Back from Siem Reap (George)

Hello all,

We're back safely from Siem Reap. After a layover in Taipei, Taiwan, we slogged through the last 13-hour leg of travel and was warmly greeted by Albert, Christina, & Grace and a big red 15-passenger KCPC van.

The last two days were a whirlwind. We spent the last week sharing testimonies with each other and that allowed us to share our lives with the local missionaries. On trips like this, it's easier to absorb their lives, but you have to make concerted efforts to return the favor. It was a good time of sharing and prayer for the ministry there. Even within the team, we learned new things about each other.

The last two days' schedules were the same as the others. Rainbow School and English Camp in the morning and Kontrak village in the afternoon. On Friday, we held a celebration with the English Camp participants and they joined us for lunch, and some of the girls got some cakes to top the meal off with dessert. The cakes were excellent. It must be the French influence in the region.

We said goodbye to Brian on Friday morning. At some point, we'll post the farewell outfit the guys chose to wore. Let's just say it was traditional Khmer clothing. When we said farewell to Brian, it was clear to us this was the beginning of the end. We knew our time in Siem Reap was coming to a close.

We decided to wrap up our time in Kontrak village with our singing time and just open-ended free time with the kids. Pastor Ryan and George made balloon animals and the others walked around the village, talking with the kids and seeing where they lived. It was a nice way to say goodbye for now. We walked through the village and met up with the van nearby the main road.

The last night, we had some extended sharing time Prof. SK Lee of Handong University. He is helping oversee a farming educational center that is being started in another part of Cambodia. We heard another perspective of the state of Cambodia. Despite what we've seen the past two weeks, we really only saw a limited part of the Cambodian spectrum of people because 80% of the population lives in the rural areas. Even Kontrak village, despite its rural nature, is not very rural, by Cambodian standards.

We also held a debrief with the local missionaries after SK's talk. They wanted to hear our feedback, but we also wanted to hear theirs because it'll help us better complement the minstry next year. The ministry here is still in a young state and they're still looking for ways to improve their approach towards the kids. The sharing went well past midnight, and then we were all faced with the prospect of packing before the 6:30am departure. Many baggy eyes were seen in the morning. We said farewell to Angie (she's leaving 12 hours after us) and that was the end of our time in Siem Reap. I think we can say with confidence that it's just another step taken in the partnership we're going to have with the ministry there. It's not "goodbye", but "until next time."

Most of us are off to bed now. We're not sure what time we'll wake up since it's 2pm Cambodia time right now. =)

Until we write again, jiem reap leah (goodbye).

More posts will be following in the near future. We thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging emails and letters. The work of God cannot be done alone and we're very glad for your partnership with us.

George

Blessings in Disguise (Connie)

This is how the kids greet us when we arrive at Kontrak Village.

Connie with Hawaiian Girl.
Ben and Connie with Witu and Vuta in Treak Village. The two boys attend the Rainbow Kindergarten.

Big Guns.
Some of the older students at Kontrak village, ages ranging from 15 - 20.

There's always time for a cute shot amidst the old temples of Cambodia.

A mom picking up kids from Rainbow school.

Class photo for Ben.

Kids showing off muscles during My God is So Big.


This is how the kids are waiting for us when we arrive at Kontrak Village.

Cute boy a.k.a Som Hang a.k.a. Gangster Boy a.k.a. Al Capone, taking a break with his shirt out.

Two more cute kids in Kontrak village

Teacher Borean with the children at Kontrak. She's helped us a lot with translations. She's the regular teacher for the kindergarten students throughout the year.

Shot from our team bus that shuttles us back and forth

Hawaiian Girl. She used to always wear a hawaiian skirt last year.

Children at play in their house at Treak Village


Connie teaching Bible lessons to some deaf students


A child showing off his latest capture: a large grasshopper

Weasna proud of his accomplishment in Rainbow School.

Kids at Kontrak Village singing along to "Amen, Praise the Lord"


Commuting on BART, eating lunch at my desk in front of the computer, constantly checking email and Facebook... these things seem so foreign right now.

Commuting on a tuk-tuk, eating mangosteen and dragonfruit, constantly swatting mosquitos... ahhh... these things are now familiar. :)

It's our 11th day here in Siem Reap and I am stuck inside the hotel room sick, watching a gecko scurrying across the wall. It seems unfair that I have to waste a day (when the number of our days here are so precious) vomiting, and having diarrhea, a fever, and body aches instead of being out there with the kids and my team. I've abandoned my 4-year-old class at Rainbow School and my older teen girls at Kontrak Village school who I've been teaching. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise? I'm forced to sit here and reflect. I can read and journal with no rush or interruption. And of course, sneak in a few hours of TV - a luxury we're normally denied here! - just to see where the U.S. stands in the number of gold medals so far!

I can hear the rain really coming down outside. The monsoon season has officially started. Our first week here was unusually cool (relatively for the area) and the humidity was bearable with frequent cool winds coming through (these breezes were few and far between for the team last year!).

With this final week being combined with my time here last year, this is actually my 4th week in Siem Reap. I have grown to know this place and love these kids even more.

One of my favorite students at Kontrak from last year we lovingly dubbed "Jungle Girl" has been MIA this year. But her little sister, Bopha, who was just a baby last year, has grown so much. She's become one of my favorites. She sings with enthusiasm (trying to sound out the English words, so foreign to her). She grabs my hands and counts, "Mooey, pee, bai" and I lift her up over and over again - a great workout for my arms!

There's a boy about three years old we call "Little Gangster" because he really looks and acts like a little gangster! Wrestling with the big boys, he can take a kick and a punch like the best of them and he just gets back up with no emotion. He wears a button down shirt that's always unbuttoned. And when we arrive, he's always standing out in the front, hunched over with his hands on his waist with a look that says, "What are you gonna try to teach me today?" He's a tough little one but he loves praise time. Once, he was sucking on a lollipop when we started singing, "My God is So Big." As soon as he heard the music, he threw down his lollipop stick and started doing the motions. I think he just likes showing off his guns (if you know the body worship for this song, you know which part I'm talking about!). He's one of my favorites, too.

There's also Heean Heean, Heean, Heean Heean (another one), and Hen. It's hard keeping these names straight but these older boys are great, too. They tease the girls endlessly, throwing grasshoppers at them, but when things get too wild they say sorry. And when I hand out stickers, they all want the heart.

We spent a Sunday afternoon cleaning Kontrak village school and they were all so eager to help. Picking up pieces of glass and dead frogs with no fear, walking barefoot around the prickly plants that stick to your pants and pinch your legs with no hesitation. Living in this environment, they've become tough - physically able to handle so much more than I could.

Then, there are the kids at Rainbow Kindergarten.

Sreyya is quiet and never asks for seconds during snack time - just patiently waits as her fellow classmates hungrily grab for more. And she shares her toys when her friend starts crying.

Peakadai is one of my smartest students. He's always solving puzzles and finishing his worksheets first.

Choree has the cutest smile, but she always ends up crying at least twice a day.

Srey Mae yells out "Father Abraham" in Khmer with such fiercity you want to immediately raise your right hand! left hand! right foot! left foot!

Eat, who reminds me of Sayeed from Lost always pretends he's revving up a motorcycle as he goes to his seat.

As you can see, I have many favorites. It's hard not to fall for these kids.

After 10 minutes, I'm exhausted.

But at the end of the day, I can say that was a day well spent. And it's hard to say that everyday back home. When we're in a routine. We go to work and each day just seems like the day before.

I'll savor my time here - savor each day left.

An unexpected opportunity turned up for me. Two deaf guys came to the NIBC Siem Reap Church on Sunday and the pastor introduced me to them (after learning that I knew sign language). It was great chatting with them and despite our language barrier (American Sign and Cambodia Sign are different) we were still able to communicate.
One of them was introduced to Christ at age 11 (now in their 20s) when missionaries showed a Jesus film in the local villages. He watched it 4 times and didn't fully understand it until several years later. Most of the other deaf people in the village are Buddhist so these two friends come to Sieam Reap Church together on occasion. The pastor, seeing me sign with them, asked if I could spend some time teaching them Bible stories.

So my first day teaching them was Monday. I have to admit, the two hours with them were pretty exhausting. Chatting casually for a bit is fun, but having serious Biblical conversations for two hours (with the differences in our signing) is hard! I was a bit tired and wondered if I was even being effective and why God put another task before me, when it meant I had to abandon my Rainbow students once again.

But my second day with them was better and I realized how much they are in need of Christian fellowship. It's currently so limited right now, with the pastor writing down his sermon and gesturing motions to preach to them when they do come to church. Something I thought to be a bit of a burden turned into another blessing in disguise.

It's amazing how God works. Whether you feel like a 'missionary' or not, with just one small step of faith, God provides opportunities to serve, love and to be a part of His great plan. We just have to keep our eyes open and be willing.

Thanks for your prayers!

BEAUTIFUL (SAAT)

chum reap soo (hello) from cambodia!
a week has passed and we are past the halfway point. deacon james, ellise, and victoria has left us. their presence was so big that the team feels so small now.

i titled this post beautiful (saat in khmer) because 1. the song is stuck in my head (jesus is beautiful... and He makes beautiful things of my life) but also because God has shown me so much beauty throughout this trip. starting with you guys. i read your support letters and many of you said we have beautiful feet (how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news Romans 10:15) but you guys have beautiful hearts. i truly am touched and encouraged by your support, prayers, good wishes through fasting, seeing us off at the airport, buying us snacks for our journey, etc. knowing our entire church is praying for us really lifted so much of my anxiety and fears about this trip.

the land of Cambodia is so beautiful, with such luscious greenery. we visited Ankgor Wat this weekend and was in awe. the handcarved stones, held together soley by their own weight. the man-made moat was breathtaking. i could cry from the beauty.

this weekend, we also attended the children's worship service, and i was amazed to see many of our Contrak kids there! i was encouraged that God is working through NIBC and the long term missionaries. even during our prayer walk, i met a local family who asked what i was doing there. i told them i was teaching at NIBC, and they knew of it, asking if that was a church. God is slowly but surely changing lives in Cambodia.

the children of Cambodia are beautiful. beautifully adorable on the outside and beautifully unspoiled and bold on the inside. they joyfully and diligently help me to pick up trash, they finish eating everything on their plates, they run barefoot alone in the rain and open terrain and find grasshoppers as pets. they just love to laugh, sing, jump, cling, and play. i feel like they show me so much more love than i am showing them. they show me so much affection even though they don't know who i am. even though i don't speak their language, they don't stop running to me and embracing me.

thank you again for your prayers and support, here are some specific things to pray for:

prayer requests:
for us to trust in God's sovereignty in the saving of lives
that the children and people of Cambodia will come to know and love God
missionaries to be continually renewed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, for more long term missionaries to serve in Cambodia, and for growth of their ministries
team building, praying, and lesson preparations, for energy, wisdom, and love in teaching and interacting with the kids
continued health and protection both spriritual and physical. the team is battling a mild bout of stomachache and illness, please pray for quick healing

sra lan (love),
nancy



Eun-Sook and I dueling inside Angkor Wat




Brian and Angie doing the same inside the Bayon Temple




one of the 4 (charity, compassion, sympathy, and equanimity) smiling faces of the Buddha at the gate of Angkor Tom




Reverend Ryan's thumb and teaching his students about the countries of the world at Contrak







a precious moments girl saying her prayers at Rainbow School







Contrak kids singing "Praise the Lord!"







Rev Ryan and I with some of our students at NIBC



the trees at Tonle Sap (largest lake in Southeast Asia) look flooded but actually will look normal as the monsoon season subsides






team sharing at the missionaries' home




the girls found an imaginary window atop one of the Hindu temples in Angkor Tom




beautiful children at Contrak




team with SK Lee in front of our hotel



beautiful sisters =)





and one of his favorite students holding his lil bro




one of our students running up the stairs at contrak




JP messing around with his favorite girl at contrak



student standing in the window of her home-- made out of banana leaves!




nekru (teacher) eun-sook with students at rainbow school

jps blog

Favorite #1
Favorite #2
Team at Rainbow with the rascals.
BOY(thats his name)! He has A.D.D

Team at Angkor WHAT!?!?!?!?!
Look, Eunsook looks tall!
Tonle Sap! Kid chilling in his styrofoam floater.
Local kids at Tonle Sap in their play hut.
BOPHA! Look at those eyes.

Witu and Vuta (brothers), kids from Rainbow School, chilling at their fruit stand.
Nancy, Eunsook and I in front of Angkor Tom.
One of many group pictures taken today.
who are those two handsome guys?
Look at our Buddha faces!! No, look at Angie's Buddha face. hahaha

Favorite #2

After Kontrak, we visited a local students hut.
LANNA!!!!!!!!! I gonna bring her home.
Favorite #1

whats up everyone!! first i want to thank all our supporters for their prayers!! its been really encouraging to know that we have people back home praying consistently for us. so again, AH KUN (thats thank you in khmer)!!!! we reached the end of our first week, and i must say that its been truly an amazing one. because of your prayers, the team and i have not run into any serious complications. besides some slight fatigue, HUMIDITY, and these freaken mosquitoes, God has truly been blessing us here in cambodia.

today at dinner george, ben, pastor ryan found ourselves in a conversation about how the trip has been for us so far. initially, george asked angie at the dinner table what she learned and got out of the trip here last year. when i interjected and had a chance to share my thoughts and feelings, it was the first time i heard myself speaking aloud about whats been going thru my mind. although i felt slightly timid to share at first, i felt an urgency to want to share. in preparation of this trip, i assumed that i was going to feel much sympathy for the people here. i was expecting to see poverty at its greatest, and to want to help. since ive been here, i have not once felt sympathetic for the people because of their living conditions. although, compared to "our standards of living", these people may appear to not have much, they seem very content. the children are happy and the parents do not display any expression of feeling unfortunate. i almost want to say that i am envious of them. witnessing this has been very humbling. i soon began to question why we were here.

although they seem fine on the surface, God has illstrated to me that theyre living in a Godless country. though these people here seem to have what they need, they lack in Christ. please pray for the people here for they desperately need it.

quick prayer requests:

- victoria, elise and her dad are departing tomorrow. please pray for safe travel.

- tomorrow we are having a prayer walk in the city. Were going to visit an orphanage in siem reap.

-health and perseverance!

Love you all!!

In Him,

JP