Kim's Cambodia Blog

Just thought that I'd mention... Kim C. is doing an internship with Asia's Hope this summer for her degree in PoliSci. She has some great observations and insights... here's the address... http://www.kimsasianadventures.blogspot.com/

Headlines and International Datelines

Cambodia 2006... here we go... We got here yesterday to Phnom Penh and it is great to be back! I remember writing an initial email last year at this time and thinking that I was writing to those at "home" from my "home". I feel a lot like that again. It is wonderful to see friends and ministry partners... to see the looks on the faces of the Americans who are here for the first time ("Wow, look at that!"... always funny). We took the first timers around to see where to check email, and took a stroll through the Russian Market... had a real Cambodian dinner (spaghetti...) and then I don't remember much else, because I crashed landed on my bed for the rest of the night.(I am still baffled by the loss of an entire day when you cross the international dateline) But today, we are up, ready to go... I'll be headed over to New Life Christian school today to see my friend Borany Nemh, who is the head of the school. She and I will be able to decide how to best use those who are on our team... we've already made plans for the 'tourist' parts of the trip, so we can plan around that... just a lot of details and getting started oleo... I wanted to make sure that I corrected my email that I sent before I left... my blog is www.grahamgeisler.blogspot.com .... I had written the wrong address before... I will be posting this email there, but also, some pictures when I can do that... Have a fantastic day my friends, and feel free to email me here...

Irony comes in many forms

We are now less than 24 hours away from leaving for Cambodia! I am very excited to be seeing friends, jumping into ministry opportunities, hugging orphans, and investing myself in what ever way God would provide...

Ironically (to draw in the title of this posting), we are going to a third world country that often has no running water, electricity, etc... and my apartment here in the States has been without power for almost two days... maybe God thought that I needed some extra preparation...

Life lesson #268

Life lesson #268 (I must have learned this one a lot earlier than the one below): Always check your pockets.

I have been missing a Memory Key for my computer for a while, and just found it in a pair shorts. And there was much rejoicing! Seriously, I had prayed that I could find it that day...

Also in the category of "Rejoicing Over Finding Lost Memory Keys" I found one in the car wedged between the seat and the seat belt. It was one that I was convinced was gone forever... and I know that I had already looked in that spot... wierd... but literally, I was praising God for this... I needed them both for the trip to Cambodia...

All within two days!

Life Lesson #972

Life Lesson #972: Remember not to get too hard on yourself

(Apologies to Lebron James)

of anticipation, fears and losing your life

For the last 11 or so months, I have been thinking about something that will finally occur next Sunday morning. I am going back to Southeast Asia. Cambodia, in so many ways has won my heart, or at least the people have. I was thinking the other day about how nice the weather has been in Ohio. In Phnom Penh, it is 90-100 degrees everyday, and sometimes very, very humid. Why am I so interested in going back? Names. Sreynith, Seda, Pheakdey, Paul, Phillip, Amy, Sineth, Sarom, Kosal, Sophat, Sreyven, Asna, Narin, Borany, Leakhena... more. God has really blessed me with these people. My life is much richer, and I hope that their's is as well.

Have you ever looked forward to something so much that when it finally gets close to happening, you are a bit scared? That is definitely how I felt the other day. I suppose people who adopt children, or have children, or who get married, or even when people make a major purchase go through similar feelings. I know that God will see me through this, and I am ready to go. Packing is incidental. It will happen. Is my heart ready? Is my mind?

I can only answer that by the encouragement God has given me through the Scriptures lately. "He who saves his life will lose it. He who loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." God has given me an opportunity to be His hands and feet and hugs and medical attention to those who are in greater need. He is giving me the opportunity to 'lose my life' so that I may find it in Him. Please pray for me as we go. May God bless you all. G

Murder in Vegas

I have gotten attached to well written short stories in the last few months. I have never really read that many that I paid close attention to, but I think I am officially hooked. The recent one (interest level through Michael Connelly), is Murder in Vegas. Honestly the book is more about 'Gambling in Las Vegas' than murder. There are stories that have it, but the book more has numerous short stories on gambling with life, love, future and of course money. I would normally put more than one book on a posting, but the others I am reading would take way too long to finish before I leave for Kampuchea...

Posting # 100 - thanks again Hamlet

I noticed a few days ago that I had made 99 postings to the blog... so I thought about what could be number 100, and nothing really came to mind, but as I was listening to a recording of Hamlet the other days, this passage really came out to me... even though Hamlet is talking about the possibility of his own death, the words could be applied to just about anything... my 'translation' is below...

Hamlet "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves, knows aught, what is't to leave betimes? Let be."

Graham's attempted translation: "Nothing happens by accident. Even a sparrow will not fall to earth apart from God's plan, purpse and care. If it happens now, it is not supposed to happen at any other time. If it is not to happen in the future, it will happen now. And if it doesn't happen now, it will eventually happen. All you need is to be ready for it. No man can see into the future to know what he's missing out on, so what's wrong with dying 'early' in life if all is ordained by God? Let it alone."

Thanks my friend...

From "A Grief Observed"...

"The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed - might grow tired of his vile sport - might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures shall occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't"

- C.S. Lewis, from page 55-56 of "A Grief Observed."

"My Name is..."

A new Asia's Hope Video with pictures of the kids at the Asia's Hope Phnom Penh Orphanage. Click here...

Reading again

Can you ever not recommend C.S. Lewis? I just read "A Grief Observed" again... an amazingly detached title for such a difficult and heart rending topic. I will be posting one of my favorite quotes here soon. If you have never read it, it is a short book in 4 parts chronicling the grief of C.S. Lewis after the death of his wife Joy Davidman. I was again struck by the progression of anger, to acceptance, to renewed faith (or should I say a new type of faith?).

I have read almost all of Connelly's books, including one that he merely edited (weird, I know). "Crime Beat" was the first non-fiction one that I have read, even though he started his career as a reporter. I am still sold on his fiction, I think that I would need to get used to his reporting writings... all that said, maybe he should write a 'true crime' book... might be interesting to see the result... until then, I am looking forward to the next Harry Bosch book (the main character in most of his novels.)

Patches out in the yard

MCS Spring Formal

I set up a web page with pictures from our school Prom from a few weeks ago... Click here to see the pics...

Quote from Jonathan Edwards on prayer

"It is evident that we do not, in this duty (prayer), declare our wants and desires in order to inform God, or to incline his heart to show mercy; but suitably to affect our own hearts, and so to prepare ourselves for the reception of the blessings we ask." - A Treatise on Religious Affections, pg. 36.

Those were the days, weren't they?

My sister and her son...

My favorite quote from today

I had a particular song on my computer through Rhapsody, and a former student came in and asked me, "Hey isn't that Country Gas?", "uh, I said, you mean 'Classical Gas'?" Funny if you know the tune...

2 More Books

Okay, so I have been a little slow on the postings lately... things are hectic at school... but the evenings still provide some time to read... here are the two latest completions...

The Best American Mystery Stories 2003 is a book that I sought out only because the editor of the collection was Michael Connelly. However, I will tell you that even though many of the stories were violently or sexually brutal, I came away amazed at how well these stories were written. I am not a writer, but these people had an amazing ability to conceive of a plot, introduce characters, develop those characters and wrap up the story with a satisfying conclusion with relative ease. I was impressed. The best story, in my opinion, was called After You're Gone.

A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards is truly one of the most significant books that I have ever read. Edwards knowledge of the Scriptures is second to none, and his ability to apply it to the heart and mind of Christian people is amazing. I found that I was underlining huge sections on almost every page. I could not move quickly through this book, and found myself mentally (if not even physically saying), "Yes, I agree, it could not have been said better!"... tremendous theological insights into the human condition and how it relates to our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Excellent.

2 Books

I have finished up a couple of books in the last month or so that I wanted to add...

Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer is a powerful commentary on the effect of sin upon our post-Christian/relativistic/post-modern culture. He discusses several portions of Romans as well as the example of Jeremiah to show why things are that way, as well as what our response as Christians should be... a good read, I highly reccommend it.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was something that had sat on my shelf for a long time. I actually got it used to begin with, but it was a good read as well... it is considered one of the earliest Science Fiction novels, even though it does not include the modern use of aliens and UFO's. There were several things that entertained me about it, especially since I have also circumnavigated the globe.

So is this real? I don't know...

It is hard to say, in the age of Photoshop, whether this is real or not. But apparently, this rabbit is some kind of German rabbit... more than an arm full if it is true...

(it's still a pretty funny pic no matter what).

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