I LOVE serving a mission in Oakland and San Francisco! We are surrounded with so many beautiful people and cultures with fascinating traditions that truly enrich my life. For example, we served at a Cambodian New Year Celebration recently.
We have a small Cambodian branch in Oakland that meets in the same building we do each Sunday. Many of the small church units around here have young missionaries and senior missionary couples who attend their services so they can bless the lives of those in the small branch.
Of course these missionaries soon discover they are the ones who are being blessed by wonderful people of multiple cultures and backgrounds.
A small Cambodian branch sponsors a New Year celebration for the whole Bay Area and has been doing this service for 28 years. As people immigrate to the US, many young people lose the traditions of their parents. So this small branch sponsors this celebration to give Cambodian families in the bay area a chance to celebrate their heritage.
This Cambodian branch puts together a wonderful program of dance in the auditorium and then provides a free meal of Cambodian food after. Hundreds of people show up and enjoy the evening, all for free because of the generosity of the members of the church here. 
