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