Well Rested

Tum Nuk Tek Church, with our group heading out for the day.

Here it is! A real blog from Cambodia! We (Marti and Liz) have had our first full day on the ground here. Rick and Karen are still on their way, stuck in Bangkok. Adventures have already begun! Yesterday, we arrived in Phnom Penh at about 10:30 am, made our way through customs with no difficulties, picked up all our luggage, and then met the waiting Bill Lobbezoo. He took us to our guest house accommodations, where we had time to freshen up just a little before heading over to Tum Num Tek church (which will be the location of our English Camp) where we had an open-air on the top floor of the church. We were treated to spectacular views of the city and met some of the rest of our group with whom we will be teaching English Camp. After lunch, we headed to the Russian Market, a warehouse-type setting packed completely full of vendors, selling their wares. It was an experience! Marti and I hit a wall sometime toward the end of the afternoon, with the lack of sleep catching up to us. When we got back to our guest house, we decided to shower and head for bed. It was a good choice, as we both felt much better this morning.

The full bus that takes us places.

Today we ate breakfast with our crew and then headed to another market, called the "New Market." It was packed as full as the Russian Market, but much of it was outside, covering an entire city block inside and out. Wow! Bargains, bargains everywhere. After lunch we left the trivial world of shopping and headed for the somber world of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. What had once been a school, a place of education and laughter, became a prison/death camp. Instruments of torture were on display, along with pictures of victims. The Khmer Rouge took a devastating toll on Cambodia, and it's important for all of us to remember that and pray for these people who have been through so much.

One of many families, out for a drive in Phnom Penh

Stories abound! The people here are wonderful. The driving/traffic is insane. The children are too cute for words.I will try to post a few pictures to illustrate these things. Oh, one more thing I wanted to share with those of you who buy bottled water in the US. Marti and I walked down the street to a little place to pick up some water last night. The price of a 12 pack of bottled water was 90 cents. Doesn't that make you want to come on the mission trip next year?

I'll try to post more pictures later. We have wireless in our room, but it is very slow so uploading pictures is challenging.

Praise:
1. Marti and I had a good night's sleep last night (and showers).
2. We are getting to know the Canadians and Ohio-ans in our teaching group.
3. We are being exposed to the Cambodian lifestyle and learning to love it.

Prayers:
1. Please pray that Rick and Karen arrive safely tonight.
2. Pray for protection from illness and exhaustion for us all.
3. My ankles swelled up yesterday, after we got here, probably from the long plane ride. They are better today, but still a little swollen. Please pray for that to resolve so I can get around more easily with all the walking we are doing.

Thanks again for all your prayers.