Sooo amazing!!
A little theatrics, to invite people to come into the wat
Elder Murdock, myself, Kosal, Elder Lang
Kosal is truly one of the Lords very elect.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Local color...
Sooo amazing!!
A little theatrics, to invite people to come into the watElder Murdock, myself, Kosal, Elder Lang
Kosal is truly one of the Lords very elect.
Roadwork
I love these shots because it is so typical of Cambodian life. The rocks ar carefully placed by hand and have to be broken up by hand with the sledge hamer bcause the roller eventhough it wieghs tons rolls up on top of the rocks and will not break them up.
Many times the girls are out with the sledge as the men look on.
October 23, 2009
Although my calender has an orange topper for this autumn month, the only orange color in sight is the ever present dirt. We are s-l-o-w-i-n-g moving out of the monsoon season (mud) and into Cambodia's dry (dust) season. But! For a short season while everything is drying out- including ourselves, the dust that will turn our tree leaves orange is yet a few weeks away.
October for Cambodians earmarks the beginning of the wedding season and the rice harvest. In areas that were not damaged with flooding, the fields are already maturing. The bright green grain heads change to a silver color that shimmers in the sunlight- a perfect visual to Doctrine and Covenants 4- "...For behold, the field is white, already to harvest..." As we make our drive through Cambodia's central provinces, these maturing fields bring to mind the many experiences we have had in seeing the Lord's words fulfilled, and our current experiences.
During our Siem Reap visit this week, we had the unusual opportunity to teach with Elder Murdock and Elder Lang two men who speek fluent English. The first was an American born Cambodian who is now living here and has a heart prepared to be humble and teachable. It was such a choice and special experience to be able to bear our testimonies and to be directly involved with the teaching.
The next man, Kosal, is a native Cambodian who is around 43 years of age. For the first time, Elder Dickerson and I were able to hear a native Cambodian's war story first-hand. Kosal is a remarkable man and one we truly believe is the Lord's elect- born here to accomplish a great work for the Lord among these people. I will try to relate his story as he told it to us:
As a child Kosal was abandoned by his mother, his father killed, and raised by a grandmother who did not want the responsibility of a child. In his teenage years he was forced into the Khmer Rouge army and during a skirmish, was shot in the side of his head. He survived the injury with no residue ill effects and pled with his commander to have pity on him and allow him to leave the army and return to school to begin his high school education. His officer extended the release, and he went to Phenom Phen to attend school.
Kosal had no family, no money, no transportation, and just enough money to purchase a large woven basket. He went to a local bakery and asked to speak with the owner. Kosal told him his story and asked the owner to trust him with 10 loaves of bread to sell. The owner had compassion, and gave him the bread. Kosal went out on the streets with the bread in his basket, and within 10 minutes had sold out. He returned to the bakery and gave the money to the owner. That initial effort led to his successful job as a part-time bread seller and gave him the resources to complete his high school education, including the purchase of a bike. Kosal also told us that he consistently sold all his bread and the owner asked him how he did it when so many others were unsuccessful. Kosal said to us that it was a blessing from God- in whom he has perfect trust. Kosal said, "My mother did not want me, my grandmother did not love me, but God loved me."
After his graduation from high school, he wanted to find better employment. On one of the posters tacked to a billboard in downtown Phenom Phen, he saw an application for interpreters- English speaking. During this period in Cambodia, only Russian was taught legally in the schools, but Kosal had found a place to study English and had applied himself diligently. The time period for applying for the position had already passed, but he went to the building where the interviews had taken place and pled with the guard to get him in.
The guard would have nothing to do with him, but Kosal persisted and after several days of pestering and pleading, the guard allowed Kosal to gain entrance into the building. Kosal found the interviewer's office and explained he knew the time period was past, but asked to be allowed to take the test. Again, after fervent pleading for an opportunity, the official gave Kosal the test. After glancing over the test, he said the results for the applications would be posted in one week- never saying whether Kosal's test would be included or not. Kosal went back to his small room and waited, without hope. When the day arrived, he returned to the building to find his name listed among the 10 that had been selected- out of over 150 applicants.
With a smile Kosal told us, "There I was, just days ago the owner of an old bicycle, and now flying in a helicopter with an American officer!" During the time he was employed as an interpreter, he made $400.00 a month- a fortune even by today's Khmer standards. He saved all he could, and with his earnings was able to attend a university in Phenom Phen.
Kosal is now married and attending a university in Siem Reap to obtain a law degree. His wife and her family are all Buddhist, and as the custom here, they live together. With great faith and prayer, he asked the Lord to bless him to have a place where he could worship without Buddhist shrines and incense- never even talking to his in-laws or wife about the matter. Within time, and nothing said on either side, in a small room upstairs, the shrines were removed, the incense burners taken out, and now in their place hangs pictures of the Savior- one with Christ holding a lamb in his arms, and the other of the Savior's setting apart his disciples- both LDS art!
Kosal already knows and loves the Lord and is reading the Book of Mormon. As the elders told us, this man is the most remarkable and incredible investigator they have ever known. In the next few weeks, President Eng, the first counselor to President Smedly, will be coming to Siem Reap and we are working to arrange an opportunity for them to met.
We can testify that we have see the hand of the Lord working miracles in the lives of these people and is raising up individuals who are prepared to bring His gospel "out of darkness and obscurity" among this nation among their own people.
May the Lord bless us all with greater faith and humility......We send our love, testimony, and prayers.....
Many, many hugs! Elder and Sister Dickerson- grandpa and grandma!!!
October for Cambodians earmarks the beginning of the wedding season and the rice harvest. In areas that were not damaged with flooding, the fields are already maturing. The bright green grain heads change to a silver color that shimmers in the sunlight- a perfect visual to Doctrine and Covenants 4- "...For behold, the field is white, already to harvest..." As we make our drive through Cambodia's central provinces, these maturing fields bring to mind the many experiences we have had in seeing the Lord's words fulfilled, and our current experiences.
During our Siem Reap visit this week, we had the unusual opportunity to teach with Elder Murdock and Elder Lang two men who speek fluent English. The first was an American born Cambodian who is now living here and has a heart prepared to be humble and teachable. It was such a choice and special experience to be able to bear our testimonies and to be directly involved with the teaching.
The next man, Kosal, is a native Cambodian who is around 43 years of age. For the first time, Elder Dickerson and I were able to hear a native Cambodian's war story first-hand. Kosal is a remarkable man and one we truly believe is the Lord's elect- born here to accomplish a great work for the Lord among these people. I will try to relate his story as he told it to us:
As a child Kosal was abandoned by his mother, his father killed, and raised by a grandmother who did not want the responsibility of a child. In his teenage years he was forced into the Khmer Rouge army and during a skirmish, was shot in the side of his head. He survived the injury with no residue ill effects and pled with his commander to have pity on him and allow him to leave the army and return to school to begin his high school education. His officer extended the release, and he went to Phenom Phen to attend school.
Kosal had no family, no money, no transportation, and just enough money to purchase a large woven basket. He went to a local bakery and asked to speak with the owner. Kosal told him his story and asked the owner to trust him with 10 loaves of bread to sell. The owner had compassion, and gave him the bread. Kosal went out on the streets with the bread in his basket, and within 10 minutes had sold out. He returned to the bakery and gave the money to the owner. That initial effort led to his successful job as a part-time bread seller and gave him the resources to complete his high school education, including the purchase of a bike. Kosal also told us that he consistently sold all his bread and the owner asked him how he did it when so many others were unsuccessful. Kosal said to us that it was a blessing from God- in whom he has perfect trust. Kosal said, "My mother did not want me, my grandmother did not love me, but God loved me."
After his graduation from high school, he wanted to find better employment. On one of the posters tacked to a billboard in downtown Phenom Phen, he saw an application for interpreters- English speaking. During this period in Cambodia, only Russian was taught legally in the schools, but Kosal had found a place to study English and had applied himself diligently. The time period for applying for the position had already passed, but he went to the building where the interviews had taken place and pled with the guard to get him in.
The guard would have nothing to do with him, but Kosal persisted and after several days of pestering and pleading, the guard allowed Kosal to gain entrance into the building. Kosal found the interviewer's office and explained he knew the time period was past, but asked to be allowed to take the test. Again, after fervent pleading for an opportunity, the official gave Kosal the test. After glancing over the test, he said the results for the applications would be posted in one week- never saying whether Kosal's test would be included or not. Kosal went back to his small room and waited, without hope. When the day arrived, he returned to the building to find his name listed among the 10 that had been selected- out of over 150 applicants.
With a smile Kosal told us, "There I was, just days ago the owner of an old bicycle, and now flying in a helicopter with an American officer!" During the time he was employed as an interpreter, he made $400.00 a month- a fortune even by today's Khmer standards. He saved all he could, and with his earnings was able to attend a university in Phenom Phen.
Kosal is now married and attending a university in Siem Reap to obtain a law degree. His wife and her family are all Buddhist, and as the custom here, they live together. With great faith and prayer, he asked the Lord to bless him to have a place where he could worship without Buddhist shrines and incense- never even talking to his in-laws or wife about the matter. Within time, and nothing said on either side, in a small room upstairs, the shrines were removed, the incense burners taken out, and now in their place hangs pictures of the Savior- one with Christ holding a lamb in his arms, and the other of the Savior's setting apart his disciples- both LDS art!
Kosal already knows and loves the Lord and is reading the Book of Mormon. As the elders told us, this man is the most remarkable and incredible investigator they have ever known. In the next few weeks, President Eng, the first counselor to President Smedly, will be coming to Siem Reap and we are working to arrange an opportunity for them to met.
We can testify that we have see the hand of the Lord working miracles in the lives of these people and is raising up individuals who are prepared to bring His gospel "out of darkness and obscurity" among this nation among their own people.
May the Lord bless us all with greater faith and humility......We send our love, testimony, and prayers.....
Many, many hugs! Elder and Sister Dickerson- grandpa and grandma!!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sasrong continued...
Elders Miles and Heywood teaching 
next door to the the Seminary class.All during the night while we were teaching the different families in Sasrong we could hear this wonderful drum music. So once again I had to know where and we set of exploring the village. We found this wonderful family all having a great time making incredible music together.
I hope this goes to the blog It's a movie shot of mom (the strange native in white) playing with the family. We have been invited back and hope share the gospel with them.October 14, 2009
We are just finishing up a wonderful stay with our missionaries in Siem Reap. We had the opportunity to spend some time with one of the families that we had been blessed to met since they first started their discussions with the missionaries- the Poh Sam family.
Many in this small village of Sassrong, located in Anchor Watt, depend on the tourist market for their livelihood. In this case, however, the older daughter was working as a live-in caretaker for a blind woman. As the Poh Sam family was taught the gospel, they were also taught of the Lord's commandment to honor and keep the Sabbath day holy. In a land that does not have any concept of a Sabbath, this is many times a difficult and challenging commitment to make.
Yet, as this family embraced the gospel, they also committed to keeping the Sabbath day holy as a family, and their daughter quit her job so she could attend Church and worship with her family. We have no idea how they are possibly surviving- but they told the missionaries that they love the Lord and have faith in His promises. As we left their humble home, the mother slipped to the side and brought out a bunch, or "hand" as they call it, of bananas. She gave them to me with a beautiful smile. One of the sisters with us who spoke English, told me that Sister Sam had heard I liked bananas and these were for me. My heart was breaking as I took them, gave her a hug, and walked away humbled to the core of my being....I have read of missionaries who ate food as the family watched, the elders knowing they were eating all the food the family had, and accepting the gift as it was extended with hearts so full they were breaking....I never expected to have this experience happen to me, and as it has, on more than one occasion, I can not express adequately in words the feelings that come....This mission has opened our eyes and hearts to see and experience sacrifice, faith, and charity in ways we could never have imagined. Has this been a difficult and challenging mission? Yes. But the compensations and rewards have been greater and richer than we could ever have thought possible. May the Lord bless these people, our Cambodian pioneers, with the knowledge of the absolute assurance of God's love for them. Why did our first generation pioneers in the West suffer so? I do not know all the answers, but I do know that because of their faith and devotion under the most difficult and trying of circumstances, they have blessed the lives of countless thousands who honor and look to them for emulation. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to know these, the Lord's Cambodian pioneers.
With all our love, Elder and Sister Dickerson
Many in this small village of Sassrong, located in Anchor Watt, depend on the tourist market for their livelihood. In this case, however, the older daughter was working as a live-in caretaker for a blind woman. As the Poh Sam family was taught the gospel, they were also taught of the Lord's commandment to honor and keep the Sabbath day holy. In a land that does not have any concept of a Sabbath, this is many times a difficult and challenging commitment to make.
Yet, as this family embraced the gospel, they also committed to keeping the Sabbath day holy as a family, and their daughter quit her job so she could attend Church and worship with her family. We have no idea how they are possibly surviving- but they told the missionaries that they love the Lord and have faith in His promises. As we left their humble home, the mother slipped to the side and brought out a bunch, or "hand" as they call it, of bananas. She gave them to me with a beautiful smile. One of the sisters with us who spoke English, told me that Sister Sam had heard I liked bananas and these were for me. My heart was breaking as I took them, gave her a hug, and walked away humbled to the core of my being....I have read of missionaries who ate food as the family watched, the elders knowing they were eating all the food the family had, and accepting the gift as it was extended with hearts so full they were breaking....I never expected to have this experience happen to me, and as it has, on more than one occasion, I can not express adequately in words the feelings that come....This mission has opened our eyes and hearts to see and experience sacrifice, faith, and charity in ways we could never have imagined. Has this been a difficult and challenging mission? Yes. But the compensations and rewards have been greater and richer than we could ever have thought possible. May the Lord bless these people, our Cambodian pioneers, with the knowledge of the absolute assurance of God's love for them. Why did our first generation pioneers in the West suffer so? I do not know all the answers, but I do know that because of their faith and devotion under the most difficult and trying of circumstances, they have blessed the lives of countless thousands who honor and look to them for emulation. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to know these, the Lord's Cambodian pioneers.
With all our love, Elder and Sister Dickerson
Sasrong Oct 13 2009
Introducing and committing Po Sams fam
ily (Baptized 1 week ago) to reading the Book of Mormon every night before they go to bed. Here they are helping the younger kids that do not know how to read.
The first seminary class in Sasrong. The teacher is 15 year old Srey Lait. She is simply wonderful so humble and full of faith. And filled with the spirit and a burning desire to bless her students. The room is a 3 sided grass and bamboo shanty but for us it is a paradise!!
Bangkock
We rode the bus to Bangkok (not these) while at a rest stop we heard some very loud rock and roll music
. Well I had to know where it was coming from so I went on the hunt and found these tricked out party buses. They are casino buses hauling people to and from the Thi-Cambodian boarder to gamble.To say they are amazing would be an understatement!! Inside along with deafening music it's pulsing with neon lights. I was invited to stay but had no problem finding the exit.
Pres. Wisit president of the 1 and only stake in Thailand. One of the first members to accept the gospel in his country some 40 years ago.
This is Suriyunt, we met him on bus ride home. He is a lawyer for one of the casino's. every day 7 days a week he make the 3 hour commute to the boarder to work and then 3 hours back home.We had a wonderful talk about the restoration and will be meeting with him in his home on our next visit to Bangkok.
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 12, 2009
It's been an eventful month for us- the flooding we described earlier decided to pay us a personal visit! Sunday the 4th found us wading our way to church where our landlord was working at trying to sandbag the top of the steps into the building- by Wednesday, the water level had risen to about 16"inches in the courtyard and was in the bottom floor of the church. We were blessed to have little damage, and to our utmost surprise, we had the largest attendance we have had in several months at sacrament meeting! Our members and investigators have waded through water, muck, fishes, leaches and a snake - I can personally attest to all the above!
We were blessed as well with no damage to our house as the water began to slowly recede the following day, leaving behind the smell of an old socks and dead fish...... and for days we have looked like a small island in a large pond of water- fish included. As you can imagine, the extent of the flooding has created all kinds of related problems like: What do you do with the garbage? And what is possible for sanitation? Our toilet is upstairs and we have used the equivalent of a chamber pot, but when I asked Supal, our housekeeper, how she was faring downstairs, she said casually, "Oh, I just go outside"....As I looked around our lake, I simply didn't have the nerve to ask "Where?" because I knew where- just like all our neighbors are reduced to doing. With no public sanitation system anyway, they just do the best they can....We try to always wash off with a bleach solution as we return back to the house, but while wading to and fro to church or with the elders, you just deal with it.
As of today, we have seen the water subside in our courtyard to a small puddle near the gate and we expect on our return from Siem Reap to find it all gone....Never has the sunshine looked so good- I have a very small inkling of how Noah and his family must have felt as they saw the sun return and the waters slowly recede off the earth. Yesterday as I was walking back from General Conference, I looked down our short street to see a young woman rowing her long slender wooden boat down what just a few weeks ago was a dirt road that we walked daily!
While all this has been going on we have also had another set of new experiences ourselves. I have been experiencing a few problems relating to aging women and due to Cambodia's lack of competent care, we arranged a check-up at Bangkok General Hospital in Thailand- our mission's closest large care center. Lest you be alarmed, in this part of Asia they go to hospitals for care- there are very few privately owned facilities.
The cheapest way to get to Bangkok is by bus- from Siem Reap it is a 2 hour drive by taxi, and a 3 hour ride by bus. This of course does not take into account all the time it takes to cross the border with it's paperwork, visa checks, delays, heavy rains, late buses, stops and starts.... We simply were absolute innocents at what it all entailed and had NO real idea just what getting to Bangkok would actually entail.
The Lord extended his love to us the entire way- beginning with Dom Rick, our Good Samaritan. From the time we left Siem Reap, he did not leave us until he had gotten us safely into the waiting arms of Elder and Sister Caldwell in Bangkok. From 9:30 in the morning until 7:30 that night, he watched over us, led us, fed us, and cared for us- virtual strangers who desperately needed help. We had a wonderful stay with the missionary couples in Bangkok who also fed us, sheltered us, and taught us how to get around this most amazing and bewildering huge city. And when we say huge, we mean huge. It was as much of a cultural shock going into Thailand as it was for us as we first came into Cambodia. It was actually comforting to get back into the mud, garbage, cows and potholes of Cambodia!
Bangkok General Hospital is a state of the art facility and the personal service, as expressed in the Asian culture, can not be surpassed. My OB-Gyn was an Asian woman who was professional and capable. The ultrasound revealed a large ovarian cyst, that if it does not take care of itself, will need to be surgically removed. It is not a life-threatening situation by any means, but it does mean another trip to Bangkok in the near future, another check-up and possibly a 2 week stay in Bangkok for recovery.
I asked Elder Dickerson for a blessing after we returned from my appointment and I know that the Lord has been and is personally attuned to my situation and that all will be well. Almost as if to prepare me, two of the senior couple elders serving in Bangkok had had the need for surgery since their arrival on their missions and had excellent care and positive experiences there.
So what is a mission like? It is so many things, but we testify from our personal experience that it is to know with absolute assurance that God hears and honors the prayers for the protection and safety of His missionaries. Thank you for your love and prayers in our behalf- they have truly been answered with a blessing upon our heads in great measure- full and overflowing.
We love you so much- and we send our petitions to the Lord each and every day for you. Hugs and hugs and hugs!
Elder and Sister Dickerson, ie Grandpa and Grandma
We were blessed as well with no damage to our house as the water began to slowly recede the following day, leaving behind the smell of an old socks and dead fish...... and for days we have looked like a small island in a large pond of water- fish included. As you can imagine, the extent of the flooding has created all kinds of related problems like: What do you do with the garbage? And what is possible for sanitation? Our toilet is upstairs and we have used the equivalent of a chamber pot, but when I asked Supal, our housekeeper, how she was faring downstairs, she said casually, "Oh, I just go outside"....As I looked around our lake, I simply didn't have the nerve to ask "Where?" because I knew where- just like all our neighbors are reduced to doing. With no public sanitation system anyway, they just do the best they can....We try to always wash off with a bleach solution as we return back to the house, but while wading to and fro to church or with the elders, you just deal with it.
As of today, we have seen the water subside in our courtyard to a small puddle near the gate and we expect on our return from Siem Reap to find it all gone....Never has the sunshine looked so good- I have a very small inkling of how Noah and his family must have felt as they saw the sun return and the waters slowly recede off the earth. Yesterday as I was walking back from General Conference, I looked down our short street to see a young woman rowing her long slender wooden boat down what just a few weeks ago was a dirt road that we walked daily!
While all this has been going on we have also had another set of new experiences ourselves. I have been experiencing a few problems relating to aging women and due to Cambodia's lack of competent care, we arranged a check-up at Bangkok General Hospital in Thailand- our mission's closest large care center. Lest you be alarmed, in this part of Asia they go to hospitals for care- there are very few privately owned facilities.
The cheapest way to get to Bangkok is by bus- from Siem Reap it is a 2 hour drive by taxi, and a 3 hour ride by bus. This of course does not take into account all the time it takes to cross the border with it's paperwork, visa checks, delays, heavy rains, late buses, stops and starts.... We simply were absolute innocents at what it all entailed and had NO real idea just what getting to Bangkok would actually entail.
The Lord extended his love to us the entire way- beginning with Dom Rick, our Good Samaritan. From the time we left Siem Reap, he did not leave us until he had gotten us safely into the waiting arms of Elder and Sister Caldwell in Bangkok. From 9:30 in the morning until 7:30 that night, he watched over us, led us, fed us, and cared for us- virtual strangers who desperately needed help. We had a wonderful stay with the missionary couples in Bangkok who also fed us, sheltered us, and taught us how to get around this most amazing and bewildering huge city. And when we say huge, we mean huge. It was as much of a cultural shock going into Thailand as it was for us as we first came into Cambodia. It was actually comforting to get back into the mud, garbage, cows and potholes of Cambodia!
Bangkok General Hospital is a state of the art facility and the personal service, as expressed in the Asian culture, can not be surpassed. My OB-Gyn was an Asian woman who was professional and capable. The ultrasound revealed a large ovarian cyst, that if it does not take care of itself, will need to be surgically removed. It is not a life-threatening situation by any means, but it does mean another trip to Bangkok in the near future, another check-up and possibly a 2 week stay in Bangkok for recovery.
I asked Elder Dickerson for a blessing after we returned from my appointment and I know that the Lord has been and is personally attuned to my situation and that all will be well. Almost as if to prepare me, two of the senior couple elders serving in Bangkok had had the need for surgery since their arrival on their missions and had excellent care and positive experiences there.
So what is a mission like? It is so many things, but we testify from our personal experience that it is to know with absolute assurance that God hears and honors the prayers for the protection and safety of His missionaries. Thank you for your love and prayers in our behalf- they have truly been answered with a blessing upon our heads in great measure- full and overflowing.
We love you so much- and we send our petitions to the Lord each and every day for you. Hugs and hugs and hugs!
Elder and Sister Dickerson, ie Grandpa and Grandma
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)