#111 - Test results and travelling mercies!

 Vol.# 111

My arms are wide open and … no, it is not to hug someone nor am I lifting up my arms in worship! It is me stretching after a much needed nap after my exam this morning! I had perhaps 4 hours of sleep each night for the past week! 


Thank you for your faithful prayers!

For those who eagerly await my breakdown of how I did, read on! Others can skip to the end! 

Word recognition: 100 percent, however, with 6 errors in pronunciation! 

Answer questions/ conversations: We had 10 questions to prepare short answers: 85 percent. 

Read Khmer: 7/10. 

Short 3 mins. talk on 3 specific topics: (For those of you who know me, this was EXCRUCIATING to speak for only 3 mins. each in Khmer! Just kidding folks! 
I went blank when I had to brain storm but thankfully I remembered what I had rehearsed! 8/10. 

Listening text and then answered questions: I got 4/5 questions! The first question asked about geographical locations and used numbers, so as I was trying to figure out if they said 450 or 350, they had moved on to talk about something else! So this part was not my best! This was the one that I thought would be the hardest and I was correct! 


Overall I have improved but I still need to have the ear so that I can hear and understand what is being said! 

OH, I PASSED!


More importantly than the academic part of language school are the relationships which God made possible! 

After the exam I sat down with the coffee sellers who set up their little coffee shop cart in front of the school! The owners go to New Life church and I have gotten to know the four sellers who are there as I buy my coffee/coconut shake from them each morning! I get to hear their life stories as we talk in Khmer and English! They said that little did they know they were going to become teachers, because all of us students are always asking for their help with pronunciation! 


Relationships with the teachers at the school: I get to ‘jam’ with Teacher Ming at lunchtime when I am waiting for my extra hour in tutoring once a week. He sings in Khmer and I try to listen and sing along … in English! Yay! I am not that good yet! But just hanging out with the one or two teachers who are there is fun! 

My Classmates

Classmates: Right after my exam today, Ryan and his wife (whom I met in Level three, with Ryan continuing on full time with us while his wife switched to part time to be with the kids) invited me out to lunch! Ryan and another classmate who joined us for the first time for Level 4, Charles, are just like my brothers; they were the ones who invented ‘the Vidya'! I met Charles’ friends today while at school and they said, "Oh, so you are Vidya"!

Charles always has a 'Vidya' story! The one that they especially liked was when Ryan and Charles were in giggles escalating to outright laughter over something I said (!), and I got up and proceeded to hit them over the head with my scarf! 
The friend said, "Good for Vidya, whomever she is"! 
So we exchanged phone numbers so we could hang out sometime! 

My Classmates being silly!

Tonight I will be going out with the other couple in class! They are the brilliant couple whom I have talked about before. I got to know them a bit better and realized they are both introverts, so having me in the class was a change for them! They ended up helping me by giving me organizational sheets with new words so I could practice and write them down on the sheets! 
They have been both very gracious and I just happened to say casually last week that we should get together and they said, "Let us take you out for dinner to our special Italian place", so tonight we are going! 
I will try and be on my best behavior! LOL! 


Praise: Thank you! I realize it has been a long road since my unexpected hospital stay. I look back and all I can say is Praise Him for how He has rescued and kept me. 
This was ‘our’ time, my Jesus and myself, as He worked out my faith and built me up even when my physical strength was weak! 


Prayer Request: For His travelling grace. 
I do not like travelling or being on the plane for long hours since I am a bit claustrophobic! Please pray that I sleep and my travelling companions will be gracious! OR, better yet, that I would have the whole row to myself! Pray as I go through customs in Seoul, and then for God-appointed meetings as I wait for next plane on my last leg home! 


I have to get things in order here with landlord before I leave! So please pray as I get things done! 


Thank you to my Khmer community here: Dong, who through this model was my WhatsApp teacher; and Johnny for his prayers for me; and yes, Channak, for taking the time to help me with prep for my presentation!; Krong and Liep, the Khmer couple from church who prayed for me as well! 

Dancing with Him Khmer style!

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your sister, Vidya 

#110 - Final Assessment and Homecoming!

Thank you! My presentation went well. 

I could not get the Khmer keyboard working and I was depending on that to do my power point presentation, but Channak had a great idea, which was to write down the titles etc. in the presentation on cue cards in Khmer, and then he took photos of them and put them on power point for me. 

I cannot tell a lie, I was stressed and had to rewrite some of them over and over until I got them right.

Guess what? 

In closing remarks my Khmer teacher gave kudos for creativity! The rest of the students did an excellent job in their professional presentation! 

Ahem, this was a test of His fruit of the Spirit. 

Personal prayer request: On the 22nd I will have a final assessment for this level. This is the toughest one and all of us are feeling the pressure. Will you please pray that I will finish well? Deep sleep is elusive, and I realize that I have been on the go mentally since my stay in the hospital, and well, frankly, I am tired mentally and emotionally. Physically I am doing well!  

Thank you!

Prayer requests:  

- Please pray as I study for the assessment. My reading is good, I just take a longer time, but understanding the conversations flowing around me has been more difficult! I was praying this morning around 3 (I could not sleep - LOL) that God would give me His ears to hear and to not only differentiate sounds, but also get the rhythm when I have to say the words! I want to learn the language of my adopted family here with integrity and be able to communicate !  

- I am meeting with 6 of former students for dinner soon. Please pray for deepening of relationships which is not dependent on my feeding them, but also listening and being a help to them! 

- This Friday I have sent up a lunch date with one of my former students as well! She just got engaged due to pressure from her mother, so please pray that my Khmer and her understanding of English will be enough for us as we eat and hang out together! 

I cannot wait to see you all as I come home on the 26th of this month, and return to finish my studies on August 3rd! Dancing the waltz today with Him!

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your sister, Vidya 

#109 - I've Reached 'Noun' Status!

As I stand with thousands of Khmer as they sing their national anthem, I get goose bumps and teary-eyed! 

I have to learn the words to this song, but it also hits me  that this is the way I feel when I hear the anthem for Trinidad and Tobago and for Canada! 

We (Cambodia) were playing Taiwan in a soccer game and to say the stadium was packed would be an understatement! But I was with Channak and Jonny and they knew their way and as we tried to walk down into the stadium to find seats (general admission for only $1.25! Yes, really!), I kept thinking that there was no way we were going to get any place to sit down! But then Channak said to walk this way, and as I walked into the row, there was a space large enough to fit the three of us! 

Amazingly it was a reminder of how God goes before us and literally prepares the place for us! It was a clear space, no one had put their bags or anything on the concrete seats!  There was a group of young guys sitting in front and they were blowing their horns and singing and dancing to the music that was blaring from the stadium speakers! (Naturally I joined them as my two friends sat!) 

This was a welcome break from the grind of studies, but also a fun way to join in the life here! Conversations began with ...are you going to the game... while I was at school that day, to my Khmer landlord saying thank you to me for going to support the team! 

Now let's talk about self control that Pastor Sunder talked about in his last message. I am talking about the self control where you do not drink water before the game, to going without water for 3 hours while you are there, and it is HOT! You cannot get out because it is so crowded and if you do, it is a long way to the washroom, and if you know me, I would not only need a GPS to find my way back, but also angels showing me the way! 

Then just before the game started, l looked up and there was a lady in front of me giving me 2 Cambodian stickers. I took them and then realized that oh maybe I have to pay for them but she said ...free free! Jonny, who is expat, said to me afterwards, oh so he thought she was going to give him as well but she said he had to pay! She was actually selling them but for some strange reason I got them free! But I felt God say to me, Yes, my child I know that for the last 2 days you were trying to get these stickers, and you could not, and here I got them for you FREE! 

Revelation 4:1-2(AMP) After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a [war] trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 At once I was in [special communication with] the Spirit; and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne.

I was listening to Steve Furtick from Elevation church as he looked at these Scripture verses, and he spoke on the Holy Spirit as well. Some of points include:

-Access. (a door standing open) We have an access, an open door to God, just as HE gave us access into the stadium and provided the seats. 

-Attention, (I will show you...in [special communication with] the Spirit) which is really listening and going before God/Holy spirit. And I was thinking as I looked over at my fellow football fans that if only we could give God the same passion and fervour that we had for this game, the same joy and excitement to go to Him.

-Altitude: (Come up here...with One seated on the throne) perspective - to look at something from His perspective. HE sat on the throne. It is not me, but GOD. In the evening, I should be consistent in  writing down/journalling what He has done so that in the morning when I get up, I am starting from a perspective of thankfulness. So in the morning, let it be HIM that I go to first, His Word, which then becomes His flesh in showing me how to deal with relationships and issues that will occur during the day, because I started my day from His perspective in His Word, in His truth. 

The above was a powerful reminder to me not to end my day with my Khmer homework or start my day with my Khmer studies. When I can get to the point of listening to worship songs and His Word in Khmer, then I can end my day in Khmer,  but now I need to be in Him before I lay my head down! 

It is very easy to lose perspective and become consumed by something else however worthy (Khmer studies), and as I looked over the stadium I kept praising God for the wonderful spirit of my Khmer family here, but also was reminded of the masses who do not yet know Him! 

You can view the whole sermon here:
http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/an-overview-of-your-future/

Prayer request: 

We were given an unexpected assignment 3 days ago, to prepare a power point presentation based on our research of a famous Khmer person. I have done the research, so please pray for me as I write out the presentation in Khmer  and practice pronunciation of the words! 

Praise: 

I got the permanent crown put in on Friday, and so far my tooth feels good. Thank you so much for your prayers!

FYI: I became a noun! In class we had to work in pairs and one other pair was laughing and doing a dancing motion! He could not remember the Khmer word but then he did ,so he did a dance but he said " I am doing a Vidya!"  (My legacy!)

AND...We won the game 2 - 0! 

I'm off now to prepare for the presentation! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your sister, Vidya

 

#108 - A Bollywood scene and doing the 'wave'!

Vol. #108

2 Samuel 17:2 : "I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic...".

I actually smiled when I read this from His Word this morning, because that is how I felt last night at midnight when I was trying to decipher a Khmer comprehension text! 

It felt like I was in a Bollywood movie, going through the feelings of joy when I was able to recognize and translate words, and then confusion and discouragement when I could not. 

There were tears of joy and distress when it was around 12 and I realized I was only ¾ of the way through (I had started at 9 after doing other homework)! 

Tears of joy, by the way, when I realized I was speaking words in Khmer; but I do not understand, this is discouraging! 

I did not do a dance physically as would happen in the Bollywood movie. Last night I was too tired and feeling as if I was getting a cold! 

But this morning as I read His Word, I realized that the 'enemy' was trying to discourage me by WHAT I did not know, but GOD reminded me of His faithfulness to me by revealing how much I had learnt yesterday! 

The new addition to my Khmer class told his housemates yesterday that Vidya is a riot in class, that she makes the class! I wish this were because of my great language skills etc., but NOT! But as I talked to the housemate yesterday, I decided at least I did not make him cry or annoyed! 

Praise: 

I was at the Olympic stadium last weekend watching Cambodia play East Timor in a football game. I was so excited to be with the thousands who came out for the game, to do the 'wave' and to shout and groan along with my Khmer family! We won 2-0! 

(Photo credit: Channak Morn)

But the best part for me was seeing and being part of the 'wave'! I was praying that hearts would be bowed to Him and rejoicing to be in the wave for Jesus! 

By the way I sat in VIP seat for only $2.50!!! 

And I love the fact the Khmer sing out their national anthem; no one is shy and I just loved that! 

Prayer: 

- I will go on Friday to finish the root canal and crown. Continue to pray for His wisdom for my dentist and for me to display His fruit of the Spirit! 

- For my ears to be able to recognize the sounds of my new language! I am listening to Khmer songs and trying to listen to people around me, but I still need that conversational partner/s! 

Thank you for continuing to send in your prayer requests.
We are dancing together in life and I love it! 
Whoa, I just realized I need to get ready for class! 
Dance with Him today in whatever you do! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your sister, Vidya