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.