Moouy Chhnam

Okay, so the title of this post is a pathetic attempt at a phonetic spelling of the Khmer words for one year. That is how long we have been here (as of January 20^th).  And since there are 6 of us in this family, I thought it would be fun to have each of us take a few sentences to a paragraph to let you know how this first year has been. So, here it goes:

• Hi! I'm Calli and I am eleven years old, in sixth grade at Logos. When we first moved here, I thought that it would be so tough to survive here without my friends and family here, but God has really blessed me with good friends and comfort from my family.  This past year has been great and I have really enjoyed living in a new country with a new culture, but I have most enjoyed learning the new   language.  I have learned quite a bit of Khmer and I like going to the markets and using my Khmer.  I think that God has also blessed me with an amazing school. I love going to school because of the people there, fun, funny, friendly, and also diverse.  The teachers there are also very kind and encouraging and funny. My homeroom teacher is really funny, and one thing I like about him is that he likes to draw pictures on the white board that helps us understand things.  Even though I miss everyone back home, I still love it here, and this has been a great first year here in Cambodia.
• Hey! I’m Abby, I am 14 years old and in eighth grade at Logos int. school. I can remember the night that my family and I left all of our family and friends behind very clearly. I can also remember thinking that I would not be able to survive life in another culture without my very best friend.  But the second I got off the plane in Cambodia I knew that I was home and I completely fell in love with everything here!  Less than a week from arriving here my siblings and I were off to start our first day of school.  I think that starting at a new and completely different school was hard for me, because I didn’t know anyone and everyone else already knew each other, and were already close friends.  But after going to Logos for a while I started to develop a few good relationships!  I think that from living in a completely different culture God has taught me many new things and has thought me to trust him more.  After being here for a year I have caught myself saying many times that I could never imagine my family and I moving back to America, because this is my home and I love everything about Cambodia (especially the people)!
• Hi I am Cameron.  I am 6 years old now.  I am in Kindergarten at Logos.  Some of my friends are named Rain, Ahyoung, Min Chan and Chris.  The 3 best things I like about living in Cambodia are: the markets (except the smelly ones), school and the food (especially the fruit).  What I don't like about it is that I am an unusual sight for most Cambodian people so they like to squeeze my cheeks, ruffle my hair and grab my hands while I walk through the markets.  I also like living down the street from the House of Hope (Asian Hope's Boy's home)  That means I have a lot more friends.  Mostly, I am glad we live here. 
• Hello, friends!  I have to start by saying that today, as I am celebrating being in Cambodia for one year, I am humbled by God’s faithfulness.  As I look back at the last 12 months in our new home, I am moved to tears, thinking of how well we are loved.  Not only are we loved across the miles by our dear friends and family, but we are establishing relationships here and feel the love as well.  I am especially in awe of how well the Lord has loved me throughout this journey.  He has cared for my heart so thoroughly.  That is not to say that the road we have traveled has been easy…oh no!  My heart has been stretched to where I thought I could not bear any more of the pain…and then it is stretched even more.  The fact that my children are adjusting well and loving life here is a testimony to God’s love for us.  I am finding that walking the journey of obedience is not easy and without heartache but, it is one of life’s greatest privileges.  As we are muddling through learning the language and I am beside myself wanting to make a few real, heart connections with Khmai women, I know that as I continue to walk in obedience, everything will come together.  I so want for everyone who reads this to come over here and meet some of my wonderful new friends!  The teens and children who spend time in my home are fabulous people that I am blessed to have in my life.  As I am trying to find an ending point here (I could go on and on for pages :), I need to say thank you.  Thank you to all of you who love us and support us in so many different ways.  This journey is not just the Ohlin family journey, but it is yours as well.  Thank you for standing by our sides and journeying with us!

·         This past year has been full of crazy experiences that have changed my life. The beginning of the year (January 2010) was a bit rough, starting school less than a week after we arrived and then starting basketball 3 days later. It was all a bit of a culture shock, but I think that with the support of friends and family back in Colorado and mostly God, I was able to hit the ground running and adjust pretty quickly! At times I really wished that I was back in Fort Collins, but then there were other times when I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else but here! I can’t wait to see what God will do with my life in this next year! Miss ya’ll!

2 Timothy 4:7

Alex

I hope these past few paragraphs have been insightful into our lives here.  I thought it would be fun for you to read firsthand what the rest of the family is feeling on this one year anniversary of our arrival in our new home.  If you are curious as to how I am feeling about our past year, in a word I would say I have loved the past year (okay, maybe in 6 words).  Most of the thoughts in the prior posts would go into greater detail as to how I am doing here.  Thank you so much again for reading.  We really do appreciate all of you who so faithfully keep in tune with our lives on the other side of the globe.   

The Holidays

So our first holiday season in Cambodia is officially over now.  That would make this our first post of 2011.  Such milestones.  All in all, I would have to describe our first holiday season here with 2 words: different and wonderful. 

The kids opening their stockings.  Yes Santa did make it here, too, and no we do not have  fireplace to hang them over.



What will now be an annual Christmas event: Skyping with relatives.



Christmas cookie time.  We had to be fairly quick as the ants can find sugary substances in a flash.



An excited 6-year-old.  Cameron scored with Legos.



Abby and Calli helped Carolyn make a ton of cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.  They were awesome.

• Different:  It was different because, well almost nothing was the same; hence the word different.  The weather felt more like we should be preparing for Independence Day not Christmas or New Years.  I think it was a high of 93 on Christmas.  It was also different because one of our traditions used to be driving around looking at Christmas lights and picking out our favorite.  It was easy this year.  There were maybe 3 houses to choose from and one was ours.  Also in years past, one thing I also enjoy is the festive mood of everyone in stores or on the street.  However, in a country where 95% of people are Buddhist, almost no one you meet even knows that it is Christmas.  We were also missing many of the foods that we enjoy over the holidays.  We were priced out of the Ham or Turkey Market so we settled on Mexican for our big meal (which was awesome by the way).  And there was no egg nog to be had.  I did try to make my own but it was about as popular as the fried crickets around these parts. It did not satisfy the craving for egg nog.

• Wonderful:  It was wonderful because we were celebrating with family.    With a lot of nothing to do, we were able to just enjoy being together, watching movies, playing games...etc.  We also made our house look and feel very Christmassy (if that is a word), complete with 2 trees, garland, ribbon, stockings, candles that made it smell like Christmas, fake snow and much more.   Something else that helped make it wonderful was that we had an opportunity to Skype with our family as they celebrated back in the States.  We spent several hours with them, which was a lot of fun.  It was not the same as it used to be but it was fun to be a part of the festivities from many miles away.  We also participated in a couple outreaches here to many of our Buddhist neighbors.  One night we went Christmas caroling.  We went to about a dozen or more homes in our neighborhood.  At each house we sang, gave out candy canes and gave a tract explaining why we celebrate Christmas.  On another occasion, we walked around the neighborhood of our school and passed gift baskets to about 80 families.  On both occasions, people were very grateful and listened intently to what we had to say.  We even had families come out and clap while we sang.  I am glad we had many there to sing to drown me out, otherwise the response may have been different.  We were also given the wonderful gift of a family trip to Bangkok over New Years.  It was not the same as spending time with loved ones but it was a great time for our family to experience something new and exciting together.  Most of all, it was wonderful because we were able to celebrate the birth Christ in a meaningful way despite the incredible distance from what we know as familiar.

Thank you again for taking time to share in a little part of our holiday experience.  Praying you and your family will be blessed in this New Year.