Teamwork

There's another aspect to my "job" I haven't told you about yet. I play hostess to visiting mission teams. Sometimes teams stay here at the team house where Ruth & I live & sometimes they stay elsewhere. Sometimes they're here for a couple weeks, sometimes they're here for a few days, & sometimes they just pop in for a few hours. My duties depend on where they stay & how long they stay. Whatever the circumstances, my first duty is to inform my sibs & the housemoms of a team's upcoming arrival, lest they refuse to open the gate & call in security (that'd be me. Hahahahaha!)

The first team I met came out of Singapore & they stayed here for one week. They held daily workshops for our older girls here at the teamhouse. They were a lot of work. I prepared & maintained the team house, arranged transportation, obtained supplies, set up their meeting room & even pulled a hairball the size of a well fed fieldmouse out of their drain for them. In addition, I kept track of everyone's emotional & physical health, meeting those needs as best as the Lord enabled me.

This week we've had two teams in. Both Roo's. The first team was a "pop-in" team, meaning they popped in to play with my siblings for about an hour. Very simple job there. I just met them at an easy-to-find location, directed their bus driver to the girls' house (in the Cambodian language! How cool am I?) & hung around until Ruth got there. The second team is also a youth team who popped in. They popped in for about half a day tho' & came well prepared with a variety of fun, interactive activities.

In addition to popping in, the second team held clinics at two villages LIA supports near the Vietnam border. Some of the team members provided pharmacy services handing us the meds we called for (Ruth & I did diagnoses with the help of a couple of my sibs providing translation), some administered eye & ear drops, some cleaned & bandaged wounds. Outside the medical treatment, some played guitars, some did face painting, some blew soap bubbles, some played games & some prayed for those we treated. This was a pretty simple job as well; I just gave directions now & again to achieve & maintain organized work. Oh yeah, I also sat outside the door of a primitive shower (basically an outhouse with a large container of water & a metal bowl for pouring) talking to a girl who was afraid to be in the shower area by herself. Hahahahaha!
Next week we have a Missions Adventure Kiwi team coming thru a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base here in Phnom Penh. They'll be staying at the YWAM base, so there's no prep for me to do here. They plan to spend several mornings playing with my sibs. My job will be to hang out at the girls' house with them & to lead them in helping with the kindy classes here at the team house.

The greatest task I have as team hostess is answering questions. Teams have lots & lots of questions. Questions about the Kingdom of Cambodia's culture, about my siblings, about LIA, even about what I'm doing here (& how to properly use a squatty potty, especially where there are no tissue or towels. Hahahahaha!). I believe every question we ask is actually an effort to understand ourselves, so altho' answering the questions directly is easy enough, I need to raise questions about the questions to be of real service. For example, when someone asks how villagers who have virtually no material goods can seem so content, I have to question why s/he equates having stuff with being content. I could simply say, "Most of them don't know there's more to be had," but what good would that do? A direct answer like that barely satisfies the curiosity, let alone reaches the soul. In order to be of any lasting value, I need to fashion their curiosity about others into a springboard to consciously questioning themselves. Direct answers give information, but direct questions give insight.

In my mind, helping to answer these questions-the real questions-is my greatest task where teams are concerned, but I reckon in their minds my greatest task is either handing out tissues & hand sanitizer at squatties or getting rid of the "eeew" that clogs their drains.

Praise God for...
~encouraging words. There is real power within them.
~treats in the mail. There is real power in them as well.
~clean water. Access to it is a gift. And, believe me, it tastes better than the polluted kind.
~people who still believe they can make a difference in the world.
~friends who are in it with you even when they can't be there with you. (You are more powerful than you know.)

Petition God for...
~the salvation of the dear souls who nabbed my bag.
~the salvation of the misguided souls who stole my ID.
~the transformation of perverts' hearts. They need healing as much as their victims do.
~insight & energy to minister to teams.
~favor with Immigration as I try to jump thru the final hoops to get my visa squared away.

A BIG HONKIN' THANK-YOU TO:
~the Tues morning group for the Bible!
~Diana Hester for the Levi's!
~Grace & Mercy Ministries for the missions donation!
~Bill Parr for apples of gold in settings of silver!

Personal Notes:
~Isaac Roe, I love you. The folks in Sihanouk Ville are asking about you!
~Kelly Stanley, yeah, it's like that both ways. I appreciate you too-honest, I do! :o)

Fill 'er up

I finally took a much needed break! I've been running on fumes the last couple of weeks & just didn't have it in me to go much further. I spent the weekend on the coast in Sihanouk Ville with friends who live there. Boy oh boy, did I get a good refill! I was so well loved that I am filled to overflowing again!

Especially after leaving the last depressing entry hanging here for so long, I want to tell you a little bit about my wonderful holiday. The whole weekend was absolutely grand, so it's difficult to choose highlights, but I'll do my prayerful best. I didn't take any photos because I know a camera simply cannot do justice to the experience. A diminished image seems an insult to it. The images are engraved in my heart, where they carry the full impact of the moment tho'.

First of all, it was incredibly heartwarming, & actually mindblowing, to receive the unbelievably joyous greetings I was given. Lots of squealing & squeezing, kissing & carressing, hand holding & happy tears. I could not have been welcomed with any more excited glee if I were carrying a big, carboard Publisher's Clearinghouse check! Where everyone really needs & everyone wants me to fill those needs, it is a soul-refreshing blessing to be desired for no more than my presence.

I have become acquainted with my friends thru doing business with them. A few operate the guesthouse I stay in & a couple others are tuk tuk drivers who've introduced me to their family (of 18 members living together in a small, three-sided house they built themselves). God has given us such sweet soul ties that I am not considered a customer anymore & they are by no means service providers to me. Sopha (so-FWAH), the 15 year-old guesthouse hostess calls me Mamma & we cry on each other's necks when we meet & when we part. Mr. Sothea (so-TEE-uh) the guesthouse manager told me, "you are very-good-to-warm-my-heart friend." Ditto to Mr. Sothea. Ly, the most darling & precious friend I have in Cambodia, drives a tuk tuk for a living. He expressed the greatest honor & deepest love by informing me-& showing me!-that I am no longer a customer or even ordinary friend but a no-pay friend.

My first puzzling experience as a no-pay friend came at the house of Ly's friends when they were reluctant to accept money after preparing me a costly & elaborate feast. As I've said, food is the most precious commodity here. Giving someone food is like handing over your checkbook here. When I asked Ly about he said, "When you in Cambodia maybe one year or two year, you will know Cambodia way. Some must pay, some not." He explained that no-pay friends are entitled to everything you possess or have access to & they are never obligated to repay the cost or even return the favor (tho' out of mutual affection they usually do). As we talked more about "Cambodia way" my heart warmed when he said, "You good friend, no pay me & no pay my friends ." On his word, I am entitled to anything or everything his family & friends have or can lay hold of...without owing them anything in return! Thing is, part of Cambodia way is that you cannot earn that kind of friendship. You cannot give & expect to receive in return. No-pay friend status is given me (& others) because, as Ly explained it, "I know your heart. I see your behavior. You no pay." It's a matter of character. My character, yes, & I am indeed incredibly honored, but moreso Ly's character & I am indeed incredibly loved
.
At one point in the most wonderful weekend I've lived since I don't know when, Ly took me to a secret beach. That is, a place unsullied by the tourists & hawkers & the awful, ugly, noisy messes they make. Ly really does know my heart & proved that clearly when, as we stood on the shore, he softly said, "You can like the sea & the islands & the beach," then walked away to leave me in much-needed solitude. I walked in & out of the water along the shoreline for a long time praying. When I finally squatted just beyond the water's reach, all talked out, I began to truly "like the sea & the islands & the beach" & God whispered in my spirit rather nonchalantly, "I spoke all this." I was got. I was overwhelmed with who God is as if I'd just heard the truth for the first time. He spoke all that. Wow. Then He really blew me away, "Just let Me love you. Humble yourself to receive. Just let Me love you." I squatted a good while longer taking in the message. Ly approached & squatted next to me for a long time. We just liked the sea & the islands & the beach together in silence. We simultaneously rose & headed back to the motorcycle. Down the road a short piece he broke the silence, "You can be happy now? If you happy, I happy. You no happy, I cannot happy too."

I replied, "Jaaaa, I am happy now."

His thrilled response was, "Ooooooh SO good! I am very, very happy! And you speak Khmer! Make me happy!" ("Ja" is the female "yes.") We both laughed loud & long just out of sheer happiness.

Ly also took me to a secret waterfall during "the wonder weekend." We had SUCH a blast with the 20 or so Cambodians there. We laughed & splashed & hooted & slipped around & played behind, in front of & right smack in the middle of the awesomely gorgeous & powerful waterfalls. Being the obvious newbie there, everyone wanted to show me tricks & thrills to enjoy...& to take photos of me. Hahahaha! After playing long enough to get chilled, I sat on a flat, dry spot in the sunshine away from the crowd. I sat in amazement at the beauty & power of the falls, of the One who created them-the One who spoke them, the One who gave me no-pay friend status just to love me.

A quick tutorial from Kelly :-)

Becky asked me to let everyone know how they can "Follow" her blog and leave comments.

To become a "Follower":
1) Go to Sign In (upper right-hand corner) and create an account.
2) Sign in, and then the "Follow" button appears in upper left-hand corner.
3) From then on, if you sign in to Blogger (or through Becky's blog), you will have a Dashboard that shows new posts from all the blogs you are following.

You can also register for a Google account (free) and use Google Reader to read all the blogs you want to follow. All you have to do is type in the blog addresses at the top left under "Add a subscription." It's a simple way to manage and stay up on multiple blogs that you follow.

OK, to add a comment to the blog (i.e., respond to Becky's questions or simply send a message), click on the "Comments" link at the bottom of each individual blog entry. It will say "0 comments" or 1, 2, or however many there are.

It will give you an area to write your comments, but be sure to click on the "Comment as" pop-up menu to choose an identity -- which just means to enter your name, email address (optional) -- or use your new Google identity (I think that's the simplest). Then click "Post comment" and you're done!

Gladness and Grief

Today has been the roughest day I've ever had in Cambodia. Yes, even worse than the day in February we were deathly ill. Muuuuch worse than that. I hope I'll never have another like it, but I reckon if Jesus keeps me 'round here I will. Sigh.

Altho' the "issue" has been on-going for almost a month, I haven't been at liberty to speak of it to anyone except Ruth & a couple of government officials. This morning our involvement was ended, so I can finally speak of it...in a vague sort of way anyhow.

A guy came by late one night packing lies & three small children. He said he wanted the children to stay with us temporarily because they were in danger of being kidnapped and/or hurt by some wicked fugitives who have a grudge against him for "busting" them. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out the guy was telling tall tales, but three littles clearly needed a safe place to stay, so what could we do?

I kept them in hiding here with me at the team house until we were confident there were no predators creeping around the place (knowing the neighbors & having neighbors who love to gossip about strangers in the neighborhood was SUCH a blessing). We could not risk the safety of my siblings if someone really were following the guy & the children. Once we were convinced no one was lurking about to do harm, we moved them to the girls' house where all the other littles live.

The guy called periodically with excuses about why he couldn't retrieve the children yet & finally asked us to turn the children over to a nanny he hired. Ruth asked a trusted friend who's in the know about the guy & we found out our suspicions were right on the mark: the guy is the fugitive & the only people following him are law enforcement agents (from at least two countries & about 5 agencies). Then we were really in it!

The guy is not the natural nor adoptive father of these precious littles, so if we kept the children, we were part of a kidnapping ring & if we passed the children on to someone else, we were part of a human trafficking ring. Just having the children in our care labeled us "associates" & possibly "assessories" to the guy. Oh don't you know we were praying our hearts out!! Besides, & truly beyond, the legalities of the situation, we had three littles who needed loving care & protection....& a few medical tests to reveal if they'd been sexually assaulted, HIV-infected, or suffered any STD's. (I know, I hate to think toddlers may have such problems too, but here it's not uncommon.)

Thank God our trusted friend was able to clear us with a contact at the US embassy, who was able to clear us with a contact at the Ozzie embassy, who put us in contact with a westerner-run Non-Government Organization that rescues children trapped in human trafficking (foreign rescue NGO, aka the only good guys in this country with any real power). who in turn agreed to help us resolve the mess with the local government & place the children in a safe & wonderful foster home until the real parents can be located & checked out (the parents may have willingly given up the littles or sold them & so not be fit to receive them back). The NGO man, a real sweetheart with a lot of backbone, took the littles & me to the proper authorities today to turn the children over to the foster home people.

Funny thing, altho' the littles showed absolutely no attachment, indeed no emotion at all, toward the guy who claimed to be their adopted dad who, according to him, saved them from certain disaster & death, 5 minutes after I met them they were on me like white on rice. God does stuff like that. He let them know that I was a safe place to land, I reckon. The guy claimed they could not speak, so I was surprised when they spoke eagerly & cheerfully & frequently to me. For some reason they spoke only to me tho'. Go fig. God does stuff like that too. But, that blessing made today all the harder.

I had to put the children in a tuk-tuk with yet another complete stranger (who knows how many times they've been thru that already), smile at them, & tell them, "It's OK." They will be OK, but at the moment none of us were OK. I'm still not OK. God, I hope they are.

I'm sooooo glad they're safe & on the way to a stable & loving home, but I'm also grieving. Grieving over the fact that littles suffer confusion & fear & heartache & bodily pain & soul-scarring trauma because wicked adults are willing to put them in harm's way for pocket change.

Lord Jesus, come quickly! Can I get an "amen" somewhere?

9/2/10
Praise God for...
~people willing to risk themselves to prevent others from being put at risk.
~the privilege of eating every day. It is a privilege.
~"big rain" that settles the dust & lifts the spirit.
~the moto driver that enjoyed being caught in the storm as much as I did. We had a blast, especially thru the butt-high flood waters.
~people who ask, "What do you need?"

Petition God for...
~the salvation of those precious souls who nabbed my bag
~the salvation of those who nabbed my ID..
~the capture of & mercy toward the wicked perv you'll read about in this entry.
~more reliable LIA staff

Personal Notes:
~Deb, thanks sooo much for the Thirst! It really makes a difference!
~Judson Baptist Church of La Vista, NE., THANK YOU!!!
~Grapevine, you've just got to learn some hip-hop moves. You'd love it!
~Isaac, I miss you big.

Bong

It's official. I am LIA staff. Cool beans, huh? I think so. The pay's nothing to bank on, but the benefits are priceless. The only title I hold here is Bong, which means elder sibling (Yeah, the language is that thorough. Moreso than ancient Greek even!) As Bong I have authority over & responsibility for my younger sibs, but I also get to enjoy the commaraderie of being "one of the kids." In other words, I get to boss them around & hear their secrets. Hahahaha!

I love every one of my little brothers & sisters very deeply. God has given us genuine intimacy with & sincere affection for one another. I do some stuff for them, sure, but they're for me as well. Really. Just tonight, a few of the children gave Jame & me a big bag of fruit simply to love on us. Waaaay more fruit than we can eat, to be sure. We each took a little & Jame will give the rest to the poor children in his neighborhood. A bag of fruit (I don't know what it's called, but it's delicious) may not sound like much to people who give each other new clothes, video games & cars, but here giving food in any amount is a HUGE gift. Not to mention the fact that fruit is a treat, not part of the ordinary diet. So, to receive a big, honkin' bag of it.... Wow!

Another evening a few of my brothers could see that I was upset about something despite my best efforts to conceal my emotions. I've learned that when you know someone's heart, you have only to see their cheek to know how they are feeling. My brothers know my heart, for sure. They rallied round me like you would not believe. Merely recalling their concern & compassion overwhelms my soul.

Even the littles show their love for me in the sweetest, albeit strangest, ways. Here grooming one another is a great sign of affection. So, when the littles show me their toenails need clipping or their ears need cleaning, I know I am well loved. When they nit pick me (literal nit picking) & scrape the dusty crud out of the inner corners of my eyes, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they absolutely adore me.

I have no doubt that my brothers & sisters would do anything & give everything for me. And, I for them — same, same, no different.

Mostly what I do for the children is pay attention as a real bong should. Easily, 2/3 of Cambodian communication is done thru facial expression & body language. I suppose that's a fact on an international level, but here the unspoken communication is far more complex & far more important than I've ever heard of happening anywhere else. For example, it makes a big difference which direction your eyes move while you're speaking. I'm not just talking about up or down, I'm talking about diagonally up to the right, quickly to the left, a glance at the ground. Eye movement is just one way of communicating. Eyebrows is a whole 'nother thing. As are the mouth, the hands, the feet, shoulders, etc. (If you're thinking about coming over, no worries, it's understood that foreigners are poor communicators & Cambo's don't hold much against you. Hahaha!)

I am finding the children & I speak less but communicate more. Ain't that something? For example, this evening I asked Srey Pick why the older girls didn't attend a youth meeting they were very excited about this morning. She slumped just a bit with hands folded in her lap, glanced slightly downward to the right, then downward center. I asked again, "Srey Pick (saying a person's name in conversation is also a big deal & sometimes the only thing that needs to be said), why you not go to youth? Srey Pick, why?" She looked me in the eye for a few seconds, then glanced straight left, then downward to the right again as she leaned back in her seat. I had my answer; a full explanation including how she was feeling about it. I can't tell you the reason because part of the message was a request for confidentiality. Hahahaha!

I do other stuff for the children too, but none of it would mean nearly as much as it does to them without the "real-bong" factor. It's really the lifetime committment between us that makes the other stuff deeply meaningful. Like the recent boys' underwear purchases I made. Lots of people have bought my sibs unders & my sibs have been thankful, but there's something different about their bong taking them to market. Others have given unders because orphans need underwear. I bought unders because my brothers need underwear.....Calvin Kleine knock-off underwear that hangs out of the top of their low riders all cool like.

Photo: Big, hairy grapes

8/29/10
Praise God for...
~His astounding mercy
~His constant provision for every single need
~laughter. It does a body, soul & spirit good.
~the FABULOUS service work my brothers & sisters are joyfully doing
~His grace that turns intended harm into actual good
~young lives transformed by the loving Spirit of Jesus
~the realization of LIA's 2-year prayer request for a kindie (preschool) program here at the team house

Petition God for...
~the precious & treasured souls of the guys who snatched my bag
~redemption of the cleverness of the people who stole my ID. Their intelligence & ingenuity can bring God a good deal of glory once they know Jesus.
~ridiculously obvious direction in the decisions I need to make
~increase in trustworthy & sincere LIA staff

Personal Notes:
~Turner Family, God's peace & joy to you! You & yours are on my mind & in my heart. I also want you to be assured that your investments here are paying off in HUGE & ETERNAL dividends. Thank you soooooo much for your support. You are literally changing Cambodia. I can see it happening! Glory to God!
~Peg Miller, my big honkin' response to your concerns was lost in the email hijacking. Here's the short version: OK, I'll pray with you about it with an open mind. Thank you for being real. Thank you for caring for my family. I love you too.
~Isaac Roe, it's an honor to be your mom. I love you, Son.

WARNING: Becky's email account was hacked!

Several people have gotten emails saying Becky is in Cypress, her wallet was stolen, and she needs $1500 to get home. IT IS NOT TRUE. We believe someone hacked her account or something. Her Yahoo email account has been shut down by Yahoo for at least 24 hours, but she was able to text David today to tell him about it and to let him know none of it was true. So DO NOT RESPOND to that. If she sets up a new address or if I get an update that all is well, I will post it here.

If you feel led to give money to put towards bringing her home, of course that would be wonderful, but get that to David and do not go through her email address! :-)

Thanks!
Kelly

Bright Little Brother

Being the youngest child in my family, I always wanted a little brother or sister. I am thrilled to have dozens now! And, bonus! I don't even have to share my toys with them! Hahahahaha! The "little" brother I admire most is Bright. He's more than a foot taller than me, as you can see, & tickled to be called "Little Brother." Let me tell you about him. (read: I'm about to brag on my sib.)

Bright is a 19 year-old university student who dreams of being a Cambodian ambassador. His aspiration stems from a deep desire to help his people. I am so very pleased that Bright is looking toward the big picture concerning his country & is willing to shoot high to improve the country's well-being & standing in the world.

Bright bikes to the university where he is studying english. He pedals one hour (each way) for 30 minutes of instruction rain or shine. Here "rain or shine" is more accurately descibed as incredible downpour or bone-melting heat. When I commented on the distance, Bright replied with a smile, "Maybe God is testing me & I want to pass the test." Despite the long ride six days a week, Bright is very grateful for the opportunity to attend school. He knows he is privileged to have this opportunity, especially because it is a good english course.

After class Bright returns to the girls' house with a few of the younger boys to teach english to the middle children (we call them littles, middles & olders). The children have great respect for Bright & appreciate & enjoy learning from him. He also leads evening worship at the boys' house & teaches them from God's Bible. In addition, Bright is of great help at both houses where "a man's work" needs to be done. This includes, but is not limited to, "mowing the grass," which is actually squatting to pull up grass from the relatively spacious yard to keep the mosquito population to a minimum.

Bright has agreed to tutor me in Khmer (k'my), the language of Cambodia, for the month of August in exchange for a english thesaurus. I will also continue helping him with english pronunciation, vocabularly expansion & idioms. He's quite eager to learn all he can of the english language & is tickled pink over my help. I give him my copy of The Cambodia Daily every afternoon to practice reading & pronunciation skills; he reads select articles to me & I explain & correct as we go. I also answer questions he has about english he's heard around town, on the radio, etc.

Bright is a natural leader at the boys' house being the elder brother, but he has been shy to give the boys much direction & correction when needed. Affection, comfort & encouragement, he has down pat tho'. Jame & I have encouraged him to accept the role God's given him there at the house especially because the male staff members have recently left LIA's Cambodia ministry. Bright is "the man of the house" now, so it is important for him to move confidently in his position. Please pray with us for Bright. He is a very gentle, gracious & grateful spirit with an underlying strength that will aid & protect his younger siblings as he takes hold of the responsibility God's given him.

I love the photo of my little brother & myself here, but I wish I had one of us embracing. Out of respect for elders or those in greater authority, one makes his head lower than the shoulders of the "bigger" & it's comical to see Bright stoop halfway over to put his head under my chin as we hug. He's even taller than it appears in this photo because I'm standing on a bit of rise beside him. Bright is so humble & so sweet, he never avoids a hello, or good-bye, or thank-you, or I-love-you hug with me in spite of the awkward discomfort it involves for him. (I didn't think to pack my Stilleto's this trip. Hahahahaha!)

If you'd like to send a note of encouragement to Bright regarding his pursuit of education, his desire to be an ambassador for his people, or his new role as "team captain" at the boys' house, please email it to me at beckyroehere@yahoo.com Your loving words will lift these children to heights they'd never reach on their own, so please prayerfully consider the idea & take action as the Lord leads.

7/30/10
Praise God for...
~the relationships He's developing for me & children
~warmish water for the afternoon shower
~clothes for the boys who needed them
~the Sunday morning treat of REAL coffee!! (Double Jesus cheer with a jump!)

Petition God for...
~the salvation of lost souls
~God's "cords of kindness" to draw the guys who snatched the bag
~opportunity & means to resolve the visa issues (corruption funds are very high here)
~a simple & successful surgery for Dave (10 August)

A big honkin' thank-you to:
~Mike & Shirley for faithful prayer support.
~my Zeph Sisters' upcoming flip flop contribution. You love well!
~Nancy Rodenbeck for writing to Doc. You blessed his socks off, sister!
~Kelly Stanley for being magical here on the blog

Personal Notes:
~LIA-Cambo Kindie has opened! Yippee! Look for more info in an upcoming entry.
~Sherry Warner, yes, I've lost some weight, but don't worry, it's worth it to "eat doughnuts all my life."
~Glen Taylor, I'm thinking of you, brother.
~Grace & Mercy, miss you so, so, SO much, but... "I just cain't turn back nooooow!"
~Isaac Roe, I love you more than you know.