Saturday 15 April 2017

#137 - A time of refreshment and delighting in Him.

Vol.# 137

Thank you for your prayers for safety and travelling to Phou Quoc, an island which was formerly part of Cambodia until the reigning Prime Minister gave it to Vietnam. So technically I was still in Cambodia. However all the workers I met spoke Vietnamese but, except for one of our helpers on the island, spoke Khmer to me! 
My Khmer hostess/server. Got to hear her life story.

So the transportation to the island from Phnom Penh consisted of 7 vans of varying sizes, one tuk tuk, one ferry ride (about one hour), and a car. On the way back it was a moto, a car, then switched to another car (no A/C), then to a bus, then a tuk tuk! The transitions getting there were smooth, but coming back there were delays etc.. But as I was thinking about this, I had told my friend Annette who was with me that I had wanted to explore the island on a moto (they have the coolest cap like helmets to wear!), but I did not have a chance. But that was the first mode of transportation on way back, albeit very short ride! 

Praise
- For safety to and from; for connections with one of our hostesses/servers at the restaurant. Her mom is Khmer, so it was exciting to try and speak it with her and more exciting when she introduced me to 2 older couples who were Khmer vacationing there, so I got a chance to speak with them also.

- Time spent with God. I get so busy sometimes that I do not get quality extended time away from the demands of every day life. So I had time to be refreshed spiritually and to think of the grandeur of our God and to celebrate that HE is risen! Good Friday was spent in just thanking Him all day, either in song or as I walked, for the sacrifice that our Lord made for us on the Cross! 
The magnificence of God in amazing sunsets. Kept quoting the Psalmist David!

Whenever I visit the beach, I always sign my heart over to God; this time my footprint.
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, so as I go to worship and partake of communion, I know that it will be extra contemplative and joyous at the same time.

I will enjoy my last 2 days of 'freedom' before going back into the busyness of school and life here!



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

Tuesday 11 April 2017

#136 - He Is Risen!

Vol.# 136

As I sit here early this morning recovering from an unexpected busy weekend, I look up to the sun as it is rising, with the feel of a gentle breeze on my shoulders, and I am praising God for His goodness, for His way of pushing me out of my comfort zones so that I can learn to lean more on His shoulders.


The week began with the planning of my big project at school. I was anxious because I could not seem to pinpoint on which one of two topics I would focus my research and conclusions to present to the class in about 3 weeks. 
One of my teachers was supposed to act as my tutor but he has been very busy, so formulating the right questions has been difficult since I felt I was doing it on my own as opposed to the other 2 students whose teacher was helping them with every question! 
I had asked for prayer and His guidance just like the Israelites asking God for signs, and I have finally nailed down the topic! 
Now there is the formulating of the questions, so...

Prayer request

- Pray that I would be able to formulate the questions in such a way that they would be open-ended questions (not a yes or no answer), and that the questions would reflect the topic and purpose of the research. And yes, this is to be done all in Khmer!

This week was a short one at school because this week the whole country is celebrating Khmer New Year and everything shuts down here! 

I remember my first year in the city not knowing that even the tuk tuk drivers and the motordupes are scarce since most people who come from the different provinces go back 'home' to celebrate the New Year with their families and friends. I could not get one to even go to the market and the one that I finally got asked for such an outrageous price for the ride because he knew he was my only ride. 
I have learnt my lesson about planning my week here in the city!


It is one of the most important holidays/festivals here. 
So this past Friday my school (G2K) rented a football field and we, the students/teachers played traditional games and ate Khmer snacks etc. and danced to traditional Khmer music and the latest dance song here! 
It was awesome! 
During the week one of the teachers was selling G2K soccer shirts and asked if I would come and watch their first game on Saturday. I said yes, not knowing that I would be asked to be the 'first-aid' person and that the venue was going to be so far from my house (far meaning expense-wise having to pay for the trip!), and having to get up early to get there! 
But there again, God, Who knows my innermost feelings, prompted one of the other persons invited (her role was photographer) to ask if we could share a tuk tuk! 
Yay! 
We both went and I was grateful that she was with me because my tuk tuk driver was going the wrong way past the country club where the game was being played! 
Imagine my surprise when I realized that when I was asked to be the first-aid person (which I honestly thought was a joke because it was asked in playful manner!), it meant I was also supposed to bring the first-aid equipment! 

It ended up with me being the chief cheerleader and man, was it ever hot
This was a bit out of my comfort zone, no, not the cheering part, but to have to converse and do it in Khmer! 
We lost by 4. We got 14, and the other team had 18 but they were all younger than our team. Our team was mixed with Khmer and expats, young and older. 
Then I found myself rushing home as the landlord was coming to fix the water pressure here.

Praise God

The bonding with my Khmer teachers is important. Even though I am not fluent in Khmer in both listening and responding, I can be there to support and have fun with them!

Sunday morning

One of my former students invited me to his engagement, but I did not know how to get to Takeo province from here, and it would be really too expensive by tuk tuk if I was going alone, so it was not until Saturday evening around 8 when he called and said that one of the other students would pick me up at 5:40 in the morning to go there! 
Yes, there I was up at 4:30 to get ready (make-up but not dressy clothes), since we would be going by moto. 
The students did not come until 6:35, so there I was standing outside my gate waiting, and this group of Khmer women who do exercise walking passed by and said hello. They were surprised that I was still there 15 mins. later when they returned, so one of them asked if I wanted a motor dupe, and then the conversation started about where I was going etc.. 
Then my neighbour from across the road came out to weed the plants outside her gate, and started to talk to me in English (she is Khmer), and this was the first time I actually met her so we conversed half in English and half in Khmer and before you knew it a whole pile of women were discussing my plight: how I had been waiting for a motordupe, and where I was going, and the facts that I was from Canada, and I was learning Khmer etc. LOL! 

Eventually when I was about to give up on the students, they arrived! SO off we went to the engagement on a one-hour-15-min. ride in the hot sun! 
When I got there I quickly changed and was able to participate. Only now as I am writing this, I realize that I was the only expat there. Usually the engagement is for close friends and family, and this was the first engagement I have been invited to. 




I usually get invited to the wedding ceremony. It was bitter-sweet and I had tears in my eyes as I looked at my 'spiritual son' from the orphanage participate in a Buddhist ceremony. I had memories of him being my translator and leading worship at Rescue. He is the one who gave me the title of Holy Spirit sister, so I will be praying and continuing to be part of his 'new' life as an engaged young man! 


SO now as the sun is pouring down simultaneously as the sweat on my back, there is no more gentle breeze. 

I am preparing to make a bus trip with my friend Annette to Vietnam for a 4-day stay.

Prayer requests

- Pray for safety as this is 2 women travelling alone; for good travel connections when we get to the border and then have to take a boat to the island. Pray that God would provide angels who would come along to help.

- Pray that it would be a time of refreshing and going deep with Him. I will be taking some Khmer work to do but at same time one of my 'sisters' from back at RAC just sent me a link on relationships that I will try to access and listen to while I am away.

Thank you for your continual financial and prayer support! Please continue to send me your requests, stories and pictures! It keeps me connected and grounded!

Finally, HE IS RISEN

With Easter being in the same week as Khmer New Year, this fundamental and precious time when we remember what Jesus Christ did for us, for me, on the Cross can get pushed aside, so I just want to shout that I serve a RISEN SAVIOUR who is NOT A MYTH or a traditional character.
So just as I danced with my Khmer heart family, I will and am dancing with my Jesus the Christ and celebrating HIM! Anyone wants to dance with me?



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