Our week was spectacular! We traveled on Monday to our large water project at the Prevang Hospital and met with the Hospital Director to review the high points of the project and to get his commitment to take care of some items before we begin. We moved on that day to inspect a health center and a school that very much need water facilities. Currently the health center is pulling water from a very murky pond. We are putting these two groups onto our list of folks to help.
The well is not working, you might can see the very murky pond behind the health center. There is a hose that they use to pump the water from the pond to use in the health center. We hope to put a new well here soon.Making brick to use in a new shower at the Chamkarleu Hospital. The men are laying the brick around the corner. The two women in the picture are moving the heavy brick from where they were made the day before, to the site where the men are working. Very hard work. Women here do many jobs, considered to heavy for women.We updated on a new well for the Health Center! It tested clean and good to use. Now we finish it off with a pump, a concrete top, and a cover. Hook it up to the water tower, and success!!
We spent the next two days with contractors looking at health centers that need water, incinerators and hand wash. Truly, there is need far away from the city. We admire the tenacity of the people to ‘make do’, even when there is not much to ‘make do’ with. Thursday we updated on the nearby project to drill a well at a local health center. We are pleased with our contractors for their creativity and hard work.
Lunch with the District Vice Director, Vorn Vi. A friendly and very involved local leader. The plate in the center that has a dark grey food on it is stomach. Our guests love the dish, also, stir fried vegetables with chicken, rice, and we soon got a plate of roasted fish. The whole fish, with the head too. Very tasty!Behind the restaurant in town. A typical dishwashing area. The employee sits on the stool, washes and rinses, sets the dish down beside them and starts on the next one. The water is cold, sometimes the soap is diluted. We still love the food! Notice the traditional broom in the corner. Very common to see those in most homes. People sweep with one hand behind their back and the other hand swishes the broom along. A very graceful motion. It almost seems that folks sweep to unwind….A quick meeting with Doctors from several hospitals from around the country. Today they are being trained in treating the possible reactions to the Covid vaccine. 1,000,000 doses arrive today from China. WHO is training and invited us to open the training with a few remarks.
Friday brought us the opportunity to meet together with the senior missionary team at the mission home, to have dinner, and to say farewell to one of the wonderful senior missionary couples. Dr and Sister Jim Taylor, our friends from Brigham City. As they complete there mission, we say good bye to them for the hard work and commitment to the people of Cambodia; We will miss them indeed.
Gathered to say good bye and thank you…. This is the mission office, the transfer board on the right, a place where the missionaries pass through on a regular basis. Thankfully Sister Stone and I do not get transferred. We get to keep our companion the whole mission!Dr Jim Taylor, his wife Annette, and their translator, Channak.
Today, we enjoyed another baptism, and then joined a committee in the North Stake in planning a missionary reunion. The stake has over 100 missionaries who have served. The stake is anxious to assemble together and enjoy the missionary spirit together. Tonight, in just a few hours, we will join an area leadership training. Our weeks speed by and we find ourselves worn out each day.
Cashews. These are seed pods forming. Currently about the size of your thumb from the last knuckle to the tip. The trees are loaded with cashews, and there are vast orchards of cashew trees here. In the area we visited, there were very large plantings of bananas, cashews, and rubber trees.
As we drive the many hours to the provinces, we think of our children and grandchildren. You are in our prayers every day. We love you… We love you… We truly love you. We feel the prayers of so many here. The Lord blesses us every day. We see His hand in our lives. We think it is because of your prayers and faith on our behalf. Thank you! May God grant you blessings. May you realize His blessings in your lives.
Our Cambodia Experience 