We hope to write a longer post about our trip soon but I wanted to put up a quick one letting everyone know that we arrived safely in Phnom Penh yesterday. The flights went well – even the 14 hour one – though the transfer at Hong Kong was the worst I’ve had in my…
Author: Charles
First Flights
We will soon be boarding American Airlines Flight 772 to Los Angeles. We are scheduled to arrive around 11:30PM. Our flight to Hong Kong is scheduled to depart at 1:30AM and we have to switch from domestic to international, so we probably won’t have time for an update then. You can track our flight to…
Saltiness
Last week we had a meditative devotion on Matthew 5:13-16. Throughout the service the verse on “the salt of the earth” was read several times and we were asked us to reflect on “saltiness.” You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make…
The Welcoming Place
Late this afternoon, after several hours of last minute packing and repacking, we set off for Akron Pennsylvania. We’re staying in the Americas House at Mennonite Central Committee’s Welcoming Place. It’s been 13 years but it’s just as peaceful as I remember. Tomorrow we start Orientation with Mennonite Central Committee.
Care & Share Thrift Shoppes
Over the last four months we have slowly been downsizing everything we own to a few suitcases, some storage tubs, and a couple pieces of furniture. That’s meant donating a lot of our belongings to thrift stores. Today I took a load of our belongings to the Care & Share Thrift Shoppes in Souderton Pennsylvania…
Vaccinations
Today we went to a travel clinic recommended by our Pediatrician to get the vaccinations for our move. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following for visits to Cambodia: All Travelers: Measles and Routine Vaccinations Most Travelers: Hepatitis A and Typhoid Some Travelers: Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria*, and Rabies. *There is…
Last Day at Peaceful Living
This morning I ran out to the store around 5:30AM to pick up ingredients for stuffed bitter melon. When I stepped outside I saw a rainbow in the sky. The angle of the dawn on the morning mist was just right. What a sign as today was my last day at Peaceful Living. I have…
So delicious – ស្ងោរម្រះ
Today is the monthly potluck Sunday at Plains Mennonite Church and I’m bringing something very special. Bitter Melon stuffed with Pork. When I lived in Prey Veng I was told that Bitter Melon treats diabetes, cures cancer, and lowers cholesterol. I was surprised to discover that there’s a basis for each of these claims! Bitter…
It was three years before I visited S21
Crystal’s recent reflections on visiting Tuol Sleng have had me thinking about my own experience. I lived in Cambodia for almost three years before I visited Tuol Sleng. I saw Kang Kek Iew (Comrade Duch) in person before I set foot in the place where he committed his most horrible crimes. This will be a…
Last Day at Salford
Yesterday was Charlotte and Catherine’s last day at Salford Mennonite Childcare Center. We were first introduced to the center long before we had children when Crystal’s father, Dan Graber, was the interim pastor at Salford Mennonite – the congregation that hosts the Childcare Center. It was our first choice when Charlotte started day care but…