One year already. Wow! As I reflect back on our first year in Cambodia, there are a few major themes that pop up –but I only have time for three right now.

Theme #1. Cambodians are happy. Cambodians are a happy, genuine people. I find this remarkable when considering the obstacles they face. Poverty is everywhere and luxuries are scarce to non-existent. Relatively few homes have flush toilets or indoor running water. It’s like scout camp 365 days/year. But smiles and laughter are plentiful. Moto drivers laugh after a near miss (isn’t a near miss technically a hit?). Children are delighted playing a game using an old flip flop they found in the street. Cambodians have figured out that money isn’t required for a full life. THAT is an attribute worth emulating.

Theme #2. Love for the people. At 8 a.m. Sunday morning I sit at the organ/keyboard in our chapel, look over the assembled congregation (about 30 to 40 members) and experience a rush of love that completely engulfs my body and soul. Where does that come from?? The correct answer, of course, is Jesus Christ. But how that works, how He is able to make that happen is a mystery (at least to me). We sing together, we pray together, we study together, we laugh together and occasionally we mourn together. A new wing has been opened in my heart and the Cambodians have a lifetime lease.

Theme #3: Driving. Driving in Cambodia is a slow-paced, white-knuckle experience. My biggest fear is that I will inadvertently hit a four-person scooter and hurt someone. I used to occasionally get drowsy driving in the US. Not here. I CONSTANTLY scan every part of the road and nearby bushes watching for darting motos and child bicyclists. I’ve learned to slowly enter the traffic corridors (lanes aren’t a thing just yet) – concerning myself only with the BIG trucks that could take you out (Moto drivers usually weave around you as long as you don’t make sudden moves). Night driving is the worst. We live in rural Cambodia – which means that headlights are optional. Once you leave the few lighted streets, everything goes black. No painted lines, no lights, no road shoulders. We came within 6 inches of sending a woman to the spirit world a few weeks ago when she suddenly appeared on a dark roadside. Terrifying. I will miss many things about Cambodia when we go home – but night driving is NOT one of them.

More later…