CHAPTER 25 THE FIELD IS WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST

CHAPTER 25

THE FIELD IS WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST

Christianity is flourishing in this Buddhist nation.   The Catholics have been here for 400 years,   now there are many Christian churches throughout the land.  In some areas it’s not acceptable to become a Christian.  Most Khmer people adhere to their Buddhist traditions,  and are unkind to the people when they become Christian.  We’ve  witnessed over fifty baptisms since we  came to Cambodia. This is only the beginning!  Elder Anthony Perkins told us that Asia is only 4% Christian. There is much work to be done and many laborers needed.   Most cities in Cambodia are yet to be opened to the missionaries. 

The challenge for us as Latter-day Saints is to apply the principles we’re taught and do our part in helping the glorious work of the gospel fill the earth, and bear witness of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind.  “The time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue and people.” (Mosiah 3:20) Our mission President said,  “Serving a mission is one of the great events of your life.  It will bring a greater return than any other event of your life.”   We love being a part of this missionary army,  taking the knowledge of the Savior to people in Cambodia.   

There are many traditions in Cambodia that are strange to us.  Weddings are very elaborate and expensive, a favorite Khmer tradition, everyone is excited to dress up and attend a wedding. The women have makeovers and dress in beautiful dresses. You can barely recognize them with their makeup,  wigs,  and jewelry.  They whiten their faces like Japanese geisha girls, with white powder.  All the  women love the  traditional Khmer style but it can be immodest for members of the Church.   It’s hard for them to give up this tradition, even though we teach them how beautiful they are in more modest clothing.

There was much excitement for the  wedding of two young  people in the Branch -  a recent convert,  Mr. Khorn Pheakdey and Miss Kouer Chansou,  the daughter of our first counselor.  Khmer  last names are first,  so their given names are  Pheckdey and Chansou.  The bride had  two children from a former marriage, before she became a member.   Sister Vaury and Brother Bunno, her parents,   hosted a combination Khmer - LDS wedding, the first for the branch.  The LDS portion was in the morning  at  the church.  Wilf was the speaker and President Winegar performed the marriage, then the young adults sang three beautiful songs about Christ. The Cambodian celebration started later at the bride’s house.  There were three groomsmen and three bridesmaids who changed their clothes every  hour, an expensive Khmer tradition.  Khmer music was playing very loud while eight courses of food were  served.  Two very different celebrations for one marriage, but it takes time to change tradition. 

  

Khmer weddings are very expensive for the bride and the groom, so most young people postpone their marriages until they can afford an elaborate traditional wedding. Many won’t marry or even court until they have saved enough money.  We hope that  simple and sweet  LDS weddings will catch on so  more of our young people can afford to be  married.  The future of the Church in Cambodia depends on these valiant young couples who  marry and raise their families in the gospel.   

After the wedding President and Sister  Winegar stayed for a few days in Battambang for Branch and Zone Conference.  They and their assistants conducted the conferences, plus  hosted a branch fireside for families. The members were thrilled to have the Winegars spend extra time with them,  one hundred and fifty members attended the fireside.  President Winegar showed Church History slides from their family trips, and pioneer treks of LDS youth in America.  Their favorite  part was  seeing other LDS youth trekking across  the plains, enduring harsh conditions  very much like their own.       

 

Sister Winegar is a strong woman who handles all missionary health concerns.  She said Elder and Sister Dickerson  were in a car accident on the road to Siem Reap.  A truck ran into the side of their car,  and Sister Dickerson was taken to the hospital with a bad whip lash, now she  was  wearing  a neck brace.  This  happened the  same week that a Sister missionary came down with  Dengue Fever,  an  Elder was bitten by a scorpion, and Sister Yang had her accident.  She does all this plus keeps up with her husband’s calling.  She is an amazing woman to leave her family for three years,  my mission is easy in comparison!   

President and Sister Winegar are valiant members who sacrifice all for the Lord and the building of his  Kingdom.  Our mission has taught me personally what the law of sacrifice means -  the things you love the most you lay on the altar, with your  broken heart and  contrite spirit.    “Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake, for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again.  And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple.”  Will I ever qualify for discipleship?

Valentines Day has become a big celebration in Cambodia.  Before the year  2000 there were no foreign holidays celebrated. One year after the surrender of the last Khmer Rouge leaders and their troups, marked the beginning of a period of peace and stability.  Since then the Valentines Day craze has grown,   and the streets of Battambang are  lined with vendors,  little groups of  families selling flowers, balloons  and hearts.  President Sda  asked Wilf to teach the members about Valentines Day.  A Catholic Priest in Italy, named Valentine,  performed marriages in secret because the King passed a law forbidding marriage.  He wanted all young men to be soldiers, but this priest  believed in love and marriage  and disobeyed the King’s orders, so the Catholic Church made him a Saint.  Now we have St. Valentines Day.

President Sda told the members  it’s not just a day for sweethearts, but a day to express love to everyone. 

He  invited all parents to come to the front and receive hugs from their children.  Many people had tears in their eyes when they hugged their families.  Pol Pot tried to destroy all natural affection in families, but these gentle and shy members are learning that it’s good to show love and affection to their family.  It’s wonderful seeing them return to their own true natures and show affection to each other!  

My sweetheart bought me a little bouquet of red rose buds, surrounded with pink and white lace, for Valentines Day and  Mary brought me a white rose made  of  candy.    The members gave us cutout hearts that said, “I love you, Elder and Sister Stagg.”  We took Mary, Angel and Sda  to a new restaurant, a lively place where you  sit at tables or on the floor.   It was my last  Valentines Day in Cambodia and my  heart swelled with joy.   How could this be when I was so far away from my family?   Every day we felt the rewards for our service,   “How great will be your joy if you bring one soul unto me.”    I was surrounded by love in Battambang,  Cambodia!    

By the middle of February the days became increasingly warmer, until one day we were back in the  fiery furnace.  I had forgotten  just  how hot it gets  in Cambodia.  March and April are the hottest months in Cambodia.  When we attended a Young Women’s activity at a members hut  it was at least 110 degrees outside!  The girls cooked  rice flour and onion dumplings over the fire,  just like a girls camp in the United States.   The heat doesn’t bother the members as much as it does the missionaries.  The thermometer  outside  our door often reached  120 degrees during the day and 90 degrees in the evenings.  The heat was  so oppressive,  it sapped all  my strength and left me feeling weak and old.  The last days of our mission would be in the burning fire, hopefully our faults and weaknesses would all  be burned out  before we went  home! 

Elder Jensen and Elder Bennett  invited us with them to show the new members  how to have family night.  We took treats and song books and the Elders taught short lessons.  We taught the family how to play games together,  like “Fruit Basket” or “I have a Little Doggie.”  The children loved playing games with their parents and they all laughed so much the neighbors gathered around to see the fun.  All children love playing games with their parents and we loved being with them.  It’s really sweet bringing fun and laughter  into the lives of  the members.  We taught families to pray together, study together,  attend church together, and have family home evening.  Surely our family at home receives  blessings as we serve and help other families. In the eternities we will rest with these families and our own family in the kingdom of our Father!

President Gordon B. Hinckley said in a conference talk in 1998,  “I hope all of you are pointed in the direction of missionary service.  I cannot promise you fun,  I cannot promise you ease and comfort.  I cannot promise you freedom from discouragement, from fear, from downright misery at times.  But I can promise you that you will grow as you have never grown in a similar period during your entire lives.  I can promise you a happiness that will be unique and wonderful and lasting.  I can promise you that you will re evaluate your lives,  that you will establish new priorities,  that you will live closer to the Lord, that prayer will become a real and wonderful experience,  that you will walk with faith in the outcome of the good things you do.”

One night we were eating in our favorite romantic spot in Battambang, the River Balcony,  a two story wooden building with a thatched roof overhead, and a small dining area overlooking the river.  It is  surrounded by swaying palms and tall coconut trees along the banks of the river.  It’s the prettiest view in the city, especially when the moon is full!  A friendly American couple, Jerry and Wilma Mishler,  were sitting at the table across from us, most foreigners we see in Cambodia are not very friendly, especially when they see our missionary badges.  We introduced ourselves and found that they are  Christian missionaries living in Battambang!    

The Lord placed a non-denominational Christian missionary couple, from Modesto, California,   right in our path.  They’ve lived in Battambang for the last seven years,  teaching the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands of Cambodians, in the villages surrounding  Battambang.  They  had been missionaries in India, where Christians were murdered by Hindus, and Jerry was beaten with a bamboo cane.   When he visited Cambodia in 1999  he touched the rice as he walked through the fields.  It was so ripe it fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying, “The field is ripe,  ready to harvest.”  He felt the call to be a missionary in Cambodia.  He wondered how he would convince his wife to go with him, but Wilma was having her own spiritual experience at home as she washed the dishes.  She saw a vision of brown faces, Cambodian faces,   not the black faces of India.  The spirit whispered to her, “Go!” When  Jerry arrived home  she said,  “We’re going to Cambodia!”   

When they told their minister they wanted to serve as missionaries in Cambodia  he said they were too old!  So they went to the Southern Baptists  and they also said no. They were so convinced of their calling that they organized a foundation to fund their mission work. They sold all their belongings, except their home, then  moved to  Cambodia to start their mission.  Their daughter,  her husband and young child joined them a few years later  to help  with the mission work.  They’ve  trained  over eighty  Cambodians to work with them, teaching the poor people in the villages. 

In  seven years they’ve taught over eighteen thousand people about Jesus Christ,  built hundreds of small churches in villages,  and organized an orphanage for twenty two children whose  parents died of AIDS.   They pass out Bibles,  teach reading to the illiterate,   organize Bible schools,  and teach villagers  about clean water, and healthy living.   Every year they go home  for a few  months to  promote their work and find funding for their organization.  They believe the second coming is very close and  feel an urgency to bring the knowledge of Jesus Christ to those who’ve never heard about him. We are all in this together, bringing souls to Jesus Christ,  preparing them to receive the fullness of his gospel. 

Jerry and Wilma told us a story of the Buddha,  a great prophet. He prophesied that one would come at the last day and he would be called  Prince of Peace.  He would have scars in the palms of his hands, and his side and imprints of thorns on his head.  He would rid people of their sins and raise them up to live with a God named Trinity.  Buddha was a prophet who lived six hundred years before Christ, and he taught the people many good things.  Cambodian Buddhists have no knowledge of a personal God,  but  they pray to their ancestors for help through this life, and the lives after this.  They have great honor and respect for their dead ancestors and leave food for them daily on shrines in their homes.  But the gospel of Jesus Christ is  the greatest gift they can give to their dead ancestors through their temple blessings!

“Behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.  O ye, that embark in the service of God,  see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.  If ye have desire to serve God ye are called to the work;  For behold the field is white already to harvest…he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul…and faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.” (D & C 4:1-5)  The more we understand Christ and his gospel,  the  more we want to share it. 

Russell Nelson said, “The Church will move forward on its course until we come to a unity of faith and  a knowledge of Christ and all people  hear the gospel in their own language.”  We are walking in the Savior’s footsteps, among his most tender branches and he labors with us. The work is urgent and hard,  at times it may seem too hard, it requires all of our might, mind and strength.  It is then we realize we are not enough,  we need power and strength beyond our own.  As we learn to receive revelation he will guide us to the people who need us and our message. 

The scripture we chose for our missionary plaque is from Jacob 5:71 -“And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant;  and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him…and brought other servants and they were few…And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them, go to,  and labor in the vineyard with your might…for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh….And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their might and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them. And they did obey the commandments of the Lord in all things.”  Obedience brings the blessings of heaven.  Obedience is why we are out here serving in the first place.  “And blessed are thou;  for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me….behold ye shall have joy with me.”

Many souls are thirsty and hungry for the truth and are ready to hear the gospel, but they know not where to find it.  “The field was ripe,  and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle,  and did reap with your might, yea,  all the day long did ye labor,  and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners,  that they are not wasted…..they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day;  neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds,  but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place,  that the storm cannot penetrate to them….neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersover the enemy listeth to carry them…they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest,  and they are his,  and he will raise them up at the last day.”

“Behold,  the field is white already to harvest….and behold,  thou art called to assist….which thing if ye do,  and are faithful,  ye shall be blessed both spiritually and temporally, and great shall be your reward.”  We have been blessed  both spiritually and temporally.  Heavenly Father has poured  down blessings upon us and our family as we’ve faithfully served him in  this mission!