Sufficiency

"I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency." Philippians 4:13 (Amplified)

Typically, I think most people would classify me as a pretty independent person. I suppose if I wasn't, I wouldn't have moved to the other side of the world by myself to live and work with people I had never previously met in person. I suppose that it is true, me being independent, that is, as long as you are referring to independence from the comforts of familiarity. The road that has gotten me to this point in my life has been a bit of a bumpy one filled with tears and joy, heartache and rejoicing, but I wouldn't trade a second of it. I know that all I have faced in my life has brought me to a place of complete dependence on God. He is my sufficiency. I love the above verse and how it says that we are self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency. Without Him, we are nothing, but with Him...with Him we can change the world. There is nothing we cannot face. Now, I will be completely honest. There are few things that bother me more than namby, pamby women who trade their God-given abilities to hide in the shadows of men. I agree that God created order for families and created men to be the heads of households. But, He also created Eve from Adam's rib, so she could walk alongside him. Woman was not taken out of man's head to rule over him or his foot to be walked upon by him, but rather from his side to be in partnership next to him.

What's my point?

Well, my point is that I was really challenged and fired up a couple of weeks ago while at church. After a message about the importance of reaching out to the world around you, being the light of the world, there was an altar call. It was a time for those who want to answer the call of God to reach the communities of Phnom Penh, the provinces of Cambodia, the peoples of Southeast Asia, the nations of the world. I was humbled and challenged just to be in the same room as these people. And, as I prayed, I watched. I watched two girls, both aged 12, walk up to the front of that church. They were the only ones under the age of 20 who did so, though it was not for a lack of young people in the congregation that day. I know those girls. I know that in 12 years they have been through more than many people will endure in a lifetime--abuse, abandonment, rejection, exploitation. Yet, after encountering the Savior of the world, their lives are forever changed. And, if you asked them, I am quite confident that they would tell you that Jesus is the answer for the world today, and with that knowledge, how could they not take it to the ends of the earth...

These girls challenge me daily on what it means to live for Christ, what it means to forgive, what it means to receive His love and give it away. And, I am daily challenged not to be more independent or self-sufficient, but to be wholly dependent on Him and find my sufficiency in Christ.

"But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!" 2 Corinthians 12:9

Don't Fail Me Now, Brain!

After picking up quite a bit of Khmer from simply living here and learning from the people with whom I live and work, I decided that I wanted to take some time to more actively learn the Khmer language. So, I started taking Khmer lessons from a friend's sister in February. I think I am doing pretty well, and my teacher says that I am a very good student (though I think she might just be saying that to flatter me).

Regardless, I thought I would show you some photos of what I am up against in learning this language.

As I am sure you are aware, Asian languages are quite different from English or any of the Romantic languages (Spanish, French, etc.) that we are typically exposed to in the U.S. This is the Khmer alphabet. The vowels are on the left page, and the consonants are on the right page.
And here I am learning to combine consonants and vowels to make words and phrases.
I have lessons two days a week, and for next week's lesson, I have to compose 5 written sentences of my own using words that I know. Plus, my teacher is taking me to the market, so she can watch me practice my Khmer with people other than herself. EEK! Thus, my prayer is that my brain will not fail me! Your prayers would be appreciated...

PJs all day? Yes, please!

Upon living in Cambodia for the last few months, I have taken note of several things. One of these things is the innate sense of fashion and style that people have here. Ok, so maybe in the U.S. we wouldn't find it quite so fashionable to carry around a fuzzy Pooh purse at the age of 18 and maybe we wouldn't choose to proudly wear a baseball cap with a gold, glittery bill, but I really think that one thing could catch on...pajamas! And, not just any pajamas, but matchie matchies as they are called. Women often wear their pajamas out all day here, and often times accessorized with glittery high heels. All pajamas are sold in matching sets and come in floral, teddy bears with funny English sayings, Hello Kitty, and fuzzy bunnies. There is really quite a variety.

So, in order to see what all the hype was about, some friends and I decided to purchase our own pajamas and wear them for an evening out on the town! However, we waited a bit too long to purchase our pajamas and were quite limited in our choices as nearly all of the markets were shut for several days over the Chinese New Year. But, alas, we found a few stalls open and were able to purchase some pajamas of our very own!

Julie, Rachel, and Danielle in their pajamas preparing to go out.
We took a sunset cruise on the river, and this was our boat. A couple Canadian tourists joined us and didn't seem a bit concerned that we were wearing pajamas!
Sunset on the river.
Farming on the banks.
The river is lined with fishing boats, which often double as families' homes.
Phnom Penh skyline. If you can call it a skyline...
Danielle and I on a cyclo after our river cruise. I am sporting Hello Kitty pjs with some funny English thrown in as well while Danielle went for the pink floral print.

You would be amazed at the number of comments we received from Khmer people as we strolled about in our pajamas. They smiled and waved and said, "sa-aht," which means beautiful in Khmer. Some of them, wearing their own pajamas, would even stop us and smile and say, "Ahh, same, same!" and point from their pajamas to ours. It was quite the experience. However, the pajamas were not what one might call comfortable. The fabric was hot, and they were made in such a way that made you feel as if you were going to split the back seam when you walked (small steps were required). Thus, I have to conclude that the reason all the Khmer people wear their pajamas out is simply because they are fashionistas, and the matchie matchies are just that amazing!

I had to try...

After being in Cambodia for nearly 2 months, I had decided that it was high time I learned how to ride a moto. I mean, why not? All the Khmer people do it? Surely, it can't be that hard. Plus, it would be awesome to be able to get around on my own and have even more independence! Thus, my experience begins.

This is me on my friend Sopheak's moto. Note that I am being totally safe and wearing a helmet. It is the law, you know, but only if you are driving. Passengers don't need helmets...so long as they don't mind potential brain damage. But really, I do wear a helmet.

This is my beautiful and amazing friend Sopheak who graciously said she would teach me to ride her moto.
So, I won't go into grave detail, but my first attempt at learning to ride a moto was not as successful as I would have liked. I may have crashed into a bit of a cement embankment and scraped all of the skin off of my right knee, scraped my toes pretty good (hey, just because I was wearing a helmet doesn't mean I wasn't wearing flip flops...sorry, mom!), and had a pretty nasty purple bruise on my left leg. No, need to worry, though. I was on a quiet street full of concerned Khmer people. I had a Khmer gentlemen come running out of some sort of office with a bottle of iodine in one hand and a handful of gauze in the other. Meanwhile, my concern was for Sopheak's moto, which fortunately suffered no damage. I, on the other hand, was having my knee cleaned, and being told by a lovely Khmer man, "You go to doctor! You clean! And, you clean again! You go to doctor!" While his concern was much appreciated, I did not feel it was necessary to go to see a doctor for the surface scrapes on my knee and foot. Here are a couple shots of my wounds.
My knee did swell up a bit the next day, but it really wasn't a big deal. It healed pretty quickly.
And, just to prove to you that I healed up quite nicely, here is a picture of my knee all healed up and ready for some more action!
Ok, so I haven't attempted to drive a moto again...yet.

I think I am ruined...

So, I think I might be ruined for living anywhere in the future that isn't just a few hours from the beach and accommodation that allows me to go away for a few days without breaking the bank! In the last month, I have begun my traveling around Cambodia. At the end of January, I went to the Kep province with my friend Julie for a few days. We had a great time relaxing, laughing, enjoying the sunshine and beach, and stuffing ourselves with good food! And, just today, I returned from a couple days in Sihanoukville. Both Kep and Sihanoukville are along the coast of Cambodia, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visits to both places.

This is where I sat for an entire day on Rabbit Island off the coast of Kep.

This is on our boat ride across to Rabbit Island.
Sunset on the beach at Kep. The photo doesn't really do it justice...
Sokha beach in Sihanoukville. For $4 I was able to spend an entire day laying on this private beach that is owned by a resort, which I most certainly couldn't afford to stay in! But, the beach was gorgeous and quiet!!!
Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville. I love the ocean!
Now, before you all start thinking that I am wiling away all of my time in Cambodia on the beach, I assure you that I am not. And, I have taken the advice of missionaries who have been here much longer than I who have instilled in me the importance of taking time off and getting out of the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh. The work that I do and the city I live in are both pretty intense, so it is really nice to be able to just get away for a few days. Plus, going away for a few days is incredibly affordable here, so I am making the most of it while I can!

I will post more about my Cambodian adventures soon!!

Pie Inspired in Cambodia

As you may or may not know, my sister and I started a pie blog about a year ago. So, for the last year, we have been making fun and interesting pies and naming them. I even made pies all summer long and sold them at church and to individuals in order to raise money to be able to come over to Cambodia. Well, since I left America, my pie baking has been put on hold. Until last week! Last week, I successfully made my first pie in Cambodia. You can see it here. To be honest, I have no idea to blog it twice, so you will just have to go on over to the pie blog if you want to see photos and the recipe. It did turn out quite well, though. I only had to have pie tins and measuring cups and spoons sent to me. And, I think I only went to about three supermarkets and a few other shops in search of pie making things. I wasn't able to find a lot of things I wanted, such as a rolling pin. But, I didn't let that stop me. Where there is a will, there is a way!

What about the R.O.U.S.s?

In my family growing up, there was always one movie we could agree on--The Princess Bride. For those of you who have not seen it, shame on you, but I will paint the scene a bit for you. After the long lost lover saves the princess from the evil kidnappers, they decide to venture into the fire swamp in order to escape the devilish prince and his posse. This particular fire swamp is known to have 3 dangers, which notoriously let no one out alive. First, there are the fire spurts. Second, there is the lightning sand, which is like super quick sand. And, third, are the R.O.U.S.s, or Rodents Of Unusual Size. While Wesley (the long lost lover) does not think they exist, he is sadly mistaken as a giant rat comes out of nowhere to attack him and wrestle him to the ground.

So, if you find yourself thinking like Wesley that R.O.U.S.s don't exist, I want you to know otherwise. I assure you that there are R.O.U.S.s in abundance across Cambodia. This is a dead one that I passed on the road this week. I considered putting my foot in the picture in order to give you a scale to look at, but I'll be honest, I wasn't about to get that close. Thank God for a zoom lens! While this is by no means the largest rat I have seen, he was a pretty good sized rat. I estimate that the length of his body was 10-12 inches (that does NOT include his tail). It is pretty bad when you see one out of the corner of your way and question whether it was a rat or a cat!
I will say this about the rats. They are perfectly content to remain outside. So, as long as they maintain this pattern, we can live quite harmoniously. The day they decide to enter my front door will be the day that our relationship will have to change...