A mission to the south (update)

I know I've written about my 2-week trip already but I've realised that, upon reflection, there's so much more to be shared so here it is again in its entirety!

Two weeks break has enabled me to take in some of the other gems that Cambodia has to offer. From Phnom Penh I journeyed south to the seaside town of Kep, trekking around the national park which I had virtually all to myself. The mountainside provides amazing views of the surrounding coastline and distant bonfires from local villages.

I stayed a night in a bamboo hut on Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) which has no motor vehicles and electricity for only a few hours a day. It was good to be able to inform people of the plight of the Vietnamese and the work being done by the CMA in Siemreap.

From there, I took the bus to Kampot which is about 26km along the coast. There was a German guy on the bus who was a little too keen to join me to find a guesthouse in order to share a room to lower costs. Whilst it’s good to help people on the road, I had a gut feeling that this would not be a wise decision and despite repeatedly telling him I was a confirmed lone-traveller, he seemed to get increasingly agitated. I told him that if he had a problem, he knew where to find me but that he’d have to find a room elsewhere. Thankfully, he went on his way and I went off to find a pub with wi-fi so that I could follow the Cherries, which I managed to do.

The next day, I took a 100km bus ride to Sihanoukville which is a coastal town in southern Cambodia that sees many contrasts – from the opulence of the Russians who own significant portions of the area to the long-time Euro ex-pats who, by the look of them, perhaps really should think about going home. And then of course there’s the Khmers whose faces light up when attempts are made to communicate with them in their own language and when you smile and show them respect – that’s what their culture is all about..goodness knows what they must think of ours.

I hooked up with a French girl so we split tuk-tuk fares whilst trying to find accommodation. The middle beaches are over-crowded and the surrounding area is a tourist ghetto so we headed for Otres beach, with white sand and swaying palms. We found mushroom-shaped bamboo-thatched beach bungalows which even had a dormitory which was her preferred choice of accommodation. I had my own simple bungalow with just a thin mattress, pillow, towel and a hanging wickerwork light.

We chatted on the beach and it was obvious that she lived a hedonistic lifestyle but then that’s what many backpackers are all about: they travel to distant places to party and to be devoid of the cares and responsibilities of back home. She’d been talking about a book she was reading about people who have everything but still have something missing. So I gave her my testimony through which it was revealed to her what that missing something is. She listened intently to the story of how I came to Christ and although her response was one of respectful apathy, I prayed that my words would linger long in her memory and that those seeds, having been initially sown, would then be watered by the continued chain of divine appointment.

Anyway, as I spent the next day or so vomiting for England, I decided to move to another part of Sihanoukville where I could recuperate in the relative luxury of a room with air-conditioning.

I stumbled across a street in town full of bars and westerners who obviously aren’t in Cambodia to visit temples. I heard some of them discussing their previous night’s behaviour and it saddened me: these guys were British, probably retirees, and I thought to myself how sad it is that they don’t know any other way or if they do, choose to not adhere to it. It’s nice to be different from those who come here merely to corrupt and exploit the innocence of the local people.

I heard another Brit in an internet café the other day, shouting in English to try to make himself understood and quite frankly it was utterly embarrassing, everything I hate about Brits abroad; he then upped and left without paying.

At my accommodation, it was a shame though as I went down to reception to discover the normally-playful guesthouse dog lying in a pool of blood. I tried to find out what happened:

Me: “What’s happened to the dog?”
Receptionist: “Someone try to kill him”
Me: “Why ever would anyone want to do that??”
Receptionist: “So they can eat him.”

Well, I did ask.

The next morning I discovered that the dog had since died. I didn’t, however, ask how he was disposed of so I stuck to beans on toast at the guesthouse restaurant just in case.

So anyway, I spent time on the beach this week and Asia is a place where you can get hassled relentlessly on beaches but at Victory beach the Cambodians aren’t as full-on as other places I’ve experienced.

Before long though, I was approached by two young local women, one of whom wanted to deliver the services of manicure and pedicure and the other was selling fried lobster from a large basket carried above her head. Now let’s get this straight, I am not a regular at receiving such pampering but before long I was having my nails clipped and filed (although at times it felt like she was using an angle grinder).

I was being asked the usual questions: “Where your wife?” and “Why you no married?” whilst at the same time refusing the continued sales patter of the lady lobster seller, who couldn’t understand how I’d succumbed to the lure of a manicure whilst not desiring one of her once-fresh fried lobsters.

“Your skin velly bad - my lobster good for your skin” she said. “If you have lobster, your skin get velly good and you find velly nice wife when you go home!”

Even with such a high level of commitment to marketing creativity, I continued to resist and her lobsters remained at the mercy of the mid-day sun and on she went to find some custom.

Still having my nails done (sounds really weird saying that) I was talking to the girl in English and bits of broken Khmer about being a Christian and working with the Vietnamese. She said she was a Buddhist and when I asked her why, she said it was because her parents were. Amazingly, she then asked me why I was a Christian so I was able to tell her about Jesus and why He died, about grace, forgiveness and heaven. As she carried on clipping my nails I went on to share my testimony in part, in a way that I sensed would be relevant to her.

As I told her that Jesus loved her, her response was interesting. She asked how Jesus could love her whilst she didn’t love Him so I told her that He loved her anyway and that He had a plan for her life.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know her name but God does and my prayer is that it is a name that is written in the Book of Life. You know, it is a whole lot easier sharing Jesus when you realize that God is already at work in that person’s life.. and this encounter was God using me the way I’m wired and it is for reasons like this day that I am out here doing what I’m doing.

So, with a tinge of sadness, I left Sihanoukville for Phnom Penh and then back home to Siemreap. It wasn't without incident as the bus had another puncture and we had to stop off at a tyre-fitter's to have the spare put on. The spare, however, was bald and even had a split in it! Thankfully, we made it back OK :0)

Until next time
Dan

A Post from Phnom Penh

I’d been so looking forward to getting away from Siemreap for a couple of weeks but it didn’t start well as firstly my pick-up didn’t arrive to take me to the bus station. When I got on the bus, I discovered that my seat had been double-booked so I ended up sitting up the front with the driver, putting my feet on the dashboard as there was no leg room.

Then en-route, we had a tyre blow-out which went with a huge bang but one of the locals on board was soon clambering under the bus, jacking it up (with people still on board!) and then changing the wheel at the roadside. The tyre that blew out had a huge hole ripped out of it so I guess we were quite lucky.

Six hours later, I arrived at the guest house to be told that they’d forgotten to book me in(!) so I stayed in another one just across the road which on the whole turned out OK. Funny really, as frustrating as things can be out here, you just become accustomed to expect the unexpected and you just smile and deal with it. You should never kick up a fuss out here (a cultural no-no) and besides, things usually work out. Sadly though, some do still forget to leave their western ways at home.

Anyway, think of a city - terrorist attacks, muggings, knife-crime.. I’d heard stuff about Phnom Penh being lawless but actually these things only come to mind when I think of London. As I wandered the streets of Phnom Penh I felt less threatened than in London. Actually, there is a real friendliness from the locals as you greet them in their language as you wander the wide tree-lined boulevards admiring the French colonial architecture.

Phnom Penh was smaller than I’d anticipated and I’d say that you can walk most of it in a day. The waterfront is particularly nice as you take in the refreshing breeze from the river which you can feel as you approach it from the city. The first notable landmark I came across was Diamond Bridge (below), where over 350 people lost their lives in a stampede during a Buddhist water festival in November last year. It was eerie standing on the same spot where so many had perished but it was an opportunity to pause for thought and pray for those who were lost and for those still in hospital.

I continued on my way along the waterfront and chose to sit down at Sisowath Quay, facing the water for a while and to take the opportunity to pray quietly. As I sat, I was approached by a young woman, unkempt and speaking very broken English. She sat down beside me and for the first time on the trip, I was physically offered drugs; she took out a plastic packet and discreetly showed it to me. I guess I should’ve known that this was going to happen at some point and so after my obvious declination, we then had a very interesting conversation albeit in my very broken Khmer and her smattering of English.

I just felt such pity for her; her face was drawn and she seemed to have an underlying unhappiness. I told her that she didn’t need to do what she was doing and that Jesus loved her and that He had a better plan for her life. But at this point (and for my own safety) I wasn’t hanging around. It was wise to move on so I stopped briefly to chat with a security guard and then made my way back into town, praying for the girl as I went.

However, my main purpose for visiting Phnom Penh was to understand more about how the people suffered under the Khmer Rouge’s regime of extreme communism. During this time in the seventies, the people of Phnom Penh and other large towns and cities were evacuated to the countryside to carry out forced labour. The educated of society were imprisoned and executed; you didn’t have to be particularly well-educated but if you, for example, were a local government officer or even merely wore spectacles then you were on the Khmer Rouge’s hit list.

Many people were held in the S21 prison in Phnom Penh (pictured above, which was ironically a high school formerly) where they were tortured. It is now a museum but much of it is exactly as it was left. As you walk into each cell, all they contain are a single metal bed and the implements of torture that are still there after all these years. There are photos on some of the walls showing some of the victims just after they had been tortured in the very room in which you are standing. They were beaten, water-boarded and electrocuted for ‘confessions’ of crimes against the state.

Many died there but many were blindfolded and then transported by truck the 15km to the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek where they were mercilessly beaten to death and buried in shallow graves. No-one was exempt; men, women and children were all killed. Excavation in recent years has enabled some of the people to be given more dignified burials but many of the human remains are now on display inside tiered glass cabinets (pictured above)in a stupa built as a memorial to all who lost their lives. As the years and subsequent monsoon rains pass, the site gives up more and more of its grisly past as more remains and pieces of clothing are brought to the surface.

As I walked the grounds, I remembered that a friend had previously visited the site and had mentioned the prominence of Ezekiel 37 5:6: 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’” Indeed, there are many sites such as this all over Cambodia, some still being discovered today. Millions died due to Pol Pot's extreme idealism - they innocently followed their dictator's order to be lead into the countryside to become 'New People' but instead were to be slaughtered or to die of malnutrition, disease and from utter despair. Sometimes lessons from history are never learned from but hopefully this will be something never to be repeated.

So in conclusion, I valued my time in Phnom Penh; I loved walking around in the heat of the day taking in the atmosphere, witnessing the grandeur of the Royal Palace, the spiritual significance of Wat Phnom and the crazy markets where you can buy pretty much anything.

It was hard to imagine the streets being so empty after the initial evacuation by the Khmer rouge 30-odd years ago but now, as this city aims to retain something of its glorious past in the days prior to its troubles, it is now building upwards to accommodate those entrusted with the economic growth of its future.

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