Officially started! (E-mail update)

It has been a while since I last wrote, mainly because the past few weeks after winter camp have been relatively relaxing for me. It was a good time catching up on some reading, spending quality time in silence and solitude with God, and increasing in dependence through prayer. Thank God for such time to be able to better prepare myself for the tasks ahead, mainly Bible College and the demands of the OCF traineeship.

Bible College – Baptist Theological College

Attended the Orientation Day 2 weeks ago and it was enjoyable. We started with a chapel service which was led by some students of the Bible College, followed by a sharing from the Principal. The College’s motto is “Think, Do, Become” – Think what you’ve never thought, Do what you’ve never done, Become who you’ve never been”. Pretty stimulating don’t you think?

I was inspired by the lecturers as they shared their passion for teaching their particular areas of expertise. Even the thought of studying the Hebrew language sounded terribly exciting after the lecturer gave his spiel!

Another interesting aspect about the curriculum is that every Wednesday morning is devoted to a time of what is called “Formation Wednesday”. It is “a time to integrate heart, head and hands in a community setting” - basically a time to get into the practical skills of ministry. As part of the program, there will be time for accountability groups, practical ministry, community worship and lunch (which we take turns cooking in groups)! This semester’s practical ministry sessions include an elective called “Preaching for Dummies”, much to my delight!

Lectures have since started and frankly, there has been a lot of information to digest, not to mention the amount of assessments I need to fulfill as part of the course. So please pray that I can keep up!

(For those interested, I am taking 4 subjects: The early New Testament Church (Acts & the Epistles), From Israel to Judea (from 8^th century BC to exile to restoration), Foundations of Theology (Systematic Theology), Introduction to Christian Ethics (I really like this one!))

OCF Traineeship

Not much has progressed since the students have been on holidays. But I do thank God for the opportunities I’ve had to talk with Lisa (the other trainee), and to some of the student leaders about the various OCF centres and their needs. I have also been assigned to help out with OCF Murdoch, which is of great convenience because I stay nearby Murdoch University.

Thank God also for providing a course on “Mentoring” that I am currently attending (with a few other OCFers). As one who desires (and expected) to mentor students, I just can’t express how timely this course is to better equip myself for the task.

Also attended OCF Perth’s first meeting on Friday, where a speaker was invited to speak on servanthood. Using an analogy from the business world, the speaker said that if we were to “serve” our bosses and company, we would make the company’s agenda, our agenda. Typically, this would mean working efficiently and making profits for the company.

Similarly, if we were to serve God, we are to make God’s agenda, our agenda. This would mean serving His body – His people and placing their interests above ours. It was encouraging to see students being challenged to align their agendas to meet God’s – a challenge that calls not only for sacrifices, but in essence an outright denial of self interest. But what a marvellous example we have in Jesus, who is the ultimate embodiment of a servant, who himself is God, but gave up that right to be our exchange on the cross! Praise God indeed!

Praise and Prayer points:

1. Thank God for the time of solitude in which I can be strengthened in my inner being.
2. Thank God for the different avenues He’s using to equip me – Bible college, Mentoring course, OCF meetings
3. Thank God also for part of the finances that have come in just in the nick of time (i.e. before I officially start the traineeship). Please continue to pray that I will be able to raise the remaining amount!
4. Please continue to pray for guidance in the areas I should focus on, the students I should mentor etc.
5. That I may get to know the students better (especially the leaders)
6. For wisdom to set my priorities right as I balance both studies in Bible college and the relationships with students

Thank you for reading and praying!

gold nuggets?

Another fun lunch with Connie, Spring and Glenna at Vickery House. Unfortunately Radha got a call to work so couldn't join us. Played another round of Rummy-O or Rummikub or Gin Rummy, whatever u wanna call it.. hehe.. Had a short game of tennis - more like hitting & picking up balls as we were all amateurs!

Had a sneak peek at Baptist Theological College - like I just saw the sign by the side of the road.. haha.. but am excited about starting my semester there soon and Orientation next Wednesday!

Catching Harry Potter tonight - hope to get good seats!

So how have I been going with my journaling? Two entries so far.. not too bad.. and its been helpful to bring clarity to my thoughts/reflections etc.

Been reading "Courageous Leadership" by Bill Hybels lately (after I finished with Gordon McD). A nugget of encouragement: "...in the early days of this church, nothing deepened my trust in the goodness, grace, and miracle-working power of God like the financial pressures that we faced every week... Don't underestimate the value of the spiritual growth that will take place in you and in your church as you address these resource challenges."

I read this when I was at my lowest emotionally lately - struggling with the issue that I have yet raised enough money for my traineeship. It was uplifting to be reminded not to give up hoping, praying and trusting God for His providence. I know something will work out eventually; but its the waiting that stretches me most. Nothing has really changed with the figures since then, but at least I've been given an extra boost of hope.. to carry on hoping.

Subiaco Church..

3rd week attending Subi church - a pleasurable experience so far. Since Soong Leng has been involved with teaching the kids in the morning, I've had the chance to be at church before the 2nd service starts and kept myself busy with the prayer meeting happening at that time.

It wasn't exactly one of those "well since I'm already here, I might as well join in the prayer meeting" type of decision. While I must say that it has been rather convenient these 2 weeks, I've been thinking more lately about disciplining my prayer life, and thought that joining the prayer meeting would be a good way to start.

The group that meets are primarily of the older generation - while not entirely to my surprise, it drove back the observation that Gordon McD makes:

"Have u ever noticed that most faithful intercessors seem to be older ppl? Why? One reason may be that they have had to simplify their activities. But also note that older ppl may have become aware that intercession is much more effective than hours of unprayerful activity. And of course, experience through trial and error has taught them the wisdom of leaning on the reliable strength of God."

I hope it'd be something I'll learn way before I turn 50!
===============================================

The message at church today was an excellent reminder of what we truly value as our treasure. Timon preached from Matthew 13:44-46.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The kingdom of heaven (which refers to our relationship with God) is likened to a man who found a great treasure or pearl, and gave up all he had to gain it. Interestingly, Jesus told this story in context of another point He was making (Matt 13:37-43 & 47-51) - that at the end of time when God judges the world, there will only be 2 destinations for each of us - the realities of either heaven or hell. And a relationship with Jesus is the only way to get us to heaven. In light of this, no wonder Jesus should be treasured!! cos He's our ONLY hope and form of rescue from hell.

Timon then ended with an illustration : Say I gave you a parachute and said "Here, wear this - it'd make your flight more enjoyable." While u're wearing it, u'd probably find that over time, it'd be uncomfortable, a little bit heavy etc.

But if I said to you "Look, this plane that you're on is going to have an engine malfunction in an hour's time. Here's a parachute". You'd be clinging on to it for dear life!! That parachute will be your treasure!

The question is asked about us: Is my relationship with God MY treasure? Or is it just ONE of my treasures? What we value, we spend on - time, money, even life itself! Some food for reflection indeed..

Winter Camp (E-mail update)

It’s about time I updated you about what happened last week at the OCF WA Winter Camp – to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ!

It was a 5-day camp, filled with lots of good laughs and a meaningful time getting to know God and the students. I went to camp expecting that my primary and only task was to get to know the students. Little did I know that God was preparing a surprise for me, much to my delight!

I was approached by Lisa, the current trainee, asking whether I would be interested in sitting in a special Bible study group led by an OCFer – Glenna, for the rest of the camp. This special group was catered for non-Christians, of which there were a fantastic four of them in the camp (all girls by the way). Lisa on the other hand, would join the other groups during their Bible study sessions.

Much to my discredit, my first thought was “Hmm... but I thought I’m just here to relax and get to know people!” But since I didn’t really mind joining the group, and that I’ve got a wee bit of experience in leading and being part of such groups, I had a go at it anyway.

Needless to say, it was the best thing that could have happened to me during the camp. I was very much reminded of the great time I’ve had leading “Discovering Jesus” groups whilst in OCF Canberra, and found myself drawing from my experience then. (Thanks Chong Wei for your faithful guidance in the past!)

However, this time I wasn’t doing the leading, as that was Glenna’s job! =) Nevertheless it gave me great joy seeing how some of the non-Christian girls started with zero knowledge of Christianity, and ending up hearing the gospel about Jesus’ rescue mission for humanity. As I shared with some friends later on, it was as if my heart skipped a beat every time the girls seemed to get closer and closer to understanding God’s love for them.

Other highlights of the camp included getting to know some of the other students and learning more of the culture of the fellowship. While I have yet to have a proper chat with Lisa, it was good to have a chance to observe some of the things she did as a trainee during the camp (e.g. conducting workshops, sitting in committee meetings etc.).

Praise and Prayer points:

1. Praise God for the winter camp and the committee who was faithful in organising it!
2. Pray for follow up with the girls in the group.
3. For God’s guidance as I continue to think about the areas of interest in which I should focus my energy and time on during this traineeship.
4. For God’s providence financially.
5. That Jesus must become greater and I must become less (John 3:30).

Order in the garden..

Did I mention that I'm going to try and start and continue to keep a journal? Haha.. well, I suppose this blog is meant to be some sort of a journal.. but I reckon its a little bit too public for some thoughts to be written down..

Recently, I've been reading the book by Gordon McDonald - "Ordering Your Private World". Its a book that highlights the importance of us putting order into our private life, or "inner garden" as Gordon likes to term it. Without this order in our inner garden, we can possibly thrive on short term talents and successes, but the long term effects of stresses is bound to take a toll on us.

He starts the book with an illustration of what he calls the "sinkhole syndrome". Sinkholes occur in the ground when underground streams dry up during a drought, thereby causing the surface ground to lose its underlying support. The surface then sinks in, bringing along people, buildings and anything else that was on it.

Similarly, our lives can end up in a sinkhole. We may find that because we have never learned to build the inner support that we need, we cave in to the pressures of life at some point in time. He suggests that, in order for us to remain standing at those times, we must, at a much earlier stage, been consistently cultivating the inner strength that we need to face those rough times.

Needless to say, the only way we can gain such strength is from a consistent communion with God Himself. As a Christian, one has probably been taught at an early stage of the importance of a daily "quiet time" with God. While to many of us, this has come to mean reading the Bible and praying, Gordon brings much insight when he ask this of a pastor he came in contact with "Are you taking time regularly to order your inner life?"

Had he ask it in a different way, i.e. "How is your quiet time?", the pastor could have answered it quite simply in terms of days, hours, minutes, systems or techniques. But because he used the word "order", it was one of quality, not quantity.

As I cruised along with Gordon in this book, I am drawn and attracted to the type of inner spiritual life that he so emphatically exhorts us to have. To be able to say as E. Stanley Jones did on his deathbed, describing the strength of his spirit "The innermost strands are the strongest. I need no outer props to hold up my faith, for my faith holds me."

Gordon McD suggests 5 issues that we need to look at in our quest of ordering our private world
1. Motivation
2. Use of time
3. Wisdom and knowledge
4. Spiritual strength
5. Restoration

I don't think I have done justice of giving a good review to Gordon McD's book - but nevertheless, I hope you'd get the book and read it for yourself (if you haven't already done so), for its highly recommended to all who wants to take their walk with God seriously.

Ok, so how is all this related to me keeping a journal? Gordon McD suggests that journalling helps one meditate and reflect on what God wants to teach us - through our Bible reading, praying, thinking. It is a discipline that enables one to put down in words one's thoughts, through which God can bring to mind. It enables deep reflection on one's life, which can only be done through silence and solitude.

For the past few years, I've tried journalling for some time (though not consistently). During those times, I did find myself being more in tune with the rumblings of my heart, of the 'little' things that God was doing in my life, of being strengthened with peace from above. Sooo.. fingers crossed that I won't give it up half way again.. here's to a fresh new attempt - this time, with much more discipline and intentionality to Order my Private World! =)

Shopping...

I'm getting confused of how I should actually use this blog.. haha.. I've been mainly putting up my e-mail updates about my Cambodia trip, but haven't really used it to record down more day to day stuff.

Oh well, I suppose I can do both.. put up my e-mail updates.. AND write about other stuff =)

I know I haven't talked much about Winter Camp yet, but am planning to write that in my e-mail update.. (which I haven't gotten down to doing yet..). So I'll leave it till later..

Went shopping with Glenna and a few other girls I met at Winter Camp - Connie, Spring & Radha. Was more "window" shopping for me, as I ended up buying nothing. But it was still a good time learning to take the bus from my place to Curtin Uni, and then back again. Feels much safer now that I at least know how to get around on my own a bit =)

Connie, Spring & Radha are three non-Christian girls I met at the Winter Camp. Oh well, I guess I'd need to reveal more about what happened at the camp to give a bit more of "context".. I ended up joining the group for non-Christians, much to my surprise (& delight). Anyway, today was just an outing to hang out together (with Glenna the group leader) at Carousel Shopping Centre. We ended up playing this game "Rummy-O" at Vickery House (the girls' hostel area) with Lemuel, another OCFer. Oh boy, its such an addictive game.. and really fun too.. and Lemuel only got it for $20! Ah@!

So I anticipate dropping by Vickery House more frequently now.. especially in the next few weeks before Bible College starts!

Safe in Perth!

I've arrived safely in Perth on Wednesday, and am currently settling down into the freezing weather here! Thank God for His guidance and presence leading up to this!

Information/Commissioning session
The session held 2 weeks ago went smoothly, although one of the fluorescent lamps in the room ended up burnt just as we were ending the session with the benediction. We had to evacuate the room in a rush because it was emitting some nasty-smelling gas. My friends joked and said that God was 'sustaining' the light bulb till the very end. Perhaps He did, praise Him! =)

While I had the session primarily with the youth group (MYF) I was involved in, my parents and some adults from church also managed to attend it, praise God! It was an encouraging time, not only to be able to share my plans for the next 2 years, but also to receive support and prayer from them. Thanks to all of you who made a special trip to attend it!

My pastor gave a good challenge to what discipleship really meant, whether it was in full time ministry, or in the corporate world. That discipleship isn't only for some odd-ball Christian who ends up going into full time ministry, but for everyone who professes to be a follower of Christ. Each of us have the call of Christ to "go make disciples of all nations", be it in church or in the workplace.

Perth, oh Perth...
Am slowly but surely settling down into my accommodation - no dramas as I'm well taken care of by my hosts & landlords, Jonathan and Soong Leng. I have a nice, cosy room all to myself, complete with my own computer and broadband access.. luxury huh! =) Still trying to get used to the dry and cold weather, so my moisturiser, winter jacket and thick quilt are my best friends for now!

So when does work start? Well, not until 3rd week of July officially.. but I will be attending the OCF Winter Camp next week. Not sure what to expect with regards to my involvement then, but I suppose being myself shouldn't be too hard to do =) Will keep you posted about what happens during camp!

Prayer points
1. No doubt there's some anxiety about starting the traineeship - please pray that God will grant the 'peace that transcends all understanding'.
2. Winter camp - please pray that I will use the time wisely to get to know the students, as well as Lisa, the current staffworker trainee.
3. Last but not least, a quietness to be still before God amidst the many changes, to discern what He would want me to do as I start this new journey.

Another week gone..

This is my last week at Phnom Penh , and once again, I’m filled with wonderful experiences of God’s provision and workings.

Cycling around Phnom Penh

One of my most stressful experiences so far – cycling in the midst of the chaotic traffic! To keep myself sane from the stress, I had to do it early in the morning, i.e. at 6 am when traffic is at its minimum.. still it was enough to cause me much distress..!

Campus ministry – personal evangelism*

Visited the Royal University of Phnom Penh with Chenda the last two days. The plan was to follow her around and observe what she does on campus, namely personal evangelism to students around and following up with some CCC students. The strategy for personal evangelism is to look for students who are sitting by themselves or in pairs, spend a few minutes building rapport, and then share the gospel** using the 4 spiritual laws***.

First, we prayed, and then she turned to me and said “Jessica, I’m meeting one my CCC students now. Why don’t you go and talk to that girl sitting over there, and I’ll come by afterwards?”

“What? You’re leaving me all alone?!”, I screamed in my head. I hesitated for a while, but said “Ok, but I’ll need to pray some more!!”

So I approached the unsuspecting girl, and plopped myself next to her. She looked stunned (“what’s this foreigner trying to do?!”), but after some introduction, we started conversing. It went for a good 15 minutes, and I was getting anxious because Chenda was still talking to her student! I had already briefly told the girl that I was here to help out in a Methodist school, but haven’t yet mentioned that I was Christian!

I can’t even remember whether I prayed for help at that moment, but I was definitely battling in my mind whether I should go ahead and share the gospel in English anyway! Almost immediately, the girl turned and asked me in forgetfulness “So what are you doing here in Cambodia ?”

Ah hah! The door was opened! Told her I was Christian, and I’m helping out in the Methodist school. She said “Oh, you’re Christian!” and then she asked “Why do you believe in Christian?”

Ah hah! Door number two! So I did a spiel of the gospel, and then asked whether she believed. She said she thinks about Christianity sometimes, but she’s Buddhist, because she’s Cambodian. Tried to probe for more of what she believed in Buddhism, but she struggled to explain to me in English. She then had to leave to the library to do some work.

Well, so much for my first attempt at personal evangelism to a total stranger! But it was a really good experience as I definitely feel much bolder having done it once! Thank God that I was able to catch her again later in the morning as she was riding home on her motorbike, and gave her a gospel tract in Khmer which I got from Chenda. Pray that she’d read it and believe!

My second attempt with another girl wasn’t too bad either. I was more direct this time, asking “Can I share with you about Christianity?” to which she responded with a smile “Why not?”

She had thoughts like “All religions are good and they all lead to heaven”. Told her that Jesus claims to be the only way to God… But I was especially intrigued by her question “Why do Christians like to tell others about their religion? I don’t see other religions doing that.”

For apparently, earlier this year, someone had already given her the same gospel tract and explained to her in Khmer.. and later on, someone even gave her a Bible to read! So I wasn’t the first person. But I was amazed that she was still willing to sit and listen, and even asked me to go through the tract again, in English!

You never know till you’ve given it a go…

I benefited greatly from this two attempts at personal evangelism. I was rather ashamed to tell So Krun, another staffworker that this was only my third time sharing the gospel so directly with a total stranger! But in all humility, God has given me one of the best experiences I have so far. It is true that most people are more opened to listening to what we have to share than we think they are. So I agree with Nike – JUST DO IT!

Up close and personal…

Also had a chance to talk to one of the staffworkers about her background. Like many in Cambodia , she came from a broken family and her life was filled with lots of hardships and trials, yet also of God’s timely provision in many ways. She left her province to Phnom Penh in pursuit of honour for her family by getting a degree in Physics, yet her tight financial conditions threatened her means to continue many times. But God simply made a way each time through the generosity of others.

She came to know Jesus through an American missionary, her English teacher (what wonders English teachers can do!), and continued to grow in her faith despite rejection from family. Her decision to become a CCC staffworker also meant sacrificing the ability to support her needy family, and brought even more ‘dishonour’ in human terms to her family.

But till now, she has stayed so firmly in her decision to follow God’s ways and has become an inspiration to many other students who has similar backgrounds. What an encouragement!

Praise and prayer points

1. Thank God for guiding and providing the opportunities for my evangelism attempts.
2. Thank God for the encouraging testimony from the staffworker. May God continue to strengthen her faith in Him.
3. Please pray for Keary and Serrainon, the two Cambodian girls I talked to. Pray that God may convict them of the truth in Jesus.

* evangelism = sharing the news about who Jesus is
** gospel = good news about Jesus

*** The 4 spiritual laws:

Law 1: God loves you, and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

Law 2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.

Law 3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.

Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Dinner at one of the staff's house..



Me sharing my testimony while being translated by Chenda...


David giving his session on DR ABC..


Lunch...

Photos of Siem Reap

Area around accomodation in Siem Reap - Alley of Pub Street..
Very convenient at night as there are lots of restaurants.. walking distance to the Old Market and Night Market (to shop for Souvenirs!)


Shopping at the Angkor Night Market..


At the Angkor Wat...


Carvings in Angkor Wat...


Khmer bridal party!.. what a treat to witness it!


The Bayon Face - four faced statues..


The Bayon with some growth on his eyelid =P


Ta Phrom... a "Wat" amidst the jungle.. lots of vegetation (and MOSQUITOES!)


Land mine victims - playing music outside Ta Phrom...


Terrace of the elephants.. can u see the elephant?


On top of Phnom Bakheng (Phnom means "Hill")...
You can actually take an elephant ride up the hill.. but I walked.. haha..


Lady who was praying to the cow statue...


More statues.. legend has it that the 'gods' churned the sea of milk by pulling a giant serpent so that they can produce an elixir which gives them immortality..


Mini stuff...
- Mini Angkor Wat! Grrr..!


Mini Bayon... can't really see the four faced..


Floating village...
Trading on the river...


Kids rowing their little boats... actually they were trying to sell some bananas to us! You should see how quickly they rowed! Phew!


Little kid in a bucket.. so cute!


Floating school... And that's the floating basketball court!!


Floating Church?


Traditional dancing..


Cultural village..
Replica of the floating village... and other replicas of buildings in Cambodia.. =)




The "choosing a fiance" show... very entertaining!


The Chinese tourist from the audience that got chosen as the fiance! hahaha..

Not much time left!

Only 9 days left till I leave Phnom Penh and head back to KL! Thank God for the time spent for the past week, helping out with the school canteen, and attending the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) fellowship meeting on Saturday!

School canteen

The missionaries here have been drumming this into my head – expect the unexpected while in Cambodia ! =) Reflecting on the first few days of my arrival here in Phnom Penh, I was anxious to know what I could contribute here, even to the point of discouragement and disappointment when options were rather limited due to my language inability. But on hindsight, God has given me opportunities in various tasks that were indeed beyond my expectations – one being helping out with the school canteen!

I had my share of fun standing behind the counter, selling the rice, meat and soya milk while observing how the kids interacted with each other while they ate. And I had my share of stress when I was left alone to handle it on Monday morning – making sure the eggs were boiled, bread arrived on time, cooks were cooking, that there was enough meat for recess. Thank God for bringing Auntie Jennifer and Auntie Lydia back from Thailand on time to oversee it all again! Phew!

CCC meeting

Visited the CCC weekly fellowship meeting in the CCC office on Saturday morning. Sang a few songs in Khmer (I followed by clapping my hands and tried to listen for any words I knew.. hehe..) and played a game. David and I cooked up a plan to entertain them (at my expense!) – we had to briefly introduce ourselves, and after my usual spill of my name etc., I said:

“David taught me a phrase in Khmer :

Kenyom jeer swa ghon tho-at!”..

which means.. “I am a very fat monkey!”

You can imagine them laughing their heads off.. !

Ok, there were some serious business too.. haha.. I shared my story of how I became a Christian (one of the staffworkers, Chenda translated it into Khmer), and then David gave a short session on First Aid (strangely upon request by the staffworkers.. even though he had a short sermon up his sleeve already). The issues you should think about when performing first aid is summed up in DR ABC -- > Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation! Ok, go save them people! =)

Had lunch, prepared by some of the students. I’m still trying to get used to the home cooked Khmer food.. lots of soupy stuff and pineapple!

The CCC staffworkers have to raise their own financial support (a practice that will soon be very familiar to me as I undertake the traineeship with OCF!). Most of them (if not all!), are living under very tight budgets, raising only about USD100+ a month to support themselves. Local church giving has not been too generous and their support comes mainly from overseas.

I had the chance to look at some of their personal monthly budgets – there is just enough money to pay for food, rental and utilities. No extras for giving and savings.. let alone to buy any insurance! Makes me dread what happens if they ever fall very sick..

Yet, they are such generous people! One of the staff, Sakal was supposed to help us buy bus tickets to Siem Reap last weekend. Turned out that he bought the tickets and gave us back all our money! That was a huge USD 8! A generous amount for a guy living on only USD 100 a month! A challenge to all of us living with so much more, don’t you think?

More stories to come..

Look out for more stories as I’ll be joining Chenda on her usual campus ministry routine this coming Wednesday. Would be a good experience to observe and learn!

Praise and prayer points:

1. Thank God – my cough is gone! Gone! Yay – back to those durians (ok, kidding..)!
2. Thanksgiving to God for the abundant material life that I have – much much more than what my brothers and sisters in Christ here are living on.
3. Pray for the CCC staffworkers – that they are able to raise enough money to continue on in their strategic ministries on the campuses. That God may help them to continue trusting in Him to provide for all their needs.

2 weeks gone!

Can’t believe it’s already been 2 weeks here in Cambodia, exactly midway into this trip.

What’s up at the Wats….
Just came back from a 3 night visit to Siem Reap – yes, another holiday for me! It was a long weekend as the King’s birthday is being celebrated – public holiday for THREE whole days! I thought only the Chinese dynasty emperors had such long celebrations!

For those planning to visit Cambodia – May is a particular bad month because of the rainy season.. so it was wet wet wet everywhere we went! Thank God that the rain stopped in the mid morning and stayed dry till evening.. so did manage to do most of the touristy stuff without raincoats!

Visited the famous Angkor Wat and the other temples around it – Ta Phrom, Bayon, Angkor Thom. It’s hard to imagine that Angkor Wat is a temple and not a palace given its grandeur. The long weekend also meant that there were more local tourists around. Also visited a few other places such as the floating village and cultural village. Photos up soon...

It did cross my mind when I saw a temple on a hill at one of the more remote areas in Siem Reap – how there is some sort of seeking for a “higher power” no matter how primitive the culture. There is a yearning for spiritual connection ingrained in each one of us – consistent with what the Bible says about us being created for relationship with God. It did break my heart to see a Khmer lady kneeling before a statue of a cow, earnestly muttering her prayers. If only she knew that it was futile and the only God who could hear her could not be fashioned into a statue… (Acts17:22-31)*

English lesson at the school…
The school just started operating their very own canteen – so it’s been a really busy week for Mrs. Yeo, the principal’s wife as she has to manage it. So I had a chance to help her teach 2 hours of English tuition to a class of 23 kids one of the afternoons – all by myself!

Now how do I describe my experience? Traumatising?!! Haha.. The kids had very limited English – being the lowest level class – and boy were they energetic! I could hardly get two seconds of silence.. and it definitely didn’t help when it rained so heavily outside, drowning my already weak voice due to my flu!

I found myself looking at my watch every so often and muttering to myself – please school bell, please ring NOW! Ok, it wasn’t all trauma as I did have some amusement when one of the boys kept coming up to me and say “Teacher, may I go to the toilet please?” “What?! You again?! No!”

I did enjoy the last few minutes just before the class was over talking to some of the older kids (they were MUCH quieter and controlled!) – learning to pronounce their names. You’d be surprised how wide the age distribution is amongst the kids in school. There was a 15 year old boy in my class who is currently only in Primary 6!

So, hats off to all primary school teachers – you have my deepest respect!

Data entry…
Data entry work using Microsoft Access has been ok, though I’ve had to refer to the help file a lot since I wasn’t too familiar with it! At some point, I was thinking to myself – ah, if only it was in Microsoft Excel, it’d be much easier! But then again, its always good to learn new stuff, though I’d least expected to be learning Access here in Cambodia! =)

Praise and prayer points

1. Thank God for the good time enjoying His creation in Siem Reap
2. Please pray for my remaining time here – just got word from Mr. Yeo that I’d be helping out in the canteen tomorrow, and perhaps even supervising it all by myself next Monday! Ah!
3. Please pray for Piseth - one of the English teachers here. He's been recently diagnosed with a hole in his heart. Pray for God's guidance as he seeks out further medical help and the best options for treatment.

* From the Bible: (Acts 17:22-31)

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus) he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

More updates from PP

The past few days hasn’t been too productive in terms of “work”, but it was a great time meeting different people! On Thursday night, had a little ‘mamak’ night with the staff from Cambodia Campus Crusade for Christ (CCCC), and my first ride on a motorbike! Eek! Good thing I was sandwiched between two girls, and I had a helmet on, so I felt pretty safe.. the speed was bearable too.. they tend to go on a much slower pace, not more than 40 km/h, unlike the Mat Rempit’s back in KL with their circus stunts huh!

Meeting people…
It was good meeting the CCCC staff – each of them having their own story to tell about how they became Christians, and the objections they received from their non-Christian family, even more so when they decided to go into full time Christian work! Their ministry is also very similar to OCF’s, so there’s probably even more common ground between us! Looking forward to getting to know them better, and just being encouraged by these brave brothers and sisters in Christ!

Mamak night with Chenda - one of the CCCC staff

Was asked to give a short testimony this coming Saturday at their weekly meeting with the students – am still thinking about it, but will probably give it a shot. Also had a chance to witness (though not tasting it!!) the local delicacy – “belud” or “pong tier khone” which literally means – “egg-duck-child”. Photos below!

Visited the CSI clinic (no, not Crime Scene Investigation .. Cooperative Services International) on Friday – there was some registration work I could do but because of my extremely limited Khmer, I would have slowed down the process having to go through translators. Plus being a non-medical personnel does limit my ‘usefulness’ at the clinic, so I ended up just surfing the net and doing some e-mailing till lunch time.

The CSI clinic only takes in patients by referral from various groups such as churches or Christian groups in different provinces. Most of the staff in the clinic are Christian. The “Jesus film” (in Khmer) is shown in the waiting area everyday.

Met up with a few missionaries from America –and was amazed at how fluently they spoke Khmer (they’ve been here for about 4 years now). They are based in a small village - Chhlong and were down in Phnom Penh for their monthly prayer and fasting meeting. Was definitely encouraged to just meet them as it does make one wonder of the heart they must have for the Khmer people to leave their comfortable home in the States and leave a rugged life in the villages here. To the praise of His glory!

Holiday at the beach…
The weekend was spent at Kampong Som (or Sihanouk ville), a 4 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh. The sun and beach was great – but I could only enjoy it from under the umbrella shade as I had further developed a cough from another dose of durians the night before. DOPE!

.........In front of Central Market....Lyna & Soocheat (CSI clinic staff)..

At the beach.......

The humongous culprit that caused me my misery.. but it was soooO good!

Had lovely seafood – fish and crabs bought fresh from the market and cooked by the restaurant for a small fee .. yum yum yum!

Praise & prayer points…

1. Thank God for the encouragement from meeting up with different people.
2. Please pray for my health – flu & cough
3. Please pray that God will lead and guide me to know what He wants me to do here. My language inability does limit the things I can do – though perhaps God may be reminding me to be a “Mary” rather than a “Martha”, during this trip?

p/s for those unfamiliar with the Bible – here is the story about Mary & Martha from the Bible (Luke10:38-42)

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."