Hello my lovely friends and family!
I had the most lovely weekend so I have to tell you all about it! OBVIOUSLY!! Or should I say Obv!?
Okay, so we have a friend working in Kampot town named Jennie (she's from England). Kampot is a province southwest of Phnom Penh. E. and I travelled via Taxi to Kampot town on Friday after E. got off work (approximately 2.5-3 hours). When you think of Taxi you may think 'posh' or 'roomy' or maybe even 'relaxing'. I need you all to STOP picturing this when I say; "We went in a taxi"! The Cambodian people here like to PACK their taxi's full to make the most of the situation...your view of the taxi ride should be shifting a bit now! We rented 4 seats...meaning we got 3 seats by Cambodian measure. There were 4 poor souls in the front! There sat a grown young man by the window of the driver seat, then the driver, then another grown man and then an old woman!! Half way to Kampot the man beside the old lady vomited!!! Very bad. Very bad.
We enjoyed the ride though...thinking none of them spoke english we chatted about their face masks and their funny sounding language...then we got to Kampot and the man who puked turned around and asked in perfect English, "Where are you going?" Eek!
We spent the night at Jennie's house and then woke early to watch a dress rehearsal of the Epic Art's dance performance. Jennie works with an organization called Epic Arts. They teach dance to physically disabled children/young people. The dancers are all deaf except for a couple of them. There are also some people in wheel chairs. They danced beautifully! They used the chairs and flipped each other around and ... I was in heaven watching them! Very moving. I wanted to dance right along with them! LJ; we are definitely taking a dance class when i get back! Get ready Leisure Guide!
Then we got into a tuk tuk after our large breakfast to make our way to Kep, a small fishing town. On the way me and the ladies were laughing about things, and i was trying to take in the green of the rice fields and the lovely faces of the Khmer children waving frantically while yelling "Hello!"....I was so busy being swept up in my imagination and my daydreaming of me living as a child not on a farm in Manitoba but on a farm in Cambodia...that I did not realize that the LARGE and TALL and DARK figure on the side of the road was indeed an ELEPHANT!! It took me about 3 seconds to shout: "What the heck? It's an elephant girls!" Our tuk tuk stopped and we took some pics! Amazing. Except I was a bit scared. It was moving a lot!!!!
Then we continued on our way. We rented a little fishing boat to take us across the ocean water to Rabbit Island! It's a small island mainly used as a little retreat destination. They have small and simple bamboo huts with only a foamy on the ground with a small pillow each and a mosquito net to protect you. And the women make you rice or noodles fried with fresh shrimp/crab/chicken/pork. It was very relaxing. I lied in a hammock most of the time and stared out across the water to the mountains of Vietnam! I felt amazingly lucky and blessed to lie on a beach, to each shrimp and swim in the sunset lit waters! My life has brought me to such amazing places...and I am cherishing every minute of every opportunity. I wish you all could've been there!
It was also a bit funny! Of Course! While lying in a hammock I heard the cows moo behind me, chickens peck beside me, and goats get into trouble with the laundry lines!!! Such strange sounds and sights and SMELLS to have on a tropical island! But I felt very thankful that there were cows amongst us! I love cows. I love them very much.
We woke up at 6 am with the rooster crows and got a boat back to the mainland. Our taxi ride back to P.P. wasn't nearly as packed. Three in the front, three in the back!
I hope that paints a picture for you all! Oh, and I got a bit sun burnt, of course.
Please pray for my lower back. It is very painful. I think my foamy is a bit of a problem maker;)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
chicken feathers?!
I just talked to my Mom and Ken and brother and sister! I am soooo happy someone a long time ago invented a TELEPHONE!
Oh, and the air today smells like burning/singed chicken feathers! Reminds me of those chicken butcher days on the farm!
Oh, and the air today smells like burning/singed chicken feathers! Reminds me of those chicken butcher days on the farm!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Self harm.
I have a shirt that reads; "To write Love on Her Arms". It's meant to promote love and not self harm. Self cutting is a major problem here as well as in Canada. I can't tell you how many times I've had to dress a fresh laceration or dry the tears of a Daughter who wants to kill herself. My whole self aches to aid, to heal, to prevent, to educate, but mostly to point them to the direction of the ultimate healer; Our Lord.
Today I decided to go early to the clinic. Not sure why but felt like I had made a decision to leave earlier really without even making it!! Weird. Anyways, I get to work and without going straight to the clinic and unpacking my books and such, i went upstairs to say hello to the reasons i work where I work; to the Daughter's!!
I occasionally do this just to announce my presence and let them all know that if they need me that i would be in the clinic. Anyways, I walk in to the sewing room and immediately walk towards a new girl. I look down and to my horror I see an AWFUL, gaping laceration to her forearm. It was the worst self harm wound I have ever seen. Her subcutaneous tissue was spewing out and the cut was dangerously close to her brachial artery! I gasped. She was embarrassed and I realized i had to contain my surprise a little better!! I excused her from working and took her to my clinic. I grabbed my lovely Chantrea, our translator and had to take her into my little water closet (aka toilet) b/c the power had gone out and my WC is the only room in my clinic with a window. So we huddled around the toilet and I assessed the situation. She was holding back tears of fear and tears of brokenness.
I dressed and cleaned the wound and quickly wrote her a referrel form for CSI clinic here in P.P. Before sending her off I prayed for her. That our Love and the Love of the Lord would be obvious to her. And that her angels would protect her from any future harm. I also told her that she was not in trouble and that we were not sending her away b/c we were unhappy with her. But b/c we loved her and cared for her.
She's been working at Daughter's for 5 days! Thank God that she was guided to work here so that we could help her! Another thing that i am thankful for is that she kept her shirt sleeve up so that she did not have it hidden from my eye sight. Her other sleeve was covering her arm and that arm had no lacerations on it!
I wish to remain faithful and follow the guidance that dwells deep down in my soul. So that I will not miss any opportunities to aid in the healing and care of any of His beloved children!
Today I decided to go early to the clinic. Not sure why but felt like I had made a decision to leave earlier really without even making it!! Weird. Anyways, I get to work and without going straight to the clinic and unpacking my books and such, i went upstairs to say hello to the reasons i work where I work; to the Daughter's!!
I occasionally do this just to announce my presence and let them all know that if they need me that i would be in the clinic. Anyways, I walk in to the sewing room and immediately walk towards a new girl. I look down and to my horror I see an AWFUL, gaping laceration to her forearm. It was the worst self harm wound I have ever seen. Her subcutaneous tissue was spewing out and the cut was dangerously close to her brachial artery! I gasped. She was embarrassed and I realized i had to contain my surprise a little better!! I excused her from working and took her to my clinic. I grabbed my lovely Chantrea, our translator and had to take her into my little water closet (aka toilet) b/c the power had gone out and my WC is the only room in my clinic with a window. So we huddled around the toilet and I assessed the situation. She was holding back tears of fear and tears of brokenness.
I dressed and cleaned the wound and quickly wrote her a referrel form for CSI clinic here in P.P. Before sending her off I prayed for her. That our Love and the Love of the Lord would be obvious to her. And that her angels would protect her from any future harm. I also told her that she was not in trouble and that we were not sending her away b/c we were unhappy with her. But b/c we loved her and cared for her.
She's been working at Daughter's for 5 days! Thank God that she was guided to work here so that we could help her! Another thing that i am thankful for is that she kept her shirt sleeve up so that she did not have it hidden from my eye sight. Her other sleeve was covering her arm and that arm had no lacerations on it!
I wish to remain faithful and follow the guidance that dwells deep down in my soul. So that I will not miss any opportunities to aid in the healing and care of any of His beloved children!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Kampuchea Rains
My Heavenly Treasures cost much more these days;
I'm feeding children apples and elephants money
and my angels are jumping off buildings in their spare time.
These midday winds still clear my mind
and the Kampuchea Rains purify my heart while the dirt still sticks to my shoes.
The moments flip over each other so fast your face got lost weeks ago
and when the babies come running for help;
I see tears in the angels eyes.
And I don't know if I'll be able to meet you on the other side
cause your eyes, i know, can't see the angels cry.
My heart contains both the scents of a Holy Glory and the sour taste of Ache
And I don't know what I'll do with you when the power strikes true
or if the River swells above you-- I might just have to jump through;
cause I left my body back there with you when the plane took flight
but your pretty eyes keep looking to the East
And I wonder what you're going to do when your body gets left behind.
Will you follow it back to the Beginning of Time or silently blow it a kiss good-bye?
All while the Kampuchea Rains fall fast...
I'm feeding children apples and elephants money
and my angels are jumping off buildings in their spare time.
These midday winds still clear my mind
and the Kampuchea Rains purify my heart while the dirt still sticks to my shoes.
The moments flip over each other so fast your face got lost weeks ago
and when the babies come running for help;
I see tears in the angels eyes.
And I don't know if I'll be able to meet you on the other side
cause your eyes, i know, can't see the angels cry.
My heart contains both the scents of a Holy Glory and the sour taste of Ache
And I don't know what I'll do with you when the power strikes true
or if the River swells above you-- I might just have to jump through;
cause I left my body back there with you when the plane took flight
but your pretty eyes keep looking to the East
And I wonder what you're going to do when your body gets left behind.
Will you follow it back to the Beginning of Time or silently blow it a kiss good-bye?
All while the Kampuchea Rains fall fast...
Friday, November 14, 2008
Meet me on the otherside.
Water Festival!!
Phnom Penh has just finished it's humongous water festival. There are boat races in the mekong river and teams from all over the country come to the city to have a festival! The city swells with 2 million guests! Amazing, huh?
E. and I took a little walk down to the river yesterday to see the boats and people watch. Many of the people who come from the province for the festival are very "rural"...and are even more awestruck by white skin then the usual P.P. dwellers. Fun times, fun times!
While E. and I were people watching, drinking some iced coffee, and discussing our love for P.P., three lovely young boys spotted us and decided to make us their friends. They said they were around 12-15 years old but i would put them at around 10/11 years. We named them; Nuon (b/c he looks like my lovely tall friend at the gym), Capitain (b/c he was the leader of the posie, hands down. Despite his short height he was a child of confidence), and lastly Goalie (b/c he said that when he grew up he wanted to play Football).
They came to our table at the outdoor restaurant and we smiled and they smiled and through our LOVELY waitor, we asked them about themselves. Oh, they are adorable young men! They acted so mature and stood with their arms crossed, their legs crossed...but their smiles gave them away!! They would go and walk around and then always come back to us. Eventually they asked if they could have 500 riels each to buy icecream. 1500 riels is about 27 cents. So E. gave them a dollar so that they could get a real treat for the three of them. Their eyes were wide with excitement. They ran off and then they returned again!! They had boughten us a bag of sugar canes for us to eat. They had used the money we had given them to also buy us a treat too!! They were honestly thankful for our gift to them and we were so happy that they had come back!! (side note: the sugar canes actually weren't that good...i hid them on my lap so that when they returned they would think we had eaten them! What?! I didn't want to break their precious hearts!)
They told us that they played football together. And when they came to say goodbye to us and to tell us that they were going to play football we asked if we could follow!! They took us through the crowded streets. Always a couple steps ahead but always looking back with their lovely white teeth to make sure we were okay!
We got to a little park filled with football players and we sat on a bench and watched our lovely boys play. (Goalie boy obviously played goalie, Capitain was a firey little offense player and Nuon squatted on the side...maybe not so good at football? Who knows!) I felt like my mom when i was a little girl. Sitting by the pool while little Kimmy screamed for her to "watch mom, watch me do this!" I pretended they were my nephews; Cameron and Mitchy. I sat there in complete contentment! I felt so much love for these little wonders. And I prayed as I sat there, "God, bless my boys! Bless their hearts!"
We had to eventually leave. But I hope to find my way back there again soon. To see my little boys again and to bless them, like they blessed me that day.
God, bless my boys!
Phnom Penh has just finished it's humongous water festival. There are boat races in the mekong river and teams from all over the country come to the city to have a festival! The city swells with 2 million guests! Amazing, huh?
E. and I took a little walk down to the river yesterday to see the boats and people watch. Many of the people who come from the province for the festival are very "rural"...and are even more awestruck by white skin then the usual P.P. dwellers. Fun times, fun times!
While E. and I were people watching, drinking some iced coffee, and discussing our love for P.P., three lovely young boys spotted us and decided to make us their friends. They said they were around 12-15 years old but i would put them at around 10/11 years. We named them; Nuon (b/c he looks like my lovely tall friend at the gym), Capitain (b/c he was the leader of the posie, hands down. Despite his short height he was a child of confidence), and lastly Goalie (b/c he said that when he grew up he wanted to play Football).
They came to our table at the outdoor restaurant and we smiled and they smiled and through our LOVELY waitor, we asked them about themselves. Oh, they are adorable young men! They acted so mature and stood with their arms crossed, their legs crossed...but their smiles gave them away!! They would go and walk around and then always come back to us. Eventually they asked if they could have 500 riels each to buy icecream. 1500 riels is about 27 cents. So E. gave them a dollar so that they could get a real treat for the three of them. Their eyes were wide with excitement. They ran off and then they returned again!! They had boughten us a bag of sugar canes for us to eat. They had used the money we had given them to also buy us a treat too!! They were honestly thankful for our gift to them and we were so happy that they had come back!! (side note: the sugar canes actually weren't that good...i hid them on my lap so that when they returned they would think we had eaten them! What?! I didn't want to break their precious hearts!)
They told us that they played football together. And when they came to say goodbye to us and to tell us that they were going to play football we asked if we could follow!! They took us through the crowded streets. Always a couple steps ahead but always looking back with their lovely white teeth to make sure we were okay!
We got to a little park filled with football players and we sat on a bench and watched our lovely boys play. (Goalie boy obviously played goalie, Capitain was a firey little offense player and Nuon squatted on the side...maybe not so good at football? Who knows!) I felt like my mom when i was a little girl. Sitting by the pool while little Kimmy screamed for her to "watch mom, watch me do this!" I pretended they were my nephews; Cameron and Mitchy. I sat there in complete contentment! I felt so much love for these little wonders. And I prayed as I sat there, "God, bless my boys! Bless their hearts!"
We had to eventually leave. But I hope to find my way back there again soon. To see my little boys again and to bless them, like they blessed me that day.
God, bless my boys!
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