Last month the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) contacted us to invite to join a book launching for the memoir of Marcy (Weber) Ninomiya. Marcy, her husband Akiie, and Naoko from JICA also decided to visit the MCC Cambodia office a few days before and catch up on MCC’s work in the region. Marcy is…
Author: Charles
The Lord is Near the Broken Hearted
I shared in an earlier post that my father was unexpectedly diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 lung cancer in December. Our family went back to see him in January and I had plans to go to see him again in March. On Sunday he was admitted into the hospital with pneumonia and on Wednesday he…
Myanmar: Saying No To War
In October, the Three Brotherhood Alliance – a partnership of three armed ethnic groups in the north – launched an offensive campaign against the military junta that lead the coup in February 2021 (and which, to varying degrees, has been the dominant force in the country since taking power through a coup in 1962). The…
Phnom Penh Walking Tour
Every time we have new foreigners on the team I take them on a walking tour of Phnom Penh. We start near the Royal University of Phnom Penh which is one of the few public green spaces in the city and historically hosted many MCC volunteers. Then we walk along the railroad tracks through a…
Back to Cambodia, January 2024
We spent several weeks in the United States over the holidays so that family, friends, and church could meet Caleb. We also needed to stop by the Washington DC passport agency to renew the girls’ passports. We returned to Cambodia on a 35 hour long journey that included far too long of a layover in…
The year 2080
Every time we travel to Thailand I’m surprised by my phone’s date switching to the current year in the Buddhist Era. It’s still 2566 B.E (Buddhist Era) in Thailand until Songkran or Thai New Year. Songkran lines up with New Year celebrations in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam, parts…
My Father has Cancer
One of my formative childhood memories is my of Father mourning his Mother, my Nana, as she was dying of cancer. I was 4 years old when she was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to her brain. I remember that my Father often wept for his Mother. It’s the only time I remember…
Hiking to Pokhara World Peace Stupa in Nepal
During our time in Nepal, we hiked up to the World Peace Stupa located on Anadu ‘hill’ across the lake from Pokhara. The Stupa is at a height of 1,100 meters – which would be absolutely classified as a ‘mountain’ in Cambodia – but is considered a hill in Nepal. Apparently, in Nepal it’s only…
World’s Longest Dragon Boat
In 2018, I was excited to read in a news article that Cambodia had broken the Guinness World Record for the longest Dragon Boat. The Dragon Boat is named កម្ពោជិកបុត្តាខេមរាតរី or Kambojika Putta Khemara Tarei, which means Dragon Boat of Khmer Youth in Cambodian Territory. At 286 feet 5 inches it’s almost as long as…
Stupas and Graves
The Khmer Buddhists who make up the vast majority of Cambodians generally cremate their dead and then inter them in stupas at local pagodas. Some keep the ashes in their homes or spread them at a significant spot, but most inter them in stupas. The most elaborate stupas are reserved for relics or royalty, such…