Over two thousand years ago, three Wise Men traveled many miles from strange lands to seek the newborn Lamb of God. Upon seeing Him, they fell down and worshipped Him and presented gifts of great value. As we in a land far away celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, our hearts are turned to each of you. Thank you for your many kindnesses, the gifts of love and service that you have so freely given. They are of inestimable value. We love and cherish you, and pray that your Christmas is filled with the many joys of family, friends, and a deep and abiding love for our Savior and Redeemer. Tim and Janis Snyder

Dear Family and Friends,

Life in Phnom Penh is full of surprises. This week has seen early morning temperatures in the low 70's and the locals are freezing. The cold(er) weather seems, however, to match the season and the stores are displaying all sorts of brightly-lit Christmas trees and other decorations. One element that we've particularly enjoyed here is the service--exemplified by this advertisement: It would be our pleasure to serve you at our new branch with quality of service and smiling of staffs.

We hope your holiday shopping is filled with quality of service and smiling of staffs.

Love, the Snyder's

Sister Snyder is, first and foremost, a mother. She loves babies, toddlers, children, adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. She instinctively reaches out to them, and they, in turn, love her. In many ways, her mission has been that of a mom--nursemaid, counselor, confidant, and drill instructor when needed. This photo portrays one of many such moments.

(L-R) Sisters Erikson, Loy, Snyder, Un, Keo, Set and Johnson. We had transfers this week so the mission home was rockin' with energy. Transfers are a time when missionaries are assigned new companions, occasioned by arriving/departing missionaries and other needs. Those being transferred are informed a couple of days prior to come to the mission home at a certain date/time to hook up with their new companions. They try to arrive a little early so as to have a few minutes to socialize and share adventures with their friends. They are incredible young people who happily serve the Lord.

Elder Eric Haws is on his way home to California after finishing his two-year mission. He plans to join a handful of other missionaries at BYU Idaho who speak and write Khmer--an exclusive fraternity! Working in the office, we are frequently pressed into service to transport missionaries to and from the Phnom Penh airport. Note to former missionaries--the eateries at the airport are changing. Dairy Queen is now outside and the inside area has been remodeled to include Pizza World and a BBQ franchise. A new deli is where we used to greet arriving passengers and a Pho 24 is close to where arrivals are now routed.

"June" -- standing between her mother and Sister Snyder, with her father, brother and Elder Snyder on the other side -- is 18 and sooo excited to be on her way to Utah Valley University. She is staying with Lowell and Cheryl Curtis in Riverton, Utah while breaking in to the USA culture and climate before classes start in January. The Curtis' are our good friends who worked with the Viet branches during their mission here. Dr. Duy (June's father) has been instrumental in facilitating a much-needed surgery for a Cambodian boy at a heart hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Believe it or not, this crazy bunch of people just finished a very spiritual Family Home Evening in the home of Lam Sovann, far right, and his sister, Lam Sophy, far left with the flower in her hair. After a lesson about loving families, we played a game where everyone got in a circle and passed a coin from hand to hand and a person in the middle had to guess where the coin ended up. If the person guessed correctly, he/she got to draw a design on the face of the person holding the coin. An incorrect guess went the other way. Note that Sister Snyder's face is not marked. She won! We were responsible for the treats and brought bananas, water and a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.