Resting at the top
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
April 16, 2009
This week is Cambodia's longest holiday, and most celebrated of the year- the Khmer New Year. In addition to the legal holiday this week beginning on April 13, numerous families participated in their families memorial activities last week. Translating that into missionary work means that many families are busy and it's a more difficult time to teach. However! It is a wonderful time to be out on the side streets and roads and wish "Happy New Year!" to one and all, and enjoy the decorations.
Nearly every home and most businesses have a table set up in the front porch or room with fresh fruits, candles, drinks and flowers. These are left out through the week, and if electricity is available, colored lights are plugged in at night and draped over the porch, the fruit tables, and even ancestral shrines! We have so enjoyed walking at night this week looking at all the different ways that our neighbors have decorated their tables and hung lights.
Large, colored cellophane wrapped stars are also very popular and are hung either outside or inside. (By the way, at the end of the New Year holiday, the fruit decorations will be eaten- a much better idea than a tree thrown out on the trash pile!)
For the Khmer people, their New Year is a time to be with family- the large cities are almost deserted as the people flock to their homelands and families. This is also a "vacation"week, and the roads are filled with motos, hired open trucks and vans all over-loaded with people all going somewhere! In our case, we went with our elders in KT to Santuk Mountain, about 25 minutes away from KT on Wednesday for our P-day.
This area of Cambodia is very flat, but there are several mountains (VERY large hills you may think!) that rise up out of the plain and most of them are popular places to visit, complete with shrines and wats. We arrived Wednesday with hundreds of other Khmer sightseers. As we drove to the base of the mountain, there were numerous money exchanges thronging the visitors. I was quite surprised to see them carry nothing but bundles of 100 ria's- which I believe to be Cambodia's smallest denomination. (At the current time, one US dollar is exchanged for 4,000 ria)
As we approached the steps (860 or so!) that led to the top of the mountain, I saw why the money changers. Crouched at nearly every step, was a beggar seeking alms- from the elderly, the disabled, to children, infants and even two dogs! As missionaries we are not to give money, but we can give our smiles, love and out-stretched hands. What touched me so was the generosity of the Khmer people themselves- most gave to one or another, and some freely gave to all the beggars I saw- even to the dogs.
The steps were uneven, crowded, and fairly narrow, but nearly everyone was enjoying the experience and determined to make it to the top. Thank goodness the hillside was for most part shaded by large trees or we would have been in absolute misery- April is very hot, even for the Khmer people! As we trudged up, I would look over, smile at fellow climbers and always get a big smile in return and even a few welcome breezes from those who had thought to bring paper fans. Their "whew!" sounds something like "you-ee!" and believe me, it was a "you-ee" climb to the top. But, as in all cases when it comes to mountains, the view was well worth the effort. On top were several shrines, a wat, and numerous small pagodas. In addition to the man-made structures, there were a number of large boulders and outcrops of rock which were all favorite climbing spots. And... there were monkeys! We do not see a lot of native animals in this province unless you count cows and water buffalo, so there were a large number of us gawking at the monkey in the tree!
We are working with the missionaries in Siem Reap the balance of this week and due to it's reputation as a major tourist city, we will probably find less of an effect on missionary work here. The older husband and wife we had written about earlier, Manewon and Jantee, who have so eagerly embraced the gospel message, shared with the Siem Reap elders who they wanted to baptise them. To our great honor and humility, the elders told us that they had requested Elder Dickerson.......and Sister Dickerson! There have been many "firsts" in our mission, but if all goes as planned, Elder Dickerson will be privileged to preform his first baptism here, and what a joy that will be for us, the elders, the members of the Siem Reap Branch and especially for Manewon and Jantee.
We love each of you with a love that is deepening in gratitude and appreciation constantly...We know that this is the work of the Lord and we are humbled to be privileged to see His work move forward in preparation for His coming. Hugs and love! Elder and Sister Dickerson (ie, Grandpa and Grandma)
Nearly every home and most businesses have a table set up in the front porch or room with fresh fruits, candles, drinks and flowers. These are left out through the week, and if electricity is available, colored lights are plugged in at night and draped over the porch, the fruit tables, and even ancestral shrines! We have so enjoyed walking at night this week looking at all the different ways that our neighbors have decorated their tables and hung lights.
Large, colored cellophane wrapped stars are also very popular and are hung either outside or inside. (By the way, at the end of the New Year holiday, the fruit decorations will be eaten- a much better idea than a tree thrown out on the trash pile!)
For the Khmer people, their New Year is a time to be with family- the large cities are almost deserted as the people flock to their homelands and families. This is also a "vacation"week, and the roads are filled with motos, hired open trucks and vans all over-loaded with people all going somewhere! In our case, we went with our elders in KT to Santuk Mountain, about 25 minutes away from KT on Wednesday for our P-day.
This area of Cambodia is very flat, but there are several mountains (VERY large hills you may think!) that rise up out of the plain and most of them are popular places to visit, complete with shrines and wats. We arrived Wednesday with hundreds of other Khmer sightseers. As we drove to the base of the mountain, there were numerous money exchanges thronging the visitors. I was quite surprised to see them carry nothing but bundles of 100 ria's- which I believe to be Cambodia's smallest denomination. (At the current time, one US dollar is exchanged for 4,000 ria)
As we approached the steps (860 or so!) that led to the top of the mountain, I saw why the money changers. Crouched at nearly every step, was a beggar seeking alms- from the elderly, the disabled, to children, infants and even two dogs! As missionaries we are not to give money, but we can give our smiles, love and out-stretched hands. What touched me so was the generosity of the Khmer people themselves- most gave to one or another, and some freely gave to all the beggars I saw- even to the dogs.
The steps were uneven, crowded, and fairly narrow, but nearly everyone was enjoying the experience and determined to make it to the top. Thank goodness the hillside was for most part shaded by large trees or we would have been in absolute misery- April is very hot, even for the Khmer people! As we trudged up, I would look over, smile at fellow climbers and always get a big smile in return and even a few welcome breezes from those who had thought to bring paper fans. Their "whew!" sounds something like "you-ee!" and believe me, it was a "you-ee" climb to the top. But, as in all cases when it comes to mountains, the view was well worth the effort. On top were several shrines, a wat, and numerous small pagodas. In addition to the man-made structures, there were a number of large boulders and outcrops of rock which were all favorite climbing spots. And... there were monkeys! We do not see a lot of native animals in this province unless you count cows and water buffalo, so there were a large number of us gawking at the monkey in the tree!
We are working with the missionaries in Siem Reap the balance of this week and due to it's reputation as a major tourist city, we will probably find less of an effect on missionary work here. The older husband and wife we had written about earlier, Manewon and Jantee, who have so eagerly embraced the gospel message, shared with the Siem Reap elders who they wanted to baptise them. To our great honor and humility, the elders told us that they had requested Elder Dickerson.......and Sister Dickerson! There have been many "firsts" in our mission, but if all goes as planned, Elder Dickerson will be privileged to preform his first baptism here, and what a joy that will be for us, the elders, the members of the Siem Reap Branch and especially for Manewon and Jantee.
We love each of you with a love that is deepening in gratitude and appreciation constantly...We know that this is the work of the Lord and we are humbled to be privileged to see His work move forward in preparation for His coming. Hugs and love! Elder and Sister Dickerson (ie, Grandpa and Grandma)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Honoring the ansestors by cleaning and decorating
thier graves.
All do not enjoy the Kami new year the same way.
Live pigs freshly scalded to remove hair, scrubed to a nice shade of pink
and loaded for market.
What
it's all about, the man on my right, Somnang the father of a wonderfulfamily recently baptized. He is helping us teach the father (on my left) as he prepares
for baptisim.
April 8, 2009
Happy Easter ! The seasons change so little here that we find it easy to lose track of holidays, but this Easter finds us filled with a deeper appreciation for the Savior and the reality of the His resurrection. We were taught powerfully by the Spirit this past district meeting in Siem Reap as Elder Stevens led us in a discussion of the Savior and the completion of His mission. I am so grateful for the opportunities the Lord is granting us to increase our gratitude and understanding of the Atonement....
We are happy to report that we again have had an "uneventful" past few weeks! Although uneventful in accidents or illness, our lives have been full of the events of the Spirit. One of those experiences happened last week as we worked with our missionaries in Siem Reap and if I may, I will share it from my perspective. After an appointment had fallen through, there was some quick discussion as where to go next. A sister's name came up with several other options, and feeling that it would be good to go by to see her, I made that suggestion. After Elder Godfrey called her to make sure she was home, he told us she was expecting us. I was a bit puzzled by her comment, but I assumed that I could have had a misunderstanding in the translation. The sister's husband, who is not a member, met us at the main road and directed us back to their very humble home. As we walked in and sat on the floor she began to share with us the health difficulties she has been experiencing, the prayers she had offered for days and the hope she had that someone from the Church would come by to see her. That day, she had again pled with the Lord and asked that the elders would come and administer to her- and she received assurance that that day they would come to her.
You can imagine my feelings... my impression was no more than a thought, and how easy it would have been to set it aside. I was humbled to the bottom of my soul and thanked the Lord for His tender mercies for the impression, and the immediate support from the elders. I was left to ponder how many experiences with the Spirit I have failed to enjoy because gentle are the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. In the daily hectic rush of life we find our lives so full of "noise" that it is so difficult if not impossible to feel those gentle whisperings unless we are seeking to keep our hearts in tune with the Spirit of the Lord.
The first counselor in our KT branch recently moved from a comfortable Khmer home to a woven mat shelter they constructed on property they owned nearby. Their first hand dug well was dry, and they tried again in back of their house where they were able to find water at about 4 feet. In the weeks since they dug this well, the property behind them has been sold out for fill, and the water table disturbed to the point that they now have very little water. Elder Dickerson and the elders from KT provided service in helping Brother Rutee deepen the well.
Consider the heat from the equator sun, rock-hard clay and stone, in a hole circumference of about 2 and a half feet to work in. You can only stab down, scrape what you can onto a woven basket scoop, attach it to a rope and wait till the scoop is emptied from above your head and lowered again. Elder Dickerson and two of the other elders were simply too large to work in the well, so they waited above to dump the fill. After a full day of work, there was still no water. When Elder Dickerson came back from their house, he expressed his awe at the patience of Brother Rutee and his total lack of complaining. After taking a soil sample in to a local water driller, Brother Rutee was told that he would need to dig an additional 6 more feet before he would probably find water.... Every aspect of the lives of the people here in Cambodia gives us an opportunity to feel and express gratitude for unappreciated blessings.
We are so looking forward to General Conference this weekend- for us, April 11 and 12. The Conference DVDs are sent to Cambodia from Hong Kong in English and Khmer. General Conference has taken on a whole new dimension for us as we more fully appreciate the world-wide scope of the Church and the blessing of living prophets- not to mention the absolute joy for me of being able to sing the songs of Zion in English!
We wish you the joys of the Easter season and express our love and gratitude to each of you for your prayers and love, and send ours to you!!
Hugs and love and more hugs and love!
Elder and Sister Dickerson, (Grandpa and Grandma!)
We are happy to report that we again have had an "uneventful" past few weeks! Although uneventful in accidents or illness, our lives have been full of the events of the Spirit. One of those experiences happened last week as we worked with our missionaries in Siem Reap and if I may, I will share it from my perspective. After an appointment had fallen through, there was some quick discussion as where to go next. A sister's name came up with several other options, and feeling that it would be good to go by to see her, I made that suggestion. After Elder Godfrey called her to make sure she was home, he told us she was expecting us. I was a bit puzzled by her comment, but I assumed that I could have had a misunderstanding in the translation. The sister's husband, who is not a member, met us at the main road and directed us back to their very humble home. As we walked in and sat on the floor she began to share with us the health difficulties she has been experiencing, the prayers she had offered for days and the hope she had that someone from the Church would come by to see her. That day, she had again pled with the Lord and asked that the elders would come and administer to her- and she received assurance that that day they would come to her.
You can imagine my feelings... my impression was no more than a thought, and how easy it would have been to set it aside. I was humbled to the bottom of my soul and thanked the Lord for His tender mercies for the impression, and the immediate support from the elders. I was left to ponder how many experiences with the Spirit I have failed to enjoy because gentle are the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. In the daily hectic rush of life we find our lives so full of "noise" that it is so difficult if not impossible to feel those gentle whisperings unless we are seeking to keep our hearts in tune with the Spirit of the Lord.
The first counselor in our KT branch recently moved from a comfortable Khmer home to a woven mat shelter they constructed on property they owned nearby. Their first hand dug well was dry, and they tried again in back of their house where they were able to find water at about 4 feet. In the weeks since they dug this well, the property behind them has been sold out for fill, and the water table disturbed to the point that they now have very little water. Elder Dickerson and the elders from KT provided service in helping Brother Rutee deepen the well.
Consider the heat from the equator sun, rock-hard clay and stone, in a hole circumference of about 2 and a half feet to work in. You can only stab down, scrape what you can onto a woven basket scoop, attach it to a rope and wait till the scoop is emptied from above your head and lowered again. Elder Dickerson and two of the other elders were simply too large to work in the well, so they waited above to dump the fill. After a full day of work, there was still no water. When Elder Dickerson came back from their house, he expressed his awe at the patience of Brother Rutee and his total lack of complaining. After taking a soil sample in to a local water driller, Brother Rutee was told that he would need to dig an additional 6 more feet before he would probably find water.... Every aspect of the lives of the people here in Cambodia gives us an opportunity to feel and express gratitude for unappreciated blessings.
We are so looking forward to General Conference this weekend- for us, April 11 and 12. The Conference DVDs are sent to Cambodia from Hong Kong in English and Khmer. General Conference has taken on a whole new dimension for us as we more fully appreciate the world-wide scope of the Church and the blessing of living prophets- not to mention the absolute joy for me of being able to sing the songs of Zion in English!
We wish you the joys of the Easter season and express our love and gratitude to each of you for your prayers and love, and send ours to you!!
Hugs and love and more hugs and love!
Elder and Sister Dickerson, (Grandpa and Grandma!)
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