Gardens and Grandmas

Chris and I spent time going through different material and topics for the agriculture education project at Batrang Middle School. Friday we started plugging topics into the schdedule for the year. It is challenging as we have many things to consider, including the garden we will start at the school and how that corresponds with the lessons we teach, the school's schedule, and the best order and priority for the lessons. Right now we have lots of resources and ideas and need God's wisdom to know how to pick and arrange the topics. I tested the soil from the school and it is going to take some major work and input of organic materials to get things to grow in that soil! The soil around the school is from 6 meters under a rice paddy, so not a lot of nutrition in it. We are praying for a miracle from the Lord!

Friday afternoon, I went with Doris and Julee and some ladies from the Bethlehem church to visit a baby that was recently born and then to visit a grandma (everyone is family here, so because she is in her 70s, she is called grandma or "yay"). The young lady who had the baby is the daughter of one of the KEC (Khmer Evangelical Church) pastors and the whole family planted moringa trees on their land and they faithfully eat the powder every day.

Anyway, everyone was rejoicing about this baby because the girl's first baby died during delivery. The new mother was beaming from ear to ear and the husband looked so proud! We prayed over the little, tiny baby girl as she lay sleeping and then chatted about the Cambodian customs during pregnancy and after birth. The women usually wear ski caps and long sleeves and lay over hot coals because they believe it is healthy for the woman to sweat a lot after giving brith. The baby also has lots of layers of clothing (and a hat and mittens), and, in the hot humid weather, it is is sweltering! Doris and Julee were encouraging the woman that some of these practices can be harmful to the health of the mother and the baby (such as if the mother sweats too much and doesn't drink water, her milk production will decrease). It was interesting to learn about their practices and to think about things that we do in the States that are tradition that we may not have a good reason for doing other than that's we were taught to do. It is also good to remember that some traditions, both in Cambodia and the States, are not harmful, just different, and are important to the culture.

After the baby visit we went to another village and prayed with the "yay" because she is older and needed encouragement. She told us about her fear of some of the people in her village who didn't like her and so the Khmer women encouraged her that because she is a child of God, those people can't hurt her. She has a pretty amazing conversion story and has come out of some demonic spiritual practices, so she is quite sensitive to spiritual things. This weekend is also a religious holiday in Cambodia called "Pchum Ben" where it is believed that spirits of dead relatives are released from hell for a couple days and they roam the earth. If people don't bring food and rice to 7 different temples for the spirits, then the spirits will curse them and do bad things to them. All of these things gave me a deeper sense of the need to pray for Cambodians to know Christ and to be released from this fear and worship of evil. Please join me in prayer for the Khmer people!

I have the blessing this coming week of attending the ECHO Asia Agriculture conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I hope to learn some new ideas and techniques to bring back to the work in Cambodia and also to network with other people working in development in Asia.

I will try to start taking more pictures (of people, I have lots of rice fields and moringa trees)! =)

A new home and a new chapter!

Saturday I rode up to Battambang with the rest of my stuff and a missionary from Poipet. I am staying with my teammates, Chris and Julee Bellar, and their two little boys. They live across the street from David and Doris and Matthew Strong and caddy corner from Sharon! I am staying with the Bellars until I move into my own little house on the 28th. It is a small, 2 bedroom house one street over from my teammates and the same street as Corey, my NMSI teammate. The landlord lives in a house behind it on the same property. A single missionary woman lived in this house for the past 8 years, up until Saturday, and she had excellent things to say about the landlords. I am excited to have found a good place so soon. God is good at taking care of his kids! =)

Already within 3 days I have done quite a bit! Sunday I went to church with the Strongs and Julee, and then I had lunch with the Strongs. In the afternoon I rested, and then went out with the Strongs to the moringa orchard in the evening to look at the trees and give the farmer a bag of natural fertilizer for the rice field. The leaves on the moringa trees were turning yellow from too much water so we decided to go back in the morning to cut some the trees so we could process the leaves before they all turn yellow.

Monday morning, I went with David and Julee to look at the house for rent. We discussed with the landlady about the house and I decided to rent it. They are painting it now and will buy a few pieces of furniture. Then I went out to the orchard with Sombok and David. We couldn't cut all the trees because there isn't enough space to dry that many leaves, so we cut the tallest trees and then snapped the stems off the branches and loaded them in the truck. Sombok and I wash the leaves in water at the Strong's house and then after lunch I helped Sombok and Chris strip the leaves off the stems. I also got to help them process moringa seeds for oil. The Strongs got a oil seed press and are processing the moringa seeds for oil because it has excellent topical benefits for arthritis and helping the skin. We all tasted the seedcake, which is the stuff that comes out the after the oil is squeezed out of the seed, and it was extremely bitter but also sickeningly sweet. It took a few hours to get the taste out of my mouth! I need to do some research on if we can use the seedcake for something.

This morning, Chris, Dara and I went up to Battrang middle school to meet with the staff about the agriculture class. We saw some students leaving as we came into the school yard and found out today was one of the registration days. We had a good meeting with the principal, vice principal and several teachers, and got some answers for questions about the schedule, classes, land, orientation day, etc. Then we went out and got some soil samples from the areas we might plant gardens and the male teachers joined in on that too. We also got the ok to talk about God in the classroom!!! Please pray this opens doors for opportunties to share with the teachers as well about why we are there. On the way back to Battambang, we stopped at 2 places that had moringa trees loaded with mature seed pods and asked the owners if we could collect the seed pods. Both people said yes and now we have more seeds for oil. It seems moringa trees are everywhere here, yet so many people don't know about the nutrition in the leaves and the other benefits of the tree.

This afternoon, Chris, Julee and I broke open the seeds pods and got the seeds out. I have enjoyed getting to spend time with Aiden and Kailen, Chris and Julee's little boys. Aiden is 2 years old and Kailen is 3 months and they are both super cute! Life in Battambang is not as fast paced as Phnom Penh, so I am looking forward to getting to know my neighbors. Thank you for your prayers!

My last week in Phnom Penh

These 3 months I have had to focus on language have been such a blessing! I have a good foundation for continuing to build on my vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc. and I made some good friends in the process! My last week in Phnom Penh begins today and I wanted to write a few interesting things about my time in the bustling capital.

Wildlife: The fact that I live right next door to several food stalls that serve dog meat is always exciting (and kind of weird), but that is not the wildlife I am thinking of. For the past 3 weeks, there has been a rather large gecko living above where my gate opens and closes. It is not one of those cute little things that eats mosquitos and is scared of people. This thing is as big as my hand, makes really obnoxious noises, and if prompted, will bite something and not let go. Still, the first time I saw it I thought, "Oh that's cute." It's blue with red spots and is called a "duck-gka", which is also the noise it makes. Then there are the neighborhood rats, which are as big as cats, and thankfully like to stay outside and not in my apartment!









Traffic: Much like any place, people talk about traffic, but in Phnom Penh, the traffic is always a popular discussion topic as most of us escape death several times a day and can't wait to share about our experiences. Actually, I've gotten use to driving here and sometimes actually enjoy driving my motorbike. Every once in a while, though, I would like to tell other people how to drive and I have to refrain from screaming things like, "Your light is red and mine is green!", because it would cause a scene, and the people already know their light is red and mine is green. As it turns out, I am the one who needs to adjust, not everyone else. =)

Construction: Buildings keep going up and other ones are remodeled, so it seems like any time of the day you can hear a saw or hammer or drill or some piece of machinery. Dodging piles of sand and dirt on the road is also common as construction takes place anywhere and everywhere.

The River: Living in Phnom Penh has it's advantages, like relatively consistent electricity, nice restaurants with air conditioning, museums, shops, large supermarkets with a variety of Western items, and so on. But one of the things I have enjoyed while being here is the Tonle Sap River, where you can walk along the riverside, look at fishing boats, buy popcorn or fried insects or pummelo, and feel like you are somewhere besides in a busy capital city. Though honestly, I usually pass up the fried insects!

The Stadium: One of my other favorite places to go is the Olympic Stadium, or the Stat Olympic in Khmer, and jog on the track. I also like to watch people because tons of Khmer people can be found there in the early morning and late afternoon, walking and running on the cement bleachers, sitting and chatting with friends, doing group aerobics, playing soccer in bare feet, or enjoying fried meat, popcorn, or other food cart delicacies.

The Markets: From markets targeted to tourists to markets packed with Khmer people, the local markets are an adventure and a half! The other day I was looking for towels in one of the larger markets and I wandered around all 3 floors in both buildings and finally found a few stalls that sold towels scattered in amongst clothing and domestic goods shops. One shop had the large towels I wanted but no hand towels in the same brand, so I asked at a few other shops before I found them. And just as the shops were beginning to close for the day, I made my selection, bargained for a lower price, paid, and was on my way. I was also the only white person (that I know of) in the entire market so I hear a few interesting comments from people on seeing a "barang" in their market! Probably made it more obvious since I had no idea where I was going, but sometimes when you get lost you learn a lot more than if you had known exactly where to go.

Odd and ends: The government has been cracking down on motorbike drivers not wearing helmets and motorbikes with no mirrors, so it is good to see more helmets on the street.

I will miss Phnom Penh and my friends, but I am excited to live in Battambang! The slower pace and quiet will be nice and there is even a small river in Battambang too. =) I move on Saturday the 12th. Praise God that I have transportation for my stuff! Thank you for your prayers for me and for the ministry I am joining.