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