One Last Post: Goin' Home

Waiting in Seoul, Korea. We passed time  by working on our e-mails.




Arriving in Los Angeles, we were greeted by Scott's brother Craig whose wife made each of us a snack lei.  We had a short visit and then flew on home. We landed in SLC Sunday afternoon about 4:30 p.m.


Our daughter Jenny, her husband Jared and their youngest, Jacob (Jake).

Daughter Kali and Taylor, Maren and Brooke, niece Casey and daughter Varci.

Our dear mothers who wondered if they would make it until we got home. They did!  In Wheelchairs, but they were there!

Our daughter Varci and her new husband Kevin Figuerres.

Our son, Benjamin, his wife Hollly, Conner, Brunson and Aubrey.  They are living in our basement for a little while longer until they get into a home.

Kali and Taylor again, this time with their first daughter, Kenzi.

Kaylee wants a separate picture.  She is our daughter Polly's first child.
Scott's cousin Jerry, for whom we have a guardianship, was there to greet us too. He was really glad we were back.

Daughter Polly and husband Jordan (who is  having his first novel published November 25th!) and Kaylee and Conner.  Polly just had her third child, a boy named Ethan on October 2nd. We got home on the lst day of July!

Our youngest son David and his Wife Camille and Brantley.  Braylee is in the womb, but arrived soon thereafter.

My sister Jill came in from Washington state to greet us and make sure my Mom made it to the airport.

Our three oldest grandchildren who weren't in the picture with their Mom and Dad, Jenny and Jared.  Their names are Amelia, Esther and Issac.  By now my hair had had it and we were fairly  tired but happy.

We had a special FHE that evening that our kids put together on Service. They each wrote us a letter telling how our service influenced them and Kali had arranged for all to get new T shirts for our family trip to Bear Lake the next couple of days. They said, Valiant in Service.  So, we were greeted warmly and lovingly and appreciatively. We could not have served without our wonderful family. How we love them and thank them for all they did on the home front.  Thank you all!

There go the Smedleys!

After our orientation with the Moons we took them to meet the other Senior couples to Steve's Steakhouse. It was wonderful to get to know them better and President Moon made a point to go visit with all. Our very affable Sister James entertains the Moon women!

Some of our senior couples Starting on the left and working back around the table: Elder and Sister Spencer, Elder and Sister Henderson, President Moon, Elder and Sister Tuck, and Elder and Sister Westover.

Elder James and Elder and Sister Meier with Scott.

Sister Moon was so worried that we wouldn't get to walk the Red Carpet that she brought one with her  She wants to keep up the tradition of Walking the Red Carpet meaning that you served with honor and are returning with honor. So we were honored to be the first ones to walk on their Red Carpet!  We were so touched that she would think of us!


A final picture with the incoming and out going.mission president and wives. We loved the Moons and feel like there was a good transition made. They are doing a fantastic work.

We left at 11:40 p.m.. We got to the airport about 10:00 p.m.  Checked in then came back out to say goodbye to all. We were pleasantly surprised to see a nice little crowd to send us off at so late an hour.

They seranaded us with God Be With you Tiill we Meet Again much to the enjoyment of many airport attendees. Our hearts were touched with their love for us expressed through their attendance, singing and hugs and expressions of appreciation.  It is with mixed feelings we leave.  We so look forward to being with our family again, but our heart strings are tugged with the farewell of perhaps not seeing some of these wonderful people again. We said we would try to come back when there is a new stake!  We hope that will be next year sometiime.  The Saints are working hard for that.





A farewell picture with President But Lam Ang and family and President Kim Sang and Family.  Several people stopped off at the mission home with their farewells saying they couldn't come to the airport.

So, we bid farewell to our time in Cambodia. We leave people waving to us and come home to people waiting on the other end.  As we came down the escalator in Salt Lake City to greet our family, they broke out spontaneously singing, Called to Serve.  Tears were shed and hugs received as we were back into the fold of our family.  Thank  you to all who have followed my blog.  I hope you have received a little insight as to what we did in Cambodia and Vietnam for 3 years.  We loved serving and were thrilled to do it. Our testimonies of the Savior and His Atonement were deepened immensely as we taught and were taught. 
We learned much and love the members and missionaries in Cambodia and Vietnam.  It's been a great Adventure.  Farewell!

Here Come the Moons!

Here come the new Mission President, his wife and two of his daughters.

There is the new mission president, President David Moon.

They all look pretty good  from such a long trip.  The daughter on the left is a BYU student and the one on the right will finish her senior year in Phnom Penh.  They are having a rich experience for sure and are making a difference for good wherever they go.  The BYU student left in August to go back to school. I am sure thye are missing her.

A better look at President and Sister Moon

We got a group picture with all there to greet them.  The Assistants are in the bottom picture because they took the first picture.  We got them settled in, fed them lunch and we went back to our Hotel room where we had been staying for  5 days to get our luggage.  Yikes, it was really going to happen we were going home! Hard to believe.  We then went back to the mission home and oriented them and took them on a tour of the home.


Our wonderful Office Elders and Assistants who worked so hard helping us get ready for the new mission president.  From L to R Elders Price and Edmunds were our office elders and Elders Nelson and Ott were our Assistants.

Serpent on Wat Phnom

We passed this all the time this year and I finally got a picture our last night in Cambodia.  It is made for this year to honor the New Year.  It is lit up every night.  They will most likely take it down when there is another New Year and another animal is honored.

Special Tree and Friday Final Meal with Sisters

This tree is most likely the tree that the service center director lived in when he was very young and before he joined the church.  His name is Kim Sang.  He lived in the tree and sold coconuts and eventually earned enough money to get a cart and then go to school.  He joined the Church, went on a mission, married in the temple and has 3 children with one more on the way.  He feels very blessed as he went from a tree selling coconuts to working for the church.

For our final evening meal in Cambodia these four sisters invited us to eat. They had a welcome sign for us and fixed a most delicious Cambodian meal, mainly fixed by Sister Loy. From Left to right Sisters Solario, Loy, Mai, and Tsuchida.  Plus they each gave us a thank you card and a gift from all of them.  Some Cambodian plates.  They are all wonderful sisters.  Sister Loy is now home from her mission.

The meal was delicious and the farewell hymns beautiful. 

How we love and appreciate these wonderfll sincere sisters.