Okay, first of all; I want to let everyone know that we are OKAY! We had a little scare and unfortunetly we were unable to get to the internet due to the election. So I was unable to update you on our position here.
We didn't end up sleeping at Place of Rescue on saturday night at Marie's. We got a van ride back into the city at around 9:30pm, which is the latest we've been out so far and also the latest we've been awake since Canada! Last night Eileen and I had to laugh because we literally can't wait until it's 8pm. I think it's a combo of jet lag and such high and low emotions. I was commenting to Eileen that my eyes are so tired at night. I noticed yesterday when we were walking that my eyes were like bug eyes; peeled WIDE open. I laughed at myself; I can't keep my eyes off these people, this culture, the sites, the sounds, the....smells! We stayed inside all day yesterday and let me tell ya, Eileen and I are REALLY getting to know eachother. We made up this game where we take turns telling eachother everything about our families!! Ha. It sounds boring but when you're living your day meal to meal, any new information sounds so enthralling.
Which brings me to where I am now. After Eileen and I had our little prayer vigil alone on our very stained, very weird, very ugly couch...I felt peace. I believe the combination of your prayers and ours and God's answers have calmed these Foster nerves! And we all know how tight those Foster's can get! On saturday night Eileen was reunited with all of the orphans that she worked with. Tears were flowing. Hugs from the kids were quickly passed from her to me and I actually got the chance to love little Khmer children!! I think that's exactly what I needed. You all know how much I love kids and it was a HUGE encouragement. I would do anything for these gorgeous miracles.
There was a birthday party going on at the orphanage and we had a performance by some very tone deaf children, which when I thought about it made me realize how much more I fit so well into this country! For I am tone deaf too! All those at Camp Nutimik had the pleasure first hand at karaoke night to realize that!!! Anyways, I was sitting there with this little boy on my lap. His dark hair had turned copper at the ends in patches, which I had seen in Peru a bit while i was there in February. Apparantly the discoloration is due to famine or lack of sufficient vitamins in their diets. He was sitting on me and I was hugging him and running my fingers through his hair when I realized that he had a nasty case of... lice! I looked down at my pink shirt and realized he had passed a few little crawleys to me too! And, I looked up and thought to myself..."HA. I don't really care. I'm here. with the mice, the lice and the rats (Eileen almost stepped on a dead mother of a rat yesterday on the street!) And I'm here to do exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm pretending these little ones are my nephews." So I squished those little bugs that had crawlen onto my nice GAP shirt and from that moment on I have fallen in love with Cambodia....
I prayed that God would reveal Cambodia to me through His eyes. That my heart would ache with real sadness for the autrocities that they have somehow over come and also ache with happiness in their triumphs. Brian McCaughley (founder of Ratanak Foundation) was telling me that this is the most stable this country has ever been! I am amazed by that. I am also amazed with these two Canadian girls and so excited for the next 10 months!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Scared a bit?
Yesterday was a tiring day. I recieved an email from my connection at Daughter's of Cambodia yesterday morning that advised Eileen and I that it was unsafe for us to be out and about. There is a National election happening on Sunday and there has been some unrest. Foreigners especially are unsafe. Just as I was reading this email there was a parade down the street for one of the candidates. We were told to run when we came across such parades or if we saw any soldiers. This really had us on edge.
Eileen and I met up with our friend Andrea Schur and her friends from Thailand yesterday. We probably took the most awful Tuk tuk though. We would tell him a street name and he would go in the opposite direction!! Eileen is a great navigator though, and she got us around safely...maybe not soundly though;) On our way back we bought two cellphones. It was quite a relief to finally have a connection to our place of work and to eachother! When we got home and were actually able to phone Daughter's, Ruth spoke a bit more cautiously about the election. She advised us to go to Eileen's friend's house; Marie Ens, which is out of the city and to stay there until after the election. She also thought it a good idea to wait until this blows over before i come and visit Daughter's. Apparantly there is a rumour that there are Vietnamese troops already in Phnom Penh which makes us quite fearful seeing how the Cambodians and Vietnamese have not had a peaceful past. They actually HATE eachother! We were told to run if we saw any sort of activity like that.
There also is some unrest along the Cambodian/Thai border. Thailand wants a temple that is located inside Cambodian boundaries. There are thousands of troops on either side of their borders with gernades, guns, and ammunition. The soldiers are mere metres away from eachother. We read in the newspaper yesterday that they have even begun to dig trenches and to restore old trenches from the Cambodian civil war! Eileen and I were very distraught, as you would probably imagine. We sat in our livingroom and we prayed as hard as we could. I probably have never prayed so hard for discernment, wisdom and safety like that in my life.
We felt better after some supper and we decided it would probably be a good idea to sleep in Eileen's bed again! And it was, because in the morning while we were reading i saw a mouse!!! AND...I killed it! With my journal! I screamed like a girl though.... (We have decided that it sure pays to be Farm Girls!)
We're off to buy supplies. We need to have at least a weeks worth of groceries. Then we're off to Marie Ens' orphanage for a party...and hopefully a sleepover!
Continue to pray for our safety,
Kimberly
Eileen and I met up with our friend Andrea Schur and her friends from Thailand yesterday. We probably took the most awful Tuk tuk though. We would tell him a street name and he would go in the opposite direction!! Eileen is a great navigator though, and she got us around safely...maybe not soundly though;) On our way back we bought two cellphones. It was quite a relief to finally have a connection to our place of work and to eachother! When we got home and were actually able to phone Daughter's, Ruth spoke a bit more cautiously about the election. She advised us to go to Eileen's friend's house; Marie Ens, which is out of the city and to stay there until after the election. She also thought it a good idea to wait until this blows over before i come and visit Daughter's. Apparantly there is a rumour that there are Vietnamese troops already in Phnom Penh which makes us quite fearful seeing how the Cambodians and Vietnamese have not had a peaceful past. They actually HATE eachother! We were told to run if we saw any sort of activity like that.
There also is some unrest along the Cambodian/Thai border. Thailand wants a temple that is located inside Cambodian boundaries. There are thousands of troops on either side of their borders with gernades, guns, and ammunition. The soldiers are mere metres away from eachother. We read in the newspaper yesterday that they have even begun to dig trenches and to restore old trenches from the Cambodian civil war! Eileen and I were very distraught, as you would probably imagine. We sat in our livingroom and we prayed as hard as we could. I probably have never prayed so hard for discernment, wisdom and safety like that in my life.
We felt better after some supper and we decided it would probably be a good idea to sleep in Eileen's bed again! And it was, because in the morning while we were reading i saw a mouse!!! AND...I killed it! With my journal! I screamed like a girl though.... (We have decided that it sure pays to be Farm Girls!)
We're off to buy supplies. We need to have at least a weeks worth of groceries. Then we're off to Marie Ens' orphanage for a party...and hopefully a sleepover!
Continue to pray for our safety,
Kimberly
Friday, July 25, 2008
In The Thick of Things
Day two
Hi everyone! Eileen and I have made it safely to Phnom Pehn. The trip to get here was long and really hard. The flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong was the longest flight I've ever been on; 14 hours. Eileen had this grand idea that we shouldn't sleep until 6 hours into our long flight from Vancouver....we ditched that idea almost the moment we took off from Vancouver! We had almost an 8 hour stop over in Hong Kong and seeing how the airport is far from the city we stayed in the airport and people watched. We were exhausted after our long flight and ready to pass out. We found some red kidney shaped couches and slept for more then an hour until the airport "woke up". I woke up to tons of stares and weird, annoying airport anouncements! Everything is so funny. I think Shawna would be having a hay day!
When we landed in Phnom Pehn my excitement turned to complete discouragement. I was so scared that when we were in line for our VISA's my hands were shaking. Thank goodness Eileen was there. She calmed me down...and laughed at me! When we got to our apartment I was so overwhelmed. It is so ghetto! We're on the second floor and our apartment has one couch, a table with 4 chairs, a t.v., 2 massive beds with 5 pillows each! That's about it.
We went to sleep as soon as we made it to our apartment. I slept in Eileen's bed...I was scared...and Eileen didn't object. (I secretly think she was relieved as well!) Right as we were trying to fall asleep I heard this really freaky sound. It sounded like a lion or some wild animal was in the room. I stared with giant eyes at Eileen. She wasn't scared at all. I didn't understand. I probably would've jumped right on top of her but I didn't because she seemed fine. Eileen finally realized what was happening and after she had a good laugh she informed me that it was her stuffed animal "roaring"!! Oh man. I was very relieved after that that I was sleeping in her bed. Oh, and the only sleep walking so far included me turning off the aircon. half way through the night! No biggie. We're dealing.
Thank you for all your prayers. We need them especially these next few weeks. There is a National election happening on Sunday. Apparantly it is very unsafe for foreigners at this time. Please pray for wisdom and discernment.
Gotta run,
Berly-Kim
Hi everyone! Eileen and I have made it safely to Phnom Pehn. The trip to get here was long and really hard. The flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong was the longest flight I've ever been on; 14 hours. Eileen had this grand idea that we shouldn't sleep until 6 hours into our long flight from Vancouver....we ditched that idea almost the moment we took off from Vancouver! We had almost an 8 hour stop over in Hong Kong and seeing how the airport is far from the city we stayed in the airport and people watched. We were exhausted after our long flight and ready to pass out. We found some red kidney shaped couches and slept for more then an hour until the airport "woke up". I woke up to tons of stares and weird, annoying airport anouncements! Everything is so funny. I think Shawna would be having a hay day!
When we landed in Phnom Pehn my excitement turned to complete discouragement. I was so scared that when we were in line for our VISA's my hands were shaking. Thank goodness Eileen was there. She calmed me down...and laughed at me! When we got to our apartment I was so overwhelmed. It is so ghetto! We're on the second floor and our apartment has one couch, a table with 4 chairs, a t.v., 2 massive beds with 5 pillows each! That's about it.
We went to sleep as soon as we made it to our apartment. I slept in Eileen's bed...I was scared...and Eileen didn't object. (I secretly think she was relieved as well!) Right as we were trying to fall asleep I heard this really freaky sound. It sounded like a lion or some wild animal was in the room. I stared with giant eyes at Eileen. She wasn't scared at all. I didn't understand. I probably would've jumped right on top of her but I didn't because she seemed fine. Eileen finally realized what was happening and after she had a good laugh she informed me that it was her stuffed animal "roaring"!! Oh man. I was very relieved after that that I was sleeping in her bed. Oh, and the only sleep walking so far included me turning off the aircon. half way through the night! No biggie. We're dealing.
Thank you for all your prayers. We need them especially these next few weeks. There is a National election happening on Sunday. Apparantly it is very unsafe for foreigners at this time. Please pray for wisdom and discernment.
Gotta run,
Berly-Kim
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