Angor Wat, Many shrines

The temples are amazing considering they were created by hand about 1300 AD. They are beginning to crumble and the Germans and Indians have their students working on projects to restore them as part of the world heritage work. It would really be a shame to loose these amazing treasure. They have already been damaged through the years of occupation and deprivation. Many of the heads of the statues are missing because they were removed and sold in the market by some enterprising thief who needed to eat.

They are restoring the creation myth story that is carved into the wall. The walls are damaged by time and it will take much more work but they are trying to preserve it. The influences in the myth are hindu and buddist. The current conqueror would just impose his new belief set on the people and lay out new creation myth saying they were descendents from the gods. The Cambodian people have been invaded many times by despots. They struggle to get what they need to rule themselves.

All of the temples that we saw were proceeded by libraries along the entrance way. I think this is very interesting. It demonstrates the place of learning since very early times for this society. They went into the temples through the libraries because they had to learn how to act before the gods. The Cambodians have a very sincere desire to do things appropiately.

Market Place

The fish sold in the market is very fresh. There is no refrigeration here so they pull it out of the lake and sell it that day. In the provinces things are very fresh because of this nothing can be kept because of the heat. They have smoking methods, and salt things. I have seen smoked fish hanging on lines here at the restaurants.

There are many fruits here that we do not have in our produce sections. I have seen several varieties of Lychees, dragon fruit, and other fruits that I can't identify. But do have photos.

When we were eating the fish and frogs in Svey Reing Restaurant they were simply prepared and never had a fishy taste. The fish and frogs that we have eaten in Siem Reap has been fishy tasting and I don't understand it. Preparation was more sophisticated but still a fishy taste.

Tonle Sap Lake Floating Village

Tonle Sap is a large inland lake that swells after the rainy season and then shrinks to about 1/3 of its size through the year. There are people living on it. They live in a floating village that moves from year to year. These people are Cambodian, Korean, and Vietnamese. They have lived this way for centuries. They can't afford the land and have learned how to make a living on the lake fishing.

In the dry season when the lake is down they collect the firewood and sell it in the market. So somehow they make a living from the lake. I have pictures that I will add later because this internet connection is to slow to upload them.

The lake is in the northern part of the country close to the border of Thailand. The terrain doesn't change much across the country side. Still low and very wet.

Living Conditions Health Concerns

The Khmer Rouge destroyed everything in this country. The economy, the educational system, the respect for the law, and other institutions that had existed previously. There is no longer a public education system that is free. There is no sewer or public works water system and the roads are marginal.

The team has had to push the van out of the mud on several occasions on the road to the village. Their drinking water will be whatever standing body of water is next to their house, a loose term for their bamboo hut. They wash their clothes and their dishes in this water with detergent, their animals use this water, it is standing not moving so it is not healthy. So even if they bring the water in and boil it there is still the detergent chemicals in it. So there are many who complain of stomach pains and headaches. The whole family is drinking and cooking with this water.

The only well in the village of Doun Lep is the one at the church. The only toilet at the village is the one at the church. They eat very little meat. They have 3 meals of a thin rice porridge every day. They are very thin and frail. Most of the children are thin and have bad teeth.

In the city of Phnom Phen families string their hammocks between trees on the street corners and live on the street selling what they can and begging for the rest of their marginal living. Garbage is along the streets and the men urinate in public. We saw them gambling not far from the royal palace.The youth have no education and no place to work because their industry was destroyed. They need to be encourage by ideas that use their resources. The night we arrived we saw about 100 youth get on the plane for South Korea looking for work, hoping to find jobs that will send money home to their families. Any education they get they have to pay for, so if they are able to go to school they have to pay their teachers and buy their supplies when they do get there. This kind of ignorance is very hard for us to imagine.

Yesterday during the conference for the adults, many of the prayer requests were for education about sanitation so that they could have better health for their villages and themselves. They want to learn English, the currency of trade is the dollar, everything is priced in dollars here.

Today we go to Siem Reap to see Joseph Chan's agriculture and technical trade facility. He has a mission there that we are looking forward to seeing.

We have been in the south close to the Vietnam border so we go to the north to see how the country side changes around the great inland lake. We are supposed to meet the boat people and we are all looking forward to that meeting.

When we come back through Phnom Phen to catch our flight home, we will meet what is known as the dump families. There are 10000 families who live at the dump sifting through the garbage to find what they can to make a living. I will report on that later.

Stay tuned

FINALLY.......

Hello! Sorry to everyone I sent this blog address to that it's taken me this long to get on. We have had some technical difficulties and our internet contact is very limited! What an awesome trip God has brought us on! I am completely blown away by the love of these beautiful people!!! God laid out the plan for us a long time back and what a joy it is to serve His people! There are so many hearts full of joy and love here and we are treated like royalty!!! I miss my family dearly and I think that has been the only difficult part of my trip! We have seen so many sad places and we are the saddest. The people in the midst of it are so happy and on fire for God!!! We head to Siem Reap tomorrow and then our trip is near the end. I have had such a wonderful time here and am truly blessed that God called me on this mission! We have tried our best to bring honor and glory to Him in every step, every hug, every song! We have enjoyed it so much that we are planning our next trip before we leave. Christmas break 2011, here we come! Don't tell my family yet! = ) It's a bit early to ask permission to come again! Next time I'll bring my Kaileigh girl with me and that will help a bunch! Love and miss you all!!! Please continue to lift us up in prayer! We can feel God's love surround us and it feels awesome!!!
TP

Adult Conference-Conflict Resolution

Today I watched Pastor Dave preach for 3 sessions on conflict resolution. He was hoarse when he finished. The adults were church leaders and this was a leadership training conference. The Cambodians are very serious about learning about Christ and the Gospel. The Board of Global Ministries personnal is handling the development of churches here correctly. The Svay Rieng District is made up of 14 churches in this province. They have a definition of what constitutes a church that they are very diligent about meeting. They are developing pastors for these churches and the parsonage that we built gives them the opportunity to move the pastors around. They will move the current pastor to a new place and move a younger less experienced pastor in his place.

Doun Lep received the parsonage and new church because their church blew down. They requested help after building a bamboo shed with the roof and the wind was beginning to damage the shed. The people of the village were so determined to have a church that when the board of missions was given a gift the village had the land and built the new church for this village. The pastor was in the position of living in a shed and that is when they asked our church for the money to build the parsonage. It makes this little village attractive as a training church for new bible students. I have wonderful pictures of the parsonage inside and out but this internet connection is challanging picture posting

Everyone in Cambodia who is Christian is hungry for testimonies, witness, prayers, visits, and they need other types of resources. God is going to do a great work in Cambodia and we are priviledged to be called to be a part of it.

They do not have many written materials in Khmer. Many of the bible concepts do not translate into their language. For example: a prophet is a witch doctor. It will take time to develop the materials they need and for now the oral works best.

Pastor Dave was amazing. I know he was tired from the previous week of work and he was mesmerizing as he lead them thru a 3 session training on identifying types of conflict, looking at solutions for conflict and being yoked with Christ.

The adults were so grateful to have us there, speaking to them. It was amazing.

Pictures of Parsonage

Photos of the traffic

Traveling thru Mekong Delta

Traveling on the roads is very exciting. It looks like in the country side highway rules are advisory only and if the van didn't have a horn on it we would not have survived the drive from Svay Reing to Phnom Phen. We honked at water buffalo, motorbikes, other vehicles. Traffic jams are amazing experiences. I have many pictures of them to show everyone. Family of five crowd on the scooters with the tiny babies standing between the arms of the driver as they careen through the traffic.

Five way intersection is a very complex negotiation where they all inch out and decide in the middle of the intersection who will finally proceed through it. It is every man for himself. Advisory traffic suggestions, everyone rushing to get to their destination.

Worship Services in Svay Reing

The worship services in Svay Reing were right out of the New Testament. They sing in Khmer. They pray together and give testamonies to the congregation about what God is doing in their lives. The families that were in the District Supertindents church were very earnest and sweet. Everyone took turns singing. The little children sang, the older children sang, the bible students sang, the choir sang, and the Americans sang. Pastor Dave gave a message and we prayed for all of the congregation who had prayer concerns. A wonderful experience for all of us. This was the worship service that we had in the morning.

The afternnon we met with the youth to have worship and it was a very powerful service. The youth are beautiful and they have no one to guide them, so they look to Jesus and the New Testament. Jesus guides them and grace is among them in a very powerful way. During the service with the youth we prayed a powerful prayer for Cambodia's future and the future of the youth. They work so hard struggling for education and the knowledge about Jesus and how to be good people. It would brighten every heart to see it.

Eating in Cambodia

This is a picture of the Svey Rieng Restuarant. It sits 75 feet from the banks of the Mekong River and it has taken a couple of days to get used to the smell of the river and the land that is so damp. I am sitting in an internet shop looking at the geicos eating the mosquitos. You want to have a geico in your room eating mosquitos.

The food is a bland version of the Chinese food that we eat there. For the Vacation Bible School we have had the District Superintendent's wife cooking for us. There were 3 chickens under a basket the first day we had lunch at the church, and they were gone by lunchtime on Wednesday. What does that tell you? The young pig that I photographed sleeping in the mud on the side of the church is missing also, and we had the best pork riblets for lunch.

We wrapped up the vacation bible school with an afternoon service for the adults. We exchanged songs, prayers, and blessings. It has been a wonderful experience. Tomorrow we move to another church, we conduct the morning service and do a youth program in the afternoon for 2 youth representatives from each province. They asked us to do the youth program because they are trying to encourage their youth to reach out to other youth. The youth don't get much education and that makes this society almost an oral one. So missionaries must come and share the stories because so few people read. The children are like little parrots and they called: "Goodby, I love you," when we left.

The Cambodian people in this village are so happy to see people from the outside world who have come from so far away to tell them that God is real and works in all the lives of those who accept him. There is nothing like face to face contact to tell someone that they are worth God's love.

We have left games, balls, and treats for the children. The village is very unhealthy and it is a shame to see children so young with such bad teeth because you know that teeth have an implication for adult health. The Cambodian women's and children project has had its funding cut and concerns everyone to think about the implication for all of these children. We prayed for many today with headaches, easy to understand since they live in huts, are barefoot, and the entire area is wet. Everything here takes on the smell of the river, which I hardly notice now.

It is overwhelming to think I might be the one bright spot in the life of these children since they have so little hope.

Alive & Well in Svey Veng Province

The white building is the parsonage. The building to the left is the inside of the santuary. This building is left open and people sleep in it. The building is really the center of this tiny village.

We are alive and well in this province with no electricity sleeping with the mosquitos and the geicos. We have had an amazing vacation bible school experience since the children here and the adults also are so poor and hungry for any news that gives them hope. The poverty here is unbelievable and I have many pictures to share.

It has been an amazing couple of days. One of the missioners ate a cricket while we were waiting for the ferry so we have had many new food challenges. Have pictures of that too. Being on this team is a wonderful experience. Seeing the faces of the children has given us great joy.

The parsonage is an amazing building, but no power. Will have many stories to tell and pictures to share when I return home.

The children are so enthusiatic and ready to receive the little we have to offer them. Their lives are so grim and joyless. The Cambodians are a beautiful people and the children are especially charming.

Missionary Team Arriving in Phnom Penh

Here is the entire team at the airport just coming in after the 19 hour ride to get here. We are very excited to get to land and no longer listen to the engines roar. We have crossed the international date line and have lost a day which we will get back when we return home. I will add more to this later, must go.

Meet the Missionaries

Joseph Chhleav Chan, Pastor, Districty Superintendent, Methodist Mission in Cambodia, Missionary GBGM-UMC in Cambodia. His vision for the Cambodian Methodist Church is leaders, pastors, and Methodist Congregations becoming vital, alive, and self-sufficient in the future by buidling trust with hope and love in His Grace. His work is to help and empower church pastors and leaders by helping the congregations of the Methodists Church. He provides pastoral care and counseling to pastors and members who are in need of physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual support from an elderly pastor of the church. He facilitates scholarship programs to help the deserving students to obtain higher education and faithfully serve God and His people in need. He wants to promote church building with provincial and rural churches.

Joseph Chan is a native of Cambodia, he lived through the Khmer Rouge years. Prior to the fall of communist in 1975, Joseph had studied mechanical engineering and political economics in former Yugoslavia and North Korea. During the Khmer Rouge time, Joseph was considered as an educated targeted person by the Khmer Rouge and was imprisoned during the era of "the killing fields." After two years of enslavement, working 18-20 hour days with little food or water, he escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand with his wife, Marilyn in 1979, where he heard the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and began to lead Bible studies with other refugees. For two years he was a volunteer in Thai Border Refugee Camps, as a section leader with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), a French teach, and a supervisor of a CARE feeding center.

During the transition going to the United States, Joseph and his family settled in the refugee camp in Thailand. Joseph had difficulty with the immigration process because of his formal education in North Korea and Yugoslavia. He and his family were dealt with harshly during the interview process. He was also as by the Khmer Rouge leaders wanted him and his family to return to Cambodia to work for the communist government. Joseph and his family prayed and asked God to protect and allow the immigrant government to accept his case as a refugee and transfer his family to the United States faster. In January 1982, God opened process, it was a miracle and blessing and Joseph and his family were taken from the refugee camp in Thailand to Washington DC. He settled and received auto mechanic degree from Lincoln Technical Institute. He eventually moved to San Jose for Bible college, pastored and led Bible studies for the Cambodian people in San Jose.

Joseph planted a church in Stockton, CA. He completed the UMC ministerial course of study in 1996

Marilyn Sovann Chan, Missionary, of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church assisgned to Cambodia. She serve as Methodist Mission in Cambodia Women's and Music Ministry Coordinator based in the city of Phnom Penh. She works with local women's ministries in all MMC churches, coordinates and follows up on livelihood projects, raising pigs, weaving sild, making bamboo baskets, planting vegetables, sewing, noodle machines, raising fish and making hammocks. She also does advocating, encouraging, counseling and networking with Local and International Churches and Non-Government Organizations that promote empowerment and attempt to improve Cambodian women's health, physical, emotional and spiritual growth.

Marilyn's passion and vision is to see Cambodian Christian women to be confident in serving, empowering each other, advocating for each other in truth and love encourageing, networking with other local and international Churches and non-government organizations, caring for their family, walking and affirming their husband as household leader, communicating honestly, kindly, truthfully and confidently in love of Jesus Christ. She desires for the Cambodian Christian women to know who they are as Christian women of the living God.

Joseph and Marilyn Chan are convinced that God wants them to continue to serve in Cambodia because the needs are still overwhelming due to the lack of discipleships, Cambodian Christian material resources, bible training teachers, and many other ministries that would greatly bless the Cambodian people. The social problems are great with crimes, gansters, drugs, domestic violence, abuses, oppression, poverty, rape, murders, child abuses and other social problems.