The last two days we have been in Phnom Penh visiting the city and the orphan houses here in Prek Eng. Here the houses are not all together and are not all the same and they are rented not owned . On Sunday we went to church just a short walk from where we are staying where our host Naarin is pastor. Their service was familiar in many ways. They had worship led by several young men who played keyboard, guitar and drums and sang – even the songs were ones we knew and the words were projected on the screen in Khmer and English. I thought it was especially inspiring to hear the two languages being sung at once, they seemed to blend and enhance one another, and isn’t that the picture we would like to see with ourselves as a church? There were a number of English speaking people there but the majority were Cambodian so we had headphones and an interpreter for the sermon. Mike gave a short greeting to the people and Trish, Alyssa and I sang a song for them. After the service we toured the rest of the building which is five stories high and unoccupied except for the church on the bottom level. One of the projects in working is to use the other floors as a rooming house for university students to give them a Christian option. Many students stay in the Buddhist pagodas where it’s free but there is a feeling of obligation to the religion afterward.
Second event of the day – Kentucky Fried Chicken! It is a big hit here in Cambodia and it was a big hit with us. I had mash potatoes and original recipe chicken, washed down with soft serve ice cream. They have a two story building with seating upstairs and the stairs were a bit wicked on poor Alyssa and the four ice cream cones she was trying to carry. Two of them made it up to the table and she got some good bruises.
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| Russian market |
Third event – the Russian market. I found it a bit claustrophobic and very warm since no breeze could make it through all those mazes and stacks of clothing. Think flea market on steroids. It was overwhelming until you got used to it. And you are expected to bargain for what you want. I can do that but I have no idea where it should end, or for that matter where it should start, so I hate having to bother with it. Hunsaders had been there before and knew pretty much what they wanted to look for and where it was so I followed and tried not to get lost.
Fourth event in a busy day – dinner at Prek Eng 5. Jared Hunsader was our driver in a van borrowed from Samaritan House. We made it all the way across town and as we were pulling into the gateway of PE 5 the clutch failed utterly. We had to push the van in. The reason I’m telling about this is the amazing solution that came about. The house parent called a mechanic who was there within the hour on his motorbike, diagnosed the problem, rode back into the city and got the part, returned and made the repair before we were finished eating dinner. And this was on New Year’s Eve, a holiday. Try getting that to happen in the U.S.
While waiting for dinner to be ready I found out I could still play volleyball. The children had been waiting eagerly for us to appear and wanted to show us around and talk and play. They are so interactive and cheerful. Dinner was great – some Cambodian dishes, but throw in the rice that we all know and love and nothing was so unfamiliar that it wasn’t welcome. I got to taste mangosteen for the first time. After dinner activities were making bead necklaces and more glowsticks and of course, massage.
Again, many of our pictures had the spots or bubbles, we’re not sure what to call them. We are beginning to wonder if our cameras are getting a glimpse into the spirit world. It would be nice to think we’re seeing angels guarding the children. We still have no explanation why they are there sometimes but not always.
It was a busy and productive day. We went to bed happy.
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