Thoughts from Kelsey

Hey all! Sorry we've been so slow at doing blog posts, but we had a busy weekend and have had a lot to talk and think about.

Last week on Thursday we spent some time with members of Battambang Friends Church, first visiting the man who was going to be our guide here in Cambodia until he was in a motorcycle accident and lost one of his sons and his leg. We visited his house for a brief Khmer language lesson and to encourage him in this tragic situation. It was amazing to me how someone could withstand that much pain and sadness, and still be a gracious host to a bunch of foreigners. We spent some time in prayer for him and his family, and are continuing to keep him in our thoughts and prayers. Thursday evening we spent time with the youth at the church, sharing songs and Bible passages. The youth here in Cambodia like to use English songs translated into Khmer, so we often know them and can sing along in English, although we only remember the first verse of "How Great Thou Art" and so end up singing it multiple times. (But the Cambodians don't know that.)

On Friday we spent more time with the youth, first doing a photo scavenger hunt around Battambang and then visiting some ruins on the outside of town in the afternoon. The scavenger hunt was a blast! We rushed around Battambang in tuk tuks in groups of 4 or 5, with some of the Cambodian youth helping us. Jered and I won by about 15 minutes thanks to our knowledgeable Cambodian friends. Then in the afternoon we hiked up a steep and seemingly endless stone staircase to the top of a hill that had a ruined Buddhist temple on it. The cross country runners in the group scaled the stairs with much more ease than Jesse and I. Playing intramurals in college has really done nothing for my fitness. Once at the top we had time to take pictures and rest, then we hiked down a trail on the other side of the hill to some caves in the rock. We climbed inside and saw huge rooms with bats on the ceiling and more Buddhist holy sites with incense burning. It was a rather sweaty affair for some of us, which gave everyone a good laugh and made the showering experience even more enjoyable later. That evening we had dinner at Gary and Christine Colfax's house, where we ate delicious ribs, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and plenty of fruit that looked like it arrived from an alien planet. (I've never seen anything quite like the fruit in Cambodia - it is alternately furry, covered with scales, impossibly colorful, or gigantic.) We also got to light off fireworks and play with sparklers as a sort of delayed 4th of July celebration.

On Saturday we journeyed about an hour to Pray Svay to help with some projects at the church there. We spent the day tearing up old bamboo off a structure behind the church, then pulling out the nails and nailing new pieces of bamboo down. It was a long, hot, at times trying day, and so we were very tired that night when we laid down to sleep at one of the church member's homes. We were woken up early the next morning for a breakfast of noodles and then church. Joey did an excellent job of sharing during the church service, and the pastor spoke on Matthew 5:13 - a passage that is a favorite to several of us, me included. That afternoon we came back to the hotel in Battambang and spent time relaxing and resting. We ended the day with a longer time of devotions, which helped us work through some of the challenges that had come up during our village stay. The experience made us feel closer as a group, and prepared us a little better for our village visit the next day. But I'll let someone else comment on that.

For now, we're slowing down a little, taking time to process what we've already seen and to get to know each other even better. We get to spend some time with kids at an orphanage run by a friend of the Colfaxes, and to help the Battambang youth with another project or two. Just under 6 days left in Cambodia, and it feels like there's so much left to see and do!