Winding Up
It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, if you’re a teacher the sprint to the end of the school year is always the same. People outside of education say, “The years really winding down for you.” What they mean is that the days are coming to an end but in teacher life, it’s really more like winding UP. Imagine a toy top that is wound carefully, tightly, and then sent whirling - that’s what it’s like. Here’s what has been filling our whirling days, both in and out of school, these past couple of months.
Mr. Belloni’s official job is Elementary School Principal but he also taught high school choir this semester while the music teacher was out on maternity leave. We don’t have a pool of substitute teachers here in Cambodia so when someone is absent we help each other out. It makes the days a little crazy sometimes but its great to be part of a team that pulls together, and to see how God builds his team at Logos each year, providing just what is needed in both skill and energy.
The high school choir concert.
Kirsten’s photography class. Such a talented group of students! They ended the year by creating a 70 page Ebook entitled Photography 101, outlining everything they learned and providing a how-to manual for other image making enthusiasts. If you’d like to download a copy of the book for your own use, you can do that here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TOJgDnt8GJgZfHvYju_EibM7hp54CjAr
When the jr. high boys volleyball coach contracted dengue fever, Mr. Belloni also added coaching to his schedule. The season didn’t yield a lot of victories but they grew as players and sportsmen and had a lot of fun in the process.
Early morning practice before a game with Hope, a neighboring Christian school.
Outside of school Kirsten’s ministry with the old generation has continued. She has interviewed and photographed thirty people now. A couple of months ago an opportunity came to get to know the nuns at a Wat (temple/pagoda) near our house. The chance encounter led to involving a whole new community of people, a group of 24 Buddhist nuns, in the project - and the opportunity to serve has been greatly magnified here as well.
If you’ve been around here for awhile you might recognize Sarorn (on the left). We met Sarorn on our first trip to Cambodia in 2011. She was in high school then. Now she is a nurse with a huge heart for serving women and children through medical missions. Just like at Logos, God builds his team, and as He would arrange it, Sarorn lives very nearby, just on the other side of the Wat. When she heard about what Kirsten was doing she volunteered to come alongside and it has made all the difference. She translates and also provides a health check and nutrition counseling for our elderly friends. It’s clear to us that the Lord has paired Sarorn and Kirsten for a time such as this and we marvel at his orchestration of it all. They often leave the Wat with their faces sore from smiling at the joy they get from the interaction with these precious old women.
Kirsten with one of the younger nuns, PrakPhally (age 51) who has been blind since she was six years old. She was orphaned following the war, became a nun at age 20, and has lived at the Wat ever since.
Sarorn doing a health check with SunNum (age 75) a woman we met a few months ago. She’s not a nun but has lived on her own the past twenty years following the death of her husband. They had eleven children but only four survived the war.
In April we had a week off school so we took a trip to Sapa, in the far north mountains of Vietnam. It was so nice to get out of the city and into nature. It was the peak of the hot season in Cambodia so the cooler temperatures were a welcome break. Not to mention that during this time we were experiencing city-wide rolling blackouts of 5-6 hours daily, along with a water shortage. Hot season is rough and the retreat was so greatly needed.
A little sightseeing in Hanoi following the six hour bus ride from Sapa.
Last but not least, our daughter and her husband (and one of our grand kiddos, Alina) came for a visit earlier this month. Having family come for a visit is just about the best thing ever - such an encouragement to us! They could only stay for 6 days but we made the most of it visiting Mondulkiri Province and some Phnom Penh area sights.
Our son-in-law, Mike, and Michael at BouSra Waterfall in Mondulkiri.
Alina washing an elephant at Mondulkiri Project, a Cambodian run NGO that rescues elephants and works to preserve the jungle for the benefit of the tribal people in the region.
Heaven, Mike, and Alina eating lunch Cambodian style.
We ended their trip with a boat ride up the river with some of our Cambodian friends. This was Heaven and Mikes second trip to Cambodia and it was great to have a reunion with the friends they made on their first trip. Five years ago none of them had kids, now there are five kids (4 pictured) between the three couples. So much fun having everyone together again!
There is a lot more that we could share but as we finish up the school year, and hot season turns into rainy season here, we are preparing to head home for the summer. We hope to be able to share in person with many of you and to catch up on your lives as well. We are blessed to be part of what the Lord is doing in Cambodia and we carry each of you in our hearts as we serve.
Storm clouds above our neighborhood last week. A welcome end to the long dry hot season.
Blessings from Cambodia and see you soon USA!