Sunscreen, TSA Locks and Insecticide Wash

5 days! We leave in 5 days!  I can't believe it.  This trip has seemed so far away, and now it's finally here.  I feel like we have a really strong team, and we are going to do great things over there.  We have however, had some setbacks, i.e. the weather and personal struggles - so please keep praying for the team and our mission.  We fly out of Atlanta next Thursday, on a direct flight to Seoul (about 15.5 hours).  Then we have a two hour layover - not too bad, you know, enough time to grab a meal (I haven't configured which meal it will be) - then we fly from Seoul into Siem Reap (about 5.5 hours).  Whew.  That's a lot of traveling.  Don't forget your neck pillows, headphones, and Tylenol PM, people!  I think we're all secretly hoping to NOT get the middle seat.

I've been told the notorious humidity in Cambodia will knock you down.  I can't imagine a place more humid than Atlanta in the summertime, so this should be fun.  We've all packed our "moisture wicking clothing."  Long pants and sleeves are recommended because of the mosquitoes (see past two posts for flooding updates).  We've also been instructed to "wash" our cloths in insecticide.  The travel clinics sell this liquid mix you dunk your clothes in before you leave.  It's good for up to 20 washes.  Die mosquitoes, die.

We're taking a lot of supplies over with us, mostly for the kids: nerf balls, arts & crafts, stickers, coloring pages, crayons.  The coloring pages we printed for free online.  We decided Noah's Ark and David & Goliath were good starting points for the kids ministry - what kid doesn't love animals and giants?  I'm just hoping we don't confuse them too much, because these stories are, obviously, brand new concepts for them.

I'm looking forward to a lot of things: meeting the women and children, sharing stories and testimonies, experiencing a new culture and cuisine, and seeing a part of the world that has gone through so much struggle, yet persevered.  I'm excited about meeting/bonding with the Cambodian Hope Organization (CHO) staff, as well.  Matt and Robert, two of our team members, have planned a presentation for the CHO staff based on Andy Stanley's 7 Practices of Effective Ministry.  CHO's staff plans to then use the information to "effectively minister" to people in Cambodia.  Think of it as a train-the-trainer type of thing.  I hope it translates well.

Micah

Cambodia Underwater Part 2

So the flooding has suppressed a bit in Cambodia.  Siem Reap seems to be almost back to normal.  Businesses and schools are up and running again.  The major problem lies in the countryside.  The flooding there is still quite bad, affecting the farmland, thus affecting people's food and monetary resources.  We should however, be fine while traveling around Siem Reap - just need to wear A LOT of bug spray.  Thankfully there has been no Cholera outbreak, thanks to the UN, who have been supplying clean water and food for refugees. Pray that the flooding will die down in the rural areas, so we can continue with our plans to visit Poipet and Safe Haven.  Here is CHO's website, if you want to learn more about the Safe Haven.  I don't think it's been updated in awhile, but you'll get the general idea.
http://www.cambodianhopeorganization.org/safehaven.html

Other recent news includes a new temporary ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia.  Cambodia's Prime Minister, Hun Sen, signed the ban on October 15 of this year.  The ban was created after counts of abuse by workers.  Unfortunately, many "maid placement services" in Cambodia trick their workers into domestic slavery and prostitution.  Of course, now the question is if these women can't be employed in Malaysia (apparently over 30,000 women use these maid services), how are these workers to find employment in their own country?  Will this just lead to more prostitution?

This ban is Cambodia's effort to downgrade its human trafficking status around the world.  I'm not sure how long the ban will last, but I suppose it's a good start.

Cambodia Underwater!

They say it's the worst flooding in decades.  Parts of Cambodia are underwater, thanks to the Mekong River bursting its banks.  It's the end of the monsoon season in Southeast Asia, and Cambodia and Thailand have been hit hard.  167 people in Cambodia have been killed due to the flooding; over 260,000 families have/will be affected.  The rain has flooded rice fields, destroying many people's source of income, along with their homes.  As of October 9, 23,000 families had to be evacuated to higher ground.  Nearly 200 tourists were airlifted from Angkor Wat temple after a road to one of the ruins was cut off by flash floods.

So how will this affect our trip?  Well, with the roads being flooded, we might have difficulty traveling to and from Poipet.  We plan to venture over to Poipet, a smaller city near the Cambodia/Thailand border, to visit Safe Haven, a community built for trafficking victims. At Safe Haven, women and children have access to shelter, counseling, bible teachings, and vocational training.  Right now, Safe Haven is at risk of being flooded out; apparently the road from Poipet out to Safe Haven is completely underwater.  Of course, we want the flooding to cease, and for the people to be safe from harm.  So please pray about this, and pray for the people, not only in Cambodia, but all over Southeast Asia.

Micah

Faith Comes By Hearing

Jesus asks us to go and share the message of his love with others. That command is exciting because once you experience God's love you can't help but share it with others. It is hard to keep such a wonderful love a secret. Last year when we were in Poipet, we were able to share about Jesus through an interpreter. While our interpreters were skilled, I couldn't help but wonder if our message was getting across as intended. I know from experience that sometimes a meaning can get lost in translation, and some words may translate in ways not intended.

For example, back in the summer of 1990 I was studying abroad in Russia. Our group went to the beach to enjoy an afternoon of swimming in the sea. As Americans are oft to do, a few of our guys were playfully shouting "Whee" each time they jumped out of the water. This seemed to be causing quite a stir among the Russians on the beach. Finally, one of our Russian friends, who was laughing hysterically, pulled us all aside and explained that "whee" in Russian was a vulgar term for a body part. Utterly embarrassed, we never uttered "whee" again.

And I tell this story, because I wish that I spoke the Khmer language so I could tell the Cambodians about Jesus in their own language without any possibility of misinterpretation or translation mishaps. Thankfully there is an organization called Faith Comes By Hearing that translates the New Testament into different languages so people can hear about Jesus in their native tongue. And thankfully for us they have given us two listening devices preloaded with the New Testament in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia. These devices are perfect for the Soldier Camp because it is estimated that almost 50% of the individuals there are illiterate. The device called a Proclaimer is battery run and rechargeable by sunlight. The volume is loud enough to accommodate a group of 300.

Faith Comes By Hearing is working hard to translate the Bible into 2,000 languages by 2016. To learn more about this incredible organization go to http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/what-we-do