Our last visiting to Cambodia!

Brian and Dot with Don and Una arrived in Cambodia for a three months stay at BEC2 at Sihanoukville. We stayed a couple of days in Phnom Penh (PP) to catch up with Andrew and Denise Pitcher before they returned home a few days later. We found the time with them valuable. It was also lovely to catch up with the Brothers and Sisters of the PP meeting. Andrew and Denise were in PP for about six weeks and found the experience worthwhile. So did their girls.

There are about 12 students attending off and on at the moment. The off and on is about the fact that they return to their villages from time to time, they have exams or the change shifts at work.

I would like to tell you about a student we have at the moment. She was working in the market selling dresses when Steve and Lynn met her. She asked them the usual questions that the locals ask. Where are you from? How long are you here for? Why are you here for three months?

When they told her they were Christian and taught the Bible and English for free she said she was interested.She started coming to learn English and later to learn about the Bible. She love the way they taught her, they would set homework for her and she felt she progressed well. She loves coming here because the people are friendly and encouraging.

Once a month we have a dinner for all the students at the BEC, so they get to know one another. Last dinner we prepared for twenty eight people including teachers. Everyone seems to enjoy these dinners. We call it “Table Fellowship”.

Sihanoukville is a seaside town on the bay of Thailand. It is also a port. We see tankers come into Port to discharge Fuel. There are tankers constantly taking fuel all over Cambodia. The roads are not really made to take heavy loads; hence they are not in good condition. It is a five hour drive from Sihanoukville to PP.

The beach side is still fairly primitive with shack type cafes along the beach front, serving the most delicious food. It is not westernize yet and is very quaint. We enjoy our Monday student free day and eat at the beach.

The four of us went to PP for a week. Both Becs were closed down as it was a very solemn holiday here in Cambodia. I could liken it to Easter holidays. Most of the businesses were closed down both here and all over Cambodia.

We thought we would go to PP as I needed a tooth filling and we needed to do some shopping later that week, when things got back to normal.

Almost all of the students went to their villages so there was no point keeping the BECs open.

On the way back in the bus to Sihanoukville I was intrigued with use of hammocks. They are everywhere, inside tiny shacks, in small shops and under trees. The Mums rock their babies in them. Shopkeepers have their afternoon nap in them. Old grannies sleep in them. They looked like a grand idea to me.

We love this country very much, although it is chaotic and the traffic is horrendous, there is a certain charm that captures you. The many Tuk Tuks and people piled on top of trucks that are loaded with all manner of things like bricks, building materials, furniture or just cows. Tuk Tuks are our mode of transport. They are a motorbike with a small cabin behind to carry passengers. The majority of the population travel on motorbikes, sometimes up to four people at a time on one bike.!! Since we have been coming to Cambodia the motorcars have increased, the roads are not built for so many cars, they were made for motorbikes, and Tuk Tuks

We held a seminar in Kom Pot to find interest there. We hired a small bus and took 20 of us to KomPot. We leafleted for a few hours to let people know we were there.

Thankfully we had taken 12 students with us and they were the only ones who attended.

We intend to hold another seminar and concentrate on leafleting the Universities.

Important Note: We need more mission worker to come because we do not have enough mission worker to fill the space at the moment. Please use your voice in your Ecclesia to spread the need here. Please contact ACBM for more detail or commend below if you have one or two.

Thank you very much,

Love in Jesus

Una