Elder Lamborn

Sister Um

Elder Walker

Today has been by far the WORST day of our mission. We said good-bye to 3 of our Kampong Cham missionaries who had been transferred to other areas. We were warned that this would be a hard day - but it was impossible to prepare for it. We remember leaving our own children at the doors of the MTC - tearfully waving farewell as they joined new families for the next 18 - 24 months. But we knew they would be coming back. However, there are no such guarantees on transfer day. We have fully invested ourselves into these faithful men and women - recognizing today that we might never see them again. They have adopted us as temporary parents, and we have loved them as children. It was wrenching. And it's going to happen again and again and again. We were somewhat prepared for uncomfortable living conditions, mad dashes to bathrooms and not being able to speak or understand a foreign language. But we WEREN'T prepared for this emotional loss. I wonder if Heavenly Father had similar feelings as he hugged his departing children - one by one - and sent them down the chute to Earth.

 We had our first disappointing experience with dishonesty this week. Sister Christensen's  iPhone came up missing from the Church on Sunday. The members, missionaries and the guards searched the building and called the phone multiple times - but no luck. On Monday Sister Christensen e-mailed us and said they had traced the phone using the "find my phone" app. It activated when someone plugged the phone in to charge it (isn't it truly amazing that technology can do that - thousands of miles away from home).

The app gave a satellite image of the location - right down to the roof top. It was in a small village about 20 minutes away. I called two Elders and we set out to track it down. As we drove down a tiny dirt path to the 4th shack on the left, the weekend guard of the church building comes out front to greet us. I was heart sick. I really liked guy and was disappointed to think that he took the phone - especially when he helped us look for it. We asked him about the phone and he said he didn't know anything. We don't have authority for a search warrant, so there wasn't much we could do at that point. But there was no question that the phone was at that location. We started for home, then talked about going back to confront him again. We felt he needed to know the potential consequences he would face if he really did take it. We prayed about it and decided going back was the right thing to do.

We showed him the satellite images - pointing directly to his hut. And we told him that losing his job was a strong possibility if he had it. But he still denied it. We told him all we could do at that point was to call his Security Company and report the incident - which we did. The Security Company told us to tell him to either give back the phone or go to jail. We didn't feel that was our call, so we gave them the guard's number and told them to call him.

We drove away for the second time - but didn't get 100 yards along the road before we were flagged down by a woman. She said she was the ex-wife of the guard (they got divorced three days prior) and was a member of the LDS church, but hadn't been active for a long time. She said she wanted to come back to church activity and needed the missionaries to teach her children - who didn't know much about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Huh??? Where did THIS come from? If this were in a book, the reader would call it VERY convenient - and probably put the book down. But it happened in real life, and I was there.

Meanwhile, the Security Company found their local Company honcho and asked him to go get the phone from the guard. So on the third trip to the bad guard's house, the honcho collected the phone from the bad guard's father (the Dad told his son that if he had the phone he needed to give it back). And by 1 p.m. Monday, the phone was in my hands (minus the SIM card). The bad guard has obviously lost his job - and may go to jail depending on what the Security Company does. And for what??? $50 maybe for a used iPhone with a crack in the glass? I feel bad for him and hope he can pull his act together without spending time in a muggy, spider-infested Cambodian jail cell. Really dumb.

I'm telling you that you can't make this stuff up! No detective writer could EVER plot the real story that happened in the backwaters of Cambodia, June 26-27, 2016. It could only happen in real life. Those of you familiar with Nephi's trip to obtain the brass plates will note the similarities. Yes, we had to get the phone. But the side story had to occur as well. There IS order in the universe and someone very smart has planned it out.

The rainy season is here and the Mekong river is rising. It's gone up about a foot since we got here. Considering that the river is as wide as the Mississippi, a one foot rise is a ton of water. The Mekong starts in the Mountains of Tibet, brushes by Myanmar, then winds through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam - where it exits into the South China sea. Our morning walks/runs are gorgeous as we traipse along the river's edge. The city is making a major effort to keep the "river walk" clean. Workers are out early pulling weeds from the paver cracks and sweeping litter from the curbs and walk ways. Other workmen are busy building "sea wall" foundations - so the river walk can be extended. Family fishermen troll the waters then deliver their small catches (usually 3-4 fish at a time) to waiting motos - who take the live fish to the market. At the market, the fish are placed in water tubs where they remain active until purchased.

 

The rainy season is also the life blood of the rice fields. Most are now planted and thriving with the daily downpours. As we drove to Kampong Thom on Tuesday (a small city about 2 hours away) we passed through thousands of acres of rice seedlings growing among occasional coconut palms. The native beauty of this impoverished nation makes up for the inconveniences of 3rd world living.

At Kampong Thom we did our first apartment inspection for the four Elder missionaries in the town. They were supposed to know we were coming, but apparently the communication stream didn't make it to the end of the paddy. The apartment was remarkably clean - considering we caught them unawares. And we also saw fitness ingenuity at its best (the makeshift bar bells).

The next day we paid a cordial visit to the Kampong Cham Province police commissioner. We felt it would be good for him to know we were in town (he knew) and to do some major kissing up in case any of the missionaries had an "issue" in the future. He reassured us that foreigners were safe in his city and gave us his gold-glittered business card with his personal number on it, in case we had any problems (the country loves glittery stuff). Always good to have the law on your side.

Our biggest sacrifice so far - outside of leaving our children and grand children - has been sitting on concrete, wood or dirt for hours at a time. Maybe when we were younger (a LOT younger) we could have done this without difficulty. Butt not now (we thought our bummer years were behind us). It's like we've transferred all our fanny fat to other places - leaving old bones to groan on wooden planks or concrete tile. The bookend to the experience is getting up after lesson sessions.  We wobble upright on sleepy feet and creaky joints. We look like newborn giraffes taking their first steps.

Our favorite experience of the week was teaching the local Khlmaes how to sing "She'll be comin' round the mountain" during English class - complete with hand actions and sounds. They have no context for a mountain or large white horses. But they CLEARLY understand killing a chicken for dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Well....Ix-Nay on the street-side sugar cane juice. We are alive, but not without bouts of intestinal rejection. We will stick with the safe stuff. Saturday evening we had another major rainstorm. We remembered part way through that we needed milk for Sunday (we invited all the missionaries over to our place for a family home evening - complete with home-made brownies). We waited until about 8 p.m. when most of the rain stopped, but the moat had returned. Driving through a narrow lake with water up to your axle is a little freaky. You hope the road is solid underneath - but you can't see it. Milk is the most expensive purchase we make on a regular basis. It costs $4.20 for 2 liters (about $8/gallon - if you could buy a gallon). Boxed milk (which is delicious) is the same price. We also paid $3.10 for a Lindt Swiss-Chocolate candy bar (100g). Erin is carefully parsing it out (3 tiny squares/day) to make it last. Real milk chocolate is a true luxury.

Solar lantern

The family home evening with the missionaries was great. We showed them the you-tube video of the 3 year-old girl singing "Gethsemane." If you haven't seen it, I recommend it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWIx24J00Wc). We then had each share their favorite scripture story about Jesus. Just as we ended the power went out (major thunder storm). We turned on our solar-powered lantern and sang the hymn, "Master, the tempest is raging." It was awesome. The missionaries have great voices so we had full harmony. We cut up the brownies and ate them by lantern and device light. Mmmmmnm.

"And if I die before I wake..." That was one of our experiences today. We tried a fresh cane sugar drink from a street vendor (we were told to not buy ANYTHING from a street food vendor). It was fascinating. The vendor cart was full of bees and flies (one of the "if I die" parts). The operator lady takes an 18 inch piece of raw sugar cane, and feeds it through a "squeezer." For those of you who have seen a REALLY old washing machine, it's like those hand crank rollers that squeeze the water out of washed or rinsed clothes. She sends the cane through again and again to get the sugar out. The final two times she adds some fresh pineapple - which adds to the flavor. When it's all done she scoops the squozen (don't think that's a word - but it should be) liquid and ladles it into a baggie full of ice (another of the "if I die parts" - no sanitation guarantee on the ice). Delicious. It's been 18 hours since we drank it, so I think we're ok. But if this turns out to be our final blog, know that we love you all!

During one of our visits today, the visitee set out plastic chairs for us, then dragged out a gunny sack full of empty water bottles for her "chair." Very inventive. A whole new spin on recycling. Fortunately, she only weighed about 80 pounds. If I tried it, the sack would explode. This faithful lady diligently reads her Book of Mormon scriptures every day, and does whatever is necessary to get her whole family to church on Sunday.

For "date night" we went to the "Mekong Crossing" restaurant for dinner. We sat outside across from the River and watched the evening festivities. Zumba dancing, kids playing hackey sack (they use a badminton birdie), families walking along the tiled river path, clouds darkening across the sun-empty horizon. It's like a scene from a movie - only we get to be in it. The food is served Khmae style - which means they bring out meals as they are ready. No such thing as bringing out all the meals together. There can be a 5 -10 minute wait from one meal to the next. Ours was pretty quick tonight - only 1 minute from Erin's to mine. We've been to this place 5 times already - each time trying something new. Fortunately the menu is HUGE. And the combined bill is always under $10.

On a sad note, I broke the fly swatter on a 3 foot cockroach (it wasn't really that big - but these are not small cockroaches you see in the US). We'll have to use flip flops for the roaches - electric tennis racket for flies and mosquitoes. We haven't really had many of any of those lately. Probably because we are able to keep all our food in the two fridges. Two fridges - the epitome of wealth.

We made our first drive into the city of Phnom Penh. City driving was easier than I thought. You just get into a lane and stop. Wait for a few minutes, then go 15 feet. Wait...and go again. Easy. Making a turn though, is a test of faith. You stick your nose out and pray like crazy that you'll live through the intersection. And you do! Road rage doesn't exist in Cambodia. You stick your nose in far enough and people stop for you. The key is to have the guts to stick your nose in. Cambodian drivers are not aggressive, they are opportunistic. If they see a small opening, they take it. Cars, buses, motos and trucks honk their horns all the time. But they aren't saying, "get out of my way," or, "move it buddy!" They are saying, "hey, I'm passing you on your left." Or, "I'm in the intersection, watch for me." Considering the volume of traffic, there are very few accidents. I heard about a road rage incident in Utah this past week, where some guy shot someone over some stupid thing. We can learn a lot about accident control from Cambodia.

HOWEVER, you can't be in a hurry to get anywhere. If you have a hard deadline (like an airplane flight), you need to leave an hour earlier than you think - because traffic can come to a dead stop anywhere at anytime. You just deal with it.

After we returned yesterday, we made a trip to the backwoods with two sister missionaries. Both are from Cambodia, so we were somewhat on our own when it came to translation. We were on a bumpy dirt road less than 5 minutes from our house. Our little Corolla was NEVER designed for this kind of abuse. We scraped bottom, climbed rocks and dodged trucks on a road that was barely built for one vehicle. It was like driving on a mogul run. We can't wait for our small SUV that will have enough clearance to allow everyone to stay in the car while driving over the countryside.

We sat on the floor or their tables (tables are used for eating and sleeping) and taught these wonderful people about God's plan for families. We taught them that families are the foundation of eternity - that family life was designed from the beginning to extend past death. We testified that the power exists on the earth today to bind families together forever. "Until death do you part" was never part of God's plan.

As I read scriptures from my iPad, I watched a young man sawing wood to make a boat. The contrast couldn't have been more jarring. He was using tools and methods that were probably used during the time of Jesus. I was using a device from Star Trek. I have no intention of leaving my electronic world, but you can't help but love these people who live so close to the earth. In the background a young Mom was bathing her child in a stone basin. She then washed clothes in the basin, then threw the soap water onto herself and ladled water from their large water urns to rinse it off. Human happiness doesn't require IOS 9.2.

It started raining and driving back from the jungle was a race against the elements. If you snooze, you walk in ooze. By the time we hit pavement it was a torrent. We couldn't drop the Sister missionaries off at their house because there was a river in front of it. We took them to our palace - which was encompassed by a moat (very fitting). But, we forded the moat and made it to safe ground without incident. The rain slowed after an hour -long enough to get them safely close to home. It was a good day!

Our new church building in Kampong Cham is nearing completion, but still probably 3-4 months away. It was supposed to have been completed nearly a year ago, but communication snafus have made it difficult. Building oversight comes out of Hong Kong and the overseers hired a French architect, who hired a Khmae general contractor and sub contractors. Local communications occur between English-speaking senior missionaries and the architect. As you can guess, it has been difficult. Four different languages, multiple cultures and local construction people who don't fully understand American expectations.

The building itself is huge (the chapel and cultural hall would rival most LDS church buildings in Utah). Classrooms and kitchen on the main floor, chapel and cultural hall upstairs. It sits on a prime piece of land near the main government buildings, hospital and university. But the delays have come with a cost. From what we understand, the general contractor is out of money and the contingency back-up is gone. Cambodia doesn't utilize bonds or other guarantee procedures that are a normal course of business in the US. The Church will be on the hook to get it completed. In spite of all this, the building will be beautiful and a great addition to the city. The ongoing challenge will be to teach our local membership how to keep the building beautiful. It will require establishing a new culture different from what they have known. I think about the migration of people moving West (in the US) in the mid-1800's. Those from the East were horrified by the conditions and habits of those on the frontier. But things changed over time. This is not that different.

Chapel - President Christensen and Elder Van Brocklin

Cultural hall - complete with stage

Our Corolla Cruiser

Having a car means we can take the missionaries out to teach people in the boonies (although our little Toyota Corolla wasn't meant to go 4 wheeling in the jungle). Most missionaries in our area haven't been in a car for months - some not since they came to the mission. They ooh and aah over soft seats and air conditioning. We've learned that in the past, if the missionaries needed to get to some place further away, they hitch-hiked (not the Sister missionaries). They'd hop on the back of an open bed truck - along with 10 other people. Or sometimes they'd jump on a city-to-city van (a beat-up van crammed with people who don't have showers, stopping at a bunch of po-dunk places to pick passengers up or drop them off).


We took missionaries to a back-woods place about 35 kilometers out of Kampong Cham. It was a beautiful drive - mingled with litter. The people lived in a humble wood shack, with a small breakfast grill in front along the path/road - which was their primary source of income. We sat on rickety chairs (the missionaries sat on wooden foot stools), taught them about the temple and God's plan for families, then left them with a small poster of the Philippines Manila temple. The Mom (not a member of the LDS faith) kept rubbing the poster like it was the most precious thing in the world. She wants to learn more, but can't come in to church because one of them needs to tend the "breakfast grill" in case someone stops by. Somehow it will all work out.

Yesterday we visited three member "homes" to teach about the Book of Mormon and temples. It was only 5 miles out of Kampong Cham on the main highway to Phnom Penh. But once we walked100 yards away from the road, we might as well have been in a scene from Tarzan. It was a warren of tin and wood huts - all on stilts (they keep livestock under their houses, and have a "table" in the shade). Some had electricity, some didn't. Water came from shallow wells and roof run-off pipes directed to large urns. Families dip water from the urns for home use. But the people are loving and sincere. They accept their current circumstances and hope that their children will gain something better. The older women (ages 57 and 59) loved Erin. They hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, and treated her like she was a visiting queen. I was just ancient arm candy for her.

As I start to feel sorry for myself - perspiring in a dusty, muggy, mosquito-clogged paradise, I think of Jesus. He left a home that made our Sandy, Utah house look like a hovel. It was a palace designed for Royalty - the Lord of heaven and earth. Yet He left that beautiful place so he could live as the son of a carpenter, in a sleepy village under Roman rule. He never complained about his poor circumstances, nor about his occasionally flaky friends. He willingly chose to submit himself to barbaric cruelty unequaled in human history, and never asked, "what's in it for me." He would look at me in Cambodia and lovingly say, "quit whining." It helps me to know that He has walked a path far more difficult than mine.

Today was difficult. Not in a physical sense -  although my nose was introduced to several new smells (only one of which was good) - but in a deeper,more personal way. We went with the missionary sisters to visit people in a very poor part of town. I've seen poverty in Mexico, but nothing like this. Houses only 6-8 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Tin sides and roof, dirt floors, no running water, plumbing or sanitation of any kind. It's hard to think that 7 billion people live in 2016, but so many eek out a tiny living in what I consider desperate circumstances. It's easy to blame the wealthy, but that's too simplistic. Giving poor people money doesn't make them wealthy - it makes them dependent. Jesus Christ said it best when he said, "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The problem is ignorance. Sometimes it's illiteracy. Sometimes it's awareness of a new level of growth. Too often we don't know what we don't know. I realize this is true for all of us, but the blatant poverty in South Kampong Cham brings it front and center for me.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the source of ALL truth. Nuclear fusion is not a problem for him. He could do it in his sleep (I don't think he needs to sleep however). Nor does he wrestle with the concept of infinity. He existed before this life began. He is real today. And he will continue to create new worlds after ours has completed. He could eliminate poverty with the snap of a finger, but it wouldn't help us grow. It's similar to parents providing all the needs of their children forever. Parents could probably pull it off, but it wouldn't be beneficial to the children. He will teach us how to eliminate poverty - if we are willing to let him.

At the day's end, all of us missionaries
 went to a do-it-yourself outdoor grilling restaurant. The servers drop hot wood coals into a metal container in the table, put a criss-cross wire mesh grill on top and bring you marinated meat and vegetables to grill. It was amazingly delicious (I had my doubts at first). We were stuffed, and it only cost us $4 each (including fried rice and beverage). This goes on the favorites list.

Writing a good blog is hard. It's a compromise between barfing up a stream of consciousness and articulating a technical document. So feel free to give advice to us novice bloggers.

We started our first "routine" day - which means following a morning schedule. Up at 5:45, out the door to exercise at 6:00, shower, eat and facetime a child by 8:30, language study and companion study by 10:30. We did great until 7 a.m., then the "routine" began to unravel. Geez! I'm impressed with how the young missionaries have learned to get all their stuff done by 10 a.m. It took us an extra hour. Over time I expect we'll get better with our planning AND execution.

I ran for the first time in two weeks. The heart was willing but the calves were weak. It's a good thing we're nearly at sea level and running/walking on level ground. We went to the Mekong River walkway - which is only a few minutes drive from our palace. It was beautiful. This is one area where the city is really trying to make an impression. The walkways are clean and mostly clear of litter - although we have learned to NEVER trust a lump on the ground. We walked/ran past the famous bamboo bridge (see pic below). There is a populated island in the middle of the river - with no formal access. The locals built a bridge made of bamboo, which allows the river to flow through it. During the rainy season when the river rises, the bridge has to be disassembled at both ends (not the middle we're told) and re-routed to a higher ground access point. We should see this in a month or two. Honestly it's quite an engineering feat. The bridge accommodates bikes, motos, carts and even cars (we aren't yet brave enough to take our church-owned Corolla across). There are some Church members on the island and missionaries go over often to visit or do service work.

Bamboo Bridge

Later we met with a member in a humble, 3 room concrete house. For Star Trek fans, it's the prime directive in action. You want to do something to improve the circumstances, but interfering often makes things worse. People grow according to their own schedules - not ours. The member greeted us graciously and participated in a discussion about the temple. We shared our feelings about those sacred places the best we could, and the missionaries did the rest. We are learning a few new words every day, and getting more used to pronunciations.

The final event of the day was "song practice" time with members. It seems the members sing the same 5-6 songs every Sunday. So the missionaries felt it would be good to introduce them to the rest of the hymnbook. We sang about 8 less familiar hymns with them, and they did great. A local member knows how to lead and Sister Haddock (sister missionary) plays the keyboard (no pianos).

We listen to a chapter of Harry Potter 3-4 times/week before going to bed. Jim Dale does an amazing job voicing all the characters. However, Jim Curtis does an amazing job of falling asleep about halfway through. Glad I've read the books.

High-water ramp

Yesterday (June 6) was our P-day (preparation day) and a blockbuster learning day. We learned how to use our Thai oven. It's really an oversized easy-bake oven. Nothing fancy - just a temperature gauge (in Celsius) with indicators at 100, 150, 200, 250. I googled the conversion calculation and made a spreadsheet in Fahrenheit to match most of our baking recipes. You kinda guess where things are - so it will take some experimentation. We "experimented" with oatmeal raisin walnut cookies. We had no shortening, so had to use butter (dang!). No brown sugar - so substituted with white (not as good). But the result was delicious. We also learned how to use our Thai microwave so we could reset the clock, type in seconds for cooking and choose power settings. It sounds so simple, but when instructions and icons are written in a language you don't know, it's kinda hard. Even when we found an English translation, many of the instructions just didn't make sense. I have a MUCH greater appreciation for Joseph Smith and the device the Lord provided to him (urim and thummum) to translate the Book of Mormon. There is NO way anyone could have come up with a translation as articulate and understandable as was his.

Market Vegetables

We also went to the market to buy meat and produce. Spoiler Alert! If you are squeamish at all, don't read the next section on the meat. We requested a kilo of pork from a meat lady. All the meat is lying around on tables, flies all over them. She picks up a hunk (bare hands), whacks off a chunk and drops it on a bloody scale with a plunk (hehehe). She then grabs a bloody calculator with her bloody hands and tells us it will be $3.30. We say OK and she bags it up and gives it to us. We were told to go early in the morning because that is when meat is the most fresh (the pig was probably butchered that morning). We didn't dare try more than that on our first experiment. We went home cleaned the meat as best we could, plopped it in the crockpot with salt, pepper, onion powder and some Italian seasoning and hoped for the best. (Spoiler alert is now over, it is safe to read the rest of the post).

Fruits and veggies were easier - but no more sanitary. We bought jack fruit (never heard of it before, but delicious), mangosteen, pommello, bananas, cucumbers, spinach, avacados, limes and mangoes. If you don't see any more posts, you'll know we didn't survive the "fresh market."


"If you don't give me a banana, I'll yank your shorts!"

6 of our 10 missionaries in Kampong Cham

Later we visited a Wat (temple) with the young missionaries. The Elders biked the full 3 miles, the Sisters begged for a ride. The temple was interesting - mostly because of the monkeys. But like so many of the sacred places, it was filthy. It isn't that the people don't value cleanliness, it's just cultural to throw your trash wherever you want (I'm old enough to remember when throwing trash out the window while driving down a US highway wasn't a crime). So the Wat hill was littered with trash, empty water bottles and other stuff that attracts flies. It was also HOT! We probably lost 10 pounds through sweat. We brought the cookies with us to share with the missionaries, and they were in heaven. Most haven't had home-made cookies since they left the USA (unless they were with the Spencers in Battambong - who TOTALLY spoil their missionaries).

After the Wat we found the "good" bakery and the only store in the province that carries foreign food stuffs. We bought coconut oreos, milk, sugar crackers and a sprite.

We arrived home to an amazing smell (good) and had pork, rice (first time using a rice cooker - instructions in Khmae rather than Thai) and cucumbers. Mmmmm. I think we'll live.



Killing Field Memorial

Market Fruit

We had District Conference on Saturday and Sunday. A District Conference is a gathering of church members from the local congregations to a single large group. There are three congregations (branches) in Kampong Cham. They are small by US standards, but still there were about 160 people that attended. It was good. The young missionaries put together a choir - which sang two numbers. It was the highlight of the conference for me. There were 30-40 people in the choir and they sang with enthusiasm. They haven't been exposed to four-part harmony yet, but it didn't matter. Harmony came through their spirits. They all look like teenagers, even though most were in their 20's and 30's. A member of the general church leadership attended (Elder Khanakham - from Thailand). He encouraged the Khmae saints in Kampong Cham to show more love in their families (he told the men to tell their wives every day that they loved them), to read the Book of Mormon and to obtain a temple recommend (a "worthiness" certificate required to enter LDS temples). The closest temple to Cambodia is Hong Kong - which is far away and expensive. The LDS church has what is called a "temple patron fund" - which is a subsidized method of getting people to temples in impoverished areas. But even the 5% required can take several years to accumulate. Those of us who live closer to temples (usually within easy driving distance) do not understand the sacrifice the Cambodians must make. As a result, most don't or can't go. The LDS church announced that a temple will be built in Thailand - which will make it much easier, but that is several years away. Elder Khanakham challenged the local leadership to interview all their active members and issue limited use recommends to as many as possible. This process is new to them - and it is our job to help them learn.

On the more mundane side, our furniture delivery (couch, loveseat, new mattress) arrived Saturday morning. Yay! We no longer sleep on a mattress that feels like it's made of stone. The new one is like sleeping on grass. Still firm, but not a slab. Our palace is much closer to becoming a home.



View from the Wat

On Thursday, June 2, we went to Udoung - about 25 kilometers up the Tonle Sap river from Phnom Penh. Udoung is the original capitol of Cambodia - when it included parts of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. It is believed to be a resting place of the ashes of Buddha (some of them anyway - a tooth and eyebrow). The temple (called a "Wat") sits atop a hill overlooking a beautiful spread of farmland - mostly rice fields.

To enjoy the view, however, you must first climb 22 flights of stairs. There were little kids everywhere offering to fan you with a palm frond - for a small fee (you decide the fee). One lady in our group gave a little girl $5 (which is a FULL day's wages for an adult) and that girl was glued to the lady's hip for the entire trip. AND, 10 other kids joined the gaggle - hoping for a piece of the action. Three flights from the top, everyone had to remove shoes and hat and leave them on the stairs. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. It was hot, muggy and sweat glands went to hyper drive.



Still learning how to do selfies

One of two Wats at the top

At the top, a half dozen monks, joined by 15-20 regulars, were chanting prayers. They would chant non-stop for about 5 minutes - take a break - and start in again. After chanting for about 20 minutes or so, they all walked around the temple top a bunch of times. We left right after that, so I'm not sure what was next in the ritual.



Elders Thurston and Curtis

The entry and parking situations were fascinating. Foreigners were charged a $1/person entry fee (no charge to Khmae's). I don't know who gets the money - but I hope it's used to maintain the temple (sometimes fees go straight to a government official's pocket). The parking lot was a paver-covered dirt field with occasional palm trees. You pay an "attendant" who directs you to a tree. I think the "attendant" is whoever gets there first in the morning. When you leave, you pay a different attendant a departure fee. Outhouses were available for a small fee. But you had to bring your own toilet paper (we were warned in advance) and hand sanitizer. We paid 500 riel (about 12.5 cents) to use the facilities. Cambodia uses paper currency only - no coins. The smallest denomination is 100 riel - which amounts to 2.5 cents. 4,000 riel = a dollar.


Outhouse entry fee

No offense to all you Samsung fans, but I have NOT enjoyed my new galaxy class device. It's not exactly intuitive for an old person. I couldn't answer an incoming call :-(. I kept tapping the answer icon and nothing happened. I was SO frustrated. How could I do my assignments if I couldn't even answer the &%# phone (those are missionary swear words). When all else fails, use google. I can now answer my phone - but it's still not intuitive. By the time I return I will be an expert on a sub-par device :-).

We returned home to our final night of luxury - preparing to drive back to Kampong Cham in the morning. My first solo driving experience. Thank goodness for the calm of a cool swimming pool, and the nurturing vittles from Eric Keyser.







This week has been such a blur. It's hard to believe we've been in the country for 10 days already. After being in our mansion for only 4 days, we headed back to Phnom Penh on Sunday evening for a Senior Couple retreat event. Actually, we thought we were leaving Saturday evening, so we ate up our remaining food so it wouldn't sit in the heat for a week. We were rescued by the young missionaries who gave us an onion. We nuked a couple of potatoes, fried the onion and had delicious hash browns with onions. By the way, Phnom means hill. Even though Cambodia is a pretty flat country, there are still plenty of phnoms here and there. Penh is the name of a famous lady in Cambodia. Not sure of the details. We stayed at a hotel near the mission home called, "The White Mansion." It only had 18 rooms, but was luxurious by Cambodian standards: small fridge in the room with cold bottled water, hot water to the sink and a 25 meter lap pool. But the BEST thing about this hotel is the free breakfast at an adjoining French Bakery called Eric Keysers. Ham and cheese croissants, omelettes, fresh fruit platters (mango, papaya, dragon fruit, water melon, pineapple), traditional Khmae breakfast (soup with rice noodles and shrimp, fried rice with chicken and vegetables) and a bottomless cup of fresh passion fruit juice. All you can eat (and drink).

Our conference was good, but I (Jim) haven't been feeling well (My Immodium moment arrived and decided to stay for several days). I am truly amazed at what the other senior couples have been doing. One couple manages wheelchairs, wells, reading glasses and other charitable events for Humanitarian Services. Another works with government officials at both the national and state level and coordinates events for good all over the country. A third couple is helping the locals work toward self reliance, and less reliance on outside agencies and governments. The couple working in the mission office manage all the buildings, rents, expenses and paperwork coordination for over 100 missionaries. They went shopping with us to get us a bed that isn't made of concrete and a couch that can help serve as an oasis at the end of a tiring and sweaty day. The fifth couple does what we will be doing (they are in Battambong) and have inserted themselves into the hearts of the local Khmae people and the missionaries who serve there. We hope that some day we can be half as good as they are. What's fascinating is that these senior couples are just normal people like everyone else - except they responded to a call to serve and have been supported and directed by the Savior. These couples, along with thousands of others across the globe, gave up golf, travel, grandchildren and their personal finances hoping they could do some good in a difficult world. In Cambodia, we are trying to establish a beach head (hope you don't mind a military reference), so that others can come after and really grow the work. We are still naïve greenies at this point, but are following a trail blazed by others.

We wrapped up the conference Wednesday with a dinner cruise along the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. Both are BIG rivers. And when they join up in Phnom Penh, the resulting Mekong is easily as wide as the Mississippi. The river starts in the Himalayan mountains, and exits into the South China sea at the bottom of Viet Nam. I'll write more about the Thursday trip to Udoung later (no time tonight).Here's a couple of pics from the boat.

Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers join up

King's Palace on the River

Dinner Cruise Entertainment

Mekong Houseboats