During my time in Cambodia, I experienced my first real
struggle with being sick. Sure, I went to the Doctor in New Zealand to check
out a rash that we thought might be scabies, but that did not keep me from
ministry or make me feel entirely weak. I’m not sure what caused my
sickness…perhaps it was the water, or maybe the food I ate at a birthday party
for a woman who had died 10 years ago.
Side story:
Our team had been invited to a huge party in honor of this
man’s mother as part of Buddhist ancestral worship. The soup they served consisted
of water, rice, chicken, whole tiny octopuses, crab legs, some vegetables and
other unidentifiable ingredients. There was a Cambodian woman who attended our
table and forced us to continue to eat more and more of the soup. At one point,
she came over with an older woman and tried to get her to touch my arm. The
older woman ran away scared and then we were told that she had been eating soup
and spit it out in shock and fear when she saw us (Americans/Canadians) at the
party. Who know that white skin
would cause such alarm? As we left the party, our table attendant hugged us
goodbye and apparently felt no fear towards me, since she grabbed my butt with
both hands.
Anyway… it may not have been the water or the soup; it could
have been any number of things that caused me to get sick. How did I get
through this sickness, you may want to know. Well, after a doctor visit (that
cost a total of $8 including the 4 prescriptions) and about a week of eating
nothing but rice soup (rice in water, which was lovingly made by Vothy’s
mother) I was well on my way to recovery. It worked out that my sickness came
during the holiday, the Cambodian New Year. This was good, since it meant that
I did not miss as much ministry, but not so great because of the days of
firecrackers exploding while I’m trying to sleep and missing the trip to the
lake.
My first outing after being sick was to visit a localBuddhist temple. Our ministry contact and host, Vothy, took us to see the
nearby temple to learn more about the local beliefs. As I walked into the
temple I was preoccupied by all the colorful paintings that covered the walls
and ceiling. In a way, it reminded me of the Sistine Chapel, but instead of
biblical truths covering every surface, there were stories of Buddha
everywhere. One scene in particular stood out to me. I asked what the story was
behind it and learned that Buddhists believe that even Buddha gets sick. Well,
that makes two of us. Both Buddha and I got sick in Cambodia. I can’t help but
wonder if the green man is offering Buddha some rice soup.
