CCC 2010 Cambodia Mission Trip: 2010

Thankful to be home

Everyone is back in Minnesota now, recalling with fondness the 85 degree weather in southeast Asia.

The team didn't have much of a chance to blog while in Cambodia, so we'll be catching up now.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving. There were 22 people at the Copelands' home, including several local missionaries. Teresa made pecan pies, there was turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and so much more.

Someone even made personal name cards for each guest.

After dinner, some of the kids did the dishes. No dishwasher here.

Dr. Kent is a busy guy, always thinking of new projects, and interested in many things.

Here he is playing chess with his son, CJ. CJ is homeschooled (as are his siblings), and is a junior. Chris keeps plenty busy teaching their 5 kids.

Kent enjoys a few horticultural projects, experimenting with different plants that might help the farmers in Cambodia.

Here he has created a unique fence, with the vertical part being living trees. There's no Fleet Farm here to buy fencing materials, and if you don't do something, your pigs and chickens will run away.

Here he is loading up some hay to take back home for mulch.

Greg brought the parts for an egg incubator to Cambodia. Kent has plans for many omelettes!

We visited with this family on the same trip that we got the hay. They are active members of the Poipet church. He lost his leg from a land mine.

Now to the CAMA Clinic in Poipet.

It looks like Kent and Greg are at a radio station here, but those are really Geiger Counters. Greg brought them along from Minnesota, a vital safety component of the nuclear medicine program.

And this is the part of the laboratory where Rick worked. These machines do blood chemistries. He brought extra parts for them, and callibrated them for the many tests that Kent does. The supplies that needed to be refrigerated on the trip to Cambodia will be used here.

Here's the exterior of the clinic building. That white vehicle with the red light on the roof is the ambulance. Rick had the chance to ride along on an ambulance run. They picked up a homeless man and dropped him off at the local hospital. The primitive emergency room there wasn't much, and without family there to help, there would probably be no meals for him. Back in Minnesota Rick volunteers at the Zumbrota Ambulance, and has dropped off many patients at
St. Mary's Emergency Room. What a contrast... and so sad.

Here's the sign for the clinic.

CAMA stands for Compassion and Mercy Associates.

Day 10 Mongkol Borey

This is Karen again. The team hasn't posted in several days. Hopefully that means they are busy getting things done in Poipet. Rick has texted me several times. Everyone is well, and they had a lovely thanksgiving dinner with 21 people at the Copelands. Rick has been busy at the lab calibrating equipment. He also got to ride along on an ambulance call. It will be interesting to hear how that was.

They were planning to go to Mongkol Borey to visit the orphanage today. I haven't heard if they made it there, we'll try to post pictures here later.

They will be going back to Bangkok on Sunday evening (Sunday morning Minnesota time). They will stay at the CMA guest house overnight. Their plane to Narita, Japan leaves at 5:40 am Monday (4:40pm MN time).

Your continued prayers are much appreciated.

Day 7, A day at the Poipet CAMA Clinic

Rick and I (Greg) are currently at the CAMA office in Poipet. Dr. Kent sees patients here every Wednesday.

Teresa is at the Copeland home helping prepare for the Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. We understand that 22 are expected for dinner. (note from K: I think this is a picture of the Thanksgiving entree, at the Copeland home, not to be confused with anything happening at the CAMA clinic.)

Rick and I have been here all morning working on our specialties. Rick is setting up lab equipment and I'm working on procedures for the I-131 therapy program.

Rick was even pressed into duty helping Kent. A patient needed a blood draw so Rick jumped right in. He even made the stick in 1 try! (another note from K: Gregg, don't believe Rick if he tells you that he can do brain surgery... he always wanted to be a brain surgeon, but has no actual training in brain surgery.)

Another patient needed an x-ray. One of the CAMA workers, Matay, came up to perform that. I must say that Kent gives very personalized service to the patients. He made sure to take plenty of time to ensure the patient understood the information learned from the x-ray.

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On Monday, Kent and I visited the Thai Office of Atoms For Peace or OAP and met with the Secretary General of OAP. We also toured some of the OAP facilities and the I-131 therapy department of a large Bangkok hospital. The meetings were very good and we anticipate Thai approval for our program to be obtained.

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Yesterday, all 10 of us (the Copeland clan included) and our luggage, shoehorned our way into a 10 passenger van for the trip here from Bangkok. Along the way, we stopped for lunch and had the most wonderful roasted chicken. Tonight, Teresa will be doing English training with some of the church youth. We met some of them yesterday evening and they are really looking forward to it.

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More to come....

Day 4 Reunited in Bangkok

As I write this, Rick is on a plane preparing to land in Bangkok. God is good, and within hours (after going through customs, picking up his luggage, and finding a ride) he should be at the CMA guest house. It is almost midnight in Bangkok. I am sure he will be able to relax better once he is there, and the medical supplies are in a refrigerator. Sweet dreams, Ricky.

Here is the website of the guesthouse... aghbkk.com

It is set up as an inexpensive place for short term missionaries (like the CCC team) to stay at, also for missionaries from all over Asia to meet at for conferences. It is wonderful to see the huge web of people who are a part of taking the Gospel to people of every nation. Thank you, Lord, for each one, and the role that they play.

1:37 pm Sunday
Another update... Rick is snug in his bed now at the Alliance Guest House in Bangkok, and the medical supplies are safe in the refrigerator. Praise God, the ice was still cold when they unpacked the cooler.

Now if the Vikings could just make a big comeback in the 2nd half. This would be quite a day.

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Day 2: Bangkok and Narita

Here's a picture from last summer's mission trip of a beautiful Buddhist temple in Bangkok. 95% of the people of Thailand are Buddhist, but the government freely allows the practice of other religions.

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Rick and the Smiths don't have access to a computer at this time, so I (Karen) am updating the blog.
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I haven't heard from Greg and Teresa, but am assuming that they are resting in Bangkok after 19+ hours of flying.

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Rick, on the other hand, is in Narita, Japan. Due to some scheduling difficulties, he is not able to get to Bangkok yet. He will be spending another day in Japan, adjusting to the time change and hopefully arriving in Bangkok late Sunday.

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After some sleep, he plans to explore nearby Tokyo. I think Mt. Fuji is on his bucket list. (that's Mt. Fuji on the left, from a googled image)
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There are so many beautiful things on this planet.
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We serve an amazing God! He paints the sky every nite with a different paintbrush for us to enjoy. All glory to Him.

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Please continue in prayer for this team. Especially for Dr. Copeland and Greg in the next couple days, as they get permission from the Thai government to transport the nuclear medical materials to Cambodia.

Also for Rick, that he would get to Bangkok safely on Sunday, before the ice melts in the cooler filled with medical supplies. It is supposed to last 2-3 days. Pray also that he would easily find the Copelands and the Smiths at the Bangkok airport, as he is having some difficulty with his cell phone working.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. 2Cor 9:8.

Day 1

Today's the big day...

Got up early to repack the laboratory items into the little cooler that World Wide Labs sent us a few days ago. It took a while to get everything to fit back in, with fresh ice.

Then we packed the cooler into the luggage, along with a letter from the Lab certifying that this is indeed, medical stuff, cranberries for Thanksgving, some other lab supplies, and extra duct tape for any sort of emergency.

Here's our carrier pigeon at the airport with one bag full of Bibles, another bag with the cooler and lab stuff, and one bag for himself.

And he's off...

Meanwhile in another time zone somewhere, Greg and Teresa are alreadly waiting for their flight to Tokyo. They left Rochester quite a bit earlier than Rick, so no photos from the airport. The Smiths will fly to Tokyo from Detroit, Rick is going via Minnneapolis. Hopefully they will find each other there, and take the same flight to Bangkok.

I did find this picture of Greg and Teresa with the photo of the orphan they are sponsoring in Mongkol Borey... Just so you all know who you are praying for.

Many thanks to all you prayer warriors.

Return to Poipet

It started in October 2008, when Dr. Kent Copeland and his family were special guests at Christ Community Church's Mission Conference. Kent ran the CTC emergency hospital in Poipet, Cambodia. His wife Chris was a nurse there (besides caring for and educating their 5 children). The CTC provided free health care and Christian love to the poor people of northwest Cambodia. They asked for prayers for direction for this medical mission. We prayed, and God has been working...

Fast forward to November 2010, and God has brought together a team of people from CCC who happen to have just the right skills to take a big step forward in the Copelands' medical ministry.

This is Greg, Rick, and Ronald in July 2010 in Bangkok. Ronald will not be helping with the medical mission.

Fortunately for Greg and Rick though, Greg's wife, Teresa will be accompanying them. Teresa had been to Cambodia on a short term mission trip in 2008, and is anxious to return. Here's a picture of her at the bottom, center of a human pyramid.

The final piece of this puzzle will be Dr. Peter Tebben, an endocrinologist at Mayo, who regularly diagnoses and treats patients with thyroid disease using radioactive iodine. He is planning to make the trip in early 2011, helping Dr. Kent with thyroid patients.

Now for some details...

Greg, Teresa, and Rick will leave Rochester on Thursday, November 18. They will arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday night. In their luggage they will have replacement parts for some laboratory equipment, supplies for laboratory tests (that will be packed in ice because they have to be refrigerated), Bibles, some personal items the Copelands have requested, pictures of 80 families from CCC who have sponsored orphans in Mongkol Borey, lots of care packages for all the Poipet missionaries from the wonderful members of the congregation at CCC, and a can of cranberries. Their first mission is to get themselves and their luggage to Bangkok, where Kent and Chris Copeland will meet them (and they can get those medical supplies into a refrigerator before the ice melts). They will spend a few days in Bangkok catching up with the time zone, shopping for gifts for those of us who are holding down the fort back in Minnesota, and getting permission from the Thai government to take nuclear medical supplies across the border into Poipet. Fortunately Greg worked in Radiation Safety at Mayo, and can accompany Dr. Kent to reassure the Thai government that good care will be taken of the radioactive stuff.

Please pray with us for this trip.

We are so amazed and filled with joy that God has chosen to use us to minister to the people of this poor country. Their history is one of war, genocide, disease, and corruption. God is opening doors for Christians to show mercy and love to the Cambodian people.

cambodia 2010

Check back with the blog for updates, we hope to be updating it daily.

cambodia 2010

Gregg, Teresa, Rick, and Karen (holding down the fort).

cambodia 2010

At right is a photo taken in October 2010 on a street in Poipet. Many families lost their rice crop in this flood.

Arrived in Ratanakiri

Bounouey & Chantan Kes picked us up from the hotel in Phnom Penh and took us on an all-day drive to their home in Ratanakiri province. This was an amazing trip. We were pretty-much spellbound listening to the stories of their lives and of their ministry among the Jarai, which is one of the tribal groups in NE Cambodia. And the last 130 km of the trip were on a dirt road which was sometimes really good and sometimes made us wonder whether it would shake the truck apart. At the end of the journey was an amazing house that Bounouey designed and which they moved into in July. We're up in the mountains again, in a beautiful area. So far we're just in "record mode", trying to take all of this in. Many adventures await us over the next three days.

Back in Phnom Penh

On Monday we took a taxi from Siem Reap back to Phnom Penh. We're here for a few days before heading out to Ratanakiri (NE Cambodia) on Friday to be with the Kes family. While we're here, we've been able to meet with various CAMA workers based in Phnom Penh and get to know them and their ministry.

On Tuesday we met with Joe and Kay Kong. Their primary mission is to plant a church among the government and business class people in Phnom Penh. Before the Khmer Rouge took over, Joe was in a high government position, and he "happened" to be stationed outside of the country when the country fell to the Khmer Rouge, so he was spared what would have been certain death considering his position in the government. He has served the C&MA in various assignments to ethnic communities in the USA and is an ideal person for this ministry. He also works with national and local church leaders, and emerging youth leaders to help train them for the next level of ministry. Kay works with women in Bible studies and mentoring relationships.

We also met with Bin David, who is the pastor of the New Jerusalem church. This is the church for which CCC helped to purchase the land recently. Everyone is really pleased with this new church. It looks great, and is in a strategic location in a newly developing area of Phnom Penh. It is near the university and hospital, so it should be able to minister to students and professional people. Next week, leaders from the church are going to be doing a prayer walk around the areas near the church, as they anticipate reaching out into those areas with the Gospel.

Today Judy Johns took us to 3 of the New Hope schools so we could get an idea of what they were like. The first one was the most striking, as it is actually on a boat along the Mekong River. Again, it's a ministry to the Vietnamese, who can't own land. New Hope educates kids up through grade 5, in both Khmer and Vietnamese. Most of the Vietnamese are illiterate in their own language as well, so they are taught in both. In order to enter grade 6 in the public schools, the students need to be proficient and educated in Khmer and have birth certificates. Students finishing grade 5 are given Khmer names and birth certificates so they can go on.

A continual struggle here is with families who sell their daughters. It's a pretty commonly accepted way of life, in order to help make ends meet. Finding creative alternatives is an ongoing challenge and ministry opportunity.

We had lunch with Dave and Mi Rebok. Dave comes from Illinois, but Mi is a native Cambodian who survived the Khmer Rouge. It was very interesting talking with them. Dave is an administrative assistant in the CAMA office and Mi works with women's ministries.

Dave took us to see the Tum Nup Tek church, which is another new church building that CCC help financially. This church is amazingly beautiful. We happened to meet the pastor while we were there, and he expressed his gratitude to CCC for helping to pay for the building.

This leads me to a final point here. Everywhere we've been, every missionary and church leader we've talked with has expressed deep gratitude to CCC for coming alongside the CAMA in Cambodia. Back at CCC, we know we're sending money and supporting missionaries, and praying for specific needs of missionaries and ministries. But it's altogether a different thing to hear from them how grateful they are for CCC. When we started down this path a few years ago, it was sort of a step of faith because we didn't really know what we were getting into or what it might develop into. Now we can start to see some of the fruit of this, and rejoice over what God is doing through it.

Floating church

Sorry to be so long since the last post. This one was started on Sunday Aug 8. Finally having a chance to finish it.

We made contact with missionary Kim Bui yesterday and made arrangements to go to church with her this morning. This was a Vietnamese congregation in a village that lives on lake Tonle Sap. In the States, when we say someone lives on the lake, that means one thing, but here it really means they live on the lake. Vietnamese aren't allowed to own land in Cambodia, so they live in boats on the water. Most Vietnamese end up fishing to make a living.

So we drove to the village. Lake Tonle Sap expands in the wet season to 4 times it's dry season size. It's early in the wet season (and actually this wet season isn't very wet), so much of the expansion hasn't happened yet. We were aware that the area we were driving through would be under water later in the year. All of the houses that are built on the land in villages along the way, are built way up in the air on stilts. Everything around them, including the road we drove on will be under water later on. When that happens, they live in the middle of the lake, and all transportation is by boat. We kept driving past that amazing sight to a point where we got into a boat, and headed out further into the lake. We came to a village where all of the buildings are boats. People live on the boats, go to school on the boats, go to church on the boats, etc. Boats are continually coming and going. If you've got stuff to sell, you sell it from your boat, going "door to door" among the village. Kind of like Schwann's, I suppose.

The church was in a boat. It's the same boat where the kids go to school during the week. Most of the Vietnamese here are illiterate, so getting the kids to school is huge. Much of the ministry Kim Bui is associated with here, is the school. But then on Sundays, she preaches. The church ministry here is only about 1 year old, and is going well. There were more than 60 kids in the church for Sunday School when we arrived. Some of the young people run boats up and down through the village to bring kids to SS and deliver them home afterwards. Then they have the church service, which includes adults, youth, and some kids. Again, more trips on the "church boat" to bring people who need rides. (If the whole family doesn't go to church, those who want to go need a ride if the family has only one boat).

For a few moments, you forget that you're on a boat. Then a boat goes by and the waves toss the church around a bit. So church was really rock'n' this morning. And the boats going by are noisy. It is amazing that no one stops teaching or preaching when that happens, since I can't imagine anyone can hear anything. But they just keep going. No doubt everyone is used to it, and maybe to them it is like "white noise". But we couldn't hear anything except the boats. Couldn't help thinking something like "We're about to enter a focused time of teaching. This would be a great time to power down your cell phones and your boats".

This was an amazing experience. The people live so differently than us. Words can't do it justice. Yet as amazing as that is, it's even more amazing how the church is taking root there. It is a long drive from Siem Reap. People ask Kim why she ministers here instead of someplace closer. The answer was simple -- this village had never heard the gospel. Now, a year later, there's a church and a school established. Most (thought not all) of the people in the church service are (new) Christians. Young people are stepping up to be leaders. There's seemingly no end to the opportunities ahead for evangelism and discipleship among this village. And Kim talks of being able to start ministering in the next village. God has given her a heart for the Vietnamese here. It was our privilege to be here with her and understand the ministry better.

In Siem Reap

We left Mondulkiri with Joyce this morning. She's taking Greg all the way to Phnom Penh, where he will have another day or so before he begins the long journey home.

We parted ways with Greg in Skun. We were expecting to take a taxi to Siem Reap, but by that time in the day, all of the taxis were gone. Thankfully the bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap was stopped right there, and in a flurry of activity we got us and our luggage on board and were gone before we knew what had happened. We arrived in Siem Reap sooner than expected, so since Plan B worked, this must be a good day in Cambodia.

We're hoping to connect with some of the missionaries here in Siem Reap, but we realize that they have other commitments and we're not their first priority. If nothing else, we'll be tourists for a few days.

We've been spoiled by the cool temperatures in the mountains. Now we've got to get re-acclimated to hot and sticky.

Of sweatshirts, markets, elephants, and the Milky Way

Sorry to have been so long since the last update. The food we ate was not a problem. We've been busy, and when we've had time to update the blog, either the internet was not working, or even more drastic, the power was off in the city. After dinner out with Joyce Johns, we're at her house using her computer, so we have hopes of actually being able to update the blog now.

Sweatshirts ... who'd have expected that you could get chilled in Cambodia? But here in the mountains, we've had cool evenings and mornings, and for Monday and Tuesday evenings when there was a breeze, we were wishing for sweatshirts. Go figure.

We've been tagging along with Joyce as she goes about her ministry here. There are Bunong villages all over the mountains, and Joyce is connected to many of them. One of her roles here is in healthcare. When people from the various churches, or other people in those villages need medical help, she is there, or can get them to the hospital. She also visits the hospital regularly to see who is there and is able to help them medically and spiritually, and in this way is able to develop new contacts in the various villages. We had a tour of the hospital on Monday. It's not exactly the Mayo Clinic but it is helpful.

Markets ... Every city has a market, and on Monday afternoon we found the market in Sen Monorom (Joyce's city). We've seen several Cambodian markets, and this is like all of them. We got caught in a rainstorm that turned out to be a gully-washer for quite a while. We took shelter where we could, and eventually one of the shop-owners invited us into her house to take shelter there. The house is behind the store-front. We were surprised to find a very nice hardwood floor in the middle of all the chaos that is the market. While we waited out the storm, Marti had a great time playing with the little boy who was there, after he'd taken his shower outdoors in the storm. The woman turned on the TV and tuned it to something in English for our benefit (Animal Planet). We weren't able to communicate much, but smiles and greetings and "Aw-koon" (thank you) went a long ways.

Elephants ... We took Tuesday to play, and this was an all day elephant trek through the jungle. We've been on an elephant ride before in Thailand, but this was the real deal. Nothing commercial about this. We started in a Bunong village, got on the elephants, rode up through the mountains, and down through the jungle to a rapids in a river. We had lunch there, visited a farm nearby, and watched the drivers wash the elephants in the river before heading back. All of this was on Bunong land, where they live and grow their food. It was an incredible trip, no doubt the best $20 that any of us had ever spent in our lives.

Milky Way ... Both yesterday and today were dry. No rain. Very few clouds. This is very strange for the rainy season, but we were grateful for weather like that. Last night we had dinner at Joyce's house, and tonight we visited her house after dinner at a restaurant. Both evenings we've seen an incredible amount of stars, and the Milky Way is visible and stunning. There aren't a lot of lights around here, and we're up at a higher elevation than we're used to, so this is an amazing sight.

Today we visited the Bunong village of Pulong. This is a village where Joyce wants to see a church get started. We did a "prayer drive" around and through the village. Joyce would drive to certain areas and point out significant/strategic locations, and we would pray regarding those areas. Some pertain to particular families, some to government/village leaders, some to schools, some to healthcare centers. As we started our way home, a woman from the village who was quite sick met us at the road. She had recognized Joyce and was looking for some help. She is 7 months pregnant and has a bad respitory ailment, perhaps pheumonia or TB. It didn't take Joyce very long to realize that she needed to get to the hospital. And so we became the ambulance. Some of us hopped into the back of the pickup so the patient could ride on a seat. So while on the one hand, Joyce's days usually end up different than what she anticipates, we also wonder and pray about whether this woman is part of the answers to today's prayers; perhaps she is the connection Joyce needs to make to get the church established there.

Mondulkiri church service

The people around Mondulkiri are known as the Bunong. They are a tribal people. Today we went to one of their villages for church service. The village was Sre Ampom (we think). Yesterday when we said Joyce didn't live in the sticks, that's a true statement, but her ministry area is out in the sticks for sure. It was a 23km journey over roads that are often impassible in the rainy season. We made it today without any problems. It certainly is beautiful country here.

The church had about 20 people today. We took some pictures of the kids and gave them some candy, and it didn't take very long for them and their moms to warm up to us. There were a bunch of young men who enjoyed greeting us, and one of them spoke very good English. The church was a simple wood plank building with a dirt floor and wooden benches. The men all sit on one side, and the women and children on the other. The church services was done in both the Bunong and Khmer languages. The Khmer songs were the indigenous songs we've heard for the past few weeks. The Bunong songs were familiar Western hymns with Bunong words.

Karl & Marti shared testimonies. The people seemed to respond well as we gave them, and later on they thanked us for sharing and encouraging them.

Joyce mentioned to us that one of the issues they face in the Bunong church (and with other tribal churches as well), is that when they decide something, the head of the family makes the decision and it applies to everyone in the family. Thus when dad becomes a Christian, he doesn't see any need for his kids to confess their sins and receive Christ. This is a deep-rooted tribal mentality that is a continual struggle.

After church we thought we were going to go to a restaurant in town, but one of the church families invited us to their house for lunch. They spread mats on the floor and we all sat on them and ate our rice and veggies from our plates on the floor. True Khmer village style as we've seen other places. Was the food safe to eat? Joyce Johns said that since it was cooked it should be. We'll know in a few hours.

We've got the afternoon free to explore the town here. It's relatively cool, at least compared to Poipet and Phnom Penh, but it seems to want to rain off and on all day, and after the rain it gets really sultry.

Arrived in Mondulkiri

Greg, Marti, Martha, and Karl arrived in Mondulkiri province after an adventurous 7+ hour bus ride. We've been on level ground for the past 2+ weeks, and today we went up our first hill in a vehicle and it felt really strange to do that. The countryside got more and more hilly as we went. They call them mountains here, but we wouldn't go that far. Certainly very pretty. The bus and driver weren't made for driving on anything but level ground. We crawled up some hills which should have been relatively easy to get up.

Arriving in Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri province, we were struck by the beauty of the city. It's relatively small as far as cities in Cambodia go, but quite clean. Buildings looked fresh and new. Joyce Johns met us at the bus station and took us to our hotel. We've always thought she lived in the sticks, but actually she lives in a pretty nice city. You just have to go through the sticks to get here. And the road has been recently paved, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. Before the road was paved, there was always a question of whether Joyce would be able to get in and out of town. The only obstacles we encountered today (other than traffic) were the trees and bushes they laid in the center of the road as it went through the mountains. They took up about 1/3 of the width of the road. Vehicles had to drive on either side. Our driver consistently chose the left side, even when he couldn't see oncoming traffic.

We're having dinner with Joyce tonight, and then we'll find out what's in store for us the next few days. We'll be here until Thursday.

Yesterday we had a fantastic visit with Marie Ens at Rescue Orphanage. We can't say enough good about her and the orphanage. We're very much looking forward to having her visit CCC for missions conference this fall.

We also had a good visit with Martin & Judy Johns to learn about their ministry with New Hope Schools, ministering among the Vietnamese in Phnom Penh.

I think it's about time to sign off. A cat just hopped up on the table and decided to sit on the monitor. He keeps staring at us and the mouse.

Karl & Martha

In Tokyo

WE (MO, RICK, CHAD, RON, CHRISTIE) ARE IN TOKYO, AWAITING OUR CHICAGO FLIGHT...10 HR. LAYOVER :-) THE RIDE TO THE BANKOK AIRPORT INVOLVED PACKING 12 SUITCASES AND 6 PEOPLE IN A SMALL MINIVAN...QUITE A "GET TO KNOW YOU" EXPERIENCE. GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE SHOWERS PRIOR TO SQUEEZING IN AND THANKFUL THE AIR CONDITIONING IN THE VAN WORKED. WE ALL LAUGHED AS THE TAXI DRIVER PLAYED OLD COUNTRY WESTERN SONGS.

Arrived in Phnom Penh

Greg, Marti, Martha, and Karl arrived in Phnom Penh after about 7 hours in a taxi. The trip was uneventful, and we enjoyed watching the scenery go by. The land is beautiful with rice fields, people working in the fields with tractors and oxen, houses on stilts, ox-carts carrying loads down the highway, and vehicles piled high with all types of cargo that doesn't look like it belongs there. Driving is a bit faster than feels safe. The stripe down the middle of the road is mostly there to tell you what side of the road you're on.

We had dinner with Dave & Chris Manfred and daughters Janell and Jenna. It was great to see them again, and they helped us with some of the logistics of our upcoming travels.

Tomorrow we visit Rescue Orphanage in the morning, and have lunch there with Marie Ens. In the afternoon we'll visit with Martin & Judy Johns to learn about the New Hope Schools ministry among the Vietnamese in Phnom Penh. On Saturday we'll take a long busride to Mondulkiri province to visit Joyce Johns there for a few days.

jum-re-up leah (goodbye)

Yesterday, we finished the second english camp and celebrated with a night out at a nice restaurant. Rick completed some lab work, while Christie and I wrapped up the computer teaching.

This morning we all said our good-byes and headed back to the border where we begin to go our separate ways. Nichole is headed to the Bankok airport. From there, she'll fly to Laos where she'll meet up with friends. Karl, Martha, Greg and Marti are headed to Penom Phen. Rick, Christie, Ron, Maureen and I are headed to Bankok to catch a late flight and begin our long trip back to the states. We left with mixed emotions as we're going to miss the people that we've developed new relationships with. At the same time I'm eager to get back home to family. As we crossed the boarder and the van pulled away, many memories of the past week came flooding back. What an experience. Please pray for the logistics and safety of our continued travel.

How to pack a Cambodian vehicle…

We always get a kick out of how much “stuff” is packed into these vehicles. It seems that if the vehicles don’t have the end gate down with parts hanging several feet out the back it isn’t being well used. Motorcycles, also known as “motos”, are equally packed with people and or stuff. We saw a slaughtered pig and live pigs being transported via motorcycle. It gets a bit interesting to see the motos navigate in the mud when it starts to rain.

Today was our second day at English camp and we got a surprise this morning when an additional 15 kids showed up from one of the villages. We made accommodations for them and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. Tomorrow marks the last day of English camp and for some of us the trip will be coming to an end as we then pack and prepare for departure on Thursday morning. Please pray for the last day of English camp – that we will be able to leave an example of Jesus to the students.

Teaching - English Camp and Computer Skills

Today (Monday) we began our second english camp. We have about 50 kids signed up. One group rode a cattle tractor (AKA cambodian school bus/haul whatever you can) to get hear. It was over a 2 hour drive through less than ideal roads. This goes to show you the committment they have to learning. This group is a younger bunch and many have very limited english. We had music, teaching and a variety of games. This afternoon, Christy and I split off to train a small group on Microsoft Excel. Teaching computers can be a challenge and is even more challenging in a different language.

The smiles on our students are worth every bit of time - it's very rewarding to see them learn and grow to know them better.

Tomorrow we'll continue with another day of english camp and teaching computer skills.

Store Front Translations – Part 2 & Weekend review

Attached are a few more store front pictures and their associated translations.

Home Depot:

Ye old Butcher shop?

Saturday we spent time playing games with the youth and enjoying some R&R.

Sunday, we attended multiple church services and said our good byes to some of the youth. Several of the youth are preparing for their Senior high school exam.

Rick is pictured here demonstrating the Cambodian greeting. Another custom is to remove your shoes before entering a home.

Today we’ll begin the second English camp. We’ve already been getting many last minute sign-ups!

I also got my first Cambodian "moto" ride:

Cambodia Storefronts - Translated...part 1

Here's a few of the businesses we visited yesterday at the market. I've translated them to english so you know what they are. Enjoy:

JoAnn Fabrics:

Best Buy:

Super America/Kwik Trip

Payless Shoes

Waste Management:

Barlow Hyvee:

Cambodian Villages

Yesterday we were able to take a trip across the beautiful Cambodian countryside to visit a few of the small villages and have bible study / church services there. It was nearly a two hour ride to the first village over a washboard road with some ruts that could swallow a Volkswagen. It made us appreciate the smooth roads we drive on in the US. As we drove along, we’d wave and people would give us a curious glance as I imagined they wondered what these “white” folks were doing here.

At the villages we participated in study and worship. If you are wondering where all the Cambodian men are in the picture, many of them work the fields or cross the border into Thailand to get work and may or may not come home for days. Getting the weekends “off” can be a foreign concept to many that need to work daily to make enough money just to live.

When field work is done, many gather on the back of these cow tractors to make the trek home - I don’t know that I’ve yet seen the maximum seating capacity of one of these all purpose “Vehicles?” or if there is such a thing.

We got to see a little bit of life as they live it and were also able to hear stories of how their lives have been positively impacted because of Jesus. It’s amazing how God can break through barriers and come into the lives of people here in spite of pressure from family and others around them in a culture where less than 2% of people are Christian. We were able to take some time to connect with some of what could be the future leaders in the church. We also were able to enjoy some time playing with some of the village kids.

Today we’ll have some R&R. I will be working on updating some anti-virus software on some of the computers and a couple guys will be visiting the clinic. We’ll also get a chance to visit the market. Thank you for your continued prayers!