Since the focus of our mission is on administrative and transportation support, it is a blessing when our schedule permits us to accompany missionaries in their work. Prior to Friday's late-night run to the airport, we were able to participate in a special Family Home Evening conducted by our Vietnamese friend, Ong Dung (pronounced Yoom), for his wife and daughter and a few of their neighbors. Dung's house is literally on the river front, with water oozing to his front step. The home is a patchwork of rough lumber with various levels interwoven to accommodate times of high water. We climbed a narrow ladder (right-center in photo), left our shoes at the doorway, and then sat cross-legged on the worn floor, enjoying the soft breeze coming in from the river. A single light illuminated the room showing a photo of the Manila Temple and a depiction of the Savior on the wall. After song and prayer, Dung proceeded to teach a lesson about our need to serve as The Master served. Then we played charades, with lots of laughter at our various antics. One elderly man, whose hearing was poor, kept repeating aloud the "prompts" given by the missionaries. He had us all in stitches. We closed the meeting with prayer and refreshments, fruit and candies, and then spent some time talking. I asked Dung to talk a little about his war experiences, knowing from previous conversations that he had been wounded several times as a soldier for South Vietnam. He told us how he had been beaten and imprisoned by the Communists after Saigon fell, spending three years of near starvation in a Laos prison camp. After release, he decided to leave his homeland and make a new life in Cambodia. He found the Church 11 years ago and has served faithfully despite his poverty. Dung and his family typify those in this land who have so little and yet so much.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Since the focus of our mission is on administrative and transportation support, it is a blessing when our schedule permits us to accompany missionaries in their work. Prior to Friday's late-night run to the airport, we were able to participate in a special Family Home Evening conducted by our Vietnamese friend, Ong Dung (pronounced Yoom), for his wife and daughter and a few of their neighbors. Dung's house is literally on the river front, with water oozing to his front step. The home is a patchwork of rough lumber with various levels interwoven to accommodate times of high water. We climbed a narrow ladder (right-center in photo), left our shoes at the doorway, and then sat cross-legged on the worn floor, enjoying the soft breeze coming in from the river. A single light illuminated the room showing a photo of the Manila Temple and a depiction of the Savior on the wall. After song and prayer, Dung proceeded to teach a lesson about our need to serve as The Master served. Then we played charades, with lots of laughter at our various antics. One elderly man, whose hearing was poor, kept repeating aloud the "prompts" given by the missionaries. He had us all in stitches. We closed the meeting with prayer and refreshments, fruit and candies, and then spent some time talking. I asked Dung to talk a little about his war experiences, knowing from previous conversations that he had been wounded several times as a soldier for South Vietnam. He told us how he had been beaten and imprisoned by the Communists after Saigon fell, spending three years of near starvation in a Laos prison camp. After release, he decided to leave his homeland and make a new life in Cambodia. He found the Church 11 years ago and has served faithfully despite his poverty. Dung and his family typify those in this land who have so little and yet so much.
Coming from Battambang, an area in northwestern Cambodia known for its rice production, Elder Sorn (with his parents) on his way to the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center. Most of our outbound missionaries have never been in an airport or on an airplane. Can you imagine young people with scant English negotiating a 30-hour trip with layovers and terminal changes in such places as Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Los Angeles? We are convinced the Lord leads them by the hand.
The Star Bakery is a project of the Cambodian Children’s Fund wherein young adults with no futures can learn the skills needed for employment in the food service industry. Latter-day Saint Charities helps to support the training by providing equipment and classroom materials. Knowing that Elder and Sister Peterson, LDSC Country Directors, were finishing their mission soon, the Star Bakery staff and students put on a farewell reception for them. This photo shows all the students in the current class.
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