Christmas in Cambodia

Just to give you a glimpse into what my Christmas was like.

 

Christmas was different this year.

My family was separated in three far away countries.

I can't wait 'til Heaven!

But, it was still a good Christmas.

I got to Vox with my nieces and nephew for awhile. :)

I surprised Mom & Dad with a phone call--turned into a Skype chat. :)

I opened a box of Christmas cookies made by Mom--delicious!! :)

 

 

On the 23rd us girls went out for a nice Fish supper & ice cream.

We were all recovering from some sort of stomach flu/food poisoning,

 so we weren't very energetic. :( But it was still fun. :)

We came home and 'exchanged' gifts :)

 

The 24th, part of my team got together to celebrate Christmas.

This was great!

It helped to make it feel more like Christmas to celebrate with people & food. :)

We went to the newest mall in the city, & went ice skating.

It was so much fun to be skating again!! :)

It was even FREEZING COLD in the arena!!! :)

[But it did make me miss playing hockey....if there would have been hockey sticks around, I would have used them!]

Alyssa & I

Alyssa & I had fun getting the house all decorated for Christmas & making the food look pretty. :)

 

I may not have my nieces & nephew around to love on & spoil,

 but this adorable guy & his brother sure don't mind getting spoiled! :)

 

 

Christmas Day Brunch!!

{Cinnamon French Toast & an iced Peppermint Mocha}

 

Everyone else had plans Christmas Day, so Alyssa & I created some too.

We went to Daughter Café for brunch,

then we took our cameras for a walk around by the riverfront

& around Diamond Island. :)

 

The Royal Palace

It was a lovely, warm day.

A lovely photographer

This BEAUTIFUL flag was flying by the river.

My other home. :)

Palm trees...not quite the Christmas landscape I am used to...but still beautiful! :)

A gate leading to the Royal Palace.

 

We stopped at this cute little ice cream shop.

The Carmel Frappe wasn't so good. :(

But the sorbet was! :)

 

My Christmas Day also included a {slow!} trip to the airport to pick up more team members.

{I've never rode on a tuktuk where the driver was this cautious--wow! But hey, we were very, very safe! We weren't going to get into an accident!!}

 

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!

And God's blessings in the New Year!

 

Cambodian Transportation

Only in Cambodia can you stand at the side of the road for 20 minutes and be this entertained.

We were meeting friends [who were stuck in traffic--story of our lives here!],

I had my camera----so I was "a little bit" trigger happy. :)

Hope you enjoy some of the interesting sights I see every day on the roads!!

 

 

a guy selling drinks....like coke & ICED COFFEE!!! :)

 

 

No, he is not part of a gang or anything....he just didn't want the sun or dust to get on him!

 

This is how we transport trees.

 

This guy makes me smile! :)

There is this guy [or maybe more than one, not too sure] who wears funky clothes,

plays loud, funky music and sells something from the yellow box on the back of his moto.

[I haven't figured out yet what he sells]

But he sure makes everyone on the streets smile when he comes along. :)

 

This is how they transport lumber. :)

 

 

Tuk tuks can always hold a "little bit more".

 

When the truck is full, you sit on top of the stuff. :)

[Seatbelts are only something that the driver and front seat passenger need to wear.]

 

Notice the moto on the left going the opposite way! This is so typical. :)

 Sometimes it is just easier, & makes more sense, to drive the "wrong" way down the street.

*I may or may not have done this before. :) But don't worry! It's safe!! Everyone is always watching out for everyone else! :)

 

Not exactly sure what this vehicle is used for,

 but sometimes when you see them they are filled with people.

 

A three-wheeled tuk tuk

 

 

This moto is right tight to our tuk tuk, just waiting to cross the street.

Here, if you want to get anywhere you need to edge your nose out into the traffic until they go around you, or stop for you.

 

Sometimes you see your friends riding on a moto. :)

 

This photo doesn't do justice. This section of the road had massive ruts!!!

We made it through with our tuk tuk! :)

Monks

 

Oxen pulling a cart laden with goods to sell.

 

It's wedding season here. Which means that when you are traveling, there is a good chance that you will randomly come upon this tent that is set up on the road. You may be able to squeeze by it, or you may have to turn around and find a different way to your destination.

Life on these roads is never dull! :)

 

The front of the wedding tent.

They really do beautiful decorations.

We drove by an outdoor market.

The man on the left is selling freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.

 

True ladies ride motos sidesaddle.

*I have not mastered this yet.*

 

 

Well, hope you enjoyed the photos! :)

 

 

Days like these....

....when language learning is FUN!
 Like fun for real! :)

Days when I don't have to force myself to endure another two hours of trying to stretch my brain beyond it's capacity to fit these new sounds and definitions into it. Days when it is truly a joy to sit in class and learn more Khmer.

Days when I can feel God joining in on my class.

Days when I can feel God directing and guiding. Days when He gives me words to speak, when I have no words to say.

These days don't come to me every day, so today I am going to bask in the moment!! :)

I'm going to be glad for the friendship I have with my teacher.

I'm going to jot down all the culture things I learned today so I will remember them.

I'm going to rejoice in the fact that I only learned 15 new words  & 4 new phrases today [often I have to learn more than that in one day, so today my brain gets a bit of a break]

I'm going to 'play' with the App on my phone that allows me to make flashcards [in Khmer!] to practice the new words I learned. {I just had to buy a new phone as my old phone died. :( But one of the perks of this phone is that I am able to write in the Khmer script with it! :) So that has been fun. And it's good practice for me as well!}

Most of all, I am going to be thankful.
Because....
I'm sure someone was praying for my language class today!!!

Why do I say that?
Because today my teacher noticed the John Piper quote I have on the fridge and asked me what it means. So I gladly explained it to her. :) Then, I got her to translate it for me into Khmer script. We ended up spending quite a bit of time on this! Often to translate it word by word is different than to translate by meaning, and she wanted to be sure that she understood it correctly so that she translated it correctly for me.
I was happy to spend time discussing the quote. :) I can only pray that the quote will keep going through her head today, and that she will wrestle with what it truly means that God is always at work in your life!

The quote:
"God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of  3 of them." ~John Piper

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!

What are you thankful for today???

Here's a few of my blessings:
~God, who patiently teaches me what it means to trust....after I once again fail the test
~godly men who preach the God's TRUTH
~God, a refuge I can run to
~beauty all around me...in the elegance of the Khmer script...the palm trees...the bright green rice fields...the city...the beautiful chocolate brown skin...yellow butterflies...journaled musings and doodles...
~the peace & quiet that surround my apartment [after 9/10pm]
~cooking that reminds me of home
~answered prayers...like a friend's visa being approved....the rain holding off until I biked home with my groceries...freedom from Satan's attacks of discouragement, reassurance of the TRUTHS of God's Word...
~my Khmer teacher
~a brain that can learn...even if it is "mouy, mouy" [slowly, slowly]
~a friend from home who faithfully emails me
~that mom learned how to email :)
~my camera
~Skype & modern technology....even it is a frustration when it doesn't work [like my phone right now!], but it sure can be a blessing! I don't how I would survive without technology and the connection it gives me to family and friends at home!!
~a bike to ride [it's easier to get away from the dogs that would like to bite you!]
~that the storms of life don't last forever
~an afternoon spent out in the village
~a change in the daily routine
~more teammates coming...in 3 days!!! :) :)
~prayer meetings with the team
~Friday game nights
~my family...even though they are far away from me right now, I still feel blessed by them.
~a meal I didn't have to cook
~corn on the cob...that tasted good--not like the stuff at home, but it WAS good! :)
~the laughter of children
~the view from my balcony...you never know what you will see! :)

And the list could go on and on.............

Life is not all "a bed of roses", but I AM blessed.
Some days I feel like I do nothing profitable. I study. All day long. I do the normal things like cook, clean, go grocery shopping. Most days there is no exciting story to tell about my life. But I'm learning that that is okay. I am here because this is where God called me. So for now I attempt to just be grateful for the small, everyday things in life. Because, honestly, I am blessed.

So......what are YOU thankful for??? How has God blessed YOU lately??? I would love to hear from you! :)

Just a ride down

The Mekong River!!!

 

This past Monday was a holiday in Cambodia.

So, we took a small break from the language lessons.

It was refreshing to give the brain a bit of time to process all the foreign words

and sounds it has been subjected to lately.

And it was just as refreshing to see greenery instead of concrete and the occasional palm tree!

[I love living in a city! :) It makes me appreciate the beauty of God's Creation on a different level.]

 

My whole team went, well those of us here so far.

And a friend from church, along with part of her family.

 

 

Waiting to leave the harbour

 

Cambodia's flag

{Disclaimer: I am not a fan of extreme editing.

So with my tongue in my cheek I have to confess that sometimes it does create some nice ART.}

 

This is the view of the Royal Palace--from the River.

 

House boats line the riverbanks

 

*Not 100% sure who lives in these boats. I'm been told different things. Some people say it is a specific people group. Some say it is a specific religious group. And others say it is the very poorest people, those who cannot afford a house in the city but have jobs here.

I don't know which is the truth.

It doesn't matter.

Seeing their tiny houses makes me ashamed at all the things and space I think I need to live.

Yes, my apartment only has three small rooms. Yes, there will be five girls living here in a few short months. Yes, we only have the bare necessities in the kitchen--according to standards in America.

But I am blessed!

I have no "right" to complain.

 Pretty houses dotted the riverbanks occasionally

I think these kids were wondering what these 'barangs' were doing :)

Mango tree surrounded by banana trees

We did not get to see the sunset, but the sky was still beautiful

"Watch me! One day I am going to fly!!"

 

{Poor little man thought we were crazy to make him stand like this. :) Ha!}

"Our" ride ~Lucky Boat I

 

The best seat on the boat was on the roof. :)