Back in Phnom Penh

We had a good trip from Battambang to Phnom Penh yesterday with Dave, Doris, Maria (a missionary workin in Siem Reap), and the short term team. We divided the group in two pickups and two taxis which were white Camrys running on natural gas. Doris was worried about driving in a convoy because conditions on the road can change rapidly between the lead car and the ones following. At one point a cow decided to try to cross the road between us, a cow can be hard to avoid when you are traveling 50 or 60mph. But God had his hand over us during the 5hr drive and we arrived safely. I got to have really good conversations with some of the high schoolers on the drive down. They asked a lot of questions about apologetics and I was able to challenge them to stand firm on their view of the absolute truth and accuracy of scripture. Before dropping them off at the airport we stopped for about an hour and half at the market and did some shopping. I've never seen so many people buy so much in such a short time. They got really good at bargaining.

I've also had good conversations with Chris Bellar, one of Dave and Doris' new team members. I'm looking forward to "interogating" all the missionaries I meet on this trip.

Prayer Requests:

• Still need to prep for Field Forum.
• Need to start typing up stuff for my Field Intership portfolio.
• Praise God, health is still excelent!

0609 Local Time

Battambang, Cambodia

I'm leaving Battambang today. Dave and Doris and the entire short term team that I've been with this week will be heading to Phnom Penh to catch their flight home. It's been a tiring but good 5 days here. We completed the fence that we started. The sunburn on my calves that I got from planting rice is still a little sensitive but much better. Yesterday the short term team performed a skit and song at a New Life in Christ event; more on that later.

When we stopped working on the fence on Monday we had all the posts in and about one and a half rows of barbed wire up. Joseph, the owner of the orchard we were fencing in wanted about 5 rows so we had a ways to go. When we returned on Wednesday to finish it we found that it was almost finished. On Tuesday Joseph and his family had returned to the orchard and finished almost three rows by themselves. Dave and Doris were particularly encouraged by this because it showed that Joseph was taking ownership of the fence and seeing it as his own and therefore willing to put work into it. The danger in giving, supporting, and providing for locals is the creation of a dependency relationship. This is why simply sending money will never work. Its the same reason that some take advantage of welfare, the money comes from some impersonal source and there is no accountability. So instead of using the money to help themselves get on their feet, many take advantage of it and spend it on luxuries they would not have otherwise been able to afford. That is why it is crucial to have people on the ground assessing the need and finding ways to "teach a man to fish" and not just "feed him for a day". Micro credit is one way to accomplish this, by letting the lenders know that they need to pay back their small loan they are forced to use it with long term beneficial goals in mind. With service projects, the overwhelming response when foreign aid comes to build something for local people they will not make an effort to care for or maintain the structure simply because "the foreigners built it, it was free, I don't need to care for it". It is unfortunate, but good stewardship is difficult when there is no sense of ownership. Think about the last time you rented a car or stayed in a hotel room.

The New Life in Christ event is one that is held three times a year for AIDS patients that is part health education and part spiritual encouragement and teaching. Those who attend are leaders and members of local churches in Battambang who are involved in care ministries for the HIV positive and the patients themselves. In a conversation with Sharon, a missionary from the Philippines, she told me that the skit and song that the youth of the short term team performed was a good change from the regular program that they hold at these meetings. The skit was performed to the audio track of Brandon Heath's Give Me Your Eyes, and clearly communicated our need for God's perspective to be able to see and love those around us who are in need. A local pastor gave a message in Khmai, I heard that his experience of being a monk has been central to his ability to preach the gospel in a way that challenges many in this Buddhist nation.

Prayer Requests:

• Safe travel to Phnom Penh
• Time to prep for the youth program at Field Forum. I'm supposed to meet with one of the organizers, Mary Westergren, sometime over the next few days.

Battambang Day 2

I've been in Battambang for two days now. After having breakfast with the short term teams and the dorm students I headed off to the bus station on the back of a moto with TD, one of the dorm students, driving (is that the right word to use when talking about motorcycles?). The bus ride in an old, but comfortably air conditioned tour bus, took almost 6 hours. It didn't seem that long though because most of the time I was talking to a Cambodian lady who had gone to live in Pennsylvania after being put in a Thai refugee camp after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. She was visiting family members in Cambodia to participate in a Buddhist ceremony with a few of her brothers who are monks. I tried to turn the conversation to the subject of Christ but she said that as long as you are good and do good things it doesn't matter what religion you practice. At that point I told her that doing good cannot make up for the bad that every one does and that only Jesus can make us good. She didn't seem too interested in talking about that. Every city in Cambodia has a statue which is basically a giant idol that represents the god or spirit of the city. As we passed the Battambang idol she pressed her palms together and raised them to her forehead.

After getting off the bus I was approached by a tuk tuk driver who asked me where I wanted to go. I told him that I was waiting for a friend to pick me up. We started talking and I discovered that his English was pretty good. He asked me what I was doing in Cambodia and I told him that I was here to help the church and work with missionaries who lived in the country. I asked him if he had ever been to church and he said he had when he was very young but now he was too busy working as a tuk tuk driver. Apparently he had started going to church due to the influence of Christian groups that had provided aid and ministered to people in the refugee camps along the Thai boarder. He remembered the games that they played but not any of the teachings about Christ or the Bible. As Dave, my missionary host in Battambang rolled up to the station I said good bye to the tuk tuk driver and encouraged him to go back to church.

Later on I thought how strange it was that I met two Cambodians who had both been in Thai refugee camps but one had gained admittance to the States and the other went back to Cambodia. The woman I met on the bus has a comfortable life because of the good jobs that her sons have and because of the numerous and sizable diamonds she was wearing. The man who had returned to Cambodia, however, struggles to support his family by driving a tuk tuk around for less than a dollor each trip. The contrast between a life in the States and a life in Cambodia is drastic.

After being picked up by Dave, myself and a handful of other short term-ers went out to a village just outside the city and helped to build part of a cow fence surrounding a plot of land that will be used for planting. We dug holes for rough, wooden fence posts and nailed some barbed wire to it. It was pretty intense work.

Posts for the fence

But today was even more intense. The short term team and I are staying at the Te o Hotel in Battambang not far from Dave's house. He came to pick us up at 7:30 and we went to a rice field to help a family plant their rice. This family has been very generous with their resources by letting Dave conduct SRI experiments on their land. This planting day was arranged by Dave as a way of thanking this family for their help in his work. The day started out cool and overcast but it got really hot in the afternoon. We finally finished at 5:30 and we were pooped. I slept well last night.

Planting

A local pastor and a church worker

Prayer Requests:

• Praise for good health and good sleep thus far. I still wake up early in the morning, around 5am, but it gives me time to do devotions and write updates.
• Pray for God's blessing on the work of Dave and Doris here in Battambang. They are trying to create holistic ministries where they meet the felt needs of the people here as well as their greater need for a savior.

We'll see how long I last.

The remaining leg of the journey was uneventful. I made it to Phnom Penh on schedule and Bill, one of the the missionaries in Phnom Penh; Caitlin, an old friend we met at English Camp two years ago; and Phearum, the current director of the dorm ministries in Phnom Penh, were waiting to greet me outside the baggage claim area. A lot has changed in Phnom Penh since last year. The once muddy road to the new dorms where the Phnom Penh English Camp will be held this year is now paved over with a fresh layer of concrete. Lots of construction projects are starting up too, including a 43 story sky scraper. This is a big deal in Cambodia. Bill was also telling me that many of the guesthouses lining the streets were once brothels that got shut down by the government. Things seem to be looking up in the capitol.

The first interesting sighting of the trip was out on the road as we were driving through the city. It seemed that a moto had crashed and had caught on fire. As we drove past we could see that the owner was frantically trying to put out the flames by beating them down with papers but the fire only grew worse. It seemed like the gas tank could have gone up at any moment but we didn't stick around long enough to see what happened. I hope the only casualty of that incident was the moto.

It's almost 4:30 in the afternoon here and I'm starting to feel lethargic. I was able to get some rest on the plane but I think I still need some time to completely make the timezone switch. Tonight is dinner with the rest of the team that is here for the Phnom Penh English Camp, almost 20 other short termers, and then coffee and hang out at Bill and Ilana's place. We'll see how long I last.

Prayer Requests:

• Quick adjustment to the time zone.
• Good recall of the Khmai that I learned on previous trips. I'd like to have something to say to start conversations with the locals.
• Boldness to talk to people I meet.
  

Taipei

July 3, 2009

We're descending towards Taipei airport right as I type this. The flight has been uneventful. I watched a couple movies, ate two meals (one of which was porridge for breakfast), slept a little, and typed some things up including this entry. I have to admit that I was a little worried about China Airlines before boarding. I chose them because they offered the best fare, but having flown Thai and Malaysia on previous trips to Cambodia I wasn't sure I could expect the same experience from China. But I have been pleasantly surprised. The plane is modern, the food is pretty good, there is an on-demand entertainment library, and the attendants have been very helpful. Right when I boarded one of them offered to place my travel guitar in a special compartment separate from the other carry-on baggage. Aside from the fact that all of them start talking to me in Mandarin instead of English I have nothing to complain about.

After about an hour or two layover there is still another four hour leg before I land in Cambodia. So far so good, I'm looking forward to meeting the missionaries again and seeing old friends in Cambodia. Thanks to everyone who came to the send-off, I felt encouraged and definitely covered in prayer. Props to family and friends who stayed till 12:15 in the morning at LAX to wait for my boarding time.

Prayer Requests:

• Adjusting to the timezone. I'll probably start falling asleep around 6 or 7 local time and waking up around 4 or 5. It's not too bad coming this direction but the struggle is not to fall asleep in your food at dinner.
• Final arangements for my travel north to Battambang where Dave Strong is. I'm still not sure if I will leave immediately or rest a few hours or maybe a day before getting on the bus. I want to be the least burden to the missionaries here. (Update: Dave has requested that I travel to Battambang on Monday so I will need to make somewhat last minute arangements with Ilana to stay in Phnom Penh for a few days)

Funding

Praise God for his provision! After sitting down and working out the numbers today I discovered that I am short of being fully funded by about $250 only. That is totally workable on my budget. I probably won't have much money for souvenirs though. =P Once again God has provided for me according to his grace.

Only 8 more days till departure!

Send Me!

Yesterday was the second meeting of Send Me! a class provided by the U.S. Center for World Missions and Lake Ave church in Pasadena. The purpose of the class is to expose those who are thinking of becoming missionaries to issues which they have not thought about, questions they have not asked, and areas of character and knowledge and skill development which they may not have considered. As always, God's timing is perfect as this class comes at a time when Rocio and I are seriously thinking about our next steps in life. We have already gained a lot from these first two classes and look forward to gaining more wisdom and insight as we live preparing to go but willing to stay. When we attended the first class last week we were pleased and amused to discover that in his providence God had brought another couple into the small class of 12 whose names are Jonathan and Rose. Since the four of us make the only two couples in the class we were naturally grouped together to form a small prayer group. At the end of each meeting we spend about 15 minutes sharing about what we discussed in the class and praying together; we are enjoying our time together immensely.

A couple key issues were brought up this past Tuesday. One was the complexities of raising a family overseas. When children grow up in a home where their parents embody one culture but they are constantly exposed to a different culture in the country where they stay they become third culture kids. TCKs, for short, often exhibit behavior in the extreme ends of a relationship forming scale. On one end they may remain distant with people they meet and resist forming relationships because they have moved around so much and have had to say goodbye so often. On the other end they may be vulnerable to becoming attached too quickly and too deeply because they know that time is short and they want to make the most of every relationship opportunity. Though raising TCKs is difficult they often grow up more resilient and adaptable because of the environment they grew up in.

The second key issue is one that resonates greatly with Rocio and I at this stage in our lives: should those who are planning to go overseas consider buying a house? In the current housing market there seem to be so many advantages, but would we in essence become married to our mortgage and tied down because of it? We heard opinions on both sides of the issue but it seems that the advantages of owning a house outweigh the difficulties. Aside from the investment value, a house is an important step to laying down roots. This becomes immensely important when considering the previous issue of TCKs. A house becomes a place that our kids can call home, a place to live where we can remain connected with extended family and friends after returning from the field, and an inheritance to leave to our children.

I am grateful for this opportunity to wrestle with these issues so that I can walk into missions with my eyes open and aware of some of the questions, issues, and hardships that will present themselves.