Vol.# 191
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| Wearing an official Cambodian football shirt while holding Canadian maple syrup |
Sights and sounds assail my senses as I sit in my kitchen with bright sunlight streaming through; sounds of the birds singing mixed in with the sounds of the landlady washing her dishes in the outside pipe downstairs; the traffic on the street below and sounds of monks chanting from a street service somewhere in the neighbourhood. I am so thankful to Jesus the Christ who gave His life for me so that I can have eternal life!
As I woke up on my birthday morning (Mar.13) and was thinking of what I wanted to do, which was to find quiet time with Him so that I can prayerfully redo my personal mission and vision purpose, something I do every year on my birthday, my phone began to ‘ting’ with messages, and then calls from my parents, siblings and friends from far and near! I knew that finding that block of retreat time on that morning was not going to be possible as I thought ahead of the things I wanted to do. As I prayed, I sensed God asking, “My daughter, what is your birthday desire?” My immediate response before I had time to think was, “Child-like faith, Lord!”
I think as the years go by, faith can become dependent on visible circumstances and not on invisible reality and the truth of Who God is, so for me, that became my ‘mantra’ or oft repeated phrase throughout the day! I still have to find that time away to really sit and redefine my personal vision and mission statements, and one of the ‘gifts’ I received from my mentor/sister/brother couple in Toronto was a day or 2 at a hotel here in Phnom Penh away from the hustle and bustle. So prayerfully that would be done soon!
In Toronto, my birthdate was usually celebrated with calls to Ramona S and Prem (who just got married to the amazing Michelle) whose birthdays are on the 13th as well. Here in Phnom Penh there were 4 others in my circle of influence whose birthdates were on the 13th as well. So with my housemate’s help, I was able to do a drive-by birthday cake delivery! This was the first year that I bought not just one but 3 birthday cakes for myself! On each cake was “Happy Birthday to US!” LOL!
The first cake was to my younger Khmer brother, Kimreach, who was very surprised when he received his cake on the night of the 12th. I enlisted covert aid from Teacher Pov who is his cell group leader to present the cake to him.
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| With Kimreach before his baptism last year |
The next cake was to the owner of the salon, Jheri, who employs my wonderful Khmer younger sisters from at-risk backgrounds. My housemate Channak took me on the moto to pick up another cake I had ordered to deliver to Jheri. The ironic thing was that Jheri had JUST left to go to the airport so we had a ‘stand-in’ for Jheri as I spoke to him on the phone and we sang Happy Birthday to each other!
Then Channak, who gave me the gift of his time and moto, took me to Pastor Pisit’s house that evening for dumplings and yes, another cake I had ordered for us! This time I actually ate a slice of it and it was a blessing to be with Krong and Liep (Krong is Pastor of church planting and Discipleship in the provinces) who were already there, to see Pisit and Seyha’s newest baby and 2 other children, and to see their new home!
I wanted to go for ice cream, but Channak was like ‘no, it is kind of late’, and Liep, who had wanted to go, suddenly changed his mind and said, ‘yes, maybe another night!’ I got home and my housemate yelled out Happy Birthday for the last time and I went into my kitchen, and just as I was about to open the door to the TV room, it opened up and out streamed some of my former Rescue students with their girlfriends with a cake! They had been waiting for over 2 hours at my house! Channak had given the keys to the landlady who then passed it to them. So there we were on the rooftop celebrating again!
My former students surprising me!
And yes, the celebration still went on the next morning with L and her husband D and J who form my core community group here. L, D and J were my former classmates at my language school, and D and L cooked breakfast while J and I ate and ate! The gift of time and good food are my top languages of love, and as I looked at my three friends, who blessed me with prayer and their words of affirmation, my heart was filled to overflowing. Being prayed over is such a honor that I feel doubly blessed!
I also dropped by my school where Wyn and his wife Nisay operate the coffee cart business. Channak had called him to say I was going to pop in, so I got my free iced coffee with cake, and got a chance to say hi to some of the teachers too.
Prayer request:
I am still praying over a house move. Most places, especially those rented by expats, are way over my budget. Please pray for His wisdom.
Prayer request:
Next weekend a team from Oshawa is coming to do a ‘friendship camp’ with students and teachers from New Life Skills Centre, and I (the only expat teacher from here) was asked to participate. Pray for bonding and God-led conversations for that weekend.
Praise:
I had been asking for a change in scheduling in teaching. I prefer the early mornings as the traffic is lighter, and there is less pollution to inhale. So from next semester which is in a couple of weeks, the head of the English program is designing a conversation/office skill class for me that will be a ‘closed’ class, so numbers will be at 12. I can go deeper with these students, which is easier than with an open class of 25-35 students.
Praise:
We now have an English worship service at 3 on Sundays at my church. I remember praying early on at our Ratanak meetings back in Toronto from 2009 for God to raise up Khmer workers to go internationally to talk about Jesus. The Khmer have an opportunity here to learn and listen in English in a Christian context so that they can go share with English speaking counterparts. I still volunteer at the second worship Khmer service so I can serve my Khmer family there, and I have been asked to be part of the prayer English speaking team for the third service. Last week 2 Khmer women came up to be prayed over. They spoke in English, and ironically, as I was praying I was saying certain phrases in Khmer! LOL!
Many many heartfelt thanks to you all on ‘our’ dance here in my heart country of Cambodia!
**If you feel led by God to financially contribute to His work here, please message me for instructions and thank you for your prayer coverage.**
I am under your spiritual umbrella of prayer and your prayers propel my dance here. Keep sending my your stories please!
Love, His Warrior and Disciple,
Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,
Your sister, Vidya
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