Mom the ultimate Gardner.
Happy in your work!
Relief society activity in Seim Reap
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 24, 2009
The end of the month is around the corner and we are anticipating the arrival of our new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Smedley next week, June 30th. President and Sister Winegar will be leaving the following day. It is impossible for us to record the impact that President and Sister Winegar have made on this mission and the lives they have touched. We have seen first hand the mantel of the Lord upon His chosen servant as President Winegar did what is simply impossible for a mortal man to accomplish. We drove down to Phenm Phen last week for their farewell dinner with all the mission senior couples and as one sister said in essence, "This is such a bittersweet experience for us- we can not imagine our mission without you, but we can't go home until you do!"
The last two weeks have been a mix of missionary work and Cambodian culture. As I have mentioned, the rice planting season is in full swing and we had the opportunity to help one of the part member families in their rice field. This was a planned service activity with Elder Nybold and his Khmer companion, Elder Long. The field we were in had been roughly plowed and then diked and flooded. At a casual glance, the field looked level due to the water. However, nothing could have been more deceptive. As we waded into the field, there was no way of knowing whether you would be in soupy mud up to your knees or just to your ankles- and every where else in between! The large planting bundles are spread across the fields and the shallow roots placed in the water to keep the rice plants from drying out. As you move across the field, you untie a bundle and pull apart a section that easily fits into your hand. The rice plants are pressed into the mud with your thumb- each cluster you plant should have about 2-4 good rootlets in it. All this is done under the full equator sun, bending and stooping... Needless to say, as Elder Dickerson said afterwards, "I will never think about rice the same way". In our modern western culture, we have come so far from absolute manual labor, but here our tools were nothing but our own hands and physical exertion.
The elders in KT have been teaching a single lady, Naree, and her daughter. (The daughter is young single adult age) Her mother has been attending a local Christian church for several years, but had become dissatisfied with what she was being taught. In some ways it is more difficult to teach her because she has been taught a Protestant religion, and not the pure and simple truths of the restored gospel. She has really struggled with the need for baptism since she was already baptised. In spite of the lessons on the need for proper authority through the priesthood, she has still been unable to fully accept this need. This past week, we had the opportunity to go with Elder Nybold and Long to one of their discussions with her. As the lesson began, she mentioned that she had been praying sincerely to know whether or not she needed to be re baptised. She petitioned the Lord that she would be directed to an answer through the scriptures. After she prayed, she opened her scriptures and they opened to Doctrine and Covenants 33:10-11... after reading these verses, she was able to accept the need for her baptism. She called her daughter and told her about her decision and her daughter told her mother, "Mother, I have already decided to be baptised, and I was just waiting for you."
This experience illustrates one of the most humbling aspects of our mission-to work and serve among a people who are so childlike in their faith and turn to the Lord in perfect trust that He will answer their prayers. This kind of experience has been repeated in many different situations but with the same faith and a loving response from our Father in Heaven.
We have had some challenging difficulites in our branch in KT that have required our time and attention- but our work in Siem Reap has not totally been neglected. There is a small village in the Anchor Watt Temple district by the name of Sasarong. Living here are some of the most faithful and devoted members of the Siem Reap Branch. One young mother, Sister Hom, in particular has taken to heart the counsel ''every member a missionary", and has walked her village, sharing the gospel. The results? The elders are now teaching several families and she is also been told she is forbidden to walk along some of the common village paths, and she and her family have been persecuted. As the elders shared this with us, my heart just broke, for Hom is truly a gentle woman and the idea of others hurting her was so distressing to me. As I expressed my feelings, she told the elders, "I am fine! They cannot hurt me..." Such is the faith of these pioneer Cambodian Saints- we rightfully honor our early western pioneers, but these first generation Saints of Cambodia will occupy the same place of honor in the Lord's history of His kingdom.
In our final Zone Conference with President and Sister Winegar, Sister Winegar shared a musing that a friend had sent to them. The words used are simple, but the message is clear and one that I wanted to record.
You cannot stay on the summit forever,
you have to come down again.
So why bother in the first place?
Just this- What is above knows what is below
but what is below does not know what is above.
One climbs.....One sees....One decends.
One sees no longer, but one has seen.
There is an ART of conducting oneself
in the lower regions
by the memory of what one saw higher up.
What one can no longer see,
One can still know.
With all our love,
Elder and Sister Dickerson ie Grandpa and Grandma
The last two weeks have been a mix of missionary work and Cambodian culture. As I have mentioned, the rice planting season is in full swing and we had the opportunity to help one of the part member families in their rice field. This was a planned service activity with Elder Nybold and his Khmer companion, Elder Long. The field we were in had been roughly plowed and then diked and flooded. At a casual glance, the field looked level due to the water. However, nothing could have been more deceptive. As we waded into the field, there was no way of knowing whether you would be in soupy mud up to your knees or just to your ankles- and every where else in between! The large planting bundles are spread across the fields and the shallow roots placed in the water to keep the rice plants from drying out. As you move across the field, you untie a bundle and pull apart a section that easily fits into your hand. The rice plants are pressed into the mud with your thumb- each cluster you plant should have about 2-4 good rootlets in it. All this is done under the full equator sun, bending and stooping... Needless to say, as Elder Dickerson said afterwards, "I will never think about rice the same way". In our modern western culture, we have come so far from absolute manual labor, but here our tools were nothing but our own hands and physical exertion.
The elders in KT have been teaching a single lady, Naree, and her daughter. (The daughter is young single adult age) Her mother has been attending a local Christian church for several years, but had become dissatisfied with what she was being taught. In some ways it is more difficult to teach her because she has been taught a Protestant religion, and not the pure and simple truths of the restored gospel. She has really struggled with the need for baptism since she was already baptised. In spite of the lessons on the need for proper authority through the priesthood, she has still been unable to fully accept this need. This past week, we had the opportunity to go with Elder Nybold and Long to one of their discussions with her. As the lesson began, she mentioned that she had been praying sincerely to know whether or not she needed to be re baptised. She petitioned the Lord that she would be directed to an answer through the scriptures. After she prayed, she opened her scriptures and they opened to Doctrine and Covenants 33:10-11... after reading these verses, she was able to accept the need for her baptism. She called her daughter and told her about her decision and her daughter told her mother, "Mother, I have already decided to be baptised, and I was just waiting for you."
This experience illustrates one of the most humbling aspects of our mission-to work and serve among a people who are so childlike in their faith and turn to the Lord in perfect trust that He will answer their prayers. This kind of experience has been repeated in many different situations but with the same faith and a loving response from our Father in Heaven.
We have had some challenging difficulites in our branch in KT that have required our time and attention- but our work in Siem Reap has not totally been neglected. There is a small village in the Anchor Watt Temple district by the name of Sasarong. Living here are some of the most faithful and devoted members of the Siem Reap Branch. One young mother, Sister Hom, in particular has taken to heart the counsel ''every member a missionary", and has walked her village, sharing the gospel. The results? The elders are now teaching several families and she is also been told she is forbidden to walk along some of the common village paths, and she and her family have been persecuted. As the elders shared this with us, my heart just broke, for Hom is truly a gentle woman and the idea of others hurting her was so distressing to me. As I expressed my feelings, she told the elders, "I am fine! They cannot hurt me..." Such is the faith of these pioneer Cambodian Saints- we rightfully honor our early western pioneers, but these first generation Saints of Cambodia will occupy the same place of honor in the Lord's history of His kingdom.
In our final Zone Conference with President and Sister Winegar, Sister Winegar shared a musing that a friend had sent to them. The words used are simple, but the message is clear and one that I wanted to record.
You cannot stay on the summit forever,
you have to come down again.
So why bother in the first place?
Just this- What is above knows what is below
but what is below does not know what is above.
One climbs.....One sees....One decends.
One sees no longer, but one has seen.
There is an ART of conducting oneself
in the lower regions
by the memory of what one saw higher up.
What one can no longer see,
One can still know.
With all our love,
Elder and Sister Dickerson ie Grandpa and Grandma
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11, 2009
As we were driving to Siem Reap this morning, Elder Dickerson turned to me and remarked that we have now been in Cambodia longer than we have left to go! Ten months of our mission is behind us and eight to go. So many things- nearly everything in fact! that seemed so different now have become commonplace to us and yet, each day is "new" in some way. My favorite to date is the elementary "school taxi" that we saw on the road today. Khmer ingenuity and business sense at it's best! The little metal carrier behind the moto reminded me of the woven piglet carriers they put on back of the motos... little piggy ears and noses all peaking out, only the school taxi had little arms, legs, and heads all sticking out! We had to get a picture! so we turned around and caught up just as the driver was letting a child out. Very few Cambodians can afford a camera, so getting your picture taken is a real event- I would safely guess that this was the first time most of these children had their picture taken.
We have been blessed to teach with Elder Nybold and his native companion, Elder Long, some wonderful investigators in KT. One of them, Sister Lee, has a 90ish year old mother who loves to sit in on the lessons. Sister Lee has very little in the way of material possessions- she works for about 20.00 a month. This she uses to feed herself and her teenage daughter. She has been slowly purchasing tin sheets to replace the heavily worn ones on her roof. Every time it rains, it leaks everywhere in her little one room woven cane hut. When she was taught the law of tithes and offerings, she asked if she, although not a member yet, could pay her tithing for she needed the blessings the Lord promised in the scriptures. In addition, could she pay fast offerings? That very Sunday, she paid tithing and fast offerings- the sum of money she had saved in fasting two meals and her tithing amounted to what would have purchased two pieces of tin.....The faith of such people brings us to our knees- literally and spiritually.
The monsoon season is here and for Cambodians, that means it is time to plant rice. It has been so amazing to watch what has gone on for a thousand years of time- we have seen the farmers plowing with cows or water buffaloes, the initial planting broadcast by hand, the bright green blades of rice sprout, and then, the backbreaking work of completely thinning out the thick rice fields and replanting the tender young shoots. The area for the final rice planting is plowed, flooded, and then the workers harvest from the thickly planted rice sections. The rice shoots are gathered into bundles that are tied and then carried out to the flooded field where they are taken apart and sections of about 3-5 individual plants are then pushed into the soupy, thick mud. It requires mud to be able to remove the tender rice plants and mud to replant....if the soil were dry, the tender plants simply wouldn't survive the handling they are given, nor would it be possible to transplant them so easily.
Another one of our Cambodian experiences that I hoped to have was the opportunity to plant rice. On our morning walk this past week, one of the families we have been visiting with was having their fields planted. As we walked by and waved to the workers, they laughed and called out what amounted to "Come on in!" It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I slipped off my tennis shoes and wadded in. The women I joined with willingly offered me a bundle of rice shoots and a "how-to" on rice planting. ( I will tell you, there is a trick to doing it correctly!) One of the most endearing traits of the Khmer people is their wiliness to welcome you into their lives. We, total strangers and "barangs"(foreigners) have been invited right off the street into their homes, wedding celebrations, funerals and every day work.
We have been so blessed on our mission to be able to experience Cambodia and it's people in a way that so very few are privileged to do. We serve in a country where the people are so full of faith the Lord is able so show forth His hand in a miraculous ways....It hasn't been easy- this mission is not for the faint-hearted. (On a humorous note, I had gone upstairs in the dark last evening, opened the door to our room, and one of our resident geckos fell out of the doorway onto my head. I will tell you, I rather surprised myself that I didn't even squeal.... I just brushed it out of my hair and went on in.) Geckos are a part of life- they live everywhere, from our bathroom to the kitchen. For the most part they stay busy eating mosquitoes- for that alone they are worth ignoring!
We love you!! Hugs and hugs, Elder and Sister Dickerson- grandpa and fearless grandma!
We have been blessed to teach with Elder Nybold and his native companion, Elder Long, some wonderful investigators in KT. One of them, Sister Lee, has a 90ish year old mother who loves to sit in on the lessons. Sister Lee has very little in the way of material possessions- she works for about 20.00 a month. This she uses to feed herself and her teenage daughter. She has been slowly purchasing tin sheets to replace the heavily worn ones on her roof. Every time it rains, it leaks everywhere in her little one room woven cane hut. When she was taught the law of tithes and offerings, she asked if she, although not a member yet, could pay her tithing for she needed the blessings the Lord promised in the scriptures. In addition, could she pay fast offerings? That very Sunday, she paid tithing and fast offerings- the sum of money she had saved in fasting two meals and her tithing amounted to what would have purchased two pieces of tin.....The faith of such people brings us to our knees- literally and spiritually.
The monsoon season is here and for Cambodians, that means it is time to plant rice. It has been so amazing to watch what has gone on for a thousand years of time- we have seen the farmers plowing with cows or water buffaloes, the initial planting broadcast by hand, the bright green blades of rice sprout, and then, the backbreaking work of completely thinning out the thick rice fields and replanting the tender young shoots. The area for the final rice planting is plowed, flooded, and then the workers harvest from the thickly planted rice sections. The rice shoots are gathered into bundles that are tied and then carried out to the flooded field where they are taken apart and sections of about 3-5 individual plants are then pushed into the soupy, thick mud. It requires mud to be able to remove the tender rice plants and mud to replant....if the soil were dry, the tender plants simply wouldn't survive the handling they are given, nor would it be possible to transplant them so easily.
Another one of our Cambodian experiences that I hoped to have was the opportunity to plant rice. On our morning walk this past week, one of the families we have been visiting with was having their fields planted. As we walked by and waved to the workers, they laughed and called out what amounted to "Come on in!" It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I slipped off my tennis shoes and wadded in. The women I joined with willingly offered me a bundle of rice shoots and a "how-to" on rice planting. ( I will tell you, there is a trick to doing it correctly!) One of the most endearing traits of the Khmer people is their wiliness to welcome you into their lives. We, total strangers and "barangs"(foreigners) have been invited right off the street into their homes, wedding celebrations, funerals and every day work.
We have been so blessed on our mission to be able to experience Cambodia and it's people in a way that so very few are privileged to do. We serve in a country where the people are so full of faith the Lord is able so show forth His hand in a miraculous ways....It hasn't been easy- this mission is not for the faint-hearted. (On a humorous note, I had gone upstairs in the dark last evening, opened the door to our room, and one of our resident geckos fell out of the doorway onto my head. I will tell you, I rather surprised myself that I didn't even squeal.... I just brushed it out of my hair and went on in.) Geckos are a part of life- they live everywhere, from our bathroom to the kitchen. For the most part they stay busy eating mosquitoes- for that alone they are worth ignoring!
We love you!! Hugs and hugs, Elder and Sister Dickerson- grandpa and fearless grandma!
Odds and ends
The trucks here are amazing
Elder Isabel's first fast sunday meal,
how do you say stuffed
Mom got a little to close with the camera
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