I arrived in Cambodia at about
4pm on Monday 13th April; Vitou met me at the airport
and we rode a tuk tuk back to the BEC. On the way there he advised me that it
was Khmer New Year in Cambodia, so I was unsure about when the teaching would
actually start. As the week progressed I learned that the school would be
closed until Tuesday 21st April, therefore I was at the
school by myself for most of the week. I feel that had I been aware of this
holiday I would have arrived a week later, and stayed a week longer as well,
but I tried to use the time wisely by reading the available literature at the
BEC and also learning about Cambodia's history by visiting the Killing Fields
and the Genocide Museum. There are a number of national holidays celebrated in
Cambodia every year, so maybe the school calendar could be placed on the ACBM
website in order for fieldworkers to choose suitable dates to arrive. Many
students had actually been in Thailand for a Bible week, so when they arrived
back at the BEC on Sunday 19th April it was like a
completely different place, full of life and wonderful for us to attend the
memorial meeting together.
On the Sunday, Vitou informed me that I would
be more needed at the BEC in Sihanoukville, so I agreed to travel there on
Monday 20th April with Savy. We had a 6 hour bus journey
and arrived in the early evening at BEC2; it's a much calmer town than Phnom
Penh and I was looking forward to getting started. Sister Theung showed me the
teaching plan for the week, I had 5 lessons the next day between 9am and 6:30pm
so I was glad to be busy. As the week progressed, there were two extra new
students as well so it was nice to see that people were arriving all the time.
There were sometimes gaps between lessons of a couple of hours, so I decided to
always be 'on site' in case there were any new students who arrived or people
who wanted to ask about the school. Savy took me out for a coffee on the Friday
night as I hadn't been away from the BEC by that point. It's good that the
school works based on the times that the students can make rather than on set
lesson times, this means we can teach as many as possible and work around their
schedules. About half the lessons were with one student only, but this is also
useful when helping that person to understand.
I found the preaching toolkit book to be
extremely useful. Having the second half of the book written in Khymer helped a
lot too as I could make sure that the students understood the points being
made. The lessons are straightforward and easy to teach, and although sometimes
it's difficult to follow the layout of the page the basic lessons to be learned
are clear. I learned a lot myself as well! The students have differing levels
of English so smaller class sizes are useful in that respect; I spoke too
quickly at the beginning so I learned to slow down and use more simple words as
well. The outreach students at the weekend use a different book, the
Preparation for the Kingdom, and this takes on more of a 'story' format than
the weekday lessons. I found that this required different skills in order to
keep students interested as the lessons were two hours, so sharing reading and
keeping them involved was necessary. This book is aimed at a younger age group
but seems to have more complicated words so the dictionary was used a lot and
also the white board is invaluable for drawing the story as it progresses.
I wanted to teach at the BEC in
order to practice teaching the word of God and also to have more confidence and
to grow as a Christian. I found that these requirements were being fulfilled
right from the first day. To be able to talk boldly about Jesus Christ was both
exhilarating and also exciting, especially when we were encountering students
who hadn't even opened a Bible before. The presence of any native English
teacher is attractive to local people and each student should be viewed and
treated in the right way, as a potential future baptised brother. The
fieldworker guide warns that we should be ready for all kinds of questions from
students, and this is certainly the case, especially as they grow in confidence
over the weeks. Having not had any experience of Christianity before, it is
easier to teach the students non-trinitarian issues from the beginning rather
than have to change their thinking from previous experiences.
I think that both Bro. Savy and
Sis. Theung do a great job in running the BEC. As the only baptised brother,
Savy has all the jobs that we normally share around at home in Bath, so I was
happy to exhort for the three weeks I was staying with them. Savy is a
dedicated man who enjoys the environment of the BEC and is prayerfully growing
the ecclesia by allowing them to spend time together socially as well as during
worship. He organises for them to go
roller skating for example as an activity where they can all be together. As
the months have passed and each one gets baptised, it makes the family stronger
and Savy is like the father figure to them all. Sister Theung also manages to
combine the administrative duties at the BEC with bringing up a young son and
looking after the Sunday school children. Together they work as a team to run
the BEC in a way that allows as many students as possible to just arrive
whenever they want and to learn about God. It's a shame that there isn't always
an English teacher available at the school because the potential seems to be
very great in Sihanoukville.
Savy also brings students
together at mealtimes, and also at the Bible study evening which is held once a
week. It's a good chance for us to get together to read and to discuss certain
passages in the Bible. Students can ask questions to help their understanding.
At the weekends the outreach students arrive; they have a two hour lesson in
the afternoon, then a seminar in the evening which usually included a film for
them to watch. We all eat together as well which gives us a chance to talk. The
students seem to enjoy being at the BEC together and seem to grow in confidence
during lessons. The Sunday school takes place at the same time as the morning
lesson so we go upstairs onto the veranda of the school, it's great to have
that area available and sometimes there is a noisy background to the class with
the children below but the students manage to concentrate well.
In summary, the school is run
very well and there is a strong sense of community being nurtured there. I felt
that I was part of a family the whole time I was there, not just with Savy and
Theung but with all the students there. I would very much enjoy going to
Sihanoukvile again having had a very positive experience there and will be
prayerfully examining my circumstances in the UK to allow that to happen when
possible. The potential in the area seems to be very great and God willing will
continue to bear fruit in the future. The BEC is less noisy than the one at
Phnom Penh but is a good place to study quietly and a focal point for members
of the community to be together as a group. Regular students would arrive early
just to spend time there and I've spoken to some who are happiest when they are
at the BEC. God willing the BEC will continue to grow for many years.
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