An Interview with Steve

OUR ROOM

A mirrored wardrobe, sink area with tap water, separate warm water shower & toilet,
door to a viewless lanai, desk, bedside table, large bed with a very firm mattress, and a vanity.

Tiled walls and floors reach up to a 16 foot ceiling. A large and effective 5 speed over-head fan helps to cool us off.

"MY OFFICE"

This breezy second floor lanai

has been perfect for blogging,

Bible Studies, mentoring and prayer.






BICYCLE EXERCISE

I like rides very early in the morning,

when sunrises are beautiful,

and before traffic gets heavy.


I have made runs to the local

western grocery store as well.



SHUTTLE COCK GAME

Can you see it? The object is to keep this 5 inch toy airborne using your feet and hands.
Good players eschew using their hands.

Yeah, yeah, but where is the interview? Oh . . guess I'll have to include that somewhere else!

A Khmer Home

Welcome,

to the home of

Thy Sophearom,

her parents,

brother and 1 year old niece.

Inside, there is an upstairs area
that contains 2 or 3 sleeping areas.
Beds are a rare luxury.


If possible - always sleep under a mosquito net.


The ceiling (and roof) is made up of corrugated metal

The kitchen area

contains a cutting board

and a small cooking area

for heating up food over warm coals.

This is the one and only

source of running water

for the home.


Notice that the outside walls

are constructed from red brick.

Kitchen storage:


On right - Pots, pans & spices

The large urn on the left

contains water for cooking,

drinking and bathing.

Moto theft is a real problem here.


Family transportation vehicles

are brought in doors for safe keeping.

Food preparation

and dish washing are done

on the floor.


Notice that the flooring

is cement.

A wondrous feast is celebrated. There will be no leftovers.

This upper-middle class home could rent for $50 a month. It will soon be the site of her wedding reception this Saturday. It will also be the couple's honeymoon site. Check out the blog about CAMBODIAN COUPLES.

Poverty

An 11 or 12 year old girl is left - sometimes for days, to care for her baby brother and young sister.


There is no school in their lives at this time. School is not compulsory here. If they do get the chance, they will be far behind their peers.

There is little to do for kids on this farm.


No books or TV, no friends or pets.

This is where their food is prepared.




Both parents cross the Mekong River for work - seeking to make enough to get by. The average earnings for a Khmer person is less than $1 a day.

These guys on the trash truck run are seeking to make an extra buck by sorting through the trash bins looking for recyclables.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH

Turning 21 on 1/2 in 12
Awesome
All the best to you Honey - from your devoted parents.

Sorry sweetie for this pic. When you have limited access - you have to use what you've got!

KIDS - just because . . .

Will you please help us with captions or verses for this particular set of pics?
The boy in the third frame is 90-95% blind. Where is the duck going?
What do facial expressions communicate?

A Khmer Wedding

On the 31st we attended the wedding of 2 delightful young Christians. We came on time, yet had to wait an hour and 45 minutes for the ceremony (and I thought "Hawaiian time" was bad :).

Everyone walks down the aisle - including the preacher. The groom is supposed to come down - flanked by his parents. Makara's parents, as disapproving Buddhists, did not come. Kori & I were surprised to see our driver (Angkor Wat trip) and a woman escort him. What conflicted emotions - thinking as a dad - for his parents to have missed such an important and joyous occasion, yet at the same time, to see such honored support from his Christian Family (Saivy - our driver, at 44, and his wife are probably the oldest couple in their church).



Panara was accompanied by her aunt & uncle - because her parents are diseased. The attendants (all wearing white) walk down the aisle and stop at measured distances apart - along the aisle, then turn facing in (as the Bible bearer/ringbearer, flower girls and the bride pass before them). Then they follow her to the front.

The pastor clearly and fully preached an excellent gospel message. He invited the attendees to invite Jesus into their "house." No shared kiss took place. After the vows and exchange of rings, there was a simple pronouncement. We tossed pikake flowers at them as they walked down the aisle. A lovely buffet luncheon followed in one of the nicer eateries downtown.

During the reception, the bride and groom exchange costumes repeatedly - for pictures. We saw at least 3 changes - we later heard that that there can be up to 10 or even more of these changes into different styles and colors - all gorgeous. We were unable to make our camera function properly in the light there - our apologies.

Conflicting Emotions

In the last 24 hours we have witnessed the results of an accident on the street, and a Khmer wedding.

We passed a sprawled moto driver and his spilled bike on the street, while traveling in the opposite direction. We could not stop as we were in the midst of moving traffic. But what appalled and sickened me was the way in which drivers just drove on around him - lying there. He ever-so-slightly moved, but it was obvious to us that either his shoulder was out of socket, or his arm was broken. As callous and self-centered as Americans can be - I just could not picture that happening in the USA.

We are going to a wedding! How excited to be invited!

Our lovely "adopted daughter" Kizzy will join us.






We have been asked on different occasions about how we are related! We spend a lot of time together and get along so well, does there appear to be a family resemblance?

Summer Team members - can you recognize these 4 women that we worked with nearly everyday? It was hard for me to do. Khmer formal dress is quite colorful.