We Love Helping Members In Any Way

One thing that we were told as we arrived in Cambodia is how respectful the members are to the Senior Missionaries. Since the Church has only been in Cambodia for twenty-two years most of us have almost three times as much experience as members as the Church has been here in this country. Because of that, they figure that we most know anything and everything about the Church.

As we came out of Sacrament Meeting in the Steung Mean Chey 3rd Ward today a Young Adult who got married about six months ago asked for our help. He and his wife want to go to the Hong Kong Temple on July 10th to be sealed. They are both returned missionaries and have been to the temple for their own endowments, but they did not know how to get ahold of the temple or what they needed to do. We told him that we had some friends in Hong Kong that were temple workers that we could contact and get some information. As we got home from our morning meetings we sent off an email to the Self-Reliance Missionaries in Hong Kong and got a reply shortly after that. It was good that we asked because the temple is closed for maintenance until July 19th. We will still follow up and find out what we need to do to schedule an appointment for the sealing, the patron housing and cafeteria. We like feeling that we can make a difference and that we can help those who are so new to the gospel.

Even though the Church is fairly young it is amazing to see that most of their Fast & Testimony Meetings are filled without any lapses. In each ward they usually remind the members to keep their testimonies short, three to five minutes, but then the one conducting always takes more than five minutes and so do most of the rest. Just like in wards in Utah, there are those who get up and you wonder what they were really talking about, that happens here as well. The difference is that the missionary that is translating for us usually stops and says "I have no idea what they are talking about."  That is okay, if it does not make sense to them it would not make sense to us either.

We have often said that we see some of the most interesting things on our way to and from Steung Mean Chey. Here in Cambodia they do not use hearses to carry the caskets to the Wat, they have what look like parade floats. Today we went by two of them on our way home, we do not see these on a regular basis. Likewise there was a girl carrying her desk on the back of her moto. It was not a big desk, but it is amazing what they can carry on motos. Finally they are continuing to progress on the addition at the Steung Mean Chey Building.