Rice Distribution At Ampil

Before we came on our mission we were told that if any of the other Senior Missionaries invited us to go somewhere with them to go if at all possible. Too many Senior Missionaries don't go because they feel like it is not in their missionary job description. Several weeks ago Elder & Sister Thurston invited us to go to a Rice Distribution with them at Steung Mean Chey or possibly Ampil. The Steung Mean Chey distribution was on Sunday when we needed to be at Church. And originally if we went to the one at Ampil it was going to have seven of us in one vehicle, so we were going to bow out. That changed when one more was added and they decided to take two vehicle.

We are so glad to have been able to go for numerous reasons. We got to ride with the Thurstons for about seven plus hours and just have a great time to talk and get to know more about each other. In addition we got to see a new bridge that opened about a year ago over the Mekong River that is called the Japanese Bridge because they donated 100 million dollars to build it. The bridge is beautiful and the Cambodians have to stop part way across it to look at the view and at the bridge.

The main reason that we are glad that we went was to be part of the rice distribution ceremony. LDS Charities gave 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds) of rice, six bottles soy sauce, six bottles of fish sauce and a two litter jug of oil to each of 1,200 Cambodian families. This is a very poor area that is not very far from the Vietnam border. The ceremony was suppose to start at 1:00 p.m. but the last government official did not arrive until just before 2:00 p.m. Fortunately they kept the ceremony short and sweet and it was done by 2:30. Elder Thurston explained to the people gathered there that members of the Church around the world had donated money to give them rice. He then asked them to go find others that they could help in some small way. As we left we saw some of that help as some who carried out their own rice went back in to help others who needed help.

Our lives have been truly blessed to be able to see the beauties of Cambodia. To many they consider the beauties as Angkor Wat, the sunrises and sunsets, the lush vegetation of the countryside or the sugar palm trees. All of those are beautiful, but we have learned the true beauty of Cambodia are the wonderful children of God who live here.