(The long version of the MailChimp one!)
It is now September of our first year in Cambodia.
Our instructions:
"Wait and Learn"
with "You will
be used" being added in late August.
Our goals:
#1 -
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God ...
#2 -
Set up our home and learn to function in this strange land.
#3 -
Build and get a garden growing.
#4 -
Learn as much Khmer language, customs, culture as possible.
#5 -
Become acquainted with people (native and expat).
#6 -
Set up and maintain a regular Newsletter and Blog to stay in touch with all of
you.
We are now in our 10th month. We have been
waiting on God and waiting on any serious commitment to any one task or
ministry. We have been learning so much! It is so reassuring to hear that we
will be used in God's own time and purpose! Our Goals are well on their way to
being met.
#1 The
Message has a very interesting version of Matthew 6: 32 - 34:
“If God gives such attention to the appearance
of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend
to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is
to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you
can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way
he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry
about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be
met."
This is how we are learning to live our lives together with God. We have started a weekday, morning "Prayer and Praise" time from 7 - 8. Some days we have others join us but mostly it's just the two of us. We sometimes fret about the "best" part of the day being spent sitting and doing "nothing"... I guess you all know where that lie comes from? We have a wall hanging with photos of "OUR" people on it; Reminders to pray for you all! (See Collage below...)
 |
| John has been spending mornings and down times reading "The Word". Whatever we do we ask His direction and leading. Not an easy thing to do for either of us; but we sure do relax and enjoy when we are not the one in charge of the results! |
#2 Our
home is now functioning well with only a few "perceived" needs left
to take care of: We have now moved the washing machine into the office.
John had fun putting the holes in the wall with his new roto-hammer drill! He
also re-plumbed the bathroom sink for water and drainage. Our favorite local
woodworker now has a drawing for a cabinet to take the washing machine's place
which will hold the stove top, two propane tanks and all our pots and pans; We
still need to find (that's the hard part!), purchase and fill storage containers to better organize our
lives. Our first blog has other photos of our home. (See: December's post/Our
New Home)
 |
| We can now write up a list, hop in a TukTuk or on a Moto-Dop, find our way to where we want to go and buy pretty well everything on that list. We know what things to not bother putting on the list and where to go find those items. We now have our favorite restaurants, know which markets sell what and how much we should pay for most things. We are feeling homely! |
 |
| Scrounged old chairs become a Bench; Plumbing pipe becomes a Guitar Stand; A few well placed holes and we have a Dish Storage Rack; The Fridge where we can reach it, The stove at a comfortable height and Recycling Baskets close at hand. Our Prayer Wall ... From the 1x2 hangs a 7' length of vinyl table cloth - now the Photos Stick! After 6 months - Our New Kitchen Shelf Unit was installed in July. |
#3 The
Garden is well on its way to being built. A work crew of 3 young men came one September weekend. (it didn't rain!) We saw some major strides towards the
completion of our vision. We have a pile of 500 more bricks to finish the
pathways and beds, the corner drain has a cubic meter of crushed gravel under
it and the alleyway got completely weeded (enough for a compost bin full)!
We
have learnt much about the amazing creatures who live here both pests and
friends. (see: "The Creatures We Have Met" post.) Some of what we
have planted has produced food! We have harvested corn! Enough for 3-4 meals... !
Our
knowledge of compost making and using is growing rapidly. The soil
is not yet "good" but already "better"! We look forward to
rice harvest season near the end of the year so we can introduce a whole bunch
of rice straw as mulch! Last year we didn't know about this valuable resource!
 |
| Another blog will give details and more photos. |
#4 I,
Jackie, am regularly meeting with a young lady who has given me much
vocabulary. She is also learning English and helping me clean our house. I have
started meeting with a young Khmer woman who is coaching me and I might
possibly take some classes in the New Year. John is continually picking up new
words but is of the opinion that most people here want to learn English so he
doesn't need to learn Khmer; besides, his tri-lingual wife will be his
translator!
 |
| Learning Khmer Collage |
#5 We have met so many new people! We've met "expats" mostly through Christian
Fellowship of Siem Reap. Most are
employed by NGO's or are are volunteers with NGO's although some are self-directed
missionaries. Some people come and some people go but it is a wonderful experience for us to
become friends with such a world class bunch of people.
We've come to be friends with a number of Khmer people. Some through U. of N., some through church but most are our neighbors. Of course, we cannot yet have full-fledged conversations with them but, it is amazing how a wheelbarrow full of cow manure, weeds or wood chips will cause a conversation to start! We often take a bunch of basil or chili peppers to one neighbor who runs a restaurant out of her kitchen; she, her husband and her two children are good friends. I run over to their place whenever I need a new word; "What is this?" as I point to a grasshopper!
We've come to be friends with a number of Khmer people. Some through U. of N., some through church but most are our neighbors. Of course, we cannot yet have full-fledged conversations with them but, it is amazing how a wheelbarrow full of cow manure, weeds or wood chips will cause a conversation to start! We often take a bunch of basil or chili peppers to one neighbor who runs a restaurant out of her kitchen; she, her husband and her two children are good friends. I run over to their place whenever I need a new word; "What is this?" as I point to a grasshopper!
#6 A few weeks ago we realized that our last newsletter was December, 2012!!! No wonder
YWAM-Vancouver has sent a notice requesting one! It's not that we have been
completely out of touch! Some people received a printed NewsLetter in March; some people receive regular phone calls and some are
on FaceBook but for the rest of you: We are so sorry.
 |
| So now I have set aside Thursday afternoons to work on this project. Check up on me will you? And see how I am doing? I have also asked John to write a monthly Blurb so I am pushed to post something to our blog at least once a month. We'll see how that goes!!! |
No comments:
Post a Comment