January 2005 |
We first set foot in Southeast Asia two years ago at a medical missionary conference (CMDA CME) in Chiang Mai, Thailand February 2003. And that�s where we�ll find ourselves again Feb 13th � 25th. But it will be a very different experience! Then we were younger, plumper, less experienced missionaries just arriving from the US. We�re still young, of course! But our time in Cambodia has made us leaner and a little more experienced with the challenges of medicine and development in Asia. It�ll be a profitable learning time and we�re looking forward to great fellowship and reunions! Lara�s mom�s visit was fantastic, dampered only by her catching the flu on arriving in Phnom Penh. The Thailand train rides were certainly a hit! The boys had a wonderful time � our neighbors and househelp also enjoyed Grandma�s craft times! The Lord has been blessing the ministry of Bethel Church. We�ve taking on a variety of little roles which all stretch our language. David has tried preaching again but certainly prefers smaller discussions (with less words!) Samol, Kowan and Cheang are doing a great job! We did receive an angry threat recently at the church. The neighbor was not specific in identifying his problem with the church, but it shook everyone up - Cambodian culture can be explosively violent. Continue to pray for safety, grace, and greater maturity for all, but especially for Samol & Cheang who live at the church. Both of us have been able to reduce our workloads this past month � praise God! Specific to our prayer requests, David will pass some of his OMF responsibilities to another physician on the team. So we�ll have greater time to spend with our language and personal ministries. Our landlord�s son, Bic, started attending a Christian basics class since the beginning of the year. Lara will start a women�s study at our house when we return from Thailand. We�re also planning on making another trip up to Siem Reap province in March. Let us know if there�s other information you�d like to know about � you can e-mail or or send it �old-fashioned.� We�d love to hear from you either way! David, Lara, Benjamin and Jonathan |
| The Quest for an American Donut in Asia So what did we do on our vacation to Thailand you ask? Sleep and eat donuts. No cacophony of dogs and roosters does miracles for one�s sleep, and donuts every day, several times a day, does wonders for the waistline! Dunkin� Donuts to be specific. Chocolate ones with honey glaze. How could it be that Cambodian-Americans own 40% of the donut shops in California yet there is not one donut in Cambodia worth its calories? Lara�s tried to convince several friends that a donut shop is a worthy investment � she just got a bite! So perhaps in the next year, we�ll have a donut shop in town. An American donut shop that is� |
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