Home!

For those of you who do not know already, I am back home in Canada. Please remember me in prayer as I am in the middle of my application process and fundraising so that I can return to Cambodia on a long term assignment. Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement and support.

God Bless!
Beca

The Countdown

One week from now I will be in Canada. Its really weird and surreal. I can't believe that I have less than a week left here in Cambodia. It has been great! I just want to hurry up and come back. Please pray that I get accepted and can raise the funds to come back. I don't know how I am going to say goodbye to my kids at the orphanage. It is going to be a highly emotional week with so much to do and so little time to do it.

What is Justice?

Food for thought:

Yesterday a friend of mine was giving me a lift home on his moto. As we were driving we witnessed what appeared to be a moto theft. The woman yelled "thief" in Khmer and immediately everyone around was after the guy (some of them probably saw him do it too.) They caught the bike and then the men grabbed the guy and pushed him off the bike and started throwing punches at him. The cop stood by and watched until the guy received a good beating. Then the cop removed the culprit from the scene.

This is the way it works in Cambodia. I would hate to be someone wrongfully accused of a crime. It's like being guilty before proven Innocent and your fate is left to the people around at the time of the crime and the crowd that joins afterwards. It kind of parallels the stonings in Acts where Stephen was stoned and Peter, not to mention Jesus' death.

After witnessing the scene (because my friend stopped his moto to watch the whole thing) it made me really start to think about justice and what it is all about and should be all about. The way things are done here in regards to justice may not seem right at times but I can't really say they are wrong either. Its just different. It's just something to think about.

New Clothes

During Christmas time, many of you were so generous in sending money for my Christmas project. For Christmas they each received a present, went to KFC and many of them experience a mall for the first time. I saved some of the money and used it this week to purchase new clothes for all the children. Here are some pictures:

Thank you for your generosity.

2 Kings 18:5-7

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went.

Wow! Wouldn't it be amazing to have that said about you?! My favourite part is:
For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him

May we all strive to hold fast to Jesus and His Word.

In Need of Prayer

I met a boy today. I am really worried about him. He is an orphan who was taken in by an elderly couple who do not work. Instead, the boy works as a garbage collector after school to support them. He has serious mental/cognitive problems and they told me that he has only eaten rice and salt since he was a child. I want to get him into see a doctor. I don't know if it is a caring or abusive situation that he is in.... but I do know that he needs some serious prayer. Please remember him in prayer!

Leadership Retreat at the Beach

This weekend I headed to the beach with the leadership team from my church. It was fun experiencing a day at the beach Khmer style. Instead of sitting in the sun you sit in the shade. Instead of wearing a bathing suit you wear clothes -- and none of the girls actually went swimming.

(Me sitting at the table in the shade wearing a flower thing that they sell.) (One of the guys playing some worship tunes on the beach.)

(Just playing around... see they swim in clothes.)
(Evening worship.)

In the evening we all gathered together for a time of worship and then Gary shared a quick message. It was on how to be a leader. It was simple and yet important. His three points were

a) Jesus said to follow Him, so we need to follow Him. Its not follow me and I will give you... or follow me if... but just "follow me."

b) we need to have integrity. I think it was Paul who said "follow me as I follow Christ". If we are not following Christ and not living each day with integrity, how can we point others to Jesus and show them how to live according to God's Word.

c) Jesus was moved with compassion and He did something about it...and so should we. I want to be moved with compassion for the poor and the hurting etc.

Anyhow, I thought it was a good reminder on how we should be living.

(Our dinner: fresh seafood grilled on the beach. The guy in the picture is some guy who we all met on the beach. He used to believe in Jesus but then he turned away from the faith. He ended up spending the day with us and joined us through out our service. We are praying that he will decide to follow Jesus again.)

I love being near the beach. I never did like the sand, but there is something nice and refreshing about being by the beach.