Pioneer Day (July 24) is a BIG deal with the Cambodian LDS church members. They relate to the struggles of the early Mormon pioneers as they left their homes in Illinois and walked 1,300 miles to the deserts of Utah. The Cambodia saints are "pioneers" in their own way as they prepare and plow the road for future generations. Two of the three small congregations joined together for their own Pioneer Day festivity on 7/23.

A little girl came with this balloon

One of my assignments was to configure the A/V  set up (which was a "pioneering" adventure all by itself) to show the DVD, "Legacy." It's a film based on actual stories of early pioneers who made the long trek 169 years ago (the full film is also available on youtube). But this version was translated into Khmae - which was borderline hilarious (the voices were similar to those you would hear on a soap opera). Even though I've seen the video at least 10 times, I found myself waiting for a Southeast Asian leading man to spurn the girl because he had found another lover. Then the girl would attempt suicide and end up in a hospital where the lead man would rush back and tearfully tell her he was sorry - as she died in his arms.... But it didn't happen.

Heel Toe Polka

What DID happen, however, was a power outage in the middle of the video. There were about 140 people in a large room - which no longer had AC (remember this is Cambodia, where "dry heat" is just a myth). I pulled out the guitar and Sister Haddock (sister missionary from Heber City, UT) rosined up her violin, and the dancers (and a few others) came up front and began to sing hymns to the audience. Over the next 15 - 20 minutes, others joined the "choir" until it was about 20 voices strong. Unbeknownst to us, the local church leaders (8 of them) went upstairs to pray for the power to come back on. Just as soon as they arose from their knees, the power sputtered back on. I've mentioned before that there are some things you just can't make up. This is one of them.



After the movie we went to the next piece of the program.  We had been asked to teach the local members some pioneer dances. This would have been IMPOSSIBLE without the miracle of youtube (thank you Geoff Grobeg). The two videos we taught from were filmed at a barn in Mapleton, Utah. AND, Sister Haddock used to fiddle at that venue for that instructor. Calculate THAT coincidence! We practiced the heel-toe polka and Oh Susanna, and they had a blast. On event day, the dancers came in pioneer costumers (a surprise to us) and put on a great show. They even pulled in a few audience members to dance with them (the branch president was a really good sport). The "old" dances were followed by the locals doing traditional Khmae dances around a chair with a flower pot on it (it should have been a tree - but it wouldn't fit in the room). It was beautiful to watch (Erin danced while I hid behind my guitar).

The most awesome part was the outdoor lunch. The leadership hired a catering group, which brought wedding tents (pink and yellow), round tables, matching table clothes and covered chairs. A 3 liter bottle of coke was centered on each table and adorned by a pot of rice, a plate of fruit and a pitcher of utensils. The main course (soup) was prepared in a cauldron over a wood/charcoal fire under a tree next to the baptismal font. The caterers ladled the soup into dutch-oven-sized pans and set one on each table next to the coke and rice. Delicious.

Later in the day it was back to reality - teaching a lady in a jungle shack whose husband is in jail. You buy your way out of jail (prisoners aren't released at the end of a time period) and she is trying to save money to get him out. He gets one meal/day and lives in a dingy cell. Visitors have to pay to see an inmate or bring in food, so she can't afford to visit. Criminal justice (???) systems are the underbellies of 3rd world countries.

I often wish I could "magic wand" away their difficulties - but wounds don't heal overnight for a reason. Magic wands don't build character - they build crutches. However, we can all pitch in and help make the world a better place in our own ways. The Savior taught us to do good - every day. It's a great place to start.