The beginning of Cambodia.
I love it here. We are staying in a small village outside of Phnom Penh. There are 2 other team staying with mine and we live in 2 houses. It is hot, and we are surrounded by rice fields and naked babies.
Cambodia is a mixture of Tanzania and Nepal. Thats an interesting mix, my least favorite month, Tanzania and my favorite month Nepal. Its hot, dirty, poor, beautiful, rural, and friendly. It all wraps up as one and with the special flair that makes it Cambodia equal an amazing country. Babies run free here, but unlike Africa the parents call out to them just before they could get in trouble or hurt. There is a sense of family and community here that I have not felt anywhere else. People may not smile at you when you drive by, or first meet them, but upon learning their name and attempting to repeat it back I do not think the sun could shine brighter then the smile that greats you.
Another part of Cambodian culture is the equality between men and women. Now its not the same as america and I do not even know how it fairs in the political realm, but in day to day life I can see it. Men and women work in the kitchen together to prepare meals, I see both parents helping and playing with the children. The big one that I enjoy is manuel labor. When my team went to work at the church to help with yard work there were both men and women working their at the carpenter shop who helped us chop tree branches, hoe around trees and mulch. I have also seen both men and women working together in all sorts of work places. Now this may not seem like a big deal, but around the world I often see a segregation in work and duties.
I have only been at my ministry site for one day but I can tell you I love it and I believe I will have amazing blogs sharing what else happens this month. Stay tuned and please pray for me and my team. This is the last month of the race. Month 11. I have an idea of what the future will look like, but I trust God and He can change things sometimes.
If you have any questions about my race send them my way and I can answer them in a blog when I get home!
