This past weekend Cambodia celebrated its traditional Khmer New Year. My Khmer teacher and good friend invited me to the province to stay at her aunt’s home and get a taste of life in the province. Here are a few of the things I did for the first time:
I learned to shower Khmer style. First, in the house, you change clothes under a saran type thing that wraps around your body. You head out to the ‘outhouse’ to shower by scooping water from the water basin over you and slathering up with soap. Then you change to a dry saran and head back into the house to put on new clothes. It is quite the process!
This little bundle of joy peed on me. Diapers are expensive and hard to come by, especially in the province, so babies usually just wear shorts or nothing at all. When they have to go, they just go and it just gets on whatever the baby is laying on. One particular instance it was my lap. So…I also got to learn how to do laundry too! But besides this instance, I loved playing with a baby all weekend!
I slept (kind of)…on the bamboo floor with a thin rug, a blanket, a few mosquitoes that seemed to always find their way through the mosquito net, and the heat.
I saw chickens go from pecking at their morning portion of corn to seeing the blood draining from them in the kitchen and then eating them for dinner. I learned to look more closely when picking out my cut of meat from the serving platter…I somehow ended up with the ‘guut’ (or bottom/tail) of the chicken which I was told is one of the best parts of the animal. I would beg to differ but at least I can say I’ve eaten it right?!
My friend taught me to drive a moto. We went riding through the countryside together! (It reminded me of drives through corn fields in Iowa on motorcycles!)
I went to my first (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) province club…it entails all the young people in the surrounding villages gathering to dance Khmer style on the lawn of the local pagodas. It is hard to explain, but basically they just walk slowly in rhythmic step to the music around a pole. You just kind of rotate your hands around in a circle. Not exactly like any club I'd been to before! Every 15 minutes or so there were a few Western pop songs that made me laugh as I knew they had no idea what the songs were about. I'm sure I provided them with some good laughs too as I was the only ‘barang’ (foreigner) there. I drew quite a crowd of small children and gazes from the others dancing.
I had my first late night sleep-over talk with a Khmer friend. She grew up Buddhist and offered me much insight into the beliefs many Cambodians hold.
I picked and gathered mangoes in a grove of mango trees.
Thousands of years before what we know life as today,
There was God,
And there was me,
And there were millions of other you’s and I’s and he’s and she’s.
He knew each one, because He molded each heart.
A huge black canvas was set before Him,
And his mighty yet gentle hands began to paint.
As He spoke out,
“Yellow sun
Blue water
Brown land
Green trees
Black depths,”
He wrote the script in His mind:
When king so-and-so would enter stage left;
And explorer what’s-his-name, stage right;
Here I enter,
Watch for your cue too.
Each scene, each act—
Masterly planned, perfectly directed.
I can complain and fret all I want, but when the director says “Fly!”
I’d better fly!
Because after all, the whole play came from the imagination of He Who Knows All.
It started from a blank, cold, dark universe.
And because of a God who didn’t want to be alone.
Thoughts? This week I have just been exploring creation and life from the point of view of God and His desire to not be alone. As much as we need Him, He WANTS us. He created us. He just wants to be with us.
There are horrible things happening in the world, but that wasn't what God intended when He created us. He just wanted to be with us, enjoy us. The fall kind of messed that up, but Jesus made that kind of relationship possible again...He bridged the gap between us and God so that we could really get to know His heart. With that perspective, it seems to me that a lot of other concerns and worries in life seem to be put into perspective.
Picture an American child learning to read. In an ideal education world (according to what I learned at Wartburg College ), she would need to spend hours reading dozens of books at varying difficulty levels, of all genre types, and about many different topics to become a proficient reader. Book stores and almost all schools in America are filled with books to meet these requirements. Note the emphasis on almost all schools—I am not naïve enough to not know that many schools in at-risk communities in the States lack funds for quality libraries. These books are well written, in her native language, and are culturally relevant.
Picture a Cambodian child learning to read. If she is attending public school, she is probably disadvantaged by the fact that her teachers may demand bribes in exchange for teaching her and they may not have received much quality teacher training. Then there’s the fact that many books she has been exposed to have been originally written in English—poorly translated the Khmer and geared toward a culture that is foreign to her—OR they are Cambodian folk stories filled with plot lines about murder, lying, or ghosts...not great at promoting literacy or character development.
The students at CCAM (Cambodian Christian Arts Ministry—http://www.ccamvision.org/), where I am currently working, have written and illustrated many children’s books over the years. Due to a lack of man power, many of them are sitting in bins in storage waiting to be scanned into a computer and formatted into a document that can be printed and distributed.
Over the past few months, I have enjoyed learning how to use programs like Adobe Photoshop and In Design to start getting the stories ready to be sent to the printer.
One book is ready to go. It has been approved by the Ministry of Education (an amazing God thing considering its subtle mention of church and the Bible) to be distributed throughout Cambodia by Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org/page.aspx?pid=300), an international education organization that works in Cambodia to build reading rooms filled with native language books and educational games to supplement the education they are receiving in the public schools.
The current hold up preventing this book from being distributed is a lack of funds (I know, I know…funds is what it always comes down to!) BUT if you have connections to groups—PTA groups, literacy promotion groups, church Sunday School offerings, retired teacher groups, book clubs—that have some money looking to find a good use, I’d love to talk with you about how it could be used to empower literacy for Cambodian children.
You can email me or leave a comment below if you have questions or want to learn more!
“Knom jong jia jon-jiet americ. I want to be an American.”
The phrase still rings in my ear.
“Should I hire someone to marry me so I can move to the United States?”
The question made me want to cry and scream! No! No! No! No! “Dah yuu…no way!”
I’m not sure how seriously, but her parents have apparently talked about hiring someone to marry her just so she can move to the States. She knows that is a bad idea, but she still really wants to live there.
“Why do you want to live in America so badly?” I asked.
“Why do you want to live in my country?” She retorted.
Touché…good question! I told her, "I think God has a lot He wants to teach me through my experience here. I want to ‘help’ people in some way. I love adventure, seeing new place, learning about different cultures, meeting new people."
It’s the same for her. She has the same kinds of dreams—experiencing new people and places, meeting God in a new way, seeing what life is like for others, extending a hand to someone in need.
The thing that stops her from doing this? The thiing that didn’t stop me? I’m an American. I was born into a middle class family. I have all the right paper work to get me almost anywhere I could want to go.
These are snippets from a conversation I had with a friend recently, and it got me thinking. I am so blessed to be living the life I lead. I did absolutely nothing to deserve any of it, let alone this amazing opportunity to live in Cambodia.
Sometimes it feels selfish and irresponsible to do things that I know I can do only because of the circumstances of my birth. Sometimes I feel I should take more advantage of my ‘status’ by fighting harder for others who are struggling and voiceless. It’s times like this when I realize how ungrateful I have been for the place I have come from and how irresponsible I have been with resources.
Tonight, Lord, I am filled with thankfulness. I am filled with a desire to be more responsible with and aware of how I live the life I’ve been given. I also cry out for Cambodians to see the value of their country. I want them to invest in Cambodia. I don’t want them to believe that the only way they can be happy is to escape to the U.S. Because, contrary to what they may think, ultimately it is more than food, money, and a good job they are looking for. It is You we all seek, and we can find You anywhere. Please come near!
I haven’t been up before 5 in the morning in quite awhile, but yesterday I was up and ready for the day by just about that time. The excitement in the house was mounting! I had spent the night at the school where I teach as we were leaving early for our field trip to the zoo. A part of me was so very excited, but another part of me was quite nervous. It is the hot season and I was dreading being out in the scorching heat all day long! Fortunately it rained some the day before and cooled things off a bit.
We arrived after a bumpy van journey and enjoyed seeing all the animals, although the girls were just as interested in taking pictures of themselves along the way as they were in the animals!
The morning was hot, but some lingering clouds kept the heat at bay a little. We had not received rain in almost a month, but that day as we ate lunch another rain storm moved over and brought a cool breeze with it. The Lord was so good to us! We were able to enjoy our meal and a short nap in the hammocks before heading out to see the rest of the animals.
Throughout the day, I watched the people who work at the zoo. At first I thought maybe people who worked at a zoo in Cambodia might just work there to have a job—any job, not necessarily because they liked animals necessarily. But as we were looking in the bear pen (to no avail as the bears were off hiding in a cool, shady corner as I would have liked to be doing!) a dear lady came over and started yelling for the bears, calling them by name. I could be reading too much into the situation, but I was amazed by the crazy connection she seemed to have with those bears. She must have a deep love for them, and they a deep trust in her.
It got me thinking about why we are drawn to watch or work with animals. What is it about creation that draws us in? It seems we are all amazed and perplexed and attracted to God’s creation whether or not we actually attribute creation to God or not. We are all created in His image and thus enjoy and care for the creation He has surrounded us with.
I couldn’t help but think how awesome our God is! He is so creative, clever and humorous. Just think of the huge elephants, colorful peacocks, fat pythons, silly bears, beautiful parakeets, and acrobatic monkeys He placed on this planet. The zoo isn’t the only place I see these traits of His though…the kids and people around me are living proof of our God’s creating abilities and often I take advantage of that. Thank you, Lord, for the beauty you have surrounded me with!
Do you see those around you? I mean, really see them?
Think through your day today…Where did you go? Who did you encounter there? Did a waiter bring you food at a restaurant or serve you in a cafeteria line? Did a bus, taxi, tuk-tuk or moto driver take you to work? Did a cashier ring up your bill at the store? Did someone open the door for you as you entered a building?
I recently had an experience where I realized how much I take advantage of the ‘servers’ around me—tuk-tuk drivers, security guards, waiters, cashiers—and it got me thinking…I don’t deserve to be ‘served’ any more than they do. I am a person just like they are, walking on this earth, trying to make it through the day.
Our world revolves around people providing and consuming services. This is how each of us gets money to support ourselves and our families. But just because this is the way the world works, doesn’t mean I ought to take advantage of those serving me. They are people with loved ones in their lives, troubles on their minds, excuses as to why they’re tired, reasons for celebrating…
This is a reminder as much for me as it is for you—don’t just to let those people slip by you unnoticed. They are loved as much by the Creator as you are. They deserve to be seen. So go ahead…give them a smile or a ‘how are you today?’ It just might brighten both of your days! And you know you’d appreciate the same if you were in their position.
Sometimes the Lord seems far away, unresponsive, removed from our lives.
I think lots of times we just feel that way because we can’t see things from His perspective. In difficult times, He really is closer to us than ever before.
If it weren’t for the difficult, distant, dry times, the relief wouldn’t be quite as sweet, refreshing, or cooling.
I pray these verses offer you encouragement and hope in the midst of any trial you may be enduring. All He really wants is for you to call out to Him in your current need and invite Him into it. He will meet you there.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24)
When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn. (Psalm 142:3)
I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. (Psalm 143:5-6)
Then I pray to you, O LORD.
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life. (Psalm 142:5)
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you. (Psalm 143:8)
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 139:7)
As much as I dislike de-icing my car in below zero temperatures, driving in blizzards, and having to deal with coats, hats, and boots all winter long, I have really been missing snow recently. It doesn’t help when I hear news from home about all the snow days off from school. So I decided to take matters into my own hands…
At school, I am currently teaching about the seasons. There are only two seasons in Cambodia: the hot season and the wet season, so the fact that in parts of the States there are 4 seasons is very interesting to my students. Last week we looked at pictures and talked a lot about winter. They loved hearing about snow as they have never seen it in real life. Because of their curiosity and excitement about snow and partially due to my snow snow-sickness, I decided to throw surprise snow day.
I brainstormed some of the most important things that are involved in a snow day and how I could possibly make them happen in Cambodia without actually having the real thing…I came up with building snowmen and enjoying homemade cookies...
I showed the kids how to stretch cotton balls out to make the three different sized circles. They took the assignment and ran with it…they were so creative with the design of their snowmen and the winter scenery.
I made chocolate chunk cookies (using a mix from the store and our kitchen’s little toaster oven) that they enjoyed…all most as much as they enjoyed not having to study for a whole day!
The best part of the day was the unexpected snow ball fight that happened after class. Some extra cotton balls had fallen on the floor and some of the students discovered that if they threw them in front of the fan they would fly all around. We spent a hilarious few minutes throwing cotton balls into each other’s faces and making them float all over the room. It was for sure the closest I’ll get to a snow ball fight this winter!
It’s awesome how God works even the small, fun, and seemingly pointless things to be such huge blessings.
I read this article online today and wanted to share it.
I am amazed and broken hearted everytime I hear about things like this happening in our world. I see and hear about the ways women are mistreated here in Cambodia, but I know it is happening all around the world.
Please join me in praying for women who are not seen as the beautiful creatures their Heavenly Father created them as...that they would experience His justice, His love, His compassion, His healing, His restoration.
We also pray for those who hold women in posissions of inferiority. They are just as broken and in need of His love, healing, and restoration.
The Lord has the ability to powerfully break into all of their lives. Come, Lord Jesus!
“Our efforts to help the poor can hurt both them and ourselves.”
The book When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert defines three things that factor into our efforts to help ending up being hurtful.
The first is our skewed definition of poverty- We often just think of poverty as a lack of material possessions. The book defines poverty as brokenness of relationship…relationship with ourselves, with others, with creation, and ultimately with God. Some people’s brokenness manifests as material poverty while other’s brokenness, just to name a few, could manifest itself in workaholic tendencies, materialism, or self-centeredness. When poverty is defined this way, we are all poor. However, if we view poverty just as a lack of material possessions, we can tend to think that money alone can solve all the problems. But can money mend relationships?
The second factor is that the economically well off (most of the people reading this blog, I assume) can develop 'god-complexes.' This means we can easily and unconsciously begin to think that we have some sort of special anointing to decide how the materially poor could best benefit from our wealth. Satan does as good job of trying to hide these secret motives from us. The book challenges us to reflect on these questions:
“Why do you want to help the poor?…What truly motivates you? Do you really love poor people and want to serve them? Or do you have other motives? I must confess to you that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel like I have pursued a noble cause…to be a bit like God” (pg 65).
If I'm honest with myself, I have had the same thoughts. At other points in life, I have felt a duty or commitment to the materially poor because of my economic situation. How off I have been...I have to continually ask for grace to accept and admit that I am just as broken as anyone else, it just might not be as evident on the outside.
The last factor addresses the feelings of inferiority the materially poor may feel. Our efforts can unintentionally communicate to the material poor that we are ‘better’ than them and give them the idea that they are inferior. They can feel shame shame and develop low self-esteem.
Picture for a moment a poverty stricken mother in Cambodia and her hungry children. The only option she sees for herself is to go to the market and beg off of foreign tourists. They see her dirty clothes and sad eyes and pity her; they give her a wad of cash. This makes her feel good—she can feed her kids for the day. It makes the tourist feel good—he can return to his hotel feeling as though he helped a poor woman feed her kids for a day.
But tomorrow she will still be poor. She will go to the market again and beg from another tourist. The cycle will continue day after day. She is happy to feed her kids for the day, but imagine how she feels about the fact that the only way she can feed her kids is by begging and looking pitiful? When a white person hands her money and says “God bless,” the message he might unintentionally be sending is "You are worthless. I don't believe you have the ability of caring for your family on your own, but I'm glad I can help you out!" She is not pushed towards a life of independence, actually quite the opposite. She is encouraged to give up on herself and believe the lies that she is worthless. I bet being a pitiful looking woman wasn’t her dream. But when you have no self-respect and are not seen and respected as a real person there doesn’t seem to be anything better to strive for. But what if someone built a relationship with her, helped her set up a stand to sell vegetables, invited her into a healthy church community...
“Our efforts to help the poor can hurt both them and ourselves.”
These are just my musings from the first few chapters of this book. Take them or leave them. I know that every situation cannot fit the cookie cutter mold answer, but I challenge you to reflect on the points presented. Do you believe this statement is true? And how does that affect your future interactions with the materially poor? What does it reveal to you about the brokenness in your own life?
wraps around your body. You head out to the ‘outhouse’ to shower by scooping water from the water basin over you and slathering up with soap. Then you change to a dry saran and head back into the house to put on new clothes. It is quite the process!
lap. So…I also got to learn how to do laundry too! But besides this instance, I loved playing with a baby all weekend!
told is one of the best parts of the animal. I would beg to differ but at least I can say I’ve eaten it right?!
provided them with some good laughs too as I was the only ‘barang’ (foreigner) there. I drew quite a crowd of small children and gazes from the others dancing.
was quite nervous. It is the hot season and I was dreading being out in the scorching heat all day long! Fortunately it rained some the day before and cooled things off a bit.
