Sunday, Jan 15

Today started with instant coffee  in our room, quick showers then off to the main base on our bicycles for breakfast at 7:00AM. After breakfast our group split into 4 to attend worship services various places in the city and surrounding villages. Mary & I, Kim and Olivia went to the "village church" in the slums close to our base. Church starts around 8:30 to 9:00 and lasts for about an hour and half. We sat on chairs on a dirt floor at the home of a very dear Christian lady. She was so gracious and remembered us from last year. We were also privileged to have Rothana, an eighth grade girl that we sponsor, to be in church with us. I sat next to her and she just smiled at both of us. What an amazing young woman. She has nothing; but is in the top (#1) in her class at the public school and she wants to be a doctor. Next to her was her mother who seemed to have a leadership role in the church and on my lap was Rothana's little sister. Both mother and little sister have aids so it just breaks your heart to see the reality of what they must go through on a daily basis. Some of the time I held a little 6 month old baby who kept wanting to wet kiss me on the lips. Later other people told me that he was not wearing diapers but fortunately nothing happened.

After a slow walk back through the slum with Kovonne, the pastor's wife, we made it back to the base to wait for others to return from church and then lunch. While waiting for lunch it rained quite hard for about an hour-quite unusual for this season but it was refreshing and cooled the air nicely.

We had a short break and then opened a clinic at 3:00 for the base students and staff. Many showed up for this clinic and we finished around 5:30 but saw 47 people with a range of health issues. The frustrating part is for the pharmacist who regularly does not have the proper medication or we are already out.

Marty arrived today, he starts teaching SBS tomorrow, actually when we were leaving after supper he was meeting with some SBS Staff.

You may remember that I and Brian played with fire yesterday. We were trying to dispose of expired meds by burning them. It didn't work and so we had a mess of blackened pills and melted capsules that we had to finally dowse with water and put in Jeevit's house office overnight to keep them away from kids that live and visit there. So, I remembered that every day when leaving our hotel, we always go past a big boiler that heats water from the hotel and it is wood/coal fired and a very big fire. A light bulb went off in my mind so I found a moto and Cambodian driver, knowing that I would also need an interpreter and we headed to the hotel  to see if we might burn the drugs there. Someone led us to the manager of the hotel and he spoke perfect English. He asked how he could help so I told him why we were in Cambodia and what our problem was and he was absolutely thrilled with what we are doing and gave us permission to burn them in the incinerator.

At 6:30, was again supper time and had an enjoyable  visit with some native Cambodian students and a delicious rice and vegetable/pork meal and now are back at the hotel. The bike ride in the dark is a scary situation but we made it fine and both are very pleased and fulfilled with what God has put in our paths again today. We are both healthy and well and have no concerns.

Blessings
Ed & Mary