Cambodian trip: October 2008
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I guess I should start with some of the pre-trip festivities. Once we decided to go, Edward and I needed some guidance on what to take and expect. Sounds like a reason to have wings! Jeff, Edward, Kris and I met at Wing Stop (Eric couldn't join us). We learned the real reason Jeff always seems so organized; he has a great partner (thanks, Jenni!). We learned about getting 3 rounds of shots, malaria pills and a lot of other unpleasantries. Jeff found out I also needed to renew my passport as it was less than 6 months before it expired (guess it's like milk). So I gathered all the paperwork, paid $12 dollars for two, 1-inch pictures, and Fed Ex'd the package off. I paid $60 to have it expedited through the red tape and another $20 to have it Fed Ex'd back. All of this because the website said it could take up to 6 weeks to get processed, and I only had 3 weeks. I mailed it on Friday afternoon…the next Weds it was here! Guess I didn't have to spend all that money..oh well.
At some point, Jeff asked Edward and me for some information for insurance purposes. One of the items was our full name. Edward responded with his name, and his alias - Snoopy and a picture. I quickly responded in kind and included my alias - Tutu Man (that's Tutu Man, SIR! to you two.). Jeff provided a possible picture of my cousin and said he was going to get Edward and me seats far, far away from him. I copied my wife on the fun and she jumped in and sent what she thought my passport photo should be. I'm not sure this is proper behavior for three deacons, but it sure was funny. At any rate, the first two nicknames were issued.
Travel day: It's been a busy day. I took the day off and started packing. I dropped Madison off at school, saying "bye" but with no hug - guess she's getting too big for that. I scurried around packing and running errands to pick up last minute items. After a wonderful lunch at school with both Kim and Taylor (their first together as well), it was back home to finish packing. As the day has gone on, I've become more and more anxious about the trip. Mostly, I'm dreading being away from my family for a week. I picked up Taylor after school and we had some precious moments together. After a very tearful goodbye, Kim and Tay departed for school - PTA meeting. I loaded up and headed over to pick up Edward. I called my parents to say hello. I guess I was down as my mom called me later (I picked up the message in SF) encouraging me, telling me everything would be fine and that I needed to enjoy the trip. Moms are great - aren't they? Anyway, after picking up Edward, we headed off to the airport. We met Jeff, his dad Rick, Jenni and the kids at ticketing. Kris and family arrived shortly afterwards along with a bit of excitement. It would appear that Joshua thought the fire alarm looked fun to play with and accidentally activated the alarm. Although no siren sounded, it did bring out the fire department. After a brief discussion about not playing with the alarm (they weren't upset - probably happy to be out of the fire station), they were off. All 10 bags and boxes passed inspection and we were off on the trip, leaving around 10:30pm.
We had an uneventful trip to San Francisco, found the International terminal and boarded the plane for the 13 hour trip to Taipei, Taiwan at about 1:30am, Friday morning. Thankfully, Jeff had upgraded our seats to Elite class (virtually the same as business class), so we each had a little larger seats, more leg room and a small, interactive TV with lots of movies and activities to keep us busy. The time actually went by quickly and after a couple of meals (you can choose between western or eastern food - no Eric, we chose western) and brief nap, we arrived in Taipei. Somewhere over the ocean, we crossed the International time line and jumped into Saturday. Arriving in Taipei, we had a three hour layover (I'm told that's pretty short), so we went exploring the airport. All the guys were happy to see Starbucks was available. I also took the opportunity to break out Flat Stanley and took a picture with fancy paper airplanes made by Taiwanese children on display throughout the airport.
The Flat Stanley pictures will be used by Rhonda Cook and my wife as part of a project that elementary children do. Anyway, the flight from Taipei to Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital was interesting as the plane was made for smaller people than us large Americans. Edward and I sat together and we were not able to sit shoulder to shoulder at the same time. One of us had to lean over or forward. A large tour was also on the plane, so no extra seats to move to - quite uncomfortable.
After a total of 31.5 hours, we arrived in Phnom Penh on Saturday around 1pm. Customs went smoothly and all of our luggage and boxes arrived safely and intact. I had heard much about the hot temperatures we would experience in Cambodia. As I stepped out of the airport, I was expecting a blast of heat. However, it wasn't bad, even a slight breeze. It was outside the airport that we met Chheng and Bill (you are not usually allowed in International airports unless actually traveling). We were greeted with june-rip-sue-ah, which means "hello or good afternoon or whatever time of day it is (yes, I spelled it phonetically). They looked great and lots of hugs were handed out - great thing among Christian brothers. As we started out towards the cars, we left the shade of the building's awning, stepped into the sun and BAM - instantly 15 degrees hotter and a lot more humid - welcome to Cambodia! We had an interesting time determining how to load 10 large bags and boxes, carry-on bags, 5 large Americans and 2 smaller "Cambodians" into a Rav 4 and a Camry - it was quite tight, but we fit and they had A/C, so it was all good.
The traffic is best described as an ant hill right after you step on it - pure chaos. Bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, trucks everywhere - any direction. It was overwhelming and probably the most frightening part of the trip by far, but more on that later in the trip. After a brief lunch at KFC - yes, it tasted just like the U.S. and no, not what I thought my first Cambodian meal would be like - we left for the memorial to the Killing Fields. (If you haven't heard of Khmer Rouge regime and the killing fields, do a quick google - but be prepared, it's horrific) The range of emotions was immense. How atrocities of this magnitude can happen over and over again throughout history gives credence to just how far man fell and just how depraved we are. I won't describe it - unable to - the pictures are bad enough.
Killing field memorial
Clothing in the walking path
a bone in the walking path
While there, we did meet a dentist and his wife from the US who are traveling up and down the main rivers providing their services to the local villages. Dental hygiene is quite poor, so their help is sorely needed.
As we left the memorial, it rained again (second time already) - fast and hard. We started the one hour trip to Prek Ambel where the church and school are located. Some sleepiness set in while in the A/C, but overall I felt good. I didn't sleep a lot on the plane, but enough (same for most of the guys). We stopped at a bakery and picked up 30 loaves of bread (@ $5) and some kind of biscuit with a bean paste. Edward was brave enough to try it - I decided not to tempt my stomach's calmness. After some more interesting travel, we arrived at Chheng's home. He has a beautiful pinkish-red two story home with tall trees and a large veranda. One of the trees has a large fruit called Jack fruit. Chheng and Sophorn looked wonderful and cool, unlike me. After unloading luggage, we headed over to Bill and Jennifer's.
Flat Stanley at the bakery
The guys along with Bill and Chheng
Flat Stanley and Jack fruit
To get there, we drove straight through the school/church building over the tile floor - seemed odd to me but no issues for Bill. The building is a large, 2-story structure painted the same as Chheng's home (actually, he re-painted his home after he saw how good the church looked). Bill and Jennifer have a quaint little home that I thoroughly enjoyed staying in. Jennifer and Katherine were in the kitchen preparing dinner - yard long green beans (yep, approx. 3 ft long) with sugar, salt, pepper (a little spicier than ours) and chicken. Coupled with lightly fried chicken and a tasty dipping sauce of salt, pepper and lime juice, our first real meal in Cambodia was quite good. After the satisfying meal, I noticed our day was catching up with me. After a cool shower and some visiting, it was off to bed by 8pm (don't remember the last time I went to bed this early). The bedrooms were upstairs and Kris and I slept in a large bed in Katherine's room under mosquito netting. I was concerned about my allergies kicking up with the windows open, but I never experienced any real sinus issues despite being exposed to all the allergens (thank the Lord). One item of discomfort - since our arrival at Prek Ambel, music, propaganda and other noise has been blaring over a loud speaker down the street from B&J's home. It's a cultural process associated with both weddings and funerals. I'm told it went off about 10pm, but I was too tired to notice. It was a warm night, but jet lag helped me sleep @ 9 hours.
The Church of Mercy at Prek Ambel
Bill and Jennifer's home
mine and Kris' bed
Sunday morning we awoke in humidity. Putting on long pants wasn't fun, but at least I could wear a short sleeve shirt and sandals. Breakfast at a local coffee shop was rice and pork, either black or sweet coffee and some kind of fried pastry. I had chicken and rice, but as it was full of bones, so I switched to pork the remainder of the week.
Church was spectacular. Opening exercises included 3 hymns and then we were off to Sunday School. Rick was teaching the adults and Edward joined him. Kris was teaching the youth, so I joined his class. Jeff was roaming throughout the class rooms taking pictures. Kris taught on why man was created - to serve God and enjoy him. The lesson was good, although, it's difficult to say if something was lost in the translation. The youth gathered for a group shot and I introduced them to Flat Stanley. They didn't understand, but happily obliged the goofy American.
Rick before church started
youth class
Youth class
Kris teaching the youth
The worship service was God-honoring. The congregation sang some hymns - we sang along in English. Then the small children came on stage, taking their shoes off at the stage. They sang beautifully; actually, the whole congregation seemed to be able to sing quite well - another gift God has provided his people. Next, the youth sang 2 songs - one of those in English. The youth then performed a play about a young girl who was trying to witness to different types of people - a student, farmer, business man and young ladies. Although no words were used, the message was quite clear and very powerful as the acting was realistic and moving. The adults followed with another song special. Finally, Bill, Edward, Jeff, Kris and I sang "Blessed Assurance" sans music - went fine but we could have used some female voices. Edward brought a poignant message on the new birth - both insightful and inspiring. Medes translated and the flow of the sermon went fairly smoothly.
Chheng opening service
little ones sing
adults sing
Youth sing
Play performed by youth
congregation
ringing the "bell"
Chheng and his wife, Sophorn
Edward preaches while Medes translates
Following worship, we all ate lunch together in the drive-through area. We relaxed for a while and then went visiting church members. First, we had to take a ferry across the river. We walked down a dirt path (really compacted mud and dung) to the "dock", which was boards loosely nailed together with lots of gaps. The ferry was two large wooden boat hulls with boards nailed across for a deck. The ferry held about 15-20 people along with a few mopeds and boxes. The guy driving the ferry was a kid about 14 or 15 yrs old, smoking and fairly well-versed in navigating the river. It cost about 50¢ per person, round trip. The dock on the other side was even smaller and more rickety. Once away from the river, there was no air moving. We went to an older church member's house, Sapawn. She was quite sick - nigh unto death (as we soon found out). There were family and friends all around. We sang a hymn and Chheng preached, prayed and witnessed to all present. It was during this time a most humorous thing happened to me.
This one lady, a neighbor I think, was troubled by my sweating - which was profuse. First, she brought me a chair (everyone else was already sitting). Then she brought out waters for all of us. Then she got an electric fan, balanced it on the bed and pointed it directly at me. I told her ah-goon (thank you), hoping she was done. But no, she then proceeded to start unbuttoning my shirt (glad I wore a t-shirt). I thought perhaps she would stop at 1 or 2 buttons, but no, she kept insisting on undoing all of them and then tried to take off the shirt. Now, I was getting a bit concerned. If I want to, I can usually intimidate a person, but this lady was being too nice for this. I'm also wondering what are the international rules? If this lady gets my shirt off, does that mean we're now engaged or something? I'm looking around at the guys, pointing at this lady and shrugging my shoulders asking for help. However, no help was coming. The guys were too busy trying not to disrupt Chheng and breakout into complete laughter rather than the coughing and smiling they were doing. Finally, Bill convinced her that I was fine and I was able to sweat in peace. Regardless, I'm really glad we were able to go visit as Chheng witnessed to many people.
On the ferry ride back over, we were standing around talking to Chheng. I went to ask Chheng a question, but he had disappeared. Some of the students were with us and they were laughing. I turned around to find Chheng standing directly behind me. He was hiding from the sun in my shadow! Chheng kept pulling little jokes like that all week - quite sneaky for a pastor. We arrived back on our side of the river and headed off to visit other church members, many of whom are related to Chheng. On the way, we picked up some sugar cane juice to go. It included ice, so Kris and I asked if it was okay. Bill said he had been here many times without any issues. However, in talking to Chheng, he would only say "wait and see" - nice!
Sugar cane press and To-Go cup
The church members we were visiting were quite poor. Their homes are elevated and they usually hang out underneath along with the animals. They seem oblivious to their economic state - happy, content and very hospitable. All were awed by our size. Somewhere during the visit, I earned my second nickname of Samson - must have been the size because the hair certainly isn't long and flowing! One man squeezed my forearm and then pointed to his leg as if my arm was the same size - may have been - they are a very diminutive people. They would ask questions like "how old are you", "are you married", "do you have children" - very inquisitive. We visited 4 families then Edward started feeling poorly (everything was fine the next morning). Bill, Kris, Vee (one of the students) and I visited one more member. She was quite pregnant; actually she was "supposed" to have had the baby two days earlier. After visiting for a brief time, we started to leave. She quickly protested saying "Hey, aren't you going to pray with me?!" Bill apologized and said a touching prayer for her and the delivery. (She did have a little girl a couple of days later - both she and Mom are fine).
visiting members
That night, a huge thunderstorm blew in. Bill was up closing windows but that didn't really reduce the noise or the water. When the storm hit, Kris and I were up talking. For some reason, it seemed to be raining in the room. We grabbed our flashlights and pointed towards the ceiling. The wind was blowing so hard it was forcing the water in-between the shingles on the roof, causing it to mist in our room - felt great! The storm was intense and close - lightning and thunder occurred simultaneously. A deluge of water was dumped, at least 4" in about an hour. Neither Kris nor I slept much, but he did earn his nickname that night as he got cold and had to cover up (cold is something I never imagined or experienced while in Cambodia). In the morning, we dubbed him Blanket Boy!
thunderstorm coming
The morning dawned hot and humid (seems to be a pattern here). The water had blown in under the door in the front room, but no damage. We had breakfast at the coffee shop and then headed to school. Starting at 9:00am, Jennifer taught English I as Bill took over baby duties (or dooty). She was teaching sentence structure and possessive adjectives. All of us commented that we didn't know some of what she was teaching, but the students seemed to understand it. Next up, Bill taught a computer repair class. Jeff seemed most interested in this class and didn't get in the way too much. The rest of us wandered about discussing a myriad of subjects regarding the school and how we could help. Kris was working on improving their network connections and efficiencies during this time. Oh, almost forgot about Chan, the school's maintenance man. A former student, Chan has taken on the duties of keeping the school and church equipment operating and doing building maintenance. This morning, when we arrived, he was preparing to paint the porch on a ladder. Nothing unusual - except the ladder. As you can see, instead of reaching the ground, he hung it from the rail on the porch (hope it's strong). He climbed onto it from the second level and proceeded to paint - I doubt that's OSHA compliant.
Kayleen arrives at school
Headmaster Chheng
computer class
ESL class
computer lab
you're missing a few rungs
We had lunch at our respective houses and sat down for a relaxing afternoon. Edward opted out of a trip to the bank (about 45 mins up the road) and joined us over at B&J's home. After a while, Jeff and Rick joined us as well. A light-hearted discussion regarding suitors for Katherine ensued with Kris touting the benefits of Daniel and Jeff countering with accolades for Jack. Both Moms had joined the fray long distance by sending home-made cookies with each Dad, trying to sway Bill and Jennifer's opinion. I'm not sure either won, but at least we had some great cookies. Around 3pm, the power went out and it became quite hot in the house. So, we retired to the backyard where shade and a nice breeze made the afternoon almost pleasant. Our afternoon became more fun when Katherine came out wearing her swimsuit and took a dip in her "pool". She is so cute, as you can see (thankfully, she looks like her mom; although Bill says otherwise!).
Our afternoon respite was interrupted by news that Sapawn, the lady we had visited yesterday afternoon, had indeed past away. Jennifer made a quick meal for us (in the heat) - wonderful as usual - and we changed for the trip across the river. Long pants, socks, shoes, bug spray - all to guard against the mosquitoes. It was very hot and humid - all of us including the locals were just covered in sweat. A storm was blowing in as we crossed the river at dusk - the lightning was flashing everywhere throughout the sky. I usually enjoy watching the lightning, but on the water in a rickety, wooden ferry boat at night? NO!
Now, as I mentioned before, weddings and funerals are a big deal in Cambodia (actually, they are everywhere - guess I'm just used to the American ones). Let me set the stage:
We arrived around 6pm to find people everywhere - at least a couple of hundred. A youth (could have been a man - hard to tell age over here) was putting poles in place for a tent. He was barefoot setting the poles equal distances, securing them into metal brackets on each pole. Then he climbed up about 8 ft to the next level and began to interlock the next series of poles to raise up the tent. The pole he was walking across was about 1-1.5" wide. Quickly and efficiently, they had the tent up in about 45 mins - 2 levels - about 25' x 45'. During this same time, others were unloading tables, chairs, food and decorations from make-shift carts pulled by bulls or mopeds - enough for at least 200 people. A loudspeaker had been erected some 30' into the sky and music (hymns) and Chheng's sermons were blaring out to the surrounding area. Another kid (or man) was erecting lights. He had simply tapped into electricity from somewhere and was stringing a wire all around in strategic areas (definitely not to code!). Then he would splice in the fluorescent light fixture he was carrying, flip it on and let it dangle there from the wire. Chheng's preaching was broadcast across the entire area. About 200 yards up the road is a large Buddhist temple - I'm sure they enjoyed the service - HA! We were treated with great hospitality, as always. An electric fan came from somewhere and was pointed at us - can't imagine why. The children were so funny. They would hang around a few feet away and just stare at these strange French people - as I said, all white people are French or Barang. Every once in a while, a "brave" one would come close, touch an arm or leg and run off to the others in a fit of laughter saying something akin to "I touched him! I touched him!" After the service (7:15 - 8:30pm), everyone ate - something close to chicken soup with rice. It was a bit unusual to be eating next to the dead lady (who was just laid out in the house with the window open to see her), but only we seemed to notice. Edward and I chose not to eat. One of the gentlemen was concerned, saying we needed to eat. When asked why, he said he didn't want us to get smaller because people might think they don't have enough food in Cambodia. We laughed and assured him that wouldn't be the case - beside, we both could stand to loose some weight. Shortly afterwards, we crossed the river again in the dark (no lights on the boat or the docks but plenty in sky) and if it wasn't for our flashlights, I don't know how the guy driving the ferry would have found his way. Praise God, even though it was lightning and threatening rain all night, we stayed dry. After a refreshing ride in the A/C, I mean car, we arrived home to find the power on - yeah! The wind had cooled things off a bit and after a cold shower, we hit the sack around 10pm.
It struck me this morning that I don't remember having 8+ hours of sleep three nights in a row in a very, very long time. Life here is a less complicated, less distracting - but not simpler. It is a struggle to simply feed your family, but it does have many fine qualities. I hope to come back home and try to uncomplicate my family's life…at least a little.
Today was the funeral for Sapawn (she was 82). After breakfast at the coffee shop (kind of repetitious, but good!), we caught the ferry. Once we arrived at the home, we had a seat under the tent. I kept brushing ants off of Edward's shirt. The locals said they were dropping off the trees and tents. I only saw them on Edward, maybe they were drawn to his sweet disposition? It was, again, quite hot and humid. They were breaking up ice and putting it out in coolers. We didn't put any in our drinks, but Rick decided to wrap some in a cloth. He began to wipe the cloth on his neck and wrists, exclaiming the benefits and how much cooler he was. After much rhetoric, Rick was dubbed the Ice Man and hailed as the coolest of us all (for the moment). We determined we had some time before the funeral and decided to do some exploring. Over a rickety bridge and to the Buddhist Temple. It's across the trail/street from the elementary school and market area. The students happened to be at recess - so we zoo animals were on display once again. The temple has some simple garden areas and although open to the public, we declined to enter the temple. While at the market, we sampled some fried bananas - seemed like we were at the Texas State Fair. Returning to the funeral, we found the family and friends busy preparing the body for the coffin. With no way to preserve the body for an extended period of time, the funeral happens quickly following death. As in the states, a viewing of the body was next. Edward, Bill and Chheng participated, while the rest of us viewed from afar. The funeral was delayed slightly as the florist had not yet arrived (accident in Phnom Penh had traffic backed up - hard to imagine). After a short time, 300+ flowers of all types were being carted in. While we waited, a lady began to quickly arrange the flowers into displays that we are used to seeing - wreaths, crosses... The speed of her hands as she deftly developed each display was amazing. The coffin was brought out and set under the tent with the rest of us. The lady quickly arranged the green material used to hold flowers into a cross and stapled it to the coffin (kind of shocked me a bit, but everyone else seemed oblivious). Then she began to make an arrangement on the coffin itself right in front of us as Chheng began to speak. Daniel, one of the DTS students, interpreted for us. He did an excellent job as, unlike the sermon Edward preached, Chheng never slowed his speaking. Chheng spoke on how we were sojourners in this land. This lady had led a full life and now was with Christ. Each of us will face death and will deal with this issue. There is one death, but this isn't the end. Only believing in Jesus and doing his will shall you get to heaven. Chheng's voice was strong, his tone was encouraging and his words were full of power - power of the Holy Ghost. Although I understood none of the words, his voice, body language and eyes were of a man intent on letting others know just how important Christ is and there is more to living than this life on earth. His sermon may have well been the high point of the week.
Watch where you step!
Buddhist temple
Florist creating flower arrangements at funeral
Following the funeral service, lunch was served. I had the supreme pleasure of holding Katherine while she slept. Many offered to hold her, one even tried to pry her from my arms. But I would have none of it. Did I mention she's a wonderful child? Anyway, following lunch, we headed back across the river to the market. Well, first, Bill was kind enough to cool off the car from being 1000º. At the market, Jeff, Edward and I were able to place orders to have skirts made for the females in our families. Meanwhile, Kris, never satisfied with status quo (a skill which became very handy later on), headed to another part of the market to have skirts made for his ladies. We're hopeful these will be ready before we depart on Thursday. The burial was to take place some time in the late afternoon (they were waiting for the concrete to dry for the tombstone - told you things were taking place quickly). We all were planning to head back across the river for the service. However, Kris and I were unable to attend. Upon our return to their house after the market, Bill decided he had to have a shower (we agreed but didn't say anything). We didn't realize Chheng had called and said they were headed back over until after Bill came out of the shower. We hurried over to the ferry, but by the time we arrived, the rest of the gang was coming back. Bill was immediately dubbed "Shower Boy!" Edward, Rick, Jeff and Chheng had made the trip back into the jungle to the gravesite. It was quite wet with a lot of standing water. According to Edward, he almost took a swim in a rice field when Jeff made a quick move from one path to another and Edward, trying to follow, nearly fell. It was then we realized that everyone had a nickname on this trip except Jeff. He tried to get us to use the one from his childhood, Hambone, but we wanted our own. Kris pointed out that Jeff seemed to always be in long pants, and yet was barely sweating. He decided it was because he was descended from the Ice Man and we promptly dubbed him Mr. Cool! It seemed appropriate, given he had planned all of our trips (well, except for Kris' - just had to be different), provided all the directions we needed, made adjustments for plan changes, and always seemed calm no matter the situation. Speaking of cool, the ice cream man also showed up, so we were able to purchase ice cream bars (about 2" long) with either coffee or orange flavoring for all the children and ourselves. 30+ bars for a whole $1.00 - unreal! Two of the boys were quite happy about this and decided to follow us back to the ferry. Bill asked them where they were going, to which they responded "home with you!" Bill pointed out that we lived a long way from their village and they decided they really didn't want to leave home that bad and headed back.
Playing battleship - Kayleen won!
We finished the night off with pb&j's at B&J's home - felt like being home except I wanted BBQ chips. Afterwards, I sat down to charge up my camera using the AC/DC converter. After about 2 minutes, Jennifer noticed smoke and unplugged everything. I had used the wrong plug (dummy!) but had thankfully only ruined the AC adapter and not the camera and printer. With the usual amount of notice, Chheng let us know he, Jeff and Edward were at the church and wanted to meet on the budget. Actually, Rick showed up to keep Jennifer, Katherine and Kris company so that Bill and I could head over to the church. The five of us met for about a little over an hour on the current budgets for Chheng, the church, school and the church at Sre Treng. We also discussed possible needs for the next 3 years. It was exciting to hear about the next steps they are considering - cell groups. Chheng and Bill hope to start sending the students back into their home villages to start small groups of folks meeting together. The first step would be a simple Bible study in someone's home and then see where the Lord leads. I was surprised to hear how many students are from villages quite far away. They've left family to come learn about the Lord. Many ideas were floated amongst us, making for an enjoyable meeting - other than the occasional mosquito bite. After a few games of Hexic (an electronic game on a blackberry-type of machine that I became obsessed with) while sitting in front of the fan, we all headed off to sleep in yet another thunderstorm - great cool night!
The morning dawned rather "cool" (probably in the 70's) and for the first time, I wasn't sweating getting dressed (thank God for little comforts). We headed to Sre Treng early, leaving at 6am. Morning rush hour took on a whole new level as the markets in every little village were open. We finally made it to the city of Toc-mm-ow (probably spelled wrong, but phonetically correct) and stopped for breakfast at a nice, airy restaurant. Although we had the same type of food (rice, pork, beignets), it wasn't quite as good as the simple coffee shop in Prek Ambel. As we left the restaurant, we stopped at a gas station. Fortunately, these were the type of gas pumps we're used to as opposed to the one pictured here that is in Prek Ambel. We had a slight disruption as Bill's car wouldn't start back up - which lead to a vigorous debate regarding why. Just like most women think they are Betty Crocker (my wife is significantly better), most guys think they know something about cars. It was no different with our group. Rick said the water in the battery was low. Bill countered that the car does this all the time after filling up, just give it some time. The gas station attendants brought out a charger. Chheng said we had to add acid to the battery - something none of us Americans had heard of. However, Bill supported this view stating that in Cambodia, they leave the batteries uncharged and empty. When you purchase one, they add a liquid that they call acid and then charge the battery. While this conversation is occurring, Edward and I decided that as professional finance guys, this work wasn't ours to do, so we sat down and decided to make fun of everyone. Kris was just hanging out listening. At any rate, the Ice Man decided to take matters into his own hand - he hooked up the charger, grabbed a couple bottles of waters and added water to the battery. After about 10 minutes, the car started up - and so did the debate. Bill said "see, I told you it just needed some time". This brought a rain of comments from all of us about adding water, the charger, Bill's inability to listen, why are all these people staring at us….After some more laughs, we continued our trip.
Did you notice that there are 2 people on each moped along with supplies?
folks going to work
morning rush hour
local gas station
The drive over provided a view of Cambodia that in my mind's eye was what all of the country would look like. Green rice fields everywhere with palm trees and "mountains" in the background. Small, elevated houses dotted the landscape as farmers were tending to their fields. Kris commented that he had never seen this in his previous 4 trips to Sre Treng. He described a desert-like landscape that I couldn't imagine. Yet, as you can see from these pictures taken in March 2006, this area does indeed change dramatically in the dry season. We finally reached the dirt road that lead to the church, which Bill said meant we were close. Just as we were turning, he spotted something. Yep, that's an elephant. They are used as work animals, no wild ones in Cambodia, but it was cool to see just the same. This dirt road had what I thought were a lot of pot holes - oh how wrong I was (more on that later). After about 30 minutes (did I say "close"), we pulled up to the local police station. Like the tin roof? You should, the church at Sre Treng paid for it - the local police chief "suggested" they pay for one to be installed - nice! Anyway, after crossing a palm tree bridge and maneuvering through a mud bog that I was sure we would get stuck in, we arrived at the church. A simple, elevated building, many church members were seated under it (which is common) waiting to greet us. They quickly prepared some delicious coconut drinks for us. After some brief chit-chat, we turned our attention to the new church building being erected. 12 workers from a crew that was located in Prek Ambel were living on site and without distractions, had made great progress. After only 3 weeks, the outline of the church was clearly evident -the pulpit area and of particular interest, the custom-made window coverings. The church was given a $15K grant and building plans from Cambodia Mission for Christ (CMC) - a non-denominational group here in the US. Chheng estimated that it would cost about $16K to build the church - I think we can help him with the other $1K!!! While we were touring, the church members enjoyed lunch. Following the meal, the dishes were put into the automatic dish washer, or should I say dishwashers. So many times I have been reminded just how spoiled we are in the US, yet often we are less happy than these people who don't have nearly as much.
road to Sre Treng
Sre Treng area in March 2006 during dry season
elephant
Road to Sre Treng
Police station
Palm tree bridge
Church of Mercy at Sre Treng
Coconut drinks
New building at Sre Treng
pulpit
window covers
dishwashers
Pastors Ngan and Chheng
Following the meal, we held a worship service. There were no chairs, so we sat on the floor. It felt unusual to be in church without our shoes on. The large Americans made sure to walk on the joists as the boards were rather flexible and none of us wanted to visit the local hospital (probably no where near us). 35 church members joined us to hear Edward preach while Chheng interpreted. It was a powerful and much-needed message on how to worship God appropriately. He focused on James 1:21-26 and 3 main points - preparation of our hearts before coming to worship, our attitude during worship and our expectation following worship (I'm sure I've paraphrased - forgive me for any errors, Edward). All churches, regardless of location or size, should have heard this message.
Edward preaches while Chheng translates
Following the message, the church graciously served us and Pastor Ngan lunch in the church. We ate, said our goodbyes, and headed for Phnom Penh. However, we didn't use the same route. Chheng decided that even though everyone told him the alternate route was very bad, he wanted to try it any way. This time, Bill was in the lead. Chheng should have listened. The scenery was quite beautiful on the route - something out of National Geographic Explorer. However, the road was extremely rough. It was here the extra tonnage of Kris and I, combined with bad shocks, became quite evident. The car kept bottoming out (jarring teeth and making for a very tense ride) on every other pot hole - and there were A LOT of pot holes. As were traveling out here in the middle of no where, Bill receives a phone call from the US - it's about 2pm in Cambodia. Now a phone call from the US at 2 AM their time brings a bit of trepidation to your heart - you know that little sudden shock of light pain like a needle from a shot? Turns out, it was Soda, holding down the fort for Jeff. He was having a server issue and needed to talk to him. We stopped for Chheng to pull up next to us and hand off the phone. Just after Bill passed the phone off, Rick hollers out "Nice choice of directions, Bill!" Chheng hit the gas before Bill could respond, a slight grin across his face. Turns out Chheng had told his crew that Bill had chosen the direction. Chheng played those types of jokes on all us throughout the trip - I didn't know he was so mischievous!
Trip back to Phnom Penh
No, this isn't out of National Geographic
Even though it was about ½ the kilometers of the other route, it still took us 30 minutes to reach a paved surface again - thanks, Bill! I thought perhaps the rough part of the trip was over and we would have smooth sailing into Phnom Penh - boy was I wrong! Somewhere along the way, Bill asked me an odd question. He asked "besides the heat, what has been the worst part of the trip for you?" I'm not sure if this was just Bill being Bill or if I had a funny look on my face, but viewing the trip in the negative hadn't crossed my mind. Turns out, neither Kris nor I had any thoughts on this viewpoint, but several on the opposite. The Cambodian people, especially in Prek Ambel, Sre Treng, and the surrounding villages, were extremely gracious and inviting. Many smiles greeted us wherever we went and all were eager to see to our every need and comfort. The church and school at Prek Ambel are astounding. The reverence, love and dedication shown by the students and members are unsurpassed in all my experiences with churches. The music and singing were beautiful and Christ-focused. Chheng, Bill, Sophorn and Jennifer have organized the school very professionally and the students are receiving a valuable education that they will be able to apply throughout their lives. I can think of no better way for First Baptist Parker to invest the monies God has made us stewards over than in support of the Cambodian ministry and this faithful group!
However, back to the trip and Bill's question. Although we didn't have an immediate response about the worst part of the trip, one was quickly presenting itself - the road back to Phnom Penh. We hit this stretch of road about 4pm - rush hour (although it's so chaotic most of the time, it's hard to tell what is rush hour). I have never seen so many big rigs, people transports, motorcycles, scooter, bicycles and cars in all my life. Now, I've been in NY and LA in rush hour - let me tell you it's a cake walk next to this place. Road signs, lanes, direction dividers, traffic direction - these are just recommendations. With no police in cars to enforce road rules, it's survival of the fittest. You have a bigger vehicle, you have the right of way. Your vehicle is newer or more expensive, you go first. If there's a two-foot gap between you and whatever is in front of you, that's driving space that anyone can and will use. Hesitate and you lose. However, don't you dare hit anything smaller than you because if you do, it's your fault - no matter what! Then add in the road. Repair work on the roads is done once a year - kind of. With craters big enough that huge trucks swerve and Hummers avoid (yes, we saw a few despite the 100% import tax), imagine how it looked to us in a RAV4 and '87 Camry. I thought a couple of times we may even tip over into one - well, maybe not that bad, but close. We kept leaning to one side or the other to try and help Bill keep the car level and avoid the holes we could. To say it was a stressful and uncomfortable ride is definitely an understatement.
Once it the city, rush hour was still in full bloom. Workers everywhere were heading home, including families. It was scary enough in a car - can't imagine having all my family on a motorbike! Now, I said there were no police in cars. However, there are police. Bill point to one and said watch. A large truck overloaded with workers heading home was about to cross an intersection where several policemen were standing (never saw any policewomen). One of the policemen walked out into the street as the truck was passing, with him on the passenger side. Suddenly, an arm appeared from the truck with something in it. The policeman reached up, grabbed the item and the truck went on its way. This exchange occurred several times during our drive in the capital - such are the rules of engagement in Cambodia. Bill finally got us to the restaurant - El Duo. It was like stepping back into the US! A pristine place with a pool, operatic music and best of all - A/C!! After a long drive, it was great to have a relaxed meal in comfortable surroundings. We pigged out on garlic bread, pizza, lasagna, chocolate mousse and canolli (not cannelloni, Jeff). It was a great feast, but upon reflection, I didn't feel as good after that meal as I did after the simple, yet delicious ones Jennifer had prepared - something to be learned there. We finally arrived back in Prek Ambel about 8pm - 14 hours after we left. After a brief scare of losing my passport (found it outside the church gate - was in my lap and fell out when I stepped out to open it), we relaxed and started packing for our trip back home. It was a glorious, exciting day and it ended as almost all other days had - a shower, relaxing in front of a fan playing Hexic, and a thunderstorm.
Rush hour on the road to Phnom Penh
Family of 4, with groceries, on a moped during rush hour in Phnom Penh
Monument in a round-a-bout
Dinner at El Duo
I didn't go to bed until after midnight, but by 5am, I was up and moving. Guess I was excited about going home. Although I missed seeing my family, we had been so busy, I didn't have a lot of time to reflect on it. However, packing had brought it to fruition and I was ready to get going. We were supposed to meet at Chheng's house at 8am, per his instructions. However, we (Bill, Kris and I) had decided we would be there by 7:30am. As usual, Chheng had changed his mind (I reminded him only females have that prerogative) and said we'd eat at the coffee shop and then go back to his house. Bill was getting dressed, so Kris and I loaded up and decided to take a few last minute pictures. I hadn't ridden a motorcycle since arriving and Kris insisted that this was a requirement - couldn't leave without doing it. So, Jennifer, Katherine and Kris drove the car up and Bill took me in on the motorcycle. Talk about a sight! Two Baraungs on a 230cc motorcycle in Cambodia. I think I heard the bike grunt! It was a short but exhilarating ride. Bill didn't tell me there were foot pegs so I just held my feet out - sure it looked as dumb as it felt. While waiting on breakfast, we all went and picked up the hand-made sarongs for our wives and girls. Edward went with Kris and took a great shot of one of the offerings in the market that morning. Following breakfast, Edward took his turn riding with Bill back to Chheng's. Unfortunately, Chheng had already left, causing a transportation issue. Rick and I decided to walk the 2 kilometers back to Chheng's house as Jennifer and crew took the car back. However, shortly into the walk, Bill came roaring back into view. I pushed Rick onto the bike, saying it was his turn, took a picture and off they went. The last thing Rick said was "Mama Bear is not going to be happy about this!" Jennifer stopped and picked me up. Jeff's first comment? "Mama Bear is not going to be happy about this!" - like father, like son.
Now Bill, no way she looks more like you!
Watch out for the crazy Barangs!
yes, that's a real pig!
is the motorcycle crying?
It hit me yesterday that I hadn't seen the inside of Chheng's home. So, upon arrival back at Chheng's, he gave me the nickel tour. He has a lovely home with lots of space, gorgeous tile, 2 great porches, spectacular views and 1 very tight staircase (just ask Jeff). We took a few more pictures, said our goodbyes and headed towards the airport. Once in Prek Ambel, we stopped at the Russian market to do some last minute shopping. Imagine almost 500 shops in a city block, all under 1 roof (I guess there was a roof), with a maze of aisles about 3 ft wide. If you're claustrophobic, don't go in. We shopped for about 30 minutes (hey, we're guys - what did you expect) and headed for the airport. We said our goodbyes - it seemed all too soon, like we had just arrived - but assured them that, Lord willing, we would see them again. Chheng reminded us that he hopes to come to the US next May or June - we look forward to that trip.
Nice earrings!!
View from Chheng's back porch - river in the background
So, I thought we were at the end of our odyssey, but no. After going through customs and making some flight changes, we only had a few minutes. However, Eric Sowell had told us we had to have a Black Panther beer before we left Cambodia. Edward had some Cambodian currency, riel, left to spend, so he brought one for himself and me. It's usually good to listen to Eric, and this time proved no different - the beer was dark, cold and refreshing. Rick and Jeff had some ice cream from Dairy Queen. We quickly wolfed them down and headed off to catch our plane. None of us were looking forward to the flight from Phnom Penh to Taipei, but we had a nice surprise. The plane was a larger model and with no tour group, lots of seating was available. We spread out in the emergency rows and had a relaxing trip. Once in Taipei, we checked on seats for our upcoming flight to San Francisco. Although there was a flight leaving in about 2 hours, we had a 5 hour layover scheduled. We had upgraded seats, which weren't available on the earlier flight during booking. We checked on seats for our scheduled flight, but failed to check to see if there was a change to the earlier flight - given that all of us a fairly seasoned travelers, I have no idea why not. Any way, we all went our separate ways exploring the airport for about an hour. After about an hour, four of us "happened" to run into each other and realized we hadn't checked on the earlier flight. We didn't know where Rick was, but Jeff had his boarding card, so we decided to go back to ticketing. A wonderfully helpful lady worked feverishly to move all 5 of us onto the earlier flight, which was scheduled to leave in a little over an hour. We discovered that all of our luggage (except Kris') had mistakenly been booked in Phnom Penh for this flight, which would have caused all sorts of problems if we had not switched. She even let us get by without showing Rick's passport. So, we rushed back through security and headed back through the terminal to find Rick. Now the Taipei terminal is not small, with a large shopping mall, restaurants, and lots of nooks and crannies to hide in. The last any of us had seen Rick, he was walking towards the connector towards another terminal. So, Edward hung out with our carry-on luggage at the gate and Jeff, Kris and I went scouring the terminal. With about 45 minutes before our flight left, we were all calm but starting to get concerned. Another 15 minutes ticked by and now were running through the terminal. Jeff had run through the mall once. I ran through it up to the Starbucks where we had gone on our trip out there - still no Rick. As I'm running back, I see Kris and he's waving for me to come back. When we catch up, he says he found Rick in a little spot in the mall, hidden in a corner that Jeff and I had both passed. With about 8 minutes to spare, we boarded the plane. I felt sorry for the people sitting next to us. We had been up now for many hours, had gotten sweaty loading the cars, shopping and now running around the Taipei airport. Oh well, couldn't be helped now. The flight back to San Francisco was "quick" - only 10.5 hrs versus the 13+ hours over thanks to the jet stream. After picking up our luggage in SF and going through US Customs (who picks the people who work in Customs - zero personality) we headed back to ticketing to see if we could catch an earlier flight home rather than waiting until the redeye the next morning (8 hrs from now). The Lord smiled on us and we were put on the standby list assured by the ticketing agent that there appeared to be plenty of room. Kris' aptitude for not settling paid off again in that he not only checked all of us in at the gate, but he also persuaded the gate agent to waive the $150 fee for leaving on a different day for each of us - a nice little $750 savings - nice job, Kris! Our flight back to DFW was crowded but quick and we arrived to 60 degree weather - what a change! Thanks to Pete Hetrick, who came out around 10:30pm and picked me up so I could get my van from work. So, Blanket Boy, Snoopy, the Ice Man and Mr. Cool all jumped into Samson the Tutu Man's mini-van and headed for our homes. It was a long trip around the metroplex (who knew Kris lived in Louisiana?!). By the time I arrived home, it had been 24 hours and 5 minutes since I had left Cambodia. I kissed my wife briefly and before she gagged from the smell, ran for the shower. In bed, I couldn't sleep; my body thought it was 1pm, not 1am. No matter, I had many wonderful thoughts flowing through my head of a life-changing trip to another, very precious world.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank several people:
- Jeff - thank you for inviting me for several years now and being patient as the Lord opened doors. You made the trip flow so smoothly and I truly enjoyed the fellowship of brothers in Christ
- Jenni - thank you for preparing the packing list, shopping for the items to take over to Cambodia and for getting Jeff so organized!
- Kris - thank you for being a great roommate and for keeping things light and in perspective
- Edward - thank you for going - that was the triggering event for me to go
- Rick - thank you for coming with us - I was happily envious of you and Jeff - I hope you cherish the experience as much as he does
- Bill and Jennifer - thank you for being such wonderful hosts and for your commitment to Chheng, the churches of mercy, DTS and especially Katherine
- Chheng, Sophorn and Kayleen - thank you for opening up a whole new world for me and allowing me to see how God is using you to bless the people of Cambodia.
- Kimberly, Madison and Taylor - thank you for letting me go on the trip - you'll never know just how important your support for me was.
- Mom and Dad - thank you for coming down, again, and helping my family. It as a great comfort for me
- First Baptist Church of Parker - thank you for allowing me to go and represent you, for paying for my airfare and your unflinching and unfailing support of the Cambodian mission. I praise God that he is using us in such a wonderful manner!
I leave you with a few pictures of the entire gang in Cambodia. Leah-howie (good-bye)!
Talk about beauties and the beasts
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