I think these words often when living overseas. I thought that when I lived in Prague on many occasions. One was the time I got all dressed up to go to the opera. I was walking down the street and thought, “Is this really my life?”
Sometimes it is the mundane things. The other night, I heard a child crying after dark and went out to investigate. One of the little guys Samnion had gotten hurt and I checked to make sure he was okay. They build kids tough around here, as if it isn’t a gaping wound the kids seem to recover in under 30 seconds. Just the other day we watched a kid face plant in a hole at full speed and get up laughing. I was in pain for several minutes just from watching him crash and burn. Samnion was no different and was up and running around within a couple of minutes.
Jam and Samnion. They are brothers and super cute.
After I finished checking on Samnion, Jam asked if I would play fotbal (soccer) with him. So, he and I kicked the ball back and forth for 45 minutes in the dark. It reminded me of growing up playing basketball in the driveway long after it was probably time for me to go to bed. It was just a cool moment to play fotbal with Jam under the Cambodian stars.
Today, it was a comedic moment. We were hoeing, not shocking. It started to rain heavily. We finished up getting rather soaked by the rain. I thought it would be nice to take a clean bucket shower tonight so I grabbed the bucket out of the bathroom to fill with rain water. I have taken two showers in the rain this month which have been glorious. See, our water here is not the cleanest. I can shower outside in the yard after dark at this water spigot filled with water from this pond.
I have never been skinny dipping, but I have showered naked on the lawn in Cambodia. Go figure! Good thing it is an all-girls team working at a women’s home.
Or, I can shower in our bathroom using water from this pond.
The funny thing is I saw a man in a speedo fishing and bathing in this pond tonight. The water from the bathroom sits in this giant tub they pump full of water every week or two. I have seen a rat swimming in the water and we have fished cockroaches out of the water regularly.
Yes, those are rat terds around the outside. You can see why I usually choose to shower in the yard. It just makes me feel better that I can’t see what is in the water. Yes, this is really my life.
But, today the moment where I had to chuckle was when I realized I could use the rainwater to wash my clothes. It rained for several hours and I collected it out of the single drain spout and used it to hand wash my clothes. My clothes have not been this clean in a long time as I wasn’t sure this month as I washed them in the brown water whether they were getting cleaner or dirtier.
Today, thanks to the rain my clothes are clean and ready for travel day, at least if they dry in time. I have our two fans running in hopes that despite the humidity they will dry overnight. We will see.
Month 10 of ministry is over in the morning and we are off the Philippines. Who knows what will happen next?
