Meeting With the Prime Minister and a Dinner Buffet

Today was busy with not so ordinary a schedule. We took our walk and went to office at our regularly scheduled time. That is about where our day took a divergence from our normal routine. We had only this morning to finish our office tasks before taking a break from the office for about ten days. We studied our institute lesson so we can be ready for class tomorrow, then ate an early lunch (11:30 a.m.).

This afternoon we had an invitation to a meeting with the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, and representatives from the Christian churches in Cambodia. We were told the meeting was to start at 2:00 p.m., but we should be in our seats about an hour before. All the senior couples were there, as well as President and Sister Christensen and many of the local Church leaders. We rode with Elder and Sister Thurston and Elder and Sister Jones.

We arrived at the location where we thought the meeting was to be held, but there were very few cars and hardly any people. As we approached the building we were told it was at the City Hall about a block away. We went in, and found our seats (VIP seats, second row, centered with the podium). Then we waited. And waited. And waited! The seats were quite narrow and very close together, with no extra space for shoulders or wide bodies.

The Prime Minister finally arrived just after 3:30 p.m., and the meeting began. Of course the entire program was in Khmer, but we were fortunate to be sitting next to President Eng, the Phnom Penh North Stake President, who translated for us. The Prime Minister spoke for over an hour. Then we had to make our way out through the crowd for our departure.

As we left the meeting we made our way through rush-hour traffic to take the Joneses home, then back to a dinner at SouSou BBQ Restaurant with the YSA Committee. (Elder and Sister Thurston and Elder and Sister VanBrocklin were also invited to this dinner.)

This was another unique buffet with a conveyer belt that provided a steady stream of options for you to cook your meal on the grill or in the soup pot at your own table. There was also a buffet table with additional meats and cooked items to add to your dinner. WOW! Elder Thurston was good at selecting foods to add to the pot. We selected meats for the grill and yummy drinks. We all had plenty to eat! They even had all-you-can-eat Ice Cream!

As we stopped to pick up our car from the office we checked our emails to find a message that our daughters Brenda and Marla are on their way to Cambodia. It was a good but very busy day!