Yesterday was a good day and a sad day. We finished English Camp in the moring. We were very thankful that Koem Va and Doeng were there. They were very happy to get their certificates. They had us take their pictures with them. Very interesting.
We were only able to get 5 bibles in the end, but this worked out ok. 2 of our 5 guys had them, so Roger kept one for a person he is meeting today and we gave 1 to another girl in our group who did not have a bible. They were very thankful for them. It has the New Testament in Khmer and in English.
We had lunch with our boys and took pictures. We had dragonfruit again, which is always a good thing.
Roger and I with our boys and 3 other students
(Our boys are the 5 closest to the center)
A Home Visit
Afterwards, Koem Va wanted to give me a moto ride and show me his university. Roger rode with one of the other guys and we rode about 1 1/2 miles to their University. On the way Koem Va pointed out the hospital (in the process of construction) where he will work. Their university looked nice. One of the nicest looking buildings I've seen.
Just past the University, Koem Va turned onto a muddy alley filled with potholes and small ponds. We pulled up to an area with a stone fence where they were either building or renovating a big building. It looked like a construction site in the U.S. He led us into the yard and over to a small building with 3 or 4 doors. There was a plank that crossed some muddy ground to their door. I'm not sure how to describe the building to you, but it was like a small roadside motel with 4 rooms, but about 1/2 or less the size.
Koem Va unlocked the door ( a swift kick would render the lock useless), and Roger and I stepped inside. The room was, at best, 12 x 15 ft. There was a bathroom in the back with a toilet (not the kind we use - what we call a "squatty potty" - I have pictures). The bathroom as big enough for two or maybe 3 people to stand up in, but that's it. There was a shelf in the back used for cooking and a modern looking appliance used for water purification. There was a table, about 1/2 the size of a card table, 3 chests (where they kept their personal belongings), and a shelf, wide enough to hold a small boom box.
The entire contents of the room could probably fit into the back of my Scion hatchback. There were 3 mats and a mosquito net. The 3 boys that share this room sleep on the floor. I wondered what they did when it flooded. It was rather humbling and eye-opening to realize that they would live here for 4 years and that it was actually and was probably an improvement from where they came, maybe not space-wise, but that there was running water, a toilet and electricity.
Roger got video of the trip. Sadly, I left my camera at the dorm.
The Rest of the Day
At 1:00 we went to the Russian markets to shop. Seeing what I'd just seen didn't put me in too much of a shopping mood, but I found some gifts and talked at length with girl in one of the shops.
At 5:30 we went to the same mall we had visited on our first night here. I felt much more at home now. We had pizza (YAY!) and a cold Diet Coke (virtually no liquids are truly hot or cold here unless purchased in a western-style store. This drives some of our folks nuts). At the end of the night I had an ice cream cone. We went home and played Rook.
Today's Plans
Today we will go to church at 8:30. 10 of us will go to a different church (Vietnamese, I think) and the rest at the New Jerusalem Church. We will eat, I believe, at a western-style restaurant and then go to an all-city youth rally in the afternoon. In the evening, we will meet with our main missionary, Bill Lobazoo, for a "debriefing" session.
Tomorrow's Plans
I will likely not blog tomorrow, as Mike Lewis, Max, Josh and I (and possibly Richard and Roger) will fly up to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. This was an unexpected change of plans, but we're told that it is quite something to see and that outside of the U.S., it is a very well-known site. The flight is about 1 hour (like flying to Des Moines or so). I'll try and catch up on Tuesday morning.
BTW - we caught our first mouse in the girl's kitchen this morning with a sticky trap.
No comments:
Post a Comment