The Young Ambassadors started their week off in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is the first time the Young Ambassadors have ever visited this beautiful country. One of the first things the group was able to do was tour parts of Angkor Wat. Translated, Angkor Wat means 'City of Temples' and is considered to be the largest religious monument in the world. That same night, the group met with 400 LDS church members for a devotional. The capital city of Phnom Penh was next. The group had the humbling experience of visiting the Killing Fields Memorial at Cheoung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tears were shed as the group toured these locations where many people were tortured and killed during the reign of Khmer Rouge.
Later in the day, the group had a more uplifting experience with 350 local Young Single Adults. The evening included a mini-performance, a short devotional, a dinner and a dance. A special moment came when the group taught some dance steps from their version of 'Man in the Mirror' and then their Cambodian friends took the stage and taught the Young Ambassadors some traditional Cambodian dance steps.
In stark contrast to the recent dark history of the Killing Fields, many people are working to improve the quality of life for the people of Cambodia. The Young Ambassadors delivered a wonderful performance that night to benefit one of these organizations-the Tabitha Foundation. The foundation helps people emerge from poverty through personal savings, house building programs, and wells for clean water. The proceeds from this concert will specifically go to help the funding of a Women's Hospital that will service women all across the country.
After a successful tour in Cambodia, the Young Ambassadors moved on to Vietnam. Before their performance at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, the Young Ambassadors did a workshop with members of the YOLA Institute. Crammed in a small room, they sang and danced together. The performance that night was for a full house at the music conservatory and received great feedback from audience members.
The Young Ambassadors then flew to Hanoi, their final destination on this trip, for meetings and a devotional with the members.
Vietnam included its share of educational opportunites as the group visited the tunnels from the Vietnam War, a trip on the Mekong Delta, and a breathtaking tour of Ha Long Bay - the famous bay where thousands of islands spread across the water.
As the group has traveled to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, audience members commonly made the comment that ' have never seen anything like this before.' Student director Tanner DeWaal spoke for the entire group when he said, 'We are thankful for the opportunity we have had to bring a show about love to these beautiful countries. Although Thailand is commonly referred to as the 'Land of Smiles' we believe that Cambodia and Vietnam are 'Lands of Smiles' as well. We can't help but share smiles as we reach out and get to know these wonderful people in Southeast Asia.'
For more experiences and pictures from the Young Ambassador's tour to Southeast Asia, please visit their Facebookpage.
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