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!

English Camp - A Success!

We had a great english camp!  The students had a blast and we did too!  Enjoy some photos.

Praise the Lord!  The rain held off while the classes painted the wall around the church grounds.

Thanks to the CCC treasure hunters for making the Chinese jump ropes.  The kids enjoyed them!

and a cambodian interesting find:

English Camp – Day 2 and counting

It’s truly amazing the energy that the students bring to camp. Each morning Ron and the Cambodian band get things going with music. The students all love the song “I am Free” and we’ve heard several of them singing or humming it on the way home after camp.

Each class has also been competing in games throughout the day. The classes have really enjoyed cheering each other on and some are quite competitive. It’s been rewarding to get to know some of the students and see them learn as well as hear their stories.

Each day seems to bring with it a new set of tastes and food. For breakfast, we had a form of noodle soup/broth. Lunch included fish baked with some kind of ginger and soup that was made with pig skin. Supper was stir fry with a pineapple sweet and sour sauce that was really yummy. Rice seems to be the standard starch, much like bread is in the US. There are many other veggies that do look familiar, but my stomach is still adjusting to the new tastes and many of us are still perfecting the art of chopsticks.

I sense a pattern of walking away from these days feeling mentally and spiritually filled. On one hand, I feel energized, on an emotional high from all the smiling and laughing faces but also physically drained from the heat and humidity. Today is the last day of our first English camp. Thank you so much for your prayers – God is good. Pray that God would work through us to show His love to the students and that lives would be changed for His glory.

English Camp - A blast...we're exhausted...the end

Despite several obstacles leading up to today, God delivered an amazing first day of camp. Enjoy some pictures.  Please continue to pray for the health of our team, the kids, the missionaries and camp.

Sunday worship

Today we got the privelage of worshiping with the people of Cambodia. We started at a small church on the outskirts of Poipet. Four wheel drive was needed to get there due to the muddy conditions from yesterday's rain. Their worship is much like ours in that it includes singing, bible reading and preaching. The youth gave a skit that was simple and powerful to me. It reminded me of all the lost people in this world. We then headed back to CAMA services for the second service of the day. At both services our group sang a song and a couple of us shared our testimony.

After lunch, several folks split up and went to remote villiges to participate in worship there. One team was able to witness a couple accepting Christ. As part of their first act of becoming christians, they cut off the "spirit" bracelets of their twin babies (my understanding is that this is an occultic practice meant to wart off evil spirits). By doing this, they were demonstrating their new faith and trust in Jesus.

Several of us swept and mopped the church in preparation for english camp. We gathered for supper and Ron was able to unpack and set up the electic keyboard and cajon (square drum) we brought. They had made the flight without damage! Several of the youth enjoyed making music with the new instruments.

Tomorrow we start the first day of english camp. Since this is the first time most all of us have done this, I'm a little unsure what to expect. Pray for all the logistics of running a camp to get sorted out and for a great time to bond and share with the students. Please continue to pray for the health of the team.

"Plan A"..... (ish)

Today we started off at Soeuth and Syna’s with French toast, fruit and coffee. Then we visited and toured the Christian And Missionary Alliance (CAMA) office here in Poipet. After our group devotions, we put together our “PLAN A” for the day. A little later, a nice young man named Heng, came by and taught us some very basic Khmer. We all laughed at ourselves and each other as we tried to pronounce some of the words and phrases. It would be a tough language to fully learn. But the locals really appreciate even the slightest effort to talk to them in their native tongue.

After lunch, we journeyed out to the new Poipet church building where we will be hosting the English Camps. Man, is it a beautiful building! It is 99% complete and the Cambodian workers were there putting the finishing touches on it. As we were admiring the building, a rain storm snuck in and proceeded to dump massive amounts of water on us. What seemed to be buckets of golf-ball sized rain drops drenched most of us in seconds as we rode to the CAMA office in the back of Kandi’s truck.

We looked like a bunch of wet rags. It was quite a sight. The rain did bring with it much-welcomed cooler temps, and we couldn’t help but just laugh about the whole thing.

The rain and a couple of other things quickly washed away our “PLAN A.” As Karl mentioned before we left, “It is a good day in Cambodia when “Plan B” works. Well, I think today we probably ended up a bit further down the alphabet. But it was still a great day.

Tomorrow’s “PLAN A” includes several church services in the Poipet area and surrounding villages, as well as final preparations for English Camp which starts the next day. It will be a very busy day. Pray for us as several of us will be giving our testimonies and encouraging the local believers. Also pray for our strength and endurance as we are still struggling with the effects of jet lag.

Arrived!

This morning we loaded up two vans with our team and our luggage and began the van trip to Poipet.  We arrived at the border around noon.  Kandy Lay (Alliance missionary) greeted us there.  She had lined up a couple of hired help to cart our luggage across the bridge from Thailand into Cambodia.  They piled our luggage into these two wheeled carts that looked like they were barely held together.  Meanwhile, we went through various stages of getting our Visa and going through customs. 

We got checked into our hotel and then piled into and on the back of Kandy's truck to Soeuth and Syna Lao's house where we were treated to a late Cambodian lunch.  Later we were given a basic review of cultural do's and don'ts.  We were also able to spend some time talking to a number of youth that were attending a youth gathering there.  Later that evening, we were able to take in some of the local food in as shown below. 

Tomorrow will be cleaning and prep for English camp.  Several of us are working on only a few hours of sleep as the jet lag is catching up with us.  Signing off now to get some sleep...

Bangkok - Almost there!

Our trip began from the Rochester International Airport where we were joined by several families and supporters to pray for us and send us off.  We found out that Peter Larson was to be our pilot for part of our trip for the leg between Chicago and Tokyo.   We got another nice surprise to start our trip.  When Christie explained to the ticket officer we were on a missions trip to Cambodia, she waived the extra $600 baggage fee.

Our first and shortest flight of the trip was from Rochester to Chicago.  The weather was nice as we took off and landed in Chicago.

Once in Chicago, we would board a larger 777 for the long leg from Chicago to Tokyo.  This was about a 13 hour flight that proved to be even longer because after we boarded we got delayed with mechanical issues.  After about an hour, we finally took off.  Several sleepless hours later, we arrived in Tokyo.  Several of us had to get boarding passes and since we were late arriving, we made it to our next gate only about 10 minutes prior to our next boarding.

The trip from Tokyo to Bangkok was a short 6 hours after the last flight :-) and by this time many of us were too tired to not sleep - regardless of how restless we were.  We taxied into Bangkok around 10 p.m. and after getting bussed to the main terminal, we found our way through immigration and customs.

After jamming all our suitcases into two vans we taxied into our guesthouse around midnight.  Oh, how nice a bed felt.

We are now safe and sound in Bangkok, our first pit stop on this leg of the trip.    Most of us spent the day at the Alliance guest house recovering and seeing some of the local sites in Bangkok and tasting some yummy food.  Gregg Smith met with some contacts in Bangkok to test out some medical equipment for Kent Copeland.  Tomorrow morning we load up the vans and travel about 4 hours to the border where we'll cross over into Poipet, Cambodia.