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.
 

Service + Leadership

Okay, where do I start? A week and a half ago I had a great opportunity to spend a weekend with some amazing teenagers.  I brought a group of high school students (most from the service leadership class that I co-teach at Logos) to Koh Kong, one of Cambodias coastal provinces.  The students that came were an eclectic bunch.  They were from Cambodia, Philipines, Korea and the US.  They ranged from children of wealthy business owners, missionary kids (including Alex, our 16-year-old), as well as some very low income kids who are in our scholarship program.  Although the kids were diverse, the impact that they had and the impact that was had on them was consistent.  Although I would love to chronicle the entire trip, it would take me a long time and your eyes would probably eventually glaze over.  So I will just hit some highlights.

13 of us left from Logos before school on Friday Dec 3rd to drive out to the coast.    We arrived in Koh Kong, got settled and met our host from World Team.  We spent some time with him, got unpacked and went to our first project.  Our first project was to spend part of the evening at a local school helping the students with their English.  The school has about 120 students crammed into small, hot classrooms.  The students range anywhere from beginners to intermediate English speakers and ranged from about 8-years-old to 18.  This first night it took our students a while to get in the groove.  What was expected of them was not totally clear.  They could converse, play games, sing songs...etc, just as long as what they did was helping the kids with English.  Our kids are used to clearly defined expectations but they did not have that here.  However, after about 20 minutes, each of the 6 classrooms were buzzing with different activities.  At the end, there were smiles, hugs and laughter all around.  Some of our students were sad as this was the last time we would see these kids, or so we thought.  Fast forward to Sat morning.

Saturday morning had us heading out fairly early (for a group of H.S. students). We drove about 10 minutes to a densely populated village filled with Cham people, Cambodian Muslims.  Our stated goal was to pick up trash for them.  Clean up.  Make the area where they live a bit more inhabitable.  So we did. Very diligently and joyfully.  Our not-stated goal was to help establish a bridge between the Cham people and our World Team contacts there.  Both goals were accomplished.  However, God did much more than that.  First, our project became publicized enough so that the government decided to get in on the action.  They sent a large group from the Ministry of the Environment as well as some students that belong to their version of the Boy/Girl scouts.  Second, much of the project was filmed in order to air on national television.  Only God could orchestrate that.  Third, he touched the lives of many, if not all, of our students.

Our team in front of the school wih some of the kids.

Tirot, from our House of Faith, interacting with the kids.  A natural!

David, from our House of Hope, with Sharon leading a class in learning games.

Alex was great to have along.  I love being able to serve along side him.

Some Buddhist monks attend this school.

Our team lined up ready to pick up trash with representatives from the MInistry of the Environment and boy/girl scouts.

Hara very focused on the trash at hand.

Pree working alongside a very hard working girl. They made a great team.

I loved interacting with the kids.

Tirot throwing trash into the truck.

Pierre and some other students led the kids in some songs. 

One example comes from one of the girls that came with us. She had never been away from her family overnight.  Ever.  She is from a Buddhist Cambodian home, comes from a family with means and is not someone you would picture walking around picking up trash willingly.  However, God used some poor, dirty children from this village to soften her heart.  They smiled big at her and helped hold her trash bag as they walked around together picking up trash.  For one of the first times in her life, she was interacting with kids from the lowest social class and she really enjoyed it.  God used this weekend to impact so many lives, maybe more so some of our own students.

Once we left the Cham village, we were going to go have lunch and spend the whole afternoon at the beach.  Sounded like a nice, relaxing conclusion to the day.  However, our students had another idea.  They had had such a nice time connecting with the kids at the school from the night before that they wanted to go back. Khmer schools are in session 6 days a week so I knew that it was an option so I asked our World Team host.  He called  and the school was thrilled to have us back, but not quite as excited as our kids.  In short, our team from Logos chose to cut their beach time short in order to go back and spend another evening with the kids at the school.  I was so proud of their choice to do so.  This second night was about 10x better than the night before since there was not a need for the kids to find their comfort zone.  They were already there.  They just jumped right in and hit the ground running.  It was a lot of fun to watch. 

Then on Sunday morning we headed back for Phnom Penh.  It was a quick weekend but one that God to impact his kingdom in many ways.  I was thrilled, humbled and blessed to be part of it.  Thanks for sharing in our journey.

Thanksgiving

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is here.  I know that is somewhat of a proverbial statement, but this time I really mean it and not just because "it seems like we just celebrated the 4th of July yesterday".  It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all to me.  Why?  Here is a list of what comes to my mind when I think of Thanksgiving:

• Cold (or cooler) weather.  Sure in Colorado it could be 65deg and sunny, but most of the time it is colder.  Last year we had snow on the ground.
• Football!  Both playing it with my brother against Alex and my nephews and watching it (Detroit and Dallas vs. whoever their opponents are).
• The smell of Turkey roasting.
• The warmth of the house in contrast to the cold of the outside.
• Family all around.
• Christmas season in the air all around.
• Stores decorated for the holidays...luring willing consumers through their doors.
• Christmas lights going up.

Those are just to name a few.  My how things change.  This year is so different. I will go through the list and compare/contrast this year's Thanksgiving:

• Okay, it is "cooler" than the hot season.  Low 90's on Thanksgiving doesn't seem cool to me though.  I long for a blast of cold air in my face.  Hold on a second...let me run and stick my head in the freezer.
• Football.  Wait, no...I mean American football.  We have plenty of what the rest of the world calls football over here.  I want the real sport.  We don't get it though.  No cable TV for us.  You can get it here, including American football but we haven't as of yet.  Maybe sometime.  Part of it is that it is near impossible to watch a game live.  The 2:15 (Mountain Time Zone) Sunday afternoon game will be played at...well lets see...4:15 a.m. Monday here.  Yikes!
• Smell of Turkey...Nope!  $50 for a turkey here.  I think chicken will do just fine, although they do not smell the same when you roast them.
• Okay this one we do have, the warmth of the house.  Although we do not have the contrast of the cool outside to the warm inside.
• Family all around.  Well, kinda.   My parents are here for Thanksgiving and for that I am eternally grateful.  Other than that, just Carolyn (for whom I will always be the most Thankful for) and our kids (okay, I am thankful for you guys, too) as far as family goes. But we are very glad to have HOH (House of Hope; Asian Hope's boy's home) and their house parents as well as a teacher and his wife over, too.  I think 24 in all.  The more the merrier.
• Christmas season in the air...well, no. 95+% Buddhist.  Need I say more?
• I think I can count on one finger the number of stores decorated for the holidays.  For reference, see previous bullet point.
• Haven't really seen Christmas lights going up either.

So am I complaining? No, I am not.  I wouldn't change where I am for the world.  I am simply grasping onto our new reality and being real with what I miss this time of year.  Allowing myself to feel the emptiness and loss from what we are missing also allowed me to reflect more clearly on what I have to truly be thankful for.

• A God who wants me as I am, not as some perfect package.
• Loving family and friends all around me
• A job I really love and the chance to make an eternal impact often.
• Amazing people back in the States partnering with us to make it all possible.
• Health.
• The joy of living out what I truly believe God has prepared for me to do.

So, our thanks go out to each of you.  Even having you read about our journey here encourages us.  It makes us feel connected more to you.  We are so grateful to each one of you who keeps us in your prayers and those who faithfully support us and the work we are doing here.  We love you all lots and are remembering you on this Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Uttermost Parts

We are really enjoying ministering to the many unreached people here in Phnom Penh. It is a whole different feel than outreach in the States. Whenever I taught kids at outreach events in the US, I could be about 99% sure that every kid there knew the name of Jesus, knew what the Bible was and had probably even read some of it. Here I can be pretty sure that no one will have heard the name of Jesus. That is a sobering and exciting reality all at the same time. However, there are still more remote places here, where people are even less likely to hear the Good News. 
That is why one of my friends and I took a motorcycle trip out of the city a few weeks ago, to evaluate needs in outlying villages and assess how we can minister to them best. 
Our trip took us about 40 km west of Phnom Penh on a highway.  Then we went north 5 km or so and then headed west on dirt road for another 100 km or so.  The dirt road began as a wide, fairly well maintained road, much like the pic below with the ox carts.  Then the last 20 km or so was like the picture right below that one: difficult to navigate, but well worth it. We were able to visit with several families and make valuable contacts.  Our plan is to make a couple more trips out there in the next few months to set up ways that we can efficiently help the villagers and ultimately bring the Gospel to them.  When you think of it, please pray that God would direct us and prepare the hearts of those we will minister to that they would be receptive to the Gospel.

One of the families we were able to visit with.




Sharing the road with a train of ox carts.



This is actually the same road.  This is how it looks the further we get toward the end of the road.

Some spectators.  They were great.

  Dinner is delivered.

My friends bike got stuck.  The last 20 km or so was a lot like this.

Reaching Out

I can hardly believe that it is almost November. In the past, I look so forward to the cooler days, first snow storms, changing leaves and , most importantly, football.  Although I have caught myself looking forward to those things several times, none of them are our reality this year.  I guess cooler days have come in the form of low to mid 80s instead of 95+ degrees, but no snow...yet.  These are all changes that I expected and anticipated, yet they can take some getting used to.  We did manage to watch the last 5 minutes of a Denver Broncos pre-season game a few weeks ago.  It was great, even though it was about a week old at the time we watched it.  Nonetheless, we are continually adapting.
One really exciting thing that we are a part of this fall is an outreach to the kids in the neighborhood that Logos is in.  Logos (Asian Hope's largest school and the one that our kids go to; http://www.logoscambodia.org/) recently moved and is situated in the midst of a couple dozen homes.  The homes around our school are in various states of construction and crumbling.  Some are completely open with just a roof, a few have sheet metal leaning up against some precariously stacked bricks and some are even worse. 

Since we moved in, as a school we have had the desire to be a good neighbor.  One that will leave a positive, sweet taste in the mouths of those who interact with us.  Part of making that a reality is pursuing spending time with those around us.  The primary way this is happening is through our Neighborhood Kids Outreach.  I am coordinating this ministry through the Service Leadership Class that I am co-teaching this fall.  The game plan for the outreach is easy and effective.  We invite kids from our neighborhood to come into our school grounds for an hour to 1 1/2 hours every Wednesday.  While they are with us, we love on them, teach them a Bible story and then let them play.  We offer soccer on grass (many play on dirt or pavement) with a real ball, playing on our playground and even sometimes swimming in our pool. Instead of playing, some of the children opt to stay in the classroom and learn English from some of our High School students.  It is such an amazing opportunity to serve and impact these lives for good.

Last week, I was teaching the kids about the birth of Jesus.  At the beginning, I asked them to raise their hands if they had heard of the Bible...no one raised their hands.  Then I asked the same question about Jesus...and got the same response.  Please pray with us that God will bring to our outreach the children that will be receptive to the gospel.  Also pray for the Spirit to move in their hearts as they hear the Truth.  We are so grateful to be working and living in an area that is so ripe for harvest.  Thank you for joining us on this journey.

The more things change...

Just past eight months here and the paradoxes (or maybe paradoxi; or paradoxen...?) never end.  What I mean is that the more used to this new culture I get, the more comfortable I feel trying new things and in doing so I again realize how far this life really is from everything I once knew to be "home".  To me that is a good thing, by the way (or BTW for the younger generation).  Following are just a couple of examples of how seemingly uncomfortable things turned out for the best.

First, I went back to my favorite "restaurant" yesterday (see post titled "Empty" if you want to know more about my favorite restaurant).  When he didn't have my usual, he offered me the house special.  I politely accepted and waited for it to be delivered.  My bowl of "soup" arrived shortly after and he proceeded to add some extra toppings on it, which I again accepted without protest.  Once he had placed the finishing touches on it, I began to dig in.  The noodles were fine.  I didn't hesitate at all either with the herbs and vegetables.  In fact, probably about 80% of the soup went down the hatch without any hesitation at all.  It was the other 20% or so that presented the problem.  I was sure that some of the meat products that were in the soup were only there for flavor and not intended to be eaten.  One piece looked like a wad of silly putty.  Another looked like a bone, until I poked at it and it was squishy.  I covertly looked at the man sitting at the other table eating the same dish and I didn't see him leaving anything in the bowl.  That is when, again not to offend as I am a people pleaser, I decided to consume the whole thing...mystery meat and all.  Most pieces went down without chewing the obligatory 20 times.  In fact they went down whole.  It was tasty, though and the smile on the guy's face was worth it.  Don't know why I can't just stick with PB&J.  I am glad that I can't though because while he was still smiling, I was able to give him the book "50 Reasons Why Christ Came to Die" by John Piper...in his native tongue.  He was pleased to receive it and I will be pleased to follow up with him many more times.

The other example comes with language barriers. For the most part, I can get by with English.  Almost anything we need can be purchased from someone who knows enough english to make the transaction.  However, I am in Cambodia and I want to learn their language.  However, since I am far from fluent in Khmer, I have to stick to English.  I am constantly in awe of the many Cambodians I come in contact with who can make me feel very comfortable with the level of English they speak.  But even though their English is lightyears beyond my Khmer, it still lacks many key components which cause it to make sense. One great example of how all of the right words might be placed in a certain text, the arrangement leaves you wondering: WHAT?  This is demonstrated in the sign above.  Another came in the form of a business card.  The well meaning business owner was trying to promote his computer servicing business by stating that he was the "One stop shop for all of you computer needs".  All of the right words were there but the end product was less than desirable.  It read: "One of your stop shops for all of you computer needs".
The cool thing about this is is that as a result of a different translation miscommunication (or miscommunilation), I am now meeting with a local businessman weekly to help him learn English while also introducing him to the Gospel.   God works in such cool and amazing ways.  It is so fun to be caught up in them.  I will keep you posted on both of them.