and the importance of the priesthood. He speaks, reads and comprehends English well. He attended a year of school before he left on his mission. He plans to return to school.  He might apply for a  PEF loan. He indicated that he felt his family could help him with school. That is the best choice. Our motto is "The best loan is no loan at all."

The lighting in the room is direct light from the windows. The power went out several times in our building Friday. It was one of those days when the Internet went down and the lights went out and then the air conditioner broke. I got a bit put out when the office staff  said that the Internet might be down because the Service Center may not have paid the Internet service bill. I came a bit unglued because this was the third time we had to send one of our PEF students home because we could not process their loan. Friday was the day that "broke the camels back". Dale and I decided we needed a change of attitude fast. Now every day will be a good day and when the tests come we will pass with good grades. No more C's and D's.

Tonight is a Young Single Adult Church Education Fireside. We already viewed it in English. Tonight it will be in Khmer. If you want to view it you can go to the LDS website and search for CES Firesides. The one we will see is "Israel, Israel God is Calling". Elder Jeffery R. Holland is the speaker. It is the September 2012 fireside. A great talk.

Dale helped the Rhynes set up their new Family History computer. He had just set up a new computer for one of the office staff in our building the week before. As usual all the necessary information like passwords took searching to find. Dale worked with Elder and Sister Rhynes' boss on the phone. He was instructing Dale from Taiwan. Sometimes the church tries to cut costs where costs should not be cut. This can lead to headaches and high blood pressure. Fortunately Dale had already set up a computer the week before. He was somewhat prepared to do problem solving. Unfortunately the church sent two additional computers to Battambang before they were set up. The Rhynes went to Battambang this weekend. They have a Khmer assistant. Dale worked to train him to set the computers up in Battambang. The Rhynes never called Dale so we will assume all went well. I look forward to speaking to them when they return. They always have awesome spiritual accounts to tell concerning experiences the members have as they search for information relating to their ancestors.

Living conditions in Cambodia are unbelievable. Last night we were walking home from teaching our institute class. It was about 7:30 and dark. We were passing by this one spot where a young man has set up an air compressor business. He services peoples Motos and bikes. We pass by this spot every day. Last night as we were passing I said, hello. He asked us where we were going. I said home. He replied, "This is my home". His home. He just moved in about three weeks ago. His home is a hammock hooked between a wire fence and street pole on the side walk. Next to him is his air compressor. That is it. Today when we passed by on our way to church he had added an umbrella to protect him from the hot sun and rain. He has a great location for his business, but this he also calls home. It is unbelievable. He is one of thousands in a similar situation.

I am so happy! Beginning next week the Elders serving the International Branch will offer a Khmer language training class for its members. It will be Saturday evenings directly after our Institute class. We can join with them. This is a blessing from the Lord. We had worked so hard to learn the language before we arrived here. Once we arrived the skills we did have are diminished. For me knowing more of the language will be a real spirit booster.

My Khmer of the week:
Some day I will get a photo of this and you can laugh again. As our tuk tuk passed mannequines dressed in ladies apparel I looked up and read THE BIG BELLY. I thought about that name. I wonder if it is a maternity shop. I don't know if I would want to claim purchasing my clothes at The Big Belly Store.

This coming week...this is a test...testing...testing... Hope you each have a grade A+ week.

A week of learning.

Hello family and friends,
This was one week we were really looking forward to. Our new mission President made arrangements for all the Senior Couples in our mission to have a full day of training and fellowship. This meant that the two couples serving in Vietnam were able to join us as well as all the Senior couples that reside in the Provinces. There are at the present time 14 couples including our mission president and his wife serving in this mission. As I have written in past blogs. We all have our own unique callings.

Elder and Sister Jones serve in Hanoi, Vietnam. They are not allowed to speak about the church. They wear  white name tags instead of the common black tags. These name tags do not designate them as missionaries. The government recognizes them as charity volunteers not missionaries. The church does meet in this area of Vietnam but there can be no proselyting. People that are interested in the gospel may approach members and ask questions. When this happens the questions can be answered. The person needs to be the one that seeks the church. Elder and Sister Jones say a day does not go by that they are not stopped by government officials to question them concerning what they are doing in Vietnam. They even have officers follow them into the church  and sit down beside them during meetings. When they applied for their mission they requested a difficult mission. May we each learn from their experience that you should not ask for challenges unless you are serious and prepared for challenges. The Lord will bless you with your desire. Most of us have heard about people who pray to become patient. And then the trials seem to come on strong. The Jones are in their late 60's. They both ride bikes through Hanoi. Elder Jones bore his testimony of the protection they are having from the Lord as they serve. One day as they were riding their bikes through Hanoi because of the dense traffic someone brushed up against Sister Jones. Elder Jones said that he saw that Sister Jones bike was knocked. He said his bike seemed remarkably steady as he reached to his wife's bike and was able to help her become upright. Had she crashed with all the traffic she would have been injured. He bore testimony of divine intervention that day.

In contrast Elder and Sister Blinn serve in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They are able to go about the city without being stopped at every turn. They feel much more free in their area than what the Jones' report. They too must get permission from the government for most things they do. It is also a challenging mission. A big challenge for both couples is the fact that they are totally on their own. They have no real peers to converse with. They bore their testimonies of how much they are loving the people they are serving.

Our training meeting was this past Thursday. Our day began at 8:00am. Each couple shared some of the projects they have been doing in their branches or specialty assignments. We reported on the Perpetual Education Program.

The Rhyne's reported on their experiences traveling throughout Cambodia helping members find their ancestors. They reported such findings as in one Province the family has their genealogy written on the wall of their home. They reported how one sister came with no information about her family. As she spoke with the Rhynes' and was waiting for a computer to use she was led to make phone calls. They said they looked over to where she was sitting and she was making phone calls and rapidly writing down information about her family from these contacts. They said it was amazing the information she found. Unknown to Dale, he also had part in helping a young Cambodian sister with securing the information necessary to do the temple work for her deceased mother. Her mother had died over a year ago. When she went to prepare her mothers name for the temple the computer would not allow her to do so. Knowing that Dale had computer knowledge the Family History consultant inquired of him why the program would not recognize the mother as being deceased. He knew it was not a computer problem but a branch clerk problem. The clerk had never reported her death date. A day before this young sister was to travel to the temple she was able to get this problem resolved. She was so happy to be able to serve her mother in this way.

The James' reported on their individualized calling with public relations. They have truly unique experiences. Their calling requires that they be knowledgeable on current affairs in our mission areas as well as throughout the world. Sister James in particular is finding a whole new dimension to her life. She is growing in confidence and learning that she has much to say and offer on behalf of the church and people in need. Elder James' military background has also been beneficial.

The Henderson's are the humanitarian missionaries. They have seen the church in action and have been the couple to make sure applications for projects are filled out and submitted, reports are created and that people receive the product or products promised. Examples of some of their projects are the rounding up of volunteers to work on the Mercy Ship and registering patients that needed the Mercy ship medical assistance, the distribution of dirt for community and home gardens, the distribution of supplies and securing workers to build water tanks in the Provinces and the notification to people of where they may secure free wheelchairs.

All the Senior couples do Member Leader Support. Each church branch has their own unique needs. The Senior Elders have done much to help strengthen the priesthood and to help them understand the Home Teaching program. The Senior Sisters have been working to build the Primaries, Young Women and Relief Society auxiliaries. In Cambodia many of the Primaries were not using music much. The Senior Sister Missionaries have been working with Khmer translators to translate the children's song book. They have been preparing their branches to have a Primary Sacrament meeting. They have also been trying to help the members understand that Family Home Evening can be very simple. The members often do not hold Family Home Evening because they think it needs to be a big party with food, guests and a lot of work. Sister Grimnes has created simple Family Home Evening packets hoping that the members will use them with their immediate families.It all takes time but every little bit that is done helps.

At our meeting we discussed the concern for reverence in the meetings. We spoke of everything from the problem of allowing children to run wild during meetings to the wearing of blue jeans or pajamas and shirts with all sorts of logos and inappropriate phrases on them. Change takes teaching and time.

I was so excited President Moon announced that the children from the Orphanage were going to entertain us after our evening meal.  I got to see Yang Yang again as he did the monkey dance. That made my week!

It was late so the children were not in there full costume, but I think Yang Yang was probably happier to have his face painted and not have to fight with a monkey tail.

Traditional Khmer dancing. This dancer is one of the teenage orphans.

Nothing could happen without the music. These guys, who are also orphans, make sure the show goes on.

More dancers.

The older children did most of the dancing this evening. I think because it was late they kept their program short. It was fine. We had been at the building for about twelve hours.

The grand finale was the children singing "I Am A Child of God".

President and Sister Moon at the beginning of our day. We are all very much their senior. They both are very wise and presented wonderful training for each of us. The church in Cambodia will do well under their direction.

Dale and his little buddy. This boy is not a member of the church, but was playing outside and heard the music. He decided to join us. He also got a cupcake from "Elder Meier". He told us he is 11 years old.

My Khmer of the week:

We were shopping at one of the small produce shops in our neighborhood. I needed to get apples for our lunches. There was a display of red delicious apples labeled "Washingtown Apples".

Dale has not felt well for a few days now. We needed produce. Saturday morning I took my first solo walk through the neighborhood. Dale has handled all our money transactions since we left the states. I had a twenty dollar bill and as I would get change I would use the 20,10,5, and dollar bills. I am not confident dealing with rial. Needless to say I came home with lots of "funny money". I did not want my lack of knowledge to shine forth in the community. I did have my money chart on hand if I had needed it. It was quite a pleasant walk. I had several people want to talk a little. I spoke a lot of English and a little Khmer. 

I did most of our laundry Friday evening but was hoping to do some Saturday morning also. I had stripped the bed but had to remake it with the dirty sheets because the maids took over the laundry room. I really hate having to wash in the evening because then we have to wait until 10-11 at night for our sheets to air dry. I look forward to using a clothes dryer again. The towels once dry are really scratchy. They make for great exfoliation.

I am not looking forward to Monday. We have a PEF student who will visit us for a third time to try to get her school to accept her money. The first time Dale made out her payment requisition she went to the Service Center and ended up crying because it apparently was not the correct amount. (We discussed it with her before she left our office.She seemed good and happy with it.) We had her return to the office. She needed a check for tuition and a separate check for a uniform and school supplies. It usually takes 2 months to be safe to process a loan from start to finish. This girl came in at the last minute wanting a loan with a school start date within the month. We told her we would do the best we could but it would be pushing it to get it on time. She came in saying the school needed their money NOW. She had promised them she would have it. This she should not have done because we told her we did not know if we would be able to get it for her. Unfortunately this girl also speaks very  little English. We did use a translator but it apparently was not enough. Dale made out a new (second)  payment requisition. Saturday evening we received a call from her Institute teacher that she is all upset because  her school will not accept the check the Service Center issued. We may need to go with her and a translator to the school and "jump through hoops" for them to accept our checks. There is so much corruption and money laundering here that the schools now want cash only. We can not hand over cash to our students and expect it to get from point A to point B safely.The Church does not do business in cash. We have written many checks to this particular school in the past. It is really frustrating. A month or two ago we had to visit a different University and plead for special permission to use checks. Now all students from our PEF program that go to that University must show a special letter with the schools seal on it along with their check.  We will have a huge tuk tuk bill and translator bill if all the schools we deal with start wanting this special treatment. It also keeps us out of the office for hours.

I will end with a Khmer joke.

 A tourist visited a museum. He came to a display where there were two skulls. A large skull and an smaller skull. The tour guide told the tourist that the large skull belonged to Queen Elizabeth. The tourist then asked about the smaller skull. The tour guide said, "Oh that was when she was little."  ( Khmer think this joke is hilarious.)

Happiness is checking off one more hilarious week in Cambodia.

HO-HUM.

Welcome family and friends to another week of blog reading. To the right is a unique plant we spotted growing outside of the mission home. These helmet blooms are of varying colors and sizes. Like most all plants in Cambodia they bloom year round. We have seen this bush completely empty at times, but there are always indications that new blooms will appear. We often see our missionaries wearing them around town. I have never gotten close enough to know if they are scented. I take Allergy medicine so I better not take chances.

Elder and Sister Johnson arrived in Cambodia this week. They are from Sparks, Nevada. They will replace Elder and Sister Spencer in November. Their responsibility is member leader support. They have a 2 month lease at the same apartment complex as the Spencers. The Spencers will fill them in on all they will need to do. Dale and I wish that our replacements could come a week or two before we leave. This calling was VERY FRUSTRATING when we first arrived. Now it is just frustrating. I am grateful for Dale's computer knowledge. We would be in big trouble without his know how. We pray for a smooth transition next year for Elder and Sister X.  Our departure date is at a critical time for our students. We will leave at the end of August when most of our students need their loan money for September and October.

Back to the Johnsons. All Senior couples who were available met at the Titanic Restaurant to welcome the Johnsons to their new home for the next 18-23 months. Yes, we ate at the Titanic. Yes it is on the water. No the ship did not sink...this time. This was a new restaurant for us. It was a great introduction to Cambodia for the Johnsons. The menu choices were varied from pastas and sandwiches to Khmer cuisine. Customers may dine inside or outside. Our group chose to be outside. Lately the days have been hot and humid. There was a pleasant breeze that we all welcomed. The sun had gone down affording us a beautiful view with the night lights reflecting off the water.  As we were dining we could see lightning flashes in the distance. Fortunately  the rain came as we left the restaurant.

 At 7:00 we were able to watch traditional Khmer dancing and listen to traditional music.We were located at the edge of the stage. Our view was perfect.

The dancers turn their toes up and fingers back in a very unnatural way. You really have to watch them live to understand how controlled their movements are.

We have seen these types of performances several times since we have been in Cambodia. The best so far for us has been the performances by the children at the orphanage. I loved the little boys doing the monkey dance.

For lack of photos to share I decided you might like to see our laundry room.  Not really a room. It is a space off of the garage. It gets wet when it rains.

I mark my washers by sticking white bags in the handles so no one takes our stuff. The laundry room is not a place you want to hang out at for an hour or two. 

The washer water drains out of a hose into a gutter in the ground.

The hoses have more holes than they are suppose to and are usually positioned in a way that they overshoot the gutter. They are nasty and I am not going to handle them to make the necessary adjustments.

For the tenants comfort and convenience the mangers have provided these luxury plastic stools.I use them to put my laundry basket on so it doesn't get dirty. 

I do our laundry Friday evenings. Most often I am the only one washing at that time. The laundry facilities are not really available during the day hours. The housekeepers do the tenants' laundry then. The housekeepers fill huge stainless steel bowls with soap and water. They sit on the little red stools seen above. With scrub brush in hand they prewash the laundry before placing it in the washers. I have learned why they do this. These Korean brand washers often do not clean the clothes well. I recently bought myself a scrub brush.Unlike the Khmer I do my scrubbing at the kitchen sink and then take the clothes to the laundry room. I have had our clothes come out dirtier than when they were put in. Slowly all my clothes are being destroyed. I think we rode in a tuk tuk that had been recently painted. It is the only place that I can think of where I would have come in contact with red paint. My only brown skirt now has red paint stains on the back near the hem. I scrubbed it. It is still red. I'm wearing it anyway. One of my blouses got a black grease spot on the back, compliments of the washer. I tried to clean it but my scrubbing efforts left a faded area and a dark gray spot. I wear it anyway. I figure all these things are behind me...literally...the back of my skirt, the back of my blouse... "Out of sight out of mind", "stick my head in a hole" and life is good right? I only have 12  months left to wear this stuff anyway.

We had the brother and sister who's home burnt down come to visit us this week. They do not want to defer their loan payments for 6 months. They both said they would be OK. Family and friends have stepped up to help them. Sophy is living with a friend and looking for a place to rent. Sovann is also looking for a place to rent. They were living with their Aunt the first week after the fire. There were 15 people crammed into a very little home. Both Sophy and her brother said that this bad luck will help them to be able to understand and help and serve other people better. They are truly amazing. They are a great example to us. We can learn so much from the younger generations.

We did not have a very eventful week. That is obvious since all I could blog about was helmet bushes and washing clothes. With all that has happened and is happening on the home front I guess a HO-HUM week in Cambodia is a good thing.

Word of advise:

 Keep smiling...just remember to check for broccoli between your teeth before you leave the house. 

"Nowadays at Gold 1 Apartments has a lot of insects."

Family and Friends,
Most of the week was routine. It was the last week of the month so we were contacting the last of our PEF students. We also had several students come to the office for their payment requisitions to get their money to start school. I would prefer to say that this was an uneventful week, but I can not. Our personal lives were average, but for some of our acquaintances the week ended tragically. Before I share the sadness of this week I will share with you our daily workout.

 Most days we are out the door by 7:45am. All the usual people are positioned in their usual places along our route. As we walk we are acutely aware of our senses of sight, sound, smell and  touch. We do lots of weaving around muddied puddles and piles of garbage. We do lots of  ducking low hanging wires and tree branches. We step off  curbs and quickly hop back on to the curb to avoid being struck by an "out of my way here I come Moto driver". The sidewalks are about 12" high. At about 5"2" I literally hop up onto the curb as opposed to stepping back onto the curb.We continue this dodge, swerve stop, go,stop, go, head bob, swerve, weaving through the intersections for about 1 Kilometer and then it is a straight shot for about half a block to our building. We see the guard...another head bob "hello" then enter the building, climb two flights of stairs, walk across the gymnasium and then down the hall, open the office door, hit the air conditioner button and plop in our office chairs. Sweat drips off our brow... to be repeated only in reverse at about 4:30pm. Not sure how many calories we burn.

This is outside the guard house at out building. The young man on the left is Chan Van. He is a PEF student. He just graduated in accounting. He wants to continue his education to get his Masters degree.He first needs to apply for work in his field of study.  He needs to see what his Bachelor Degree can do for him.
When we were leaving for home it was pigeon feeding time. We hadn't ever seen pigeons gathered in the parking lot like this before. Now we see them all the time. "If you feed them they will come."


The Sadness of this week.
Event One:
Saturday while walking to work we were stopped by a members of our church. She informed us that two of our PEF students, Lim Sophy and Lam Sovann lost their home. They are siblings. They live in a Vietnamese community of little stilted wooden shacks. Lam Sovann  is a Branch President. I believe their father is deceased. Their mother is under going treatments for cancer in Vietnam at the present time. Friday was a commemoration day for  many people in Cambodia to remember their ancestors. Incense and little pieces of paper are burnt in their memory. Friday a fire broke out on a neighbor's roof . It rapidly spread to other homes. Fire fighters were called to help. The sad thing is that the fire fighters would only service the homes that gave them a monetary bribe. Sophy and Sovann had no money. They had to stand by and watch their  home go up in flames and then smolder and cool to a pile of ash. Their sister also lost her home. Their aunt who lives nearby in a  small shack is allowing her nieces and nephew to stay with her. President and Sister Moon and Elder and Sister Westover,  the Vietnamese branch members and some of the young missionaries helped clean up the debris. Sophy and Sovann lost everything except a few photos and a few pieces of clothing. They received hygiene kits from the Mercy Ship and were given mats, bedding, towels and food commodities to help a little. We will speak to Sophy and Sovann about deferring their loan payments for the next 6 months. After 6 months we will reevaluate their situation. There payments are $5 per month each. That is a lot of money when you have very little and now nothing.

Event Two:
Saturday evening we were notified of another tragedy. The Ellingson's were the Senior Missionary couple serving the PEF department before us. They returned to their home in Canada 6 month ago. They have traveled to see their children and were in the process of repairing their home. Elder Ellingson was on a ladder painting the house.Some how he fell from the ladder. It is believed he died instantly. The announcement of Mark Ellingson's death has shocked us all. There were lots of teary eyed PEF students at church today.

When we return to the states Dale is determined to live life to the fullest. We will do a little remodeling of the house and spruce up the yard. During the down seasons we plan to see more of the United States, explore Canada and  we would like to go to Switzerland to see where Dale's father was born. Dale really wants to go fishing in Alaska. I have my reservations about that one...BEARS...HUNGRY BEARS!

Today we rode in a Tuk Tuk to church. I had no photos to share this week so I snapped a few on our 10 minute ride.Most of them came out blurry. Here is a sampling of what we see every day.

This is why when we are walking along the sidewalk we have to weave into the street. This curb side is not the 12" curbs I spoke of earlier. I really do know what 12" looks like. I do not know what the graffiti says. Hopefully my blog will not need to be censored.

Every morning and evening and in between people sweep  the driveways and walkways in front of their properties. They also sweep standing water away from their home entrances. That is what this lady is doing.

Again, the reason why we walk in the street more than on the sidewalk. The people also use the sidewalks to park their cars, Motos, bikes and of course they choose open sidewalk space to set up their mobile vending carts.Then they set up little stools for people to sit and eat their rice and noodles.

We went to Tuol Tom Pong today. When we attend the Khmer branches it is really hard to understand what is happening. Him Sophy, a PEF student, always helps me. We always end up giggling during class. Unfortunately we sit in the front row. Today in Relief Society we started giggling because Sophy was trying to tell me the story that the teacher was relating. At one point she said, I do not understand what she is saying. I said, "Well you understand a lot more than I do." She just cracked up. Then they passed around the roll. Their roll asks for all sorts of information. Not just your name. One section was for gender. She was telling the different sections. She started giggling again which got me giggling because she said of course everyone in Relief Society would be female.

A khmer experience:
A couple of weeks ago we came home from work and taped on our door was this:
Dear Value Customers,
First of all, we would like to show a hearty thanks for using our service apartment, we are Gold 1 Apartment also pleased to inform you that:
Nowadays at Gold 1 Apartment has a lot of insects. So we want to spray by using sprayer all your unit but this sprayer has bad smell. So we are sorry for any convenience.We will spray today.(11.08.20120).
Sincerely yours,
Gold 1 Apartments

When we entered our apartment the windows were opened.
In the middle of our bed was what I believe was a dirty foot print. I think the sprayer guy stepped in the middle of the bed to spray.

Before they sprayed I saw no bugs. That night ants the size of grains of sand scurried on top the counter top. Now I only see a few ants each day. Hopefully their sprayer job worked.

Needless to say, I was pleased to know that "nowadays at Gold 1 Apartments has a lot of insects."

Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog. Knowing you are checking in keeps me disciplined in recording events of our mission. Thanks for helping us.

Until next week...stay healthy and happy and we will too.

Another week in Paradise...

Dear family and friends,
Mom's funeral was this week. It was a hard week for Dale. Closure for him is yet to come. When we return next August, we plan to visit mom and dad's grave site. Words of gratitude and love will be spoken then. We are grateful for family members keeping us informed on what has been happening in our absence. We are grateful for the photos, kind words of concern, love and support that have been extended to us by email. We were told the weather was beautiful on mom's funeral day. Many people came to show their love and respect and support to our family. Stevenson Ward prepared a wonderful lunch for the family. We are grateful for this service.We are so appreciative for the staff and residents at Rock Cove Assisted Living. Mom was well cared for and loved. We are also grateful to Hospice. The people that worked with our family were so helpful. They continue with  follow up calls to help the family deal with our loss.The Lord is near each of us. He uses His children to help His children. We are never alone. It is important to allow others to help. The Lord works His miracles through His servants here on earth. Thank you to all that have been the Lord's hands in helping us.

This Gecko was so disoriented. He was about the size of my little finger. I walked by him when I went down the hall to go to the laundry room Friday evening. I passed him three times. He occasionally made one or two steps in a circular path. When I was done with my laundry he was still in the same place. The next day he was gone. I do not know if his fate was from the housekeeper or if he crawled away. He seemed so lost. It made me sad.



This week may not be another week in Paradise, but it is another week...another 7 days closer to fulfilling the mission we planned to serve so many years ago. Some times we wake up and think," wow we are in Cambodia".  If  I could have known in advance what was going to transpire on this mission I might not have come. It is best not to know. We serve and let the blessings and frustrations happen as they may. This mission is helping us to recognize our strengths and weaknesses. Our mission experience gives me new admiration and respect for our young men and women that serve in the states and throughout the world. Dale and I have each other to lean on when we experience the roller coaster of emotions that come with serving the Lord. We are free to access technology to communicate with home and keep up on current affairs any time we please. Our young missionaries have less freedom in this respect. They are sent to unfamiliar places by themselves. They meet other young people in similar circumstances and hopefully find support in new friendships. They do not have the support that a married couple have. Theirs is truly an act of faith and obedience. When I observe the young missionaries in Cambodia I think of our sons Kyle, Jon, Jay and Stuart who served faithfully. I remember that when Kyle was serving in Thailand there was no Internet communication. Letters were received about every 10 days. Today the Internet affords a weekly contact with loved ones. Dear sons, thank you each for the example you set for daddy and I. I know your service touched many peoples lives in positive ways. We hope that as we serve we will do likewise.

It is amazing how small this world is. In November one of our Institute students, Nong, will travel to Provo to be trained as a missionary. She will report to the Washington Tacoma Mission. She speaks and reads English well. Anywhere she is sent she will do good. The other day she had an activity for the young women in her branch. They baked cookies. The kitchen they used is just down the hall from our office. The building smelled so good. She brought us a plate of warm oatmeal and raisin cookies. As I bit into the first cookie I thought to myself, "hello America!" I didn't even know it was possible to bake a decent cookie in Cambodia. I was impressed and grateful she shared with us.

When we first arrived in Cambodia we met a young woman who had also served in the Washington Tacoma Mission. She told us that she served in Edmonds and Everett. Today I met a young woman who 6 years ago served in Bellevue, Renton, and Issaquah. As Walt Disney would say, "It's a small world after all..." The other areas that I am aware that Cambodian missionaries have served are Temple Square and Las Vegas, and California.  Several have been sent to Korea and Australia. Most  remain in Cambodia and serve in the areas where they will not meet up with family members.

This week we took very few photos. We spent most of our time in the office. In September school begins for many of our students. We need to be in the office and available to make out payment requisitions so our students can pay for school. Our food supply was getting low last week. Shopping at Lucky is not always convenient. We usually run out of bread before the end of the week and fresh produce goes bad quickly even with refrigeration. It is best to shop for produce and bread throughout the week rather than stocking up. This week we discovered two small shops in our neighborhood where we can purchase good produce and sandwich bread at. This is a huge help to us. Our trips to Lucky take a chunk of time from our evenings. We usually get home between 5-6 in the evening. By the time I get dinner prepared and cleaned up it is often 8:30 at night. If we have to shop it is even later.

We attended the International Branch today for church. The Russ family from New Jersey spoke in Sacrament meeting. They have three children. Each member of the family spoke. They are in Cambodia for a year. Sister Russ works for the American Embassy. She is a scientist working with conservation issues.   Brother Russ served a mission in Canada.
He told us about the importance of having a firm testimony of the gospel.
In one of his proselyting areas a he was told of a church branch that had existed. One day Elder Russ questioned an older member of the church about the history behind the lost branch. He learned that at one time the branch had many active members. Something happened and several of the members were arrested. When this happened  most of the members stopped attending church.The low attendance resulted in the shutting down of the branch. The faithful few were instructed to attend the next nearest branch several miles away. The man telling this story said that he had been baptized two weeks before the arrests were made. He was confused and  angry. He had just had a wonderful conversion experience and then all this awful stuff happened. In his anger he decided that he would not go to church. In the days that followed he thought about his experience in finding the church. He pondered on  what  he knew was true. He said that he had read the Book of Mormon and had a witness that its words were true, He knew that if it were not for Joseph Smith the Book of Mormon would not be available to him. He had prayed and gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the church. Because he remembered the good experiences he had received through the spirit he decided he would not let the errors of others deny him the blessings of the gospel. He chose to travel to the branch available to him. His testimony was not based on the testimony of others. He had gained his testimony through personal study and prayer. He allowed the Holy Ghost to testify to him of truth.

This week we experienced a Khmer hospital. Sister Tuck and Elder Tuck have been in Cambodia since January. Sister Tuck has been in and out of  hospitals ever since she arrived here. She has  had a difficult time with her asthma. She has had to have eye surgery. And her most recent stay was this past week due to an infection that was resistant to the antibiotics she had been prescribed. Saturday we visited with her and were told she was going to have to remain in the hospital for fourteen more days. She was a bit discouraged. I just got word that she was released this afternoon. They reevaluated her situation and decided she could go home. We took a few pictures of  her hospital room. I do not want to be a patient in a Khmer hospital. This was a fairly nice facility. This hospital specializes in surgeries. Sister Tuck was admitted for special circumstances. I don't want to bore you with the details. Anyway her hospital actually provides meals. Many hospitals require the family  to bring meals in. That is the case for our missionaries that have been admitted to the hospital for such things as Dengue Fever and bicycle accidents.
 Here is a tour of Sister Tucks room.

Her room is on the second floor. Outside the window is a busy, noisy road.

Guests can relax on the couch made of bricks or the lovely recliner Dale is demonstrating. This puts "Easy Boy" to shame.

Not a bad set up for showering . I guess they don't worry about their surgery patients slipping. Or perhaps they have guests shower, slip and then become patients.





 I usually don't like to speak about my birthday but I just had one. Dale decided to take a before and after picture. So here I am....

Age 59

Age 60

What will this next year bring....only time will tell.

Have a great week and we will too. 

"Only time will tell..."

Family and Friends,
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.