SNAPSHOTS

In case you are wondering, I am alive and well in Phnom Penh... I know that it has been almost three weeks since I have talked to some of you, but I wanted to give you a few snapshots of what is going on in Cambodia...

SNAPSHOT #1: Cambodia was in world news last week when authorities arrested Noun Chea, who was known as Brother No.2 during the genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979). Why it has taken 28 years to arrest a man who is partially responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million of his own people is a question that can be answered if you know this country intimately. There are many reasons that I could give you, but I guess at this point, it is just good to have him awaiting trial. The UN is pushing the country to have trials before many of these men die. Noun Chea has said that he knew nothing of the genocide because he was always involved in governmental meetings... just like Hitler was Swedish...

SNAPSHOT #2: I started teaching English classes at Pannasastra University in Phnom Penh. Things are going well so far. At one point I had 60 or more students in each of my classes, but they have been able to hire more instructors and they have cut my classes down to a manageable 30 to 40 students. Essentially I am a teaching 3/4 of a full load. I have three separate times when I am teaching, but some of the classes meet on alternating days, so there are really four actual classes that I am teaching. I would appreciate your prayers with this because the class times are VERY spaced out, and it can be very hard to get things accomplished in the times between...

SNAPSHOT #3: As I mentioned in my last email, I have begun taking Khmer language lessons. It is not easy, but I am learning a lot. I even find myself venturing into simple sentences and questions out in public... my Khmer friends are more generous with their time and understanding and help me when I am struggling with a word or a pronunciation. I am far from fluent, but I feel that I am making some encouraging baby steps...

SNAPSHOT #4: I did finally buy a moto. There is a lot more to this story, but suffice it to say that I made some mistakes in buying the one that I did, and it will not be a good solution for the long run... so in the meantime Seda is using the one that I bought and I am using hers... it is definitely a good solution in the short run. I have not had time to get a picture of it on my blog, but I will. Please pray for my safety as I drive. I am getting a lot better as a driver, but the traffic here is VERY nerve racking... for those who have not heard my descriptions of traffic in Cambodia before, just imagine almost everyone having the right of way at the same time, people driving both ways on the same side of the road, and attempting to avoid random bicycles, cars, moto, food sellers, and people walking on the road at the same time... they seem to be rarely paying attention to anyone but themselves either... harrowing to say the least... I think that I will be less stressed about it over time, but it has been heart pumping (stopping?) on a few occasions...

SNAPSHOT #5: Some of you may have noticed that in my emails I mention a girl named Seda from time to time. Seda and I have been friends since my first summer in 2004. We have a really good friendship that has grown over the years. We have had a great time seeing more of each other this summer as well (I know that it is fall in the States, but it feels like early June here)... I have been unsure of how to tell everyone about her... I did not want anyone to get the wrong impression of why I was here, but we have a developing relationship... in the States we would call it dating, here it is hard to know what we call it... I was planning on coming here no matter what happened with her, but it has been a real added blessing... we'd appreciate your prayers for knowing God's will.

SNAPSHOT #6: Lastly, and I really don't feel the need to go into a lot of detail right now, but I would just appreciate your prayers in general for strength in following the Lord. There have been a few times of late that have been really rough for me, and I can not walk through those things in my own power... I need the power that only comes from God. It is not that I feel like I am faltering in my faith, but more that I want to make sure that I live a life that is consistently faithful to Him...

Thanks again! I love hearing from all of you in email, and it is a great blessing to know that many of you are praying for me. Graham