Living on a Prayer

Oh! We’re Half-way there?

3 months (and one week) into my internship. 3 months to go. How strange is that?

For my HNGR mid-internship assessment I had to answer a bunch of questions like “What have you done? What have you learned? How have you grown? What are you goals for the rest of your time? Etc. ”

It was hard to know where to start. Here's a bit of what I've been able to do, by God's grace:

I was able to teach these guys ESL and photography in Phnom Penh...

...and found them facebook stalking me when they were supposed to be out taking photos for a class assignment...

I taught these guys in Kandal...

This is what happened when I told them to do English skits about a day in the life of World Relief and take photos of the skits...

I've become part of a family. They're pretty awesome. 

And part of a church. Yeah...I'm singing in the choir. My host-dad is pastor at the church, and a few WR staff members go there, but I'm the only foreigner, so I stick out sometimes. 

I go on trips on the field to other provinces to gather stories about the people and programs...

Like Hope for Cambodia's Children in Phnom Penh...

Teenager Education in Kandal Province...

Adult Education and cell groups in Kampong Cham...

...and Moringa Agriculture Education in Pursat. 

I've met a lot of beautiful people, and heard their amazing stories. 

 Transportation has always been a bit of an adventure...

...And so has the food. 

What have I learned? Well, lots of little things, like:
1. how to pull of the wings and barbs of a roasted cricket so it doesn’t get caught in your throat when you eat it
2. how to sit on the back of a moto without falling off and how to weave gracefully (ha!) through Phnom Penh traffic



3. How to lock and unlock rusty padlocks through a hole in a gate



4. The importance of ducking every time I enter the house so I don’t bang my head on the ceiling or door.
5. How to cook some Khmer food at home



6. How to communicate with lots of hand gestures and one-word sentences



7. How to be a big sister.

I’ve grown to love a new culture and city and people. I've seen the beauty of this country

And the majesty in this capital city.

I've seen desolate conditions

But also how people are working to bring hope

I've made wonderful friends at work and home and in my Bible study group. 
I’ve learned how much I can do and how little I can do. 
Before coming, I was bracing myself for spiritual warfare, but despite the challenges and questions along the way, I have felt overwhelmed by God's powerful, unconditional love.
Even amid sad, painful, hopeless settings, I'm learning about his amazing love and grace. 
I am learning what true hope is, and am still working through what justice really is.
I am learning the importance of truth, and what that means in this journalistic context. 
I am growing into a more thankful person, I think, and trying to have a mindset that continually looks to God, whether to praise or to question.
 I have fallen many times, but each time I stand back up, I learn something new about the path I am walking on, and the lamp unto my feet.  

As far as goals go, Work: I would love to be able to finish all of these projects for work and for school and be able to produce some quality writing and documentation through them. Language: My church always has a time at the beginning for people to share little testimonies. People always urge me to share something, but even if I had something to say, and was brave enough to stand up there, my Khmer language would fail me. But I want to get to a point in my lessons when I can no longer use that as an excuse. I also would love to be able to do interviews in Khmer, but that might be a stretch.

Life: I hope that I am able to stay fully engaged in this place, especially once my time starts coming to an end, rather than just checking out and looking towards the next new thing. I want to keep working on making roots here, even though every time I put a root down, it gives me both joy and pain at knowing that I have to leave again. I want to love strongly, to continue to feel things deeply rather than becoming apathetic and comfortably numb. I hope to be more open to God in these coming months, listening to His call with obedience and passion. 

And I do want to be living on a prayer--conversing with God with every single breath I take, giving glory to Him through every activity and decision. 

The Next Not-so-great American-Cambodian Novel

If I were to write a book about why I am so exhausted today, it would go something like this:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Hot

by Marisa Foxwell

Chapter 1---King Eglon, the Rat 

“I never knew I was afraid of rodents until he was staring me straight in the face, his obese body enveloping my waste basket a few feet away from my bed, just as I was trying to slip into a peaceful sleep. Eglon has been paying night-time visits fairly frequently, but I didn't know how big he was until last night. My eyes locked on his with malice, and his expression said ‘I DARE you to try to kick me out of here. We both know who runs this place.’ And it was true. I just tucked my mosquito net around me and tried to forget he was there. What a bully….”

Chapter 2---Why I Need a Crossbow 

“Later that night, Banan, my host-dad, heard noises outside. I woke up and looked out in time to see him bolt out the door in his undershirt and boxers, crossbow over his shoulder. I heard a loud noise, and then a celebratory “Yeeeaaaaa!” Well, that’s one less rat to worry about. I hope it was Eglon….”

Chapter 3---Sunrise Fitness 

“Saturday Morning at sunrise is the perfect time to go for a family trip to the riverside to exercise. Yes there we were at 5 am: Mala, Yosue, Moria, and I, all on one moto, with a soccer ball, a jump-rope, and a bag of raw rice. When we got there, we ran around, kicked the ball back and forth, fed the pigeons, and, through some miscommunication, we ended up playing in a badminton tournament with a complete stranger, (I thought he was a friend of Mala, and Mala thought he was a friend of mine. Now we’re all best friends)…”

Chapter 4---The Bike Ride from Hades 

“Power out. No fans or lights all day. It was 35 degrees centigrade, (95 F), and I had to be at a baby shower at 3. So I hopped on my tiny bicycle, put my giant moto helmet on, and peddled as fast as I could, which was not very fast. Getting to Norodom Street was easy, but after that my terrible sense of direction betrayed me. My bike tire started sagging with flatness, and there wasn’t a single dry spot on my shirt as I weaved through the streets to eventually find the apartment I was looking for….”

Chapter 5---It’s Not a Party Unless You Can Hear it Throughout the Neighborhood

“Finally back at home sweet home, where the house across from ours was having a huge party. The goal of Cambodian parties seems to be making as much noise as possible, cranking a loudspeaker to the highest level and blasting traditional tunes across the neighborhood. The party eventually died down late at night. Psych! They cranked it all the way back up at 5am. What kind of hung-over partyers want shrill, full-volume music at this ungodly hour? I don’t know, but I hope this party doesn’t last more than 2 days….”

So that is my somewhat whiny, but mostly just ironically amused account of a tiring weekend. Also, I got to talk to Alanna and Jordan, and get in some good quality Jesus-time, so my heart is full of joy.

September 5

Just another wonderful day with World Relief

The staff members walk throughout the villages announcing there will be a show and lesson for the children. And all the children come running out and following him...and making their own announcements. 

Chang Nia, 12 years old, When asked how he came to know Jesus, he just smiled and said “Loak Kru,” which is the word for teacher. He pointed at the World Relief staff member. “My favorite Bible story and lesson,” said Chang Nia, “is definitely the one about Jesus dying and then coming back for me.” Chang Nia holds this hope close to his heart, as he struggles to grow up in a place where hope is scarce. 

The crowds of children get so big that they don't fit in the area, and some re-shuffling is required. 

Learning about prayer

Brought to you live from WR network...a show warning kids not to bathe in the stinky rivers and waters around their village, but to use l=clean water. 

Time for a lunch break in a beautiful place, complete with hammocks. 

Mala leading a game with Sitha (in plaid). Sitha's favorite lesson at these programs is on prayer. He says thatt he likes the parts in the Bible with people praying and he wants to be able to play for the people around him. I hope his words can inspire you as they have me to keep on praying, especially for the children of Cambodia.  

Even though the show is for children, it usually becomes a village event, with teenagers, babies, parents, and grandparents looking on in amusement. 

I just love these little faces. 

Somloan’s village has a church that some missionaries built there, but unfortunately only one family attends the church. Somloan heard about Jesus through a friend, who also told her about HFCC. She is so happy that her friend told her about Jesus that now she wants to tell other people about him too. When asked what her favorite Bible story is, she replied with a grin, “all of them.” Somloan (center) is 7 years old. 

My favourite WR driver, Sivan. I call him "Boo," which means uncle. He's quite the character. 

"Pateya" means Home

My little host-brother and sister deserve a spotlight on this blog. I've learned a lot through being a big sister in this culture, and I've also been thoroughly entertained by their craziness.