not alot to tell today. things have settled down and a routine emerging.
ive been feeling very stretched this week.
the last 5 nights i havent slept hardly at all. so ive become part human part zombie. im told this is the coolest time of the year...
imagine the hotest day of the year in england. multiply by 3 then imagine that is the coolest day of the year in cambodia. i know i have a reputation for over exaggerating but this is no joke...
bad start to the season for spurs. i havent been back to FCC yet but am fully intending on going soon. i hope i can catch some of the football there.
my language is getting better. i can say 1-29 in khmer. once you know 1,2,3,4,5 then 10. its just a matter of saying. 5+1=6. so once you know all the multiples of 10 and 100. you can say any number from 1 to a million.
the problem is everyone talks so fast even if you know the numbers its impossible to understand anything.
stayed up late watching lord of the rings yesterday. its is nice to step into a fantasy world for a few hours. let your mind switch off. plus being up late did help me sleep.
the smiths dont have any cable...but they do have alot of films.
ive gottern to know maysien a bit more recently. she does all the house work and alot of the cooking at the smiths. we went to the market together on wednesday which was good. but i think she had to pay extra for everything because i was with her. it is facinating to see their world, the things that are normal and acceptable in their culture that would be considered breaking the law in most werstern cultures. also seeing the strongholds in their lives, the things that cause their attitudes.
i think ive adjusted well. heidi spent 3 hours on the phone on her first day here.
it seems i did have alot to say today in the end. like i said before ive become a keen blogger
Ben.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
so what?
Interesting few days…
First there was real tragedy among lots of missionaries and pastors. One pastor who has been here for 12 years committed adultery last week. He was apparently unrepentant and has caused a lot of pain. His son Micah came to stay. He led a church of about 500. Mainly Khmer. He started by just teaching English. Which always gathers a crowd, then built from there. He had just passed the leadership onto his eldest son. Steve was clearly very upset. I don’t know what to say.
Then positively a guy called sowat (so what? Sowat!), who was part of the church about 18 months ago. Phoned Steve out of the blue and said he wants to come back. No one knows why he left or if he made a commitment. We went and visited him today. His English is very good and he is going to come to the church on Sunday. This is really good news for Steve as sowat was one of their first real Khmer contacts.
So we went to his house, which was basically one room, with one big bed in the corner then a few little stalls round the edge. He apologised that his house was so small. Which I was baffled about. But offered us fruit and a drink and we got talking. He said how good it was to see Steve again and to meet me was a real pleasure. He shared his desire to go to university but because his wife doesn’t work and he has a child to care for he is stuck working at a motodop (a motorbike taxi station). For him and many like him his life is a constant struggle to support his family. His desire is to get out of this circle of poverty but the only way to do it would be to ask his family not to eat for a few years. It is a very hard life. Yet his smile was overpowering and his zeal for life captivating. I liked him a lot.
I have my second day of home schooling tomorrow. This should be interesting. It is actually very easy and the boys know what they have to do anyway. The lesson plans are really good and I have to say I think they are getting a much better education than I had. They are learning about all sorts of things I still don’t know anything about. Having said that because the material is American they spend a lot of time studying the Wild West and Abraham Lincoln etc…
There are only two things I really miss. Milk and Jo-Anna (my guitar). I would give anything to have her with me. I wish now I hadn’t worried about my baggage allowance and just taken the risk and brought her.
You can’t get good fresh milk here. The fresh milk is extremely creamy and very expensive.
But on the other hand I do eat mangoes for breakfast. Beggars cant be choosers…
First there was real tragedy among lots of missionaries and pastors. One pastor who has been here for 12 years committed adultery last week. He was apparently unrepentant and has caused a lot of pain. His son Micah came to stay. He led a church of about 500. Mainly Khmer. He started by just teaching English. Which always gathers a crowd, then built from there. He had just passed the leadership onto his eldest son. Steve was clearly very upset. I don’t know what to say.
Then positively a guy called sowat (so what? Sowat!), who was part of the church about 18 months ago. Phoned Steve out of the blue and said he wants to come back. No one knows why he left or if he made a commitment. We went and visited him today. His English is very good and he is going to come to the church on Sunday. This is really good news for Steve as sowat was one of their first real Khmer contacts.
So we went to his house, which was basically one room, with one big bed in the corner then a few little stalls round the edge. He apologised that his house was so small. Which I was baffled about. But offered us fruit and a drink and we got talking. He said how good it was to see Steve again and to meet me was a real pleasure. He shared his desire to go to university but because his wife doesn’t work and he has a child to care for he is stuck working at a motodop (a motorbike taxi station). For him and many like him his life is a constant struggle to support his family. His desire is to get out of this circle of poverty but the only way to do it would be to ask his family not to eat for a few years. It is a very hard life. Yet his smile was overpowering and his zeal for life captivating. I liked him a lot.
I have my second day of home schooling tomorrow. This should be interesting. It is actually very easy and the boys know what they have to do anyway. The lesson plans are really good and I have to say I think they are getting a much better education than I had. They are learning about all sorts of things I still don’t know anything about. Having said that because the material is American they spend a lot of time studying the Wild West and Abraham Lincoln etc…
There are only two things I really miss. Milk and Jo-Anna (my guitar). I would give anything to have her with me. I wish now I hadn’t worried about my baggage allowance and just taken the risk and brought her.
You can’t get good fresh milk here. The fresh milk is extremely creamy and very expensive.
But on the other hand I do eat mangoes for breakfast. Beggars cant be choosers…
Saturday, September 23, 2006
punch bag
i need to set a few things straight:
1) i do not own an AK47
2) i did not try to smuggle one into cambodia
3) i have not been conscripted into the khmer rouge or anyother military force
4) i am not married and do not have any children
5) my name has not been changed to abdul
6) i am not dead
thankyou for letting me clear this up.
anyway...............
things here are plodding along slowly. im still exploring and taking everything in.
im saving my money for a few possible trips.
the smiths might be going on holiday to malaysia and have invited me.
also there is the pacific rim conference in sydney in april i really want to go to if possible. this is going to cost me about $1000 which is quite a chunk of my money for the year but i think i can afford it. so im just waiting to see if its ok for me to go.
i havent really spent any money yet. my visa for the year is $240 and ive got to pay some rent soon but except for that there isnt anything here really worth buying. i spend a few thousand riel in internet cafe's and on coffee occasionally. (this is not very much 8000 in one pound)
it feels like ive been here a lifetime i think the time is going to go slowly, but im not counting the days. i know why im here. so far its been a really positive start which is good. one thing i really miss is some good male bonding. there just arnt any blokes here. ohh well its a hard life...
my blogs will slow down eventually but because its all new ive been itching so tell someone about it all. so this has been a good punch bag for me. i must confess im quite the avid blogger now. i never thought i would be.
living the high life.
Ben.
1) i do not own an AK47
2) i did not try to smuggle one into cambodia
3) i have not been conscripted into the khmer rouge or anyother military force
4) i am not married and do not have any children
5) my name has not been changed to abdul
6) i am not dead
thankyou for letting me clear this up.
anyway...............
things here are plodding along slowly. im still exploring and taking everything in.
im saving my money for a few possible trips.
the smiths might be going on holiday to malaysia and have invited me.
also there is the pacific rim conference in sydney in april i really want to go to if possible. this is going to cost me about $1000 which is quite a chunk of my money for the year but i think i can afford it. so im just waiting to see if its ok for me to go.
i havent really spent any money yet. my visa for the year is $240 and ive got to pay some rent soon but except for that there isnt anything here really worth buying. i spend a few thousand riel in internet cafe's and on coffee occasionally. (this is not very much 8000 in one pound)
it feels like ive been here a lifetime i think the time is going to go slowly, but im not counting the days. i know why im here. so far its been a really positive start which is good. one thing i really miss is some good male bonding. there just arnt any blokes here. ohh well its a hard life...
my blogs will slow down eventually but because its all new ive been itching so tell someone about it all. so this has been a good punch bag for me. i must confess im quite the avid blogger now. i never thought i would be.
living the high life.
Ben.
Friday, September 22, 2006
photo's
this is a photo looking out from FCC over the river side. we had a picnic on the grass when it got dark. its really busy because of the naional festival this week everyone is out and about.
this is a photo of me and the boys on a tuk-tuk on my first week in PP. it was midge's birthday so we went out for the day.
went to FCC (foreigners correspondance club) a great bar full of westerners with BBC news channel on the tv. i think im going to go there and hang out abit. the view of the river is amazing and all the people are nice.
all your emails have been great. sorry i dont have much time to reply to all in full but they are much appreciated. there was a military coo ( i dont know how to spell that word) in thailand last week so the political situation has been tense. although most people in PP have seen it all before and just get on with their lives. no one seems to worry.
i will take time to add some more photosa of the city at some point soon. i really think you cant understand everything that is happening here untill you visit. it is an amazing place and i really feel at home. my language is getting better as i spend more time with khmers. im going to get a teacher soon but so far i know enough to get me by.
for shizzle me blizzel in de nizzle.
im teaching the boys a range of new vocabulary.
Ben.
p.s.
matt+luke i heard about the naked guitar photo on the powerpoint display....good one! i would say i regret it but i really dont...at least people will remember me! apparently don smith nearly fell off his chair... just think my nakedness could have killed don smith...if only. what a story that would be.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
AIDS
My first Sunday.
We left the house at 8:15 had a prayer meeting before church! I led the worship with such profuse sweating everyone thought I was crying. It was so bad I did get quite emotional…even with 3 fans pointed straight at me.
Steve preached on the Holy Spirit and touched on some gifts. It’s very hard having to stop after every sentence to wait for the translation and I think there are some people who disagreed with what he said even though he backed it up biblically. I thought it was good.
This afternoon we had TLC which I thought stood for tender loving care! It actually stands for ‘taking a look at Christianity’ it is essentially an alpha course. Steve did the lesson on King Saul and discussed about faithfulness. One major problem is the women think it is ok for their husband to be faithful for 364 days of the year then visit a prostitute one day a year. Their whole understanding is immoral. But the girls are really nice and although they are not Christians they come to all the meetings and help Steve translate songs and sermons which is great. Sopiri is one Khmer student; she is 22 and speaks very good English. Midge says she is very clever so she thinks a lot about God. They know if she makes a commitment it is genuine because she has thought everything through and asked a lot of hard questions.
There is a woman from the village who visited the church today. She had a bible and was clinging on to every word. Her husband visited a prostitute and contracted aids then passed it on to her and their child. Steve and midge prayed for her and really want to see her healed. A few months ago they had some people in the village get healed and the church boomed as a result with many people all wanting Steve to pray for their children. Despite this because of a lack of manpower, doing weekly evangelism into the village has become impossible.
There is a lady in the church called Emily who reminds me a lot of my aunt Trisha. Nice lady. She works for YWAM training Khmer to become primary school teachers. They do not work under the name YWAM here, I’m not sure why.
Glynn and Tori a couple in the church have lived here for 18 months they work for SAO another mission organisation in the city. They have two of their own children then they have adopted 4 Khmer children and have recently had Heidi a British girl come over from Leister in the UK to help them for 6 months. Heidi plays the drums apparently…
In total the church is 50% adult 50% children.
Maybe only 1/5 Khmer.
Anyway…food time
FYI… the food here is totally amazing. It’s like being at the fortune inn every night!
God bless Midge!
Peace out.
Ben.
We left the house at 8:15 had a prayer meeting before church! I led the worship with such profuse sweating everyone thought I was crying. It was so bad I did get quite emotional…even with 3 fans pointed straight at me.
Steve preached on the Holy Spirit and touched on some gifts. It’s very hard having to stop after every sentence to wait for the translation and I think there are some people who disagreed with what he said even though he backed it up biblically. I thought it was good.
This afternoon we had TLC which I thought stood for tender loving care! It actually stands for ‘taking a look at Christianity’ it is essentially an alpha course. Steve did the lesson on King Saul and discussed about faithfulness. One major problem is the women think it is ok for their husband to be faithful for 364 days of the year then visit a prostitute one day a year. Their whole understanding is immoral. But the girls are really nice and although they are not Christians they come to all the meetings and help Steve translate songs and sermons which is great. Sopiri is one Khmer student; she is 22 and speaks very good English. Midge says she is very clever so she thinks a lot about God. They know if she makes a commitment it is genuine because she has thought everything through and asked a lot of hard questions.
There is a woman from the village who visited the church today. She had a bible and was clinging on to every word. Her husband visited a prostitute and contracted aids then passed it on to her and their child. Steve and midge prayed for her and really want to see her healed. A few months ago they had some people in the village get healed and the church boomed as a result with many people all wanting Steve to pray for their children. Despite this because of a lack of manpower, doing weekly evangelism into the village has become impossible.
There is a lady in the church called Emily who reminds me a lot of my aunt Trisha. Nice lady. She works for YWAM training Khmer to become primary school teachers. They do not work under the name YWAM here, I’m not sure why.
Glynn and Tori a couple in the church have lived here for 18 months they work for SAO another mission organisation in the city. They have two of their own children then they have adopted 4 Khmer children and have recently had Heidi a British girl come over from Leister in the UK to help them for 6 months. Heidi plays the drums apparently…
In total the church is 50% adult 50% children.
Maybe only 1/5 Khmer.
Anyway…food time
FYI… the food here is totally amazing. It’s like being at the fortune inn every night!
God bless Midge!
Peace out.
Ben.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
paranoid?
yesterday after church i wrote a massive blog on my laptop and will post it when i next get a chance. at the moment im in another of PP's many internet cafes.
the city is surprisingly western but i will never get used to being stared at. its horrible walking past a group of people and know they are talking about you. no...im not paranoid. you can tell because they point and laugh. i think something was funny earlier when i put a rain coat on? bizarre.
anyway i ventured out into the city centre today. i think im going to stay down in the south of the city its alot less busy and the moto drivers leave you alone after you say no once, whereas here they ask about 3 times. its very anoying when you get asked every 10 seconds.
tomorow is my first offical day of work. we are going to get tom (he is a tuk-tuk driver who says he is a christian but goes to another church. this is something they here all the time) on his tuk tuk to pick up a new desk and some chairs to help expand the office.
the city is surprisingly western but i will never get used to being stared at. its horrible walking past a group of people and know they are talking about you. no...im not paranoid. you can tell because they point and laugh. i think something was funny earlier when i put a rain coat on? bizarre.
anyway i ventured out into the city centre today. i think im going to stay down in the south of the city its alot less busy and the moto drivers leave you alone after you say no once, whereas here they ask about 3 times. its very anoying when you get asked every 10 seconds.
tomorow is my first offical day of work. we are going to get tom (he is a tuk-tuk driver who says he is a christian but goes to another church. this is something they here all the time) on his tuk tuk to pick up a new desk and some chairs to help expand the office.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
AK47
Wow…what a week.
Its been a week of firsts for me:
1. first tuk-tuk
2. first moto
3. first AK47 (for those of you who know nothing…this is a seriously cool Russian rifle)
4. first elephant (outside a zoo)
5. first time I’ve lived in someone else’s home
6. first time I got called a missionary!
7. first time I travelled alone
8. first time I’ve been to the tropics
9. saw my first land mine victim…a guy with two plastic legs at the market.
10. my first Cambodian beer…..i think they peel the label off Budweiser and put a new one on.
The list goes on.
Life here is great. The city is busy but the life is slow. I’m getting used to the pace of things and the atmosphere. The heat is suffocating.
It’s hard to say all that has happened. I cant imagine reading this and fully grasping what it is like here. I would really encourage anyone to come and see the work being done here. Steve and midge are real heroes. I have an awesome respect for the way they live their lives and who they are.
There is a guy called chuck who is one of the literally hundred’s of American missionaries in PP. he is building a church of mainly students in the city. He gathers over 1300 students on a regular basis to teach English and has a church of about 500 people mostly Khmers. This sounds amazing to have a Christian church of this size in Cambodia. I said to steve jubilee is a church being built on rock. It is better to have a dozen spirit filled disciples than 500 people who only go to church to hear English being spoken and never grasp the reality of grace and the goodness of god. Its great to be part of such a small community of believers who all know what it is to live with the spirit al believe in the power of the gospel to change peoples lives cross culture. God is doing an awesome work in this city and I’m so glad to be here and take part in it. I don’t think anyone in Worthing knows fully what is happening here.
I don’t know what to say…god is good.
Libby one of the Australian women in the church, who is a nurse in the city, was telling us at home group about a story from that day. She had been to one of the slum areas with some other nurses and they were told of a mother who’s baby was taken from her and sold. No one knows who it was sold to or for what purpose but she was sold for $15. Probably into slavery or the sex trade. Its would cost more to buy a pig for their farm than a child.
The poorest people often live near the sewage canals or over a lake of all sorts of horrible things. Sometimes because the houses are so shoddy babies fall between the floorboards or roll over the side into the canal or lake and drown.
This is obviously very disturbing but is one of many stories I have heard this week of things that would cause national outrage if they happened in England but no one thinks twice about here.
Those who dwell in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty.
Psalm 91:1
This verse has lived with me for the last few weeks. Having seen what I’ve seen in this city. This verse comes to life. These people are so needy they turn their attention to other things. Without the knowledge that God can protect and provide for them. It is a great injustice.
One major problem, however, is that language can often work against you. Steve was telling me about one problem they’ve had…using the word ‘spirit’ or ‘holy spirit’ in khmer often means idols or evil. Which in turn can cause great fear. So this misunderstanding can be fatal. In all sermons, songs and bible studies. The words have to be changed to ‘good spirit’ or ‘spirit of jesus’ which they associate with goodness and love…quite rightly so!
Long blog I know…but always good to get stuff off my chest and im sure there are some die hard friends who will read it atleast once… I hope.
Thankyou for your emails. Please stay in touch.
Much love in Christ
Ben.
Its been a week of firsts for me:
1. first tuk-tuk
2. first moto
3. first AK47 (for those of you who know nothing…this is a seriously cool Russian rifle)
4. first elephant (outside a zoo)
5. first time I’ve lived in someone else’s home
6. first time I got called a missionary!
7. first time I travelled alone
8. first time I’ve been to the tropics
9. saw my first land mine victim…a guy with two plastic legs at the market.
10. my first Cambodian beer…..i think they peel the label off Budweiser and put a new one on.
The list goes on.
Life here is great. The city is busy but the life is slow. I’m getting used to the pace of things and the atmosphere. The heat is suffocating.
It’s hard to say all that has happened. I cant imagine reading this and fully grasping what it is like here. I would really encourage anyone to come and see the work being done here. Steve and midge are real heroes. I have an awesome respect for the way they live their lives and who they are.
There is a guy called chuck who is one of the literally hundred’s of American missionaries in PP. he is building a church of mainly students in the city. He gathers over 1300 students on a regular basis to teach English and has a church of about 500 people mostly Khmers. This sounds amazing to have a Christian church of this size in Cambodia. I said to steve jubilee is a church being built on rock. It is better to have a dozen spirit filled disciples than 500 people who only go to church to hear English being spoken and never grasp the reality of grace and the goodness of god. Its great to be part of such a small community of believers who all know what it is to live with the spirit al believe in the power of the gospel to change peoples lives cross culture. God is doing an awesome work in this city and I’m so glad to be here and take part in it. I don’t think anyone in Worthing knows fully what is happening here.
I don’t know what to say…god is good.
Libby one of the Australian women in the church, who is a nurse in the city, was telling us at home group about a story from that day. She had been to one of the slum areas with some other nurses and they were told of a mother who’s baby was taken from her and sold. No one knows who it was sold to or for what purpose but she was sold for $15. Probably into slavery or the sex trade. Its would cost more to buy a pig for their farm than a child.
The poorest people often live near the sewage canals or over a lake of all sorts of horrible things. Sometimes because the houses are so shoddy babies fall between the floorboards or roll over the side into the canal or lake and drown.
This is obviously very disturbing but is one of many stories I have heard this week of things that would cause national outrage if they happened in England but no one thinks twice about here.
Those who dwell in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty.
Psalm 91:1
This verse has lived with me for the last few weeks. Having seen what I’ve seen in this city. This verse comes to life. These people are so needy they turn their attention to other things. Without the knowledge that God can protect and provide for them. It is a great injustice.
One major problem, however, is that language can often work against you. Steve was telling me about one problem they’ve had…using the word ‘spirit’ or ‘holy spirit’ in khmer often means idols or evil. Which in turn can cause great fear. So this misunderstanding can be fatal. In all sermons, songs and bible studies. The words have to be changed to ‘good spirit’ or ‘spirit of jesus’ which they associate with goodness and love…quite rightly so!
Long blog I know…but always good to get stuff off my chest and im sure there are some die hard friends who will read it atleast once… I hope.
Thankyou for your emails. Please stay in touch.
Much love in Christ
Ben.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
jars of clay
im sitting in an internet cafe opposite jars of clay cafe. which i havent visited but am about to after i finish this. im told it has airconditioning...what a result.
I never thought id say this but this morning i had both the coldest and the greatest shower in my life. it was brilliant.
we played football yesterday i sweated so much it was unbelievable. it was worth it thought, me and jordan whopped steve and samuel...brilliant.
life here is good. it is a busy city but everything is very laid back i like it alot. tomorow morning im going to go up to independance monument right by the palace and have a walk around. midge said alot of the university students walk there early in the morning and love to sit and talk with westerners to practice their english.
the little khmer i learnt in england has gone along way so far and im growing in confidence. steve is brilliant at it. i was well impressed.
hope all in england is ok. please write to me its great to hear from you.
Ben.
I never thought id say this but this morning i had both the coldest and the greatest shower in my life. it was brilliant.
we played football yesterday i sweated so much it was unbelievable. it was worth it thought, me and jordan whopped steve and samuel...brilliant.
life here is good. it is a busy city but everything is very laid back i like it alot. tomorow morning im going to go up to independance monument right by the palace and have a walk around. midge said alot of the university students walk there early in the morning and love to sit and talk with westerners to practice their english.
the little khmer i learnt in england has gone along way so far and im growing in confidence. steve is brilliant at it. i was well impressed.
hope all in england is ok. please write to me its great to hear from you.
Ben.
baptism of fire
this is my first full day in cambodia. i met with steve this morning and we went through all the stuff he wants me to get involved with and we talked for about two hours. then we helped isabelle move house. she is a french lady from the phillipines who was living above the church building...really great big apartment.
steve wants me to lead worship this sunday. first week and i have to lead worship and sing at least two songs in khmer. talk about baptism of fire.
the smiths house is great. the up stairs is a massive open plan room with all the bedrooms coming off each side. then there is a big balcony that overlooks the front of the house which my room has a seperate door to which is great so i can sneak out in the morning and sit on the balcony and watch the tuk-tuk drivers shuttle past.
its rained quite alot so far. steve says i brought the drizzle with me. normally it rains heavily and consistantly but yesterday it was drizzle rain.
im still getting over some jet lag. i slept in the afternoon for a few hours. but really it is so incredibly hot i cant be outside for too long...by lunch tgime i was sweating so much i needed another shower.
midge's food is fantastic ive loved all the fresh fruit, melon, and exotic stuff.
i must wrap it up...
first impressions are good. it is a small city but with some major problems. i will explore some more soon and let you know what i find. but it is great im so glad to be hear and am really excited about the work we are doing.
the boys have too much energy plus they are well excited about me being here so i havent had a moment to myself yet...crazy.
peace out.
Ben.
p.s. i will send post some photos soon.
steve wants me to lead worship this sunday. first week and i have to lead worship and sing at least two songs in khmer. talk about baptism of fire.
the smiths house is great. the up stairs is a massive open plan room with all the bedrooms coming off each side. then there is a big balcony that overlooks the front of the house which my room has a seperate door to which is great so i can sneak out in the morning and sit on the balcony and watch the tuk-tuk drivers shuttle past.
its rained quite alot so far. steve says i brought the drizzle with me. normally it rains heavily and consistantly but yesterday it was drizzle rain.
im still getting over some jet lag. i slept in the afternoon for a few hours. but really it is so incredibly hot i cant be outside for too long...by lunch tgime i was sweating so much i needed another shower.
midge's food is fantastic ive loved all the fresh fruit, melon, and exotic stuff.
i must wrap it up...
first impressions are good. it is a small city but with some major problems. i will explore some more soon and let you know what i find. but it is great im so glad to be hear and am really excited about the work we are doing.
the boys have too much energy plus they are well excited about me being here so i havent had a moment to myself yet...crazy.
peace out.
Ben.
p.s. i will send post some photos soon.
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