Guests ...

On Tuesday, we had some students / friends over to make spring rolls and ____(I forgot the name of the other dish :-D )____ .

Two people said they were going to come over at 10am to start preparing, then everybody else was going to come from 1-3. Ten o'clock rolled around then 10:30, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 ... by 1:45, we thought maybe they weren't coming after all. It is Cambodia! We were talking about if we had anybody's phone number and I heard the gate squeeking. (The sound that tells us somebody is trying to get in who doesn't know the secret to opening the gate) Sure enough, it was them! Apparently, one of the girls who was supposed to come at 10, didn't answer the other lady's phone call until 1, so they didn't come until later.

Below are some pictures of what it looks like for Cambodians to prepare a meal, and me and Crystal learning how to make spring rolls.


It's all done on the floor ... there's not much counter space in houses here.

Unlike in America, it's perfectly okay for the guest to open the refrigerator, freezer, cabinet, closets ... The refrigerator was only half full and they made a comment about how there was so much food in there. Crystal explained how most Americans only go to the market once per week, or every two weeks, so they put things in the refrigerator so they'll keep longer. Many Cambodians don't even have a refrigerator. They all go to the market every single day, and even multiple times a day.


                             Us making the spring rolls in the hallway b/c the kitchen was full.
Step 1: separate the wraps           Step 2: put a TINY amount of the meat, cabbage ... mix on the wrap.

Step 3: Roll it up (similar to a burrito)

Step 4: seal the edge with raw scrabbled eggs ... Wah-lah! One spring roll ready to be fried!

Me making spring rolls                                            Eating the first batch while making more!

hLL

                                
This is how it's done!                                                               A plate of raw spring rolls
You can see every bit of counter space we have  :-)

Frying the spring rolls                                             Done and ready to eat!

Everybody who came (except me of course) getting ready to eat! Most Cambodians eat on a mat on the floor!

GOOD TIMES!!!

What Is Christmas?

Earlier this month, I asked my students to each answer the following questions:
1. What do you think Christmas is about?
2. What did you used to think Christmas was about?

Now many students know Christmas is the celebration of the day Jesus was born on earth. They know that He was born to die then live again, taking the full punishment for OUR sins, so that all who believe in Him will have a relationship with God and live with Him forever.

For the 1st question, all but one of my students wrote that it is about the birth of Jesus / Jesus' birthday. Jesus came to save the world ...

Before, many thought it was:
- a Western / US holiday
- New Year for European / Western countries
- the day of love where "honeys" give gifts to each other. (Valentine's Day)
- a festival / holiday for people to celebrate and be happy
- a holiday for people to be "happy in their country for friend, family, and all people join together."
- a day to have parties
- a program that people made up to have a party and exchange gifts
- an international holiday for the end of the year.
- "wish day. (everyone wish for me)"
- "ceremony of Christian"
- "I never used to think Christmas before."
- to share candy
- "Before I used to think Christmas was about the program of Christians. One more thing I used to think they just celebrate it to make their group happy.

(For some, "before" meant 1 month ago, while for others it could be several years ago.)

God is truly AMAZING!!!

I wrote most of this on Saturday night, Nov 29th (the same time I wrote the Newsletter and the post, "Lazarus"), but didn't want to overwhelm you too much, so I saved it for now! This post is mostly stories that I've heard and been a part of the past few weeks, and ways that you can Pray for specific individuals! Please pray for each of them as you  read ...

Another sister ...

The first week of class, I gave my student sheet to fill out their information. On the sheet, I asked if they went to church, the name of the church, if they were a Christian, and if so, how long they believed. Tut-se-ah has been going to one of the local churches for a few months, which I knew already, but she answered “yes” she was a Christian. I honestly thought she was just confused and was thinking it was about going to church. About a week ago, I finally asked her about it. She said, yes she’d chosen to believe in Jesus about a month earlier! Praise the Lord! I asked her a few questions then later one of the strong believing girls talked to her about it. Like many other Cambodians she had a problem, prayed to the True God about it, and He answered, so she believed!

Baptism ... Tut-se-ah & Sa-rye

She’s learning about baptism and is planning on being baptized in January. Sa-rye has been going to the same church and is also planning to be baptized in January. Please pray for both Tut-se-ah and Sa-rye, to continue to grow in love and obedience to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Also, many times Cambodians do not tell their parents right when they believe and don’t tell them they’re going to be baptized because the parents will forbid them from being baptized. God commands us to honor our mother and father, but at the same time we have to obey God over our parents. Pray that God would give them wisdom in talking to their family and that whenever they do, their families will have a soft heart.

P2

Speaking of hardship with families … nobody has heard from P2 in several months. He finally chose to follow Jesus at the end of July and has only been able to go to church a handful of times since then. When his sister was out of town a couple months ago he came to the student center. He was having a really hard time. One of the worst things is that he doesn’t have contact with other brothers and sisters in Christ (the body of Christ). He's no longer on Facebook, and from what I understand, nobody from the church has been able to get ahold of him. Pray for P2 as the Spirit leads you.

Afternoon Bible Study

At the beginning of the term, one of my students asked me what I do on the weekend. I told them that on Sunday morning I study the Bible with some of my students … I just said it as information. After class So-pay-ak asked me about it because she wanted to join. This is very out of the ordinary in America, but even more so here for people to invite themselves to something. She’s really hungry to know God! Unfortunately, she’s not able to join that Bible study, but fortunately, it’s because she goes to church at that time. This week I started studying with her after class. A couple other students want to study too, but they don’t come regularly. Through this time I’ve gotten to talk to her more. She said that sometimes she thinks she believes Jesus, but sometimes she doesn’t. She is close! Pray for God to continue to open So-pay-ak’s heart and give her faith to really believe. She’s also been having some problems with her health since March. Ask our gracious Father to use this problem to heal her, so that she will follow Him and be a witness for Him! Pray also for her friend, Sau-vwree. She also has some problems and  is comparing Buddah and Jesus. Pray that Sau-vwree will see that Jesus is The Only Way!

On Thursday, So-pay-ak, Dah-lean, We-ray-ak, Tia-vwee, Bo-pah, and Ne-ung joined the afternoon Bible study. The first 3 are not yet believers, and the last 3 all claim to be Christians. Ne-ung is a member of LS Church (and was actually baptized on the first Sunday I was in Cambodia)! I plan on asking her to help me lead the group. I'm praying that Ne-ung will see this Bible study as an opportunity to learn more herself, grow in her own relationship with God, reach out to the others in the group, and learn how to lead so that in the future she'll be comfortable to start a group herself! 

Possibly another sister!

Earlier this week, a small group of us were talking and So-pay-ak asked Bo-pah if she was a Christian. Bo-pah said, “yes.” They talked for a minute, then I asked Bo-pah about it. How long? à about three months. Oh, I didn’t know à That’s why I study the Bible on Sunday. Ren-treeah studies too and he’s not a believer à Yea, but he’s interested … then it was time for class to start, and I was so surprised I didn’t know what else to say. On top of that, I felt very inadequate, not knowing what to ask, and her English is very poor and my Khmer is even more limited! J

On the following Sunday (a couple days ago) I was able to talk to her more. Ren-tree-ah's class rescheduled for that time so he came really late & Bo-pah and I started talking before he got there (that means there was no translator). From our hour long conversation, I think she may really believe! I tried talking to her about what it means to follow Jesus and for Him to be Lord. I asked her if she wanted to be baptized and she responded, "my mom is Buddhist." The conversation led into the fact that God has the MOST authority and sometimes obeying God means breaking the law (in some countries), disobeying parents ... Pray for Bo-pah to be willing to follow Jesus in baptism and for grace with her parents. Also pray for Ren-tree-ah to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

This Sunday, the 8th, I will study with Bo-pah and Ren-tree-ah about the importance of the Body of Christ. I'm praying that they, especially Bo-pah, will be encouraged and have a desire to go to church. They could go in the morning (30min earlier than the time we usually meet) to LS Church, where they both know Ne-ung. Or, they could go in the afternoon to LOL. There are other good churches in the area, but these are the two that we are most connected with. I've considered inviting them to the church I go to in the afternoon, HOL, but I think it's best for them to not follow me, or feel obligated to go to church to please me. I also think they'll have better opportunities to grow ... at LS or LOL. All that being said, this Sunday will be our last meeting for Bible study. If they are interested in learning more they can go to church, and / or be a part of the afternoon Bible Study!

Pray for Humility ...
We-ray-ak has started studying again and as always, he has a lot of questions. I think he is determined to have ALL the answers before he’ll choose Jesus. The problem is we CAN’T know everything! I’ve shared my favorite verse with him many times, “… Isaiah 55:8-9. He had some question and we ended up talking about peace and joy … He said, “I want to know that feeling!” Pray that We-ray-ak would humble himself and accept the FREE gift of grace at the HIGH PRICE of dying to himself to live for Jesus.

A couple weeks ago Chan-Da told Crystal that she's been praying to God that she will believe! Please pray with us! And praise the Lord that she is so close! Just about a year ago she'd said she had no interest in studying the Bible. With God all things are possible! Also be praying for Rah-chanah. They've both said they'd go to church on Sunday! Pray that some action would follow those words and that God would open up both of their hearts!

Thank you for praying for each of these people! If you've read and prayed for those I written about in my Newsletters and other blog posts, then you've already had a part in P2, Tut-se-ah, and possibly Bo-pah coming to faith!!! Praise the Lord, and thank you!

 

Lazarus ...

Around the middle of November, one of the wives of my team told us a story she'd just heard from another couple that works in a village about 30 minutes away from the city. This couple came to Cambodia through the same organization as the rest of my team. I don't know everything that they do, but I know they have some medical experience.

Anyways, there was a man from the village who had believed in Jesus (I'm not sure for how long), but he got very sick. He went to many doctors and even went to Vietnam to see doctors. They all basically told him to go back home and get ready to die. There were preparations for the funeral and everything. A church or someone took an offering to help pay for the funeral and everything. His wife was praying and making sacrifices to Buddha and his two sons had just given up hope.

Through tears, he told his family, "juuah Preah Yae-soo," which translates, "believe in Jesus." Other believers were praying around him asking God to spare his life for this man's wife and two grown sons to believe in Him. Finally his wife said, basically that God's will be done. Just shortly after that he responded in some way. The couple loaded him in a van and took him to the hospital that some other M's from the states run. Several believers rode with him to the hospital and prayed over him. I think they said he smiled. And I think it was at this time that his blood oxygen levels were at a 30, which means nothing to most of us, but apparently that's really bad. Under "normal" circumstances he should've been dead, but even if by some miracle he made it, then he should've had serious brain damage.

NOPE! I think it was the same day, he was talking, and two days later, he was sitting up joking around. Within a short time, maybe a week or so, he went back to work. That is the work of the One True Living God!!! Today (Nov 30, 2013) I heard this man give praise to The Living God and share his story! He said there was a period of time that he said he saw Jesus (clothed in red because He took his sin upon Himself) and there were two other men standing by Jesus. I know the couple who witnessed all of this and heard this man tell his story, with my own ears! God is capable of doing far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think!!! - Eph 3:19-20

Now I am able to share his story with you, and he is able to share his story with SO MANY Cambodians. His wife is very close to choosing to follow Jesus, but there is a lot of opposition from her family. One of their sons has already made that decision and the other one has a softer heart, but it's still pretty hard. A lot of people have heard his story and God is making His name known among these people.

Please pray for this man, that he would remain on fire, and never forget or belittle this miracle that God has performed. Right now he's working 4 days and sharing in the other villages 1 day per week. Also pray for his family to believe and follow Jesus, and that God would prepare the hearts of those who will hear his story, that they will be ready to surrender their lives to The Most High God! PRAY FOR REVIVAL IN CAMBODIA!

'Tis The Season ...

There has been a lot happen this month, but I have to write my newsletter in a few days, so I'll save it for the newsletter!!! :-)

I would however, like for you to think about holidays ... below is an old post (from March 17) with some additions. It fits very well, as Christmas is approaching. You can click the following link to view, the original blog post, "Righteousness?", or read below.

Back in March, my friend Tear-E asked why there are so many eggs for Easter and what they are for. We had watched “The Rise of the Guardians” just two days before. This brought up interesting conversation about American holidays.

Many American Christians believe that since our holidays are not religious that it’s okay to celebrate them. Cambodian holidays are all spiritual and involve feeding spirits or worshiping gods … so Cambodian Christians are often told they should not partake in these holiday events after they choose to follow Jesus. I have heard this brought up several times, and wonder myself, “what is right?” Look at Romans 14 (it's originally talking about food, but I think it applies here)! Here's Rom 14:10-12, but I encourage you to read more! It's good stuff! ¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written,“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” ¹² So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

–- Should Cambodians not celebrate Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben … holidays that “all” Cambodians celebrate. It’s clear in Scripture that you shall have no other gods before the One True God and you shall not make any graven images, or worship or serve them. But what if they are not worshiping other gods. Pchum Ben for example, is believed to be the day that the spirits in the lowest level / worst hell are released for one day. On that day they come up and people throw rolled up balls of rice at the temples. They believe that these spirits don’t get food throughout the whole year and their mouths are so small that they can only eat these tiny balls of rice. People do not know if any of their ancestors are in this hell so they go feed them just in case. If they don’t go and they do have an ancestor there, then the ancestor will basically “haunt” them over the next year because they did not feed them. Some people say they don’t go to feed the spirits, but like to do it because it’s tradition and it’s fun to throw rice-balls at the temples. Should a follower of Jesus partake in this???

I ask, "What about "American holidays" that ARE religious???  Christmas and Easter!!! It's the exact opposite as Cambodia. Most Cambodians know that their holidays are related to spirits, but most, or maybe I should say, "many" Americans think holidays are just a time to spend with family, have time off from work and school, ... Many families, such as my own (at least growing up) celebrated CHRISTmas without CHRIST and Easter doesn't even have Christ in the name, so that definitely isn't about Christ.

-- Should Americans not practice many Christmas traditions or tell their kids to believe in Santa? Seriously, as followers of Christ, how often do our conversations revolve more around Santa and other traditions than Jesus, Who is the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas, and the reason we are here on earth? I am not saying Santa or Christmas trees, candy canes, presents, parties, ... are bad or anything like that. Honestly, I don't know what is "right." But I am saying LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS ABOUT CHRIST! Do these things bring God glory?

Many people don't like to talk about religion ... And honestly, how dare you ask a person if they know Jesus (in Oklahoma). Of course they do (not always), but many people get offended because they are good people, or they go to church sometimes, or their mom is a Sunday School teacher ... "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 (emphasis mine)  If you're like me and normally find it difficult to ask people about Jesus, but you want to, then use this time of year to DO IT! Ask what their family does on Christmas, if they have family traditions, if they go to church on Christmas day or other days, if they'd like to see your kids (or other kids at your church) perform in the Christmas play ... share how your family celebrates ...

Make an effort this year and every year to talk less and worry less about Santa, gifts, stress, parties, ... and talk more about Jesus CHRIST, the ULTIMATE gift! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

I know easier said than done, but I am committing to pray that you and I will pray for "God to remind us to pray and remind us to tell others what CHRISTmas is really about and how CHRIST has changed our lives!" Make the most of every opportunity He gives you! Apart from Him we can do nothing! I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5

New Students ...

Here are the pictures of my classes!

The first week of class, we always have a lot of students, but by the end of the term at least a third of them stop coming. In some ways that's sad, but it also means that we can focus more on the fewer students who stick around.

Pray for God to work in all of their hearts for as long as they come and even after they leave!

My 5:30 Class

This class has about 20 returning students (from last term) and 25 new students.

My 3:30 Class

I love all of my classes, but I'm especially excited about this 3:30 class. I asked to teach the students with the lowest English level. Some of them are really really low. It's forcing me to speak more Khmer and is encouraging me to learn more Khmer. I shared my testimony with this class through really choppy English, very choppy Khmer, and drawing (along with the help of a couple of the "higher" level English speakers. This class also gives me more patience to speak with other students who don't know very much English.

My 1:30 Class

My 1:30 class has a couple of students who know quite a bit of English.

Sadly, I speak more like a Cambodian speaking English than an American speaking English. I rarely use contractions, and often speak in choppy sentences leaving out words like, "this, it, is, to, the ..." Even when I teach, I talk like that :-(  It's hard, because so many students won't understand if I speak 100% normal, but this class is making me think more about the way I talk. I hope to speak correctly and for them to still understand, especially when we're talking about the Word of God!

Perspective ...

There is SO MUCH that I could write about, but I'll try to keep it short-ish!

The past several months I've been learning A LOT about perspective.  It's easy to see that people from different cultures have very different ideas, views, thoughts ... in a lot of areas:

- skin color: most Asians think lighter is more beautiful but most white people think tan is more beautiful. I'm darker than him ==>
- personal bubble: it's much smaller in Asia than in America. I notice myself stepping back several times with certain people.
- modesty for women:
     * Muslims cover everything ... sometimes even the entire face except the eyes and mouth.
     * Cambodian women should have their shoulders covered (if they're not married) and should wear pants or skirts that at least come down to the knee.
     * Americans ... I guess it depends on the individual ... schools have the three finger rule for shorts and tank tops.
     * Europeans (based only on what I see) there's not much of a dress code. Women wear spaghetti straps (which many people would consider an under shirt) and very short shorts. Nude beaches ...
- dress:
     * People in the states have different views on where it acceptable to wear your pajamas (only the house, Wal-Mart, school ...)
     * In Cambodia, women and girls often wear their pajamas to the market (at all times of day, including the afternoon).
- traffic: Here it's very common to go through red lights, so do you obey the "law" or hold up traffic?
To get a better understanding click here. (A friend shared that link with me)
- time: Be early? Be exactly "on time"? Be 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes late...?
    * From what I understand of American culture, you should be on time or early. However, being about 5 minutes late is very common and pretty acceptable depending on the people involved and the situation. Most people (that's me) don't want to be late, but somehow just "can't" always make it on time. I really enjoy my friends that sometimes text me that they'll be a little bit late because that gives me the freedom to do the same and know they won't be completely aggravated with me!

* "Khmer time" We have a love hate relationship! (But mostly love) :-) I love that it's completely acceptable for me to be a few minutes late. I don't have to feel guilty for one second. On the other hand, when you're trying to plan things with large group of students, it could get a little aggravating. I know that if we need to leave by, say 9am, then I will probably tell my students we will leave at 8:30. Even then, I should tell myself we're not really leaving until 9:15 or 9:30. My team and I have this exact conversation every time we plan an event or outing. (It's similar in America, but a little more exaggerated here.)         
- feet: I think we can all agree that feet are dirty.
     * In Cambodia, it's very rude for people to be able to see the bottom of your feet (don't sit with your legs straight out in front of you) and it can be rude to point to things or touch things with your feet (such as showing your friend that thing on the bottom shelf, but not wanting to waste the energy to bend over).
- picking your nose: What? Yes! It's perfectly acceptable to pick your nose here, and there's no need or even thought of trying to hide it.
- other ...
    * When visiting your home (for first, second, or third time), Cambodians open your refrigerator and cabinets, and touch and examine different things. Though many Americans may want to do these things, it's not very acceptable or polite. We might call this being "nosy."


Easily seeing the different views because of different culture has helped me to notice just how different EVERY INDIVIDUAL (even with the "same" culture) sees things.

- hair: straight, curly, wavy, frizzy, long, short, blonde, brunette, red head, down, pony tail, bun, ... everyone has different opinions and most people want what they don't have. A friend of mine ( a fellow curly headed friend) was once talking about getting her hair permanently straightened. She looked at me and said, "It's everything we ever dreamed of!" :-) It certainly tempted me to get my hair straightened.
- the scruffy look: I think, in general, people think it makes the guy look lazy and not so clean, but some women, I guess, find it attractive.
- texting: "!" (exclamation points), "." (periods), CAPS, or words like, "k", "sure" ... Different people take these as rude (yelling, being short, not caring ...).
- not responding to messages: some people feel no need to respond, while the sender may be wondering what happened. Did they get the message? Are they angry or upset? Do they just not care enough to reply?
- germs, dirt, sweat, smells ... gross? indifferent? unbearable?
- helping others / taking over / doing things by yourself ...
- asking for help = bothering people?
- sarcasm : funny or hurtful?
- parenting: spanking, giving the child responsibility / freedom, how much the child should obey the parents ...
- words: they have different connotations, such as "sure." Some people think it means the same as "yes," but I think it means, "I will, but I don't really want to." Though tone of voice and level of excitement does make a difference on the meaning of "sure" and many other words, if not all!

Basically, I'm learning to be less sensitive to certain things, because people may not mean it to be offensive AND I'm learning to be less judgmental! Some people don't think twice about things they do or say, while other people tend to over analyze many things. The point is: every person thinks differently, therefore we must give grace and be understanding.

^"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way." ~ Romans 14:13
- I don't want the way I act, dress, speak, ... to cause any brother's or sister's here to stumble. What is acceptable for me (American culture) may not be acceptable here. I don't want somebody to see me "do" something and think, "oh it must be okay if Krystyn does it." I also have to catch myself as I watch other people. Jesus is the standard, not another sinful person.

^" Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³² Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; ³³ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved." ~ 1 Cor. 10:31-33

Today

INTRO...
My team has started reading The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. I just started today. From what I've heard and read so far, I would also like to encourage you to read it! Anyways ... he was talking about how since he was a kid, his parents dropped him and his siblings off at church every Sunday. On an Easter morning, at the age of 11, he had "the first truly significant and personal spiritual experience he ever had in church." He wrote "I felt like shouting 'Hey everyone! Are you listening to this?' I had sat around some of those same folks at football games where they would yell and scream. How in the world was it that these people managed to get so excited about what happened at a high school football field on Friday nights than they did about the resurrection of Jesus at church on Easter Sunday morning? ... Maybe they had heard the story so many times before the, now, they saw it as ... just a story."

After reading that this afternoon, I prayed that I would not be numb or "used to" God's Word because I've heard / read so much, but that He would continually soften my heart and open my eyes to the truth! Tonight when I shared the Greatest Story Ever with my students, I shared in a way that I haven't shared in several months ... with such joy, excitement, awe, love ... and I didn't even notice the correlation between my prayer this afternoon and the way I shared this evening until I started writing this blog.

MY CLASSES ...
Today was the last day of class, at least as far as teaching and lessons go. All of my students who came today heard the complete Greatest Story Every (the Bible summarized in 15 minutes and a picture). They also have all 17 lessons which include both English and Khmer scriptures from the Bible. Most of the students that have made it to the end of the term (5 students at 1:30 & 16-20 students at 5:30) have attended most days. Therefore they've studied most of the lessons over the course of this term. If they missed or lost any lessons, I gave them an extra copy today and they stapled them all together with the picture as the cover.

It was exciting to see that many of them remembered what we studied. At certain places in the story I would pause and let them answer. I especially wanted to drill into them
     "...BUT God still loved them," 
     "The punishment for sin is death,"
     "Jesus took the punishment for our sins," and
     "we each must choose 1. to stay apart from God or 2. to believe in Jesus, choose to follow Him only, and have a relationship with God."

More importantly than them being able to remember these things, I pray that they begin to UNDERSTAND them and that it would lead them to faith in Jesus Christ!

Tomorrow we will have our end of the term party. Next week we will not have classes, but it will still be a somewhat busy week. Then we have registration on the 28th and 29th ... Then another new term!

So difficult ...

Imagine, if you can ... you've never heard most of the Bible and you're reading the story of Saul's conversion (Acts 9:1-20) for the first time ever ... in the King James Bible AND you were raised in a place that doesn't have a Biblical foundation (that means little to no knowledge of the Bible).

I was trying to envision this today as I studied the Bible with Sihn and a friend of his. They read the story in Khmer (which some people compare to King James because there are a lot of words used that people don't know anymore), then I read it in English (NIRV). For me it's simple. BUT for them ... not so much! All I could do was try to empathize with them and PRAY. Pray that God would give them understanding. I also tried to summarize in my own words, along with a simple drawing. Finally, after a while, and them reading to themselves over and over, and comparing the Khmer and English translations, I think they finally understood (for the most part).

Sihn's friend (I forget exactly how to say his name) was really excited about it and wants to come again next week! That was really encouraging!

The memory verse, which I didn't tell them to memorize, but to just think about, was John 3:7 "You must be born again."  Sihn's friend asked, "so you believe when you die, you will be born again?" I'm pretty sure he was thinking reincarnation. "No, no, no " ... I explained what the verse actually meant.

Please pray for these two guys and for others to join. Ask God to give them all understanding of Him, His love and His desire to have a relationship with them.

Sunday Bible Study

This week I've told my students that if they don't currently go to church, and would like to study the Bible, then they can meet me starting this Sunday morning at 9am. (that's 9pm Saturday night - Central Standard Time)

Please pray:
- For God to make students interested and hungry for His Word.
- For students who are hungry to be available and courageous enough to come.
- For me to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and be obedient.
- For God to change the hearts of those who come.
- For the right number to come. ( I think 3-7 would be great, but God's ways are higher than mine!)

I'd been thinking about doing this for a while, but kept waiting, making excuses (there's a major holiday starting the first of October, and students are already starting to go home. They should return in early to mid October...), putting it off. I finally mentioned it to my team leader, and he said, "yea! Do it!"

Some specific students you can pray for are:
(guys) Sihn, Rosa, Rin-Treah, Sah-wahn, Ben
(girls) Bo-pah, Noo-uhn, Kall-E-yahn, K.Hang (busy this week), Dome

Rules in Cambodia

When we studied Exodus 20 about The Ten Commandments, we also talked about rules for girls and boys in Cambodia. This is what my students came up with:

Both Girls and Boys

• Cannot gossip
• Cannot live with the opposite gender before marriage
• Can only be married one time
• Must be at least 18 years old to get married
• Cannot scold parents / Respect parents
• Don’t make parents angry / disappointed/ have pain
• Cannot do drugs
• Cannot play cards (for money / as a job)

Girls

• Do housework
• Cannot yell out loud
• Cannot walk fast
• Cannot laugh loud
• Cannot eat too fast or too loud
• Cannot go out after 8pm
• Cannot talk too much to boys
• Cannot have a boyfriend when she’s in school
• Women stay at home
• Look after the children
• Take care of the husband
• Cannot drink alcohol

 

Boys

• Cannot be shy
• Must be strong
• Must be diligent to study
• Must be a gentleman
• Must be knowledgeable
• Cannot get drunk
• Must provide for the family
• Must be a leader in the family

Our Stories ...

tes·ti·mo·ny
/ˈtɛstəˌmoʊni, or, esp. British, -məni/ Show Spelled [tes-tuh-moh-nee, or, esp. British, -muh-nee]  

noun, plural tes·ti·mo·nies.

1. Law. the statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.

2. evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.

3. open declaration or profession, as of faith.

4. Usually, testimonies. the precepts of God.

5. the Decalogue as inscribed on the two tables of the law, or the ark in which the tables were kept. Ex. 16:34; 25:16

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/testimony     thank you dictionary.com

 

Our "testimony" is our story, a witness of what Christ has done in OUR lives. The past couple weeks I have been reminded of the importance of EVERY person's testimony. We all have a different witness, a different point of view, different ways in which God has brought us to Himself, saved us through Christ, and is continuing to mold us to look like Him. 

 

Most people, at some point in time, feel like their testimony is not important, or not as good as somebody else's. I'm generally "proud" of my testimony, and know that what God's done in my life is special and significant, but last week as one of my co-workers was sharing how Christ changed his life, I briefly coveted his testimony. I thought it sounded so interesting and it's amazing what he was going through when God got ahold of his heart. I had to remind myself that what God did in ME is just as significant and amazing!

 

A couple days ago I was able to share this experience with one of my Cambodian friends, who is so much like a little brother to me. He is one of the handful of Cambodians I know who were raised in a "Christian home," with believing parents. Like many of my friends in America, he'd thought his story didn't sound as important as most of the other Christian Cambodians who heard about Jesus for the first time when they were older, are the first in their family to believe, have suffered persecution from their family because of Jesus ...

 

I was able to remind him, as well as myself, that we too are to:

1.   Do what Jesus said to the man whom He cast out the many demons in Mark 5:1-20, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." - Mark 5:19.

2.  Do what the Samaritan woman at the well did when she, "... left hear waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 'Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ is it?'" - John 4:29

3. Be WITNESSES as Jesus told the 11, " but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." -Acts 1:8
4. Do as the Psalmist says in Psalm 105:1-5
¹"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
² Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
³ Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
⁴ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
⁵ Remember His wonders which He has done,His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,"

 

As Christians we are to tell what the Lord has done in / for us, be His witness. All of our stories are UNIQUE, SPECIAL, AMAZING, and SHOULD BE SHARED to bring God glory!

 

During class yesterday, one of my students asked, "WHY I chose to believe in Jesus." Then I got to share with my students what God's done in and for me! LOVE IT!!!! I pray that some of my students can relate with some part of "my story" and that God will open their hearts and give them faith to believe! One student, Paing, even asked me to pray for him that he would know God! WOW! Please pray with me for Paing and all of the other Cambodians that we come into contact with everyday, that God would open their eyes to see Him as the One True God, that they would be obedient to follow Christ, and that we would be obedient to share The Truth with them!

 

REMEMBER: Your story is so important, and must be shared! Tell your friends, family, co-workers, classmates ... what God has done for you!

If you want to read my story, you can look here on my blog at the January and February posts! (It's a detailed story, therefore it's kind of long!)

 

My current classes:

 1:30 Class on the 2nd day of class

5:30 Class on the first day of class
 

Please PRAY!

First a reminder that God does and has answered prayer. If you look back at the April newsletter, two of the guys who I asked you to pray to believe, P2 an Rosa, have since then believed! I talked about these two guys and Paw-Lynn in my March newsletter, and they are part of the family, along with others who just weren't mentioned by name. When you pray for this ministry as a whole, you are praying for so many students that we see everyday, and I pray that one day you will get to meet MANY of them in heaven! (If you don't get my newsletter and want to, send me a FB message or email. I would love to add you to the group!)

Please pray for these new believers:
-Rosa (M) has believed for several months, but isn't getting plugged in with a church and is very immature in faith and in general.
- P2 (M) who has officially believed for just under 2 months and has been learning about the Truth for years. His family was okay with Christianity, but now that he believes they don't like it. His is no longer allowed to go to church and is not able to attend classes.
- Sah-Rye. I'm praying that our brother Toe-lah would invest in him and show him what it looks like to follow Christ.
- Vwoo-tah (M) He has just believed within the past few weeks! Praise the Lord!

Pray for small groups:
-Crystal has just started meeting with a couple students for 30min after class each day. Chahn-dah has recently shown A LOT of interest in Jesus, whereas 5 months ago, she could have cared less. Raw-Chan-ah is a very shy young lady, who also hasn't shown much interest in the past, but studied tonight. Pray for these two young ladies and others.
- Our team leader is currently studying during class time with about 10 students (most of which are believers). Pray that the believers would deepen the roots of their faith and that the non-believers would have open eyes and hearts.
-I have several students in mind that I will ask this week if they'd like to learn more about the Bible and meet before or after class, or on the weekend.

Pray for "Future" brothers and sisters:
- Cho-We (F) She is one of Sah-Rye's friends and knows a lot, but is still not ready to believe. She's currently in our team leaders class.
- Sah-wahn  (M) Another of Sah-Rye's friends who's been around for a long time.
- K.Hang (F) is very hungry for truth and is excited to learn, but not ready to surrender
- We-Ray-ak (M) knows everything, but has a calloused heart. He's making excuses.
- Dome (F) She interested and wants to know more. Currently she can not study in our English classes, but she's one that I will ask to study with me on the weekend.
There are so many others, but for now I will leave it at this.

Also pray that I'd be able to sleep at night. For several nights now I haven't been able to fall asleep until after 2 or 3am. It's nearly 2am now and I'm still up. I even resorted to taking Benadryl tonight (around 10pm), as you can see it hasn't helped. It's only made my head heavy. Btw, I absolutely hate taking medicine, because I don't want to become dependent on it. I'm desperate now!

Korea ...

Any time I've travelled between Cambodia and America, I've always had a layover in Korea. (Most people call South Korea,"Korea." The "south" is known.) In February two of my Cambodian friends moved to Korea to get their masters degrees. I found this to be a great opportunity to visit them!

Overview


Limited space for parking                       1000 won = $1 ish


McDonalds delivers!                                               Hmmm, I wonder if it's the same as Chick-Fil-A

Water fountain at Seoul Tower                               Writing on the street in Korean

Upon Arrival
 
I took a subway from the airport to Seoul Station where I met up with my two friends. From there we took the subway (changing lines a few times) to my friend's room, where we left my luggage.
I think she said the room costs about $350/month and it is TINY! She has a twin size bed, a small dresser, and a desk. All of that with a tiny pathway next to the bed. Her bathroom is maybe 3'x4' with the sink, toilet and shower head all in one. Then she shares the kitchen and washer and dryer with maybe 5 other girls.
- I forget how awesome Cambodians are ... when I met up with them, Pisey gave me a card that he'd already put money on for the subway! Then he wouldn't let me pay for anything the whole time I was there. (He has a scholarship while he's there, but I still don't think he's "well off" by any means.)

Lunch

We walked to lunch ... the place they wanted to                                                                                        go was a little over an hour away, and it started to rain, so we stopped and got drinks!

We also took a lot of pictures along the way!

Finally we made it!
- Koreans eat and drink their stuff really hot

Seoul Tower
After lunch we walked, rode the subway, walked, then rode the bus to Seoul Tower.


We ate ice cream                                                      took a lot of pictures

and watched this!

- While we were hanging out my friend kept apologizing because he didn't think I was having a good time and I was tired. I told him, yes I'm tired, but I really am having fun.
- Our faces and attitudes generally show when we're tired, which comes off negatively. Some people know you're just tired, but others just think you're a grouch. Sometimes we're tired because of circumstances beyond our control (time change, illness, having a newborn baby...) & other times it's our own faults (we stay up too late hanging out, watching TV / a movie, we procrastinate ...). In this situation, I'm not really sure that there was anything I could've done differently, but it was a good reminder that we are responsible for our behavior, tired or not!

Cambodia in Korea
After all of that we took a subway to the other side of town where they go to Cambodian church. We ate dinner at the church, then they all studied Korean, then we walked around the market, then stayed the night at the church.
On this side of town is where the factories are so there are few Koreans and a lot of Cambodians, Vietnamese, Singaporians ...

This looks more like Cambodia than the parts of Korea that I saw.

Cambodian church                                                   Lunch at the church

These are all new brothers who went to the sea right                Group picture of everyone!                      after that pic to be baptized!
-As you can see most of the members are guys. That is because most of them came to Korea to work in the factories to earn more money to send to their families in Cambodia. It's great that Cambodians are coming to know Christ in Korea! It was a great reminder that we don't have to travel to reach the nations, because they're coming to us too!
- The people here were so nice and welcoming!

Subway System
You don't have to have a car to live in Korea, you just need to know how to read a map! The subway system in Seoul is CRAZY because there are so many different lines (subway routes). You have to know when to get off, which line to transfer to, and which direction to go!
    

- Koreans appear to be very rude ... not very many people smile & on the subway, they don't acknowledge other people (whether you bump into them or they bump into you, it's as if it never happened) In reality, I'm from Oklahoma where it's not very crowded, but I think everywhere it's super crowded people get used to the bumping instead of saying, "I'm sorry" a million times on one subway ride.

Street Food
  
Cocoons (I didn't try this)          ??? covered in spicy sauce and fish cakes (both are very common)
- I get full a lot faster when I don't want to eat something

Coffee
There were coffee shops EVERYWHERE, so half way through the day I decided to take a picture of each company ... there were multiple Starbucks, Holly Coffee, Angel-in-me, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ...
- Koreans must love coffee

Left: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf     Mid: Both <-->               Right: Starbucks
Across the street: Angel-in-us Coffee

Others:

     

Korean Airport
I left America Thursday night (Fri morning, Korean time) travelled until Saturday morning, walked all day Saturday, slept at the church Saturday night (so we didn't take a shower, but wiped down with baby wipes), dragged my suitcase (with a broken wheel) to the subway (this means I sweated A LOT), then rode the subway to the airport. I checked in and headed to the showers! Did I mention it was Sunday night? 3 whole days without a shower. That was one of the best showers I'd ever taken! I even showered two times in one! :-)
 
WOW! Gotta love the Incheon International Airport! This shower is bigger than my whole bathroom!
 After the wonderful shower(s), I finally got a Chai Tea Latte!

Back in Cambodia

View of Phnom Penh from the plane.

The first two days back were a little difficult, just because I was getting used to the time change. Now all is good and normal ... well, except my feet which will take a couple months to get used to the heat and not swell at night!

We have testing Monday and Tuesday, then classes will begin on Wednesday the 7th!