Pre-school opportunity beckons

New Life Fellowship, the church that we are a part of here, operates an English language pre-school. That's where Susie is filling in this month. They have really good facilities - a good quarter-acre with grass (that is rare and precious) and some little buildings for classes. What they are looking for is two good-quality preschool teachers. It's a voluntary position (with possibly some pocket-money but no promises!) for a minimum of one year.

Now that we are established, we are happy to offer free accommodation at our place - if you are a nice person and have pavalova and/or carrot cake skills. I can also offer free driving lessons for Cambodian conditions. October 15 start would be perfect - no pressure but sooner is better than later! Contact us - bonnevies at gmail dot com - if this is the next step in what you are born to be.

Adam Hutchinson - a Kiwi with New Plymouth connections and working here with Prison Fellowship - adopting Cambodian ways as he picks up Sophie, Toby and Sam from pre-school

Old Knives Tale

Tonight I am trying my hand at the real McCoy Cambodian curry. The Cambodian curry is superb - much much milder than a good Thai green or red, but very tasty. Lina made a great one - and I'm afraid that my first try at copying may end up ... just a little deficient.

I like a good knife. With 25kg precious luggage, I dedicated 1kg to my trusty cook's knife. Unhappily, this superior piece of steel had a tumble from the kitchen bench - and the blade shattered into two. End of knife?? This is Cambodia! Lina trotted off to the local welding boys and behold - a nice little welding bead, a bit of a grind-back - and the knife lives on!!

Me and my trusty two-made-one-piece and the beginnings of a curry creation

Postes Resantes el pronto

We received our first 'real mail' yesterday, as in the stamped envelope variety. Kara sent her mum a birthday card to the Phnom Penh post office - posted 20 August; arrived 24 August. Faster than an Aussie camel - just took me a whole lot longer to make the journey to the PO.

Uplifting the mail is hard case. A very disinterested lady behind the counter handed me a box of mail - and promptly wandered off. I was free to help myself to any mail I wanted - a great way to bolster a stamp collection or collect post cards! So, the system does work - but maybe not recommended for transporting $100 notes.

Losing Lina

Lina and Sopheak have left us quite suddenly, to go and live with a 'relative' (this has a pretty flexible meaning in Cambodia) in the province. We are sad to see them go - especially for Sopheak who had such opportunity here to attend school and be close to his beloved sister Darra.

We are still wondering what went down. Was it our gentle insistance that Krrohom the red dog really did need to reside at Darra's as agreed and not here? Was it just too difficult for Lina to adjust to live with us? Or is it that she really is a country girl at heart and found the big city difficult? We're not sure.

Lina's daughter Darra still lives just down the road. Where she lives she is sometimes left alone, and she does not like to spend nights there alone - especially after robbers burgled our neighbours two doors from us last week. She has a standing invitation to come and stay the night here which she is happy about, so maybe one day we will learn what Lina's reasons are. As in many cultures, smiling nice replies are more the norm rather than a honest heart response.

Earlier days - Sopheak and Darra with Heather who introduced us to this lovely family.

'Teacher Sue'

I was informed by Sam, twin brother to little Sophie, that 'no' his teacher was not Mrs Bonbee - it was Teacher Sue!

Sue has been at the pre-school each day this week. She gets right into it (you know Sue, right!!) getting lessons prepared, photocopying stuff, singing ditty crocodile songs around the house ... it is all go and lots of fun.

"Bull-at-a-gate' Isaac, Caleb, Sophie and Sam mesmerised by Teacher Sue's creativity

The church preschool is entertaining to get to. It is pretty close - just an exciting road to get across, then a bottle-neck down what looks to be an alley-way but is the entrance to a whole other section of Phnom Penh that is very densley populated. The other morning police were standing and blowing whistles, trucks turning in, cars and motos at standstill and a street vendor nonchalently parked his mobile food barrow smack in the tiny street and wondered off with a fried egg on his spatchelor to give to his customer. Where in ANZAC earth can you have that kind of fun in a morning work commute??

Everlasting Father

Sokhun died Tuesday afternoon in her sleep. She was just 42 years old. We attended her memorial service today - a wonderful service that was held at Hagar with maybe 150 people attending.

Hagar ladies choir at the funeral - women who come out of abusive situations.

During the two-hour service, Millet, who heads up the Hagar women's shelter ministry, spoke of a conversation she once had with Sokhun, asking her 'what is your idea of fulness of life'. Sokhun answered with such things as 'to have a house in which the door closed and the window was secure; to have enough food for her and her children and for her children to be able to go to school. Now, imagine a NZ / Aussie response to that question - and see if you can measure the gap.

Sokhun's children are looking really well. They were understandably distraught on Tuesday but they are well loved and cared for in their new family. This was Sokhun's greatest mission - to know her children were secure in their futures.

'Marie' (never did get her Khmer name!) - youngest daughter

'Scooter' Raita - one different looking kid now

Vanna, oldest child and such a nice young guy and echoes of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' - Sue, Sue and Sue.

First Quarter

Today marks three months since Sue and I arrived in Cambodia. During this first stage of what we trust will be a long and fruitful time in this nation, we have set ourselves three low-key objectives - to learn, to connect and to serve. We are very aware of the need to put in foundations, so we have chosen not to be in a hurry to have visible 'things' to point to and say 'this is what we are doing'.

A pic to break all the stuff that follows!!

Three months in - and here are just some thoughts and observations I have regarding this land of such beauty and tragedy:

1. The curse of corruption - it is easy to simplistically see corruption as costing you a few dollars here and there to get things done. Far more insidious is the way corruption prevents initiative, competency and improvement. Corruption is endemic here. For example, very many 'doctors' have bought their degree. They are not medical practioners, but money gatherers. Care, competency and compassion in these cases rate very, very low. The object is return on investment.

We heard of a situation recently where a man was selling a property and land for US$200,000. He wanted to sell so as to buy into a high tier of government - I believe it was in the 'justice' department. Again, no carefulness to do right, nor a competency in the profession. The object is money.

We were talking to a young Pommie volunteer in the hospital recently. He is an physio-therapist. It was remarkable to see the change in his energy and expectations after just three weeks. He started with a heart to love and serve. Now, he speaks of how he feels maligned by the national physio's, as every patient he gives care to is one less person they can get money off for 'services rendered' (in the 'free' hospital ward). He spoke of the wall of silence; never a thank-you - and of how tragically incompetent the national 'health professionals' were in their work and care. Again, there was no desire to learn, to improve, to raise the level. In fact, the opposite was true - a dedication to protect their current placement. Hospital was what they had bought into in order to get money.

Teachers sell good grades. Police pay to get a uniform. There is no professional development and no commitment at all to justice. Tales abound of the 'who you know' network. If the crim knows the cop, the crim has got no worries.

2. A government on international social welfare - there is something of a development boom happening in the nation. Power generation, roading, government buildings ... Cambodia is way behind most neighbouring nations but stuff is happening. However, it is nearly all happening with foreign donour dollars from governments and agencies. That is why the US$ is the 'real' currency here. The mind-sets these hand-outs cultivates in a nation makes righteous forward momentum that much more difficult.

I think it is 'Tear Fund' who make a slogan regarding 'a hand up, not a hand out'. Many Christian (and, for that matter, non-Christian) NGO's are doing wonderful work here in a myriad of areas, working towards helping people into self-sustainability; into 'a hand up'. However, Cambodia's national leaders are commited to hand outs. No new project is initiated unless there is a foreign government 'sponsor' in place first.

Mind-sets are very powerful. Even through the national church, too often the expectation is to be carried by foreign donours. There can be teaching, discipling, new working models established - but through the power of mind-sets very often the default setting of 'hand outs' remains. Much real harm has been done by the association Cambodians now have with Christianity - church - donour money - opportunity. The message of repentance and the cross easily gets lost or mis-comprehended.

Tied to the hand-out mindset is the commitment to the victim mentality - that the Killing Fields wrecked the nation; that rich nations owe them. If we look at other nations that have been wrecked by war and strife - South Korea or Japan for example - 30 years later there has been a rebuilding of society. The victim-gimme cycle will never bring these needy people - this wonderful nation - into its God-designed destiny. Mis-guided kindness perpetuates weakness in an individual and weakness in a nation.

3. Redemptive destiny - one of my continuing queries of the Lord is - what is it that He has uniquely designed this people, this nation for? I have not begun to get clarity - but I am asking! My sense here is that there is another way of going forward. Discipling, teaching, character development and so forth are hugely needed - however I sense that prophetic vision will give a greater motivation unto change/transformation than majoring on corrective behaviour change.

4. The 'common people' The gospel of Mark records that 'the common people heard him gladly'. Hanging with the moto boys, the girls at their market stalls, the hard-case shoe-shine street kids, the shop girls - this is what keeps your heart soft. Everyone wants a better future - they just have all the wrong ideas of how to get there.

The local dairy farm ...

We are so glad to be here. We recognise more now the things that we have often heard about - how Cambodia wears down the saints of the Most High! Again, that is why we are glad to have this time for what we trust will be laying good foundations. We love the church we are in and the quality of the pastoral staff there.

In closing this epic blog session (for me, anyway) - a story and a few scriptures. I remember Bill Johnson talking about how when his kids were young and he was telling them about 'love the sinner, hate the sin'. One of his boys was trying to get this clear - 'so like we love the devil and hate his sin'?? Bill was hilarious as he told how his son embraced the truth 'no, we hate the devil'! To be effective in Cambodia means there can be no fuzzy thinking in this area!

Amos 5:15a - 'Hate evil, love good ...'

Is 58:12 - 'Those from among you shall build up the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations ..'

Isaiah 60:10a - 'The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls ..'