The Mission

Hi everybody. Sorry for another long update, but it's really been awhile. So feel free to skip some session, I know you will anyways =)

The Schedule:

First of all, I want to say thank you for all your encouragements and comforting words since the last post. After more reflections and time spent with God, I finally feel at peace within my soul. However, I know that a lesson on Grace is not an hour long course or an all night cram... I know that God will continue to send more situation to reinforce that knowledge... And its scary and exciting thinking about it. It's almost like I'm a walking time bomb, not knowing when is the next time I explode at God. Then again, I think He can handle it (He's so much bigger than my 2petty words) and I feel so safe, knowing that my faith does not have to be shrouded by a fake celebrative attitude all the time...

Well, I guess this week update, I decided to let you guys take a peek into my world. You are all probably wondering what the heck is DuCkY doing in Cambodia anyways? Welcome to my World.

From Monday to Thursday, I am teaching two courses of English (Starter and Pre-Intermediate). The Starter course starts everyday at 11:30AM-12:30PM and the Pre-Intermediate starts everyday at 5:30PM-6:30PM. All these courses take place at the dorm where the girls are living. Here's a picture of the place where I taught English. Originally, these courses were offer at the New Jerusalem church. However, dued to the low interest level (only dorm students showed up), the whole program (which actually consist of 4 different levels and 5 teachers) were cancelled. Instead, I got the opportunity to salvage the program. Luckily for me, the whole program are carefully planned already and there's even a teaching instructional manual and student guide book so I don't have to plan all the material (or else I'll be dead). Instead, I get to plan fun games to accompany the lesson! HURRAY! (Singing the alphabet backward for chocolate anybody?) That's the New Jerusalem Church when it was flooded.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I have to teach a Discipleship Training Session (which primarily focus on training leaders). It goes from 9:00AM-10:30AM on Tuesday and from 5:30PM-6:30PM on Wednesday. It's actually pretty challenging since most of the material are theologically indepth. Since I don't speak Khmer very well and my translator, who is my roomate, can't really understand English (especially when I try to explain theological concepts), it was quite challenging. I mostly rely on my charade and pictionary skill, which is pretty fun and put everybody at ease. I feel really humbled and always had to rely on the Spirit to give understanding. So far, it's been pretty good though. We have lots of fun learning and laughter (especially at my ugly drawings).

On Tuesday and Thursday, I have to attend a TEEac program. It is a Pastoral Training Program that explore the Gospel of Matthew indepth (and I mean VERY indepth). My mentor Bill Labbezoo teaches these classes, so I'm thankful that I don't really have to prepare any lesson for it. It starts at 4:30PM-5:30PM on both Tuesday and Thursday. To the right is a picture of where all the TEEac and Discipleship Program takes place.

And I have to attend a class on Friday that study the book of Hebrew verse by verse. The class starts at 4:00PM-5:00PM every Friday at the dorm.

Then there's Saturday Night Fellowship with the guys (very similar to floor meeting at RES) and church on Sunday. Then there's mentorship meeting on Wednesday morning at 10:00AM-11:00AM.

That's pretty much my schedule and as you can see, it's pretty packed. And I do get stressed and tired but that's what afternoon naps are for. Its so nice to be able to nap in the afternoon here. It really does rejuvenate you. I'm carrying this tradition back to Canada for sure! Unless I get fire on the job... LOL

That's pretty much my world for the next 8 months. However, it's not as bad as you may think because Cambodia is the one country that has the most holidays out of all the Asian country LOL. Maybe in the world. Apparently, there's like about 100 non-working days in a year LOL. I just started this schedule for like two weeks (after the week long holiday of pagodas visiting) and now I got another 2 weeks break because this week is the King's Birthday and the week after is the Water Festival. The interesting thing about holidays here in Cambodia is that everybody treat a holiday as extensive holidays. The King's birthday was suppose to be one day but people take like 3 days off... Then the majority of the people decided, "what the heck, might as well take a week off." So its very chill here. I also get no stress because of it. =)

The Free Time:

Well, you must also be wondering what the heck do I do for fun? Surprisingly, I do have lots of free time. And here's what I do in my free time.

I still manage to practice drum everyday. I brought my drum pad and double kick pedal to the dorm. What I usually do is I practice my drum rudiments while watching movies! They are dirt cheap here... I actually go to the market and buy a movie for like $1.50, which is pretty sweet. So I watch like about a movie a day LOL while practicing drum of course. So who say watching movie isn't a productive activity?

And on top of that, I still go to the gym 4-5 times a week. It is such an awesome gym because it have a ring and a dance floor too. And you get to work out shirtless and with sandals! I manage to make a couple of friends there and we worked out together. I will be posting up pictures of all my new friends in the next update. In addition, I breakdance and starting to learn hip hop with them and its been really fun. Since I came to the gym, I had been steadily becoming more healthy. I manage to shave off some pounds too which is a nice bonus.

And when I wakes up every morning (at like 7:00AM), I have plenty of time to do devotions before my day starts. And on top of that, I manage to squeeze in jogging every morning to wake me up and energize me for the day.

And of course, I study Khmer everyday for like an hour with my roommate. We don't have a set time to study Khmer but it usually happens at night. And in the day time, I get to practice what I learn the night before with the locals when I go to the market. It was so funny because some of them understands me but it takes me like 1 whole minute to produce a sentence. And you can kinda see their impatience starting to build up. LOL

Interesting Things This Week:

One of my friend at dorm got mugged. Two guys approached him with a knife and asked him for money. Since nobody in the dorm use any form of banking, he had his entire life saving on him. Thank God that his wallet was in his back pocket and after checking his knapsack for money, all they found where pens and books. They end up saying sorry to him and send him off to school instead of checking his back pockets. I'm always amaze at God's grace and protection over his children...

The road in our back alley is getting an overhaul by the government and now they are demanding each house to pay $1000USD. My landlord is very poor and she doesn't know how she can come up with this money. I would really appreciated if you guys (whoever reading this) will pray for her. It seems so unfair because I know for sure that fixing the road does not cost around $30000 USD (there's like 30 house on our block). Pray that corruption and extortion will cease to happen here... that people can live in peace and safety. And pray for good leaderships to be in high political position...

Spiritual Lesson of the Week:

I had two news this week that really shocked me (to the extreme) and made me reflect very deeply. God, you never seems to stop teaching...

Anyways, the first news I received is that I will be getting a free new laptop! My sister wanted to support me in Cambodia so she gave me $1000. Praised God! Because my old old laptop is well, OLD! I manage to sell it for $300USD, which is nice and asked my brother to get me a new laptop. I was expect a financial crunch due to this decision but my sister out of the blue offered to help. It was really a fresh windfall and the grace of God never seems to amazed me.

But the good news only highlighted the bad news that I had received... One of my cousin/niece died a couple of days ago... She was found in her bedroom dead. The authority wasn't sure it was foul play or suicide and the case is still under investigation. However, I do believe that she was not a Christian. We are not that close, in fact, I haven't seen her for years. However, upon hearing the news, I remember all the fun times we had when we were little, and play video games together... And I was very sad... One of the thing that touched me most is what my brother Hung said after he told me the news... "Life is very fleeting isn't it?"

Have you ever wonder why God is so good to you? That's the thought that went through my head... Why has God being so good to me? Who am I and what is my family that God has blessed me so much? Why am I so blessed? And here is my cousin, who do not know God and yet pass away at the tender age of 20... It made me reflect on my life and all the things that God has done in it... It made me sick... in fact so sick that I almost wanted to puke.. I'm so disgusted at how ungrateful I have been... And I'm definitely sick at the fact that it was so underserving... Its hard to describe the feeling but I feel so underserving that it is beyond my comprehension why God would care about an insignificant little speck like me who are here today and gone tomorrow. Even after all these blessings, my heart is still harden, my soul is still not fully devoted, and my spirit still in occasional rebellion... That makes me sick.. I detest myself... I just wish that there is something, anything, that I can offer back to Him... And yet, I find nothing... even the faith I have and the obedience that occasionally comes are from His Spirit inside of me...

And what's more sickening is that even these thoughts of realization only comes because of blessings and the contrast of lack of blessings... I wonder if God has not hedged me in and sheltered me from sufferings, would I be quick to recognize His grace still? I would not dare to say that I would... and that makes me all the more sick about the state of my fallenness... I love God because of what He's done... for me... sounds like self-love to me...

It is a very humbling reflection... My prayer request is for you guys to pray for the grieving family and hope that they will come to a saving knowledge of God's grace... That they will not perish without knowing their Redeemer...

Life is fleeting... Our only hope is in You Jesus. For where else can we go? And who else can we turn to? For You, and You alone, have the Word of Life...