Back in the states/Last week in Cambodia update

Dear friends and family,

I thought about different ways to start this email with a BANG, but my mind is still flying all over the place to come up with something. Although one of my bags is missing, Jonathan and I made it back safely to LAX last night! Because of that, we took a lot longer than the rest of the people on our flight to come out and sent a wave of anxiety over the people waiting for us at the terminal, haha! Thank you all again for coming out to welcome us back at the airport and for your prayers, emails, messages, and encouragement! I didn't think I'd be too excited to see my parents and friends since I was sad to leave Cambodia, but all your warm smiles melted my heart away for sure, haha! My flight back was amazing! One of the interns left me some anti-nausea medication that's only sold in Canada, and wow, did it help me sleep well throughout the entire flight! It was my first time feeling so well on a plane, and I was even able to look out the window and marvel at God's creation as we were descending! Praise God!

My mosquito bites are starting to die out now; I sure felt the prayers from y'all for the last part of the trip! I apologize for the lack of email update during the last week of our time in Cambodia. Our schedule was packed for the last two weeks, and we were constantly traveling around. I have to say, though, that it was my favorite time in Cambodia besides the English Camp in Siem Reap. We were exposed to more of the Khmai (Cambodian) life with the Strong's planting rice and spending time with Akphirin and Theary (friends we met from last year's English Camp) in Koh Thom. We slept in traditional Cambodian stilt houses, commuted on motos and packed taxi vans, and ate many Cambodian dishes and snacks... including rice field rats. We were told that rice field rats are a lot tastier than the rats in the city. I nibbled on the meat but skipped out on eating the skin, and Jonathan cleaned up the bones until every bit of the meat was settled in his stomach. MmmMm, yum yum!

A couple of my goals for my time in Cambodia this year was to 1) experience more of the Khmai life and less of the "American" lodging and food we are usually placed in with our host missionary and 2) understand more about and know how to better pray for the different ministries our missionaries are involved in Cambodia. Not to say that I don't appreciate the comfort provided by our host missionary, but I really wanted to have a deeper understanding of life as a Cambodian. It took me six weeks to finally realize that it's not so much of how I can "tough out" the physical discomfort, but rather how much grace God gives me each time. And once I learned that, God opened my eyes to place a heavier emphasis on the spiritual burden and the struggles in partnering with the Khmais our missionaries face everday. It was very humbling. Jonathan said it took me long enough to learn this, haha. I'm sure I'll be sharing more of this at fellowship.

I'm very thankful that God gave us iron stomachs. We were eating and drinking anything and everything the Khmais offered us wherever we went. But no, I still didn't eat a tarantula, and I'm not sorry for it either! Jon ate one though. @_@ I'm also very thankful for all the safe travels, especially the time when I traveled alone to Kampong Saom to meet up with Jonathan and the group at the Vietnamnese Youth Camp. As we were about take a bus back to Phnom Penh from Battambang, my headache increased from earlier in the morning, and I started to feel weak and shaky. The bumpy roads didn't help the pain as the headache grew more intense, but I was able to pop in some tylenol before leaving the Strong's. I spent the first hour of the bus ride sleeping and woke up feeling better. However, my headache was still there, because it'd hurt every time I coughed or leaned forward or lied down.

This continued into the next day and the pain actually woke me up the next morning. (The headache found its way into my right eye too!) Jonathan and I were supposed to take a 630 bus that morning to Kampong Saom, but I knew I wouldn't be able to make it. I tried getting up after using the restroom only to weakly flop back into bed, so I called Jon to tell the rest of the group to go on without me and that I'll try to catch a later bus that day. When I woke up at 10, the headache was still there, although not as severe. Ilana, the host missionary, stopped by to check up on me and advised me to stay and rest up in Phnom Penh for the day. She told me I'll be good to go if my headache goes away the next morning. If not, I'll need to get a blood test. A blood test?! But, it's only a headache! I reluctantly said OK and prayed really hard that God would take this mysterious headache away so I could join the Youth Camp the next day... which He did! God's hand totally led me safely to the bus station and to Kampong Saom the next day! It was actually exciting to be traveling alone in Cambodia! :-) I'm still not exactly sure why God allowed this to happen, but if anything, this taught me to be obedient in unexpected situations.

So now that my two months in Cambodia is over, what's my next step is the question I'm constantly asking myself and God. After many conversations with the missionaries in Cambodia, I think I should finish my teaching credential degree before taking Bible classes in preparation to become a missionary. Haha, actually, I'm still waiting to see if that's where God is leading me. I will continue to exchange emails with the C&MA Candidate Development Team for more advice and guidance.

It's... different to be back in the states, to be in a familiar yet unfamiliar place, to wait on God for what He has for my next step, to swing back into LA time zone and the numerous activities/appointments here, to continue my journaling/processing time, to prepare the team for fellowship sharing, and many more. I ask for your patience and understanding as I'm still in the process of reflecting and transitioning and adjusting through reverse culture shock.

Thank you for reading! Once again, Jonathan and I would like to say thank you for your prayers and for being a part of this experience as one body in Christ in Cambodia. I look forward to sharing with all of you when I'm ready. I'll see most of you at the church retreat on Friday!

All glory to Him alone,

Em

PS- Thank you, Castalia and Rocio, for helping us keep our friends and family up to date with our emails! http://sgvac-cambodia-stm-08.blogspot.com/

Prayer Requests from EM

Written by Em Aug 9

Love you all!!!

-em

ps- just kidding, one more side prayer request... or two actually. 1) didnt really have a chance to talk much to mr. chu today, but as i was leaving, i asked if he goes to church (knowing what his answer would be, but trying to start a convo w/ him) and encouraged him to read the Bible and the Christian magazines that he receives. jon and i might go back for breakfast tmr morning before dave picks us up for church. pls keep praying for convo opportunities! i really didnt know what to say to him and was praying for God to just provide me w/ His words and open up convos last night. pray that jon and i will be quiet and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's lead if we have a chance to go back! rocio, feel free to cut/paste this part on the blog/email to castalia for me, thanks a bunch!

2) i wish i was exaggerating, but these mosquitos must think i'm delicious or something. mom, i've been putting deet on everyday, really i have! but they still feast on my legs! and the bites get really big and pink and itchy. the khmais keep pointing to my legs and saying ohhhhhh moke (which means mosquito)! not that i'm complaining, but it'd be nice to have a break from my mosquito friends... especially in kampong saom. i got a bunch of mosquito bites last time i was there for field forum :-( arkoon tom tom!!!!!!!!!!!!! good nite!

Dateup: ...the Dark Side ...Moringa Pill Popping... Closing up Time in Battambong

Hey guys,

Another awesome day in Battambang has come to a close. (Maybe this country map will help you visualize all these cities we have been talking about.) The Strongs drove us up to a mountain in the vicinity of the city. During the civil war with the Khmer Rouge the mountain was a fortified position with a clear view of the flat terrain surrounding it. Two artillery cannons still sit on the mountainside, silent guardians of an era past. The Khmer Rouge also used caves in the mountain as an execution site. Prisoners would be bound and bludgeoned into unconsciousness and dropped into a vertical opening and left dead or dying. A large number of bones remain in the caves but they have been collected and placed in protective memorial shrine type enclosures. It's a pretty gloomy and depressing place. All the temples and shrines that sit on the mountain don't help to alleviate the oppressive spiritual atmosphere.

On the way down from the caves and temples Doris saw a fruit stand selling starfruit. It was a rare sight and she was excited to be able to purchase some. She began talking to the seller and he said that there are a lot of trees at the base of the mountain that produce starfruit but he never eats them. He lifted his shirt to show Doris a string tied around his waist. The string was placed there by a witchdoctor and was supposed to ward off evil spirits or something like that. A person who has that type of a string tied around them can never take it off. This person then considers themselves part of the darkness and starfruit is not good for someone who is part of the (I am really excited to be able to use this phrase in a normal context) the dark side. Doris remarked later on how interesting it was that these people consider themselves in darkness yet they are ignorant of the gravity of their spiritual darkness.

After our trip we rushed back to town to get the two young lady agriculturalists on their bus back to Phnom Penh. Holly, the American, has to teach Sunday school and had to be back in time for that. Later we spent the early part of the afternoon at the Strong's house talking about the morninga tree project. If you want to know more about the moringa tree Trees For Life has a good website with lots of information. Some quick background on the Battambang Morninga project. Dave and Doris have been working hard to promote this surprisingly nutritious tree as a nutritional supplement for the general Khmer population (many of them are not getting the proper nutrients in their diet) as well as AIDS patients. There are several small orchards around the Battambang area on land owned by families who have taken an interest in Dave's work. For the first time the project has generated more moringa powder than they have sold. Dave is now looking into marketing options and partnerships with health food companies to create a regular demand for morninga and to spread awareness. The long term goal is to hand the project over to a local person but the Khmer are reluctant to take the weight of the responsibility unless a clear benefit is demonstrated. God willing the project will become self sustaining and someone will realize that they can make a couple hundred bucks a month just by running the thing.

Dave has also talked to the Ministry of Health here in Cambodia and they got really excited about moringa. Currently there are numerous health supplements that are imported from Thailand. The Ministry asked if Dave could produce a line of supplements based on morninga that could be produced locally. That's a bit beyond the capabilities of the project at this point but they also gave Dave permission to produce moringa capsules. So this afternoon on the living room floor of Dave Strong's house the first (probably the first) moringa capsules were manufactured in Cambodia. This was all done by hand with pre-made gelatin based capsules and a Cap-m-quik home capsule packer. A full dose of morninga for a day is about 20 grams. We were able to fit 400 milligrams into one capsule. If you have a general idea of how the metric system works (as weird as it is) you will soon come to the same conclusion that we did. To get a full dose of moringa every day one must take 50 capsules. We still wanted this capsule idea to work though since it would be an easy way for people to take moringa but no one would want to take 50 in a day. Dave decided that a 10 gram per day dose should be sufficient and maybe if we were able to pack 100 more milligrams into the capsules that would only mean... 20 capsules a day. That's still a lot of pill popping. I know some of you are thinking that you go through more Tylenol than that in a single afternoon... just kidding. So I don't think this capsule idea, as cool as it was, is going to take off.

Later in the afternoon we went back out to the field where we planted our rice experiment to take a look at it. There wasn't much change but the little 7 inch seedlings that we planted all seemed to be standing up straight with their vibrant green color intact. I guess that is a good thing. The family that owns the field was out there planting another section in the traditional way. They worked much faster than we did yesterday and the lady and her two daughters who were planting jokingly asked why three people are faster at planting rice than ten. Us foreign folk just don't know how to plant rice. Before we left the family invited us to stay for some roasted corn. They gathered a bunch of dry sticks, dead leaves, hay, and assorted garden waste; piled it up, threw on some corn, and lit the whole thing on fire. Even Dave was skeptical but after about 15 or 20 minutes we had delicious roasted corn. It was sweet with plenty of flavor, we didn't need butter or salt, which is good because I doubt we could not have easily gotten any even if we wanted to. It was an excellent appetizer for a dinner of tuna sandwiches and chaya at the Strong's house.

So Dave and Doris are really into eating tree leaves. Chaya is another tree that is high in nutrients. The tree produces leaves a bit smaller than your palm that look like a maple leaf but with five points on it. The high nutrient content and fast growth rate make it ideal for use as a food. The not so cool part about it is the cyanide content. Because of that the leaves need to be boiled for at least 5 minutes before being eaten, a bit longer if you want them to be nice and soft. They were actually pretty good, just boil them in plain water and add a dash of vinegar and they taste great. Even Emily, who is a total carnivore, liked them.

Anyway, Battambang has been great. Matthew, their five maybe six year old son is going through an energy overload phase running around, climbing on people, and talking a whole lot. Still as cute as ever though. Tomorrow we'll attend church and eat an early lunch and then jump on the 12 o'clock bus back to Phnom Penh. No resting there though. The next morning at 6:30 we leave on another bus headed to Kampong Saoum (or Sihanokvile as it is labeled on the map). We will spend three days there helping out with a Khmai Vietnamese youth camp. Sounds like fun but for the first time we won't be staying at a dorm, guesthouse, or hotel. I think we'll be in some sort of hut which is basically a thatched roof on four poles. We'll see. Not sure how much time we'll have to do email updates there so if you don't hear anything for a few days its OK. Pictures here. I think this update has reached a sufficient length. Until next time.

In Him,

Jonathan

Our state-of-the-art sterile capsule packing lab.


Experimental Rice Field


A beautiful sunset in the countryside.

Mr. Chew's Noodles...Education system...New Methods in Rice Planting

Written by Jon Aug 8

Chum reap sua,

Our stay at the Teo last night was great. We each got small room but it's clean so we can't complain. Dave came to pick us up at 8 and we went to Mr. Chew's noodle place for breakfast. Hand made egg noodle with beef and a wanton. We remembered it well from our trip last year, the food and iced coffe was just as good. Dave, our host missionary in Battambang said he's been going to Mr. Chew's since '94. But now that the prices are going up ($.75 for iced coffee and $1.25 for a bowl of noodles) he's not there as often. Mr. Chew is a first or second generation Cambodian-born Chinese and speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese. Emily had a good chat with him and, supplemented by information from Dave, we found out that he was baptized and calls himself a Christian but it's just something he puts on his religious shelf along with other beliefs. Having a succesful noodle shop that is open seven days a week is not condusive to Churchgoing either. We'll be back there for breakfast tomorrow morning.

After breakfast we went to visit a family to pray for the grandfather who is sick. The doctors say that he probably won't recover from this but the family asked Dave not to give any indication of that to him so that he won't loose hope and give up. Dave and Doris spoke to the family in Khmai and since one of them is a teacher they talked about the widespread corruption in the education system. Test proctors often accept bribes to allow students to use notes or cheat sheets during tests. These proctors then have to pay bribes to their supervisors to be allowed to continue to proctor tests. The family was saying that recently it has gotten twice as bad as it was in the past. One encouraging aspect of the visit was finding out that this family are the inlaws of the family I was staying with and will stay with again in Phnom Penh. Dave explained in Khmai that I was staying with their inlaws and they all seemed very happy to discover this connection.

After lunch at Dave and Doris' place we relaxed for a couple hours before heading out to the fields. Joined by an American and Khmai agriculturalist from Phnom Penh and some members from a local Church we set out to demonstate a new method of planting rice. A small plot of land about 10 by 20 meters was set aside for the demonstration. Half was to be planted in the traditional Khmai method and half in the new method. Really it's a simple change. Instead of the average 30 centimeter spacing between transplanted seedlings the new method calls for a spacing of 50 centimeters. This reduces the number of seedlings used and the labor it takes to put them all in the ground while yielding a greater harvest since the rice has more space to allow new sprouts to come up. The side that planted 50 ceintimeters apart finished twice as fast as the side that planted at 30 centimeters but only time will tell if the yield is increased. The Khmai as a people are generaly resistant to change in methodology whether it has to do with infant nutrition, building a house, or planting rice. But just because it has always been done that way doesn't mean that its good. The average yield for a Cambodian rice field is 1.8 tons of rice per hectare (A measurement indicating a square with 100 meter sides.). That sounds like a lot until you find out that the potential yield for a rice field in this part of the world is upwards of 10 tons per hectare. God willing the demonstration today will be a small step towards improving Cambodia's agriculture and, therefore, the lives of the farmers in this country. And of course we also pray that when we take care of the physical needs of people it will open doors to take care of spiritual needs. Grow rice, grow!

Chum reap leeah!

Jonathan

P.S. Oh, if you wanna see some pics click here.

MUD!!!

That's Dave in the foreground. The yellow string marked the proper spacing for the seedlings.


Jon in blue, Doris in stripes, and Emily in pink.


Rice planters minus Dave who is behind the camera.

A Rice Planting We Will Go.......and......Out to Catch a Leech

Randomness from Em to me Aug 7:

guess what we'll be doing tomorrow?! eating breakfast at mr. chu's place! haha, well, that's not the only thing we'll be doing. ........we'll be planting rice! oh my! sharon (the filipino nurse who works w/ the strong's) say it's hard work because you can't sit and you can't stand. dave strong says she even has a filipino song called it's hard to plant rice... or something along those lines. here we go!!! .........i'll try not to burn myself on a moto tomorrow if we take a moto out to the rice fields, hahaha! :-P and uh, yeah, pray that we wont have any leeches stuck on us! oh, and we're both being brutally attacked by mosquitos... they bit through our pants! those little suckers!

English Camp Aftermath...Feeling at home...Off to Battambang for a Muddy Lesson

From Jon, Aug 7

Hi everybody,

It is hard to believe that a little more than six weeks has gone by here in Cambodia already. Yet when I look back and mentally catalog all the things that we have done I can't believe that we've fit it all in six weeks! Also, as we come up on the two month mark since our arrival in Cambodia I am just starting to feel like I am finally getting settled in and comfortable here. Not that I was totally lost before but I am starting to feel, for lack of better words, at home. Just the other day I was able to have a tuk tuk cart me around town, drop off Emily, and take me back to the family I was staying with in Phenom Penh. The driver spoke zero English. Not only that but using my very limited Khmai I was able to arrange for him to come back the next morning and take me to pick up Emily and get us to the bus station for our trip to Battambang. To be honest, I felt pretty cool.

Maybe I need to backtrack a bit. So if you remember our last couple updates were talking about the upcoming English Camp in Phenom Penh and the (I learned this phrase from our host missionary, Bill) whack load of short termers that were coming in to teach. We've been pretty busy this last week through the early parts of this week and not able to send out much in the way of email. But now that English Camp is over we can kick up our feet a little and relax. We definitely had a lot of fun at the camp getting to know a whole new group of students from Phenom Penh. I had never really liked Phenom Penh before, I was always partial to the smaller towns and rural areas of Cambodia. Now that I know a whack load of people who live in Phenom Penh I kinda like it more. I think that I'm turning into this really relationally oriented person. Even though the camp ended on Saturday we have been seeing some of the students and leaders that we met at the camp every day this week.

On Sunday all the short termers were invited to a church where a youth rally was being held. Something like maybe a hundred young Christians were gathered at this church for this youth service. One of the missionaries, David Ends, preached about David and Goliath. They played games, including one that had all the short termers up on the stage making fools of ourselves. And then ended with a time of fellowship in the big courtyard in front of the church complete with a salted ham sandwich and can of soda for refreshments. I learned that this church could be more accurately referred to as the chruch in Phenom Penh. It was one of the first that started up after Pol Pot's regiem fell and People began moving back into the city. Since then that small group of believers has grown and they have this nice big building to hold all the members of the congregation.

The first few days of this week were spent dealing with the aftermath of English Camp. That is to say that we had to clean the dorms where some of the short termers were housed and help shuffle the teams around to various locations as they each prepared to depart on different days. The last team left on Wednesday and Bill mentioned that he was going to sleep for a week. The words logistical nightmare and short term missionaries were used in conjunction several times over the past two weeks. But it wasn't actually that bad, it is always difficult to deal with large groups of people but Bill and all the Global Ventures interns pulled through with our sanity intact. I would definitely do it all over again, and I think Bill would too, after all this is the sixth consecutive English Camp that he's held.

After things quited down Emily and I were able to move to different parts of town. She stayed with Julie, a new missionary now in her second year of language study here in Phenom Penh. I stayed with a Khmai family. Soeun is the language tutor at the CMA office, her husband is retired and they live with their three sons daughter in law and baby grandson. They actually have two separate buildings on their property and were able to give me my own room and bathroom so over the two days that I was there I didn't have too much interaction with the family. I did talk to them whenever I had the chance though and I think I'll be able to get to know them better when I spend more time in Phenom Penh after returning from Battambang.

Emily and I just made the journey to Battambang today by charter bus. The five hour trip was uneventful and gave us a lot of time to talk and catch up since we've often been assigned to separate tasks and housed at different locations throughout English Camp. We had dinner with Dave, Doris, and Matthew Strong, their friend Holly, and Sharon who is a nurse who works with them. Tomorrow we were told to prepare for mud and a lesson in planting rice. I wonder how big the leeches will be this year. O_o

Anyway, here are some prayer requests:
- Continued good health, God has been blessing us these past weeks.
- Safety and effectiveness for Emily and I as we travel and do lots of stuff.
- More rain! I love the rain but the real reason is that many people have been saying that it has been a pretty dry rainy season and that the many farmers are in for tough times if they can't get a good rice harvest.
- That God would continue to place those he chooses in positions of leadership in this country. And despite the discontent among the people that the Christians in Cambodia would demonstrate peace concerning the political situation to those around them.
- Many nationals are concerned that the border disputes with Thailand could escalate to open conflict, pray that they would have peace about this situation as well.

Thanks for reading and praying!
Jonathan

Rapping up English Camp...

Written by Em Aug 4:

Dear friends and family,

Wow, where should I start after a busy week of English Camp in Phnom Penh? God just doesn't stop surprising me with the way He teaches and stretches me! I learned a lot about having a servant attitude and being a leader this past week. The interns had a lot more responsibility at English Camp and taking care of the short term teams. The team that we gal interns stayed with at the dorms were an interesting bunch. God really surprised me with the situations I faced throughout the Camp. The debrief we did with our teaching groups were... interesting as well. Also, as I'm praying and asking if God is leading me into overseas missions, I've been impatient with God's silence, but I've come to realize that I should soak in whatever He's showing me now and wait for His final piece of the puzzle. I wish I could go into greater details about all this, but I'm pressed on time. I'm going to give a quick update on what happened and what will happen in the next week. God is good though! :-)

Three of our interns left this morning (Natalie, Elijah, Stan). It was a sad teary morning for us... and Jessica will be leaving tomorrow morning. Ohhhhhh, Phearum and his family and Moch from Siem Reap came for the week of English Camp!!!!!!!!!!! We had some nights together to hang out (I even got to sleep over with them at the guesthouse one night with Jonathan and Elijah! Rocio, I know you're jumping up and down screaming right now in jealousy and excitement! It was awesome! Oh, and Heng was here for most of the Camp, and then Seyha came over for a couple days! Heng was crying when they left on Sunday after church, *sniff sniff*.) Phearum and family and Moch will be leaving tomorrow morning as well. Gosh, it will be a very hard goodbye!

Jonathan and I will be staying in Phnom Penh until Thursday morning. We will take a bus at 9 A.M. to Battambang to visit the Strong's. Dave told me to wear some clothes that can endure some muddy activity. Here we go!!! We'll go back to Phnom Penh on Sunday, and leave for Kampong Saom the next morning with Kim and her Vietnamnese youth group. She told me they're on a low budget, so we'll most likely stay in huts near the beach... which is right across from the Jasmine Hotel where we stayed during Field Forum. After that, we'll most likely return to Phnom Penh for a couple days before heading to the outskirts of PP to visit Akphirin and his Bible College.

One highlight from English Camp was the visit to an orphanage with our students. There was a student who gathered a bunch of the young orphans and taught them the song "I Walk By Faith." One of my girls from my teaching team pulled my camera out and took a video of it. I was really touched by the way he worked with the orphans. I still remember his eagerness in teaching them the song and telling them about his great friend, Jesus. *thumbs up* Too bad time ran out at the end, and we had to leave. He left his English Camp book with the orphans, so hopefully they can read the lyrics to the songs we sing at Camp and seeds will be planted in their young and precious lives.

God has truly blessed my stomach so far, although I've had some tummy issues today, but nothing too serious, I think. And although I've been surviving on an average of 6 hours of sleep everyday, I'm still alive and doing fairly well! Thanks for all your prayers and I'm sure glad God is watching over Jonathan and I! Y'all take good care! Oh! I heard about the earthquake! Keep me updated on that please! Chum reap lea!

In Christ,
Em

PS- Oh, we caught a baby rat the other night at the dorms!

PPS- Sorry, no time to do personal emails, so here goes:

Mom/Dad: no worries, i will be alert. thanks for taking care of my fish, it's ok that one of them passed away. hope it didnt scare you too much, ma. i will keep my bags clean so no rats will get to it. i'll try to check my registration. the layout of the school website changed, and I'm having a hard time navigating through it and remembering my password @_@ i might have to try again next time, because i have to make the 930 curfew at the dorms i'm staying at for the last night. i'll be moving to a guesthouse tomorrow and staying there till thurs morning. oh yeah, IMPORTANT- now that our flight has been changed and re-confirmed, do we need our tickets??? We had tickets for our flights back, but they're the cancelled ones. Please check for us! Thank you! Wow, Uncle's here to visit?! Say hello to him and his family for me!!! Show them the pictures from our team blog and email updates!!! And Ma, I will be praying for you on Aug. 7 and 8. Don't worry, you stay strong and take care of yourself, OK? Love you and miss you both very much!!!!!!!
Dad, leave us a message on our team blog! http://sgvac-cambodia-stm-08.blogspot.com/

Rocio: Keep us updated on how it's going back at our piggy place!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm always thinking about you and what's going on at your place, update me on what's happened since last weekend! miss you like crazy!!!!! Oh, and hey, it's Veerak's BD today (aug. 4) and Dara's school exam! I will try my very best to write my journals about our time w/ Phearum, Heng, Seyha, and Moch!

Yvonne, Jackso, and PPaul: If I don't get a chance to email again, happy early birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keiko: Not sure if you're back from your Serbia missions trip, but hope you're doing well! and i'll be praying for a smooth re-entry for ya!

Elijah Stan, and Natalie: Elijah, you'll have to forward this to Stan and Nat for me! I miss you guys already. I'll have to admit that it was a sad morning at the airport, but it was kinda funny seeing you break down and cry right before you headed in, Elijah :-P Praying for all your flights back to the States and Canada!!!!!! Email me and Jonathan!!!! Intern email!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Sharon: Got your email. *hug* Praying with ya about what God's been doing in your life! Will you go to the church retreat later in Aug???

D: HOW ARE YOU?! Jon has a lil notebook he journals in just for you, hahhaa!

a very bad joke...Election Day...New Jerusalem Church

Friends, Family, and other people,

Well Election day has come and gone. There was widespread rioting and mass looting in the more developed middle-class sections of Phnom Penh. Small fires broke out the damage was not too severe. The military came into the city and marshal law was declared. There was some concern among the short term teams since we are all spread out between three different locations and out of contact with Bill, our host missionary, but then I woke up and realized it was time to get ready for Church. Haha...OK maybe that was a bad joke.
In all seriousness election day passed by quietly and people were going about their business as usual in the city. Websites are saying that this is Cambodia's most peaceful election yet. There were fewer shops open at the Russian Market this afternoon but it was no where near the total shutdown of the city that the missionaries were predicting based on their experience during the last election. No word yet as to how the chips fell but there is little doubt as to which party is going to win. You can read more here.
All 60 of the short termers attended the New Jerusalem Church this morning, we outnumbered the members in attendance by about 3 to 1. Granted fewer people were around since many returned to their home province to vote. But church was good, Bill preached, and we had lots of time to talk to the people afterwards. We met a girl named Da Lin and her brother San Dee. I totally misspelled their names but you can see their picture attached to this email. They will both be attending English Camp so we look forward to spending more time with them.
Speaking of which English Camp starts tomorrow! As I have already mentioned there are 60 (give or take) short termers ready to teach and spend time with the students who will attend the camp. The girls, Emily Nat and Jessica are staying at the student dorm with about 20 other people from Nebraska crammed in there. It has been a bit of a culture shock for them to experience an American environment again after spending the last month adjusting to the culture of Cambodia. Pray for patience and grace as the girls adjust and the Nebraska team adjusts.
As we have mentioned before we are expecting a 60 to 40 ratio of Christian to non-Christian students to attend the camp, pray for open hearts and the opportunity to establish lasting relationships. Emily would like to make a correction, she previously stated that there would be 200 students in attendance but the actual numbers will be somewhere around 120. Either way, we know that everyone whom God wants at this camp will be there.Continue to pray that even outside of English Camp that we will be able to share God's love with those we come in contact with.
I discovered on our way back from the Russian Market that our tuk tuk driver is a Christian and that his wife and two children used to attend the New Jerusalem Church. Since the arrival of their third child about a month ago they haven't been to the Church but it sounds like they have been Christians for a while so I am hopeful that when things settle down at home they will start attending again. Our driver (as I am typing this I realize that I never asked for his name...) said that he does not go to Church often because he is usually working on Sundays. After he dropped us off he asked for 6 dollars instead of the 7 that we agreed on before setting off because we are all part of the family of Jesus Christ. We insisted on giving him 7 and told him that since he made a little extra money that he should show up to church next Sunday. I really hope to be able to talk to him again.
Emily and I have enjoyed the blessing of good health this past week. Please pray that this continues as it will be crucial as English Camp begins. For those of you who are wondering, Emily's spider/random insect bite is completely healed and there is no more swelling or soreness on her hand. Emily is also going to be telling a Bible story during the main group session some time this week, pray that God will use her and speak through her. I think I have to do MC. Bill is really kicking back this time around. Heh.
Internet shop is closing soon, thanks for reading.
Also, many thanks to Rocio and her tireless efforts to keep the team blog updated, for taking these update emails and posting them on the blog. Really appreciate that you continue to partner with us and support us even though we are on the other side of the world! Don't cut out this section when you post it on the blog. (=

Because He loves us,
Jonathan

a student says "I HATE THE WAR"

Hey guys, I can't help posting our students emails, sorry if that bothers you, but maybe their emails can shine some light on what they think, what they're going through. It's one thing for me to update you all with my own words, but I don't think that will have the same impact as it would coming from our own students. Here is one's prayer request:

Hey how are you now? it's very happy to hear from you. Do yo know now my country have a big problem with Thailand about the temple on the mountain at the border. Thai placed their arm force around the border about 1000 armsand cambodia also we place about 1000 arms around the border. Do you know i don't want to have the war again because we just finish the civil war in 1993. it's very difficult to develope the human resource again after Pol Pot regime and the war with Viet Nam very most of the student in the university even though the student in high school was killed. after we finish the civil war it's hard to find the techer to teach in the public school.so the student learn in grade 12 come to teach the student in the primary school and the student learn in grade 7 or 9 come to teach the children. during 1988-1993 whick guide that learn or teach english or french the police and the arm force will kill or take them to jail. But from 1995-Now it's free for us to learn english or other languages or believe to jesus and others. in 1991- 1992 you live in USA very safety and eat enough so you get healthy and you can go to school without any problems But for me you know? i live in Battambang Province which nearest to Khmer Rough camp and it's the point that Khmer Rough force and Viet Nam and the government force meet and fight each other so i can not go to school and the teach too. the teacher hidded in somewhere avoid from killing. when i was a child i think that i don't know which day will i die? i can die every second because we have alot of gun around us i live with frighten. I HATE THE WAR. please pray to god about it.

Jon's skills to the test: Product Design in Cambo

Written by Jonathan 7-25

Today's story:
So Chris Manfred has been asking me about design stuff ever since we had dinner with them at FF and I told them about my previous involvement in Product Design. So the other day when she dropped by the CAMA guest house I was chatting with her and asking her how the office was coming. (Though they've started using it the building is not completly up to standard and the guesthouse behind it is still under construction.) She was like you want to help me design some architectural elements in the guesthouse? (She's the team's lay architect, she designed the new CAMA office and drew up the plans for them) I says sure! So she asks me to draw up ideas for recessed false window areas in a breakfast nook. The next day I show her the sketches and imediatly picks one and says "This is it! I'm putting this one in. So when you come back as a full time missionary you'll be able to see your design in the building." "OK" I said with a sort of yea sure attitude. "I'm serious!" She says. "You should come work for us, that's an invitation, it really is." Haha, so it looks like I'm gonna be in Cambodia sometime in the future. =P That and I think a whole lot of people are praying that God sends me to Cambodia. We shall see!


-Jon

Pics!

Emily learning to ride a moto! And Nat, Emily and I take refuge at a drink stall during a heavy downpour. Thanks for visiting!

Rats in Cambodia!!!

Written by Em on July 24:

Running out of time, but the thought of sleeping in the student dorm with rats for more than a week deserves a quick prayer request back to the states, don't y'all think? :-) We cleaned out the dorms for a couple days mopping the floor, cleaning out the kitchen and showers/bathrooms... and setting mouse traps. I think we got about 8 rats the next day, but there are some more hiding around. Eeks! The funny thing was the six of us interns split up into two groups to clean out the dorms- Jon, Natalie, and I cleaning the showers/bathrooms and the other three doing the mopping in the rooms. Suddenly, we hear a high pitched scream and we start laughing because we knew our intern friends must be having some visits from the rats. When we all got together an hour later, we were told that Elijah was the one who screamed. Jess and Stan were up on the chairs the whole time, while poor Elijah was left on the floor screaming! To his defense, he said the rat touched his foot. The three of us gals will be sleeping on air mattresses during the whole week of English Camp, because the other short termers will take up all the bunk beds.

(On a sidenote, I think, or Jonathan thinks, I might have had a spider bite on my pinky. It hurts when I bend it and itches when I stretch it, and it was pretty swollen for a couple days. It's doing better now, no more swelling, just very itchy still. But I'm alive and I don't need to amputate it!)

The first team of 10 has arrived tonight. Two other teams arrive tomorrow, and the last one arrives on Saturday. Since Jonathan did a devotional at the Siem Reap ECamp already, the rest of us have to share one this time. Pray for me as I decide which Bible character to share and that it'll totally be God speaking through me! I'm getting a little nervous about it!

Sorry, I don't know what Jonathan's prayer requests are. We (the girl interns) are living at different places from the guys from now on, and I forgot to ask him if he has any prayer requests :-( Oh! Chris Manfred asked him to help with some interior design a the new C&MA office, so y'all could pray for that :-) The six of us spent some time working there today. We're both getting excited about this upcoming camp though! Gotta go, take care, y'all!

Finding courage in Him,
Em

PS- I don't think we'll be able to send any updates any time soon as more STMers are arriving and we'll have to take them around. Thanks again for your continuous prayers!

A Big Problem...

Written by Rocio:
so this email is from a student of ours who lives in Poipet (border of Thailand):

DearMy Love Sister !!
I am still in Siem reap .Yes i will go to phnom penh soon. How are you there?
Did You know about two weeks ago at Boder between Thailand and Cambodia got the big problem with the Preas Vi Hear Tample,and there are many soilder holding weapon too.Please praying for this metter.\
God will care about those and will relaxing them.\
Heng
Miss you too

Story 'bout a taxi ride to Phnom Penh...and a grampa

Written by Jonathan on July21

So now for today's story. On the way back from Mondulkiri we got a taxi to take us to Phnom Penh. It wasn't one of those camry deals with a huge tank in the back, this was a minibus with three rows of seats. So the guy shows up at our guesthouse at 8 in the morning. He throws our bags in the back with other random boxes and what appear to be several sacks of potatoes. We pile into the van and settle in the the back most row which has plenty of room for Jess Emily and I. (We are actually sitting in this order from left to right.) Thinking that we were gonna have a comfortable ride back we set off from the guesthouse. But we don't even leave town, instead we stop to pick up another passenger. By now the van is full, three in front including the driver. Three in the middle. And the three of us in the back. Then we stop to pick up another passenger. This time there are several people standing by the side of the road waiting for the taxi so I scoot over thinking that we might need to free up quite a bit of room. A Khmai girl who was sitting in the middle row bravely makes her way to the back to sit next to me and only one other person gets in the van... I guess it was just the rest of the family come out to see one person off. So with four of us squished in the back the Khmai girl presses herself as much as she can against the right side of the van and the window. She doesn't even lean back but sits forward practically hugging the back of the seat in front of her. =P OK maybe it wasn't that bad but I did feel bad for her having to sit next to this weird foreigner and a guy nonetheless. Thats not all. The best part of the 7 hour trip was when we stopped about three quarters of the way back and let someone off. In the middle row there sat a middle-aged Khmai man, an elderly man, (Who was really cute when he talked to the other people in the van with his wispy grampa voice and laughed almost every time after he said something. Emily wanted to hug him) and a middle-aged Khmai lady sitting right next to the door. We stop because the elderly grampa guy is getting off. The lady opens the door and gets down to let the grampa out but the moment he's out she practically jumps back in and slams to door shut. The four of us are in the back just kinda wondering what just happened. She then takes her bag and puts it next to her on the middle seat where the grampa was sitting. Haha, we just didn't know what to do and couldn't talk to the lady because we don't speak Khmai. So we just stayed squished for the rest of the journey. Emily drooled on my shoulder. Haha, just kidding. Oh but when we finaly got to PP we felt like movie stars pulling up to the taxi stop, which realy was just a street corner. But when we were about a block away from the stop guys who were sitting by the side of the road would jump up when they saw our van and actually chase it down the block on foot banging on the windows and the sides shouting tuk tuk? or moto moto? By the time we actually stopped at the designated taxi stop there was a crowd of about 20 guys around us all asking if we needed transportation within the city. We had to fend them off with our limited Khmai, "Aht tey awk-goon." (a direct translation of "no thank you") "Some one is going to pick us up." Not sure if they got the second part but after a few minutes they realized that we weren't going to change our mind and returned to lounging by the side of the road waiting for the next potential fare. Pretty wild place this Cambodia.

-Jon

Preps before Phnom Penh English Camp...tension on the Poipet/Thai border...

Written by Em on July 21

Hello there,

Quick update- the six of us interns are getting settled back in Phnom Penh from our respective trips from Mondulkiri and Battambang. We're moving out of the student dorm to the C&MA guesthouse so we can clean up the place before STM teams arrive on Thursday. The girl interns (Jessica, Natalie, and I) will move back in to the dorms to stay w/ a total of 22 STMers during the week of English Camp. Phearum (and Moch) will stay at the C&MA guesthouse, and Jonathan, Stan, and Elijah will be at another guesthouse which will be all packed with STMers. We'll have about 60 STMers and 200 students at English Camp this time! More students will be non-Christians compared to the English Camp in Siem Reap, so that's a big prayer request! Pray for the students, pray for the interns, pray for the STMers, pray for divine opportunities to share about Christ, pray that seeds will be planted, pray that God's name will be glorified at this camp! Pray for the interns as we take the STMers around Phnom Penh the weekend before ECamp starts, which will be right around elections time. Pray for saftey as we travel around and that no one gets lost :-) Pray also for Bill and Ilana Lobbezzoo as they make arrangements for the camp and teams coming in. They have a big responsibility!

The next few days, we'll be having Khmai language study in the mornings and then cleaning out the dorms during the day. The first set of teams will arrive on Thursday and more will come throughout the weekend. Camp starts on Monday and runs till Saturday. The teams will still be here on Sunday and will start leaving on Monday and Tuesday. Jonathan and I are tentatively scheduled to help out with a VBS with a Vietnamnese missionary, Kim, right after the English Camp. You all can pray with us for God to give us energy and physical strength as the weeks gear up! Pray that I will not compare the English Camp in Siem Reap (which I love love love!) with the upcoming one in the city. It's so easy to be nonchalant and distant for this camp, because I don't see myself coming back to the Phnom Penh Camp again next year (and because I don't really enjoy the city life out here). But hey, no one knows where God will place me, so I got to keep my heart open and teachable!!!

I cannot express my gratitude for all your faithful prayers in the past 3 weeks. Jonathan and I are praying for y'all back in the states too! (I try not to call Los Angeles "home" now........ many times, I feel the Siem Reap church/Cambodia is like "home." But, our Home is in heaven, praise God!!!)

Smiling at God,
Em

P.S.- Below is part of the email update from our missionary in Poipet. Please please pray for them and the Poipet/Cambodia-Thai border situation!!! And for the upcoming elections!

1/ There some issues concerning border problems around the Poipet and> Preay Viheah areas. Both Thai nd Khmer people don't seem to agree to> stay on their side of the country. This causes great conflics and> tensions on both sides. Last week while we were at FF, there have> been some shooting along the border by Poipet areas resulting 2 Khmer> farmers died and at least 2 other severely wounded. At the same time,> there are strong tension at the Preay Viheah areas with similar> issues. Some people in Poipet have already moved away or evaccuated> from Poipet for fear of another fighting might take place.>> 2/ Cambodia is scheduled for a National Election day on July 27. Some> predicts that there might be trouple coming up. Already beginning> this early morning there are armed soldiers and police officials are> standing guard at every road in Poipet! And there have been a lot of> military activities going on in town, perhaps it has something to do> with border problems. Whatever the reason there are some concerns and> fear in the air!

Last night in Mondulkiri...Elections...tension on the border

Written July 19th by Emily:

Well, tonight is our last night in Mondulkiri. It's goodbye cool weather and hello hot humid Cambodia weather! The three of us (Jessica, Jonathan, and I) will be taking a taxi back to Phnom Penh at 8 in the morning. It's been a blessed time with Joyce here in Mondulkiri and seeing the different ministries she's involved in. It's always great to spend time with missionaries to better know how to pray with them!

Don't know if y'all heard about the recent tension on the Thai-Cambodian border. Below is an email I received regarding the situation. No worries, we're near the Vietnam border right now and don't have any plans to go to the Thai-Cambo border..... yet.

Please pray for the Cambodian election coming up on July 27. Since we'll be in the capital (Phnom Penh) during the election, things may get interesting- i.e. riots, coup, etc. Well, in all seriousness, do keep the Cambodians in prayer as they vote for a leader for this country. We've had some political discussions with some of our students/friends at English Camp, and elections can be quite touchy. Many people want the current party to change, but they're holding onto power through manipulating elections and because they have control of the military. Cambodia only has elections every 4-5 years, so pray for the upcoming leadership and generation!

Jonathan and I just passed our 3 week mark; 5 more weeks to go! There's a flight change for our return trip. We'll be taking a flight back on August 19 instead of the 18th. More details to come once my dad checks the time for us!

My stomach is doing better, thank you. I've also been applying DEET like lotion every four hours. I'll be sweating DEET pretty soon at this rate. Pray also that Jonathan and I will remain open to how God will lead the rest of our trip in Cambodia. It seems like we'll stay in Phnom Penh for the next 5 weeks (which we'd rather not), and we don't get to decide on what we'll be doing. There are some places and students/friends we really want to visit, but at the same time, we don't want to be running off when our host missionary wants us to be doing something else.

Thank you all for reading/praying with us and sending us encouragement emails! Oh! Don't forget the 21st- Sharon Chan's birthday! Oh, and I keep getting evites to Jolene's event! I'm not sure when that'll be, but tell her I said HI!!!!!!!!!

Marching on,
Jon & Em


Warden Message Tensions On The Thai-Cambodian Border
July 18, 2008 American citizens resident and traveling in Cambodia should be aware of tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border (Preah Vihear Province in Cambodia and Sisaket Province in Thailand) in the area of the Preah Vihear temple, also called Khao Phra Wihan. A land dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over a 4.6 kilometer area adjacent to the temple has led to the closing of the temple to visitors seeking to access the site from Thailand, and the temporary arrest by the Cambodian military of three Thais who crossed over into this area. We understand from media reports in Thailand that the road has been blocked 8 kilometers from the entrance on the Thai side, and there have been clashes between Thai demonstrators and the local population. Access to the temple from within Cambodia requires a difficult trip by motorcycle that goes up a steep escarpment and through forested areas that have not been fully cleared of landmines. We recommend American citizens defer travel to this area until the situation has been resolved. For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs? web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and the current Worldwide Caution can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or callers in other areas may call a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh can be reached at 023-728-000; the fax number is 023-728-700. The Embassy?s web site, which includes consular information and the most recent messages to the American community in Cambodia is http://cambodia.usembassy.gov.

At work in Mondulkiri

Written by Emily 7-17

Suo sdey!

Picking up from where Jonathan left off last night, our first full day in Mondulkiri was... amazing! We walked through the jungle, Jonathan helped dig a water well, and Jess and I plowed the land! We have pictures and videos to prove it on the blog (at least for the well)! http://sgvac-cambodia-stm-08.blogspot.com/ Jonathan asked me if I could have walked through the jungle in my first year to Cambodia. To that, I murmured, I couldn't even take a complete shower in the student dorm the first year! Oh, how God has grown and stretched me. The best thing is that it's a lot cooler here than the other parts of Cambodia. Sure, we still sweat, but the sun doesn't burn as much and there's a nice cool breeze here and there.

We might go back to the land tomorrow morning and visit a patient with Joyce. They're building a small training center for someone to stay in and to store supplies there. If we behave well, she might take us to one of the waterfalls in Mondulkiri too! On Saturday, we'll head out to a village church where there will be some kind of children's program. The plan on Sunday is to leave around 8 in the morning and be back in Phnom Penh by 4ish. Hopefully, we can make it to the evening church service!

(Sidenote: As I'm typing this email update, I'm actually feeling cold!) I forgot to mention in my previous email that Dengue Fever usually ends with a rash. One of the missionaries said God's definitely calling us to go long term overseas if we get Dengue. Hmm, how shall we pray? For His protection against Dengue or for Dengue?

Pray with us as we continue our trip in Mondulkiri and learn more about Joyce's ministry. Pray for the people working the land. I love watching the way the Khmais (better described as Bunong tribal people. Joyce was saying that these people have a better sense of community and they work better together compared to the Khmais who don't trust each other as much because of the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge) work together! They're kickback, they sing, joke, and chat while working. About 30 people are camping up there this whole week to finish the center and water well. A couple people were injured in the process, pray for protection! We just found out that a guy who worked and lived near the land had passed away last week. The area he took care of is now being neglected. Pray that they'll be able to finish what needs to be done before more rain comes and that the training center can be up and running as soon as possible.

As Jonathan was finishing up his time at the internet cafe, he had a chance to talk to the guy who works there. He's Buddhist but has many Christian friends. Pray that good seeds will be planted and God will continue to send people to water the seeds.

Jonathan's doing well, but my stomach was hurting and I felt like puking last night. Same thing happened again tonight after dinner. Also, please keep praying for the mosquitoes to stay away from me! They stopped biting me for a couple days, but they have no mercy on me again now.

OK, think we should go now. A couple tipsy guys are coming in and out the plac and they're blasting the music louder now. Plus, the electricity's out now since it's passed 10 P.M. (The internet cafe has its own generator.) Guess we'll have to shower in the dark or shower tomorrow morning. Either way, it'll be a cold shower, especially since there's no warm water! Y'all take care!!!

In Christ,
Jonathan & Em

Arrival in Mondolkiri

Written by Jonathan 7-16 cambo time

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters,

We arrived in Mondolkiri today after a harrowing 10 hour drive through mountain passes and dense jungle. OK, maybe not that harrowing but it was 10 hours including stops in various towns. We met Joyce (the missionary who works in Mondolkiri) outside the dorm in Phnom Penh at 5:30 am and loaded our bags into her pickup. Only half of our team went on this trip myself, Emily, and Jessica. We ate a breakfast of cereal bars and pretzels in the truck as we drove out of Phnom Penh towards the sunrise. The road was pretty smooth for most of the ride and then the pavement ended. We had to slow down after that and avoid the potholes washed out of the dirt and gravel road by the rain. We were more than halfway to our destination but it took the last five hours of the drive to make it to Mondolkiri. We had several stops along the way including a CMA church, bathroom breaks, lunch, bathroom breaks, a patient Joyce was consulting (she is a nurse), and a visit with some church members from a remote village. The last part of the journey was the best. After we drove through a jungle wildlife preserve we entered an area of rolling hills and farms with scattered trees. It reminded me of England for some reason, or maybe Hawaii would be a better description.

So we have spent our first afternoon in Mondolkiri. The weather is nice and cool here actually when we were walking back to the guest house after dinner at Joyce's house Emily said she was feeling cold. Apparently during the winter months it can dip down to 17 or 18 degrees... Celsius that is. I'll let you run that calculation on your own. We had a good home cooked meal that was very close to a beef and potato stew only with a hint of curry to give it that Cambodian twist. We also had fresh squeezed lime-onaide which was quite heavenly. After dinner we sat at the table practicing and learning Khmer phrases with Joyce's helper, Sok Leang. Her story is pretty cool. In short she met Joyce because she was sick and came to accept Christ. Although she was very sick, on the verge of death, she recovered and is now the only believer in her village and has been for a while.

So yes, we are staying at a pretty nice guest house with running water and clean sheets. My initial fears of being out in the boonies and sleeping under a canopy of stars turned out to be unfounded. However we have been told that electricity is somewhat sporadic here and it comes and goes as it pleases. All the guesthouses have generators but most of them shut off after 10. Good thing the weather is cool because we would die without fans otherwise.

Tomorrow we will be visiting a plot of land that the local churches are getting together to develop so that it can be used for a Christian leadership training center. There is the possibility of getting down and dirty with the locals. We hear that there is a well that needs digging.

Prayer requests for today: Sok Leang, that she will persevere in her faith and that others from her village will come to know Christ. Many of the team members are coming down with cold-like symptoms, pray for healing. For the safety of the other three interns as they travel to Battambang on Saturday (Cambodian time so pray on Friday) and for the three of us as we travel back to Phnom Penh on Sunday. We will try to send out another update before the end of the week.

Thanks for reading and praying,
Jonathan and Emily

P.S. I realize that some of you may not have gotten some of the earlier updates. If you want I can resend them to you, just let me know.

Pictures

Working the well that's about 15 meters deep! They stand and squat over it without holding onto anything like nothing!



Me, Natalie, Elijah, and Jonathan at the beach during Field Forum (FF)



The youth group Jon and I were with the whole week at FF


Elijah, me, Jon, Pete (the guy doing his apprenticeship), Stan, Jessica, and Natalie


Jon, me, and Jess next to the sign that states in Kmai: Welcome to Mondulkiri

an update

written by Jonathan:

Hello Church family,
I know many of you are praying for me so I would like to thank you for your support and for partnering with me on this mission trip.

Well a little over two weeks in Cambodia and already so much has happened! We just finished teaching at an English Camp last week and said good bye once again to many of the students and church leaders that we met the first year we were here. It was hard when we said goodbye last year and it's even harder the second time around. One of the missionaries accurately described English Camp as "Relationship Camp". The truth is that only a little English teaching goes on during the course of the week. The real impact is in the relationships that are built between the short term missionaries and the students. Through those relationships and the conversations that occur the students get to practice their English. Many of the other missionaries that joined us (about 24 from both Canada and the U.S.) said that their students said they look forward to English camp all year. An average day starts at 6 am when a few brave souls wake up for half an hour of morning worship. We then wake the others up and prepare for the day and walk about 10 min from the guest house to the church where English camp is held. Half the journey is down a busy paved road were motorcycles, cars and trucks rush by. The other half is down a muddy dirt road where the puddles never seem to dry up no mater how hot it gets during the day. We eat breakfast at the church with the students and then begin our morning session. We always have worship in English and all the students jump and dance around and have a great time. There are a couple testimonies shared by the short term missionaries, a bible story and a game. Then we go into a 2 hour "teaching session". I put that in quotes because there's a little teaching but we also play a lot of games and sometimes just talk with our students and share details of our lives. Then we have lunch and then meet together again for an afternoon field trip. Over four days we went to museums, a lake, the local market and hiking up a small mountain. (The last day of the 5 day camp was spent entirely at different temple complexes including the famous Angkor Wat) After we return from our trip we have dinner and then a night service. There are more testimony sharing from both the missionaries and the students. The things that the students share are amazing and very encouraging, but I don't have time to go into that now. After that many of the missionaries go back to the guest house or go sightseeing around the city. Emily, Rocio, Darlene, myself, and one or two other missionaries stay at the church to spend more time with the students there. Many of them travel quite far to come to English Camp and so they live at the church for the week. We spent several nights playing all sorts of traditional games with them and have a blast. Night is the best time to run around because it is so much cooler than the day. By the time we finish it is usually around 9 or 10. Phearum, one of the local church leaders has to kick us out or we would keep the students up all night probably. Haha, but he is happy to have us at the church and he arranges a small convoy of motorcycles to take us back to the guest house every night. We try to stay awake for a quick team meeting, shower, wash clothes (I brought 3 pairs with me) and then catch about 5 and a half hours of sleep before starting all over again the next day. It was super tiring but so worth it. There is much more to tell but I will move on.

Most of the team returned to the States on Sunday. Emily and I stayed on and joined 4 other young people who are on the Global Ventures program for a 6 hour bus ride down south to the capitol city of Phnom Penh. We stayed there a couple days resting and recuperating and getting sick. Some of you may have heard that I got food poisoning or some sort. We ate at a KFC the night we arrived in P.P. that night I had intense stomach cramps and vomiting that kept me up till 4 or 5 am. I blame it on the coleslaw, I was the only one who at 3 cups of it. American food makes me sick, go figure.

On Tuesday we rode another bus to Kampong Saoum where the annual CMA Field Forum was to be held. It's a time for all the missionaries from throughout Cambodia to come together to connect, share, learn, and relax. Emily and I were put in charge of the youth. (12 kids ranging from 6th grade to about to enter college) It was a major shift to go from hanging out with local youth to spending time with missionary kids with a very western mindset. Though it is a bit of a challenge to keep them entertained we've been having a good time with them. The most amazing part of field forum is having so many different missionaries, each with their own unique and moving stories, all in one place. I wrote to someone earlier today that it is a major task to decide who to sit with for each of the meals. I have been so encouraged by the conversations that I've had with these men and women out here on the front lines. We're a little more than halfway through field forum and our plans for the next couple weeks are still up in the air. It might be possible for us to link up with different missionaries and follow them to see the ministries they are involved with but that is still to be decided. There are so many missionaries doing so many amazing things that I wish I had a year to spend in Cambodia. =P

In about two weeks time we will begin the second English Camp this time in Phnom Penh. The student demographic will be different since they live in a big city, the first English Camp in Siem Reap involves students who live a more rural lifestyle. I must admit that I love the rural feel of the Siem Reap camp. People there are much more concerned with enjoying the event than they are with schedules and keeping time. The students are very content playing simple games or starting impromptu song and dance sessions. They know how to entertain themselves and keep occupied. Still, I look forward to the next camp I know it will be fun too.

Thanks for reading and for praying,
Jonathan Chua

Home?

When I set foot in my apartment for the first time after Cambodia I was not sure if I was actually supposed to be back. Like last year, I felt like I have no home except that which is in heaven, which makes it easier for me to adjust to being in different places. But unlike last year I feel more like a missionary in the states in that there is a lot of work to do here. Last year I felt like I was just coming back to the same old thing, probably because I did not have a specific direction that I wanted to go, but this time I know I'm going to Seminary and then hopefully back to Cambodia for the long term. I was pleasantly surprised that my question was answered so completely, I had asked God to show me what He wanted me to do with the skills and knowledge that He has given me. So in talking with the pastor of the church we where at he told me about a computer ministry he has been trying to start for the past couple of years and how he needs help. I was asked to help and to come back to teach his students. This is what I want to do, I can say that with a certainty that comes from a changed heart. It is my goal for the foreseeable future and for my studies at Seminary. I know that I want to serve God in Cambodia, but also know that I must serve Him in the States while I am here. I still covet your prayers especially with Seminary starting to soon.

Oh and I almost forgot, the picture of our new brother in Christ, the one that Phearum (the church pastor) talked to on the mountain is here:

Getting Into You - Relient K

When I made up my mind and my heart along with that

To live not for myself but yet for God somebody said

"Do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

When I finally ironed out all of my priorities

And asked God to remove the doubt

That makes me so unsure of these

Things I ask myself, I ask myself

"Do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

I'm getting into You

Because You got to me

In a way words can't describe

I'm getting into You

Because I've got to be

You're essential to survive

I'm gonna love You with my life

When he looked at me and said

"I kind of viewed you as a son"

And for one second our eyes met

And I met that with the question

"Do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

I've been a liar and I'll never amount to

The kind of person You deserve to worship You

You say You will not dwell on what I did

But rather what I do You say

"I love You and that's what You are getting Yourself into"

on my return to the states...

hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for those of you who were able to pick us up at the airport, and for those who couldn't, but wanted to, as well. Just your being there really meant alot, and your earnest prayers as well. The flight back was really taxing on me. If it weren't for Darlene, I probably would have cried alot more than I actually did. It all probably started with a little chickadee we ate with our kids, that night i was fine, but in the AM, the day of our return, i was having diarrhea every so often, which worsened on the 17 hr flight back. I was shivering with chills so much, all my muscles are sore, some fever, and no sleep. Darlene gave me some body heat and helped me all the way, tried getting me to eat and drink some, but nothing stayed in. I'm hungry, but I can't seem to keep anything down for much time. As much as I want to be better, I'm just happy that even this has provided opportunity for D and I to be close. Last night when I got home from LAX, my neck started stiffening, and I couldn't turn it right or left. I told my mom to take me to the hospital if that didnt get better by the morning, or if it got worse. my nursing mind was going all over the place. thank God this morning my neck wasn't as stiff. I would've loved to stay out and hang out with you guys last night if it weren't for this. but it all worked out, mom got to hear the best of our stories, and we even stayed up late showing her pictures. I heard summer camp was awesome! we prayed for that, i'm glad it went well. as much as i love group presentations, i'd love to have a more personal time to hang out and talk. pray for my quick recovery so i can do just that w/y'all. much love,rocio

Back home .

So we are back home but missing Jon and Emily....
Please keep them in your prayers!
Wow thats all i can really say. There are no words that can explain the feeling i have in my heart right now. This trip has been life changing. One of the other short termers asked me on one of the last days if this trip was everything i had hoped and dreamed of and much more and thats exactly what it was. If someone would of told me how i would feel being over there and coming back i would of never believed them. I guess no one can have that feeling unless you experience everything, the struggles, the miracles, the blessings.
I want to thank you all for keeping us in your prayers and especially from me to those who believed I would make it because I did! This for sure wont be the last time for me.
Thanks
~darlene~

Title

We've been in Cambodia for quite a while now. Today was our last day teaching. Tomorrow we'll be taking a field trip over to Angkor Wat. Today we went to "the mountain", it was very hot and humid and we needed to walk up hundreds of stairs. I think we could have filled a swimming pool with our sweat. Pearum, one of the pastors shared Christ with a beggar on the way up to the Buddhist temple complex and he accepted Christ, he is 81 years old. (A picture will be up soon ... ish). We also preformed our skit for the Cambodia students and they liked it very much, everyone was afraid of the sisters who beat up Sharon. Good stuff. The Cambodia students understood the skit, which was something I was a little bit worried about.

The week has gone by faster than any of us expected it to. It's already almost Friday which means we have three days left in Cambodia and about two with our students.

Please pray for our brother Heng, he will be starting an English teaching class in his hometown. He is not sure what he will teach, so please pray for wisdom. Also continue praying for his family, none of which are saved. Please pray for the salvation of the students who do not yet know Christ. Also, for a safe flight home and a safe extended trip for Emily and Jonathan.

-Sharon and Alain (mostly Alain)

IN CAMBODIA!

I guess this is our first blog since we've arrived at Cambodia. I am... Sharon. Yes, I am now on-board and in-tune with everyone else. Basically, the plane ride over went very smoothly. The first part was about 17 hours long, which is a little too long for me. However, I think Jonathan and Darlene found it rather enjoyable, as they viewed movies together across the aisle. Emily did get plane sick, but not half as bad as her Urbana experience from what I've heard. On the ride over, she threw up three times during the entire 17 hour flight, and I believe none during the half an hour flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Currently, we're sitting in perhaps the most "heavenly" place we'll experience during this entire trip. Basically, it's on the second floor of this building. The place is filled with white furniture, and air conditioning. We're sitting on white chairs with a long glass table, but they also have these extremely comfortable looking white sofas along the edge of the room, and an open view of the streets outside on the far side of the room. I'm guessing our co-leaders decided on this place because they didn't want Darlene and I to "suffer" toooooo much on the first day. haha But actually, it's not that bad. Besides being dirt-filled (air and roads), the humidity of the area is somewhat like how it is in Hong Kong. So basically, that's all so far. We've been taking a lot of pictures, and uhh.... yeah. I apparently forgot to bring a lot of items, but besides that.. the trip's been pretty painless. :) Anyways, until next time.

-Sharon

TODAY is the DAY

Its 6:10 pm and we are all at Jon's getting last minute things ready... or at least Jon is because hes such a procrastinator!!! lol but we still love him....:)
sooo me ( darlene) and sharon are blog updaters soo i have no clue what that means and shes not here right now for some odd reason , thats y we don't leave the MALARIA PILLS for last minute right guys......haha
this is really exciting just knowing that by this time tomorrow we will be way on the other side of the world sweating like pigs haha!!! something great to look forward to.
No but this year we were really blessed to have all these people on the team. We all have bonded so much and this year is going to be unforgetable.
We appreciate all the love you guys have shown and encouragement we have received from you all. Please pray that we have not left anything behind and that Emily will not get tooo sick on the plane. Also pray for our protection while being overseas and that God will use us all for his glory.
Thankyou for all the people that showed up to our send off and to the people that didn't we missed you!!

God bless.
~Cambodia team "08"~

15 more days.......

Ohhh yeah! As you read in the previous entry, the Cambodia team performed a skit at SGVAC yesterday! Thank you all for staying, and for those who couldn't stay, it's under the videos section on the left side of this page. :-) Thanks to Rocio and Jonathan for leading this skit, and thank you Elbert for directing it.

One sister in Christ said something that really stuck to me after the skit. She said with teary eyes that this isn't merely a skit. It's something that is happening around the world. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord are going through persecutions for the sake of the Gospel. It may be entertaining to watch [and perform] the skit, but don't forget the messages it brings out.

~ ~ ~

Now, let's look at some pictures!

Cambodian dinner in Long Beach after a full day of team training and skit rehearsal

Commissioning Service:

China Team ("We are as one team.")

Tammy, Cecilia, Rebecca, Pastor Chao, Helen, Rachel (and also Pauline and Dickson who will be joining the team in Hong Kong)

Cambodia Team minus Sharon :-(

Our excellent director- Mr. Elbert Traister

Alain, Rocio, Sharon, Darlene, Emily, Elbert, Jonathan

These kids are up to no good at Patrick Wong's office!

Our team verse:
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:20-21

Commissioning Service

The 2008 Cambodia team was officially commissioned today at San Gabriel Valley Alliance Church. In both the English and Cantonese services members of the governing board of the church prayed over the team members from both the Cambodia and China mission teams. After the conclusion of both services all the members of the church were invited back into the sanctuary for a special presentation by us, the 2008 Cambodia short term mission team. We performed an adaptation of a skit called Perseverance. We chose this skit because it served as an encouragement to us that even though we face hardships and sometimes brutal persecution as Christians we are still called to testify Jesus to the world. (John 15:18-27) It was also a powerful reminder that we are not alone in this task, in fact we don't even have the power to determine the success of failure of our efforts. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who works in us and through us to draw people to God the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus. The recording of the skit is up on the video bar on the left hand side of the page. You can also view it at a larger size on YouTube.

I didn't know Darlene's going to Cambodia with us...!

WE MISS U DARLENE !

Well, I guess that's why we went to Palm Desert that day :-)

No worries- we treat her like a princess. We hold her plate, feed her, and have a napkin prepared at any moment!

Aww, what a beautiful picture :-)

Where's Jonathan Chua?!

Mmm, that's still not him... but hi Alex!

More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/alain.c.gyger/2008042627CambodiaMeetingAndBakeSale?authkey=vNSlkno7oIs

and

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AYsW7FkzatmFj