September 2003 |
| So much has happened since our last letter! Besides our growing Khmer vocabulary, let me catch you up on a few: New Home: We moved into our new house at the end of July. What a blessing! We�ve gotten to know many of our neighbors and our landlord�s family is very helpful and friendly. They love to watch Jon and take him on many excursions. Now more people know Jon in our neighborhood than us! In addition, the property is safer for the boys and more than doubles our previous living space. National Elections: Praise God that the election process was largely peaceful! Although the communist party won a contested majority, they failed to gain enough representatives to form their own government. So the government is currently in a political stalemate with pro-democracy parties refusing to work with the current prime minister. Fortunately only a few government services are affected during this uncertain waiting time. Medical Clinic: David visited Champus Keak, a village of about 20,000 people located five miles south of Phnom Penh. The area currently lacks any medical services. In December, a local Khmer church hopes to complete a community health clinic which we�ve agreed to help staff one day a week along with a Khmer physician. We�re excited about this opportunity and the vision the church has for this project! Other Ministries: Our medical responsibilities within OMF providing member care will start in January. David�s continuing to look at teaching opportunities and student ministry. We expect our first visit by American residents this November. Lara saw several opportunities at the national orphanage (Child Nutrition Center) which works primarily with disabled children. For now, we�re still in �full time� language study. Juanita�s Visit: Lara�s mom is now with us. She�s been a refreshment to us all - the kids (and us) are having an absolutely wonderful time! And along with her, we�ve played tourist visiting Ankgor Wat. Quite amazing! We�ll miss �an-ma� greatly! Experiencing His daily provision, David, Lara, Benjamin and Jonathan |
| A Close Shave Lara and I have had many close shaves since our arrival in Cambodia. No, not with breathtaking traffic or questionable food, but with sellers. When Cambodians talk about �a close shave� they mean price gouging the foreigner. Sometimes, we oblige them the few extra cents. Often times, we�re not even aware. With even the government having dual rates for locals and foreigners, it�s very much a part of national life here. They even joke that the foreigner sometimes gets razor burn from an extra close shave! Pass me some aftershave� |
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| Some Changes, Some New Words |