One of my favorite things about the Race is having the chance to connect with other missionaries around the world. We were able to spend a day with a couple in Jerusalem. We worshiped on Thursday nights with an adorable family in Tanzania. It seems like at least one person in the group has a connection in every country we go to. We had a round-about connection here in Cambodia, which led to one of the best experiences of the year. Chelsea’s parents had friends…that had friends…here in Cambodia. We did what any crazy young people would do and hopped on a couple of buses for eight hours to pay a visit.
Up until Tuesday, pork and rice was the essence of lunch and dinner every single day for the last month. Our lives were revolutionized when we met Jill and Kevin. The Kanes are an amazing couple that have lived in Cambodia for almost five years. Their kids are our age, so it was no problem for them to jump into the parent role. They picked us up from the bus station and welcomed us with open arms. Jill had to go teach her English class, so Kevin took us to a little restaurant to get sand ice. Sand ice didn’t sound very appealing, but he assured us that it was incredible. He was right. It was like a slushy, but a little thicker. I chose honey peach, which was written as honey peace on the menu. Same, same. It was absolutely delicious.
We then went to catch the end of Jill’s English class. She told them that their homework was to come up with questions for us the next evening. Next, it was time to head to the park. Asian parks are terrific. It’s the cool place to be. There are usually people playing games and sitting on the grass. The coolest thing is by far the dancing. There are aerobic dance classes everywhere. Chelsea and I went with one of Jill’s students to a Korean-influenced hip hop deal. We tried to keep up, we really did.
Dinner that night was incredible. They took us to a restaurant with a tropical feel. I was able to meet their friend, Ron, who helped me order my food. He doesn’t eat vegetables, just like me. So he told me to order a Ron burger, which is just meat and cheese. It was incredible. We were able to tell stories from the last ten months. It was interesting to have a little practice in sharing this experience with “normal” people. We then got to hear their stories. Their hearts for the people of Cambodia are so inspiring.
Jill then took us to an orphange that her church sponsors. We were warned before we left that we would experience a hug-fest. As soon as we got out of the touk-touk, we were ambushed by adorable kids. Each one hugged us and greeted us. They pulled us inside to some chairs that were set up. We sat down and the kids began massaging our shoulders, arms, and legs. They were serving us, and we had just met them. They sang us a few songs that melted my heart. It was hard to say goodbye to them.
English class was quite entertaining that night. We received a variety of questions. I think my favorite came from one of the youngest in the class.
“Why did God make trees so evidence?”
We looked at each other, then Jill. We didn’t get it. Upon looking at her paper, Jill realized what she was trying to say. Take two.
“Why did God make trees so important?”
Cute, huh? She had the privilage of hearing about the joys of oxygen production.
The next morning came all too soon and it was time to leave Battambong. We were awoken to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes. I questioned whether or not I had died in the middle of the night and gone to Heaven. We had such an amazing time with the Kanes. They blessed us more than they’ll ever know.
There was still a small window of time before we had to report back to Phnom Penh, so we hopped on a bus and went to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. It just recently got bumped down from the seven wonders of the world. Tomb Raider was filmed at one of the temples. I can now say that I’ve walked where Jesus AND Angelina Jolie walked. Can’t decide which is more exciting.
