To Thailand, New Holland, and Back

After a long day and a half of traveling North in Cambodia, we crossed the border into Thailand last Thursday. The reason for our journey? A three-day get-together of EMM workers from Southeast Asia, hosted by Skip and Carol Tobin. (Upper Left: A glimpse of Thailand's green rice fields.)


We had a wonderful time interacting with the group of 11 adults and 4 children. We came away from the retreat feeling very encouraged in our faith. Though we don’t have a large EMM Cambodia team to support us, we are grateful for the team we have with these brothers and sisters. We gathered together regularly for meals, worship, Bible study, and prayer. We were blessed by how meaningful the times of prayer for one another were.



A highlight of the weekend was having the opportunity to attend an Isaan-style church service. (Bethany and Kai missed out on this because Kai was sick.) The Isaan people are a people group in Thailand. Skip and Carol Tobin helped to plant this church. The worship group lead the singing using some uniquely Isaan instruments. Though Juliana and I couldn’t sing along, we clapped our hands and enjoyed the joyful noises that were being made to the Lord.

After the service we enjoyed a meal of sticky rice (which you eat with your hands) and all kinds of “fixin’s.”

Here is Juliana, after the meal, playing a xylophone-like instrument with the help of one of the members of the worship band.

While driving in Thailand, Skip pointed out this New Holland tractor retail shop. What a surprise to see this reminder of rural Lancaster County on the other side of the world!

We enjoyed the scenery as we traveled. Here’s a view of Cambodia, close to the Thai border.




The one dissapointment of the trip was Juliana and Kai being sick. Juliana was sick as we traveled to Thailand and Kai was sick as we came home. Juliana is better now, but Kai is still suffering from something in his digestive system. We'll see a doctor tomorrow and hope he'll recover soon.

Can you guess who's feeling sick in who's feeling like himself in this picture? These two grow more and more special to us every day. We are blessed to be their parents...

Until next time,

Ryan

When It Rains, It Pours

As is probably the case with all “new home” dwellers, some things come to light about a new residence only after you’ve actually lived in the house. When we first began to clean and prepare our apartment in the month of July, a few times we came to the house we noticed some puddles on the floor after a rain, and wondered from where it was coming. Then once when the FMC team was here, our guest bathroom drain backed up and flooded the bathroom with sewer water. The mystery deepened when, after very hard rains this past Thursday and Friday, we noticed that the puddles we remembered from before were reappearing, but that the water actually seeped through the walls!? We had our suspicions, which were confirmed Friday evening as our kitchen flooded with rain-/sewer-water. Our diagnosis? A clog in the pipe that runs from the house to the nearby sewer-water drain, that, during torrential downpours (which we’ve had several lately – this is the rainy season, after all) allows rain and sewer water to back up into the pipe that leads to the guest bathroom. This means that when we get flooded, the water is coming simultaneously from the pipe in the kitchen that combines the rain spouts with the bathroom drain water, the overflow in the bathroom itself (which on a bad day flows out into the guest bedroom, down the stairs, and across the hall into the office), and leaking through the walls. Needless to say, such nastiness has significantly added to the stress level of late. Ryan figures the solution to the problem is a visit from a roto-rooter (does Cambodia have such things?) and a new pipe to redirect the rain water away from the pipe that already can’t handle its load. As of this writing, the landlady has been to the house, but the worker who does the fixing has not. Therefore, in light of said problem and the general lack of organization to our home currently, we’re waiting to post pictures of our home until a later date. Stay tuned, but hopefully the saga does not continue!
- Bethany

Fussiness and First Teeth

Our dear Kai, the most easy-going and laid-back member of the family, went through a stage last month of fussiness and irritability that was most unlike him. We figured it was teething time, but his mouth gave no proof of our suspicions. Until… the last week of July - voila! – not just one, but two bottom, baby teeth made an appearance! And just this week, he cut his top left tooth, with the right obviously in hot pursuit of the goal. It makes for a most endearing grin. And we thought he couldn’t get any cuter…

Waving from his highchair, our little man shares the smile for which he's known!

Showing off his two front teeth two weeks ago

With our good friend Sopheak, who recently returned from a year in Canada as a participant with MCC's International Visitors Exchange Program

3-2-1-PRESCHOOL!

Juliana had been asking if it was August ever since June, when the decision was made to enroll her in preschool at Hope International School (http://www.hopeschool-cambodia.org/). She was so excited to begin her educational career that it was her favorite topic of conversation, both with family and with new people we’d meet. Well, the anticipation is over, as Hope opened its doors to students on August 11, and as far as we can tell, preschool is meeting Juliana’s expectations. She attends on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and enjoys playing pretend with other children, painting, playing in sand, and swinging on tire swings. (An interesting note is that the building was already familiar to Juliana since the Preschool moved into the house the Caldwell’s had lived in!)Eating breakfast on the first day of preschool

In front of our new house, leaving for our two-minute walk to Hope Preschool

Juliana in front of her bin at preschool

One of the play areas

Our Move and Some Special Guests

Our season of “house-sitting” in the Hills’ apartment came to an end in the month of July, and we moved into the house we found for our long-term residence on July 31. We were in a hurry to get at least a bit organized that first day, since we were expecting houseguests a mere 36 hours after spending our first night in our new home. Franklin Mennonite Conference, a small group of churches in the Chambersburg, PA area that financially support the EMM dorms, sent a delegation to visit Cambodia. Their purpose for the visit was to report on the dorm ministry and to encourage us and the church. Paul and Tina Holderman (former EMM missionaries here in Phnom Penh) and Katie Lehman (a young woman from Holdermans’ church) were here from August 2 – 13, and though it made life very full, their time with us was indeed a blessing. Paul was very handy in doing odd jobs around the house, Tina baked us some yummy food, and they were able to visit and encourage many of their friends from the 3 years they lived here. It also felt like Christmas, because they came bearing gifts from our family, friends and MST. Thank you so much, everyone! We don’t have very many pictures of the team during their time here – we were too busy to think about it! – but the camera came out while we were seeing them off at the airport. Thanks again, Holdermans and Katie, for your encouragement, help and gift of a night away as a couple! (We were able to play tourists – childless! – and sleep at a local hotel. What a rare treat!!)

Paul Holderman and Mades, a church member and friend of the Holdermans

Katie Lehman and Tina Holderman, visiting after church



Saying goodbye to the team at the airport, with Ming (younger aunt) Nyaw, our househelper (Juliana was in preschool)

Just in case you were wondering if we fell off the face of the earth, allow me to begin by putting your fears to rest: We are alive and well (mostly)! We’ve been up to our ears in transition and out-of-the-ordinary events, so posting on our blog during the past month fell to the bottom of the to-do list. We will attempt to catch you up in a series of shorter posts, so here goes…

Getting Around...

This short post is dedicated to Modes of transportation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Enjoy the snapshots of what we daily see on the city streets...


A Bicycle. Besides walking, this is the most affordable travel option. However, bikes are for more than just transportation. This young man is peddling his kitchen-related wares from the back of his bike.



A Cyclo (see-clo). A cousin to the tricycle, the cyclo is ideal when transporting large market purchases home. Many tourists like them too because of the leisurely view they can take in as they travel along at a slow pace.





A Motorcycle. The motorcycle is by far the most common form of transportation used in Cambodia. It provides a fast way to get where you’re going and is small enough to be able to weave in and out of the hectic traffic that slows cars down.





A Tuk-Tuk. This motorcycle-powered carriage is the form of transportation we use most frequently. It is safer than just riding around on motorcycles and allows our family to all ride together. Because our new house (We’re moving in August!) has a garage to keep the EMM van in, we’ll start using the van more regularly. I have enjoyed the challenge of learning to drive in what seems to Americans as the crazy Cambodian traffic.

And something you'll never see in the United States: an SUV. The sports utility vehicle seems to be quite popular here in Cambodia. We were surprised to see how many SUV’s there were when we got here. Though the country has great financial need, there are some people here with well-padded wallets.

That's all for this post. Thanks again for your interest in our lives and for your prayers!

-Ryan

Kids, Cultures, and a Trip to the Countryside

When we were preparing to come to Cambodia, we were told several times that having children with us would make for an easier entry into the new culture, as kids open doors for relating with people. I'm guessing this is because of their lack of inhibitions, appeal across cultures (the "cute factor"), and the fact that most everyone loves a baby. We've certainly been given a warm welcome as an expatriate family living here, evidenced by the many smiles, attempts at communication, and attention we get when we are out as a foursome. We often joke about the huge fan clubs that Juliana and Kai have, and how we can identify with the Hollywood set who can't seem to leave their homes without encountering adoring fans and paparazzi. But as parents, the situation is not always so funny. Pale, white skin attracts a lot of attention here (it's considered more beautiful than dark, brown skin - you wouldn't believe the assortment of lotions sold in markets that supposedly whitens brown skin!), and sometimes that attention can become a bit bothersome. People do enjoy children here, but it's not uncommon for them to show that enjoyment by tweaking noses, touching faces and arms, and actually taking Kai out of our arms (often without asking) to hold him and get a picture of/with him. Juliana has had her share of photos taken, too. Bless his heart, Kai seems to mind the least of any of us, but Juliana doesn't always appreciate the stares, extra attention and contact. It's hard to know how to be hospitable and share our children - and to teach them to be respectful and kind - when they and their personal space are not always given the same courtesy. It's going to take us a bit to adjust to the cultural differences involved, ie. it's not considered rude to stare, children are somewhat objectified, and personal space is much, much smaller here. So, if you're ever not quite sure how to pray for us, wisdom, grace and patience are always good bets!

A common scene while traveling: someone pointing and commenting about our family

In other news, we were able to get out of the city for a few days last week, and spent Thursday evening through Sunday morning in Prey Veng, the provincial capital of the province of Prey Veng. Miles and Ruth Wiederkehr, Canadians serving with MCC, invited us out for a visit, and we had a great time. We rested, played games, road bike, watched some Mr. Bean, talked, ate Ruth's good cooking and baking, and got lots of mosquito bites. White skin is even scarcer in the countryside, so after our trip to the local market and nearby rainy-season lake (it completely dries up in the dry season) attracted a lot of attention, we retreated to a restaurant close to the Wiederkehrs for some cold drinks and a spell on the wooden swing (which reminded us of Atglen!). Below are some pictures from our time in Prey Veng...

Hanging out in the hammocks the Wiederkehr men built

On our bike ride

Juliana helped Ruth make Sesame Seed Cookies (Ruth's putting in palm sugar in photo above)



Theo and Andre Wiederkehr (ages 11 and 9) and Slater the cat

Blessed Bruises

When it comes to the game of "Swat," it most definately is better to give than to receive. This "icebreaker" game was a great way for us to get to know the young ladies in EMM's women's dorm last Sunday. After the morning's church service we took some hearty curry, bread, and fruit with us as we looked forward to sharing a meal and some fun with these university students.




We had a really good time together. The women enjoyed the meal and it was so fun to hear the group erupt in laughter as persons would get swatted with a rolled-up newspaper if they were not quick to say someone else's name.
Juliana quickly warmed up to the ladies and impressed them with the Khmer words she was using. And as always, Kai had his share of doting young ladies.

May God continue to bless these young ladies as they pursue university education in Phnom Penh. May they grow healthy: physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. May they be agents of future positive change their country. May they be builders of Christ's kingdom in Cambodia!

-Ryan

Welcomed Guests

With squinted eyes, we enjoyed our "to-go" breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as we traveled in the bright morning sun to the Vienamese Mennonite Church. Our brother and friend, pastor Luy, had specifically invited us to come to this morning's service because it was a special baptism service. Pastor Luy gave me the opportunity to share some words of encouragement with the new believers and the rest of the congregation. I briefly shared, reminding them that though they sometimes may feel alone in the struggles they experience in their Christian lives, they have great support as they look to the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and their brothers and sisters in Christ. I felt very honored to have the opportunity to share in the special morning.
After the service and a brief time of snacks and fellowship we took some group pictures and then Pastor Luy and the elders of the church distributed bags of rice and noodles to the families.
Pator Luy had shared with us that many of the families are facing financial difficulty, in part because they used to depend on funds that they received by selling their daughters into prostitution. As they have learned about God's word and joined the church, they have recognized that prostitution, though financially profitable, does not honor God. Therefore, they need assistence getting food on the table as they get re-established financially. Praise God for the ministry of his Spirit through people like Pastor Luy! We serve a God who cares greatly about all our needs...


A picture of us with Pastor Luy (holding Juliana) and the leadership team of the church

A picture of us with the rest of the church. In front of the group are bags of rice, donated by an Australian couple that Pastor Luy has been in contact with.