Heralded by angels, what a wondrous event was the birth of the Christ child! While the sights and sounds are different in this land, those people that believe in our Savior have the same feelings of love as believers everywhere. It is with profound gratitude that we wish each and every one of you a Christmas filled with all that brings true joy.

The following six photos attempt to depict some of the joy that is Cambodia.

Merry Christmas from the Snyders!

This teen group gave a stirring performance of the nativity. They have deep feelings for our Savior.

TheTaKhmao Primary leadership has its hands full with this fun-loving group of children. They gave the cutest program with song and dance!

The jolly old elf--far, far away from the North Pole and New Mexico--had lots of help passing out candy to the children.

Sister Snyder with two of her favorite missionaries--Sisters Harlan and Vo, both of whom speak Vietnamese. Elders Hurwitz and Salmon are trying to cause trouble in the background. ;-)

Joy is personified in the expressions of these wonderful young missionaries--Elders Matthews, Pinvises, Hurwitz and Salmon. As an aside, Elder Hurwitz is 6'10" and draws a lot of attention from the relatively-short Cambodian people.

Putting up the the Christmas tree at the TaKhmao Branch. Note that the door is open and everyone is enjoying the 75 degree weather. The Cambodian people love balloons, and a few are evident in this photo.

While attending church meetings at the Takhmao Branch last Sunday, Elder Da invited us to provide service the next day in the rice fields belonging to people in the Baku area. We were glad to have the chance, in part because we wanted to know more about the rice harvesting process. Here's what we learned--it is a lot of fun if only working for an hour and a half. We can't imagine working like that day after day from sunup to sundown. It is exhausting, back-breaking work.

The stalks are cut 30-36 inches from the top, laid in rows to dry, then gathered and carried to a large tarp in the middle of the small field where the bundles are stacked about three feet high. Our knowledge gets a little scant from there because we didn't get to see how they separate the rice from the stalks (maybe next time!). Here are seven photos of our rice harvesting experience. You'll have to click on "older posts" to view the last photo.

After receiving instruction, Sister Snyder is closely supervised in her first attempts to cut the rice stalks. Perhaps her supervisors have heard of her reputation with knives!

Now she's got the hang of it! (And didn't cut herself even once!)

Here's an old guy trying to pull his own weight in the field. After the rice is cut, it is laid out in rows for drying. When it has dried, it is gathered by hand, carried to a central location and stacked on a big tarp.

Barely 5 feet tall, Elder Da is a spiritual giant, humble and always concerned for the welfare of others. The service project was his idea. He wanted to help those people who took time away from their harvest to attend church meetings.

A happy work crew. Elder Haem is at the top and the farmer, Ol, is next with the towel around his neck. The middle row features Elders Oleson, Draper and Da with members of the Takhmao Branch. President and Sister Smedley are front and center with the Snyders enjoying the moment.

The short walk to the farmer's home was made more pleasant by the company of Phani, a neighborhood boy. Elder Snyder taught Phani and his friend, Kausiem, the fine art of thumb wrestling at a family meal a couple of months ago.

After our work, we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Ol's wife, Jensophiap.

Dear Family and Friends,

We had a special experience this week which prompted reflection about our Savior and the Christmas season. Everything fine here, and hope it is equally well with you. Much love. . .

While Jesus invited all to come unto him, his earthly ministry focused on the poor and downtrodden. It was they whose faith was strongest and who were grateful for his loving solace and miracles.

Missionaries serving in Cambodia walk where Jesus walked. Every day they see a humble people living in humble homes, gratefully accepting the healing balm offered by the Lord’s servants.

Although our assignment is mostly that of doing the back-office work of the mission, every now and then we have the opportunity to assist in some other way. One such moment came this past week as we were asked to visit a man who had been critically injured in a moto accident.

There are many hospitals in Phnom Penh, but only two that could be called modern. This man was taken to one of those—a gleaming building on one of the city’s main streets. However, since the man was poor, he was taken to an old building behind the hospital, a ward for the indigent. We had to walk a ways to get there, and our apprehension was heightened by the dead rat lying close to the entryway.

His room was fairly long, about 50 feet and maybe 18 feet wide, large enough for a row of 10 single beds on each side. The beds had no mattresses, with thin straw mats on top of the boards. They were filled with people suffering from maladies unknown to us.

The unconscious man was surrounded by his family. They were distraught as they studied his swollen face and limbs, especially since they hadn’t been permitted to talk to any medical staff. Our interpreter found a physician who was informative and caring. He had good news. The man’s injuries were severe but not life-threatening. He also said it would make no difference if the man had an expensive room. His body just needed healing time. `

We relayed this information to the family, and made sure they had money for food and other needs. We prayed with the family, and hugged them. Tears were shed.

This story ends well. The man was conscious the next morning, and has since returned home to complete his recovery.

We have now visited three hospitals. The first was for another moto-accident victim whose head injury was worse, but who survived. The second was to a chronically-ill AIDS patient in an indigent ward with no food or quality care. We ministered to her needs as best we could. Her quiet dignity and faith humbled us.

Christmas is a special time of giving. May we all offer the gifts of time and of love and of solace that please Him whose birth we honor.

We love you and pray for you daily.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Although we missed all of you, our Thanksgiving dinner was complete with good food, including a turkey, and good friends doing their best to serve the people of Cambodia.

We've posted five photos in case you would like to see a little bit of the Water Festival, and why Phnom Penh's population swells by over two million people each year at this time. The authorities still have no clear answer as to what caused the stampede panic that caused so many deaths--over 400 now--but the city is now back to its usual pace. Much love to all. . .

As per a local travel website:

In November each year for the period of three days, Phnom Penh plays host to the most magnificent carnival in South East Asia, the Water Festival or Bonn Om Toeuk as it is known by Khmers. It is a celebration of the unique phenomenon when the great freshwater lake Tonle Sap reverses its flow. The city is adorned with colourful bunting and the Royal Palace is lit with rainbow coloured lights, the night air is filled with the sight and sound of fireworks. Parks come alive with food stalls and amusement rides and Khmer people travel great distances to be part of this wonderful and significant event.

More than three hundred boats take part in the annual race on the Mekong River, each propelled by a team of precision driven oarsmen. The boats are colourfully decorated and are a wonderful sight for the many spectators that line the shore.

The full moon of the Buddhist calendar month of Kadeuk is celebrated in conjunction with the festival. The Khmer people believe that the full moon will bring good luck and a bountiful harvest. On this special night a banquet is prepared and offers such cuisine delicacies as fish amok, fresh vegetables and fruit. A ceremony is performed where the chief priest lights candles and as the hot wax drips on the banana leaves spread beneath the candles, predictions are made about future harvests.

The Tonle Sap lake is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia; it provides fish and irrigation for most of the population in Cambodia. From mid May to the beginning of October each year during the monsoon season an amazing natural phenomenon occurs, the Tonle Sap swells to three times its normal size and reverses its flow. At the end of October when the lake reduces in size the water flows back the other way as it did before the wet season. This process makes the lake of Tonle Sap the richest source of freshwater fish in the region. The Water Festival is held in Phnom Penh annually in celebration of this amazing, extraordinary, natural phenomenon.

The below photos depict our Water Festival experience a few hours before the tragedy on the bridge.

We are watching the boat races and crowds from the second floor of Kiwi Bakery. This photo was taken early in the afternoon. By nightfall, the crowds had increased to the point of standing room only. The weather was ideal.

Although just cruising in this photo, for the past three days these colorful boats were involved in races. Each boat has over 60 paddlers with a man at the front keeping them in rhythm with a megaphone, and a man bailing water that spills inside. An estimated 300 boats participated.

This little girl doesn't look particularly enthused to be selling inflatable toys while so many others are enjoying the festivities.

Now that the daily rains have stopped, "winter" breezes have brought out kite sellers. They can be found along the streets during the week and were busily working the Water Festival crowds as well.

When it got dark, a procession of nine boats, each intricately lighted in different designs, made its way up the river with a backdrop of a fantastic 30-minute fireworks display. The boats looked to be 60-100 feet long.

Dear Family and Friends,

A dear friend from Colorado died in a car accident this week, so we’re not posting any photos. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this great person. Please reach out to those you love and give them extra hugs today.

Go to www.mormon.org to find out more about our values and faith.

With love,

The Snyders

Dear Family and Friends,

The last two weeks have been good and busy. We've enjoyed getting to know two of our Area Authorities--here to preside over district conferences--and the mission office has been full of high-energy young missionaries (here for a 3-day leadership training) whose capacity for learning and serving is exceeded only by their capacity for eating. ;-)

Here are five photos--two area authorities, two soon-to-be missionaries, and a quick shot of local infrastructure.

We love you and hope things are well with you.

The Snyders

Elder Juan is an Area Authority from Taipei. He was recently released from a ten-year assignment as a stake president. We were privileged to pick him up from the airport and provide transport to the Phnom Penh South District where he was one of the presiding authorities over the South District Conference. We enjoyed getting to know him, and to see his enthusiasm for learning about Cambodia. The Church has a wonderful network of leadership, all who serve without pay.

This is Elder Joshua Subandriyo, an Area Authority from Malaysia. He is a humble, high-energy man who loves to visit people with the missionaries.

This is Chhoeng Roatha, a young woman from the Ta Khmao Branch who has been called to serve an 18-month mission in Cambodia starting in January.

This is Sok Sovanna Reth, a member of the Ta Khmao Branch who has been called to serve a two-year mission in Cambodia. Even though his mission doesn't officially begin for a couple of months, Elder Sok is already living and working with the full-time missionaries serving here.

While there is a lot of construction taking place in Phnom Penh, there are many areas needing infrastructure improvement--such as at this intersection. Juxtaposed against this background is the digital countdown clock next to the stoplight at the bottom of the photo. Most of their stoplights have a digital clock attached to tell motorists how much time is remaining on the red and green lights. Very useful!

Dear Family and Friends,

Halloween just wasn't the same this year, but we hope yours has been grand.

If you have a few moments, here are five photos. Although meaningful, the first will not necessarily appeal to youngsters (unless they like grandparents!), but the other four will enthrall with elephants, tigers, deer and an exotic treat--frog kabob anyone?

It hasn't gotten below 70 yet, but it seems almost chilly. The locals are wearing sweaters and jackets.

Much love to all,

The Snyders

This distinguished group of North Americans serve without pay and at their own expense for 18-23 months in callings including humanitarian, welfare, education, family history, and member and leader support in all areas of the mission--Vietnam and Battambang, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Led with vision by President and Sister Smedley, they recently met for a one-day conference and training at the mission home in Phnom Penh. The following week it was back to work for everyone, but one lucky couple got to provide transport to a group of younger missionaries enjoying a couple of hours of their precious preparation day time to visit the Phnom Tamao Zoo. The following photos provide just a glimpse of that excursion.

Sister Snyder introducing herself to a local inhabitant. She has now played with Tasmanian kangaroos and Cambodian elephants. It makes one wonder what exotic clime will be her next stop!

Not seemingly friendly, this tiger nonetheless engaged his audience.

Making friends with a Sambar deer. One of the missions of the Phnom Tamao Zoo is to preserve wildlife at risk, and the horns of a Sambar deer are prized in Asia to the tune of $300 each--making them prey to illegal predators.

The trip back to Phnom Penh offered refreshment to weary travelers via foodstands filled with local cuisine. Featured here is a selection of stuffed (chili sauce and lemon grass) frog kabob.

Dear Family and Friends,

We have five photos this week, three of the recent Ta Khmao deluge and flood, one of our security guard, and one of a construction site close to our apartment. The big news of today was. . . we found Miracle Whip in a local grocery store! All of the senior missionaries have been watching the markets to see if it would ever appear on the shelves, and we got a call this morning that a shipment arrived. Along those lines, we spotted a small frozen turkey (only one) in a market today with a price tag over $40. We couldn't buy it because it wouldn't fit in our freezer. If one is available closer to Thanksgiving, we may purchase it to help put on a traditional dinner for the younger missionaries serving in our area.

On a more spiritual note, one of our newly-arrived young missionaries contracted a form of typhus/meningitis seven days ago and had to be put in the hospital. Along with the medical care, he received a priesthood blessing. While in the hospital, the young man received a message from his stateside father saying that the Lord knew his situation and would bless him with sufficient health to resume his missionary service. Two days later the young man was released from the hospital in fine shape and is now back working with the people.

Hope you are all well and happy.

Much love,

The Snyders

This is an intrepid missionary (Elder Draper) standing in the street in front of the Ta Khmao Branch building. Fortunately, the building entrances are high enough off the ground that no water got inside. Of course, it was all a great adventure for the missionaries as they helped local people move belongings and performed other service for them. Ta Khmao is about five miles out of Phnom Penh and was the hardest hit area. Although some Phnom Penh streets had 12-18 inches of water, it quickly drained and there was only minor flooding in some of the buildings.

After it stopped raining, the neighborhood streets started to fill with children (and adults) taking the opportunity to have some fun or check on family, friends and neighbors. When displaced by water, it is very routine for neighbors to move in with each other until the water recedes.

This is the Ta Khmao missionary home that was flooded. This photo was taken when the water was already starting to recede, so the high level was a few inches more. Elder Ang Kosal has been serving for a couple of months as a "part-time" missionary prior to departing in November for his two-year assignment to a Khmer-speaking area in Boston, Massachusetts.

This is Prak, the reliable, tireless parking guard at our apartment. He works 12-hour shifts seven days a week. He is 23, unmarried and has finished his first year at college. We found out in August that he had to sit out a year to save enough money to pay another year's tuition. As a guard, he makes about $100 a month, and a year's tuition is $320. Thanks to the senior missionary couple who found a group of Americans willing to pay Prak's tuition via their non-profit Cambodian Education Fund, he is now back in school studying accounting.

We are watching this construction project from our kitchen window. Their use of bamboo for scaffolding and support is innovative. Wish I could spend some time on the building to get a closer view. We've watched some of the cement being hauled up in a five-gallon bucket by rope and pulley. However, they have used a modern cement truck and upper story chute for the big pours. While some city neighborhoods are definitely up-scale and some strictly poverty-level, most are a mix of upper and lower class homes. It is not unusual to see a large mansion in what Americans would view as an undesireable location.

Dear Family and Friends,

We had some excitement this week with a 24-hour rain that brought flooding to the Takhmao area about 5 miles from Phnom Penh. One of our missionary homes had three feet of water in it, and the roads were impassable for several days. It was a pretty big deal to us, but not so much for the Cambodians since they experience this from time to time and know how to deal with it. We hope to have some photos next week from the intrepid young missionaries serving in that area.

In the meantime, we've posted pics of an entrepreneur and her creations, plus some of the local flora.

Much love to all. . .

The Snyders

P.S. LDS church members on this distribution list will be interested to know that we watched the semi-annual general conference yesterday and today via DVD's. It was a great conference!

Meet Sophal. She is a housekeeper by day for one of our senior missionary couples in Kampong Thom, about 3 hours north of Phnom Penh. When they saw her talent for sewing, they suggested she try to make men's ties with the hope she could sell them to missionaries. Her first ones were a little shaky, but she soon became very professional and now sends 30-40 ties to the mission home every six weeks for sale at $2.50 each. They are quickly purchased and some of them even find their way to the U.S. and other locations as gifts for family members.

The photo doesn't really show how unique and attractive the ties are. Note the elephant theme in the third tie, and the elegant material of all of them.

Sophal always labels her ties.

There are so many beautiful and exotic (at least to our untrained eyes) flowers in Cambodia. One day last week, Sister Snyder strolled around the neighborhood of our Mission Home and snapped some quick photos. This is a flowering tree on the street.

Three more photos follow. Anyone who can identify the names of the flowers is encouraged to send us a message.

Orchids on the Mission Home grounds.

Another flower close to the Mission Home.

More flowers close to the Mission Home.

Dear Family and Friends,

Lots of rain and challenge this week, sprinkled with some great moments. Here are photos of our Bak Ku dinner, thumb wrestling, bike riding, wading through the street, and two fine young men starting a great adventure.

A quick story: I was asked to go pick up a young missionary from a clinic in a part of town unknown to me. After wandering the back streets of that neighborhood, I called back to our admin assistant, Tay, to see if he could help me. When realizing that my description of the neighborhood wasn't matching where I was supposed to be, he asked, "Are there any people around you?" I responded with, "Of course, there's always people on these streets", he said, "Stop and give your phone to one of them." I immediately pulled over to the curb, got out of the van, and handed my phone to a very-surprized man sitting at a cafe table. After a few moments of conversation, he handed the phone back to me and gestured, "Follow me!" He hopped on his moto, I followed, and it wasn't long before he started pointing at my destination. When he saw that I pulled into the parking lot, he waved and rode off. That's my moto GPS story.

Hope everything is well with you and yours.

Much love to all,

The Snyders

We went to Bak Ku a few weeks ago to help provide a meal to the Bu Phuo family and their friends who have so graciously fed us on earlier visits. We bought eight rotisserie chickens from street vendors plus a case of orange Fanta soda and a big jar of Cambodian candies. The young missionaries brought the vegetables and Bu Phuo's wife--Sophia--made the rice. It was a grand evening.

The beautiful children of Bak Ku enjoying our party. They loved the orange Fanta, the candies, and the family fun.

Passing on the ancient art of thumb wrestling to the younger generation. I was also given a lesson in Cambodian etiquette by a 10-year-old girl who was watching. I offered to thumb wrestle with her and was politely informed that girls don't do that sort of thing.

A bicycle ride in the Bak Ku neighborhood. The kids didn't think "look taa" (grandfather) could really ride a bike.

Two happy young men on their way to the Manila Missionary Training Center. Elder Tran (signalling "V") is from Hanoi and will return to the Cambodia mission. Elder Sin is going on to Australia for two years. Since their languages are different, they both communicated in English. It was delightful watching them meet for the first time. They made an instant connection and were so happy to be companions at the start of their great adventure.

October is annually the wettest month in Phnom Penh. Late this week it rained hard for about an hour and a half. One of our guards snapped a picture of an old guy wading to the van to pick up a few missionaries who were walking home from a career seminar. The missionaries had finished their two years and getting ready to go home.

Dear Family and Friends,

We just posted four photos--one of a youngster riding to school, and three of our local traffic police. Don't be too alarmed that Elder Snyder has already been pulled over three times. It's a common occurrence in Phnom Penh, plus a certain young missionary twice advised him to go down one-way streets. The young missionary has promised to repay the fines whenever he has money--not likely in the immediate future anyway. ;-)

We should mention, too, that Sister Snyder remains steadfast in her refusal to get behind the wheel. Smart woman!

We're missing the holiday season. Not much fall weather here, and turkeys, even if they'd fit in our little ovens, are $40+.

Hope everything is well with you and yours.

Much love,

The Snyders

A youngster riding his bicycle to school. He is probably carrying 500 Riel (equivalent to 12.5 cents) that he gives to his teacher to supplement her salary. Teachers are only paid 60-100 dollars a month, somewhat low even by Cambodian standards, and it is expected that the families of students subsidize teacher pay.

We are so impressed with the Phnom Penh traffic control system. Here are three of their finest enforcers. Since we've had personal experience with them (3 times), we feel relatively competent to discuss the system. Here's how it works. First, Phnom Penh cops generally buy their way into the job--somewhere between $2000 and $3000 which is a lot of money in Cambodia. Second, they work a specific block all the time. They stand at the corner and motion over any rulebreakers. Some people speed away from them, but some pull over. The cop then explains your infraction, checks your license, and asks for money. Although they have a keen eye for those with money--mainly foreigners--there is a range of expectation depending on the severity of the infraction. Phnom Penh has a lot of one-way streets that only run for a block or so. Finding yourself heading the wrong way will generally cost $5. Running a red light is $10 unless you have a Khmer passenger who is willing to fight for you. In that case, you can negotiate down to $2.50. We've known nascent (foreign) drivers who have mistakenly paid up to $50 for a fine. It should be known that the cops make their livings off of this money, though they pay a percentage to the area captain--an officer who "owns" the area and sells the jobs. Of course, the area owner reports to (pays?) the next guy up the chain. To the average Joe, this sounds like corruption, but it can be thought of a little more positively. The system is wonderfully efficient. It keeps people in line by providing great coverage (most busy city blocks), and judge, jury, and prosecuting attorney all wrapped up into one. No worries about going to court, no worries about making an appeal, no points taken from your license--just a simple negotiation and it's done. In fact, we have some Khmer drivers (of luxury vehicles) who have perfected the drive-through payment method. They drive down the one-way street and stick a $5 bill out the window as they go by the cops. Think, too, that there are no worries about putting the officers on the public payroll or even downsizing the police force during a recession. They are paid by us traffic scofflaws. What could be better?

A friendly guy, he's just trying to make a living like everybody else.

Note the radio which is used to inform other nearby officers of those motos or cars that need to be pulled over.