Chad, Christian and Easton

We recently told about our new Self Reliance Area Manager Chad Furness.  Several months ago he planned a trip to Cambodia with his sixteen year old son and one of his friends.  They arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday and we went to lunch with them today.  Chad was the Self Reliance Manager in Taiwan and has done a phenomenal job there.  He is married to a Taiwanese that he met while they were both going to Salt Lake Community College.  He previously had a printing and box manufacturing company in China which he sold.  He is very talented and will be a great leader for the initiative.

Chad, his son Christian and their friend Easton have been helping out at the orphanage we went to the first week we were in Cambodia.  They showed us a great video of Christian and Easton teaching the children how to dance American style.  After lunch they were going back to help put dirt in some grow pots for them and then Christian and Easton promised the boys at the orphanage that they could play basketball.

Missionaries count time by transfers, which happen every six weeks.  This is transfer week, we have missionaries going home, missionaries coming from the MTC and just a general shake up happening.  As we stuck are heads into the two districts to decide which one to attend, one urged us to stay there because this is their last week for many of them here.  It was nice to be wanted, so we stayed.  We try not to say too much, but that is hard sometimes when you have lived as long as we have and want to help these young missionaries grasp important truths.  We truly hope that we are helping and not hindering.  We will miss those that are being transferred, but look forward to making some new friends next week.

We have been getting some rain this week, but Phanna and Sameth keep telling us that it is not like they usually got in the past.  The rain is important this time of year for the farmers and their crops. We can hope and pray that rainy season finally will kick in.