I have begun to be accustomed to this phrase the Cambodians use... or something similar. Today our early morning class (it begins at 6am!) discussed family words and shared their family trees. Of all the students in our room 3/4 of them had parents who were killed "in the time of Pol Pot"... mostly fathers... and for those who don't have parents killed... they will share a time of being "refugees at the Thailand border" ... and that was a startling realization for me. They all -our students and this country as a whole - share this gaping time during the seventies where people were WIPED out... mass murder... especially officials, police officers, doctors, teachers, anyone loyal to those opposed to the Khmer Rouge, at that time. I have read about it. But to hear their stories is quite different than reading about that time. It literally impacts all of them in very tangible ways. We in the United States of America talk about the tragic events of 9/11 in that way. This shared horrific experience... many of us watched it on TV... the images ingrained in our collective memories... but imagine... 9/11 lasting nearly 4 years... and all of us having relatives that died during that time or having been refugees to Mexico or Canada. Can you imagine? In Cambodia they don't have to imagine. It happened. And only now are a few of the perpetrators of what we now call "the killing fields" (mass graves all over Cambodia) are being brought to justice. Pol Pot died peacefully in his sleep. Pol Pot by the way is not his name. It is his nickname: "POLitical POTential"... this desire to wipe out the western ways and create a agrarian utopia. What happens when we as flawed humans try to create a perfect world on earth? People die. Casualties of idealism. Sacrifices to our egos. I feel for this country. It has been through so much. I hope you will join with me in praying for the future of the Cambodian people. I can see God is doing amazing work here through the faithful Cambodians who share the Good News and share their lives with their neighbors. I often ask myself when I read the passage where Jesus shares the greatest commandment: "Who is MY neighbor?"... and the answer today is: the Cambodian people that I live with, teach, work with and see on a daily basis. How will I love them today more than I love myself?
Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can...
My Cambodian lesson for the day: Mosquito nets are not just for keeping out mosquitos anymore!
Are spiders just bigger in Cambodia? Last night before going to bed Amber and I were confronted by a spider easily the size of a tarantula (different body, though) hanging out on our mosquito net over our bed. That thing was HUGE. It is without a doubt the biggest spider I have ever seen moving around in reailty... it spanned at least the width of my hand... I really thought it would turn and say "hi"to us... we screamed (of COURSE, wouldn't you?) and the Cambodian translator sleeping next door came out and ushered it out of our room... it sauntered actually... it seemed more "put out" by having something waved at it... it didn't travel fast... it kind of walked out slowly... as if to say "I'm not afraid of you"... needless to say... we tucked that mosquito net TIGHT around our bed last night... I guess it is good for keeping out more than mosquitos!
# posted by ErinW @ 12:02 AM
