Shoe Shine

During our Leadership Training meeting in March Sis. Moon, Sis. Westover, the office elders, and a few other elders that were at the mission home waiting did the unsolicited and very ambitious act of love and service of cleaning and polishing all the elders shoes that were in the meeting.  When we were done with the meeting we came out and, surprise,  they had all the shoes polished up nice and laid out orderly on the steps of the mission home.  

Sisters lunch and Battambang members

Sis. Moon held a special lunch for sisters in mid-February, for all the sisters serving in Phnom Penh.  It was on the patio at the mission home.  They all had a wonderful time.  Sis. Moon had made some fun special treats and thoughts for each of them to take as well.

When we were in Battambang to create the new 3rd branch we took the photos below-- some of the wonderful members, youth, and children there.

Japanese BBQ, wedding, and more

Mackenzie showed us a fun Japanese BBQ restaurant that we went to dinner at for a Friday night together-- she had gone there once with some friends from school (a birthday).  They have a grill set down in in the middle of the table in front of you, then bring you all kinds of vegetables and meats that you order-- you then cook them yourself on the grill-- very fun... it was a delicious and fun meal together.  As you can see Mackenzie is getting very good at chopsticks!

After dinner we went for a walk along the riverfront, including the night market... here is the Khmer-style "food court"... food vendors all around the sides, everyone sits on mats in the middle.

Some yummy slushes

This man is carrying a freezer/cooler on his moto.  Look how far is he is squashed up against the front of the moto!

One of our security guards at the mission home had a daughter get married... both the couple are members of the church (you can see their wedding picture photoshopped on top of a picture of the temple in the background-- they have a goal to get to the temple eventually).  This reception/party is at their home in Kien Svay.  

The music being played by the band was so loud that you cannot even hear yourself.  They always have it that way at wedding.  We couldn't handle it.  It hurts your ears too much.  No one ever talks at the tables-- the music is too loud for any conversation.  Seems a bit strange not to be able to converse with the people at your table.  We didn't stay long.

Our part-time cook at the mission home, Sarat, and her husband also at the wedding (on the right).  They have a daughter who just received her mission call to serve with us here in our mission.  Very fun.  Not sure how we deal with that (mom upstairs while the daughter is downstairs in the mission home on p-days!)

It was fun to see Monny Keo, one of our returned sister missionaries, there at the wedding party.

Had to take a picture of one of these trees-- this time of year these particular trees have beautiful clusters of yellow flowers that hang like garlands all over the tree-- very pretty.  this is in front of a members home in a more rural "suburban" part of Phnom Penh-- a little ways out-- a nicer home.

Kathryn cooking up some white bed sheets.  Why you ask?  One of our assistants had some face rashes and stuff.  The doctors finally found what was causing it-- an allergic reaction to mites.  So, time to try and disinfect all the sheets from his home.  We told him we thought he was a "mite"-y man of God.

Zone conference - Vietnam Mar 11-13

Had a wonderful zone conference with the elders and sisters in HCMC Mar 11.   Sis. Moon not able to come this time, so it was just Pres. Moon and the assistants.  Below is the HCMC district singing a special song during the zone conference, including our new senior couple there-- the Perry's.

Out to lunch together at Al Fresca's... 

All of us in front of the HCMC church building/villa... these are all such wonderful elders and sisters, doing amazing work in Vietnam.

Transfers - 8 March 2013

3 people, bikes, all their luggage-- one 3-wheel tuk-tuk.  The tuk-tuk drivers get a work-out when the elders are moving houses at transfers!

The mission home front area is always full of bikes and luggage on transfers day.  I hope we never have to actually drive anywhere in the middle of a transfers day because we would never be able to back the car out!

Mission Tour - Zone Conferences February 2013

We enjoyed a wonderful mission tour and 4 zone conferences with Elder Larry Wilson and Sister Wilson.  This is a picture below of the North/Central Zone Conference

South/East Zone Conference..

Kampong Cham/Kampong Thom zone conference

Battambang/Siem Reap Zone Conference below

The next morning we had district conference in Battambang... I went visiting with Pres. Bunno to several families incuding his house.  At one member's house in "phum Zion" (Zion village - named so by the elders because there are so many member families in a close little area) we saw this cute little boy-- this is a baby that Elder David Oleson blessed

Sister Moon with Sister Chin's sister - is that confusing enough?

With the Wilson's before they depart...  I think we were all a bit tired after a long week of zone and district conferences.  But spiritually uplifted and so thankful for the many wonderful experiences we shared with our missionaries all week.  Elder & Sister Wilson provided so much good teaching, wonderful insights and testimony to us.