Motorcycle Emptiness

Motorbikes.. aaargh. I'm not particularly a fan of the Manic Street Preachers but their hit 'Motorcycle Emptiness' is rather apt just now. Told it'd be ready last Monday. Wrong! But it was 'ready' on Wednesday so Danny from the international church turned up at the garage with Pastor Timothy (who by now had had enough of the whole saga) to be greeted by a toothy-grinned, oil-covered mechanic and my bike, sat there awaiting to be freed from captivity.

Actually, the oil the guy was covered in couldn't have been from my bike because although he had it for six weeks, I was having trouble actually finding ANY work he'd done on it (apart from the back brake). Anyway, surprise surprise it wouldn't start but after a bit of fiddling and poking, the said greasy mechanic got her started. Great. But then, just as I was about to take the bike from him so I could just get out of there, he sped off down the road (pulling wheelies), crossed the grass verge, jumped a drainage ditch and disappeared onto one of the many fields surrounding the place.

Putting my hand to my ear, I could hear the faint revving of a bike in the distance and we just chatted amongst ourselves as our mechanic friend was having a jolly on my bike. After about 15 minutes he came back, so I got hold of the bike and, following Danny, went back in the direction of town.

Four breakdowns later I got home. Then it wouldn't start at all and so I had to push it to Danny's mechanic (about 3 miles away) so that it can (hopefully) be repaired competently.

As the Vietnamese school has closed for the lunar new year, I'm preparing to leave Siemreap for a couple of weeks in order to experience more of Cambodia, to be able to further understand the tragedies it has suffered and to witness the ways in which this nation has shaken off the shackles of its past. Hopefully, when I get back, the bike will be ready at long last.

We had a team meeting at a local restaurant the other day and Kim who runs the ministry, happily tucked into her dish of snails. There's been more improvement shown by the students at the school; although sometimes cheeky, they are keen young learners and it is so satisfying to hear them around school speaking the English they have learned. Furthermore, as Than Nguyen becomes more confident and fluent in English, I begin to learn more about plight of the people at the lake. It is not uncommon for people to drown, sometimes through intoxication and even more sadly, there are often incidents of young children who fall into the water.

During the holidays the kids will be working full-time collecting rubbish, some even do 'shifts' from evening into the early hours. Siemreap is not exactly the most dangerous place in Cambodia but like all places, you should have your wits about you at night. So for these kids, they are particularly at risk. And how much do they earn? For a full day's collecting they will receive about 6000 riel which is nearly a pound.

I've taken on a small project to write a training manual for an American Christian organisation called People for Care and Learning who run an orphanage and other projects here in Cambodia. It's something that I've done a bit of in the past so am looking forward to it especially as it is flexible and ongoing.

One downside of meeting great people out here is saying goodbye when they leave. I'd been hanging out with John an American guy who was out here teaching at a local church and he's been a good mate but he's now left for Thailand. We spent hours talking about our respective journeys with God and our testimonies were mutually encouraging. Importantly too, we've had a good laugh especially as he was getting me to say stuff in my 'English' accent!

There are some prayer points for this week:

Montana is an American guy who is searching for truth. We've told him about Jesus - please pray that he is drawn nearer to Him as he is subjected to other teachings out here.

For the Vietnamese ministry; that all will have safe journeys back to their respective families for new year and that the kids and school will remain safe over the holiday period.

For John's travels in Thailand; that he'd remain wise and that his gift of communication would be used for God's glory.

For my travels; for safety and wisdom and for the Holy Spirit to guide me.

For the work of PCL and for the development of the training programme.

Until next time and with love in Jesus,
Dan

CMA - Ministry to the Vietnamese in Cambodia

I just wanted to give you some information about the Christian Missionary Alliance which is the ministry that I work with and the place where I teach English.

The CMA have different ministries worldwide but this one is based in Canada, located here in Cambodia, reaching out to the marginalized Vietnamese population.

There are two Vietnamese staff, Kim and Than Nguyen: Kim manages the projects and Than Nguyen is both pastor and teacher. There are projects here in the Siemreap area, a school which is here in town and a church (below) which is actually on a floating barge on the Tonle Sap lake which is about an hour's drive and boat trip away.

The Vietnamese have been in Cambodia for many centuries and are truly exiled and on the edge of society. They are amongst the poorest of the poor here and their lives are a daily struggle for survival. I think this is one of the reasons why I enjoy my work with them because they don't have any rights to education or land-ownership and seem truly grateful for that which you aim to do for them.

The people cannot return to Vietnam because they are not recognized by the Vietnamese government as they have no such identification. They originally came to Cambodia to fish the Tonle Sap lake and they actually live on the lake itself in floating villages. Many tourists here go on excursions to visit the floating villages as they are seen as an attraction but when I went there with Kim, there was nothing attractive about it. OK, the surroundings of the lake are beautiful but the lives of the people are truly pitiful and I felt sad that people make money out of selling boat trips to visit this impoverished people group.

They struggle to make a living; the unique tide patterns of the lake mean that its depth changes quite radically and the fishermen often have to move their families to where the most abundant source of fish is found. Many don't have the money to buy drinking water and so drink the water from the lake which is, as you can imagine, used for a whole manner of things. Even after boiling, its muddy content merely conceals a whole range of water-borne diseases.

However, their daily battle to survive has brought many to Christ although many find trusting in Him for their daily needs difficult. You can teach the people about hygiene and healthy eating but the problem is that they are too poor to invest in these lifestyles - bottled water and vegetables are costly staples and Than Nguyen struggles to meet the needs of the church, even as she loads her motorbike up with as much water and vegetables as she can carry.

One of the other problems faced by Kim and Than Nguyen is of families willing to sell their children to gangs promising them work in the 'coffee shops' of Phnom Penh - from the outside these establishments look innocent enough but they are merely a front for brothels. Once tipped off that there is a real possibility of a family being lead this way, they do all they can to educate them in order to keep the child at home. However, the lure of employment in this manner is often too strong to keep them in the family.

An example of this was one of the girls that attends the church on the lake who was actually told by her parents that she would be sold in order to pay off a gambling debt. Apparently the figure they would receive would be around $500 - I can't imagine what it must be like to have to consider selling one's own child into imminent abuse.

As a reward for good behaviour and diligent learning, the students are given tokens in class that they can save up and then, at the end of the week, they are allowed into the school storeroom (photo above) where they can redeem the tokens they've earned for bags of rice, shampoo, drinks, toothpaste, clothing, shoes and school books.

The kids who come to the school often lead difficult lives as they combine studying with their 'ep chai' duties of scouring the streets looking for rubbish to sell on (photos below). They are used as a source of income by their parents who often run up large debts gambling, which is rife in these poor communities. Sadly, I've heard stories of the children being beaten at home and one child whose prostitute mother actually tried to drown her before a neighbour stepped in to save her life. Many of the Vietnamese can't get good jobs and scrape a living doing what they can to make ends meet.

Than Nguyen (pictured here) works hard for these people; her love for them shines through even when she has to deal with difficult situations at the lake or when the kids at the school misbehave. I also tutor her in English as she has expressed a wish to be able to share the ministry's needs with Western visitors out here; this is enjoyable and her confidence and fluency is improving. She has needed assistance for a while now and thankfully, Kim has found a Vietnamese lady who will be joining us in February but more help is still required.

Until next time..

With every blessing,
Dan

Wild in the country

I have had to make some changes to my schedule which will now free me up to do something a bit more practical. I'm enjoying my time here despite the challenges that I've had over recent weeks and am glad that God is not only doing a work through me but also in me. I enjoy teaching but have learned that it's OK as long as I'm left to get on with doing just that – teaching. That's what I enjoy about the Vietnamese ministry, the fact that you feel appreciated in what can otherwise feel like a totally alien environment. They seemingly have long-term plans for me there but I can't stick my neck out that far yet. I just want to follow how God is leading me, what he is showing me about my strengths and limitations and then maybe I'll be able to see the great beyond.

Got checked out of my guest house – again. I don't know how they do it, as they know I'm long-term but there you go, another one of those communication misunderstandings. Packed my bags and then unpacked them again.

I was riding along on my mountain bike here in town when a tuk-tuk overtook (see what I did there?) whose two Cambodian female passengers in brightly-coloured hats were smiling, waving and trying to talk to me in Khmer. Trouble is, as I was frantically trying to remember how to reply to them in Khmer, I lost concentration and wobbled off the road, onto the 'pavement' and nearly fell off – much to the delight of the girls in the tuk-tuk, who disappeared, laughing into the distance.

I have , however, got back onto more of an even keel and this week I've been helping one of the local tuk-tuk drivers set up a website and blog to help him with his business. I also ate dinner with the guest house staff, who say that I'm part of their family – but again, I looked on rather squeamishly as the owner tucked into his duck embryo. Oh, and deep-fried snake is being sold again at the stall down the road. Some people reckon the locusts are nice but you have to remove the legs before consumption as they are razor sharp.

Met with another guy called Danny who is a friend from church here in Siemreap. Originally from the USA, he's a very interesting guy who, through his home church, has pioneered sustainable bee-keeping projects here in Cambodia and I joined him on a visit to the countryside to see one of the projects he helped to set up.

It was an early start and we set out on his motorbike (as my dirtbike is still at the mechanics) and headed out towards Angkor Wat. On the way we passed through some beautiful traditional villages and stopped off to sample some pure palm juice and palm sugar which we saw being boiled down from its juice form. It's a good system whereby a pipe runs right down the palm tree and the juice is collected at the bottom. There's various things they can do with it and they sell the palm sugar wrapped in small packets of bamboo.

Sat on the metal rack on the back of the bike was doing my backside no good at all but a welcome break was had when we stopped off again to have a quick look at one of the ruined temples, which was very similar to the main Angkor temple.

We also saw some decaying artillery guns left in the bush from the civil war. It is worth noting that you shouldn't go off the beaten track in Cambodia as it is still one of the most heavily landmined countries in the world. In the week, I bought a book from a guy in town who has to make money to feed his family by selling books on Cambodian history - he lost both his arms in a land-mine explosion and it really brings it home to you when you encounter the victims in person and there are so many of them here in town.

Nevertheless, we got back on the bike and continued on our way along the bumpy, dusty country roads – until we came to an abrupt halt – puncture! We managed to limp to the Cambodian village-version of Kwik Fit and soon the bike had its rear wheel removed and the flip-flop attired mechanic was removing a twisted nail from the tyre and busily burning the inner-tube to make it maleable enough to repair.

It was at this point that my stomach started rumbling; I had been warned that the ingestion of palm juice can cause some to experience diarrhea but as it was so soon after I'd had it, surely it couldn't be that - or could it? Anyway, I didn't have time to ponder where it had come from; all I knew was that I had to find a toilet pronto and people here in these villages don't usually have toilets but anyway, after a bit of negotiation by Danny (who is fluent in Khmer) I soon found myself in a shed at the bottom of someone's garden, making use of their Asian squat-toilet.

Anyway, you really don't want to know any more detail other than to say that about an hour later I resurfaced and gingerly made my way back to Kwik Fit where they'd managed a temporary repair to the bike. Unfortunately though, it was too risky for me to continue the journey on the back of the trailbike - no, not because of my diarrhea, but because the weight of two people would be too much for the tyre to handle.

So, I took a ride on the back of Danny's colleague's bike and we arrived at the guy's house in the heat of the midday sun and it wasn't long before we were all trooping off into the Cambodian bush to search for nesting bees. Following our Khmer expert, we tramped through boggy ground, seeing flora and fauna that I had never seen before and then we'd dart off into the bush to look for sites where bees had made their homes. I even had the opportunity to sample some bush tucker for myself, drinking the sterile fluid from a carnivorous plant.

We saw a couple of places where bees had been previously and saw where the honey had been harvested and then I was urged to remain quiet as we darted off in another direction. We stopped, and there it was in the middle of the bush – a large honeycomb with thousands of bees on it – so amazing to see it within a tree in its natural environment. We were all crouched down, marveling at this sight when suddenly some of the bees started coming for us..

Our Khmer leader quickly lit a fistful of sticks he had in his hand (the smoke keeps the bees away) and we quickly followed him, legging it through the bush trying to find our way back to the path. We made it, but so did the pursuing bees and we were all soon frantically trying to swat them away from us. One of them flew up my t-shirt and the guide had them on his shirt, all over his hat and everywhere. By this time though, the smoke was doing the trick and the bees were soon far behind us. Thankfully, no-one got stung. They were scary looking things too.

We eventually made it back into town where we stopped off for a bag of sugarcane juice. It was a really good day and you'll be relieved to hear that my stomach has settled down nicely.

Again, thank you for reading my blog and for being a part of my journey.

With every blessing until next time,
Dan

Into the New Year

It has been a challenging week for one reason or another and I'm glad that I've a few days off due to a national holiday, which is a day to celebrate the fall of the Khmer Rouge. I have been feeling the pressure of being the only foreigner at the Cambodian ministry as they themselves are under pressure and I've realised that some expectations are more than that which I am gifted at. Due to language differences, it is sometimes difficult to get across the fact that at times, I've been a bit out of my depth and stress has been an issue.

I told them I was taking things a day at a time; I'm not out here to put my health at risk and whilst as foreigners we are often reminded about respecting the local conservative culture, it is also of vital importance for local ministries to also take into consideration the needs and limitations of the those wanting to help them.

Last night, I spoke to Chris Brockway via Skype and it was good to have a conversation with a familiar face. It was good to receive some encouragement and to have a bit of a laugh as well as my humour is a bit lost on the Khmers (as it is on most).

Today I was due to pay my rent at the guest house and to my surprise (well, nothing really surprises me anymore!) they'd checked me out of my room again and rented it to 'Didier'. Sometimes I wonder if they are trying to tell me something. So, I packed my bags (again) ready to move into the guest house over the road but then the owner knocked on my door and said that I could stay after all! Communication and misunderstandings go hand-in-hand out here.

On the way to the church school last night, my motorbike broke down and so I am now totally motorbike-less as my rented trail-bike is still in the repair shop (been there 3 weeks – mechanic is still 'resting'). This means I'll have to get a tuk-tuk to school on Monday but I can get to the Vietnamese school by mountain bike so that's OK. In fact, I like cycling as it's keeping me fit and I do go to the gym whenever I can too.

Things at the Vietnamese school are running well, Than Ngyuen's fluency is coming along well as is her confidence and the kids are all doing fine.

Until next time..

God bless,
Dan

Suasadei Chnam Thmey (Happy New Year)

1 Peter 4:8-11:

8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. 9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining. 10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

In Cambodia, one needs stacks of patience; without being specific, you have to learn to 'go-with-the-flow' and expect the unexpected. This isn't easy for someone like me who needs to be prepared for stuff about a week in advance. One thing that God has shown me is not to jump to conclusions about things so hastily and to just pray and allow Him to work in situations and He does because He is faithful. I admit that when things got tough my attitude probably wasn't right when, in fact, I have so much to be thankful for which I am reminded of each time I see a blind or disabled person out here or when the grace and gentleness of a local leaves me feeling humbled. At West Cliff Baptist Church we are often reminded that we are on a journey and when I think of mine, I see many hills and valleys and I wonder just how many fewer valleys there'd be if I had continued to keep my attitude in check.

I helped the guest house with the composition of their meal invites and enjoyed doing it; I also enjoy my one-to-one tutoring with Than Nguyen who is the Christian Vietnamese teacher - she is thankful, smiles a lot and sometimes gives me a can of cola or an iced-coffee for teaching her. I've been teaching her how to pray in English and it is just brilliant listening to her progress. I love it when the kids in the morning class say, “thank you teacher!” as they troop out of class and when some of the evening students say a thank you. I'm not here to receive but I have to say that when you feel appreciated, it makes serving people a whole lot easier. But being in the real world, the key is to learn to forgive those by whom you don't feel appreciated.

On my way to the village school the other day I was riding my motorbike behind another motorbike which had another motorbike tied onto the back of it - this is the first time I have seen this and I did marvel at the rider's skills of navigation and downright bravery. It is common for all manner of things to be carried on motorbikes usually families of four (without crash-helmets), chickens (dead and alive) and that often-seen head-turner which is the sight of a passing bike with freshly-slaughtered pigs tied on the back. Furthermore, whilst riding to the church school this week I had to avoid a vociferous gaggle of geese that waddled out onto the road in front of me.

The guest house is full with people from all over the world. Last night, all the guests were invited to a free new year celebration meal, laid on by the owner whose wife had recently given birth. There were a couple of dishes on offer so I went for the noodles with coconut and fish sauce which was very nice.
It was good to be able to relax a little although my Khmer dancing still leaves a lot to be desired, to the point where one co-participant kindly remarked, “you dance like lady”. Nice.

Which leaves me once again to say thank you for taking this journey with me and to wish you a very Happy New Year.

Dan x