August 2004 |
A group of our neighbors were sitting in front of our house when we pulled in from the airport. Their smiles and warm welcome helped ease those first days back in Cambodia. The kids did a great job, Ben settling back into his routine again and not missing America too much - thank you for your prayers! Our trip back to the US was WONDERFUL � we keep saying it was one of our best vacations ever! Many, many thanks to our family and friends who made our time home so encouraging, enjoyable, and memorable. It was frenetic at times but somehow very refreshing through it all. We�re back in Cambodia with renewed perspective and enthusiasm for ministry here. And it�s official � the boys increased their body weight in the range of 15%! We�ll just say we parents gained a tad bit, too. Regarding the main reason for the trip - David won�t find out the results of his board exam for two months but he thinks it went fine� Our first week back has already been full. We jumped back into our work responsibilities, language study, and preparation for the national OMF conference which will be the first week in August. David was asked to assume some leadership responsibilities within the mission which involved a few additional meetings. And then this afternoon, our landlord�s mother died. Yee-aye (grandma) was in her mid-eighties and suffered from multiple health problems. We had several opportunities this past year to sit with her and pray for her. Only the Lord knew her heart. Our house, which is attached to our landlord�s, is currently consumed with chanting, special funeral music and activity. I wish I could send a recording of all this for you to hear! There will be a large, noisy gathering tonight, tomorrow, in one week, and then in 100 days. Tomorrow they will cremate her body at the Buddhist temple. The first 24 hour festival is believed to help her spirit find its way into the other world so that it doesn�t cause problems for the family. Sent with her are practical items such as pots and pans. The seventh day gathering is again to keep the mischievous spirit from settling here. There is another large festival with similar purposes every year. It�s been an interesting experience for us � we�re not always sure what to do, how to respond, or how to be helpful. Please pray that we will have wisdom. Happy to be back in Cambodia, David, Lara, Benjamin and Jonathan |
| Faux pas in America We didn�t have too many cultural missteps on our re-entry into American culture. We did discover Ben with his pants and underwear down around his ankles� twice. It wasn�t too bad although we were in the middle of a restaurant and he was looking for a tree to pee into! Big menus and stores were overwhelming at times. And meal sizes always seemed �super sized� � but we overcame this �challenge� rather quickly! Otherwise, it was just home. |
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| A Warm Welcome |