Angkor Wat and More SRS Training

20 March 2015

The most famous tourist destination in Cambodia is Angkor Wat.  A Wat is a Buddist or Hindu Temple, and Angkor means City.  Angkor Wat was a Hindu Temple that was built in the 12th Century, starting in 1,112 a.d. Their temple took 37 years to build.  This area of Combodia was the center of the Khmer Empire, which covered what is now Vietnam, Loa, Thailand and Cambodia, so it was a great empire.  The kings built a large capital city and over two hundred Wats in that part of the country.

This morning we hired a tour guide who is a member to give us short tour of part of the restored Wat. We only had six hours. Many tourists take three or four days. We went early to see the sunrise over Angkor.  Tomorrow is when the sunrise would be better as it is Summer Solstice, and the sun will rise directly over the center spire.  It was an amazing tour, but very hot! Temperatures were close to 100 degrees by the time we left.

This afternoon we drove to Battambang to train the SRS Committee tonight and then to do a My Path devotional tomorrow morning. These member only speak Khmer so it was up to Phanna to do the training.  Phanna also met with a member that would like a PEF loan to be trained how to make banners.  We are struggling with this loan because the teacher wants too much to train him.  Phanna also trained the local member that will facilitate the SRS. We were blessed to meet Elder and Sister Zemp who have spent their mission in Battambang and return home to Canada in just over a week.  They are a very humble couple working with a very humble people in that province.