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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
