I'm sleeping with the little lizards in my hotel room tonight. This morning when I woke up I heard some chirping in my room. I thought maybe it was birds outside but as I opened my eyes and gained awareness I realize the sound was not coming from outside. I looked up and just above my head there hangs a picture. Behind the picture hanging over my head lives a family of lizards. There are two of them. They are scampering about my walls and chirping. I couldn't go back to sleep. Well, tonight they are still here so I went down to the lobby and told the man working that "I have lizards in my room. Two of them". He said "the lights don't work?" because I was pointing to the wall, where a lizard was sitting next to the light. I said "no, there is a lizard in my room. Two of them". He said, "oh, this is good." Me, "huh?" Him, "Yes, this is good they eat bugs for you." Me, "Oh." And then it dawned on me, he is not going to do anything about this. He is assuring me it is good to have lizards in my room with me so I am bug free. So, tonight I am again sleeping with the lizards. However, last night I did not know it and tonight I do. So I took the picture off my wall above my head and they scampered away and have settled behind the big curtain on the other side of my room. I feel better about them not being above my head while I am sleeping but I am pretty sure I will purposely toss and turn to keep them from climbing on me while I sleep and their chirping will be an assuring sound as long as it is across the room from me, and not too close.
Another good day at the women's center. We didn't go until after breakfast today so we slept in a little bit (I was still up at 6am). When we arrived everyone was waiting for us to do some teaching. We continued reading the story of Joseph and talked more about what we can learn about God and about his life from his story. The girls are all eager to learn. Today we asked how many of them have asked Jesus into their lives. Everytime I ask if they want to pray for something they all raise their hands. So when Randa asked this, they all raised their hands. And I am pretty sure they all have. If we can work it out, I would like to stay the rest of the week here and teach them more. They all need a little more spiritual food. Basics like how to study the bible, how to listen to God, things like that. Many cannot read though, so I want to stay and teach them more about how to read and study the bible together. Randa would like to stay with me to interpret but she is not sure she can because the camp we are running next week, Setan has said he needs her there to help interpret. So if we can find an interpretor I will probably stay the week here and keep teaching and just fit into the girls normal schedule. I think that would be great. If not, tomorrow we will leave.
Randa paid me a huge compliment today. When we were talking about staying or going she said she wanted me to teach at the youth conference to. And I said that Monte was in charge of it so I wasn't sure that I would. She said but I really like your teaching, I want you to teach and I interpret for you. What could I say but Thank You. But I was very humbled by it. I love to teach, there is nothing more I love to do then teach new believers. I thank God for the words he has given me to share this week.
We found out another woman's story today. Well, to call her a woman is probably a bit premature. She is young, a young teenager. She came to the women's center not to long ago. She was sold by her family and was raped and ended up pregnant. She ran away and Randa is not sure where her baby was born but she eneded up back with her grandmother. Her grandmother, I believe it was, took her baby and tried to sell the baby, but she chased after the baby and was able to get her back. Then she had no where to go. And someone told her about the "Jesus Place" That is what the people here call the women's center. So someone gave her a ride to the women's center and dropped her and the baby off. The staff found her outside crying and holding her little Anna. They called Randa right away and asked if they could bring her into the home. Randa agreed she should stay there so she is now here. Her little girl is 1 year now. Such a sweet mom and child. I have a picture of her so when I get home I will add pictures to my blog.
We played some fun games, laughed with the girls, made more jewelry, Karen shared her testimony (powerful), and we made evangelism bracelets. We also ate lunch with the girls today. We bought some fruit from the market. They have this fruit I have never seen before, in English Randa said they call them druken eyeballs. Because they look very much like eyeballs!!! They have a brown skin around them and a black round seed in the middle much like a pupil of an eye. The flesh is a clear jelly like substance that is sweet. So you pull off the brown skin and you have this clear jelly, like the white of your eye with black seed inside. Looks just like an eyeball. I told the girls thru gestures that I thought these looked like eyeballs and that gave them all a very good laugh. I guess they never thought of it but we really had a great chuckle over it. I tried to get them to take a picture of me with one over each eye but they didn't get it so it's just me holding them up to the eyes and them all giving bewildered looks or thumbs up. Ha, ha.
Tomorrow if we have time, I will wash the girls feet before we leave. If I get to stay I will probably save it until the day I leave. Although it is nice to have some help with that while Beth and Karen are here! There are 32 people here total. This idea kept coming to mind over and over again so I have concluded that the Holy Spirit wants me to do it. Or if nothing else the Holy Spirit wanted me to be reminded that the messenger is not more important than the students. And it is true, these women have such courage, such faith, such tenacity. I can't even imagine having survived what these women have been thru.
I am not used to the way of showing respect around here. Today there was a girl swinging on a wooden swing they have here. I pointed, asking if I could sit by her. Of course she said yes so I plopped down and started swinging us again. Then she discretely got up and moved to another place. I said to Randa, there was a girl sitting her, and now she is gone. Randa told me this is how they show me respect. That I am a teacher and to honor me they gave me a place to sit on my own. Well, I just wanted to sit next to the girl. So now I am a little conscience that if I sit next to someone I am displacing them. So I am trying not to sit down next to people so they don't have to leave! To funny. I want to sit together and they want to respect me. But nevertheless I felt honored, as was intended.
I am missing my husband and boys. :(
We have been eating at the restaurant at the hotel. There is a nice young man who is waiting on us. I keep tipping him, which is not customary here. But I just wanted to bless him. Today he commented that we are so happy and friendly so we took opportunity to tell him a bit about Jesus. But he didn't understand English well enough for us to get the point across, so instead we gave him one of the evangelism bracelets. We had sheets with the verses and meaning of the bracelet which were translated into Khmer. We told him we would be back for breakfast one last time and he can read it and tomorrow if he has questions he can ask us. So I am praying for him tonight. He says his sister is a Christian and teaches at a school but he works and goes to school and does not have time to go to church. And he says (and Randa said this as well) the bible translated into Khmer is not easy to understand. There are not all the helps and aids that we have to understand the bible. But he at least told us he wants to know more about Jesus, who he said was a great man. I told him, not just a great man, but God. He said no, if he thinks of him as God he doesn't feel like he can relate because he is too high of position, so he likes to think of Jesus as the man. I thought that was an interesting viewpoint. Cambodia has great respect for authority as they are a nation with a kingdom and with a pecking order for sure. Anyway, maybe tomorrow he will want to know more. You can join me in praying for him.
Last thing, Randa came today and asked us to pray for the "Joy Daycare", the place we visited the first day where they bring the children who live at the dump to teach. Recently they moved locations because the house they were renting was too expensive and they had to find a new place they could afford. Well, they didn't inform the government officials they were moving, which they usually would do. So apparently that is a problem. Usually Randa always gets permissions before doing something like this but they had to be out of the old place so quickly this step was missed in the process. Today the police came to the daycare and were investigating or something. Randa is worried they will make them shut down the center. This is a serious possiblity. I can't imagine living in fear of the government being free to do what they please. So we prayed for that and for the staff to have wisdom. Randa was very upset, wondering what would they do with all these children if that happens. So please join us in praying they will find favor with the government. Normally they have very good relations so I prayed those good relations would now be fruitful in preventing any adverse action.
Well, the lizards and I need to get to sleep so enough for today. I will update you again tomorrow if I can.
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