Earlier this month I finished reading "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah. It is a good book from the standpoint of a boy who was forced by the government to fight in the civil war that took place in Sierra Leone in the 1990's. Since I have been living in Cambodia, I have begun to see more and more that America is in someways a political utopia. I know that sounds ridiculous when it comes to the deep political divides that exist there, but people's rights are respected SO much more in the US than most places in the world.
In this book, a young boy is forced into the killing machine that was the government army of Sierra Leone. But when I say 'government', I mean something that we can not imagine in the US. It is was a life of violence, indiscriminate killing without justice or mercy, drug use and plain insanity.
It is well written. I have to admit that there were a few things (like the references to Shakespeare) that seemed a bit unbelievable to me, but many times life is a bit unbelievable, isn't it?
Thanks for the book, Sherrod.
27 May 2009
25 May 2009
In Vietnam- the Cu Chi Tunnels
Seda and I went to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels when we were in Vietnam . This is the place that all of the soldiers lived under ground for years and years and years... the blurry picture of me coming out of the tunnel (which I had been in for not more than fifteen minutes) was how I really felt...
Seda and Graham in Vietnam - March (!)
Seda and I went to Vietnam back in March...just putting the pics up...
15 May 2009
Taking the road less traveled...
Taking the road less traveled usually means that you don't always (if ever) know where you are going... I have been feeling like that a bit lately... let me share why.
The road less traveled in marriage...
Over the last three months, Seda and I have begun to grow into this new phase of our life. Married life is certainly different, but we have have been enjoying it. It has definitely had it's challenges already, but we are both learning. As they say, progress not perfection. One of the things that I have seen over the years is that my personality tends towards wanting to fix things, clean things up, and solve/resolve every problem that comes down the road... I have trouble with gray areas and unresolved situations... I am learning that one of the areas that I have to change is giving Seda her space and time for her to work through things in her way, and allow things to be somewhat unresolved (in my mind) until she is ready. An important life lesson for me...
The road less traveled with Asia's Hope
Not long after Seda and I had gotten married, we found out that there had been in change in leadership at Asia's Hope. Dave Atkins, the man that introduced me to Cambodia, needed to step down for a variety of reasons. In the wake of that significant change, the board of AH has looked at every aspect of what they are doing in Cambodia and Thailand, and has decided to end any kind of formal internship program. They have always had a strong committment to only hiring national Cambodian and Thai workers, but they were never confident about how God would use Westerners here. In a nutshell, there will not come a point in time in the future when I will be employed by AH. I am still doing volunteer work for them at the Christian School. I am still confident that God was the One who led me here to serve the children and teachers of AH, but Seda and I have begun to ask God what the next steps are for us here.
The road less traveled overseas
As much as Seda and I would love to be visiting the US soon, it is just not very likely. We have discovered that it is basically impossible for her to receive a tourist visa (very difficult for most Cambodians) because she owns no property, has no children that she will return to in Cambodia, and no large reserves of cash in the bank... so, if there is any way for her to visit the US, it is through applying for an immigration visa, which would mean that we would both have to move to the US for about five years... there are a lot of forms to fill out, conditions to meet, and emotions to work through... it can be a process that takes up to about a year, so you can keep us in your prayers that we will have wisdom that this is truly the direction that Jesus is leading us in... It is really not what I imagined happening (or wanted), but it may be God's providence pointing us in this direction.
The road traveled again, with English teaching
I am dissapointed to say that a job I had applied for with Samaritan's Purse did not work out, so I am back to the English teaching 'road' for a while...
My comfort on the road less traveled...
Throughout a lot of the things that I mentioned above, God has been reassuring me through His Word of His provision. And the other day when I was wondering which direction to go next, I read in Psalm 25:12 "Who is the man who fears the LORD?He will instruct him in the way he should choose."
As always thank you for your prayers, financial support, and emails. All of it is greatly appreciated.
May Jesus bless you all in every way,
Graham
The road less traveled in marriage...
Over the last three months, Seda and I have begun to grow into this new phase of our life. Married life is certainly different, but we have have been enjoying it. It has definitely had it's challenges already, but we are both learning. As they say, progress not perfection. One of the things that I have seen over the years is that my personality tends towards wanting to fix things, clean things up, and solve/resolve every problem that comes down the road... I have trouble with gray areas and unresolved situations... I am learning that one of the areas that I have to change is giving Seda her space and time for her to work through things in her way, and allow things to be somewhat unresolved (in my mind) until she is ready. An important life lesson for me...
The road less traveled with Asia's Hope
Not long after Seda and I had gotten married, we found out that there had been in change in leadership at Asia's Hope. Dave Atkins, the man that introduced me to Cambodia, needed to step down for a variety of reasons. In the wake of that significant change, the board of AH has looked at every aspect of what they are doing in Cambodia and Thailand, and has decided to end any kind of formal internship program. They have always had a strong committment to only hiring national Cambodian and Thai workers, but they were never confident about how God would use Westerners here. In a nutshell, there will not come a point in time in the future when I will be employed by AH. I am still doing volunteer work for them at the Christian School. I am still confident that God was the One who led me here to serve the children and teachers of AH, but Seda and I have begun to ask God what the next steps are for us here.
The road less traveled overseas
As much as Seda and I would love to be visiting the US soon, it is just not very likely. We have discovered that it is basically impossible for her to receive a tourist visa (very difficult for most Cambodians) because she owns no property, has no children that she will return to in Cambodia, and no large reserves of cash in the bank... so, if there is any way for her to visit the US, it is through applying for an immigration visa, which would mean that we would both have to move to the US for about five years... there are a lot of forms to fill out, conditions to meet, and emotions to work through... it can be a process that takes up to about a year, so you can keep us in your prayers that we will have wisdom that this is truly the direction that Jesus is leading us in... It is really not what I imagined happening (or wanted), but it may be God's providence pointing us in this direction.
The road traveled again, with English teaching
I am dissapointed to say that a job I had applied for with Samaritan's Purse did not work out, so I am back to the English teaching 'road' for a while...
My comfort on the road less traveled...
Throughout a lot of the things that I mentioned above, God has been reassuring me through His Word of His provision. And the other day when I was wondering which direction to go next, I read in Psalm 25:12 "Who is the man who fears the LORD?He will instruct him in the way he should choose."
As always thank you for your prayers, financial support, and emails. All of it is greatly appreciated.
May Jesus bless you all in every way,
Graham
19 March 2009
Things that make you say "hmmmm"
I found this box in one of the orphanages... I have no idea what it is...
18 March 2009
12 March 2009
Some morning wedding pics in the park
In the morning of our wedding (Feb 7), we went to Hun Sen Park and had a lot of pics taken... Independence Monument is in the background... some of the pics were not that great, but for those of you who like wedding pics, you'll love it...
06 March 2009
Killing a coconut
After the funeral in KT, I learned how to get the milk from a coconut, but it was more difficult than it looks... didn't help that the knife/hatchet wasn't very sharp...
Our SECOND wedding...
We had two weddings... one in Phnom Penh for all of our friends and co-workers that live here, and then a second one in Kompong Thom for all of Seda's relatives and neighbors from when she was growing up. Because of some problems with my computer, I have not been able to get the pictures from the first wedding yet (although you can see the pictures that John McC took below)... but here are a few from the second wedding in Kompong Thom... some of them were Photoshopped by the photographer, so be ready for some chessy photos at the end...
Two Funerals for Loak Yim Lam
Seda's father died on January 17, but this is the first chance that I have had to post any pictures. We had two services. The first one was in Phnom Penh at our church. Her father had made a profession of Christ, and was showing interest in growing in his faith when the cancer really began to get bad. He continued going to church until his body would not allow him. Because of this, Seda wanted to have a service at the church... those are the first pics...
Unfortunately, her mother did not want this, and requested a second service in the Buddhist religion. For me it was a really sad time, because you literally saw people mourning with no confidence that he was okay. Below are some pictures.
Unfortunately, her mother did not want this, and requested a second service in the Buddhist religion. For me it was a really sad time, because you literally saw people mourning with no confidence that he was okay. Below are some pictures.
21 February 2009
24 January 2009
Our pre-wedding pictures...
Here are some pics that we had taken at a shop... rented the outfits, and all... the backgrounds are totally Photoshop... although they were not able to do much about the landing strip on top of my head... if you want to see the pictures a little bit bigger, click on the slide show, and it will take you to an external website where you can see the pictures a little better...
03 January 2009
Hope House Christmas Program 2008
Here are some pictures of the Christmas program that Seda's Center (Hope House) prepared... to my mind, the great thing about this production was that it brought in SO many Buddhist families to hear the story of Jesus birth...
Transform Cambodia Christmas Party 2008
Here are some pics from a Christmas party with people from Seda's work...
02 January 2009
29 December 2008
Christmas with Seda's Family 2008
We had a pretty simple Christmas here in Cambodia this week... a gift or two for people, reading the Christmas account from Luke, and playing a game with banannas... ah, Cambodia... here a few pics...
Gospel Commission Fellowship Christmas 2008
Here are some pics of the Gospel Commission Fellowship Christmas program... complete with an after service meal...
Asia's Hope Christmas 2008
Here are some excellent pics from the Asia's Hope Christmas program in PrekEng... the kids did a great job! Savorn and all of the teachers did a fantastic job of organizing it also... including carving up a cow!
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