#162 - "Well, the weather outside is..."

Vol.# 162

BRR!

Where are my ‘Stines’ when I need them? It is cold here in Cambodia!

Some of you will know what I mean when I say ‘Stines’, others will not, but that is okay.

You know it is cold when ...

…Your coconut oil is frozen.

…When you wait until the hot water kicks in, and there is steam arising, before jumping into the shower. However you also now dread going from the bathroom into the bedroom, because it is cold there (You previously welcomed the cold!).

...When you go hunting all over town for a woolen hat. There are lots of sports caps but your girl here needs a wool hat for short hair.

…When you dress in track pants, 2 long-sleeve t-shirts, socks, and a blanket to go up to the rooftop at night!

MY ROOFTOP BALCONY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Naturally I get comments like, “But you are from Canada, you still find it cold?”

Yes! In Canada I would be dressed warmly when it is cold!

Now I am singing ‘The weather outside is...”

When you come right down to it, I really am an island girl, eh?

But my thoughts turned to Mary as I am now shivering.

I think of her on the donkey going towards Bethlehem, the cold nights, and then when she got to the stable. How brave she was at such a young age! 

How amazing was her response to the angel Gabriel when she was told she was chosen to birth the Saviour: 

“I am the Lord’s servant”.

The end.

I would have had so many questions and reasons why I should not to chosen. Rereading and reliving the advent time has renewed my passion and my love for Him. When I see Mary’s faith in action, and then Joseph’s submission and his faith in action in following the leading of God, it brings new life into my own walk and relationship with Jesus the Christ.

Yesterday I got a call from one of my teachers from G2K to invite me to her graduation from university (B.A) that very afternoon. I called one of my tuk tuk drivers and we got to the university at 2:30p.m. We were supposed to be there at 3:30p.m. At 3:00, I decided to call my teacher’s husband to tell him where we were, and apparently we were at the wrong university! So then we had to rush through traffic and then got to the auditorium 5 minutes after they closed the door.

Well you may have thought it was a wasted journey, but, while I was waiting at the first university, Mr. Chanta and I had a conversation in Khmer and English about spirituality and life in general. He was trying to teach me how to say a particular consonant that I have been having trouble pronouncing. So there was a lot of laughter and facial expressions going on!

And as I waited for 3 hours and watched the ceremony on the television in the hallway, I saw so many parents and grandparents come in, waiting to celebrate that day that they all sacrificed for. 

It was humbling and joyous to see the balloons and teddy bears and flowers that family and friends brought to celebrate the occasion. 

The best was that if I had been in the auditorium, I would have missed greeting and meeting Teacher Vatey’s mother, sister and cousins. 

They came at 6:00 and they were laughing because I had all of these flowers and balloons around me because it was windy when the big doors to university were opened.

Those are moments I would not give up for the world! Teacher Vatey had only invited 2 people from our language school to come. My other friend could not go, so I was delighted and honored to join.

So sometimes plans go awry, but do not miss out on God-opportunities to deepen relationships and make new connections! 

I pray that this season for those of you who have lost loved ones in the past year, and for those who are ‘alone’, that the Holy Spirit will hover over you, sheltering you in your grief and giving you a new intimacy with Him. May God open the ‘eyes’ of others to welcome you into their homes as the stars beckoned the wise men to go to the stable.

As I play Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, my fellow Canadian, I am beginning to feel a bit warmer.

Now to dance! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

#161 - Christmas Celebrations with Trini Nostalgia

Vol.#161

One of the many traditions we have back in Trinidad and Tobago is that everyone, no matter the religion, would be putting up new curtains, painting their house, and doing extra cleaning getting ready for the Christmas season! 

So I decided that I would begin preparations not only spiritually, but also physically here on site. 

So curtains were taken down and washed and put up again. I will be looking for new sheets for my bed, and as you already know, the Christmas tree is already up!  

My housemate will be decorating the rooftop area (I will send pics). The day to celebrate Christmas here with former students is still to be decided on. Already I have my Christmas soca music on. 

I am missing the ‘sorrel’, 'Peardrax' and ‘fruit cake’ (Mom Campbell, I am thinking of your cakes now!), so I have to think of alternatives here.

Trini Black Cake

Sorrel

I have asked my housemate to help me download 'It's A Wonderful Life' with Jimmy Stewart and also 'White Christmas’ with Bing Crosby. 

I took Tutor #2 Keriya for a Christmas breakfast as her gift and will meet up with Tutor#1 later on next week. 

Christmas breakfast with Keriya (Tutor#2)

End of term get-together with teachers

I am reading “The Day Christ Was Born" by Jim Bishop, and everyday I get to go on the journey with Joseph and Mary as they travel to Bethlehem. 

Praise and Prayer Request: 

The tenants who have opened a restaurant and bar downstairs seem to be quiet. So far there have been only a couple of major quarrels downstairs, so I am still waiting to see about re-signing the lease for another year here. 

Thank you for your continued prayers on this!

Prayer Request: 

I do not have a place yet to go after Christmas and before school restarts in January, so I covet your prayers for a good but not expensive place. 

I am looking forward to ‘blessing’ my landlady and her family here, and also my house helper, so I am praying into exactly what that would be to lead into a deeper conversation about Jesus.

I love seeing your pics, either from going to concerts or at your home. Please keep sending them! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya  

#160 - Sharing my journey in faith in Khmer!

Vol.# 160

WOW! The past two weeks have been very busy and yes, a bit stressful, as I had to prepare my testimony to share in Khmer. 

Praise!

Thank you for your prayers. When it was time for me to share, I naturally forgot half of it, but I felt His Spirit rest upon me, and when I got home that night, the first thing I did was to fall on my knees to thank Him and through your prayers for His help.

Even though I have a long way to go, He reminded me that because I needed to practise my testimony, there were two people who got to hear about why I chose Him and about the difference He made in my life. These two particular staff members are of a different faith, and the first one listened and, of course, corrected my pronunciation, but he said, “Bong (older sister), now I know why you always happy and make me happy when I see you!”

The other staff member is usually shy with me, and our conversations are usually short because of my Khmer and his English. But that afternoon, he stopped and asked how I was, and I said, “Not good, teacher!” And he asked why. Then I started to ask him if I was pronouncing certain phrases correctly. It was really good. He was going to school that evening (he is a teacher during the day and working on a degree at university at night), and is very academic and logical in his thinking (yes, so talking to me is quite a challenge on many different levels to him!).  He wants to learn more and is interested in the world and history, so he was listening to phrases like ‘my heart is filled to overflowing with the joy of the Lord”, and “I had studied many different religions (apologetics), and I had thought that my relationship with Jesus was one way because I did not know if HE listened, but after asking God to show me Himself, I realized that, hey, Jesus does not only listen, but that HE hears and responds! Sweet! “

The teacher smiled and said he did not know about that, but that he knew that I truly felt that way, and to be encouraged as I shared because it is coming from my heart! 

In the feedback from the teacher in the class after my presentation, I had expected her to discuss grammatical mistakes and mispronunciation, which she did, but she said softly to me, “Bong, I was touched by your testimony.” For many of you who know me, I did tear up when I spoke of how precious it is to know that Jesus sits with me when I am reading His Word. HE allows me to feel His presence and I am still in awe of that fact, because really, who am I that He should allow me that sweet privilege?

Then last night as I went with one of my former students from Rescue to a musical fundraiser at another church plant organized by fellow Canadian Matthew McCullough and his wife Nary for their ministry. It was a joy to see and hear everyone praising God in Khmer and singing their hearts out. When a ‘famous’ fellow Khmer Christian began singing his ‘signature’ song, my heart was just bursting with joy! I had taken a tuk tuk half way up to the church, and then went on moto with my student (all in all 45 minutes), and as we got there early (or rather it was supposed to start at 6 but started at 7), I shared my testimony in Khmer with her and she said “Char (short for teacher), I understood.” This was the first time she heard part of my life story. But then 5 people started to speak all at once in Khmer and I was ‘lost’ again! LOL! 

CHRISTMAS TREE WITH RAC DECORATIONS

But as I began my Advent readings, and my friends from church came over to help me and my housemate put up the Christmas tree, I began rejoicing again over the fact that the KING choose to come down as a babe on earth.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for the holiday season that I would not be ‘lonely’. I think this Christmas is the toughest one yet. Most of the expats have families here, or are married, so experiencing the season here is a bit different for them.

Pray that my housemate and I would open this house up to welcome others for a meal and fun time so that our little gift of hospitality would lead to conversations of the BIGGEST gift ever given by anyone, Jesus coming to earth and the reasons why He came! 

Prayer Request:

Pray that even though my class and tutoring sessions would take a break until Jan. 8th that I would continue to read and have conversations in Khmer.

Prayer Request:

Pray for wisdom on whether to switch from volunteering on info desk at church to a new ministry of ‘welcome and connecting’ that may be starting at my church here. One of the pastors at New Life along with 2 other elders have asked if I would train someone else for my current position so that I could move into this next one. I did talk to my current leader at the info desk and he said, “Oh no, Vidya, we need you.” 

Praise:

The pastor asked that I finish one thing before moving onto something else. Too many times we are asked to do more than one thing, and then we do not have time to go into the church service and wholeheartedly enter worship to feed our souls!

 
Prayer Request:

Pray that this Christmas break would truly be one of rest. From Jan.8th my schedule changes from Monday to Friday from 1:30 to 5. I will be doing the last level of official studies. In the mornings from 8 to 10:30 I will have my tutoring sessions, and on Monday night an additional class on Christian studies, teaching us how to share more about the Bible in Khmer.

Oh, as I sit here now at 7 in the morning looking at my Christmas tree with the lights on (yes, it is morning but I need to have the lights on), and the stuffed toys that the “Evergreen ladies’ made for me over 4 years ago when I was still teaching at Place of Rescue, I remember the love and hard work that went into making those decorations for me. I am overwhelmed by your continued generosity of sacrifice of finances and time spent in prayer for me here.

So how can I pray with you? Please continue to send me pics of your Christmas time get-togethers! Dancing with Him as I listen to Joy to the World! 
 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya