#79 - Laundry Tings and Curtain Call!

Vol.# 79

Hi Everyone!

The process of getting settled here can be unsettling! 

I was told that the repairman would come on the weekend to fix the lighting and that the Wi-Fi guy would come at a certain time, BUT, suddenly I got a call that plans were changed so I had to be home to get everything done! So there I was scrambling to re-schedule my day to accommodate the new arrangements!

The washing machine was installed, but before I could use it I had to go out to buy the laundry hanger ting a ming jing! (Not sure what you call it!) 

So with the help of Channak's sister, Shuling, off we went on the moto! I apparently did not think this through, because there I was carrying 2 of the laundry tings (that word tings is so handy now!) on the moto!

Me on moto carrying laundry ting!

Laundry ting!

 When we first started, with me holding the 'tings' and making sure I stayed on the moto, it was all good! Then the wind shifted and then it was as if I was the sail on a boat! Maybe I should have gotten a tuk tuk?

Then we had to bring it up the narrow stairs, which we did laughing as we got hooked into the overhanging wires! 

Then I needed curtains in the living room for some semblance of privacy, but the width of the doorway is quite wide and to buy curtain rods that long was going to be expensive, so as I prayed, my eyes spied the very long broom used to clean the cobwebs off the ceiling and I thought, Mmm, why not just use that as a curtain rod and take off the brush part! 

Shuling said okay, so off again we went into the hot sun to buy one. 

Now bringing that back was slightly dangerous! If you held it vertically you might just hit the overhanging electrical wires as I went through the side streets to my place and if you held it horizontally at my side you might hit moto/car either in front or the back of us! By the grace of God we got it home!

Later Channak and Jonny came over with drill tools and we put up my curtains! My curtains were a gift from Marcia Bergman and Peter V from their visit to Place of Rescue when they surprised me by redecorating my room for me! I had kept them in storage at friend's place here for past 7 months!

Jonny and Channak

So now I could use my washing machine that is set up in the washroom!

But no, it would not work so I had to call Shuling or had to call the store to get the workman to come in! Of course, speaking no English and with my limited Khmer that was tricky! The first thing he checked was to see if I had plugged in the machine! Really? Of course I did!

Then Channak called to ask if I had plugged in the machine! Really?  

Well, it worked, and I finally was able to do laundry completely forgetting that the hose for the water to go out was just left on the bathroom floor so I stepped into the water when I went to check on the machine! All of this is a learning curve!

Sunday morning: As the lights dimmed before we started the worship service, I felt a tug on my arm; it was one of my former students from Rescue! Then another, and another, until my row was filled with all of them! Then as we sang and danced I saw this girl come up to me and she just grabbed me and literally lifted me off the floor! Yes, it was one of my former students I used to pray for and she had seen me across the room and could not believe her eyes that it was me. (After squeezing me she says, you got fat! Lol!) 

I wish now I had taken a pic of all of us after the service, but my tuk tuk driver was waiting, so I am trying to see if I can get together with all of them on Saturday which is their free day!

The message centred on fighting for our faith, and being a church that is a sending church!

Praise God: for all that He has accomplished. I went to register for school and had a great time reconnecting with Lois, my former flatmate. She is one of the founding members of Gateway to Khmer I saw one foreigner come in and he spoke to the Khmer teacher there on his break. He spoke like a Khmer! He was in Module 5 and that gave me such a boost and I cannot wait to start school next week! I also spoke with one of the main worship foreign leaders at New Life and she was so encouraging to me. She leads in Khmer and is fluent after being here for 11 years, but she said she wished she had been able to go full time like I am doing now!

Prayer requests:

-I will be connecting with Prison Fellowship. Pray that I will be able to go and see them this week before school starts please! I know it is not in the city so I need to work out the proper time to go out and to see where I can best fit in and serve them!

-For the moto driver who will take me to school every day. Please pray that God will give me one that lives on my street. I would prefer a younger person who is going to school and needs the money to help in their education, but I leave that in His hands! I would have to leave early (school starts at 7:30am but there is such a bottle neck of traffic to exit on to the main street that I need to be able to time myself. Life starts at 6am, so everyone is on the road from 6 to 8 going in to school or work!

-Physical health. I have not started any workouts, yet climbing 3 flights of stairs each time feels like one, and when anyone comes I have to go down to open the gate and troop back up! But I need to be intentional in keeping my body, His temple, in best possible shape so please pray as I look into continuing my swimming lessons (and yes, I cannot swim!) and my kick boxing classes! Lois told me of one place which is not too far from the school.

Thank you for sending me your prayer requests. I have been praying through them! I started setting up my balcony area for prayer time! I have no living room furniture still but that will happen later on!

Love,

His Warrior and Disciple, submitting to be 

His dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your servant, Vidya

(P.S. I am at 70 percent of my monthly support, would you consider becoming one of my dance partners? See the end of this post for contact and donor information).

#78 - Transportation and Health

Vol.# 78

Scene from my balcony

Thank you for praying as I settle into different rhythms here! Thank you also for forwarding your requests. What a delight to partner with you as we dance with Him in life!

Praise: I have good rapport with my landlord, his wife and parents (all live here). I will learn a couple of Khmer words each day with the wife, and she will learn English!

Prayer requests:

-It is very hot here and I am praying for wisdom as to which mode of transportation to use: tuk tuk, which has a covering, or Moto! Moto is definitely cheaper!

-So on that track, praying for that specific driver (tuk tuk or Moto) who will take me to school and bring me back home! Last year He gave me 2 specific drivers, one for the city and one for the village! I would prefer someone local to my area. In that way I would provide income for someone/family on my street! Trust me, 'my story' would then filter out to others who live here and act as a building block for relationship!

-Health, as my body adjusts to taste of water and milk that I would remain healthy. Yesterday I had stomach problems so I laid low!!!

Thank you my brothers and sisters.

Dancing with Jesus

Love, Sister Vidya

#77 - Moving In

Vol.# 77

Today is official moving in day!

Yesterday, 2 tuk tuks followed me, one with 3 of my suitcases which I brought over, and another one which went to pick up my hockey bag and another suitcase filled with clothes and stuff from year before (was being stored at friend's house!).

My friend, Shuling, who has been graciously helping me, went and got the finished curtains, and with Channak's help, we put up the curtains! After numerous visits to places looking at prices to buy curtain rods and fixtures for installations, and after talking with Shuling, we decided to go the simple route! Shuling got big screws and a cord and Channak came and drilled the screws in, and we put up the curtains!

And get this, since the doors were so wide (320 x 166), we had to go and look at material, and I paid $1.00 a metre! Then right at the same market place, we got a lady to sew the curtains for $5.00! But the process was long and 3 hours later, as sweat rolled down my back, and Shuling explained repeatedly what and how we wanted the curtains to be sewn, and as the lights were going off in the market place, I prayed for the seamstress to understand. Yes, finally she did! (It took me that long to realize, oh yeah, I have a weapon at hand, prayer! So I prayed for understanding for her!)

Things are never simple here. So we finally got things to the house but could not go through the landlord's place since he had put all extra furniture on his staircase! One hour later, after going into the streets to get a guy to come and help move things up the outside stairs, we carried up the bed and wardrobe that had to be dismantled first!

Prayer today: In half an hour I will be moving in officially. I will need to go to buy the everyday things like pots and pans, dishes, groceries, broom/mop. Pray for His wisdom where to get everything. I am learning sometimes it is better to buy things in one place rather than run around town on moto for hours! Bigger items like the appliances were necessary to run around to get the best prices but today the heat is intense!

Pray for my relationship with Shuling, she has such a giving spirit and it so happens she is between jobs! So I am blessed to have her with me.

Praise God: I got to connect with Pastor Jesse from my church at New Life. His eyes brightened when I said I wanted to be more active in the church! Yesterday I felt an urgency to go to the first service at 7:30 in morning (I usually go to the 10). I’m not sure why! I was the only foreigner. Usually foreigners go to the second or third service. The reception from the headphones for the translation of the message was pretty bad. You are wondering where is the praise, right? But the words that came through were identity and warrior!

Pastor Jesse was preaching about Gideon and that he was a warrior and what that meant and he spoke of our identity in Christ! Well isn't that what God gave to me prior to coming? That knowing who you are in Christ was lacking here in the lives of some of the people I was meeting, and a reminder that I am His warrior! I need to always go to Him: go to my 'war room' as in the movie!

I thank God for you all. Please send me your requests!

Dancing with Jesus

Love, Sister Vidya

#76 - Getting Accustomed to the Rhythms of the Land!

Vol.# 76

Getting Accustomed to the Rhythms of the Land!

The first two days were busy getting the necessary big items for my new place, and then, all of sudden with the onset of the holidays, everything closed down! 

So I have had to wait patiently for the past 5 days and not fret when I could not do anything to get my place ready for 'living!'

Yes, I have to get back into the Khmer 'mindset' and the rhythm of how things are done here!

So what do you do?

I asked this of God because I had a time line and a to-do list! He said focus on relationships! 

But how can I do that when my 'community' was not here but away in their hometowns? 

He said, start with ME. 

My time with Him was changed with the time difference, not sleeping because of new surroundings, and sounds at temporary place I am at. Therefore I knew I had to begin my discipline from NOW and not wait until I moved into my own place. So, setting my alarm, I began my time with Him, so even if I was up at 3 or 4 due to jet lag, I knew I had to start my day with Him at that time! It would be easier to do other things but I have promised Him that HE would be the first at the start of my day and the last at night!

Those around me include the young people serving where I am. I began to ask them 'their life stories'. We began to communicate in English (invariably they are all learning English and want to practise it), with me throwing in my Khmer vocabulary! 

It is amazing how much delight they get when I use my limited Khmer vocabulary and receive the approval signs (of clapping and broad smiles) when I tell them of my plans of learning their language! 

This is setting me up for my own language studies, and yes, I cannot wait to get started! The school itself will not be opened until next week so I could not even go in to 'check it out' and get an idea of the curriculum to be used to get a head start! 

Yes definitely a different pace now!

Prayer request: Pray that I would adjust to each new rhythm here! I was going at a very fast pace prior to leaving Toronto, and then went into faster pace here for the first 3 days and then, wham! slow down time. I need to listen to His voice and trust that things would get done. I need to open my eyes to the new people He is giving to me now while my other community is away! The tuk tuk drivers from my old place have come back earlier from the holidays and so we have been getting reconnected. Either their English is getting better or my limited Khmer is, but our short conversations have been about their families! Thank you for praying for my reconnecting here, not knowing with whom I would be re-establishing ties!

Prayer request: It is around 4 now in the morning. Later on I will be having coffee with the co-owner of the hotel where I used to stay on weekends, and where our RAC /Ratanak teams have stayed over the years. She is Khmer and always curious about NGOs and their reasons for coming to help build up her country! So I have had the honour to pray for her in the past. Please pray that I would be a friend and this would be a time of coffee, laughter and shared hearts bonded by His Spirit!

Prayer request: This Saturday is the day set aside to getting water purifier, bed and Wi-Fi set up at my new place. Pray for favour in not only buying the above, but getting the delivery and set up! Have to get essentials like broom, bucket, mop, garbage pails etc., all of which would take several trips to and fro my new place! Pray that I will not get lost but God will give me certain landmarks to know how to get to my place!

I am listening to 10,000 Reasons as I write to this, and I am realising that I wanted to get my apartment ready and get my things done before I focused on others, and that is not His plan for me for this week! Yikes!

Bless the Lord, O my soul: I worship Your Holy Name and I will sing of YOU!

Dancing with Jesus

Love, Sister Vidya