Elder & Sister Stone

New Projects!

90% complete, this incinerator will serve the health center to keep the garbage under control. Rural areas burn their garbage, there is no trash pick up outside of the big cities.

A great week of traveling to sites in the south of Cambodia to bid with contractors on new work. We visited 6 schools with a variety of needs. We met with contractors to instruct them on specifications and locations for the work to be done.

Footings for the new water tower at a health center. The well pumps the water up to a tower, which gives the health center a supply, and water pressure.
This is the kitchen/lunch room for one of the schools we will be working at. Each school has a similar building. Kids buy their lunch for pennies from the local vendors on campus.
The gas stops along the highway often have outdoor urinals, here, the sign gave us good advice.
We see fresh meat along the road when we travel. Meat served in restaurants is almost always slaughtered that morning. Nothing goes to waste. The only thing lost in this pig is the squeal.

We also traveled on Friday to visit 2 sites where work is underway on construction of incinerators and water towers for Health Centers. The work we saw was good. We have two contractors who have been working on projects, and we are working with two more contractors to start more of the projects.

Girls on their way to school stop to buy a snack. People sell these little clams that are seasoned. We are cautioned not to buy them or risk crummy tummy.
This little moto is pulling a very large load on a busy highway. We still don’t know how he knows when he can make a left turn, This one is selling mattresses. Some are hauling large trailers of rice or brick. The brakes on the motos must get awfully hot.

Today we worshiped with the little branch in the North Stake. We love the humility of the wonderful people. I know one hymn on the piano very well, and one only. We try to get there early and play prelude for the branch, to help develop reverence and a feeling of the Spirit before the meeting starts. While I was playing, the Deacons quorum president walked up and watched what I was doing on the keyboard. I paused after a few moments and asked him if he want to learn to play. He speaks very little English, and he looked at me, not know for sure what I had said. After rewording it and some gestures, his eyes lit up, and he said yes!! After church, we sat together and practiced doing scales, to loosen his fingers. It is hard to teach music when one cant communicate what notes are and what a ‘ c’ or a ‘b’ is. He is a very serious young man that wants to do things most boys are indifferent to. We hope over time we can teach him enough to read music and understand the keyboard and what rhythm is.

Later today we will sit in on a high council meeting, to encourage the high council to support the stake presidency and the units in the stake. The church here is so young. There is so much opportunity for it to grow and flourish. Because of the social media, people are popping up around the country asking to know more. Many of these people have friends who are anxious to know more and to study the Gospel.

Our Saturday shopping, we say these. It tastes much like a cross between a pear and an apple. Crisp, juicy, sweet. Not sure what it is called. The vendor smiled and put them in the bag…

We love the challenges even though they are sometimes hard. We see how it is helping us to grow. We travel on Monday to two provinces to do more in hospitals and health centers. We currently have a good number of projects we are working on. We hope by the middle of February, we will be able to add another 6 projects to our list. We see the time buzzing by, and we want to do as much as we can before we are through.

We love all of our family. We love each of our grandchildren. We love you all. Please stay healthy. With all of our love….

Elder and Sister Stone