The title of a blog or a story of any kind
is always difficult, because when writing one does not know what direction it
would take. My trip was like that in many respects. I got here, expecting to be
helping in Phnom Penh, but after bible school came down to Sihanoukville.
I left Australia after the evening lecture
at my home ecclesia. I was uncertain as to the length of time I would be away,
(It has changed and may do so again) and headed to Brisbane airport. After
saying goodbye to Dad and mum at the airport, I waited there for a while before
getting on the plane to Kuala Lumpour en route to Phnom Penh Cambodia. I got to KL and had a short break before my
trip, on a crowded plane to Cambodia.
Bro Vitou picked me up from the airport. I went to lucky star and joined
bro Zac’s class for the seminars. I stayed with them for the rest of the
seminars. We briefly went for a tour of the BEC, no strange place to me, as I
had stayed there on my last trip. Then we had an excellent dinner at the dorms.
I went to the dorms on the back of the moto with bro Zac, and the Tuk Tuks took
about an hour. Then we had our BEC VS dorms soccer match. The dormers won 6-5.
That was their best game though; we beat them on Saturday and the next Monday.
On the way back we had 9 of us and bro Tut
on his Tuk Tuk. The next morning I walked to the dorm. It only took 35 minutes,
so it would have been quicker for those in Tuk Tuks to walk the night before. I
had no desire to go to the killing fields again; I went on my last trip. I went
swimming with the Khamer.
Every day thereafter I managed to go out
for ice cream with someone during bible school.
Saturday was the highlight of bible school.
3 baptisms. We all crowded into the downstairs of the BEC in Phnom Penh. After
a talk by Vitou on baptism, Sokea, Puthsa and Srey mom were baptised. I spoke
to Brothers Sokea and Puthsa, and Sister Srey Mom afterwards, and then everyone
went their separate ways for tea. My group went to a barbeque. There was no
rice, so we had to make do with meat. Then we beat the dorm team in soccer, 9-8
Sunday night we had the cultural night. The
Australians sang a home among the gum trees, but the act which was the most
funny was Bro Him and Bro Michael’s act. Bro Him told a story in Khmer and bro
Michael attempted to translate it. His translation was usually wrong, and it
was very funny. Then bro Him translated it. It was a lot better, and I think
Michael was trying to translate it back into Khmer.
Then Terry and Raju did an act, with no
preparation or script based on the traditional way of arguing Australians. It
was funny, but not as funny as Michael’s translation attempt.
Monday saw the memorial meeting, and our 2
new brothers and new sister were welcomed in. We slept at the BEC that night,
as bible school had finished, but not before slaughtering the dorms in soccer
11-4. Bro Phil played in that game as well.
The next morning we got on a bus and came
to Sihanoukville. There were not enough seats on the bus, so some of us sat on
the floor. We read psalm 72 on the bus in Burmese, Khmer, English and Korean on
the trip. Dy joined us as we were singing hymns on the bus, but we didn’t
stop to pick him up. We just opened the door and he jumped in. When we got to Sihanoukville we went to the beach.
Bro Vanny did bible class. On Thursday we had a memorial meeting, with about 40
brothers and sisters. It was amazing as the ecclesia here in Sihanoukville
numbers only 4. That meeting we had 10 times the number of the local ecclesia
here.
Brother Sam
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