Un Sotheareth is shown here just before his departure to the U.S. to serve a mission in California. He had never flown before, and was excited to begin this adventure. We worry about our Khmer missionaries finding their way through LAX and making the switch from international to domestic flights, but somehow it always works out. We received word that he made it to his destination just fine.
Like others before him, he was required to spiritually prepare himself for his mission, plus earn and sacrifice around $500--a significant sum for youth who seldom make more than $80 a month. Then he served as a companion to missionaries working in Cambodia. This means that he lived with them, kept the same schedule, and carried his share of the workload. By the way, because of the 6-8 months it takes for the U.S. to issue Homeland Security clearances, and the visa and other processes, it can take up to a year from the time outbound missionaries receive their Call To Serve to the time they actually arrive in the states. Most of the outbound missionaries are in the 22-25 age range.

Sister Snyder feels a bit of ownership with each outbound missionary because her job includes filling out their comprehensive applications for U.S. visas and preparing them for the interview process. The online embassy application is not for the faint-hearted. The system is difficult to negotiate, changes constantly and times out frequently. Despite that, she is 4-for-4 with five more in the pipeline.

Elder Un's family and some of his friends trekked to the airport for his late-night departure. All of the departing missionaries are put on the 11:20 PM flight due to cost and arrival times in the U.S.

Elder Un with his branch president, Kem Chhoeun. President Chhoeun is an unassuming man who has sent two of his own children on missions along with many young members of the Ta Khmao Branch. He works as a welder during the day and attends to his church duties in the evenings and on weekends.

Brecon Powell is the son of great people we've known since our Camp Pendleton years. He and his wife, Tara, were able to spend a couple of days in Phnom Penh on their way to Thailand. They are a delightful couple and we really enjoyed the time we could spend with them. Quick learners, they soon negotiated the markets, and the bargaining, with the ease of veterans. This photo was taken in front of the guest house where they stayed.

It costs $6 to have a shirt hand-made in Phnom Penh--$3 for the material and $3 for making it. That's for a plain white dress shirt. If you want something nicer, the material can cost up to $10 but the tailoring is still $3. While Brecon was selecting material for some shirts, the shop owners became concerned about an old man having to stand up so they found a nice chair under a fan for him.

Eng Bun Huoch is a man with a future. Talented, intelligent, and faithful, he is working his way toward success. He is a counselor in the mission presidency and starting a couple of businesses while working for an NGO. He is shown here with his wife and two of his three children.

Spencer Malley taught us as much Khmer as we could absorb in preparation for our mission, and he and his wife, Kaitlin, just arrived in Cambodia where Kaitlin will be doing a 3-month agricultural internship. Spencer did his Khmer-speaking mission in Sacramento so this is his first trip to Cambodia. They will move to Atlanta this fall so he can begin law school. They are such a delightful couple! This photo was taken in our apartment.

Chhoeun Kunthy is one of our favorites. She returned a few months ago from the Washington Everett mission, and it wasn't long before she was selected as a translator and teacher for the Manila Missionary Training Center. This photo was taken just after she got back with four new missionaries she helped train. (See next photo for the four missionaries.)

These missionaries just completed three weeks training in Manila. They are (l to r) Sister Pham and Elders An, Hem and Phan. Sister Pham is from Hanoi, Vietnam and is assigned to work with our Vietnamese branches.

The good looking girls with the glasses are Sister Snyder and Vo Thi Kim Loan. The nice looking young woman without eyewear is Vo Gai Thi, who finished her mission a couple of weeks ago. Kim Loan (18) is fluent in four languages, and Sister Vo speaks Vietnamese, Khmer and passable English. She comes to the mission office once a day to tutor Elder Snyder in Vietnamese.

Elder Ban departing for his service in the Boston mission with a 3-week stop at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Most of our outbound flights are now at night--a side benefit of which is that more family and friends can come to the airport. Elder Ban is a likeable showman--he went into the terminal (non-passengers are not allowed inside) to check in and then came back out for another round of photos and smiles. Sister Snyder took this photo with the old guy in the middle.

One of our tasks involves managing 28 homes for our missionaries. To get them more into the spirit of keeping them clean, we offered ice cream as a reward for those going the extra mile to deep clean their homes last month. This photo is but one example of the scene repeated many times as the missionaries came to the mission office to claim their prize.

Our next door neighbors, Elder and Sister Peterson, provided a sumptuous Easter dinner for us and the Ellingsons. We had ham and turkey and Sister Snyder's famous potato salad!

The seven senior couples now serving in Cambodia got together a couple of weeks ago to eat a nice meal at the Titanic restaurant which is close to the river. Meals are in the 8-15 dollar range. I had a stir fry with water buffalo meat strips and Sister Snyder had huge Tiger Prawn shrimp, complete with heads.

Shown taking a break, this Cambodian dancer provided graceful entertainment during our meal.