End of July 2024 Update
Was your grandmother a stickler for polite language? Mine would admonish me, “Horses sweat, Joanie, men perspire, but ladies…glow.”
Well, I’m here to tell you, there’s plenty of “glowing” going on here in Cambodia! The long-anticipated rains have arrived, but they’ve failed to drop temperatures to tolerable (by my standard anyway) levels. True, we’re down 10 degrees from April’s routine 105, but when you factor in 92% humidity from the rain… it still feels like it’s over 100! I walk at 6:30 am in the coolest part of the day, yet return wet to my skivvies (I know, I know…TMI.) Peter says I should embrace the sweating process as it’s purging years of pent-up “toxicity” through my pores… just the kind of remark that’s apt to get him killed. We’re both praying the A/C doesn’t break!
We had an up-close-and-personal experience with the first record-breaking rain of the season: six inches in one hour! Setting out in dry conditions in a rickshaw on a 7.4 km journey (which should have taken about 35 minutes), we were soon cowering as the heavens opened; I mean, it was a blinding, torrential, monsoon…like water poured out of a pitcher…rapidly accumulating and flooding the streets. The ubiquitous trash in third-world countries clogged what drains there were. Within minutes, we were up to the wheel hubs, street water flowing into all the sidewalk stores, and merchants scrambling to rescue goods. When we arrived at the church where we were teaching, the entry was completely underwater. We took off our shoes, rolled up our pants, held our supplies over our heads, and waded through calf-deep filthy water to get into the building, getting soaked in the process. What a mess! But…here’s the thing; 27 church members braved the elements to come to training, some leaving sick spouses behind, and many arriving on motorcycles! Peter and I were stunned by their dedication, hunger for the Word, and commitment to learning how to make disciples who make disciples. What’s half a foot of water in the face of the LORD’s business?!
And the next week in Kiri Vong close to the Vietnam border where we went to train for five days of disciple-making, it continued to rain…a relentless, pitiless onslaught. Participants came on motorcycles, some traveling tandem for as many as 2.5 hours, drowned rats faithfully making the trek each day. While we wrung our hands and prayed the rain would let up so they’d have an easier journey, they all just smiled and shrugged it off. There we trained a combination of church planters and Kids of Destiny children’s ministers from AMGA-Cambodia, 35 leaders who are already out in villages, already evangelizing, already training kids, already establishing house churches, already expanding the Kingdom….but anxious for targeted training. It’s hard to describe how rewarding it was to train such dedicated workers so excited for tools they could put to immediate use.
Now that we’ve trained a little in the more rural areas of Cambodia, and have sampled the “guesthouse” experience (there are no hotels,) we’ve adjusted our “essentials packing list” to include pillows, top sheets (Cambodian beds have a fitted sheet and a comforter…the later NOT laundered between guests!!!) toilet paper, tissues, soap, cups, coffee maker and coffee…they don’t have a kettle even for instant coffee, and extension cords. Now, add to that ALL our teaching supplies (paper, pens, cardstock, whiteboard markers, numerous anchor charts, flip-charts, tape, scissors, prizes, candies, name tags, handouts, and frequently a 3’x5’ white board,) as well as the multiple changes of clothes necessary (see above about routinely sweating through everything ) and you get an idea of the Vaughan Entourage arriving for a week’s training! Like the scouts…we’re nothing if not prepared!
While training in Kiri Vong, we shopped at the local markets and street food vendors close to our guesthouse for dinner options. To our horror, we discovered the innocent-looking “boiled eggs” we’d purchased were balut, a Cambodian treat, 16-to-21-day-old duck embryos! Gastronomically, I can handle quite a lot, but this was a bridge too far. We had better luck with the yellow pancakes (Banh Chav) with our host…quite delicious!
Thanks to several donors who sent gifts specifically for Bible and water filter purchases, we were able to order new supplies of both; in the case of the filters, in time to ship them to Bethany Ciwa, missionary-extraordinaire, who endured considerable inconvenience to bring them back from the States with her. What a difference this made, not only because of their timely arrival but also with shipping/handling costs…as this country’s officials routinely exact their (illegal) pound of flesh.
In less happy news, our “iron-man” missionary in the Dominican Republic, Pastor Jaime Blandon, fractured his arm falling from a ladder while working on the mission house and had to undergo surgical repair. This occurred just as the first group of missionaries from Men on Mission arrived to stay at the newly completed mission house. By God’s grace, and their good training, they carried on with their mission without missing a beat, with Jaime directing operations from home, including the Manna Pack distribution and gospel messages to Haitians, the Saturday Kids’ Clubs, a massive pastors’ conference, and the Haitian pastors' church plants. Equipped with his trusty computer, he may be a more formidable project manager from home than on-site!
We have been blessed to work with two amazing Khmer leaders, Pastor Sun Sokha and Pastor Soeuy Lak, both involved with church planting and children's ministries, who've invited us to go with them to visit locations in the "provinces" (read here, countryside.) So, recently we traveled to Bei Kantral and Veal Pon in Kompong Speu Province to see some of their works and participate in the Bible story portion of the day. What a joy!
Each new day, we count our bountiful blessings, grateful to our LORD for this opportunity to work in His Kingdom. Among those blessings are your encouragement, your love, your prayers, and your support. We're deeply grateful to those who donate regularly as well as those who responded to the need for water filters, Bibles, and Khmer coloring books, not to mention those who trundled them halfway across the world for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:25