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!!!