Welcome to my blog. I'm going to Cambodia in August and will be updating the blog weekly showing my fundraising progress. After I get back, I will post photos and tell about the trip.
This is a detailed journal of the trip, so if you actually read the whole thing, I will be impressed!
A bit of background for the trip: the day before we flew out to Seattle to meet the rest of the team I got sick, so I had to recover at the Purcell’s house, and during our travels. By the first day in Bangkok, I was feeling okay; I just was lagging a bit and didn’t have my normal appetite.
Our team consisted for eight from America, and two that met us in Bangkok.
Jeff and BetsyPurcell, from Seattle, WA, headed up the trip.
Me, from Oxford, NE!
Kristin and BenTillotson, a brother-sister pair from Kearney, NE, are the ones that first told me about this trip.
Sarah Hilkemann, originally from Norfolk, NE, is attending college in Dallas, TX.
Paula Nadreau, from Moscow, ID, is a junior in college in Moscow.
Megan Bryant, from Seattle, WA, is a junior in high school and friend of the Purcell’s.
Gayle Beckwith and her son Micah met us in Bangkok. Gayle has been to K13 many times, so she is fluent in Thai and Khymer.
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-Aug. 11th-
We just landed in Bangkok last night….wow, what a blast from the past! The sights, smells, everything was so…familiar! This morning we ate an awesome breakfast…and I actually feel really good! After that, the group split up, some went to Chinatown to do some shopping, and the rest of us headed to the GrandPalace. We took a boat ‘bus’ ride down there…and that was quite the experience in itself.
We bought tickets, and when the boat came by, we had about 30 seconds to get on! We jumped on, and went down to the seating area. Most of the seats were full, so Ben and I stood at the rail and took pictures. The water was SO dirty! It was a dark mud brown color, full of garbage, and it stunk! We had quite a ways to go, so I observed the boat stops a few times. The boat goes a little bit past the dock, and then a guy in the back jumps onto the dock and slips a rope loop around a post. Then the captain shifts into reverse and puts the pedal to the metal! The force of the propeller holds the back end tight against the dock, long enough for a few passengers to get of and get on, and then the guy in the back blows a whistle, takes off the rope, and jumps back on. The entire time the guy in the back and the captain communicated by whistles.
The entire time at the GrandPalace, it drizzled, but it kept the temperature down, so that was nice. We got LOTS of cool pictures and videos…and I could not believe how many people there were! I was continually amazed at the level of detail of each part of the palace; each spire and wall had intricate detail. Everything was so symmetrical! We were all pretty impressed.
After that, we had lunch at the Beckwith’s apartment, followed by a team meeting. We went over the schedule, and Gayle informed us about different cultural do’s and don’ts. Then we had a prayer time…and I feel really good about this trip. We have an awesome team full of spiritual people…I can’t wait to see what God will do!
That night we went to S&P, a Thai restaurant. We ordered family style, so I ate many different kinds of food that I remembered from previous years. Praise God for a wonderful first day!
-Aug. 12th-
We had another awesome breakfast at the guesthouse. I got to say though…jetlag is really starting to kick in…I do ok in the mornings and evenings, but staying asleep at night and awake during the day is getting tougher!
Today was the Queen’s Birthday, which is when they celebrate Mother’s Day, so there were posters and flowers up everywhere honoring her. After breakfast, we took a walk through LumpiniPark, about a two-hour walk. There were hundreds of people exercising…it was funny! Every hundred yards or so there was a big stage with some people on there dancing to music…and then there were 10-75 people on the ground watching them and imitating them! The definite highlight of that trip was the monitor lizards…we saw probably 30, some upwards of 5 to 6 feet in length! They mainly minded their own business, and went to the water as soon as they saw us coming! We got many pictures and videos of that. At one point, we saw two lizards fight…so that was unusual. We also saw a big one do death rolls in the water…he looked very impressive!
We had another brief team meeting before heading to lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. I ate what they gave to me, but I can’t say I am much for that type of food! It wasn’t necessarily bad, just not something I would drive to eat!
In the afternoon, we went shopping at the Jatujak Market. About 50% of the shops, the owners had closed because of Mother’s Day, but there were still a few hundred open! I got some souvenirs for the family…and by the end; I had very sore feet from all that walking! The sandals I had were just a bit too big for me, so I had rub marks on the top of my feet by the end of the day. I might look into getting some other type of footwear if this keeps up.
For supper, we headed to a French Restaurant. Again, I am not much for that type of stuff…I am fine with Asian! It wasn’t really bad…just not something I would drive to get to!
It was a long day, and tomorrow we leave for Sompovloun (pronounced soom-pa-loon), Cambodia, at ! I am excited!
Today was our first day in Sompovloun, specifically the Kilo Dap-Bye (Kilometer 13, or K13) Village. This is quite the place! Dirt roads, motodopes (motorcycle taxis), mangy dogs, cattle, goats, and Khymer (ka-my) people are everywhere! We are the only white folk here, and I think that for some of the people, we are the first ‘barang’ (foreigners) they have ever seen! We have gotten many stares!
We stopped at the center and met Pastor Sophan (so-pan), his wife Sopheap (so-pee-up), and their three-year-old Ezra! The Khymer people can’t say ‘Z’, so they just call him Esra, with a flapped ‘R’. He is a pretty cute little boy! The center is pretty nice, with a little room, an open shed where they hold some meetings, a nice backyard (very muddy), and a goat yard! They also have a swing set that has fallen into disrepair, which we might fix if we get the time. We also took a look at the wood we will be using…this campstool project might be quite the deal! No two boards was the same width or length, and none of them was straight; some were horrible! We glanced at the saws that were bought locally, most had rust spots on them, and they looked like they would not cut butter! This is going to be quite a project!
We checked into the Tay Haeng (tie-hang) Guesthouse, and it’s actually not that bad! Coming into this trip, I really had no idea where we would be living, so I just expected that we would be in a hut, on a mat with a mosquito net over us! Well, when you set your expectations that low, anything is nice! There were a few holes in the walls, but we had running water, which meant cold showers everyday! I had expected that we would have bucket baths, or less! We had air conditioning, a European style toilet, and a nice bed (well, nice if you like coconut fiber mattresses and pillows, which I don’t mind). However, to the average American it would be pretty hard. It was like sleeping on…well; let’s just say that you don’t sink down when you lay down! The nature of coconut fiber bedding is that it is very dense and is very heavy, so even the pillows weigh about 5 pounds!
Megan and Paula’s room had a 6-inch spider in it that Ben killed…so that was a bit of excitement! I am reminded that the plants and wildlife are different in Asia!
We had our first meal at the haeng-dye (restaurant) in Sasada, which is where we will be having all our meals. It is about a four-minute moto ride, and I can tell I am going to like the moto rides! Ben sat behind me and got video of the ride. The motos are not really like the motorcycles we have in America, they are little 125 cc scooters; but you can do so much with these little things! We have seen up to four people on one, and sometimes there are so many bags and boxes that you can’t see the driver! We put two on each, so we need a total of five motos each way. The cost is 1000 riel per person, one way, which equates to about 25 cents in US dollars.
The biggest thing we have to be careful of is landmines. When Pol Pot came though, his army COVERED the country in mines…so many that it will take another few hundred years before they get rid of all of them. They laid down so many, and then the rains unsettled them, so some stayed at the surface, and some have sunk down far enough that you don’t know they are there. They only go off if they are at the surface…but the rain keeps unsettling the dirt and bring new ones up. Just a few years ago, they hired a minesweeper and found three live mines in the backyard of the center. If we keep to the roads and well traveled areas, we should be fine. What an amazing blessing we have in the US that we can walk anywhere we want without fear of losing limbs!
An amazing day today, and I am tired! I hope that I will sleep well tonight!
-Aug. 14th-
I actually slept pretty good last night! Ben and I have a room with one double bed, which works fine, except for sharing a blanket, so we got another. We both tend to be a blanket hog!
Breakfast was a different experience for me. I ordered noodle soup, which was basically Ramen noodles, a few various greens, and some pork parts. I say ‘parts’ because not all of them were what an American would consider meat. The liver was tougher than leather, so I left that alone. The joints were inedible, and there were just a few fatty pieces of meat.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot (yeah right!)…there were a few chunks of small intestine. Well, I was not planning to eat that, but I was a bit curious, so I asked Micah if he had had it. He said that it did not make his list of favorite foods, so I asked him what it was like…and he said, “well why don’t you find out?” Well, I could not think of a good answer to that, so I popped a bit in my mouth! That was the absolute worst mistake of the trip so far. It tastes WORSE than it sounds. It tasted absolutely like bitter dirt, and was honestly the bitterest food I have ever eaten. Not only that, the texture was comparable to rubber. I chewed and chewed and chewed…and finally I just swallowed it whole. Yuck. I am NEVER doing that again!
It was Sunday, so we went to church at the center at . That service definitely ranks one of the best church services I have EVER been to. It was just 15-20 adults in a small room, with a little stand at the front. All the kids went outside to the open shed, and had Children’s Church. The adults began with singing. It was honestly some of the worst singing I have ever heard, but they were all praising God in their own language! That made it a beautiful noise unto the Lord!
Fellowship while the rest of the people were arriving.
Prayer time followed…and there the people introduced us to the Khymer prayer method. The pastor starts praying, and then everyone else joins in, praying about his or her own individual prayer requests. I choked up…it was so beautiful. The man next to me got down on his knees and lifted his hands to heaven. A few people had silent tears running down their cheeks as they prayed. Even though I could not understand the language, I knew that many of them were praying for their daily bread, literally, because they did not have enough money for the next day. It was so beautiful. The pastor closed when it started to die down.
Then there was the sermon. Pastor Sophan preached about the flood, but all he told us in English was the reference, so I have no idea what the sermon was about. The people asked questions, and there was plenty of discussion! It was so cool to see that much interaction in a church service. Many church services in the US seem lifeless compared to that little gathering of believers.
They ended with an offering and another prayer time. What an amazing church service. You could FEEL the presence of God in the room.
After the service, we hung around and played with the kids. The kids in Cambodia are so different than American kids, but yet the same. The biggest difference is that every kid looks five years younger, so the kids that looked seven or eight were actually twelve or thirteen. They were SO easy to entertain. I rolled a tennis ball on the floor with an eleven year old for ten minutes, and he never got bored! We only stopped because I got tired of sitting that long! I went outside and tossed kids into the air for half an hour, basically until I my arms wouldn’t do it anymore. Then I carried them piggyback for another 30 minutes. Each kid wanted to do it again and again, and some would stand on a bench four feet away, jump, and slam into me, trying to knock the kid already on my back off so they could have a turn!
After that, the kids dragged me over to the ditch in front of the center…a vertical six foot drop. They yelled and hurled themselves off the edge, landing with a thud in the mud/dirt at the bottom. I was shocked to say the least, watching kids jump into a ditch two or three times their height! The motioned for me to jump and it took a little courage at first! Then they all climbed up again and jumped off. It looked SO impressive from the ground, watching these little kids who look to be between the ages of five and eight freefall!
When they tired of that, I pulled out my harmonica and played for them. They REALLY enjoyed that. The liked to hear me play American Folk, Irish Jigs, and Blues, none of which sound anything like Khymer music. I also played one of their guitars.
After supper, our team made a rule that a guy has to ride with a girl at all times on the motos. We were not really thinking that anything bad would happen, but the motodopes sometimes would miss the turns or something like that, and so it was just a good precaution. We had our debriefing meeting, and I will be heading to bed soon!
-Aug. 15th-
Today was the first day of VBS…and that was an incredible experience! I am SO tired…it takes a lot of energy to work with 60 kids who hardly speak English!
The VBS theme for today was honoring your parents, so we performed a shortened version of the story of Ruth as the skit. I was Boaz, so I didn’t have to do much.
The kids sang first thing in the morning, and then Pastor Sophan gave a little overview of the story. Then he narrated in Khymer while we performed the skit…but that was a bit difficult, since we didn’t know what he was saying or at what point he was in the skit. After that, as a craft, we taught the kids how to make friendship bracelets. Most of the boys never got it, so they just tied a whole bunch of knots in their stings to make a bracelet. We tied their bracelets on their wrists, and the look of joy on their faces was priceless. We did not do a game, but went right into the projects. The girls are making a drawstring backpack, and the boys are making the campstools.
The boys are all hard workers for their age, so they buckled right down to work cutting boards as soon as Sophan had given them the lengths to cut. Their precision in cutting was…minimal, but it should work. Every board was within a few inches of the designated length! Sophan had the team drill the holes, since that was a job that did not require language skills.
When all that wrapped up, the kids went home and we headed to lunch. We rested for about an hour after lunch, and then headed to the center. We prepared for the English lessons, which we will teach to the older kids and adults. From to we taught the lessons. I am helping teach an intermediate class with Jeff. There are three people in our group. They all look to be 17 or so, but the oldest is 31, and the youngest is 22. Cambodian ages are SO hard to guess. The lesson went well; we read and discussed the nativity story. I think by the end of two hours the students brains were fried, but they were learning a lot and enjoying it! We had our debriefing meeting after supper, and now we are pretty much just relaxing. I am really tired.
When we woke up in the morning, the rain was coming down in buckets. It looked like someone just turned on the water in heaven…I have never seen it rain that hard in the US. Right before we left for breakfast, Ben and I were standing outside our room, when we heard a little crash, and suddenly water started POURING from the ceiling down the wall and into the hall. This was no ordinary drip; it literally looked like someone stuck a hose through the ceiling. We went into our room, and the exact same thing was happening on the other side of the wall! Within a minute, there was 5-10 gallons of water on our floor. We picked up our clothes and put them on the bed. We notified the guy downstairs, and left our door unlocked for him. Then about half of us headed out into the pouring rain for breakfast, the rest of them were just going to sit in their rooms and eat granola bars.
Getting a moto to take us was tough, but eventually we all got one. I had on an emergency poncho, which was worthless in the situation. It kept my shirt and backpack dry, but that was about it. My jeans were soaked. When we got off the moto, Paula’s flip-flop came off and started to float down the little river that had formed. I chased it for her, and eventually got it. The restaurant had three or four inches of water on the floor, and the owner’s children were trying valiantly to bail it out, to no avail. We sat down and ordered, and then I noticed the owner trying to plug in a fan. We all held our feet out of the water after that!
After we ate, the rain let up enough for us to go to the market, where we all bought better ponchos. Of course, it’s probably not going to rain for the rest of the trip now. The moto ride back was much more enjoyable.
The theme for today’s VBS was God’s power over evil spirits, so the skit was about the demon-possessed man in the tombs, from Mark 5:20. Micah was the demon-possessed man, since he was the strongest guy. Jeff brought some chain, and then got some aluminum foil to link the chain together, so Micah had something to break. I played Jesus, and so I basically just had to cast out the demons in to the pigs and then give him a Khymer Bible to read. The lesson was definitely a meaningful one for the kids, because they are all very afraid of evil spirits.
The craft was making picture frames, and the kids seemed to like that. On the last day, we are going to take pictures of the kids and their families/friends, and we will edit and print them in the US and send them back to the kids, so that they can have a picture of themselves. The game was a race game where the kids used sticks to push a water bottle half filled with dirt across a line. These kids are SO competitive; it was hilarious to watch!
The guys blasted ahead with their projects; most of them have finished cutting and drilling, and they are starting to put them together. Sophan has to help them put it together, since he can talk to them. We just drilled the holes and helped the kids hold boards for cutting. They could finish tomorrow! They work hard for their age, but I guess that is what they need to do to survive here.
Before English, we took a Prayer Walk; my group went back into the REAL K13 village. At first, I thought the dirt road that the Guesthouse was on was K13. Then I found out that road is the nice side of town. Once you get off that road, that is where you get to the little mud roads, the smelling huts/shacks, the garbage everywhere, and the little kids running around without clothes. That is where the chickens run through the garbage piles…where there is green, slimy, algae mud everywhere…where all the kids at VBS live. I was shocked. The kids definitely do not look or act as if these horrible conditions bother them. I am almost ashamed of Americans who have so much and are so unsatisfied in comparison.
I played guitar that night for our debriefing meeting. That went well, except for the fact that the guitar is in such a bad condition that one of the strings you can’t get in tune with the others. In fact, the guitar would not even stay tuned for the length of a song! The strings are rusty, so my fingertips are blackish orange. Oh well!
-Aug. 17th-
We had another busy, tiring day today. Our time here in K13 is ending…today is the second to last day of VBS. The theme today covered God and Material Possessions, something that not all of the younger kids understood, but the older ones did. The skit told the story from Luke 12:13-21: the rich man who built bigger barns, and then he died that night. We decided that for our purposes, it was enough to show him feasting and focusing on money, and then he would die. I was the rich man, so I ‘feasted’ on a hunk of bread and a glass of wine (red Propel®), and wore lots of sashes and scarves. Then Ben, who was hiding behind a whiteboard, stuck out his hand and stuck me on the shoulder, which was my signal to die. The kids absolutely loved it! That propel was concentrated, so when I ‘died’ I spilled it on my arm, and it was stained for the rest of the day!
The craft was continuing the picture frames, and the game was another race game. The goal was to get your team’s pile of assorted objects to the other side of the line, using their elbows. It was hilarious for us to watch…they are SO competitive! However, they all had a good time, and each received a piece of candy afterwards.
A few guys are done with their stools, and the rest are going to be done tomorrow. We spent the whole time just helping them put them together. We could not do it as easily as Sophan since we couldn’t really communicate with the kids. I can’t believe how fast the guys are working. The girls on our team tell me that some of the Khymer girls are almost done, and others might have to push to get it done before the parent’s program. The girls that finish early are learning to crochet.
The Border. Thailand is on the left, and
Cambodia is on the right.
We went prayer walking again after lunch, and we walked to the Thai border. I feel more and more overwhelmed…there is such poverty and spiritual darkness, and since I don’t know the language, there is nothing I can do but pray and be an example of the Christian life! I feel helpless, but I guess that is when God shows himself to be strong!
The English lesson went well. The story when “Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet”. The students are really coming along; they all understand pretty much everything. They read, write, and understand fine, but they struggle with speaking. A few sounds they can hardly pronounce at all, such as ‘TH’, ‘F’, and ‘SH’. They also have quite a bit of work to do on vowels…there are some that they just plain cannot pronounce! However, they are eager to learn, so that makes teaching easier.
I thought I would write down the Menu from the one restaurant that we went; we could order any one of these for any meal.
Fried Rice
Fried Noodles
Noodle Soup
Beef with Rice
Pork with Rice
Stir Fried Vegetables
Fish
Shrimp
Drinks:
Iced/Hot Coffee with Sweetened Condensed Milk
Coke
Iced/Hot Tea
So that is basically what we eat and drink for three meals a day! I am not sick of it yet, I like it all except for the fish. I am not opposed to eating the whole (fins, tail, head, and skin) fish…but in my opinion, the fish is completely flavorless.
Ben wanted to wash some of his clothes, so I rigged up a clothesline with some paracord.
We had a busy day today! Praise God!
-Aug. 18th-
Last day of VBS was today…and what a day it was! The morning was a basic VBS, and in the afternoon was the parents program.
The theme was “God’s Power over Nature”. I played Jesus in the skit “Jesus Calms the Storm”. We set up some chairs for the side of the boat, and we had Megan and Paula flap a blue sheet in front of us for the waves. Micah, Ben, and Jeff were disciples, so they woke me up pretty violently! The kids loved it! The craft consisted of little paper pinwheels, so that took a little while to teach the kids how to make it. The game had two teams, one bucket with water, an empty bucket, and a big sponge. The teams had to move the water from one bucket to the other just using the sponge. They stood in a line and passed the sponge over their heads…so they got wet and loved it!
Almost all of the guys finished their stools: 28 out of 30. The folding campstool is a precision project…you need to have all the holes lined up in order for it to fold neatly. Well, with warped boards of incorrect lengths, holes not drilled in the correct spots, and bolts that were too long…well, let’s just say that the stools are a bit odd! They fold, in the roughest sense of the term…but that is all ok because the kids absolutely love them...and that is all that matters!
Putting the campstools together
A flash downpour interrupted the parent’s program slightly, but other than that, it went smoothly. There were about 30 parents there…and 60 VBS kids, so a fair turnout. We held the program in the open shed. The kids started with some songs, recited a memory verse or two, and performed a skit. Then Pastor Sophan gave a brief devotional on Jesus and evil spirits…most of the parents are not Christians. Some of them had zoned out by that point, but we pray that some heard, and that there will be fruit! The people in Cambodia are a mixture of Animists and Buddhists, so bringing them to Christ is a long, hard process. However, God is working!
After the program, they served food, mainly fruit and some snacks. I didn’t really go to that, I hung out inside the center and played with the kids for the last time. It was hard to say goodbye to them after that…I wonder the boys did not really understand that we would not be coming back for a while. The girls seemed to understand it, so there were lots of hugs and pictures on that end.
We did not have English that day, but went straight to supper. At supper I did not eat much…I just don’t feel very good. I think I am sick. I hope that I will get better by tomorrow, which is our first day in OuThmaa (oh t-ma).
Debriefing went fine…except for the fact that I was coughing up a lung during the prayer time. They checked my temperature, and I had a 100.9-degree fever. They prayed for me, and I think I will be feeling better tomorrow.
Today was not a good day for me. I woke up feeling better, and I even ate a little bread, but that was VERY short lived. During the ride to OuThmaa, I started feeling worse and worse. When we got there, I went to a bush and threw up a tiny bit. Within a few hours, I could hardly stand up, so I went and lay down in a ditch on some scraps of wood, which is more comfortable than it sounds. I had to lie on the boards because there could have been hookworms in the dirt. I did not eat anything at lunch, and I went straight to bed after that and missed English Lessons, Supper and Debriefing. I feel horrible, both physically and mentally. I’m not supposed to be sick; I’m supposed to be the tough healthy guy!
Other than my health problems, I guess OuThmaa went very well, or that is what they tell me. I was out mentally for most of it. The lesson, singing, and memory verse were the same as the first day of VBS in K13. The craft was coloring pages…and the kids absolutely loved that. It seems that they never get to color. The project was making wooden toolboxes. We found out that we did not have enough wood, so we had to downsize the pattern on the fly, but I heard it worked out. In fact, Ben told me that they finished the project the first day, and we intended it to last two days! I was in the ditch resting by this time; this is what Ben told me later.
We had a little adventure getting transportation to OuThmaa. Originally, we had hired motos and motos with sidecars to get the supplies and us to OuThmaa. We had settled on 20,000 riel apiece…but this morning they told us that they needed 50,000 riel apiece. Pastor Sophan then negotiated with the ‘roto-cow’ across the street for 50,000 riel and gas to take all of us, which is a better deal altogether. What is a roto-cow? Well, it looks like a massive roto-tiller pulling a trailer, and in Khymer, it translates literally as ‘electronic cow’.
That worked fine for the way there, but on the return trip, it broke down; I guess it overheated. We had to walk the last mile or so into Sasada. By this time, I was feeling bad, so Paula and I took the first moto that showed up. I only had to walk half a mile or so.
I am going to bed early, because I am feeling bad. I pray that I will be better tomorrow.
-Aug. 20th-
In my opinion, today was the worst morning of my life. I woke up so sick that I could not stand up long enough to walk across a room. We decided that I should stay back and not go to OuThmaa. This was the final day of VBS with the parents program, so I would be alone for ten hours. That morning I had honestly the worse stomach pains of my entire life. I felt like someone kept punching me in the stomach as hard as possible…that amount of pain, just sustained. I couldn’t get into a comfortable position, so I thrashed and rolled around for 5-6 hours. It was sheer misery, no exaggeration. I prayed a lot that God would heal me.
Early that afternoon, I stared to feel better, and I even stomached a granola bar. By this time, I was really lonely and sick of my room. I did some packing, since tomorrow we head back to Bangkok. I kept feeling better and better, until suppertime when the rest of the team came back. I even ate some supper! I don’t feel so bad right now…just very tired with a bit of a stomachache. I am so disappointed that I missed the last day of Ou Thmaa, but I know that there was absolutely no way I would have made it even downstairs to the roto-cow!
They told me that the last day was amazing…and almost all of the parents of the 40 kids came! The VBS was the same as the second day of K13, and the boys put together little wooden airplane kits, since they finished the toolboxes.
I guess when Pastor Sophan gave his devotional they really listened to him. As far as we know, there are no Christians in OuThmaa, so this is a major witness.
One cool story: There was no school in OuThmaa, so a man in his forties took the initiative to start one. He goes there a few days a week and teaches the kids. He is not a Christian, but he told Gayle about his dreams. He has had a dream twice where people in need surround him, yet Jesus comes to him and helps him. The man was shocked, and asked us, “Why is Jesus coming to me? I am not even looking for him, and yet he wants me!” This teacher might be a key player in OuThmaa, so we are praying that he will become a Christian! It is amazing to see God work.
Well, I am going to go to bed. We have to get up at , and get in the taxis to go to Poi Pet, the border crossing. We will take a bus from there to Bangkok. If we have planned it right, we should be in Bangkok by . I am praying that God will completely heal me; otherwise, it could be a long day tomorrow!
-Aug 21st-
God healed me! I woke up this morning with absolutely no sickness whatsoever! I ate two breakfasts, had a large coffee, a quart of yogurt milk, and I was still flying! Someone suggested that maybe I just had a 24-hour sickness, but I have had those before and they are nothing like what I had! God definitely healed me!
We got in the taxis at , we stopped at the center to pick up a few things, and we were off! Two hours of rough roads later, we got to the Poi Pet International Border Crossing. Along the way, our driver stopped to put air a tire and to get some gas. At two separate times, he stopped to hand money to some guy in the middle of nowhere! We suspect that he had some debts or something…the Mafia run all the taxi services in Poi Pet. Micah told us that a week prior to our arrival the Mafia killed a taxi driver with a machete simply because he was not part of the Mafia. About ten miles outside of Poi Pet, we were waiting at an intersection to get onto the main road when about six men came out, surrounded the car and tried to open Ben’s door! The driver kept waving no, and when it was all clear, he floored it onto the highway. The men back there looked frustrated…and we have no idea what that was about!
Gayle and Betsy preparing the Mangos and Sticky Rice.
The border crossing went well…the only mishap was that we lost our luggage temporarily. We found Noi, the taxi van driver from Bangkok, and we made the four-hour trip to Bangkok. We got into the Beckwith’s about . Since it was Kristin’s birthday, Mr. Beckwith had gone out and gotten a HUGE amount of Mangos and Sticky Rice with sweetened coconut milk. It was SO good. We had a debriefing meeting, a prayer meeting, and then we headed to supper at S&P. Our last meal in Bangkok was excellent. After supper we went to the market where I picked up some snacks to take home. That was where I got lost. (Or should I say, the rest of the team lost me.)
Getting lost in Bangkok…not that bad, right? I was alone in a city of 10 million people who didn’t speak English…I would be fine! This is how it happened. We were all checking out at the market, but the line I was in had some problems. When the lady before me was checking out, the cash register broke. It took me 10 minutes to check out. When I finally finished, I went to the designated team-meeting place…and nobody was there! I looked around the store, looked around the mall, and concluded that the team had left without me! Instead of panicking, I laughed. I thought it was funny! Then I had to figure out what to do next. I decided that when they found out I was missing; they would probably head back to the market. I decided to stay put until they found me. Well, that lasted for about 10 minutes, at which point I was completely bored. I decided I would rather get more lost trying to find the Beckwith’s apartment than sit and rot in that mall. However, before I went, I decided I would try to call since I had their number. I found a pay phone, and when I finally figured out how to use it, I dialed the number, but the phone said the number had been disconnected. Well, turns out, I had dialed the country code as well as the actual number, so it didn’t work.
I started walking; planning to retrace the exact path from S&P to the apartment. I was halfway there, walking on a sky bridge, when I happened to glance down and see Jeff making a beeline for the mall. I yelled ‘Jeff’, but he did not hear me. I cupped my hands and yelled ‘JEFF’ as loud as I possibly could, and it really echoed in that bridge! The woman in front of me screamed and jumped! I quickly apologized, and sprinted ahead to get in front of him. I stuck my head out the railing and yelled again, and this time he heard me. He told me to stay there because Glen was coming on the bridge. Sure enough, in less that a minute Glen showed up. Now, I thought that Glen knew that Jeff had found me, but it turns out he didn’t know that. He spent the next 15 minutes looking for Jeff. I wasn’t aware of the miscommunication, so I just kept quiet. Eventually we headed back to the apartment, where we found Jeff. There was a happy reunion, and we all laughed about the experience. I explained that I was not lost; I knew where I was the whole time! They had lost me!
We had a little cake for Kristin, and then we headed back to the Bangkok Christian Guest House to finish packing. I have packed all my stuff…and I am going to go to bed now. I have to get up at three, so if I fall right asleep, I will get four hours of sleep.
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If you count from when we got up that last morning in Cambodia, during the next 74 hours I got approximately eight scattered hours of sleep. You do the math…that takes a lot of caffeine! I definitely had more than my share of coffees and cokes. The trip home was uneventful, but long! Kristin calculated that throughout the whole trip we spend over 40 hours in airplanes! I hope that I won’t have to fly again for a while.
Reflecting on this trip, I can see God’s hand every step of the way. He truly gave us more than we could ever have asked for or imagined.
God did a remarkable job putting our team together. We were ten very different people, from two countries, four states, and five churches! Yet God pulled our team together! We not only got along, but we helped each other out, prayed for each other, and developed friendships!
I was disappointed to be sick and miss the last day of OuThmaa, but God carried me through that experience. I praise him for fully healing me in so short a time!
Last time I went to Cambodia in 2007, I came back considering being a missionary to Asia as something God might want me to do. Well, after this trip, it was different. The trip still fired me up with a passion for the lost and opened my eyes to the needs of Asia, but my reaction was different. Instead of getting passionate for Asian ministry, I came back even more passionate for the ministry in America. I enjoyed my time on the trip, and I believe that there is lots of work to do in Asia; but I feel God tugging me towards America. Of course, there is nothing saying that it won’t change, but for now, I feel like God’s work for me is here.
Praise God for an amazing trip in which He repeatedly showed his mighty power!
The August VBS will be here soon, and we'd love to have lots of people involved. Even if you aren't able to join us in person, would you pray for us? We really need it! The rains and the roads are major needs, but above all, we want the Lord Jesus glorified in all that we do.
- Pray that the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth will control the rain. The crops need the monsoon rains. So we ask for prayer for God’s timing with the rains…. that the farmers get what is needed for a great crop, but that the rains won’t interfere in our travel or for the VBS activities.
- Pray that all that is said and done through this week of VBS will bring honor and glory to the Lord.
Here is a daily schedule you can be praying over:
August 9th: Team departs from Seattle
August 10th: arrive in Bangkok - please pray for a good night’s sleep …and for quick jet lag recovery
August 11th and 12th: orientation and preparation for VBS in Bangkok; sightseeing. Please pray that our team will get to know one another and be united as a team.
August 13th: leave for Cambodia. Please pray for safe travel…..and that the dirt road will be passable to Sompovloun.
August 14th: Worship with believers at the ministry center. Please pray for a sense of “oneness” as we worship – even though the team won’t understand what is sung or preached.
August 15th-18th: VBS at the ministry center
-please pray for the children that come….that they would be attentive and listen to the Bible lessons, that God’s Spirit will work in their hearts to draw them to Himself if they don’t know Him yet. And if they already have put their faith in the Lord, that they will grow in their faith and trust in Him. Pray that the kids will have fun with the activities.
- please pray for God’s protective Hand over all the ministry center. Pray that everyone who comes to the center will sense that this is a safe place….a place to learn and know about God. Pray that the enemy would not be able to disrupt anything that God has planned for this week of VBS.
- please pray for the team to have the energy and strength to work effectively in the heat, and culture and climate changes. Pray for good sleep each night. Pray that they will love the kids and be able to communicate the love of the Lord to them – even though they don’t speak the same language! Pray for good health for each team member. Pray for safety as we travel on motorcycles every day on slick muddy roads.
- Pray for Sophan and Sopheap (Cambodian pastor and his wife) as they teach the Bible lesson each day, lead daily memory verses, and lead the singing. Pray that God’s Spirit will speak and teach through them. These are tiring days for Sophan and Sopheap, too, so please pray that they will be encouraged by the team being there, and energized by God working in them and through them…strengthening them. Ezra, their son, is two years old now, so please pray for him as his mom and dad will be busy.
- pray for our national helpers – Pei, Dee, and Ravy. They are the ones that can speak directly to the students. Pray that their words and actions would be pleasing and honoring to the Lord, speaking clearly how to believe and trust Christ as Saviour.
- pray for the English teaching that the team will do in the afternoons. We will be teaching English using a Bible curriculum. Please pray that God – by His Spirit – will touch the hearts of these students. Pray for the teachers to have clarity and teach effectively.
August 18th: final day of VBS at the ministry center. We will hold a closing program and invite the parents to attend. Some of these parents have never been to the church before, so this is an important time for them. Pray that they will feel welcomed and loved, and sense the presence of the Lord. Pray that they will desire to know Him.
August 19th and 20th: VBS in Ou Thmaa. This is the first time to have a VBS here. We will be traveling on motorcycles and motorcycles with side-carts, for 45 mins each direction to get to Ou Thmaa. Please pray we’ll be able to get through on the dirt roads, and for safety in travel. Most of what we will do in Ou Thmaa is very dependent on it not raining. Please pray that God will hold back the rains so that we can get in and out of the area, and also be able to teach the lessons and do the skills development. Please pray all the same for Ou Thmaa as for the VBS at the ministry center. None of the parents are believers yet that we know of, so please pray that God’s Light will shine here in Ou Thmaa and that many will come to know Him as a result of His working through the VBS.
August 21st: travel back to Bangkok. Again, please pray the road will be passable -that we can get to Bangkok that day. In the evening the team will debrief together and pray together.
August 22nd: leave for the US early morning flight. Pray for safety in travel- and for rest. Please also pray for each member’s ability to process their time here. Give praise, thanks and glory to the Lord for all He did and accomplished.
“Father, thank you for the opportunity that you are giving this team to serve you in Cambodia. Prepare us- your team - for acts of love and good deeds. We pray that the team will be the aroma of Christ through all that is done each day. We pray that at every place of ministry where we serve, that Jesus would be seen in us, and the love of Jesus expressed through us. May your name be great in the streets and homes of Sompovloun and Ou Thmaa. Anoint our lips and prepare our hearts that we might be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have with gentleness and respect. Use this week of serving together to further unify us, your people, and to further your Kingdom. May those we serve see how we love You and one another, and may their hearts be drawn to You. May Jesus be exalted and darkness pushed back in His mighty name.
Father, we pray that the seeds of the Gospel that are sown in Somvpovloun and Ou Thmaa, will be watered by Your Spirit and produce an eternal harvest! Bless each member of the team with the presence of Jesus. May many come to know You, oh Lord. Amen!!!”
We are grateful for all the donations that have come in the past few weeks. Josh is basically fully-funded now, and is anticipating all that God will be teaching him on his trip to Cambodia.
Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Josh regarding this trip.
Also he is continuing to learn a lot musically at Lutheran Summer Music Academy. We are looking forward to seeing Josh and Laura again in another week, and hearing their final concerts and recitals.
The entire time at the 
