Week One of an Anticipated Two Doing Orientation

Across the street from where we are now.

The Wasatch Mountains out our window

The good people we've been spending time with.

It's been a pleasant group.  The younger two on the ends are Eythan Barney and Nellie Kacher who have been two of our fearless and extremely competent teachers/discussion leaders.  

All of us older missionary types were organized into small groups like this one.  One thing that was fun was to discover that the man standing behind his yellow-sweatered wife is Richard Cannon who was a high school classmate of Lewis's siblings and who remembers them fondly.

We've spent this week discussing and reviewing and trying to put into practice principles ranging from heartfelt listening to teamwork to a wide range of religious principles including faith in Christ, the hope-filled nature of repentance, commitment to God, working without guile, patience, brotherly love, unselfish service and seeking to communicate with God and understand his will on a daily basis.  All of it very good stuff.

Next week we're slated for a week of humanitarian service training with six other missionaries who have other international assignments (Accra,Ghana, Kiev,Ukraine and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia); lots of nuts and bolts of how it works and how to make those efforts work as intelligently and effectively helpful as possible. 

We're currently scheduled to start our journey west to the Far East on Monday June 1st.  We were first told that our trip itinerary is ticketed through L.A, then to Hong Kong, and then to Cambodia.  However yesterday Lewis and I were asked if we'd mind making a trip that's a little longer, traveling to Malaysia en route.  One of the young missionaries who works nearby became quite ill this past month and needs to head home to his family there.  The physicians who are taking care of him are hoping and expecting that he will be feeling well enough to travel towards the end of next week.  If he is we will go with him to help him make that journey safely.  Well, actually, it's Lewis and his medical skills that are wanted to go with him.  I'm simply the motherly company that's part of the hopefully helpful Hassell package deal.   :-)

Still no word on whether or not our Vietnam visas have been approved.  So we're still looking at the possibility of some time of indeterminate length in Phnom Penh.  We'll keep you posted.