Elder & Sister Stone

Another week of wonderful experiences

A great week is wrapping up! We have been working on another emergency response to the consequences of flooding here. We are turning in our request on Monday. Tuesday we will meet with the Governor of the Kandal Province to bring aide to that area. Thousands have been affected by the flooding. We usually assist by offering families rice, canned fish, soy sauce, noodles and fish sauce. It allows them to get by for about a month while they get things back together and return to their modest homes. Some have to rebuild their homes. As we have driven to some of the areas, we see schools in 3 feet of water, homes, flooded, rice fields ruined. We are delivering food Tuesday for 500 families.

Some of the flooding in the provinces. There are many whose homes have been swept away.

Saturday we met with a leader in the Ministry of Education. We worked with him to help bring a package of scientific experiments to the school rooms in 16 provinces. The government has been training teachers how to used teaching aides in the physics classes. We will bring the experiments to the classes. We are thrilled that is will affect over 19,000 students. We are finishing the application process for our office in Hong Kong, to get their final approval. It is a relatively small project, but it is large in the potential impact.

After our morning meeting with Education, we were off again to Svay Rieng Province, to bring Covid 19 supplies to the High School. As mentioned previously, the outlying provinces are very under funded. They have desperate needs. We hope to return soon to work on their needs with water and sanitation. This area of Cambodia is where bombs were dropped during the Vietnam war. Today the people are happy and hold no animosity toward the U.S. We are intrigued with the nature of the Cambodians.

A few of the students at the Ampil High School, their commune leader, principal, teachers and Provincial leaders. We hope to return to improve a few things. 6 latrine seats for 1000 students. They need more latrines, and hand wash stations.

While in Svay Rieng, we took time to stop and watch rice being harvested. Villagers were gathering the crop, we shared some time to visit, we took a few photos, and gazed at the amazingly beautiful countryside.

Harvesting Rice, and gathering the rice hay for the cattle during the dry season.
Rice fields ready to harvest amongst the palm trees. Beauty and peaceful all around. The countryside of Svay Rieng
When we stopped to see the harvest, people slowly collected to see who the strangers were. So friendly, so hard working.
Bringing in the harvest. These people are farming the land that has been in their families for hundreds of years, growing the same crops.

Sunday came again. We arrived at the branch and wow! 8 boys showed up! We brought a dozen ties we had purchased at the market, all were excited to put one on. Even a few older priesthood holders were happy to get a new tie. The growing excitement in the Branch is a wonderful experience. The men and boys are happy to come to church. The Branch President is catching the vision of ordaining his young men, and extending callings. Today he set apart the deacons quorum president and the teachers quorum president, as well as an assistant in the Priest quorum. We feel the Spirit of the Lord growing in the little branch. More chairs are being filled.

The fellow on the left has started coming to church, he is helping his brother get ready to pass the sacrament
Branch President Final, and young men becoming active in the Priesthood. The older gentlemen have been members since the church entered Cambodia in 1996. Proudly wearing a white shirt and a new tie.

Our mission is wonderful. We love our opportunity to serve. The missionaries here are amazing and hard working.

We love our wonderful family. We love our friends as well!

More to come…

Love,

Elder and Sister Stone