A WALLIE MISSION UPDATE
January 15, 2009
I think it might be of interest to you to know exactly what our mission entails. We are PEF/CES missionaries. The PEF stands for “Perpetual Education Fund” and was introduced by President Hinckley back in April general Priesthood Meeting of 2001. It is a divinely inspired program and rather than take the time here to go through the details I ask that you go to lds.org, then click on “Gospel Library” then “General Conference”, then April 2001, then Priesthood Session, then “Perpetual Education Fund”. There you can read President Hinckley’s address where he introduced the PEF. Now, throughout the world there are 33,000 students with loans who are going to school where otherwise they couldn’t.
Now, for a few of our recent experiences. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we went outside of Phnom Penh (PP) about 3-4 miles in an area that was 5th branch when Wallie was here. In fact, the little gal who was guiding us (Suen Sokhom) pointed out the place where Wallie lived as a missionary. Although the apartment complex is set back somewhat off the main road it seemed there was a small alley way leading up to the place. I named that little alley “Waallie Aallie”. I’m going to make a sign.
At any rate, last Saturday we went back to see if we could find the one PEF student I told you about that lives in squalor a little outside PP. Again we rode down the dirt path that led to his little shack and sure enough the whole family was there. My heart just dropped to see that a family of 4 was living in such destitute conditions. There was a little girl, probably 5 and a little boy about 2 ½. The floor was slatted so we could see the tepid water about 4 feet below. At one point during our stay I heard what sounded like a stream of water kind of dribbling down into the water below. I thought “what is that”? Then I noticed that the little boy was using the bathroom as he lay beside his mother. I saw no signs of food anywhere around the room and wanted so much just to give the man a $10.00 bill to buy some food but I realized that doing so wouldn’t help him. It would probably only make things worse in the sense that he would feel more worthless. His self esteem was pretty much gone anyway and he was humiliated that he was in this condition. He had been employed as a guard at one of the churches but had fallen asleep during the night and someone—it seems another guard—had preplanned a robbery. So when he was asleep (when he should have been awake) some robbers took a few things from a storage shed. The next day he was fired. That was devastating to him. This happened about a year and a half ago and since then he has tried to provide rice for his family by fixing old electronic equipment people throw away and then selling it for a small sum.
At any rate, what he really needs is a job. Today I spent some time working with the church employment department (managed by another missionary couple that are our close friends) to see if there were any jobs available. I want to tell you, the Church Employment Resource Center here really does a great job of matching the employment needs of the employers with the skills of the members needing a job. In the last 8 months they have placed over 400 people in gainful employment. Well, the missionary couple told me, and rightly so, that he would need to come into the office and they would help him fill out a résumé. Then they would help him develop some job interview skills. I feel confident that he will get work. He has a bicycle that he can use to ride the 10 miles to the Resource Center. I will keep you posted on the outcome but tomorrow I will work to get him an appointment with the Employment Resource Center.
Last Friday evening, Mom and I were just getting ready to leave our office when a little gal knocked on our door desiring our help to get into a particular school. She is a lovely little gal—so capable in her English abilities and very intelligent. Well after answering her questions and seeing her desire for education we approved the initiation of her loan application. Just before she left we told her that we wanted her to come to our office at least once each month for a few minutes and “update” us on her schooling and other aspects of her life. We gave her our cell number and as she was writing down our name she stopped, looked at us and said “I know this name, I have written it before, did you have a son that served a mission here”? We said, “Yes, we did”. I stood up and said “Was he about as tall as I am, but not as broad in the shoulders nor narrow at the hips”? She said, “Yes, that would be him—but not quite as much hair nor quite as good looking”. I said, “Yes, that would be him”. (I’ll have to admit, I did add a few words in that last sentence. Then she proceeded to tell us that she had embroidered two missionaries on bicycles for an Elder Nelson and then stitched at the bottom a message to his mother for mother’s day. Mom’s face lit up as she said that she has that very picture and holds it dear as one of her favorite mother’s day gifts because it was mailed to her by her son while he was on his mission in Cambodia. Tears flowed as those two precious women hugged each other. There was a uniting of their spirits.
The next day we met another PEF student and as we were talking to him he began to look at us more closely, shook his head a little, stopped speaking, looked at us some more and then just said with a smile on his face, “Are you Elder Nelson’s parents”? As we said we were he got so excited! It turned out to be one of Wallie’s companions while he served here in this area. Wallie, he really loves you. He gives you credit for all the joy he now has in his life. I simply said “I’m his father, you know”. He then hugged me. He’s now married and has the cutest little 6 month old daughter. We call these “Wallie” experiences and they are a regular occurrence. It makes our mission so fun.
Well, I’ve rambled on for quite a while but I want to quit by telling you that we love you all so much. Further, we want to tell you that Obama is not the answer to life’s problems—the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. Mom and I witness the truth of that daily—many times. Stay true!
Love Dad
About Us
- Grandma and Grandpa
- We have 13 beatiful grandchildren and 9 wonderful children, not to mention 3 beautiful daughter in laws and 4 brilliant son in laws. Our family is our priority, even far far away, we keep tabs on all of them. We are now living our dream, serving our mission in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Dear Stephen
January 15, 2009
My Riever (Elder Nelson):
Here’s hoping you are in Mongolia by now but in any event we want to write you a few lines and I want to attach my latest electronic mission update. It has to do with some of our recent experiences involving the Wallie mission. Here’s the point. You are just beginning your mission and there is no way you will ever begin to realize the impact you will have, not only in the next two years, but throughout the eternities. I promise you, as you serve with all your heart, literally hundreds of thousands of people will one day rise up to bless your name. We see the tip of the iceberg here in Cambodia just 10 years since Wallie was here. So, let er’ rip! (In other words—go to work). Mom and I like to take full advantage of the opportunities we have every day to bless the lives of these people. We still need to learn the language better so we can communicate but in the mean time there is much we can do by just speaking English. I’ll let mom write a few things. We love you so much and our prayers are with you daily. Love Dad
Stevie,
Yesterday as I was in our office inputting CES data into the computer, I glanced up at the clock. It was 12:30 pm (Wed.) and the thought struck me, “It is 10:30 pm Tues. night in Provo. Stephen is either somewhere over the Pacific Ocean full of excitement or he is going to bed at the MTC again.” My next thought was oh how glad I am for your last letter and you commitment to follow Elder Wirthlin’s counsel “Come what may and love it”. If you are still waiting for your visa (like the five young men here in Cambodia) maybe you will get to meet new missionaries coming into the MTC who will be going to Mongolia in April. Your language abilities and enthusiasm for the work will help inspire them and will build a bond with them like the bond of love and excitement you had for the last Elders that left for Mongolia. Whatever the situation maybe, our prayers are in your behalf daily, and I am anxious to read your email on Friday morning (which is the first things we do when we arrive at our office on Friday mornings, since the international dateline doesn’t allow us to get your emails on Thurs.J)
Monday we went teaching with the Elders again (my favorite thing to do) to John & Gosea. At the close of our first visit with them, John had asked a question about the sacrament. He said he partakes of it when he comes to our church but his wife doesn’t as she doesn’t feel that is right because they are not members of the church. The Elder said “That is a very good question. We are out of time right now (we had been with John and Gosea for an hour) but we will teach you about the sacrament next time we meet and answer your question.” I thought that was very wise on the part of the Elders, as it would make the investigators look forward to our next visit. So that is what the lesson was on and what I was able to bear testimony about. Then we stayed with the Elders, picked up another Elder (we have an uneven number of Elders right now), grabbed a quick bit to eat from a 7 Eleven type of gas station (two steamed rice buns filled with minced chicken for 40 cents eachJ) and headed off to another appointment with a very special little family who are in one of the branches that Dad and I are assigned to.
This family was baptized a month ago. (Dad was actually asked by the man to ordain him to the Aaronic Priesthood 3 weeks ago. After Dad finished conferring the Priesthood and setting apart Bro. Bun Thuean as a Priest, Bro. Bun Thuean ordained and set apart his 12 yr old son as a Deacon. The following week the father ordained and set apart his 16 yr old son as a Deacon also.) What a thrill to see this precious mother & father with their 5 children embrace the gospel. They are at church every week with sparkling eyes and bubbling enthusiasm for the gospel in their lives. We accompanied the Elders to this little family’s home to hold a family home evening with them. The house to which we went was the last one in a row of 4 houses connected together. The building was just a long shack with a tin roof. The boards leading to their house were loose and uneven. Upon knocking on the door, we were greeted with smiles and excitement. They invited us in and offered Dad and I the best seat in the one room home, a wooden slatted square on four legs (I’m sure it was the bed as there were several blankets rolled up and put to one side of this only piece of furniture in the home.) Everyone else (3 Elders & 7 family members) sat in a circle on the floor below where we were sitting. The entire room was about 12’ by 12’. I gave a short lesson with a couple of visual aids geared toward the younger children. Then one of the Elder’s told the story of Enos from the Book of Mormon. While the story was being told, my eyes kept looking around the room. In one corner was a small wicker shelf that contained a rice cooker and two bottles of soy sauce. I couldn’t see any other signs of food or cooking utensil around. There was one window besides the door we had come in. The walls were one eighth inch plywood (Dad said he could see through it in some places). There was one outlet hanging from a cord connected to the only light bulb in the room. I kept looking at the beautiful family and their happy countenance. Then we played a fun game with everyone and had a treat. (I had made 2 dozen cookies of which the Elders so kindly only took one so the family could have the rest! Wish I had made 4 doz. for the family!)
After the Elders dropped us off at our apartment, I walked into our 2 room home (about the size of Joseph & Lissa’s apt.) and felt like I was in a mansion. Then I commented to Dad that though the home we had just come from was poor, it wasn’t as poor as the shanty we had been to last Sat. that Dad described in his “Wallie Mission Update” that he has attached!
I began to understand more of what I have seen at church. I always go the Primary class where 3 or 4 of these children go each week. The last 2 weeks, the 14 yr old daughter excitedly pulls me toward the stairs leading up to the classroom where she helps the teacher by leading the song and calling on someone to open with prayer. Then she stays in the class as the teacher teaches all 4 Primary children for 30 minutes, gives them a snack (either some fruit or a package of dry Ramen type noodles broken up which the children devour) and then teaches the 12, 14 & 16 yr old children of this family from the Book of Mormon. The gospel of Jesus Christ and living its teachings brings great hope of a better life ahead!
Hope you have time to read this lengthy email. We go teaching again with the Elders tonight! I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ. Love, Mom
My Riever (Elder Nelson):
Here’s hoping you are in Mongolia by now but in any event we want to write you a few lines and I want to attach my latest electronic mission update. It has to do with some of our recent experiences involving the Wallie mission. Here’s the point. You are just beginning your mission and there is no way you will ever begin to realize the impact you will have, not only in the next two years, but throughout the eternities. I promise you, as you serve with all your heart, literally hundreds of thousands of people will one day rise up to bless your name. We see the tip of the iceberg here in Cambodia just 10 years since Wallie was here. So, let er’ rip! (In other words—go to work). Mom and I like to take full advantage of the opportunities we have every day to bless the lives of these people. We still need to learn the language better so we can communicate but in the mean time there is much we can do by just speaking English. I’ll let mom write a few things. We love you so much and our prayers are with you daily. Love Dad
Stevie,
Yesterday as I was in our office inputting CES data into the computer, I glanced up at the clock. It was 12:30 pm (Wed.) and the thought struck me, “It is 10:30 pm Tues. night in Provo. Stephen is either somewhere over the Pacific Ocean full of excitement or he is going to bed at the MTC again.” My next thought was oh how glad I am for your last letter and you commitment to follow Elder Wirthlin’s counsel “Come what may and love it”. If you are still waiting for your visa (like the five young men here in Cambodia) maybe you will get to meet new missionaries coming into the MTC who will be going to Mongolia in April. Your language abilities and enthusiasm for the work will help inspire them and will build a bond with them like the bond of love and excitement you had for the last Elders that left for Mongolia. Whatever the situation maybe, our prayers are in your behalf daily, and I am anxious to read your email on Friday morning (which is the first things we do when we arrive at our office on Friday mornings, since the international dateline doesn’t allow us to get your emails on Thurs.J)
Monday we went teaching with the Elders again (my favorite thing to do) to John & Gosea. At the close of our first visit with them, John had asked a question about the sacrament. He said he partakes of it when he comes to our church but his wife doesn’t as she doesn’t feel that is right because they are not members of the church. The Elder said “That is a very good question. We are out of time right now (we had been with John and Gosea for an hour) but we will teach you about the sacrament next time we meet and answer your question.” I thought that was very wise on the part of the Elders, as it would make the investigators look forward to our next visit. So that is what the lesson was on and what I was able to bear testimony about. Then we stayed with the Elders, picked up another Elder (we have an uneven number of Elders right now), grabbed a quick bit to eat from a 7 Eleven type of gas station (two steamed rice buns filled with minced chicken for 40 cents eachJ) and headed off to another appointment with a very special little family who are in one of the branches that Dad and I are assigned to.
This family was baptized a month ago. (Dad was actually asked by the man to ordain him to the Aaronic Priesthood 3 weeks ago. After Dad finished conferring the Priesthood and setting apart Bro. Bun Thuean as a Priest, Bro. Bun Thuean ordained and set apart his 12 yr old son as a Deacon. The following week the father ordained and set apart his 16 yr old son as a Deacon also.) What a thrill to see this precious mother & father with their 5 children embrace the gospel. They are at church every week with sparkling eyes and bubbling enthusiasm for the gospel in their lives. We accompanied the Elders to this little family’s home to hold a family home evening with them. The house to which we went was the last one in a row of 4 houses connected together. The building was just a long shack with a tin roof. The boards leading to their house were loose and uneven. Upon knocking on the door, we were greeted with smiles and excitement. They invited us in and offered Dad and I the best seat in the one room home, a wooden slatted square on four legs (I’m sure it was the bed as there were several blankets rolled up and put to one side of this only piece of furniture in the home.) Everyone else (3 Elders & 7 family members) sat in a circle on the floor below where we were sitting. The entire room was about 12’ by 12’. I gave a short lesson with a couple of visual aids geared toward the younger children. Then one of the Elder’s told the story of Enos from the Book of Mormon. While the story was being told, my eyes kept looking around the room. In one corner was a small wicker shelf that contained a rice cooker and two bottles of soy sauce. I couldn’t see any other signs of food or cooking utensil around. There was one window besides the door we had come in. The walls were one eighth inch plywood (Dad said he could see through it in some places). There was one outlet hanging from a cord connected to the only light bulb in the room. I kept looking at the beautiful family and their happy countenance. Then we played a fun game with everyone and had a treat. (I had made 2 dozen cookies of which the Elders so kindly only took one so the family could have the rest! Wish I had made 4 doz. for the family!)
After the Elders dropped us off at our apartment, I walked into our 2 room home (about the size of Joseph & Lissa’s apt.) and felt like I was in a mansion. Then I commented to Dad that though the home we had just come from was poor, it wasn’t as poor as the shanty we had been to last Sat. that Dad described in his “Wallie Mission Update” that he has attached!
I began to understand more of what I have seen at church. I always go the Primary class where 3 or 4 of these children go each week. The last 2 weeks, the 14 yr old daughter excitedly pulls me toward the stairs leading up to the classroom where she helps the teacher by leading the song and calling on someone to open with prayer. Then she stays in the class as the teacher teaches all 4 Primary children for 30 minutes, gives them a snack (either some fruit or a package of dry Ramen type noodles broken up which the children devour) and then teaches the 12, 14 & 16 yr old children of this family from the Book of Mormon. The gospel of Jesus Christ and living its teachings brings great hope of a better life ahead!
Hope you have time to read this lengthy email. We go teaching again with the Elders tonight! I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ. Love, Mom
Monday, January 5, 2009
Jan. 4, 2009
January 4, 2009—Fast Sunday--------------Church, prayers and a cockroach
Just a note about today. We went to both of our branches for church—1st branch @ 8:00AM and 9th @ 2:00 PM. We walked home and got lost which took us 3.7 KM instead of 1.7 KM. But that is alright because we saw a part of PP we haven’t seen before.
Church was good but I got a surprise in the 1st branch when a young man about 22 years old who is getting baptized next week asked me to baptize him. I believe today is the first time I have really met him but I casually talked to him last week. I don’t even know how to say the baptismal prayer in Kamahi. I must learn it this week.
In the 9th branch Sunday school class I was trying to stay awake because I couldn’t understand too much—actually hardly anything—when I noticed something moving across the front wall of the chapel. It was the biggest cockroach I have ever seen! It was just crawling around—first on the crown molding and then on the wall below the crown molding. It was obvious to all in the class but it was like no one cared—it seemed to be a common occurrence to all in attendance but me. Well, it finally fell to the floor up on the stand and I couldn’t see it anymore but at least now I was awake. I was grateful mom was in Primary or I’m sure she would have screamed. Well, the cockroach was gone—back to staying awake. On a sudden it appeared again but this time it flew from where it had crawled on a chair on the stand and hit the teacher who was teaching us on his neck and began crawling around his neck between his shirt collar and his neck! He merely brushed it off (remember this thing was at least 2” long with those big antenna’s) and kept right on teaching! No one in the class made a peep but now I was really glad mom wasn’t with me. Even had she not screamed before, she most certainly would have now. But I was grateful the teacher didn’t step on it because it would have really made terrible crackling, crunching noises and there would have been a big spot of slimy cockroach guts on the tile floor. The critter went scurrying off to the pulpit, up the pulpit, around the pulpit and then flew off to the other side of the room, slammed into the wall and hung there for a while. They aren’t the most graceful flying insect—nothing like a butterfly—more like a drunken June bug. Again it fell to the floor out of my sight. Back to the “I-can-hardly-understand-a word-you-are-saying-in-Kamahi” lesson. But by now class is over and Priesthood meeting has begun.
The missionaries were teaching the priesthood lesson and one of them was translating for me and I was really in to it when, Alas! Here came the cockroach again! It was racing across the floor right for the shoes of the missionary who was teaching the lesson. My translator missionary gave him a “heads-up”; he looked around and saw the monster just as it was ready to crawl up his pant leg. He gave it a kick and it landed on its back about 4 feet away and began trying to upright himself by wiggling his legs and shell. But to no avail—he couldn’t tip himself over and I watched him struggle for about 20 minutes until he died right there during priesthood meeting. Well, was that the end of my lesson on cockroachology? Not really. After the closing prayer in priesthood mom came in, everyone else had left but the teacher of the Sunday School class. I took him and mom with me to the dead remains of the cockroach, feet sticking straight in the air, and mom almost screamed right there. She got all goose bumpy and when the teacher told her how it had been crawling around his neck she got pale in her face and had to leave the scene. We walked home.
End of cockroach saga? Not really. We come home from church, we’re very hungry because it’s fast Sunday and so we kneel to have prayers. It’s mom’s turn and as usual she is praying for quite a while and I’m again fighting sleep when I hear the most amazing words I have ever heard her pray. She brings up the cockroach! This is pretty close to an exact quote: “Heavenly Father, help me to look at cockroaches as one of Thy beautiful creations. Help me to not scream if I were to see one again”. Heavenly Father, please help me to see them only in Thy beautiful outdoors and please, not in our apartment”. Heavenly Father, help me to see them with the excitement and enthusiasm that little Reed would have—to love them as he would for he would see them as one of Thy amazing creations and want to catch them and play with them”. I’m wide awake again! Did I hear what I thought I heard? Was mom praying about cockroaches and integrating it with her prayers over her grandchildren? Yes! That is what I heard—I was not dreaming! Oh, how I love your mother. She prays about anything and everything. I will continue to spray our apartment. Love Dad
Just a note about today. We went to both of our branches for church—1st branch @ 8:00AM and 9th @ 2:00 PM. We walked home and got lost which took us 3.7 KM instead of 1.7 KM. But that is alright because we saw a part of PP we haven’t seen before.
Church was good but I got a surprise in the 1st branch when a young man about 22 years old who is getting baptized next week asked me to baptize him. I believe today is the first time I have really met him but I casually talked to him last week. I don’t even know how to say the baptismal prayer in Kamahi. I must learn it this week.
In the 9th branch Sunday school class I was trying to stay awake because I couldn’t understand too much—actually hardly anything—when I noticed something moving across the front wall of the chapel. It was the biggest cockroach I have ever seen! It was just crawling around—first on the crown molding and then on the wall below the crown molding. It was obvious to all in the class but it was like no one cared—it seemed to be a common occurrence to all in attendance but me. Well, it finally fell to the floor up on the stand and I couldn’t see it anymore but at least now I was awake. I was grateful mom was in Primary or I’m sure she would have screamed. Well, the cockroach was gone—back to staying awake. On a sudden it appeared again but this time it flew from where it had crawled on a chair on the stand and hit the teacher who was teaching us on his neck and began crawling around his neck between his shirt collar and his neck! He merely brushed it off (remember this thing was at least 2” long with those big antenna’s) and kept right on teaching! No one in the class made a peep but now I was really glad mom wasn’t with me. Even had she not screamed before, she most certainly would have now. But I was grateful the teacher didn’t step on it because it would have really made terrible crackling, crunching noises and there would have been a big spot of slimy cockroach guts on the tile floor. The critter went scurrying off to the pulpit, up the pulpit, around the pulpit and then flew off to the other side of the room, slammed into the wall and hung there for a while. They aren’t the most graceful flying insect—nothing like a butterfly—more like a drunken June bug. Again it fell to the floor out of my sight. Back to the “I-can-hardly-understand-a word-you-are-saying-in-Kamahi” lesson. But by now class is over and Priesthood meeting has begun.
The missionaries were teaching the priesthood lesson and one of them was translating for me and I was really in to it when, Alas! Here came the cockroach again! It was racing across the floor right for the shoes of the missionary who was teaching the lesson. My translator missionary gave him a “heads-up”; he looked around and saw the monster just as it was ready to crawl up his pant leg. He gave it a kick and it landed on its back about 4 feet away and began trying to upright himself by wiggling his legs and shell. But to no avail—he couldn’t tip himself over and I watched him struggle for about 20 minutes until he died right there during priesthood meeting. Well, was that the end of my lesson on cockroachology? Not really. After the closing prayer in priesthood mom came in, everyone else had left but the teacher of the Sunday School class. I took him and mom with me to the dead remains of the cockroach, feet sticking straight in the air, and mom almost screamed right there. She got all goose bumpy and when the teacher told her how it had been crawling around his neck she got pale in her face and had to leave the scene. We walked home.
End of cockroach saga? Not really. We come home from church, we’re very hungry because it’s fast Sunday and so we kneel to have prayers. It’s mom’s turn and as usual she is praying for quite a while and I’m again fighting sleep when I hear the most amazing words I have ever heard her pray. She brings up the cockroach! This is pretty close to an exact quote: “Heavenly Father, help me to look at cockroaches as one of Thy beautiful creations. Help me to not scream if I were to see one again”. Heavenly Father, please help me to see them only in Thy beautiful outdoors and please, not in our apartment”. Heavenly Father, help me to see them with the excitement and enthusiasm that little Reed would have—to love them as he would for he would see them as one of Thy amazing creations and want to catch them and play with them”. I’m wide awake again! Did I hear what I thought I heard? Was mom praying about cockroaches and integrating it with her prayers over her grandchildren? Yes! That is what I heard—I was not dreaming! Oh, how I love your mother. She prays about anything and everything. I will continue to spray our apartment. Love Dad
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