My Garden in the Clouds

If you've ever been to Cambodia, you're probably going to laugh at me when I say that I've found a little piece of paradise here. Obviously Cambodia is, well, everything that a paradise is NOT. But, compared to the craziness that envelopes the city below, my new rooftop apartment is a little bit of peaceful bliss, seemingly dropped from heaven itself. ...Granted, to get up here I have to climb an [almost] endless spiral of rickety stairs, screwed to the building exterior. [Think: old fire escape twisted into a spring] Not exactly like the stairway to heaven of storybooks. But once you eventually do get up here.... you can see the sky again -sunsets, and sunrises, and the stars at night- In the front is a terrace garden with potted palm trees and flowers. From the back porch I look out over a swampy area used for farming.... thick and green and beautiful; with rows of shimmery irrigation canals that turn pink as the sun goes down. I'm sure a lot of people would look at this place and say that it's not much... but for me.... it's just exactly what I wanted.

Si has estado en Camboya alguna vez, probablemente vas a reír de mi cuando te digo que aquí, he encontrado un pedasito del paraíso. Obviamente, Camboya es, bueno, todo lo que un paraíso NO ES. Pero comparado con la locura que encierre la cuidad debajo, mi nuevo departamento en una teraza es como una gotita de paz, caido del cielo mismo. ...Bueno, para poder entrar, tengo que subvir un espiral [casi] eterno de escaleras. Pero, cuanto por fin llegas a la alcancía.... puedes ver el cíelo de nuevo! La alba y puesta del sol, y las estrellas en la noche. En frente hay una terraza con un palmeras y flores. Y del balcón de atrás puedo ver campos... verdes y hermosos. Con canales de agua que se pintan de rosado cuando se pone el sól. Seguramente, al ver este departamento, muchas personas dirían que no es mucho... pero, para mi... es exactamente lo que quería.

Well, last time I wrote mostly about places, so this time I thought I'd tell you more about the people... / Bueno, la ultima vez escribí sobre los lugares, entonces esta vez pensé contarles algo sobre la gente...

Five souls laughing on a motorbike; piled high with random household items and flying off to who-knows-where.... If I had to pick just one photo to describe Cambodia, this would be it! / Cinco almas riéndose en una moto; amontonados con cositas de la casa y volandose hacia quien-sabe-donde... Si tenía que eligir una sola foto para describir a Camboya... sería esta.

My congregation has a great pioneer spirit. This is the photo we took a few weeks ago at our pioneer meeting- more than 40 of us! (4 Gilead missionaries and some Bethelites too) I'm not sure exactly what percentage of our congregation is in full-time service, but it's a lot! Most of the pioneers have come from Japan. Only 3 are Cambodian and the rest of us are from a few scattered countries here & there. I know it probably sounds like there's plenty of help, but considering how much territory Cambodia has to cover, it's really not. According to the 2011 yearbook, we still have one of the highest publisher to population ratio in the world: 1 witness for every 34,510 people! / Mi congregacíon tiene un búen epiritu de precursor. Éste es la foto que tomamos hace unas semanas en la reunion de precursores. Somos más de 40! (4 misioneros de Galaad y unos Betelitas tambíen) No es que porcentaje de la congre siervan de tiempo completo, pero somos muchos! La mayoría han venido de Japón, solo 3 son de Camboya, el el resto de nosotros son de aquí y allá. Probablemente parece que tenemos mucha ayuda, pero si considérdas cuanto territorio tenemos que cubrir, no lo es. Segun el anuario de 2011, aquí tenemos 1 testigo por cada 34,510 personas!

The Cambodian friends I've been getting to know here are funny and helpful and wonderful. This is Srey Mom, who is a single sister working at the branch office. She's a lot of fun:) I showed her how to make cordon bleu and chocolate cookies, and she was responsible for my first near-death experience with an Asian nail salon! :) / Los hermanos Camboianos son chistoso y geniales y fantasticos. Ella se llama Srey Mom, y es una hermana soltera quien trabaja en Betél. Ella es muy divertida. Yo la eñsené a hacer pollo Francés y galletas Americanas y ella fue responsible por mi primer experiencía (de vida o muerte) con unas falsas.

This is a new sister in our hall named Moniphal, on the day she was baptized. Her road to the truth has been rocky... for example her family turned against her when she started attending meetings and she had to move out of the house. Now she lives alone, which isn't easy for a woman in this culture. For sure there are still challenges to overcome, but it's really encouraging to see how much she appreciates having had the opportunity to come to know Jehovah. And personally, she's been a great help. She takes a lot of her time to help me learn about the culture, the language, and even helped with my motorcycle shopping! / Ella se llama Moniphal y es una hermana nueva en mi congregaion, el día que se bautisó. Su camino hacía la verdad ha sido difícil... por ejemplo su familia se enojó cuando ella empezó asistir a las reuniones, y ella tenia que mudarse de la casa. Ahora vive sola, algo que es un verdadero reto para una mujer en esta cultura. Por supesto, le queda obstaculos todavía, pero me aníma mucho ver cuanto aprecio tiene de haber tenido la oportunidad conocer a Jehová. Y ella ha sido una gran ayuda para mi. Me enseña mucho sobre el idioma, la cultura, y fue conmigo a comprar una moto.

It's been nice to have had heaps of visitors here too! Recently, my friend Arisa (formerly-from-Japan-now-living-in-Nepal-and-soon-to-be-Cambodia) was in town, and we had a good time catching-up! Also Marie (from-NY-formerly-Ecuador-soon-to-be-__?) has been staying with me for a month. She brought this fabulous cookbook with her, and we've been having a great time making delicious stove-top experiments in the kitchen! Plus, her experience with sign language has been an ENORMOUS help with my bible studies! / Ha sido bonito tener muchas visitas tambien! Hace poco mi amiga Arisa (de-Japón-ahora-vive-en-Nepal-pronto-será-Camboya) estuvo aquí. Tambien Marie (de-NY-antes de-Ecuador-pronto-será-?) ha estado conmigo por un més. Ella trajó su libro de recetas increíbles y hemos hecho muchos experimentos deliciosos en la cocina! Además, su experiencia con las señas ha sido una ayuda ENORME con mis estudios biblicos!

Speaking of studies... let me introduce you to a few of them.... / Hablando de los estudiantes... dejáme presentarte algonos...

This is Sobut. She's 22 years old and has a 2 year old daughter. I won't get into all the details, but to say her life is a hard one, would be a gross understatement. She was born deaf, suffers from terrible migraines, and has very little opportunity to get respectable work. Recently, she had to send her daughter away to live with relatives because she hasn't been able to earn enough money to feed her. / Ella se llama Sobut. Tiene 22 años y tiene una hija de 2 años. No te voy a contar todos los detalles pero basta decir su vida es mucho más que dificil. Nació sorda, sufre de dolóres de cabeza horribles, y casí no tiene oportunidades para encontrar trabajo aceptable. Hace poco, tuvo que mandar a su hija vivir en otra casa porque no ha podido ganar suficiente dinero para la comida.

But at the Kingdom Hall she's been making real friends. The two women on the right are also deaf bible students. They often will offer to pick her up for the meetings, and have given her some nice clothes to wear. But when I say "pick her up", I don't mean in a car. They ride their bikes to her house- many kilometers through the hot sun and messy traffic- and then one of them will sit on the handlebars while the other one pedals. Of course, myself and the other witnesses also help with transportation when we can, but it's really nice to see them showing enough appreciation to take the initiative and help each other. / Pero, en la congregaion ella ha podido encontrar amigas verdaderas. Las dos mujeras a la derecha tambien son estudiantes de la biblia. Muchas veces ellas ofrecen ir a verla par la reuinion, y le han dado ropa apropiada para ponerse. Y cuando digo que "la van a ver", no es en un carro. Corren muchos kilometros en su bicicleta, con el sol ardiente y trafico loco. Por supuesto yo y los demás testigos ayudamos con el trasporte cuando podemos, pero se bonito ver el aprecio que tienen, y que toman la inicativa ayudarse unos al otros.

I love this picture. On the left, is an 83 year old deaf man who has been attending meetings for a few months now. I remember when I first asked him his name, this sad sad look overtook his face, and he said he didn't know. Can you imagine... living your entire life surrounded by people and no one ever caring enough to give you a name? Now he has a regular bible study with a Cambodian brother who is learning sign. Some friends gave him some ties, and he always brings one to the Kingdom Hall where one of the guys can help him to put it on. Wearing it seems to make his whole face shine. / Me encanta esta foto. A la izquierda es un hombre de 83 años que empezó a asistir las reuniones hace alguons meses. Recuerdo cuando le conocí y le pregunté su nombre. El se puso tan triste y me dijo que no sabía. Te puedes imaginar.... pasar todo su vida rodeada por gente, y nunca a nadie le importó darte un nombre? Ahora tiene un estudio de la biblia con un hermano quien esta aprendiendo señas. Unos hermanos le dieron corbatas, y el simpre las lleva a la reunion, donde uno de los chicos le ayude a ponersela. Parece que la corbata le hace brillar todo el rostro.

I find it really sobering to try to imagine the life this man must have had, and how much leaning the truth now means to him... "On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them , because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples: "Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the master of the harvest to send out more workers into His harvest." -Mathew 9:36-38. Being here in Cambodia has caused me to understand those verses in a whole new way. / Trato de imaginar la vida que este hombre debe haber tenido, y cuanto aprecio tiene al aprender la verdad ahora... "Al ver las muchedumbres, se compadecío de ellas porque estaban desolladas y desparremadas como ovejas sin pastor. Entonces dojo a sus discipulos "Si la mies es mucha, pero los obreros son pocos. Por lo tanto, ruegen al Amo de la mies que envíe obreros a su siega". Estar en Camboya me ha causado entender estas palabras de una forma totalmente nueva.

This is Sophie, who is 24 years old. Her mom died when she was small and she lives with her elderly father. He can't work much anymore and the two of them have very little to eat. Their house is in a narrow back-alley, in a neighborhood where everyone seems to know everyone. But it was amazing that almost no one- even some old family friends- ever realized that she was deaf. (I guess they thought she was just really, really shy??) The neighbors were all very shocked to see her signing with us and see that, in fact, she can communicate. So when we go study with her, it usually draws a crowd of jaw-dropped spectators and giggling children. Actually, she's really smart. She's now started attending meetings and gave her first comment last week. / Ella se llama Sophie, y tiene 24 años. Su madre murío mucho tiempo atrás, y Sophie vive con su padre envejecido. El no puede trabajar mucho y ellos no tienen lo suficiente para comer. Su casa queda en un callejón chiquito, en un barrio donde todo el mundo se conoce. Pero, fué intersante que casí nadie supó que ella era sorda! (Tal vez pensó que solo era muy muy timida?) A los vecinos les asombro ver como comunicaba con nosotras. Cuando estudiamos con ella, se amontónan un grupo de observantes con las bocas abiertas, y ñiños ríendose. Realmente, ella es muy intelegente. Empezó a asistir a las reuniones y la semana pasada dió su primer comentario.

We've been taking a bit of video of the interpreting here, to help critique ourselves later; so I thought I'd show you a few clips. I'm new at this, so you'll see plenty of mistakes! :) Plus, there's a song where the music doesn't match the lyrics (haha. Ooops! The schedule got changed at the last second and we sort of had to just make it fit.... Oh well. Around here, you learn to improvise- fast!) But it's a pretty realistic look at how things are going... / Hemos tomado video de señas aquí, para ver y mejorar despúes. Entonces, quiero mostrarte un poquito. No tengo mucha experiencia todavía, y verás muchos errores! Y hay una cancion donde las letras no van con la musica (Uups! La cambiaron ultima hora, y tuvimos que hacerlo funcionar... bueno, Aquí esperes lo imprevisto) Pero, creo que es una visata realistica de como nos va...

The hearing territory in Cambodia is really nice too. This morning I did a return visit on a young woman who, on the initial call, told me she was a Christian. One the second visit I asked her if she had a few minutes to talk and she said 'Yes, She had just been reading her bible'. Apparently she makes a point to try and read a little bit every day and even has a schedule printed out to finish the entire bible in one year. I could see that her copy of the bible was well-marked with notes and highlighted passages.

I showed her the "truth" tract and asked if any of the questions sounded interesting to her. She picked the one on Prayer, and we considered the scriptures in that paragraph. After reading 1 John 5:14 she asked "but, how can we pray according to God's will, if we don't know what God's will is?" (Good question)

She said she likes to read her bible and has many questions but hasn't known where to get the answers. In fact, in the front of her bible she had a list of verses she didn't understand. The first one was about why God killed the first-born babies during the 10 plagues. So, that's our topic for next week....

It's not hard to see that Cambodia needs a lot of help. So, if you think you could use a little more excitement in your life.... would like to contribute towards something truly meaningful.... and enjoy succeeding at things that are supposed to be impossible.... you just might be surprised to find that you like it here.

(And if that's not reason enough, the iced coffees are really really good too ;)

What I find amusing about life here is how unexpected it all is... / Me gusta que vivir en Camboya es espera lo enesperado...

Like you're driving down the street one day and suddenly run into a Santa Clause parade on motorbikes, for no apparent reason. / Por ejemplo, esta pasando por la calle y de pronto encuentras un desfile de Papa Noël con motos.

Or find an ox-cart wandering down the road selling terracotta pots. / O descubres un carrito de vacas vendiendo ollas de baro

I guess I'm becoming a victim of my surroundings too. I mean, I never wake-up in the morning thinking things like: "Today, I should tie some random pieces of furniture onto a moped and try to drive across town at rush hour, without crashing into anything, when I'm already late for work." If you were to ask me, I'd say that would be a very bad idea. And yet, that's exactly the kind of thing I wind-up doing. (and, at the time, there was a perfectly logical explanation for it... although, at the moment, I can't quite remember)

...or, I'll be out in service and get a phone call suggesting that we go experiment with Chinese acupuncture at some guy's house, where they set needles on fire and hook you up to old batteries. And that little voice in the back of my head knows I should say "NO!" ...yet, somehow the word comes out "yes". And there I go again. ...but hey, the "doctor" (?) used alcohol, a lighter, and an empty jar of fish sauce (in that order) and the knots in my shoulders melted away like they were never there. (it was just better than everything! I should learn how to do that too:) sometimes, not listening to myself turns out to be a very good idea.

It's fun to open my eyes in the morning and have no idea what they day will bring! / Es divertido abrir los ojos en la manaña, sin tener ídea alguno de lo que el día traerá.

Top Ten Ways You Know You're Getting Used To Life In Cambodia:

10 Maneras Para Saber Que Tu Estas Enseñada En Camboya:

#10- You can drink juice & send text messages while simultaneously driving a motorbike. / Puedes tomar un jugo y enviar mensajes, mientras manejar la moto.

#9- You can sit still on the floor for over an hour without any part of your body going numb. / Puedes estar sentada en el piso durante más de una hora, sin que ninguna parte de tu cuerpo queda dormida.

#8- Driving on the sidewalk no longer seems unusual. / Ya no te parece rara manejar en la vereda.

#7- Your new passport photo turns out like this: / La foto para tu nuevo pasaporte parece a esto:

#6- You never leave home anymore without a helmet and a mask. / Ya nunca sales de la casa sin tu casco y una masquera.

#5- There is no longer a limit to the number of chickens you can fit on a bicycle. / No hay limite del numero de pollos que puedes llevar con la bici.

#4- Fish paste smells delicious. / El famoso salsa de pescado fermentado te huelle rico.

#3- The hotter it is outside, the more clothes you put on. / Mientras hace más calor, te pones más ropa.

(They say a fur-lined coat, mittens, and a fuzzy hat will keep the sun off, and help you stay cooler when it's blazing hot outside. Ideally you want to cover ever square centimeter of your body, except for, perhaps maybe your fingertips. Doesn't seem to make sense...?) / (Dicen que una chompa llanuda, guantes, y una gorra gruesa te proteja del sol, y te ayudará quedar más fresca cuando hace mucho calor. Debes cubir todo centímetro cuadrado de tu cuerpo, con la excepcion de, tal vez, tus deditos. Éste idea no te parece terner sentido...?)

#2- You no longer expect ANYTHING to make sense. / Ya no esperas que NADA tenga sentido.

And #1...

(I should explain that in Cambodia, if you go to the market in the morning you'll see most of the women there wearing colorful pajamas, funny hats, and fake designer accessories. For example...) / Debo explicar que en Camboya, si vas al mercado en la mañana, veráz que la mayorís de las mujeres llevan puesto piyamas llamativas y sombreros chistosos. Por ejemplo... )

So, you know you're really starting to blend-in, when... / Entonces, sabes que realmente estas enseñada cuando...

What can I say? I just couldn't help myself :) Hey, being a little crazy is what keeps us sane, right? / ¿Que puedo decir? Tenía que hacerlo:) A veces esta bien ser un poco loco. (jaja)


If you've known me for a while, then you know about boxes.

I can't remember who it was that first got it started... but it's a great thing that we do!  If you're playing the game then one day, when the moon turns blue, some strange package will unexpectedly arrive in the mail.  It will be post-marked from a very far away place; and is usually bashed-in at the corners and covered with dirty tape.  It's a box that's seen the world.  And inside will be priceless TREASURES!  Something fabulous or something delicious, and something to make smiles (or probably all three)  We love to send boxes and we love to get boxes!  ...As I think back on all the funny packages that have come over the years,  I'm absolutely blown away by the love that you've shown.  You guys have always made sure that no matter how far I go, I never feel alone.  I want to send a great big THANK YOU to the most beautiful bunch of friends and family that anyone could ever ask for!

For a few weeks now, I haven't been able to sleep much, and my nerves were feeling about as crispy as stale old box of rice noodles... a little change of scene sounded like a good idea... so, Marie and I took a bus to the ocean, and then a boat to a deserted island 125 km into the Gulf of Thailand. We spent a few days out there diving and exploring some forgotten corners of the ocean. It was wonderful! But, our itty bitty little boat rocked and rolled and pitched and swayed so much in the arms of the sea, that we all turned really really green. I think we spent the majority of the trip trying to convince ourselves that we were NOT trapped on a psychotic roller coaster. So unfortunately I still didn't get much sleep, but the stars were so beautiful out there on the water, that for once I didn't mind. / Ultimamente no he podido dormir bien, y me sentí un poco como un bicho seco... un cambio de ambiente me parecía una buena ídea... entonces Marie y yo subimos a un bus al mar, y despúes tomamos una fibra a una isla 125 Km en el Mar de Tylandia. Pasamos unos días haciendo buseo. Fue maraviloso. Pero nuestro barco chiquitito subvio y bajo y bailó tanto sobre el superficie del mar que todos nos enfermamos! Creo que pasé la mayor parte del viaje tratando de imajinar que NO estuviera viajando dento de una liquadora. Entonces, seguí sin poder dormir. Pero, bueno, las estrellas se veían tan hermosos que no me molesté.

...and then the sun went down on another day...

...entonces el sol cayó sobre un día más...

"...and as for Jehovah, what is good in His own eyes He will do." - 1 Chron. 19:13 - "...y en cuanto a Jehová, lo que sea bueno a sus propios ojos él hará."

How Not To Eat Spiders

Since I've moved, I'm surprised to hear how many people are curious about helping-out in Cambodia! So I thought I'd use this blog to show you around town and tell a little bit about the work here... / Desde que me mudé, estoy sorprendida saber cuantas quieren saber más sobre ayudando en Camboya. Entonces, pensé llevarles a un tour de la ciudad y contarles un poco sobre el trabajo.

Phnom Penh is a lot like any other average city in the world; there's noisy traffic, square blocks of cement buildings , and snarls of electrical wires flung all over the place like a mad woman's breakfast... / Phnom Penh se parece a qualquier otra cuidad típico del mundo. Tiene la bulla del trafico, kilometros de cemento cuadrado, y cables electricos, gindados por todos lados como si hubiera explotado una fábrica de espagueti...

But we do have most of the necessary things... like a Starbucks! / Pero, si tenemos la mayoría de las cosas necesarias... como café de Starbucks!

And IKEA too / y un "IKEA" almacen de muebles tambien

(well, sort of) / (Bueno, casi)

The majority of the 14 million people who live here are Budhist, and go to worship at a Wat like this one. / La mayoría de los 14 milliones de personas que vivan aquí son Budístas y van a un Wat como éste para adorar.

There are some Christian churches here too, although slightly less popular. / Hay unas iglésias Cristianas aquí tambien, aunque son un poco menos popular.

This building is being rented for the Bethel Home and Translation Offices. / Éste édeficio se adquila para Betél y Las Oficínas de Traducción

And our congregation is currently renting the upstairs of this house to use as our Kingdom Hall. / Nuestra congregación se está adquilando el segundo piso de ésta casa para usar como Salón Del Reino.

It's usually standing-room only on Sundays. We have a little over 50 publishers, but last week there were more than 140 people at the meeting- and it keeps growing! / Normalmente el salón esta lleno los días Domingo. Tenémos un poco más de 50 publicadores, pero la semana pasada había más de 140 personas en la reúnion- y sigue creciendo!

The people we meet in the territory are very diverse. Some neighborhoods are really wealthy, with huge new houses like these... / Encontrámos una grán variedad de personas en el território. En algunos sectores hay muchas casas nuevas y enormes como estas...

Some are middle-class neighborhoods... / Dondé vive la gente de cláse médio...

...and then there are the truly poor areas. This is where one of my bible students lives with her 2 year old daughter. The house is only one room, with no plumbing, and the roof is not high enough to stand'up inside. / ...y los lugares donde realmente hay pobreza. Uno de mís estudiantes vive en esta casa con su hija de 2 años. Tiene un solo cuarto, sin llave de agua, y el techo es tan bajo que no puede pararse adentro.

In the rainy season, flooding gets to be a problem in many parts of town. / En la época del invierno, muchas partes del pueblo quedan inundados.

(watch your step!) / (¡Que sígan con cuídado!)

There're also thousands of people here who move from the countryside looking for work. Many of them get factory jobs and wind-up living in rows of tiny one-room houses like these. Often their schedules are 12 hours or more (from 7am to 7 or 8pm), so to be able to reach them, we've been starting service at 6am on Wednesdays. It's amazing how many people are willing to talk with us at this hour. They'll invite us in, and even have regular weekly studies before their shifts start. It seems there's never enough time to make return visits on all the people who show interest. / Además, hay miles de personas del campo que vienen a buscar trabajo. Muchos consiguen empleo en una fábrica y se no les queda más de vivir en filas de cuartos chiquitos como estos. Muchas veces, sus jornadas son de 12 horas o más ( de 7am a 7 o 8pm) entonces, para poder predicarles, hemos empezado a predicar a las 6am los días Miercoles. Es incréible cuantas personas estan dispuestas hablar a esta hora de la mañana. Nos invitan a sentar y algunos tienen sus estudios biblicos antes de ir al trabajo. Parece que nunca hay tiempo suficiente para hacer todos los revisitas aquí.

I really enjoy the people here. Pretty much everyone I meet is fun, friendly, and easy to talk with. This is a Japanese sister in our deaf group with one of her return visits. They LOVE taking pictures! :) / A mi me gusta la gente aquí. La mayoría de las personas son amables y les gusta conversar. Ella es una hermana de Japón con uno de sus revisitas. Les encantan tomar fotos! :)

So Much To Say, So Much To Do...

We had our District Convention on Dec. 17-19. On Sunday there were over 830, which is a new peak attendance for us (over 100 more than last year) and more than double the number of publishers in the country. / Tuvímos la Asamblea de Districto el 17 de 19 de Dic. El día Domingo hubo 830 personas (más de 100 personas más del año pasado) y más del doble la cantidad de publicadores en el´país.

It was a lot of work for us to interpret the entire program into sign language! There're only 3 interpreters here who can speak Khmer well, and two of them are brothers who had many other responsibilities to care for during the program. So I was asked to help out by doing all of the District Overseer's talks for the 3 days. Can you imagine.... I'm new in town, hardly know anything yet, and I'm asked to sit in front of the stage and use Cambodian Sign Language to try and explain evolution, molecular science, and the refined understanding of a "generation" to a group of deaf Budists! (Holy Cow!) Well, thanks to Jehovah all the students seemed to enjoy the convention and went home encouraged despite the, shall we say "difficulties"? / Fue mucho trabajo para nosotros traducir todo el programa en señas. Solo hay 3 personas aquí que hablan bien el idioma, y dos de ellos son hermanos que tenían muchas otras reponsibilidades durante la asamblea. Entonces me pidieron que ayude traducir los discursos del superintendente del districto durante los tres días. Pudedes imaginar... soy nueva aquí, casi no se nada todavía, y piden que yo me pongo de frente de todos y ultiliza señas camboyanas para explicar la evolucíon, ciéncia molécular, y el nuevo entendimiento de la "generacion" a un grupo de budistas! (¡dios mío!) Pero gracias a Jéhova, parece que todos sentían animados y disfutaron del programa a pesar de las dificultades.

We don't have an official sign language group yet in Cambodia, so some people were surprised to see 21 deaf attend the convention on Sunday, and we attracted a lot of attention. Here's a photo of some of our studies who came. (everyone in this picture is deaf) It was really touching to see that some even came dressed with skirts, ties, and lapel badges. / No tenémos un grupo de señas todavía en Camboya y algunas personas quedaron sorprendidas ver 21 sordos asistir el día Domingo. Este es un foto de unos de nuestros estudientes (todos en la foto son sordos) Fúe bonito ver que algunos llegaron vestido con faldas, corbatas, y sus solápas.

As far as the language goes.... it's been about 2 months and I know enough to get by, but everything feels like it takes me forever to get done (say about 10 hours to study my Watchtower!) Just preparing the meetings in Khmer is a full-time job! I study the language with a local sister 3 days a week and almost every other day I'm in service. Besides that, the new school year begins soon, so I'll begin a teaching job.

Also, I've been asked to help translate some of our new songs into Cambodian Sign (CSL) -two new songs a week. To do that I begin with the ASL DVD and try to convert it into CSL as best I can. Then during the week I'll meet with some of the deaf students who attend meetings and ask them to make revisions and improvements. I try to take video of them signing to keep records and practice later.

After that, whatever free time is left has been spent with all the visitors we've had! -friends from Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, America, Singapore, and more... right now Ida is here from Finland for a few weeks, and we just got back from a mini speed-vacation to the beach. It's been fun, but I can't ever remember having been so busy!

Hungry? / Tienes hambre?

I've loved getting to try lots of new and unusual foods here. Most of it is amazing; some is a little weird. Things like papaya & fish pickles, lotus flower seeds (supposedly keep you young and healthy?), or these salted eggs. / Ha sido divertido probar las comidas nuevas y diferentes aquí. La mayoria de las cosas son increíbles; algunas son raras. Cosas como ají de papaya con pescado fermentado, semillas de Lotus (supestamente ayuda mantener salud y juventud) o estos huevos salados.

They're made by being soaked in very salty water for a week or two and then coated with dirt and charcoal until they're ready to be eaten. Then they're washed and boiled with rice. They have a kinda salty, pickled taste... hard to explain... maybe I'll make them for you next time you're in town? / Para hacerlos, dejan los huevos remojando en agua salada por uno o dos semanas, y despúes les cubren con tiérra y carbón. Cuando esta listo a comerlos, se los llavan y hiervan con arróz. Tienen un sabor salado... difícil de explicar... tal vez te los puedo hacer la proxima vez que te visito?

I'm not quite sure what these are (river eels??), but I don't think they bite and apparently they really do taste like chicken? / No se exactamente que son estas cosas (angilas del rio??) pero, creo que no muerden y aparentamente, de verdad sabe de gallina.

And then there are the bugs.... / Y tambien hay los bichos...

There's not a lot of skill involved in eating bugs. You do what you've got to do, swallow, and try hard not to think about what just went down. It's pretty straight-forward really... / No requiere mucho talento comer bichos. Solo haces lo que tienes que hacer, tragues, y trates de no pensar mucho en lo que acaba de pasar. La cosa no es complicada...

The true skill, I believe, lies in NOT eating bugs; in finding creative ways to avoid getting yourself into the situation in the first place. For example: Good idea #1.) make friends with someone who will eat your bugs for you!! / El verdadero arte, creo, queda en NO comer bichos; en inventar maneras para evitar la situacion por completo. Por ejemplo: Buena idea #1.) Hazte amigo de alguien que puede comer la porcion tuya!!

(For example, you could say: "Ooh, WoW!! That fried tarantula looks amazingly delicious! But do you mind if I take it home to Kevin? Those are his absolute favorite!") / (por ejemplo, podrias decir: "Wow! Esta tarantula frita parece riquiiisima! Pero, piensas que yo podria llevarla a la casa para Kevin? Las tarantulas fritas son su favorito!")

this is Kevin / este es Kevin

It's good to have friends! / Es bueno tener amigos!

At the end of every year, I try to look back and think about the things I've learned over the past 12 months. Today I counted that it's been 4,380 days (12 years) since I first moved away from the country where I was born, and began this bizarre kind of life. What I have come to appreciate more is the immeasurable value of friendships, and of truly being understood. Those deep conversations that touch the core of our souls; or laughter without inhibitions until our sides hurt... Where ever we happen to be, I think those are the things that give life it's flavor.

A few weeks ago, I was near the beach with friends and wanted to spend sunset at the ocean, but the girl I was with was getting impatient to leave because of the mosquitoes. "What's the big deal about a sunset?" she said. "It happens every day. You can see one anytime you want." And I thought to myself, 'that's exactly the big deal with a sunset. They happen every day, but they're never the same twice... it's painted just for a moment and then gone forever; a few seconds of something uniquely beautiful that Jehovah created just for that day. If you miss one- even if you live forever- you'll never get the chance to see it again. I love the gallery of sunsets that live in my memory...' But I didn't say any of that to her, because she wouldn't have appreciated what I meant.

In that way, our good, true friendships are like those sunsets... rare, inspiring, and not to be taken for granted- even for a day.

"...and you well know with all your hearts... that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you." -Jer. 23:14- "...y ustedes bien saben con todo su corazón... que ni una sola palabra de todas las buenas palabras que Jehová su Dios les ha hablado ha fallado. Todos se han realizado para ustedes. "

"...I recommend getting a manicure and a cute helmet"

Well I've been in Cambodia about a month now, and I've got a new language, a new name, and a motorbike with pink flowers on it.

Welcome to Asia

(hahaha Who is that person??!)

My impression of Cambodia so far is that it's an intense place. Either laid-back apathy, or full-on chaos. There seems to be no middle gear. And the last few months have been full of the unexpected. It feels like everything is new- even my name.

(Melissa is kind of awkward to pronounce in Khmer, so instead you can call me " លិសា ")

But I've gotten used to life here pretty quick. The language is tough, but getting easier; the food is mostly simple healthy and good; the climate, well, I'm getting used to that too :) ;navigating downtown traffic on a bike, while wearing high-heel shoes (haha) -that is truly an art!

Fields That Are Ripe...

Someone very wise explained to me once that getting to know a new culture should involve more than just speaking the language. It's important to know about the people and the things that matter in their lives. You should try to do what they do and feel what they feel... walk a mile in their shoes. I agreed that sounded like some pretty wise advice... And the next thing I knew, I was barefoot in a rice paddy.

I'm living in the city of Phnom Penh now, but last week I went to visit some friends in the countryside of Takeo.

It's beautiful out there this time of year with the bright green rice fields and sugar palms.

The brothers there were all busy with the rice harvest, so we went to help them one afternoon after service. When we asked if we were "good workers", they laughed and said 'No! We were slow and wasted too much time playing and taking pictures.' (hahaha) Whatever do they mean??

But rice isn't the only thing being harvested in Takeo. There's a small group with about 12 publishers and their territory includes the entire province- a large part of which has never been witnessed to before. This is how to get there...

And this is me trying to speak Khmer! (haha) Is she smiling because she's interested... or just laughing because she has no clue what I'm saying?? Talking to Budist people is so different from what I've been used to in Ecuador! But I'm having fun trying to understand that religion and figure out how to reason with the people.

Just about everyone here is very polite, curious about our message, and willing to listen. This woman was from Vietnam and didn't speak much Cambodian, but she was nice and accepted a Watchtower in Vietnamese.

We traveled an hour or so to reach this family's house, where a new bible study is being started.

She can't read well and didn't have a pair of good glasses, but it was really touching to see how much effort she was putting into trying to understand the information. Her little grandson (in the picture on the left) is deaf, but doesn't know sign language at all. Way out in the country where they live, there are no resources at all for families with deaf kids. I showed him the bible stories book and tried to get him to mimic some signs, but he was too shy. *sigh* So many people need help...

There's no Kingdom hall in Takeo, so guess where they have the meetings?

When they take the attendance, do you think they can count the chickens too?

A Cambodian Cooking Show...

It's 7am on a Saturday morning and I'm standing over a boiling pot of green goo, with a stick and a dictionary. Who says there's nothing fun to do here on the weekends?!

We're making something called "lot". After harvesting and cleaning the rice, it's soaked in water and then ground in a stone hand mill, together with some leaves that give it the delicious green color.

We boiled it for what seemed like an eternity, then some mysterious white powder was added (baking soda maybe?) After that, the mixture turns into something like glue and is poured into a press. The noodles that come out are cooled and rinsed in water. Then we break to meet with the service group and go preaching...

...when we came back, I helped grind and squeeze fresh coconut milk, that was served with the finished product. A bit of palm sugar syrup is drizzled over the top and the end result is pretty good.

But the job didn't stop there. After lunch it was off to the market to sell the stuff. Local people thought it was hysterical to see a foreigner doing this job, and we attracted a fair bit of attention. Everyone had a good laugh! :)

One bowl sells for about $.25 cents US. The sister I was with does this 6 days a week to help make money for her family.

Back in Phnom Penh...

One of the things I prayed about when I came here, was to find a bible study who I'd be able to communicate with. (I was thinking along the lines of someone who spoke a little English?) But I should know by now that prayers are seldom answered in the way we expect them to be... At the first Sunday meeting I attended, a young deaf woman showed-up with a tattered old copy of the bible stories book and a huge smile. (That's her standing next to me with the pink shirt) After the meeting, I was simply informed that she was now my bible study ("excuse me, what??") She knows a little ASL, is enthusiastic about her study, comes by herself to almost every Sunday meeting, and wants to comment.

This is us: the 5 of us in the sign language group, 8 deaf who attended the meeting that day, and a few visitors from the US. This meeting was pretty good attendance, but actually there are even more deaf people who come to the meetings sometimes. According to Google there are an estimated 50,000+ deaf people in Cambodia... with 5 people preaching to them... it's a lot of territory to cover! So, there you have it: the story of how I was abducted by a sign language group in Cambodia ;)

If you're wondering what it's like.... The Cambodian alphabet has about 67 letters in total (give-or-take a few? I think? ...actually, I'm really not sure how many there are :) Every time I think I've learned them all, a new set appears. They multiply like rabbits) Each of the 33 consonants can be used in either a major or minor form. So that means that each letter has 2 different ways it can be signed also. Then there are 23 different vowel punctuation marks that are added by touching the corresponding point on your finger or hand between signs for the consonants. It looks something like this:

Apparently, the people who thought-up this language decided that it was just not complicated enough, so to make it more fun, Cambodian letters are not necessarily written (or signed) in the order that they are pronounced (or understood). Its a big bowl of alphabet soup

There's so much more I could tell you about.... meeting people and going places and lots of visitors... but I'll save it for next time :) And leave you with a view of the Cambodian countryside

11/19/10 "...Today we went to Phnom Chiso, climbed the stairs up to the temple ruins and saw the endless views from there. We went on some studies in remote area of the countryside and had a great time. The roads were wild on the motorbike... catching air on the pot-holes and almost blowing-up in the slick mud. The brilliant green rice paddies, set against a sky streaked with impending thunderstorms and sunshine; the skies here have a bi-polar personality -It is this place- You look around and just can't help but feel like anything can happen..."