CHAPTER 26 HURRAH FOR ISRAEL

CHAPTER 26

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL

The first Sunday in March was an historic day in  Battambang, Cambodia!  Our one branch was divided into Branch One and Branch Two.  Branch One would attend  in the morning and Branch Two in the afternoon.  The entire mission Presidency came to Battambang and released President Sda Yin, the first Branch President since the branch was created.   The Branch was organized five years ago with fifty five members, now there were two thriving branches with enough strong members to staff  both branches. 

We feel greatly blessed to be part of the growth of the Church in Battambang, Cambodia and  to assist in the gathering of Israel in the last days.  These beautiful Khmer people are an unique treasure of our Heavenly Father.  The Church is in the pioneering phase in Cambodia.  It wasn’t until 1993 that religious freedom was announced, then in 1994 the Church was recognized by the government.   In 1998 the first missionaries were called to Cambodia.  The first chapel was dedicated in 2004, the second and third in 2008, and the ground breaking was held for the fourth chapel in 2009.    Now the land has been purchased for the fifth chapel,  to be built in Battambang Cambodia, on a  beautiful piece of property  on the main highway,  not far from the big black Buddha statue when you enter the city.   As soon as the title is in the hands of the Church there will be a ground breaking for the first Latter Day Saint chapel in Northern Cambodia.  It will be a glorious day for the members when they have a beautiful new chapel of their own.

Baptisms occur on a regular basis throughout the country where the missionaries are teaching, but the rest of the country is still waiting for the gospel to come to their city or village.  In the past most  members of the Church  have been women and children,  but more  families and young men are being baptized.  The future of the Church lies in the youth who are very strong.  The young men and  women returning from  missions are the strength of the church.  They will be the future leaders in Cambodia.

It’s discouraging when we see once strong and faithful members fall away. There are many “lost sheep” in Cambodia.  Someday they will be found again and many will return when the Church becomes stronger and larger.  The missionaries have lots of baptisms and establish good foundations but the members have many obstacles in their lives.  It’s extremely difficult for most members to come to church.  Many of them work seven days a week, and have no transportation.  Many of the less active still read their scriptures and pray in their families, they just have a hard time getting to church.  We all   learn line upon line,  grace upon grace what being members of the Church involves. It is a process!  God will bless them in his own time.  He is carefully guarding his “natural fruit” that it will not be corrupted.  Perhaps the reason we cannot speak their language is that we’d give them too much too soon! Too much of the things of the world corrupt as does education and praise. President Winegar always told his missionaries, “Praise is poison!”  It’s a challenge to find a good balance as we nurture their fragile new testimonies and help them grow in the gospel.   The best thing we do is love them and be good examples of devoted  Latter Day Saints!     

Sister Lam and Sister Yang asked us to accompany them to the home of Chandee, Naurie, and Chandra to give comfort at the death of their sister. They asked Wilf  to give her a blessing  but she died before we got there. These three young women, all new members,   wanted a Christian funeral for their sister, but Christian funerals are new to Cambodians and there are no burial grounds for Christians.  Instead of giving her body to the Monks for a traditional Buddhist funeral they cremated her body outside their little hut.  They were very grateful that we came and prayed with them and offered our love and sympathy.  They showed us her few remaining bones wrapped in a small white cloth.  Death is so harsh and primitive in this country.  The prayer of my heart is that the members in Battambang will someday  have a Christian burial ground and transportation to come to church.    

We lost four missionaries in transfers leaving only the four new ones who arrived a few  months earlier.  We said goodbye to Elder Horton who was with us for eight months and Sister Lam who was with us almost that long. It was a sad goodbye for everyone!  Sister Lam was transferred to Phnom Penh and Elder Horton to Siem Reap.  Elder Christensen  and Elder Jensen also left us after  months of serving with them.   We knew it was the last transfer we’d see and I was  happy to be done with them.  Five  new missionaries arrived to take their place, Sister Atkins,  Sister Itotani,  Elder Hawkins, Elder Black and Elder Mummert, all from America!  We missed our humble Khmer missionaries, but we  loved serving with missionaries from our own country.   They have such courage to come to  Cambodia.  It’s a good thing their mothers don’t see what goes on.       

We served with these missionaries until the end of our mission!  We considered it one of our greatest blessings to serve with all the exceptional young missionaries.  They always treated us with love and respect and being around these amazing young people was very energizing.  We would miss them and their marvelous  energy when we finish our mission!    

We drove to Phnom Penh  and  enjoyed our last Senior Conference.  It was very good being with the other Senior couples, hearing about their many assignments.  Even though we were short several couples we were all doing wonderful things in Cambodia.  We were driving back from dinner with the Fairchilds and Richards when the driver’s seat in our car started reclining.  The lever wasn’t working and Wilf couldn’t stop it from going backward.  I was sitting behind him and it came down on my legs.   Everyone helped me get out  before my legs were crushed.   We watched the seat go all the way down.  It was bizarre,  only in Cambodia!  We  piled back in and Wilf drove the car with no back support.  We all had a good laugh as Wilf drove the car with no seat back,  his legs tucked up close to the steering wheel.  It was good for us to laugh,  if  laughter is a vacation,  we all had a good vacation! 

The next morning we  took the car to get it fixed and they replaced all the switches for only $17.00.    We counted seven times we had car trouble in Phnom Penh, where we could get it repaired.   Nothing ever happened in Battambang, truly one of the miracles of our mission!  As we checked out of our hotel in Phnom Penh,  Sopheak called and asked for a ride back with us to Battambang.  She had been  attending seminars  in another city when she felt impressed to go home immediately.  Then she received a call that her mother was very ill and taken to a hospital.  As she lay sleeping in the back seat of our car I had a strong feeling she needed to get home as quickly as possible.

The next morning she called from the hospital, sobbing. Her mother passed away so quickly, soon after she arrived.   She was only forty nine years of age.  When we arrived at the hospital all four of her  daughters were in the room  with her body.  They cried so loud it could be heard all over the building.  I put my arms around each girl while she cried.  The youngest was only twelve years old.  When Mary covered the body with a sheet  they started screaming and crying harder, so I removed the sheet and they calmed down.   I  looked at the beautiful woman lying there, who was alive just a few minutes earlier and I held the girls while they cried.   It was heart wrenching for me to watch them.   I went out into the hall and cried about my mother’s death while I was in Cambodia.  How I would have loved being with her when she died!

The doctors removed the body to a van to drive to Siem Reap for funeral.  Sopheak asked us to come with her because she is the only Christian in her family. The road to Siem Reap was almost finished after all these months so it  took us only three hours to get there.  Mary and Sda drove with us and we all stayed in a guest house.  It was a traditional Buddhist funeral.  The Monks take over all the arrangements while the family makes and serves food to everyone.  I’ve never seen so much crying and chanting.  The family wore their clothes inside out,  which means “we are not all right,”   and some  shaved their heads to show they were in mourning.  When we arrived for the cremation ceremony Sopheak’s  twelve year old sister had shaved her head, also a Buddhist tradition.   We followed the funeral procession to the Watt where the Monks finished their ceremonial chantings.  When they opened the casket for one  last look at the  body everyone cried again. It was very heart wrenching observing so much  grief, unlike any funeral I’ve ever attended.  They lifted the body into the  large oven, closed the doors and started the fire.  We watched the smoke coming out of the chimney as the body was cremated so quickly,  only twenty four hours after she died.  It was all over so quickly!  It was so hot outside we almost fainted waiting for the cremation to be finished.  It  was a very quick trip to Siem Reap and back in 120 degree heat.   I was  tired and sick when we got home so   stayed in my air conditioned  bedroom all day.

Sunday was a long day attending both branches, but they were amazingly organized and functioning in spite of the big change.  Eighty five people attended  Branch One and  one hundred came in the afternoon for Branch Two.  The Saints in Battambang were  moving forward with strength and faith in the Lord as our  time with them was coming to an end! Mary was called to be the Relief Society President of Branch One and immediately started organizing visiting teaching, the first real visiting teaching in Battambang.  We took her to visit some of the original members who had fallen through the cracks as the membership grew.  The “lost sheep” were happy to see Mary and she invited them back to church.  She will continue her “mission” long after we’re gone!    

  

The missionaries rented a twelve passenger van and we all went to Siem Reap for Zone Conference  to be taught by Elder Anthony Perkins of the Seventy.  Wilf and I were  invited to dinner  with Elder & Sister Perkins, President and Sister Winegar and Elder and Sister Dickerson. It was a very intimate dinner  in the beautiful Sokha Hotel,  a Five Star Hotel in Siem Reap.  As I looked around at the stunning beauty of the dining room and the hotel it was hard to believe I was in Cambodia. The extremes of the modern and the primitive always amazes me.

 It was a great experience being in the presence of Elder and Sister Perkins.  It was another magical moment as I sat there in awe that I was actually  in that  place at that time?    Even though the  world seems to be falling apart, the glorious work of the Lord moves quietly forward every day throughout the world.  The next day we sat with the Elders and Sisters at the feet of Elder Perkins and President Winegar as they taught us beautiful gospel principles.  It was one of the treasured experiences of my life!  We felt privileged and blessed to be in attendance.   Elder Perkins said  the seed of Abraham is scattered throughout  Asia,  but only 4% of Asia is Christian!  He and his wife have lived in Asia for a long time and they love the Asian people, who are the pure blood of Israel! 

We visited Angkor Watt again, this time  with our new group of missionaries who had never been there before!  It was so hot we sat in the shade and  waited while our missionaries  visited the temples.  The elephants were put away for the day because of the scorching heat.  We felt bad that the missionaries  missed the elephant ride, especially after  a tourist couple from American Fork stopped them and gave them one hundred dollars for the elephant ride!   

When we returned to Battambang we met Elder and Sister Reynolds,  our replacement couple.  They were excited to be missionaries in Cambodia. Years earlier Elder Reynolds lived in Vietnam constructing roads into Saigon, so he was familiar with the climate and the living conditions.  The gracious members brought beautiful bouquets of flowers and coconuts to welcome them. Many members received callings as the branches organized,  they were finally getting the opportunity to serve and grow.  We spent six hours attending both branches our last few Sundays, sitting on the blue plastic chairs, but at least we were in an air conditioned building!  There were two more baptisms our last few days in Battambang.    Paneth, a newly baptized eighteen year old boy, baptized his sixteen year old brother.  Paneth was just about the same size as his younger brother,  and  almost couldn’t bring him out of the water. It was very sweet  seeing  two handsome brothers in the baptismal font together.  Paneth and his sisters were baptized a few months earlier,  their parents were  confused about all their children joining the church but they gave  their permission! 

The sisters held a combined Relief Society birthday party for both branches and Mary conducted it beautifully.  She bought hand outs for all the sisters,  kromas wrapped with gold ribbon and tiny flowers.  A kroma is a Cambodian scarf they wrap around the head to block the hot sun. There were several speakers and musical numbers.  I spoke on the history of  Relief Society and Sister Reynolds spoke about manifestations of the spirit. Sister Reynolds is a hard worker and a  strong woman,  unlike me when I arrived  in Cambodia.  She spent the entire  morning at the church with her sleeves rolled up,  working right along side the Cambodian sisters washing dishes and preparing food,  even though they couldn’t speak to each other.  She wished she could speak their language but she loved it and said it was the funnest day she ever had!  I wish I could have started out like that!

    

The work of the Lord will continue to move forward in Battambang Cambodia after we’re gone.  The Lord’s covenant  with the house of Israel will be fulfilled in his own due time,  unto restoring all the house of Israel unto the knowledge of that covenant.  Then they shall know their Redeemer, who is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. They shall be brought out of obscurity and darkness and  know that Jesus Christ is their Savior!  

“As surely as the Lord liveth, will He gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth!  They shall be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed… as the Lord liveth so shall it be.” Israel, Israel, God is calling,  hear your great deliverer’s voice,  now a glorious morn is breaking,  for the people of his choice!   Like a mighty army moves the Church of God.-  Jesus is the living Christ,  the Church is the living church and the Prophet is the living prophet!

HURRAH!    HURRAH!     HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!