Our First Two Months
We have been in Cambodia over two months now, and so much has transpired over this time that it’s difficult to know where to begin. During that time, we settled into our old place, shopped for all the household necessities, purchased a car, placed Daniel in school and began language study. We managed to move houses one month later and have since re-settled in our new place. We are very happy in our new neighborhood and with our new place, and realize that the Lord has blessed us in so many wonderful ways since our arrival here.
Most days are spent in language study. Linda and I each have our own language tutor. We have discovered that our learning styles are very different from one another, as well as our accents, so it best that we hire our own tutors, and this has been very helpful. I was originally planning to begin the language course at the university, but then decided to work through the first term with my current tutor. I am planning to begin the second term in January. Learning Khmer (Cambodian) definitely has its challenges, but I feel that I’m beginning to get a grasp on basic conversational skills, as well as the Khmer script. It’s been nice to see words written in Khmer and actually recognize them, unlike when I first began learning the characters. We still have a long way to go, though, and realize how much we need the Lord’s grace through this time of learning. You almost have to learn to be like a little kid again, as they are learning to speak. It’s important just to begin talking, regardless of what it sounds like or what you think the other person thinks about you. I’m learning just to practice different sentences and phrases over and over again, and not worry about trying to say them perfectly.
As many of you know, Daniel was attending Hope International School. However, tomorrow, will be his first day at Logos School. Logos is also a Christian school, but it is literally only a 2-minute drive from our house. Daniel spent nearly 30 minutes a day on the bus going to Hope. We do hope that he transitions well into Logos and can quickly make new friends in his class.
Also durning these past two months, I have had several opportunities to accompany our teammates, Roland and Kieng, for our Orality in Action workshops. In these workshops, we train pastors and church leaders to tell the stories of the Bible orally. Many people, especially those in the provinces, cannot read or write, so this ministy enables many people to hear the stories of the Bible as well as the Gospel message in a way they can easily understand. Many of the groups also act out the stories as well! In the few workshops that I’ve attended, there have been nearly 200 participants! We have been very encouraged to see so many people attend the workshops.
Finally, we have had an influx of visitors, from Australia and the States, so the Lord has given us many opportunities to practice hospitality and introduce many to our ministry among Cambodians.
We are enjoying Cambodia and look forward to what’s ahead in these coming months!
