Important announcement: I think I may have met the love of my life…
Pkat Mai, Cambodia (I think that’s how you spell the name of the village I’m currently in) is home to Umong and Nari, our hosts for the month; lots of sugarcane fields; more chickens than I could possibly count; a couple bars; a side-of-the-road sugarcane juice stand; and Pau Lean.
I’ve heard his name pronounced about nine different ways, but I’ve settled on my preference – Pow Leon – and he seems to like it!
My team and I met Pau Lean on one of our first days in the village; he is a frequent visitor to Umong and Nari’s tree-house home, where they teach daily English classes and host Sunday School for the neighborhood children. He showed up before breakfast one morning, and basically he hasn’t left since.
He’s developed a love for my computer, frequently asking (in Kymer, which he seems to think I understand perfectly) to watch a movie. So far, his favorites have been “Mulan” and “The Incredibles.”
This little guy is a recurrent topic of discussion among “Just Love.” To put it lightly, he’s a bit full of himself. He LOVES attention, and we’ve found that he will do just about anything to get it. ANYTHING including: pulling his shorts up to diaper level and dancing crazily during English class; pick-pocketing my camera and taking over 100 photos of himself, his friends, his cat, his dog, his ducks… you get the idea; arguing (playfully) with Liz at the top of his lungs; and playing just about any prank he can come up with on any potential target. No one is safe; Dennis the Menace had nothing on this Cambodian cutie.
In spite of his rambunctiousness, I can’t help lighting up whenever he comes bounding into our bedroom/living room/classroom, even when it’s right in the middle of my nap. For whatever reason – my movie collection probably has something to do with it – he and I have become good buddies. One minute he’s driving me nuts; the next he’s crawling in my lap, resting his head on my shoulder, and melting my heart.
During home visits with Umong, I got the opportunity to check out where Pau Lean lives and meet his family – his mother, his two aunts and a few cousins. As we have seen in many of the families within our village, there aren’t any men around. Pau Lean’s father left a few years ago; his mother, aunts and older cousins work each day in rice fields to provide their income. In the hour or so that we spent in their home, there were no hugs, very few smiles and even fewer pleasantries exchanged among the family. This is partly cultural and I’m not judging, but it would be amiss not to note that clearly, this isn’t a Christian home.
It’s not really that difficult to understand why he would want to constantly hang out at Umong and Nari’s. There’s not much surprise that he seeks love and attention from those readily willing to dish it out. English classes are fun, and they’re definitely beneficial for my little friend, but there is clearly far more to be gained! He is my constant reminder that at the end of the day, whether I teach him 10 or 100 new things about the English language, whether or not I can do anything about the meager living conditions he’s growing up in, whether he ever manages to remember my name or whether he ever manages to behave like a little gentleman, the bottom line is that he feels the love of Jesus anytime we’re together.
He’s super smart; he already knows several English words (although he stubbornly still speaks to me mostly in Kymer.) Impressively, he bellowed out several “Kids’ Church” songs during Bible School. There is lots of promise for this little guy! It doesn’t take him long to pick up on anything…
For instance, a few days ago while walking with Shelli, Elizabeth and I to the local market, we strolled hand in hand and I jokingly threw out phrases for him to try repeating. Never dreaming he would catch on, I laughed and said, “Yo Homie, Wassup!?” and my jaw literally dropped (before I busted out in laughter) when he clearly and enthusiastically repeated me, perfectly! It’s now one of his favorite phrases…
Do me a favor – say a prayer for Pau Lean. Pray that in time, through Umong and Nari’s influence in his life, he will come to know Jesus. Pray that he will continue to receive an education that allows him to prosper and provide for his family. Pray that he becomes a light in this small community. Pray that though he doesn’t know the love of his earthly father, that he will always know God’s fatherly love. Pray that he never loses his captivating smile, his zeal for life, his boyhood cheekiness, his love for movies and music, or his devilish spunk.
And maybe pray that someday, someone will teach him slightly more appropriate English phrases!
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
