Friday, November 16, 2012

A dream come true ..


Dreaming and drooling don't get you what you would really like to have ...  So, I emailed a friend and asked if I could go with them next time they went Stand Up Paddling.....  Answer: Yes, please come with us!



Monday morning (Nov.12th) after a vigorous paddle with the Kai 'Opua Rec OutRigger Canoe Club ... (https://www.kaiopua.org/)


My friend, Kathy, patiently gave me a few hints ...

We circled around, once up on our feet, to get the hang of
"walking on water" ... 

We bravely headed out to sea ... notice I am dry?

An little over an hour later I arrive triumphantly in the Bay ... Notice how I am soaked?   We each fell twice. Not bad for a first time! I told John that it is a good thing I didn't try this earlier in our stay in Hawaii.
We'd be buying one of those set ups!!!

Thank you Kathy! What a thrill!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

An Unopened Gift


Aloha

"choum reap souar"

(in Khmer, the language of the Kingdom of Cambodia)

from Kona.

     Seventeen days and counting until we load our earthly lives into four suitcases and two carry-ons and move to Siem Riep. We fly Hawaiian Air from Kona to Honolulu then to Incheon, in South Korea, then Korean Air on to Siem Riep. 

     We are busy selling off, or giving away anything we can't pack for the trip. Since we serve at the pleasure of The King, we have one-way tickets to our next assignment. He has directed us to go. We will find out why, and what He has in mind for us to do, after we arrive. We know He has plans for us, and that they are good.

     We will start our adventure working with the campus of the University of the Nations in Siem Riep. U.of N. and other N.G.O.'s in the buddhist Kingdom of Cambodia are allowed to help with teaching English, basic health care, trade and technical schooling, and as many more areas of need as they can be involved with. This campus has satellites in three of the twelve districts of the province of Siem Riep, and would like to expand to all of them.

     Cambodia is slowly recovering from 30 years of war and genocide, and the needs in some areas are crushing and heart breaking. Education, English, and the Good News are desperately needed. Many areas of the country are still plagued with land mines and unexploded ordnance. Even in the city of Siem Riep the water is not safe to drink. Mosquitos carry malaria, and dengue fever. We have had immunizations for polio, tetanus, hepatitis A & B, typhoid, and several others. Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis shots await us once we arrive.

Young students at one of the village outreaches we hope to be working with.


     Brutal poverty, human trafficking, and political corruption are all part of daily life. Please pray for strength, humility, and understanding for us as we enter a culture which is very different from any we have experienced before. We will attempt to keep our emails short, and use this blog as an update vehicle.

     We are asking our Father to make us willing vessels with nothing but Holy Spirit inside.