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)