#202 - Wedding Season and a Christmas Visit!

Vol.# 202

I waited for the Pass App tuk tuk to take me to work for over 15 minutes, but it was an unusually busy morning and when I finally flagged down a passing one, I was relieved, until I realized we were going to pick up his daughter to take her to school, which was NOT on the way to my work, but rather 10 minutes out of the way! I was so exasperated and, yes, I let it show by muttering that I was late (in Khmer) and that I needed to get to work NOW. However, after we were finally on the way, God made me remember how the tuk tuk driver looked after his little girl, stopped to buy her a lunch for school, and lifted her to sit on his lap while he was driving. I remembered that I was awakened and felt God say ‘do Psalm 23 in your class today, you know how to read it in Khmer and you understand the words’. So God showed me how HE looks after and takes care of us, of me, through the tender actions of this dad. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in need... was the translation I was going to use in my class that morning, and this driver reflected the Lord as Our Shepherd. I decided to focus on Him for the rest of the drive to teach and not fuss over whether I would be late for class. I allowed the words of the Psalmist David to flow over me so that when I got to work, I was able to tell the driver what a good father he was to look after his daughter so well, and I apologized for being so grumpy! Yes, and I gave an extra tip as well!

I am coming out of 3 intense weeks of teaching not only my classes in the morning, but also teacher Pov’s classes in the afternoon as he got married and had his honeymoon. 

TEACHER POV'S WEDDING

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I also am being constantly surprised by God urging me to be somewhere at a certain time, only to find out that I am needed to pray. 

3 days ago I got to the office early, and one of the IT guys came in and stopped to ask if I slept well! I was puzzled thinking I must be looking tired when I realized he was still standing looking at me. So I asked, did you sleep well? To which he said, "No, Bong Srey (older sister)!" So I asked, "Would you like me to pray for you?" He immediately said yes! So I prayed! 

On that same day, I wanted to give someone a gift of a cold drink as a reward for excellent work that he did, but he said, "If you really want to reward me, could you pray for me please? And then he told me his prayer request. 

It is funny how I am becoming ‘Bong Srey’ to more of the younger group in the office! I was told that my attitude is one of serving them rather than being ‘superior’ to them and even though I am older than the other expats (!!!!!!), that I truly want to help and serve! I was taken aback by this observation from my Khmer sister, but I quietly said thank you but at the same time we laughed because I had just used my ‘foreigner status’ to get us something extra at the pizza place! 

We had ordered a meal to go, and it came with a soft drink which they brought in a glass, but as it came with the meal we asked for it ‘to go’, but was told they had no ‘to go’ cups! So I was on my way to empty my water bottle to put the drink in, when I met the manager and I told him how sorry I was that we could not get the drink to go etc. Well, I went to the washroom to pour out the water from my flask, and on my return to the table the manager said, "Oh, we can give you a can of pop, plus we will put ice in a bag for you to take out!" My Khmer friend who was having lunch with me laughed and said, "They only did that because you are a foreigner and said something." A Khmer would not usually say anything! SO, I did use my ‘foreigner’ status for good, and was thanked for it by the recipient of the meal back at the office!

We have another holiday, three days off for the Water Festival. The Tonle Sap river reverses its direction during this time and we have a holiday with boat races and other activities to celebrate this natural phenomenon! At the same time, the leader of the Opposition party who has been in exile had proclaimed he would return to Cambodia at this time even though he and his supporters would be arrested if he did show up. Speculation of what may happen with the noticeable appearance of extra police on the streets have people wondering what may happen in the next few days!

I was invited to a wedding for one of my ex-students from Rescue and it was a long trip into the country area where the wedding took place under Buddhist rites. It was one of the most solemn and least celebratory weddings I have gone to. No one was really happy. My housemate drove and we got there after ten. I went up to sleep in the section they set aside for me with sheets acting as a curtain for privacy. The bed was on wooden pallets. I was humbled that they gave me this space since more than 15 people were sharing one room, sleeping on floor mats! But I was invited (the only foreigner), and I wanted to honor that invite. I sat behind the couple during the ceremony, and found myself getting sprinkled by water from the monks. This was totally unexpected as water was being sprinkled on the couple, but I was getting wet in the process and giggling, and then got hit in the head and face by candy being thrown at the couple! 

The Groom

2 House Moms from Rescue at Wedding

I was praying for this young man who had at one time given his life to Jesus. As I sat for over 20 minutes with the older members of the family and friends, I was being asked in Khmer how old I was, if I was married and where I was from! The lady asking me the questions in Khmer was NOT WHISPERING, but then the monks were chanting using a microphone, and the lady was raising her voice to tell the others at the back the answers to the questions! Love the Khmer experience!

But as I pulled the young man in question aside, I invited him and his bride to the annual Christmas party at the house on December 1^st, and I prayed for him and his bride! I felt sadness tugging at my heart as I looked at his face. He just whispered, “Thank you Holy Spirit sister Mr. Bean for coming!”  (My nickname from former students from Rescue).

Prayer: Please pray as my housemate and I host the Christmas get-together for the former students and wives/girlfriends/boyfriends, that the true message of Christmas would be communicated in a creative way.

Prayer: Please pray for inspiration for gifts for them (about 20 individual gifts and about 6 gift packages for families), that these gifts would be a reminder of the time celebrating His birth whenever they look at them, that they would feel His presence.

Prayer: Please pray for safe travels as I leave here on December 3rd to spend Christmas in Toronto!

Thank you for so many of you who have been faithful in your prayers and financial support this past year. I do hope I get an opportunity to see many of you this time as I am back in Toronto until January 6th! I do so love getting your emails of your life back in Toronto and allowing me to partner with you in prayer!

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya