Penne Conrad—Photo courtesy Conrad Family
Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2011
By Ashleigh Oldland
The Gazzettes
Although Penne Conrad never had to escape a Cambodian killing field, she was so inspired by refugees’ stories that she decided to compile a book about Cambodians who escaped Cambodia and later found the Mormon faith.
Penne worked as a missionary, alongside her husband, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Beach for more than 15 years. That is where she first met some of the people interviewed in her book — people who escaped the regime of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.
Her son, Chad Conrad, finished the book after his mother was diagnosed with cancer and later died from liver failure. Penne, 67, died just weeks after “Out of the Killing Fields, Into the Light: Inspirational Interviews with Mormon Converts from Cambodia” was completed by her son. She was able to read the book before her passing.
“Out of the Killing Fields, Into the Light” was released to the public on Amazon.com and at various Mormon bookstores in August. Chad, 44, said the book is his mother’s final legacy, besides her family, and something he plans to share with his children and his future grandchildren, inspiring future generations with stories of courage, forgiveness and faith.
“In these stories, these people all make it to the United States and find Mormon missionaries and join the church, and looking back, they can see the miracles along the way that helped them survive,” he said. “My parents were missionaries in Long Beach and heard these stories over and over again. When these people joined the church, they let go of all the baggage they could and found ways to forgive and move on.”
Completing the project his mother was so passionate about was life-changing for Chad, a husband and father of seven children living in Utah, because he said it allowed him the privilege of getting to know many of the individuals his mother had recorded stories from.
“I’ve become just enamored with their courage and determination,” Chad said. “Millions died, and very few of them made it to the United States. But those who did had such a spirit and will to survive. And what impresses me so much is how little animosity they seem to carry toward those who oppressed them. To let something like that go, it’s remarkable.”
Chad said he hopes people read the book and are inspired to overcome their own obstacles in life.
“These stories inspire me to be a better person,” he said. “That is my passion: Learning from the stories of others and giving my children a legacy of stories that make a difference and inspire people to find their greatest self.”
For details about the book, visit http://outofthekillingfields.com.
Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2011
By Ashleigh Oldland
The Gazzettes
Although Penne Conrad never had to escape a Cambodian killing field, she was so inspired by refugees’ stories that she decided to compile a book about Cambodians who escaped Cambodia and later found the Mormon faith.
Penne worked as a missionary, alongside her husband, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Beach for more than 15 years. That is where she first met some of the people interviewed in her book — people who escaped the regime of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.
Her son, Chad Conrad, finished the book after his mother was diagnosed with cancer and later died from liver failure. Penne, 67, died just weeks after “Out of the Killing Fields, Into the Light: Inspirational Interviews with Mormon Converts from Cambodia” was completed by her son. She was able to read the book before her passing.
“Out of the Killing Fields, Into the Light” was released to the public on Amazon.com and at various Mormon bookstores in August. Chad, 44, said the book is his mother’s final legacy, besides her family, and something he plans to share with his children and his future grandchildren, inspiring future generations with stories of courage, forgiveness and faith.
“In these stories, these people all make it to the United States and find Mormon missionaries and join the church, and looking back, they can see the miracles along the way that helped them survive,” he said. “My parents were missionaries in Long Beach and heard these stories over and over again. When these people joined the church, they let go of all the baggage they could and found ways to forgive and move on.”
Completing the project his mother was so passionate about was life-changing for Chad, a husband and father of seven children living in Utah, because he said it allowed him the privilege of getting to know many of the individuals his mother had recorded stories from.
“I’ve become just enamored with their courage and determination,” Chad said. “Millions died, and very few of them made it to the United States. But those who did had such a spirit and will to survive. And what impresses me so much is how little animosity they seem to carry toward those who oppressed them. To let something like that go, it’s remarkable.”
Chad said he hopes people read the book and are inspired to overcome their own obstacles in life.
“These stories inspire me to be a better person,” he said. “That is my passion: Learning from the stories of others and giving my children a legacy of stories that make a difference and inspire people to find their greatest self.”
For details about the book, visit http://outofthekillingfields.com.
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