The Runs :-)

You can read on because I am sure this post will have nothing to do with what you are thinking right now. I will leave that for another one...or maybe not. Anyways, Carolyn and I have been running together. We are training for a half-marathon race in Siem Reap (home of Angkor Wat) in December. We have committed to this in part to keep in shape, in part to maintain sanity and in large part to connect with eachother. Although it isn't easy in the heat...it has been the highlight of my last few weeks. We often run at a pace where we can converse while running and the sights we see are more than enough fodder for conversation. Many times we chuckle about how different it is to run here than in Colorado, and the weather is the least of the differences. Here are some of the observations and differences we witness on our "runs":
*We have really changed our standards for what constitutes good running weather. It used to be low to mid 60's was ideal and we wouldn't even think about running if it was over 85. Now, since it NEVER gets below 68 (and I do mean NEVER) that has had to change. After one day in the hot season when we returned from running and our thermometer read 103 F, a few days later I found myself saying "wow, the run felt nice today, it is only 89 degrees."
*We get greeted by "Hello" more times than I can count every time we go running. The person may be 2 years old or 82. We will be running by and hear that wonderful greeting, always accompanied by a huge smile, which is accentuated by the contrast of their white teeth and brown skin. For many, it is the only English word they know so they use it whenever they can. It is such a fun way to connect with our community by shouting back a "Hello" or "Susedai" with a smile and a wave.
*Herds of oxen and goats are often obstacles on our running path. We also dodge many types of poultry. There are more loose dogs than I can count. I am very thankful that they seem as interested in chasing us as they are the world economy.
*Long, dusty, dirty roads.
*Beautiful palm trees dotting the landscape.
*There is even something resembling a mountain in the distance. Comes close to making us feel at home. I didn't see any snow on it though. Probably because it probably only towers 100 meters above sea level and the average daily temperature is 82.635 degrees F. Anyways, I digress.
*People. What we both really love are the people we see. The man herding goats; the women harvesting rice; the children digging through trash to find recycable material to sell; boys walking through a chest deep pond with a fishing net in order to catch a meal; families washing their clothes in large bowls in front of their houses; the unclothed children playing in the dirt and water trying to escape the heat...etc. All of them are going about their days, doing what they can to survive, but almost all of them will pause, stare at us unapologetically and greet us. That is what we both love. That is what at times makes us smile and at times can move us to tears. The utter brokenness of so many here contrasted by their outer joy. That is why we are here. For the people. It breaks our hearts to see their outer circumstances but it pales in comparison to the condition of their hearts. In a country where 95%+ are Buddhist, our hearts ache for the fact that almost everyone we pass would spend eternity apart from their Creator if they died today. Please join us in praying for the people of Cambodia and for the lives of those we interact with on our "runs".

I included a link to more pictures from our running route. Copy and paste it into your browser and enjoy getting a glimpse into what we experience.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=ohlinsincambodia&target=ALBUM&id=5508558802471745377&authkey=Gv1sRgCOWxwaqshb3HTA&feat=email

Empty

How do you empty yourself of self while fighting for self-preservation? Are self-preservation and selflessness mutually exclusive? Those are questions that I am being faced with more and more these days. How do I empty myself, pour myself out for our new culture while at the same time cultivating a life that promotes longevity? They must co-exist. As a result of the path that we have chosen for our family, we have to successfully merge both of those numerous times every day. This is one of the many factors that cause you to live each day here at a constant level of higher stress. Higher stress because almost NOTHING is easy and EVERYTHING is different here. Not only that but the cultural differences can boggle the mind sometimes. One minor, but indicative way this played out just the other day, was when I went to my favorite restaurant for lunch. (I say "restaurant" strictly to mean a place where you can buy and consume food. Just to make sure you don't mistakenly create images in your mind that aren't correct, I added pictures of it J). It is 2 carts on the side of street 315 in Phnom Penh. One cart is for making fried rice or noodles and the other is for compressing sugar cane and making sugar cane juice. It is my favorite for several reasons. The food is great and I love the atmosphere and the price is right. I get a plate of fried noodles with an egg on top for 2000 riel (about 50cents), it is out in the open, the guy who runs it is a happy older guy who always wears a "Live with Regis and Kelly" hat and he always gives me a free cup of sugar cane juice. I think he does this because it usually takes a while since he needs to stoke his fire before he starts cooking my noodles. However, today he broke from tradition and gave me a glass of iced tea instead of sugar cane juice. Sugar cane juice seems relatively safe to me because it is naturally contained in the cane and just squeezed out (of course it is added to ice that is less than clean; but I try not to think about that). Iced tea on the other hand is mostly water…the water that most expats never drink. It just might cause some bowel conditions that I won't discuss on our blog J. This being the case, I found myself really pondering whether or not I should consume the free gift. Should I leave my glass "empty" which would communicate appreciation despite the language barrier? Or should I leave it sit and communicate…who knows what? I am sure some of you now are thinking "It is a glass of stinkin' iced tea…not a big deal. Just dump It out. The guy will get over it." I did think that as well but instead I opted to gamble with my bowels. I would rather offend my innards than a man that I am beginning to develop a relationship with. In the grand scheme of things the iced tea may not matter much but I think it is good exercise for my "emptying myself" muscle, muscle that I need here more than almost anything. So I ended up leaving the glass almost empty even though it tasted a little bit like tea flavored lake water. I also ended up leaving with the confidence that I didn't offend him and that we will continue building our relationship as I frequent his "restaurant" more and more.

Anonymity

One of the things that has particularly struck me here in Phnom Penh is that no matter where we go in the city, anonymity is nearly impossible. Why? We stick out like a sore thumb...really. Although there are many westerners here, the overall percentage is very low. The way this plays out practically is really quite comical at times. For example, we can be driving in our van and we will look out our windows and everyone around us are unapologetically staring at us. And when we make eye contact and smile they just continue staring. Another time I had stopped by a little place to get my motorcycle washed. I sat down at a small table to read while waiting. About a minute after I sat down a man sat down in front of me about 3 feet away and just stared at me. He continued even as I looked up periodically and made eye contact. A few months ago this would have seemed weird to me but I am somewhat used to it now.
All of this is compounded by the fact that we are starting to show up at the same places over and over again. People are beginning to realize that this American family is here indefinitely. I love that. This has all caused me to reflect on why we are here. We are certainly engaging here with ministry as a vocation but I am not so sure that our ministry apart from vocation won't be more profound and impactful. What I mean is, our lack of anonymity here means that no matter where we are...it could be in the middle of hundreds of people in the most crowded market in Phnom Penh...we are being watched by dozens of people. Our attitudes and actions towards them and each other transcend the language barrier communicate a lot about who we are and what we represent. As God's word says, "they will know that you are Christians by your love". I looked but I haven't found anywhere in the bible that says "they will know you are Christians by how often you go to church" or "if you uproot your family for ministry" or "by how much you give...etc". So please pray for us as we begin to become more and more a part of the landscape here that as a family we will represent our Creator in a manner worthy of His name. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. By the way, all of the pictures are from our "back to school" shopping today.