#10 - Ask and it shall be given unto you...

“Ask and it shall be given unto you.”

Well, you know your faith is not as great as you think when you make an offhand remark to one person not expecting that anything would be done about it. I was talking to Channak, Marie's assistant, about getting a key to the office area. Yes, I am going there because I needed to use the washroom there! Oh yes, I am going there! Have been having problems with my stomach and the squat toilet was not helping me at all! 

Squat toilet in Cambodia

The first time I used it when I had stomach trouble, let us just say no one told me about NOT using toilet paper etc., (yes, too much info for some of you), and let us just say it was NOT good! Anyway, not wanting to go to the bathroom is not good for my system so all I wanted was a key so that if I wanted to go at 3 in the morning or whatever, I could just go instead of waiting until 8 in the morning when the office opened! Well, MY LORD went beyond that and this morning as I was in Khmer class, they came into my room and removed the squat toilet and put in a regular toilet! Serious! I still am in a bit of a shock but then I started to laugh; HE knew exactly what I needed, so there you are!

If you think that GOD is not aware of what you need, He does and He will sometimes surprise you!

I wanted to see the EURO World Cup game but did not have access to it but still mentioned it to Channak, the same person who connected me for the toilet. He said he talked to Pastor about it because it would be for the older boys to see as well, but it started at 11 and would go on for two hours and we would have to get a TV etc.. Anyway I met the Pastor and we decided that it was a school day so perhaps it was not advisable for the guys to be up etc.. 

Well, next ting I know, Pastor said he would lend me his TV and I am up watching the Greece/Czech game as I am writing to you, about 11:33 at night! It was hilarious trying to set up the TV with the antennae, trying to find the right angle and twisting the antennae to find the best reception. The whole of POR is asleep except for me in this room. Of course the whole ting is in Khmer and a bit fuzzy, but, hey, all good!

 I am watching the guys play their daily volleyball game with a couple of the staff and I’m praying and hoping that the ball does not come my way. 

And hit me on the head. 

Of course, the kids are out and they want to touch and press the keyboard, so this might take longer to do than usual. I went to watch kids play football because watching the Euro game at nighttime and not going to see them play in the daytime just seemed wrong. 

Speaking of that, whoa! the ball just came over my head! Seriously! 

Wait... while I give them one of my famous looks! Ah, it still works because they are calling out ‘sorry teacher!’ 

Ah, now at soccer field, one of my students just scored two goals! And some child just jumped on my back and is now perched on my shoulders! He just snuggles in and is holding on so we stand together and watch the game and I walk back with him still on my back to my place and have to let him down. I do not know him, he is not one of my students but he gives me a wave and runs off.

Teaching was tough today, I had to discipline one of my brightest students, who came in late and then was not listening to my instructions. I am not sure if they grasped the lesson today. They know how to do the tests, write the words down but cannot transfer that knowledge to orals. Need prayer for this class at midday each day. Thank you all for continuing to stand in the gap and storm the heavens for me and for the kids.

One of the highlights of teaching is praying with Teacher Poeun before our six o’clock class. We have made it a priority to meet and pray for the kids and to thank God for the opportunity to teach the next generation of leaders of Cambodia.

God is so amazing, the same kid whom I had to discipline just happened(?) to be in the library when I stepped in to show Teacher Poeun and Teacher Kayar that I had bought a local cake (finally!), and was eating to show them how delicious I found it. Then I saw ‘M’ and gave him a piece of cake, which he took and gave me a smile together with his 100 lines of ‘I must obey the obey the teacher’! 

Food is the peacemaker here.

I am grateful and thankful to you all for storming the heavens on behalf of our kids here, on behalf of the grannies and the house moms. 

I can feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders and I know it is because you are praying.

With a grateful heart to you all, and to our King.

I came on dancing with my Saviour,

Love, Sister Vidya

#9 - Getting Down Before The Lord

Vol.9

Sometimes you just have to get down....no, not dance .....but fall prostrate before the Lord, especially when twice in your devotional readings your spirit connects with the Scripture as mine did from 2Samuel 14:22 and 33: “²²Joab fell to his face to the ground to pay him honor”; and in “³³ and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king....”

So I obeyed Him and just felt I had to go and fall on my face (brought pic of Tara H to my mind!) and just spent time with Him. It really is too humbling to have the GREAT I AM come alongside me on the floor. I was just in tears enjoying His Presence.

Story told by pastor: He was in the traffic in the tuk tuk surrounded by other tuk tuks and big-name cars (Mercedes, Lexus etc.), when he saw a beggar who could not walk, was lame, and the Holy Spirit prompted him to go and put an offering in the beggar’s basket. He looked around to make sure that he had enough time to walk to the beggar, then got up and went to put an offering and came back. He said then something happened that he had never seen before in his time in Cambodia (over 10 years), people got out of their cars and tuk tuks and also went to put offerings in the basket! He was in tears!

Sometimes it just takes one person to get out of the comfort zone and initiate something: just listen to the Spirit`s voice and obey!

Stomach is a bit unstable but I have to work through it and focus on class tonight. And I am trying to type this as kids are all over me at the swing! I should go inside now....

SO I go to another place, an open room, the meeting place. I am sitting when the JK kids come running in to go to the playground with cries of “Teacher!” when they see me. I am swarmed and yet have no place to go as I am sitting down! One little girl who is the newest to be at POR brings her paper gift bag with 3 stuffed toys in it, and takes them out one by one to show me. I stroke each toy and give it back to her.  Then this little boy unfolds one I thought was a stuffed toy and it turns out to be a dead bat! A dead bat with blood traces on it! I was so taken aback that I just laughed out loud because in the next instant one boy takes my sunglasses and puts it on upside down on his face!

So with cries of “Teacher!” and the kids all over me, I knew there was no way I could learn my Khmer (I was out there to practice), so I went on the slides and the tire swing! Lots of fun on the slides and the tire which looked comfortable was NOT! But It was nice to push back and forth on the swing until one kid jumps on my stomach and wants us to swing and then another tries to jump on my back to swing as well. And then the ‘bat kid’ comes back and rubs his hand on my head! Well, what are you going to do but ……swing and slide!

I taught them a new word: ‘butt burn”! Yes, I made it up but it was very relevant! Needless to say, I had to take a second shower within one hour!

I was up at 5 walking around the area (yes, in my jammies!) and just felt I should spend time with Him in different places and praise Him!  

It was afternoon, very hot, and I walked into the library around 2:30 and gave second tests to 5 students who were failing, before giving in the marks to the public school. I saw this young man who is always in the library and asked Teacher Peoune about him and was told that he was here at POR, and then he voluntarily left and then came back some time later. I was curious, so I went up to him and asked him about his story.

In slow English, he said he came to POR when he was 15; his father died when he was young and his mother remarried but her husband did not want him. He went to live with his grandmother but there were 4 other kids there and they would always fight. Then someone asked POR if he would be accepted and he came here. However when he went to public school, he met friends who had a bad influence on him, and he wanted all the things they had, so he left POR when he was 18. But when he went back to his home province, he could not get work, life was different than what he expected; the easy life was not there. Then Mom Saconde, one of the committee members, told him that Jesus had great plans for his life, and at 20, he came back here. He realized that he is here to learn English and he is grateful to God, for His voice that speaks to him.

I was so touched by his story and by His humble spirit, I asked him if I could pray over him to bless him. He said yes and bowed his head as I prayed. I told him that there are other kids here who are probaly going through what he went through and I prayed he would be able to speak into their lives. “T” is one of the top students in his class and I prayed for his ability to learn English as well. I left there knowing this is one of the reasons I am here.

I just came back from visiting the famous temples in Angkor Wat In Siem Reap, where the remnants of worshipping the idols, Buddha, and animal figures are in evidence. Funny, when I began this newsletter I did not know that I was going to be visiting these temples, and yet after visiting I wanted to go and fall prostrate before the Lord, to worship and to adore Him after seeing people go and lay down incense and put money to pray to these idols, figures made by man that cannot hear and feel or respond.

 I LOVE YOU LORD!

Speaking of temple, HE reminded me that my body is also His temple, my mind, heart and soul are part of that temple and that I need to be in constant rapport with the One who designed me, to check my spiritual life to see that I am emotionally and spiritually healthy. For now, HE is the One I go to, there is no person here that He has given to me as my accountability partner/s. I know that is how He has designed it and I do not want to change His timing and become like the Israelites to ask for a ‘king’ and exchange His glory for someone else. I thank God for you, my prayer and accountability partners, and for the emails and calls I have received. I am claiming Psalm 119:66: that God would teach me knowledge and good judgement in all that I say and do…

Still Dancing with Him,

Sister Vidya