Hi... it's your MOM! Just wanted you to know we think of you and we pray for each of you and your families EVERY DAY!

Hi ….it’s your mom…

                              Just wanted you to know we think of you and we pray for each of you and your families EVERY DAY.  

There’s really SO MUCH to tell you – probably have forgotten more than I remember.  Wish I were better - but I'm STILL, and will always be,  the worst procrastinator - I should be writing ALL the things that are happening to us  in a journal -  unfortunately everything is moving SO fast we're just trying to catch up each day.  It seems we stand up from our morning prayers just to be kneeling down at night and not believing another day has passed us by.  Hearing of the sudden passing of Mary Taylor caused us to think more of our own fragile mortality....really  we’re not that many years younger than she.  And we just never know the hour or the day the call will come right?  Dad and I  have laughed together about the cost (way too expensive) or government red tape, documents  to get our bodies out of Cambodia IF something were to happen to us here – We've  about decided it would have to be cremated and go home in a vase.  NOW the was morbid.   (YES I’m still talking about death).  But hey you all remember my reoccurring dream of being hit broadside in a car all these years… well, that COULD really happen here.  I’m telling you the traffic is INSANE – we feel exhausted after a day out maneuvering through  places we need to be and places we need to go. You have to experience it to believe it.  Gone are the days of “hey honey, think I’ll run over to Target, or CVS or Hobby Lobby, or the mall – it is  SO stressful just to go a couple of miles….and forget about it AFTER DARK! We have a crazy week this week out in the traffic including 6 apartment inspections (various parts of the city) , meetings with prospective sponsors for Folk Dancing Event, Zone Conference on Friday….Conference calls with our Director in Hong Kong, lots of emails and planning.  Of course, my indoor laundry and ironing day.

As you can imagine we have some hilarious stories of escorting (herding) 25 Viet/Cambodian Saints through airports, customs, hotels, on our Pilgrimage to the temple in Manila.  Think we’ve already told you most of this but thought I would get it in writing. We had never met them until the day we departed….and yet came back having an affection for each that will live on always in our hearts .  Of course, we speak neither Vietnamese OR Khmer and had only ONE translator for the entire group. I think after this I could play a pretty mean game of charades.  I mean "you just can't make these things up."  I posted about 30 pictures on Facebook - but I'll tell you ONE funny story.  I suppose the tallest person in the Philippines would be 5'2” 5”3” so picture me in ONE of their Temple Dresses....NO KIDDING  when I got dressed the arm length was at my elbow, the hem almost to my knee but the funniest was when I came out of the locker after dressing,  (to my dismay)  when I went to put the locker key in my pocket I couldn’t find it…. it was up under my arm pit....not a pretty sight.  We traveled home after 4 exhausting days (8 hours each day in the Temple)  and returned home after 15 hour brutal flights with a connection in Siem Reap.  Just getting ALL the sweet saints through customs would prove to be a comical skit.  They each had a lan Dad had that stick we made up stick with colored ribbons tied to the top - they could find and follow him in crowds...I hung back and would bring up the rear..

We  landed back in Phnom Penh around midnight got a taxi and dragged our sorry bodies and luggage  up to our 5th floor apartment now it was  2:30 a.m.  Sunday morning.   In truth, we were feeling EVERY year of our 73 years....ALL we wanted to do is get in bed.  We opened our suitcase to just get our toothbrush out to brush our teeth, wash our face...BUT when we unzipped the luggage,  baggage handlers (either in Manila OR in Siem Reap), had rifled through our luggage and stolen all my jewelry (watches etc)  (I didn't bring that much in the first place) and my Make-up.  NOW the truth is I can do without the jewelry but the make-up NOT SO MUCH.  I brushed my teeth feeling tired and a bit angry as I was washing my face, I carelessly pushed my contact up into my brain I think - (not really) but way up under my eyelid OUCH...for the next hour it was two blind people trying to retrieve it . Lance with a flashlight and I “whining”   - We finally pulled it out only to find it  had ripped into TWO pieces.   So for the next two days had to put a patch on it -( I should say a band aid) we didn't go to the doctor. ... but we are sure my cornea was scratched...hurt to blink and light was especially painful.  Have you ever seen someone wearing glasses with a patch underneath on one of the eyes?  If it’s hard to visualize….I’ve attached a picture for you viewing pleasure.(Murphey’s Law).   Well, It gooped, ran, hurt, vision was blurry  for nearly 7 days – then I was sitting at the table reached up and the other piece  just came out on my finger.  Now, I go around singing..."I can see clearly now."  Remember that old song?  

I swear if you could see me - my hair and eyebrows are falling out....that picture with the grandmother’s out in Svay Rieng Province?  That was the day we got to take part when the Church provided food for 1200 families.  What isn’t pictured is the sweat running down my back and off my face.   It’s so hot humidity so high within minutes my hair is flat….but I’ll never forget the look in their eyes as they received the needed food for themselves and their families.

My face has shriveled up like a prune, I had all those wrinkles but now there are vertical wrinkles that go from my cheekbones to my jawline...I have to open the crease (fold over) to put my antiaging cream in those areas .my toenail (with fungus) fell off and I to add insult to injury...we told you that I took a nasty fall in church parking lot Sunday evening as we were leaving church  (not a pretty sight).  Lance was getting in the driver's side of the car and said he looked up to see a leg and foot straight up in the air through the window.  I swear.....I believe the body slam hit every part of my body, ankle, knees, hip, shoulder, and finally my back....The Lord must love me cause Lance got me home put me in a HOT HOT bath and by morning I was up and ready to go.....(tender mercy for sure).  We’ve really been blessed in more ways than we can count.   Don’t wet my pants anymore, Lance’s knees have been holding, We’ve (both) only been really sick ONCE with a nasty bronchitis ONE with the food (throw-up diarrhea) so not so bad.  Can you believe that we’ve been gone  SEVEN (7) months….but then WHO’S counting? 

Did I tell you the towels are as thin as paper….toilet paper is 1 ply (or maybe even ½ ply) …the only thing that is NOT thin is US.  Thought we would lose weight here but a steady diet of RICE and Krispy Kream donuts will do it.  And we  don’t even like donuts. 

                Seems like ALL the kids in EVERY family are really doing well.  We were SO excited to hear about Aly’s engagement.  Holy Cow seems like all these girls were just teenagers excited about school, boys, Prom, NOW they’re making “life plans”  it just blows me away.  The wedding,  great grandchildren, college, graduations, Sam’s mission call time really marches on.  We’re so proud of ALL of you.  I drive our missionary colleagues  nuts as I am back to my “show and tell” days sharing all the things the kids are doing.

               

Love, love, love...and MISS you.

Elder & Sister Dowd

Grammy & PopPop

Here's some pictures from the last few weeks!