Elder & Sister Stone

Another Week!

What a week! We have been interviewing Engineers who can help us get drawings for the contractors who will do the work. We build latrines, incinerators, wells and hand wash stations. We are looking for the people that can turn our ideas into drawings! We will then be ready to begin the process of bidding and budgeting.

An incinerator that is burned out. This Hospital is in desperate need of a new incinerator. Garbage is building up. There is no trash pick up service in most parts of Cambodia.

Our efforts are centered around fiscal responsibility as well as developing strong relationships with all levels of government. It is our goal to strengthen our partnership with government as the church draws closer to starting on the temple.

Today in the North Stake, another baptism. The baptism prayer is much longer in Khmer.

The missionaries here are amazing! About 40 Khmer elders and sisters. Since the foreign missionaries left and the missionary work turned to online teaching, baptisms have gone from just a few to 20, 30, 35, then 40! For such a small group, they have been going full speed! They have baptisms every weekend. Today we attended another, where a young man baptized his sister. It appears that his cousin who was there may be next. They are amazing!

Church service in a members home. Today, Branch President Final and his wife and daughter joined and conducted a testimony meeting. The girl in the orange skirt starts her mission in a few weeks. The woman peaking from behind spoke of the sadness in her family. The people are so poor and the stress of making a living often takes a toll. But they endure and continue to strive.

Nearby is the Central Market. It is like a Flea Market/Farmers Market. It is a large complex that houses hundreds of vendors, that sell all kinds of clothing, jewelry, electronics, shoes, home goods, yarn, tools, vegetables, meats, food court etc…. Saturday we needed a broom, and some yarn, (Sister Stone is making new baby caps) and we took a stroll while we were there. The sights and sounds were unbelievable.

Just past the produce is the food court, where there are portable gas burners, a small chopping block, and people dinning on noodles, or vegetables, bbq, or a bowl of rice. A fascinating site!

The bowls of orange food is dried shrimp. This is in the seafood section.

The people here are wonderful, they are kind and loving, they mostly work for nearly nothing, many have nearly nothing. We are so anxious to get our projects out of the planning stage and making a difference. It is a process. This week, we hope to travel to a hospital with a contractor to get his advice on improving the water system there. The water pressure is low and the bathrooms that the patients use need attention. The well is supplying foul water. The process of developing a project takes so long, and then has an approval process. We are learning a lot in the process.

We love our work. We wish it could move along quicker and get to our goals sooner. We love what we are doing. We appreciate all of our friends and love our family. To those who helped with glasses. THANK YOU! The mission president and his wife were so pleased to receive them. They are being put to good use. Tonight, we met with the mission nurse. She said most of the elders and sister have very poor teeth. She is teach dental care and flossing. One elder has already lost most of his teeth behind his encisors on his right side. To our grandchildren….remember to floss! We love you!

With all our love

Elder and Sister Stone