Oh, Happy Day!

I get excited about the little things...

I was walking around the block yesterday and met another American family. While this is a good thing in and of itself, as I started talking to them, we found out that we have a mutual friend...someone that we know from completely different places and situations. That may not sound terribly exciting to others, but to me, being on the other side of the world, I LOVE it! And on top of that, I now have new friends that live around the corner from me.

The other thing is even "smaller" but made me almost shout with joy in the grocery store. There, sitting in the vegetable section, with what seemed like a light shining from heaven, was a few small bunches of asparagus. I love love love asparagus and this is the first time that I have ever seen it here in Cambodia. I had even thought about bringing seeds with me from the States and somehow trying to grow my own. I am certainly not a green thumb type of person so I gave up on that idea pretty quickly. I had resigned to not having asparagus for a long time. Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I saw those lovely green stalks! I am going to make them tomorrow for lunch and enjoy every last bite!!

Worldwide Truth...

There are some things that, no matter where you are in the world, seem to be done the same way. I have learned that grilling on a barbeque falls into this category. It seems to be the "boys job" in America as much as it is in Cambodia.


We have had two BBQs in the last couple weeks and each time, much like at home, the guys congregate around the grill. There is just something about cooking meat outside that brings the boys together. This BBQ, we had for the extended family Christmas gathering on Sunday. I am living with the pastor, his wife and their 5 children. There are many brothers and sisters, cousins and grandmas, friends who are pretty much family (I fit into that category), and the house was full...the good kind of full. They have said that I am brave for taking on such a large family, but anyone that knows my family at home knows that this is perfectly normal for me...lots of people, lots of kids, general chaos all around.

In this picture with me is the youngest child of the pastor, Sophea, and his wife, Jenny. His name is Eli and he is 8 months old. The other two girls, Srey Mao and Srey Ma, are sisters who I was living with the last time I was here.


This is the whole group together...

All in all, I had a good Christmas. I definitely missed my family and our own little personal version of chaos, but was able to talk to them on the phone. I love that technology lets me stay in touch with them even though I am so far away. I pray that you all had a blessed day, too.

From Scratch...

I love all things pumpkin...bread, pie, pancakes, muffins, seeds, carving...you get the idea. I get excited for fall and winter time when you can find just about everything pumpkin flavored. So when I was put in charge of making the pumpkin pie for Christmas day, I was more than happy to do it. Then I suddenly realized that you can't just run to the grocery store in Cambodia and buy pumpkin in a can. You buy the pumpkin at the market, cook it, and mash it before you can mix it in. Logically I knew this, but I am so used to the canned stuff. So I made pumpkin pie...really from scratch.

It was peeled, boiled and then I busted out the mortar and pestle to mash it. It is made of SOLID stone and weighs about 30 pounds (ok, so I didn't actually weigh it, but that's my guess at least). My friend thought I was strange for taking pictures of the progress, but this was definitely a first for me.


And it turned out pretty tasty. I think I might be doing this more often now that I know what to do...bread will be my next pumpkin goodness.

Solution for Helmet Hair?

...all for the sake of protecting my noggin when riding a moto...


I bought a helmet today and found out that Khmer skulls and American skulls are shaped differently. I guess the backs of their heads tend to be flatter and so I had to try on a number of different ones before finding one that sat correctly on my head, which by the way, is not flat. The helmet vender was happy to make a sale, but a little surprised when I had to keep asking to try another one.

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person. I am a night owl through and though. Always have been. And I have always managed to function on very little sleep since the day doesn't typically start around 10 AM as I would like it to. So when I have jet lag, I am desperately trying to stay awake in the evenings past 6 PM and my eyes unwillingly pop open at 4 AM. It takes about a week for me to really get over the time change, but this go around, I am doing my best to keep on an "early-to-bed-early-to-rise" schedule. Cross my fingers that this works because I am a BIG fan of the snooze button!

The Christmas "season" is definitely relative to where you live. In the states, there is such anticipation for Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Here, there is not the same build-up and you can almost forget what time of year it is...not to mention that it is nearly 90 degrees!! So I am grateful to be living in a family with another American who loves the Christmas season too. A few days ago, we listened to Christmas music non-stop, decorated the tree and I even made cookies.


I was especially impressed with these...

not completely sure what the name of the cookie is, but they are definitely good!! I even made the frosting from scratch. yum!

This weekend was the church's Christmas outreach programs...and talk about reaching the multitudes. I would say on average, a Sunday service has about 150 to 200 people. Today, there was 600!!! And the children's program on Friday afternoon had about 800!!! These numbers are unprecedented! With the kids, they were pretty much packed into the sanctuary like little sardines...not even standing room available anymore.

The outreach today was an all day affair. The service started at 8:30 am and for the next few hours, there were skits, dances, singing, and preaching. Because the church rented a hall typically used for weddings, we sat at tables and as the service ended, they brought out the food!

This says "Su-suh-die Noel" which means "merry Christmas"

This is the worship team...I love the color coordination they have going here.

This is a look from the back of the hall. It was nearly impossible to get a really good picture to show how many people.


"Round two" of the outreach was back at the church with a few more songs, a little more preaching and lots of games. And no party would be complete around here without dancing. Cambodians LOVE to have dance parties!! I, however, am not much of a dancer. So it is always amusing...maybe comical is a better word...when these evenings come around.

Please keep praying that I learn the language quickly...and that I am bold enough to speak and make mistakes. I understand a little here and there and realize that I remember things as I hear someone speak. I keep a notebook with me and jot down words that I learn. I can pick up a lot in context, but I still feel relatively lost. I know it will come.

Home Away From Home

Nothing will ever replace America in my mind and heart. I love where I am from. There are a lot of people that I love there. A lot of comforts and idiosyncrasies that I only notice because I miss them.

But I also love that from the moment I step foot off the plane in Cambodia, it feels like home too. Sure, I don't understand everything going on around me and I have to relearn the language and some cultural tendencies, but there is a sigh of relief in my heart. I am "home."

I got into Phnom Penh, the capital and city where I am living, safe and sound around 11 pm on Friday night. Going to the airport is a big deal here so I was not surprised to see a welcoming committee outside waiting for me. I am not sure I can adequately describe all that is going through my mind right now...a mixture of newness and things familiar to me, being quickly reminded of many of the things that I love about this place.

I am really enjoying my new home. I live with the Pastor and his family and am very blessed to have a room with a separate bathroom and air conditioning. I am not sure that one of those things outweighs the other! Here are some pictures:

I live in the one on the right with the blue tarp...

Still needs a little decorating help...

and a bed frame...

SO SO SO grateful for such a nice bathroom!!!

a flower and 74 cents

I am currently on week 3 of my "marathon trip", visiting family and friends and sharing about my heart for Cambodia. I was in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and am now in Connecticut. North Carolina and Florida are next on my list of places to go.

Today at church, after I had spoken in the service, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a young boy, about 11 years old, and he whispered to me "Good luck with your work in Cambodia." Then he gave me this handful of change.


74 cents.

I was so touched by this gift and immediately thought of the story in the Bible of the woman who gave her last two coins as an offering and how her gift was so precious because she gave from her heart all that she had. So did this boy.

He also brought me the little flower after the fellowship time. Again, this seemingly small thing is actually a big deal to me.

My whole life, every time I see those name meaning plaques, I have always looked for my name. In the back of my mind, I know that it is the same thing every time: flower. Truth be told, I kinda found that boring and wished that there was something more spectacular about my name. I was shocked when, by pure habit, looked through a display of those cards last year and found that it listed a different meaning for Heather. It jumped off the page at me: "Cover of Beauty"

Heather is a flower that is pretty hearty, covering otherwise hard, peaty, barren lands and bringing beauty to it. And a flower brings glory to the Creator through it's beauty...it's existence. And that is my heart...to bring glory to my Creator as I live out my purpose and calling to Cambodia. I believe that the flower, which is purple like heather, was a little reminder of that for me today.

This young man didn't know that his two "small" gifts would be speaking volumes to me, but they did. And I am so grateful.

Happy Thursday To Me!!

I did not peg Cleveland, Ohio to be a hub for international cuisine, but I have been here for less than a week and have had Thai food and Khmer (Cambodian) food!!! Thai is a little easier to come by, but one of my favorites so I am always excited for it. Khmer, on the other hand, seems to be a rare treat. As soon as I heard there was a restaurant here in town, I got the address and high-tailed it there.

My dear cousin, Melissa, went on the adventure with me. She has never had Khmer food so I was excited and nervous for her since she was taking a big leap with me to make sure we ordered something tasty.

We settled on the "Bahn Hoy"...

...which is lettuce wraps that you stuff yourself with meat, onions, bean sprouts, basil and vermicelli noodles. SOOO good!

And for dessert, we had this yummy pumpkin/coconut/palm sugar treat!


I applaud Melissa for being brave and trying new things. I don't know that she will be going back any time soon, but she said it was okay. I, however, LOVED it! This was a very good Thursday.

Surprise, surprise!

I love surprises! Big ones, small ones....it doesn't matter to me. And unexpectedly getting to see a Cambodian friend in America counts as a great surprise in my book.

I saw on facebook Friday night that Pastor Sophea from my church in Cambodia had just arrived in Cleveland. I could hardly believe it because I was flying into Cleveland the next day!!!! It worked that we were able to meet for dinner with my aunt and uncle that I am staying with! I loved that someone from my family could meet him since I will be moving there soon to work with him and his church.

As soon as I saw him, I got so excited. Not just because it's been a more than a year and a half since I last saw him when I left Cambodia, but because it felt like confirmation and assurance that my heart was really ready for this! It made it more of a reality to me...a very good reality.

The church that I shared at this morning is actually the church that I was a member of 25 years ago. I was young, but I still have fond memories from here. There are even some people that I remember and it was so good to see them and catch up a bit. They are old Sunday School teachers and people that had an influence over my very young years.

From here, I will be heading to Pennsylvania to see some old family friends and then on to Connecticut to visit with family and share at churches in both places. This is kind of a "marathon" trip, with lots of family and friends and lots of states and traveling...but it is all worth it.

And I am looking forward to having more surprises along the way!!!

T minus 2 months and counting...

Thursday, December 2, 2010...7:30 am.
Sit for many, many hours.
Look out the window and see this:


Phnom Penh, Cambodia!!

I am very excited to say that I purchased my plane ticket for Cambodia less than an hour ago! There is something about buying the ticket that makes this more of a reality for me. I don't have to answer people with a semi-question anymore when they ask when I'm leaving.

Guess I should to break out my lesson books from last year and try to brush up on my language skills. I remember some, but have forgotten most of what I learned. I am hoping that it will come back quickly once I get there, and I also plan to take a rather intense course at the university. It makes life so much easier when you understand the world around you!

I am also working on raising the finances I need for this move. It is getting to be crunch time now (seeing as how I am leaving in 2 months). I am looking forward to seeing how all of this is going to happen! If you want information on how to give a one-time gift or become a part of my monthly support team, let me know!

Cambodia, here I come!

Making Plans

I am a planner.

For those that know me at all, that was kind of a "well, duh!" statement for me to make. I am actually one of those people that enjoys planning and organizing...it's my thing.

And I love "to-do" lists. I love making them...and I LOVE checking things off of the list. Sometimes I cheat a little if the list is full of hard, time-extensive projects...I write a few easy things that I don't actually need reminded of to get done...or I have been known to write down things I have already completed that day just so I have something to cross off. Don't judge me...it keeps me motivated.

This last month, and the next couple months to come, is one long, continuous "to-do" list of things I need to accomplish before leaving for Cambodia. Some are no brainers, like purchase plane ticket, but that is not as easy as you might think. I have tried to be my own travel agent in the last couple days, searching all the sites, figuring out the cost vs. "itinerary-that-won't-kill-me" ratio. I have decided there are professionals who do this for a reason. So tomorrow I am trying a whole new round of agents since the ones I had contacted already have not been too helpful (thus the plan to do it on my own formed and is now being kicked to the curb).

Others things on my list are labor intensive, such as designing and writing newsletters, support packets, prayer cards, business cards, donation receipts, information cards, address labels, bulletin inserts, fundraiser fliers and labels, etc. This seems to take me longer than it should, and makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes, but I love being able to look over the completed projects with a smile and sigh of relief.

I have to remember, though, that my life is not and should not be driven by a list. I have to be flexible. If there is a default in my brain, it most likely is set to "task-oriented." That's not a bad thing, as long as I don't forget that there are other things I need that no one makes lists for...like relationship with other people. Relationship with God. Being a living, active version of Jesus' compassion to the world. Those are the important things. The list can get finished another day.

Yes, it's true...

...I am blogging again! I can almost hear the gasps!

It's been quite a long time and while I have thought about it a lot over the last year and a half, knowing that I really should but never being too motivated to, I am jumping back on the wagon and updating this...and hopefully it will be on a regular basis.

And with this being the first post in such a long time, I might as well start with the big news (for those that don't know)...

I am moving to Cambodia!

The plan is to leave the first part of December. On a one-way ticket. That seems a little scary, but the "good" kind of scary. I am really excited about this. I have been waiting to make this move for a while. I was there January and February of 2008, and then went back again September 2008 to March 2009. I thought that I was only going to be in the states for six months or so before returning. It has now been a year and a half! I am grateful for that extra time, even though I wasn't expecting it. And am very ready to get back to Cambodia.

I am going to be partnering with a local church to pioneer a missions ministry. When my friend, Brittany, and I were there for the six months, we started a discipleship/missions group. My heart is to start this up again and develop it a bit more.

I will be posting more details about the move and the ministry I will be doing there. So check back again soon...I promise it won't be so long between posts again!