Homeward Bound

After such a fun evening, at the surprise party,  I REALLY thought that I was going to "skip" the barrage of tears. WRONG again.
Mesa and a bunch of the students came early this morning and wanted to go out for one last breakfast. We chose to go back to the market. I will blame it ALL on Mesa, because he cries easily....but as we walked to the market, he squeezed my arm so hard that it just started the tears flowing. And then they were hard to stop as students kept joining us or popping in to say goodbye.

Kouch, who's nickname means "dimple" kept saying, "Please don't cry Grandma. We need you to smile."I was TRYING, Kouch! After another long round of goodbyes and tears, Pastor Rathana  had a time of prayer before I got into the truck. Kids kept piling in behind me, so I knew that the goodbyes were going to end at Crossroads. At one point, I  looked at the window and there were several motorbikes riding two or three kids....on their way to the airport. Before we left,  Vuthea presented me with a leather cowboy type hat. He and the students on the medical mission out to the Pepper Plantation  had gotten up at 4 to make the 5 hour journey, on motorbike, OUCH, to be there to say goodbye. He was sporting the same kind of hat, and his thought.....we will both pray for one another when we wear our hats :)

The time had come for me to go board the plane.....more tears, more prayer.... They were so funny....just like a bunch of kids, because they would run from window to window, until I got on the escalator and they would all run to each window and we would do the hand to hand...nose to nose on the glass!!   Precious memories

Singapore began the Paradigm shift, since it is considered the #1 Airport in the world. So clean. So many orchids. So many well dressed travelers from every tribe and tongue and nation intersecting at this Cosmopolitan airport. I sat at a Quiznos and had a little breakfast......No man sitting 6 feet away shaving a pigs' ear like the day before! No animals of every sort hanging all around us. I wasn't sharing a table with any number of people who started their rice porridge breakfast as a stranger, but by the end of the meal we had exchanged pleasantries. Me speaking my oh, so limited Khmer, and them laughing at my efforts.

My trusty pink, Mary Poppins like carry all that has gone around the world with me a few times .....died!! I usually carry so much stuff, so that every emergency is cared for....mostly has candy for the kids we meet. So Jessica had produced a white paper recycle bag, like the $.99 kind from the grocery store and that carried my Khmer phone, and American phone, passports, wallet, etc etc. I was looking quite professional there at the table in Singapore. I had ALL the handmade bracelets that the various kids had given as a farewell gift, AND the Cowboy hat, AND my finely painted toes with daisies, AND my "I am NOT FAT, I am stuffed with Love T-shirt that Pipor had made for me......and of course, no Princess would be seen out without her Pearls.....a necklace and bracelet set from Potra and Chenda. I was quite a sight.

I have not been sick a moment
I have had the energy of a 4 year old

That is sooooo God and so YOU for praying for me. Thank you, Thank you Thank you. You are the BEST prayer team EVER.

I am looking very much forward to being reunited with Lynn, and talking to my family.....even though I won't see any of them in the near future......but I am also very thankful that God gave me that month+ to love on 85 precious students and to see and be part of what God is doing in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

Last days in Cambodia...

Breakfast with Mesa and Sourssdy

Sorry about no contact for a while. This past week has been so delightfully full with  meals and meetings with students. Combine that with electricity being off more than usual, and it was hard to find time to write.

GREAT WEEK....Still on the usual 4 am wake up to get prepared for the day. I  actually had talks prepared before I came  but staying with the students I found that there were several issues and some things that we could all benefit from. So have gone in a different direction and we studied some Scripture together and GOD taught us  all.. So each day  was up early to prepare before meeting with students.

The  students usually do not have breakfast, they just grab a fried banana or roasted sweet potato as they  bike to school. This week was fun for me as different ones who did not have early classes asked to meet to go  out for rice porridge or noodles ($.60 for a great breakfast)

I was out every meal the whole  week....loved that one on one time with the students....and getting ready for starting the inevitable good byes. When we were here in September, the farewell was painful....sort of heart surgery without anesthesia and we had only been there 10 days but had connected with several especially. This time I feel like I have heard the story and become close to almost all 85. I was soooooo not wanting to do that "singing" and do the round of goodbyes. Since I was leaving on a Monday morning and there is not typically a Sunday night service, I was feeling quite good that we were going to be able to  avoid that.

Saturday was full....breakfast with Mesa and his newly  proclaimed "friend" Soursddy. She is delightful and we had such a special time again.  I had taken both new girlfriends out earlier in the week, while the guys are out at the Plantation. The  boys only come to town every other week.  After time with them, the day continued to be full of appointments including a time with Pipor who took me for lunch and a pedicure in a very Interesting little side of the road place. I  am now sporting bright toes with flowers on them. Pipor works at Bloom Cafe, a place that rehabilitates girls who  have been trafficked. We had a great visit and girl talk. The rest of the afternoon was filled with more  goodbyes,  special handmade little gifts and remembrances....smiles and fun.

Once a month, the girls birthdays are celebrated. Whoever has a birthday , buys gifts for all the other girls...about 40. That way on your birthday, you are GIVING and you only have to buy gifts once a year not 40 times and you can get everyone all the same gifts. The party  was a Crazy Hair party so they really had a fun time.

When it was over the girls from Pillars.....the dorm way across town, mostly for the older girls, asked if I  would do a sleepover again. SO, 9:30 at night, we all piled on the motorbikes and headed out. We sat up talking....but I started fading around midnight. I  moved from a sitting position on my bunk, to a prone position, but still listening...:) Before long,  I was lying down.....but still listening' :)  but I only remember a flash of a camera waking me up so assume I fell  asleep on them, and they thought it was funny !   I was not sure if I had set my phone alarm, so woke up often checking. I  had to leave at 5:45 am to head back to my place. Chamnab, one of the boys had agreed to motorbike me home so  that I could be there to shower and be ready for SS at 7:30.   I seemed to  check the phone every 1/2 hour to see if it was "time" to wake up. Finally,  at 4:30 I decided to just get up. I picked up my little pile of stuff and headed down the dark hall to the bathroom.I didnt want to wake up  the girls on the other bunks in the room, so kept my phone flashlight off til the hall. I am still not totally familiar with the little phone that we use overseas, so THOUGHT that I had pushed the flashlight but nothing came on, but before long, I heard HELLO? HELLO?  Whoooooops, I had pushed redial instead of the light button. I am sure that Chetra was thrilled :( to hear my  voice at 4:40 am.

I commented to Chamnab how quiet the streets were so early in the morning (NICE)......but he responded, "Grandma, Phnom Penh has many robbers and they have guns, and this is when they  steal....so I will not be stopping at any lights on the way home."  Well, ok then!!!

The morning went well. Thanks for praying for those two last messages!
Lunch with 6 of us after church....then  soccer, sporting my new Judy Lynn soccer shirt :)  Cana  house had invited Jessica and I for a combined birthday and farewell dinner, and they outdid themselves cooking. After dinner everyone was slipping off and I had a feeling something was going on since I was left alone with a visiting Mom, trying hard to talk Khmer.  Soon, one of the students was back and I was picked up by motor bike and brought home to find a surprise farewell had been planned up on the roof.   All of the dorms were present. Each one had brought a special dessert, and songs. It was so fun. We were up on the roof.....gorgeous evening and just a wonderful time. It was not really sad at all.....we laughed and did the inevitable photos. Someone took my camera and I noticed that I had 100 new photos after the evening was over. It was soooooo very special. Hardly any tears except one time during a song and Panet, dear guy, just leaned over and squeezed my hand til it was over..Just an amazing evening. Handmade gifts that will be treasured forever.

When everyone was gone, there was still the late night chat with the guys that live there.....til after midnight. I have to say, whoever is on my "energy patrol" prayer team has outdone themselves. I have had so much energy, and I feel so blessed. Almost 5 weeks here.....and not a moment of sickness and hardly a moment of tiredness.  That HAS to be ALL GOD.

Pedicure with Pipor
 

English Class Students

Farewell Meal

...and then came unexpected waterfall

No, there are not more plumbing problems, Water pipes are fixed!!!   This was more an internal problem.

My day had been packed with people. I had finished teaching a class and wanted to see if I could find a student coming home that I could jump on the back of a motorbike and get a few things from the store to make Chocolate Chip cookies. I didn't think to bring baking soda....so the packages of chips are still waiting to be cooked and I am running out of days. I know that my time here is ending because my second travel bottle of shampoo is almost empty. One of those little bottles last two weeks. I have been here almost four, and it was a stark reality when I washed my hair yesterday. The second bottle is almost empty.

The electricity came on at about 4:30 and Vuthea and I had tried to two "foreign" shops with no avail.........baking soda not to be found, so no baking today. I came to my computer to check email. I knew that I would probably not catch any family online since it was 4:30 AM East Coast, but there were FB messages from the kids here.

The one from Phearak, who I wrote about yesterday was my undoing. This past Sunday when his family visited the church, since they were in town to pick up Grandpa from Australia, I was up on the roof top early, reading my Bible and enjoying the morning. Phearak's little brother was flitting around the roof........so enthralled with all of our pigeons and the gorgeous flowers that now decorate the normally barren roof. He found a hive of bees and although we never met, with each new "find" he would rush over to me, and take my hand and pull me towards his discovery. I fell in love with him immediately and finally went down to get my camera to try to capture his JOY and his enthusiasm. That was impossible to do....he just glowed. I shared a little of their story yesterday, but it is quite unusual to find a whole family of Christ followers here.

Phearak  is in my English class. One day we were talking about names and he asked what people call me....Officially, Judith; friends, Judy; close friends, Jud; my Precious family calls  me Mom, some of my Grandkds call me Grandma and the younger ones, and my daughter in law, Madia....call me Gigi.  It was all matter of fact....and I never thought anything of it til yesterday's Facebook message came.

"Gigi....I had to come to my hometown today. I am sorry I was not in class. My Grandfather made me come. Remember, he is a High Priest in the Buddhist Pagoda. Please Gigi, would you pray. He has taken my two brothers and entered them into the monastery to be Monks"

What???

That precious, joyful bouncing 10 year old....filled with the Joy of the Lord was going to spend his life as a monk in a monastery?

I was incredulous. Hadn't we prayed every day this past week asking God to not allow that to happen.

God, really?

My heart was broken.

I went to the roof..there is always someone there.

No One.

I called over the edge of the roof to find some guys in the dorm to please come up and pray with me.

 No One there.

I phoned Vuthea....I knew he had just come back with me....and asked if he could come to the roof and pray

. "Oh Grandma, I just left to go teach an English class at the orphanage, Can I pray with you tonight after the meeting?

I can't even explain the tear flow. God was there and we talked...and he comforted, but for the first time in Phnom Penh, I felt really alone, and just wanted to be part of 2 or 3 gathered in HIS name to pray for the protection of that dear little boy.

I got my keys and walked down the road to the girls dorm.....which I would normally  not have been permitted to do alone. I found three girls at home and together we held hands and prayed.  Phearak is loved and his family is loved as well.

As has been the case many times the students  done the ministering to my heart. It was a precious 15 minutes with all of us crying out to God for protection and intervention.  One of the girls insisted on walking me home. My phone buzzed as we walked...........an  SMS from Chetra....Mom, I found a Coke Zero and brought it home for you.  Another huge hug from God. NOT the coke zero so much, but the love and thought behind it. They are hard to find.....but Vuthea, who could not come pray because he was going to a class, called Chetra who was almost finished work and said, Please go find Grandma and Pray with her. She is hurting.

The body of Christ in action.

Last night we started off our meeting with the 85 college kids, as upset and concerned as I was (well, maybe without the waterfall of tears) and we spent a LONG time as a group imploring God for that precious boy.

HOW THANKFUL I AM PART OF HIS BODY.

Love to you.

Jud

Concerned for Moms and Dads to be Christ Followers

Phearak came to  crossroads as a Buddhist, Freshman University student and shortly after he arrived, he gave his life to God. He came up with an amazing plan for his future of making his life count for God and to not waste any of it away. Part of that plan was to return to his province on his next vacation and share the peace that he found in his heart with his Buddhist parents. They rejected his thoughts his first 2 visits, and by the third visit they saw the consistent JOY and LOVE in that young man. He was showing it with his life not words, and they finally asked how they too could find God. AND THEY HAVE......what a delightful family. They were in town yesterday because the Grandpa, who is a Buddhist High Priest had flown in from Australia, where he is now living. The Grandma was tortured and killed in the Khmer Rouge and Grandpa was returning for the remembrance of the death of his wife. His plan, while he is here is getting Phearak to the monastery to become a Buddhist monk. The family joined us at Crossroads yesterday for services before heading to the airport. The joy on their faces and their testimony of God's faithfulness was such a blessing!

Lundy did such a great job interpreting. He was sooooooo nervous, as he doesn't usually interpret but Chetra has been doing so much of our interpretation for Lynn and I. I suggested we split up the two services and Chetra interpreted for me for the second service. I always pray for the guys as they interpret that they are in tune with God and can work thru any areas that I might not get exactly right culturally. After I finish preparations for each message, I have been trying to write it out word for word and let them read it the night before. Then we talk and pray together for God's Word to flow thru both of us. It was a very special time for both services.
 The kids wanted to go to the roof and have a family photo between services. It was only about Half of he group that meets here thru the week. On Sundays they have services in all three house churches.

 


The day was full : up early to meet and pray with Lundy and Chetra and then starting at 7:30 with the two services, then out for lunch, then soccer. I got back from soccer, thinking a short afternoon nap sounded good but before I could get up the four flights of stairs, the boys asked if I would go with thewadis town to the river and to the Thailand Exposition. Another hair raising motor bike excursion, i might add. Not so much for me, because the boys are very careful.....but all of those other drivers! NO ONE loses their cool. They just all weave in and out, sometimes driving against the flow of traffic. We passed one motorbike carrying  four helmetless adults, transporting an ironing board and HUGE set of pots among other bargains they picked up at the Exposition!

10 university young men and I!  It is so funny to constantly be " flanked" and surrounded.....always someone at either elbow and before and aft! On the way home, after we had dinner downtown, I received a text asking if I would stop at one of the other dorms to talk with the students.....so I was dropped off there, had great visit and was finally home by 10.

There is now some resolution to the dirty flood waters that keep overflowing out thru all four bathrooms....but it was not a simple solution! The pipes are backed up completely, beyond just unclogging. That means ripping out the water lines of four floors....and ultimately they are predicting that we will have NO water for 2 or 3 days. So glad I am stocked up on deodorant!


This morning there was a leadership meeting at 7 so I was going to slip out by myself and go for a walk.  We are locked in by massive gates and you have to pass any students studying or watching TV,  or just hanging out. It is not considered an invasion of privacy AT ALL, to ask MANY questions......so whether coming or going you can be sure you will be asked....."where are you going, Grandma" what will you do? Who are you going with? When will you come back?  All those questions asked by EACH of the students that you pass.

Needless to say, when I answered....I am just going out for a walk...alarms and sirens were set off..NOT really, but close! And I was flanked by my Precious Praetorian Guard. I was not kidding about the Velcro Factor....but if course it is delightful and it has been a great way to talk with students.

Returned from my walk in time for a meeting with Pastor Rathana. We went together to a Christian Bookstore to get him some Khmer materials on Pre marriage counseling as well as other books that will help him in ministry. What a Godly young man! He is 27, Single and has soooooo much responsibility.  I  asked him if we could do some team teaching the next few nights. All four groups...so about 85 gather together for the week night meetings. There are a few " sticky" situations.....the kind that Satan likes to throw in when things are going amazingly well and God is at work. They need to be dealt with by God Himself, but Rath and I are asking Him to give us Scripture and His words to address some "elephants in the room". If you think of it, we will do this on Wednesday evening...so Wednesday morning your time. Tomorrow night I am sharing about relationships and how to heal broken ones.   I told Rathana this morning that I was thankful for the backed  up, broken pipes that are causing this " vomiting" of filthy yucky water over the floors over and over. He was surprised since he doesnt live here, and he thought that I would be really sad about having no water.  BUT, We now have no water at all .....because of the clogged pipes....what a poignant illustration for God to allow us to share.

Sometimes our lives get "clogged up" with bitterness, pride, a spirit of unforgiveness, jealousy, anger, hurt feelings, etc. When the problem is not dealt with, there is an overflowing of YUCK!  And take my word for it, there has been septic YUCK on our floors about five different times in the past 6 days. Clean water can't flow thru. Nothing can flow thru until the clog is cleared out.

Pray that the little things that we are finding that have cropped up and are clogging some of their lives can be dealt with and fresh rivers of water can flow thru. The Khmer are patient, polite, kind people (hence the lack of tempers being lost in this traffic) but addressing issues is not part of their culture.

Does it make my heart sad that there are " quarreling and fighting" among some? YES!

Does it surprise me? NO!

God is doing AMAZING things thru the lives of these students. Does Satan like that? Not one little bit. In I Peter 5:8 we are reminded to be alert! Our enemy the devil is ready to pounce. He is looking for someone to devour and The Message says that nothing would make him happier than to find Believers "napping " and not ready to stand up against him.

Thanks for Holding the ropes for us!
Thanks for standing with Rathana and I as we spend tomorrow in prayer and in preparation as we challenge the students to ask Gods help in cleaning out any Clogs and remind them of the importance of getting their Armor on daily....so WHEN, not IF, he pounces, the students ARE ready. 

Back in Phnom Penh

Thanks for your prayers for the trip to the pepper farm. 
Soursddy, one of the 4th year women decided to go with me on the journey.  The 
students dont like us to do anything without their love and tender protection. 
She was to stop by the dorm for me at 7:15 and sure enough, she was at the door 
by 6:30 am. Fortunately I was up and ready and studying for the two Sunday 
teachings so off we went to the bus station.

Two motorbikes were waiting for us, in the rain...making the trip to the bus 
station a little more slippery. The bus was like an American tour bus. When we 
finally pulled away we were quite wet, making the air conditioned 6 hour trip a 
little chilly, but NO complaints from me about being cold! Sddy got us seat # 1 
and 2.... Great for many reasons like less opportunity to be car sick...The not 
so great reasons were minor, but I had clear view of the road as I sat behind 
the drivers left shoulder. Traveling at break neck speed with a full view of the 
road was interesting!!! And I would put that in the "not so great" category.
I also had front row view of the DVD of Khmer comedy and Karoke on the screen 
right above my head and   It was at top volume for the long haul. I am starting 
to FINALLY "hear" a little Khmer. I sometimes thought the whole country just had 
a secret language for me to not understand but now I can actually get the drift 
of conversations, especially if there are a few "Anglo " words to get me jump 
started.

After a quick stop at a McDonalds...hehe...just kidding...a road side place, 
about 5 stars below the places I have stopped at before,  we were on our way for 
the final leg. I kept getting multiple texts from Mesa and ,  our hosts.  They 
were waiting for us on motorbikes when we finally arrived. I had brought LOTS of 
bread and pastries for them as they live in a fairly isolated areas so it was 
QUITE a sight seeing us load it all on the bikes. Potra and Mesa are single 
guys, Wonderful Christian leaders and they are managing two of the plantations. 
They live in a 10x10 corrugated iron room, with all of their stuff, and farm 
stuff, yet they welcomed us with unbelievable enthusiasm. 

Potra made us lunch 
over his little wok in the back outside kitchen area ( hope that you can check 
those photos on the blog....and we all sat on the floor of their little room to 
enjoy a delightful Bachelor made lunch! It was fabulous.
 

Potra cooking

Mesa insisted on Grandma "resting" after the journey, but said we should be 
ready to go at 2:45 (10 minutes after the rest period started.)  Oh so precious.

I spent the next 2  1/2 hours on the back of his motorbike touring the 
plantations. It was lovely, though the remote red dirt/dust roads had us covered 
by the time we got back. The plantations have been hit by drought and 
pestilence. It is quite a stretch for these young college graduates to be 
battling the elements, when both of them are Preachers and Pastors at heart. But 
their desire is using this Business as Mission for Kingdom Purposes!

We came back and tried to bucket shower the layers of dirt from our bodies,  and 
hair but not very successfully, I might add. Limited water, and No hair dryers, 
of course, but we were ready to walk the long walk to the Kuy workers home and 
have dinner with them. A huge long table was set and I felt like I was home with 
our brood all around us.....laughing and telling stories over dinner. 

Pheatra, another single college Grad is one of the managers on this other farm, and he 
was hosting dinner. He asked me to share after dinner and it was fun to story 
tell about God's goodness with them. After dinner pheatra asked if I would pray 
for a young boy who lived with them who was  in severe pain. His family believed 
he was possessed by an evil spirit and they wanted him to return to their 
village. But he loved being part of the Small Christian family atmosphere here 
on the farm.We were able to pray and spend time by his little bed, even as he 
writhed with pain. They were able to take him to the clinic that night....where 
he was treated with an I'V drip.....with no explanation.

The walk back to Mesa and Potra's little room on the star studded night was 
quite breathtaking. The trip to the far away out house in the dark...not so 
much!  The guys graciously gave us their wooden mattress less bed and they hung 
nylon hammocks in the corner of the room. After talking for a long time, til the 
weeeeee hours, they tucked us in under a huge mosquito net, with the advance 
warning that it was much to keep the rats OUT as well as the Mosquitoes. Potra 
said they have been losing a lot of their chickens to these rats. I asked how 
big they were, and he grabbed his calf....and said, as big as a mans calf. 
SWEET!!!!" Potra said his first night out there, they scurried over his body and 
from then on he slept under a net.  On that note, we hit the pillow.

The cacophony of sounds thru the night made me wish I was taping it. The 
Rooster, who pretty much lives in the kitchen on the other side of the tin wall, 
speaks English. OR maybe all the other roosters I have encountered speak Khmer, 
but at 1, 2, 3,4, and 5 AM he "Cock a doodled" a few feet from our heads. The 
Mosquitoes were doing a Rendition of Beethoven's 5th....and the rats! Well, as 
predicted by Potra, they spent the night scampering, with their little toenails 
rat-tat- tatting a little tune on the screechy metal roof.

Morning came and we rolled....well I might have not actually rolled....??? How 
does someone with ample fat covering like me, find it so hard to sit, like the 
students do for hours on the tile or sleep on the wooden slatted mattress less 
beds, with never a wiggle?

 (side note....speaking of ample fat!) the sayings on Tshirts here never cease 
to bring a smile to my face. IF I can find it....I shall splurge and buy my 
favorite, "I AM NOT FAT......I AM STUFFED  WITH LOVE!"

I was asked to bring the morning devotions. At the end, a dear old man came and 
said he wanted to make a profession of faith in Christ. The time was so 
precious.

Accepted Christ

After our meeting, Potra went to buy our bus tickets and some take out 
breakfast. ( I could write a paragraph on that sentence alone....take out 
breakfast in a remote town....) he returned saying Grandma, there are no buses 
until Monday! Hmmmmm, I have three appointments today here in PP on Saturday and 
speaking two times on Sunday, but I was very much  at peace. He however, has a 
girlfriend who has not seen him in 2 weeks so he HAD to come back...haha. So we 
piled on the back of motorbikes to head for the main road and sort of hitch 
hiked. Vans drive by, and you flag them down and negotiate.  And they did. 

In 1/2 hour time we were on our way, ensconced on the back row seat of a 15 van 
with  21 other people :) Picture a Greensboro to Atlanta journey 5-6 hours long 
with one knee up around your chin the other leg....somewhere....sharing my 
headset for my iPod tunes with Potra, the two of singing along as the rest of 
the bus endured our Praise and Worship!

We arrived back, safe and sound...a little twisted in body, but I was so happy 
in heart. God is at work, in the most remote parts of this country. HE is 
breaking the bonds of sin and control of the evil spirit. GREATER is HE that is 
in us, than he that is in the world.

Amen and Amen

Lynn Departs

We returned a while ago from the airport to see Lynn off. His time went so quickly and he became beloved of the students. Our roles have changed and now I will be doing the daily teaching at night as well as two English classes each day so I probably won't write as much as before.

A few highloghts of the last few days....
Visiting Chab Dai  ministries for their morning devotions and to hear about their work. They are a coalition of ministries that are involved in Human Trafficking. What does it say of the state of mind of a country of only 14 million people that has 52 KNOWN organizations with Abolition as its main focus? Chab dai works to bring the organizations together so as to cooperate and coordinate and best reach this overwhelming need of HELP for this country. They are a present force in making a difference in this country both presently and proactively planning to have a presence throughout the Greater subMekong Delta area. We were impressed by the commitment, integrity and quality of the staff working so hard for the Lord.

After a day of classes here at Crossroads,  we headed over, by Motorbike to Pillars...another branch of the ministry.  Pillars dormitory houses more of the Fourth year students and graduate students headed up by Pastor Rathana a 27 year old with a heart for God! What a joy he is. We had dinner with the students and then a time of worship. We had been asked to stay overnight in the dorm with them, so there was no rush to get home or thru a great time of fellowship.   What a treat! 


Lynn stayed in the dorm with the guys and I stayed in a room with 3 other girls..all of whom sleep on bunk beds. A few of the students had mattresses, but most slept just on the metal slatted beds. One on the girls asked if I could talk with her after the meeting and I plopped down on her bed, only to hear the "twang" of metal as I landed.  The girls have many questions...just like college girls in the States. How do you know when you meet the right guy? What if he wants to serve God in the country but I have studied hard and have a job waiting in the city? . I was up til well after midnight with two different girls who were just so precious....Chenda and Soursddy.

I remember how excited Lynn was when our son Brad downloaded the flashlight APP on his phone. Cell phones are not new here, nor are the flashlights on them. Our electricity goes out OFTEN, and in two ticks, all the flashlights are on. As they were at 5 am, with everyone up getting showers and having their devotions by flashlight....or in the case of Leaksmey, finding her way to my bunk at 5:15, to share her story and ask for advice on her love life. SO sweet. Sooooo sleepy, but it was precious time of tears and joy and prayer.

Last night was Lynn's last night to share with the students,  followed by a roof top Valentines party. A few students had helped make cupcakes with me. OH MY, that was a labor of love. 86 cupcakes....in a stove that made one batch of 12 at a time, with just a knob, but no register, sometimes it was 600 and sometime 200 degrees! We had with the bags  for each of them, with a note to each student. It was a fun farewell....lots of happiness and love and eating and photos. Grandpa Lynn is so loved here, and it was with sadness that we headed to the airport this morning and he is on his way back to Greensboro.

Several of the students now live at e Pepper Plantation, and we have not had much time with them. I am headed to the bus station at 7 tomorrow. Someone will put me on the right bus...and hopefully I will arrive "near" the plantation five hours later! Then I will text and either Potra or Mesa will pick me up on their motorbike :) they are serving with the Kuy people, and it is a LONG way out and they too are eager for fellowship.

There is no Internet there obviously, so won't write again until Friday night or Saturday. Thanks for your prayers as Lynn and I travel in different directions but feeling so united in the opportunities that God has given us.

Sunday

Lynn was up quite early to go over his 2 messages for this morning...Sunday  the students invite friends to church and they prayed much for Gods spirit to work thru Lynn on Sunday. May I say, HE did! Thank you too, for your prayers!

Sunday school is at 7:30, and two of the dorms have their own services and two meet here except on the first Sunday. The overhead projector glass smashed to pieces as they were trying to change a burned out bulb, before Sunday school started. That meant no words for the songs....but also a little added stress for those in charges. BUT  God spoke thru Lynn and in turn thru Chetra as his interpreter.....a double channel of blessing. The students were soooo with Lynn as he shared Biblical truths, with practical applications and personal stories.

At the end of the services they have testimony time.....Veshnu came up to share. We have come to know and love him this past week. He has been working so hard to teach Judy Khmer vocabulary. As he stood, you could tell he was nervous......after over a year at Crossroads, he had not come to faith in Christ, so it was his first time to share. 
BUT his good news was that God had really spoken to his heart this week, and he wanted to be a Christ follower! There was rejoicing!!  God is sooooo very good.

A quick lunch and then their soccer outreach on Sunday afternoon. Before the game started, Lynn was given a little plastic bag....in it, a team uniform!!!
Such fun! The students are great soccer enthusiasts! How fun that God has gifted Lynn "even as a Grandpa" because it has been sooooo key in e door of relationships with the 40+ guys that play, and now all the girls come faithfully to the games.  To top it off.....Lynn was taken down in a slide tackle....so fun that they treat him as one of them :).....  But he also got an assist for a goal AND a head goal. BOTH teams were so excited.....so much fun!

With very little arm twisting we moved over to the big stadium to watch a championship soccer game with bunches of the students for the KINGs Cup...and then because we had a dinner engagement had to rush off before the end. It is only a mile "home" and we could quite easily have walked...but when we said we were leaving....a precious entourage wanted to make sure we arrived home safely....

A quick shower and then we were treated to a special Kymer dinner  with Brother Vuth, who is the office manager for CR"........and to hear their hearts for the ministry and their love for the students.

The days are so very full
Our hearts......even more full!

Beautification, Sanitation, Relaxation

Saturday morning.....a time for University students to sleep in, right?
Nope! Several of the students, who are committed to the "beautification" of the roof top,  asked us to join them to find some plants. Our daughter Kim moved to a farm last year and with her family spent many months clearing the poison ivy and weeds from an overgrown farm. When she heard of the boys plan, she wrote...."Mom, our family would like to help a little with the project".  We told Vuthea. The next thing we knew....can we go plant shopping tomorrow morning at 7??

Five of us headed off in a tuk tuk and a motorbike waaaaaay across town til we found the area where flowers and plants were sold.  A few months ago, Lynn's 1992 prism breathed its last gas fume while we were in Atlanta and we had to buy a car for our return trip. May I say, that we took less time to buy the Kia than it did to buy those plants.....???!!!  :) 

They knew the money was a gift, but we did more comparison shopping than you could imagine!  Grandma, this plant is 2000 Real cheaper in town, we can do better!   ( 1000 Real = $.25)

But we finally had a beautiful selection. Even though there was more in their budget, they had purchased CAREFULLY, ONLY what was on their dream "list" and nothing more!!! We headed home with 3 orchids, a water lily, and about 6 other plants after 4 hours of flower shopping. They were ecstatic.

Sanitation.....After a quick lunch I decided to bake and THANKFULLY went into Jessica's little kitchen to make some muffins for the students. She was away....but I turned to hear a sloshing sound behind me. The bathroom had a little muddy yucky waterfall coming over the step from her bathroom. I called Lynn to help pick up boxes, only to find that all four bathrooms had also backed up and were overflowing. Did I mention YUCK???? I went to the dorm and called for reinforcements! Students came like a shot....and we all spent the next hour or so mopping up and cleaning. Narano took me on his motor bike to a special market and we got a gallon of Drano and some bleach for "maybe" some disinfecting??

(sorry...too busy at that point to think about photos, OR scratch and sniffs)

Relaxation- Saturday night and we decided to divide ourselves....
Liverpool was playing Manchester United in a BIG soccer match, so Lynn stayed with a bunch of the guys for a mini super bowl party and I went off with about 40 on motorbikes to do bumper cars!! Followed by a trip to the Dancing Water Fountains. I have to tell you that those kids have fun. At the fountain, which is similar to the ones in Atlanta and Chicago where the lights change color, and " dance to music" we enjoyed the beauty of it all, and then the kids played a game which seemed to me like a cross between tag and duck duck goose....with 40 kids under the stars in a great setting!

We continue to feel honored that they want "grandpa and grandma" included in every activity that they do, but then we were reminded again last night....most of these students lost their grandparents with the Kymer Rouge Killing fields.....so the words Grandma or Grandpa has not crossed many of their lips........be still my heart.

At the Laudromat

We both seem to wake before the 5 am alarm each day.....not sure if  it is because at home we never use an alarm, and just wake early  but here we want to be sure we don't oversleep, or if it is the dueling roosters or the cacophony of barking and howls from the neighbourhood dogs. One dog starts and then there is literally a chorus from all over the neighbourhood. Prayer meeting starts at 5:45 am but it is right here in the room the other side of our window so we don't have to go far or find a tuk tuk.  Sitting on the hard tile floor for an hour or so, these young people pour out their hearts and burdens to our God. They pray for each other and the variety of ministries God has allowed them to be in....but it seems their #1 concern is their families...locked in ancestral Buddhist tradition. During the day, I prayed with four different students who were headed home for the weekend and concerned about their family.

After prayer, about 15 of us walked to the local outdoor market for breakfast. I smile. That sounds like we went to Panera.....

NOT!!!! We all squish around a tiny table, behind the lady that is making the soup, chopping with her cleaver the whole chicken....bones and all that will be sprinkled on top of your rice porridge or noodles ( the two choices offered for breakfast) and surrounded .....literally, by the vendors who are  have all manner of fresh meat from a variety of animals and fish that they are chopping up and selling. It is Friday morning and the place is a BUZZ of activity.

I had two English classes today  while Lynn  has found some time to prepare for his two hour long messages on Sunday. I decided to talk about
"special days" in class today, and started with their favorite birthday memory in the Provinces.

I can tell you that discussion did not take very long. NOT ONE of all the students that I had in class had EVER had their birthday acknowledged at their home....EVER. Some were not even sure when it was.  OK Judy, try not to act sad, or incredulous about what their " norm" is just move on to your next discussion point.

After class, we found a tuk tuk to take us down to meet Chet and Virginia Quinn....brother to Liz Trautman and Margie Quinn.  Their ministry is with Daughters of Cambodia....a ministry involved with the restoration of young men and women ravished by Human trafficking. The stories of God's redemption of those caught in this horrendous lifestyle were heart breaking but these are the ones who have Victory stories. They are being given an economic trade, and dignity is being restored.

Afternoon English class was followed by a walk to the soccer stadium. The guys are LOVING having Grandpa Lynn play with them. Yesterday we walked a little early. That always brings a little consternation because we are usually always flanked....in front, and on the sides and the rear by students. ESPECIALLY crossing  the roads. Lynn really wants to just sit and take a 5 minute video sometime. When you say busy it really doesn't begin to describe the traffic.  It is not just busy traffic, it is CRAZY traffic....where each one does what is right in his own eyes!!!

Jessica is the single missionary from Seattle who is here holding the fort here while David and Moonjung Ooi are in the States for a year. Last night none of us were speaking in small group, so we took Jessica down to the river front and had some food and......yup, ice cream, and just walked along the river a bit. It was a gorgeous evening....and it was nice to have some alone time with her to hear her heart for what she is doing. It is very lonesome.........

We were back home by 10 PM when I remembered that I had left Lynn's rather pungent soccer clothes soaking on the roof after the hot and sticky soccer game, so I needed to go free up the washing basin. I think one of my favorite times has been at the wash basin. With so many students living here, there is almost always someone there to "scrub with."

 

Last night it was Tearit. We more often see him as the soccer goalie. His English is quite good, which of course helps with the depth of the conversation. I asked him if it was hard to be doing his own laundry since coming to Crossroads. Once again.....( you would think that I would get used to their looks of surprise) "NO GRANDMA!!! I have been washing my own clothes since I was 10 years old. When I lived in the village I had to cook my own food, and care for my clothes since 10. I wanted to go to school but my parents had no money for books or uniforms or school fees, so I started to work when I was a little boy as a guide to tourists. That is also how I learned to speak English and French fluently." His Mom was lead to Christ by missionaries many years ago. He asked for prayer for his Dad, not yet a Christ follower.

We sort of fell into bed a little after 11, thankful of the power of Gods Word reaching to this part of the world...and thankful for Kingdom opportunities to share His love....even over a wash basin on the roof under the starlit full moon Cambodian sky.

The Other side of the Mekong...

We were on the road very early this Morning to visit a large province on the other side of the River. These are the people who were hit the hardest by the flooding this past year. Mangos are the main source of income for the people and they are grown by the thousands. Unfortunately, all of the excess water from the floods killed off the trees, and with that, their income. The trees are already being replanted, but it takes 4 years for a mango tree to bear. That is a long time to wait for your next pay check.

 

Romanea described this huge province as the poorest of the poor!
HIV and TB have hit the country. Rather than removing the children from their hometowns, 150 are being cared for in their villages, with AOC bring ARV drugs to the homes, and checking on each person 2x a month. They do a loan program, where families can get chickens, or ducks or pigs or cows to raise and bring in income.

Wathana is a bright  12 year old boy who lost both parents to HIV. 

He is living with his Grandma, who has the responsibility of all 3 of her grandsons. She has been given a water filtration system, and Grandma just purchased a cow. AOC helps with his pills , school fees, travel money to the hospital, and nutritious food and vitamins. The holistic care demonstrated by AOC is amazing. What a privilege to pray for this family and commit them to God.

Another ministry that AOC is providing is education for students in poverty area. They have set up small schools for the children who cannot afford to pay school fees....mostly the children of HIV patients.

To our great delight we got to meet with two house churches....Lynn was able to share with the first. You can see on their faces and the JOY coming from them, that even though, as Brother Romanea said they are the poorest of the poor,  Jesus truly makes a difference.

In the midst of the poverty....Gods beauty still abounds. We detoured off the road a bit to a lotus pond. Not only was it beautiful, we discovered that they also provide food in the seeds, and the large fluffy leaves are used for a variety of things....packing, rolling up rice when you are working in the fields, and yes, even a hat to shade you from the strong Cambodian sun.


We stopped at another house church....Pastor Wei and his wife built a church, that is used for a school during the week, and church and special meetings for the community. They have a fish farm and raised fish until the floods last year swept away all of their fish, and they are starting over. Mrs. Wei provided a fantastic lunch of fish, mangoes, rice, chicken, vegetables. We told her it was reminiscent of a Thanksgiving dinner we would have in the States.

Their 26 year old daughter became mentally ill or demon possessed a few years back. It happened on the day her aunt died. The family did not know she died, but the girl  woke up and said..."my aunt wants me to come be with her" only to find that she had passed away during the night. These past 6 years have been filled with violence and Mrs. Wei cannot leave her alone. She asked for prayer ....and we were honoured to do so.

Our last visit of the day, to another school and house church. Judy was asked to share with the ladies group and they were warm and receptive and it was such a privilege to be with them.

I didn't describe the road after we got off the ferry....
I am not sure that I can describe the road that we were on for the whole day. It was damaged by the flood....bridges wiped out, and the ruts and potholes were bone jarring to the core. The journey was hot, dusty and tiring for us all, but especially for Romanea who was gripping the steering wheel tightly to keep control for the 8 hours that we traveled.

The community gathered hundreds of the poorest of the poor
The road was flood damaged almost beyond use
But hope was offered to the hopeless....
Healing was offered in the name of Jesus
Education and economic relief was being made available....
All in the name of Jesus.....

The Palm Tree and Making Palm Sugar

 ------ Forwarded Message
From: Judy Everswick
Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:17:09 +0700
Subject: Letter from Judy - The Palm Tree and Palm Sugar, Cambodia #8

The Palm Tree: The National Tree of Cambodia 

On a recent visit with Asian Outreach, Cambodia (AOC) Director, Romanea Thong, we learned the following fact:

EVERY BIT of the palm tree can be used...
...Palm Leaves are used to make mats
...Palm Flowers are used to supply sweet palm juice
...Palm Branches can be “stringed” and used to make rope to tether the animals or can be used to make brooms
...Palm Tree Trunks are used to make houses
...Dried coconuts used as dishes
...Dry shells are used to make charcoal
...Palm Sugar makes great cakes
...And we “hear” Palm Wine is great with BBQ!  :)

 
We spent time in a very rural village for teaching on a Clean Water Filtration System. Of the 156 homes in the area, only 10 had latrines. Much of water that has been tested in the wells has arsenic in it; the water can be used for watering crops, but it is not safe for human consumption. Hence, Asian Outreach, Cambodia (AOC) is bringing a brilliant, yet simple, water filtration system to this village. If used properly, it will last them 100 years. What a gift to the people!

Making Palm Sugar...High, Hot and Hard Work!

During the water filtration teaching I slipped off to observe a Grandma and her daughter making Palm Sugar. I had been wanting to find some brown sugar to make cinnamon buns for the Phnom Penh University students, but after tasting the fresh palm sugar, (and finding it quite fabulous), I plan to give it a try instead!

The following is the ‘step-by-step’ process and recipe for making palm sugar passed on from the local ‘Ohm’ or Grandma:

1. Climb to the top of a palm tree...usually 20-25 feet tall...VERY HIGH!

2. Find 5 palm flowers and bring them together; let their juice drip out overnight into a bamboo strip.
3. Start a fire and bring water to a boil in a HUGE pan.
4. At around 9 in the morning, empty the palm syrup that you have gathered from the flowers into a big basket and place basket in the boiling water. 

5. Start stirring with a LONG stick...over a HOT fire (...in HOT Cambodia!)

6. Stoke the fire with ground rice husks, and finely dried, crushed cow manure. Winnow the mixture together well in a flat basket so that the chaff is blown away and you have a nice, even consistency with which to stoke the fire.

7. Boil the syrup for about 6 hours...until about 3-3:30 in the afternoon, stirring constantly so the syrup doesn’t burn.

8. Remove the basket from the boiling water and place over another simmering fire.


9. Place the stirring paddle in the basket and use a pulley motion on the rope for about an hour until the syrup is a sticky mixture.

10. If you are blessed with having a water buffalo, you can harness him to the paddle and have him walk in circles. It could save you some time pulling on the rope for an hour, but make sure the buffalo doesn’t stop walking or the mixture will burn.

11. Scrape the sweet, yummy, sticky mixture into a bucket. 

12. Scoop out and Weigh the sugar and sell it by the kilo, especially if there is a drooling American Pastor’s wife watching, in TOTAL admiration, when it is finished!  (Yes, I bought 2 kilos, which is almost 5 pounds! It is fabulous!)  

What a humbling experience to watch all that about three people went through to make that delicious sugar.  There was so much involved. They worked so hard. Their life is so hard. They give so freely.

My ‘take away’ from the experience?  When there are high mountains that I face, and it is hot, and I am too close to the fire of frustration, when life may seem hard and challenging, may I be as persistent and faithful to give of myself so freely...as I saw demonstrated by that dear, dear Grandma in that remote jungle village.

-Jud

Morning Giggles...

This will be very quick but wanted to update a little while we have electricity and Internet. The last two days we have been up for 5 to meet Romanea, who spoke at Westover in November.

Our little shower is sort of combined in a tiny bathroom with the sink and the toilet, and everything gets a bit wet when you shower. These last two mornings we felt a bit extra sleepy, after long full days out in the provinces with Rom and coming back just in time for the evening meeting....and then hanging out with the students on the roof. This morning just giggled to myself as I found myself standing there with my hand out under the cold stream of water.....waiting for it to get hot, or even lukewarm. It doesn't! Get warm that is....it is only cold water and actually VERY refreshing. Rom just called and is running late so won't be here til 6:30, so I grabbed Lynn's head torch and ran up to the roof to the the laundry ...under the stars, and thought I would send off a quick note.

More about the province ministry ....sometime soon!

Cambodia 6

Sunday was a full full day...and we felt the Lord's presence! Lynn was asked to share  for an hour in Sunday School at 730, then a breakfast break...and at 9:30 to preach again for an hour. With the Songs of Worship and preaching and communion followed by testimonies and prayer requests, we finished at 12:10. The inside and outside balconies were packed with the downstairs we were all sqished together. The Music and Praise time was a foretaste of heaven!  God's Spirit spoke thru Lynn with Chetra, interpreting. Both were anointed by Him. Thanks for your prayers. After a quick lunch, we headed over to the football stadium where the students has a game....old students vs present students.....with plenty of cheerleaders.

The students ministry thru soccer has been a special tool that God is using to reach to young men in the community.

We had been invited to one of the other dormitories for dinner. We were told that we were having a special treat! AND IT WAS ...."special!"

The students did all of the cooking, and they said, we are having something VERY special....."duck eggs" I was blonde in my former life, and I said, what is so special about duck eggs? I raised ducks in Africa, and used them interchangeably, so was surprised when they looked at me rather incredulously asking such a question...like DUH!
"The difference, Grandma, is that these have ducks in them! "
OK, still not getting it!
They  proceeded to place a HUGE bowl on the table filled with "hard boiled eggs". The difference was revealed rather quickly.....there were actually little ducks in there! I mean with beaks and wings and little feathers! For those of you following the blog.....you hopefully will see the photos of the poor little guys! Did we have to " GULP" them down??
YES we did. I put every sauce that was on the table on mine!
It was one of those.....I love YOU GUYS so much, that I will pass on seconds so that you can enjoy even more! And they were all in their glory over the delicacy that was before them!

We brought some games when we went......Z train, Bananagram...some of our family favourites that we thought could be cross cultural....and we all had such a fun evening . We feel quite honored to be asked to come over and just "hang" with them for the evening. On the walk home one of the students asked if we could talk about some concerns he was facing.....so although it was late...we had a good time talking and having a time to pray with him!
Back in Greensboro, Monday morning is Lynn's day off and we typically have a morning breakfast date! Well, how fun today to head out early to a little place that we heard was offering breakfast and actually showing the Super Bowl at 6:30 AM!  Added to the fun, they had free wi-fi so we were watching and skyping with friends and family back home while we cheered the Giants on to Victory!

This afternoon was time to do laundry.....on the roof, with the students. A faucet and hose in a big aluminum pan, soap and a little scrub brush and a little stool, so that you squat down in the cement area, and scrub you do not get wet. I felt a little peer pressure trying to get Lynn's white soccer socks even remotely as clean as all the boy students get their clothes! The students are quite fastidious and there is always laundry hanging on the pipes /lines on the roof.

I have two conversational English classes each day at 9 and 2. When I asked what kind of topics they wanted to discuss. "please tell us some things that God has taught you? What are some mistakes you made that we could avoid? What is the best method that God uses to teach you?"  what precious moments of sharing Gods grace, thru my many mistakes in life!

Lynn has his hands full with preparation for these hour classes of teaching, but the students sit in rapt attention as he opens Gods word with them.

I baked with several students this afternoon to have brownies for tonight after Worship. Those of you on baking "prayer duty" please pray a little harder! There is no thermostat on the little oven...so the tiniest nudge on the knob had it somewhere between 200-450.... Oh well! They aren't horrible, but the tiny oven was on for a long time, in this almost 85 heat today...so we stopped baking at 3 double batches....one batch at a time, and will just have little tastes. One of the dorms doesn't come tonight, so think we are only 65 kids.

Tomorrow is a Buddhist religious holiday...so no school. The students are excited because they told us....Oh that means we can meet LONGER with you!
Dear, dear kids!

Thank you for praying!