And the people you meet

A four and a half hour van ride to Kampong Thom Village is simply a great way to meet new friends. And on the ride back you meet more new friends.
Amanda – Amanda is a westerner from the Midwest who has a dual major in International relations and journalism. She was scheduled to go to the Middle East as a missionary intern, but at the last minute was rerouted to Cambodia. She has been here a little over 8 months, and is planning to apply for full missionary status. Amanda has spent much of her time here documenting video and still images of the work on going in Cambodia. And she is a delight. She regaled us with her stories of learning the Khmer language which is quite difficult. Apparently what you do while traveling from place to place is practice your language skills with your tutor. And for a novice she is very good. So much so she negotiated a price for the other team at a store. She lives in an apartment not far from her office and is a blessing.
James – James is Cambodian and serves in a branch of the military. He is a Christian and takes his leave time to work with mission teams that come here. He spent his time off last week working with a predominantly female crew and taught them how to mix mortar and lay bricks. He also helped one of the team teach a song to the children of the village to sing at the dedication of the new church. He has tremendous responsibilities in the military, but feels his most significant responsibility is to serve God, and take the Gospel to neighboring countries like Thailand and Laos. James is a blessing.
Tara and Tola – Tara and Tola, a married Cambodian couple, work for the mission. They serve as translators and to a large degree chaperones. They work with the teams when they arrive, and essentially live with the team until they depart. Tara, whose name means star, will begin work on his MBA soon. Tola will start her MSW at the same time. It is their prayer that furthering their education will provide a new depth of skills to the Methodist church in Cambodia. Tola is helping Amanda with her Khmer language skills, and it is quite difficult to be in a conversation with them as the language slips back and forth. They are a blessing.
These are all thin places.