The Days Feel Like Weeks...In a Good Way

I talked to Randy early this morning, and he asked me if I would post this for him. Enjoy! - Ashley

We have had a great day today. We started our day with a great breakfast at the hotel. The hotel is really very nice...Greg says it is better than the accomodations in years past. Good showers, cold air conditioners and very very very firm beds! Phenom Penh may be more humid than Lake Jackson! But, really the weather has been beautiful.

We went to Digital Data Divide, a company in Cambodia that was started by a Harvard alum with the vision of improving life for underpriveleged people in the developing world. They hire the very poor and the handicapped, give them IT training, affordable housing, and an education in a field of their choosing. The hope is that their could be a connection in the future with the orphanage in Levesar. The foundation was certainly laid...pray that God uses new relationships to connect our orphans with an even more positive future. DDD could help them become the leaders of tomorrow! Imagine God changing Cambodia through the children he has allowed us to love and support...that is a vision that I can get pretty excited about!!

We went to Toul Sleng, a torture prison that was used during the late 1970's in a period where Cambodia faced civil and external war because of Communism. Greg is an expert on Cambodian history...and great to have as a guide. Toul Sleng was a high school that they turned into the torture prison, now it is a museum. It has less words than any museum I have every been in, but says more than one person can take in. It is very sobering. It makes you think about genocide and torture in a whole new way. We know it is evil, but seeing it is very different. It gives me an even stronger passion for justice and a desire to take action when we hear of these atrocities around the world. That is why you have to go to places like this when you come to places like Cambodia!

After that we ate a very good lunch at a Cambodian buffet...better than any Ronnie and I have had in LJ!
Then we went to the market. We really helped out the Cambodian economy...if you know what I mean. We got some great things to help us remember this trip and tell our loved ones that didn't get to come how much we love them and wish that they were here.
After the market we went to the Royal Palace. Cambodia is a kingdom with a King and Queen. The palace is where they actually reside. It was very neat. I have been to Buckingham...you only see it from a far, honestly not that impressive. Here we got to tour the grounds, go into buildings, and had a great time. Michael, Jennifer, and I played drums and xylophone with some guys at a Buddhist temple on the palace grounds at their invitation...it was a blast! I prayed to Jesus the whole time, and rocked out with some new Buddhist friends. Can you tell that learning a new culture is a huge thrill for me?

We came back to the hotel, cleaned up a little, and then walked down the road to Lucky Burger for dinner. Lucky Burger was good, but not as good as the lunch buffet.
Tomorrow we go to Levesar for church. I have seen the program for the service...it is exciting. About three hours. Their will be dancing, preaching from Greg, Rotany will share her story, and the children will preform a drama. I am looking forward to this more than anything. There is nothing like worshipping with fellow Christ followers in another culture with a different language and style all the way around the world...it makes three hours seem like 30 minutes.
After church we will head to International Justice Mission's Cambodia offices. This another very exciting thing! I can't wait to report this to you soon.

You can see why the days seem like weeks, but they are priceless days that are a dream come true. I can't wait to go love on and play with the children!

More to come...Randy

Saturday in Phnom Penh

Email from Greg:

Here's a recap of this year's adventure so far...

Plane ride was fine, not as nice as Singapore Air, but I'd use them again.

Hotel is way, way better. Clean, nice - the bathrooms are like ones in the states. Free breakfast is a large buffet - all you can eat.

Dinner at Rathany's house was wonderful, similar to eating at Sokhom's. We all hit it off well. Her family and some friends are all going to Lveasar tomorrow with us. Please pray for them - none of them are Christians.

Today we went to Digital Divide Data. It was a very good thing - lots of possibilities for partnership. I think the director was as happy to have Sokhom there as Sokhom was glad to be there. After that we went to Toul Sleng which was very near. Then to eat at a very nice restaurant with an incredibly large buffet. Rathany knows her way around Phnom Penh! From there we went to the Russian Market and got everything we (Michael and I) needed. But it wasn't enough time for Jennifer. That's probably good because all three of them were loaded down with stuff! From there we went to the Royal Palace - they all loved that too - and then called it a day and came back to the hotel. We went to Lucky Burger for supper and now Michael and I are here at the internet cafe. 

We have to leave now to go pick up Justin at the airport.

Explanation of some of Greg's email: 

Check out DDD on the web www.digitaldividedata.org - just reading about it on the web sounds very interesting. Sokhom is the director of the orphanage in Lveasar and he went with the team to tour DDD in anticipation of sending some of the orphans to work there after they finish high school - to be able to further their education - with a goal of becoming self-supporting one day. Sounds like the visit/tour went well.

Tonight (Texas time) - will be Sunday morning for them - they will be headed to the village of Lveasar (about an hour's drive) to go to church and visit with our precious orphans! Yes... I'd love to be there right now!

Kathy

Update from Randy...via Ashley and Skype!

Technology is awesome! Randy just texted me to get on Skype and we talked for about half an hour! He was on the computer in the hotel lobby which is pretty slow, so he asked me to blog for him. Something that was funny to me is that in the middle of our conversation, he realized it was 6:30 am there, not 7:30 am like he thought! He is not a morning person, so that was pretty funny. He said that he had had plenty of sleep though because he went to bed at 8:00. Sounds like maybe they are getting more adjusted to being 13 hours ahead of us here!

Last night (for them) they went to Rotany's parents' house for dinner. He said it was such a neat experience: they ate on mats on the floor, and her mom had cooked so much food. They ate beef on a stick, fried rice, curry soup, french bread, and some "really potent sauce made of salt, pepper, and lime." His favorite was the beef on a stick. He also said they didn't wear any shoes. He said they were so hospitable and kind to the team.

Randy also said that last night he, Steve, and Ronnie drank some pineapple juice, and then The Mey said that might not have been a good idea. Pray against them getting sick!!

Today they go to digital data divide, the killing fields, the palace and maybe some shopping...tomorrow to church at levesar. We'll update more as we hear!

Wow! What a day...

Wow!! What a day. Or maybe better "what a few days". The calendar says it has been two days, the clock says it has been just over 24 hours, but my body says something more like a week. We left Houston at just after 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 31 and will get to Phnom Penh at around 10:00 in the morning on Jan 2nd. What makes it worse is that we didn't see the sunshine from  the time we left Los Angeles until after we arrived in Taipei (about 18 hours). That's just not natural.

So far everything has gone smoothly. All of the flights have left and arrived on time. All of the flights have been nearly full, but we were able to shift some people around so that the Culverhouses could sit together and Randy moved to a bulkhead seat to get some more leg room. I'm not sure but I think Greg has connections. He has sat in a bulkhead seat for each leg of the trip. He and Michael have had plenty of leg room.

I'll write more later today after I am completely exhausted and un-comprehendable.

Steve

Arrived in Phnom Penh

Quick note received: "we're here, hotel is nice. internet is slow. will write more later. love, greg"

It is so good to know that they have arrived in Phnom Penh - it's 1 p.m. Friday there.

Looking forward to hearing of their adventures. Stay tuned...

Kathy

Taipei Chat

We heard from the the team as they were waiting to board in the Taipei airport.

I got on facebook right before my mom and I were about to head out for the evening when Michael, my brother, said "hey man" through facebook chat. Excited, I told my mom and she logged onto her account. Randy Dane was also online. They were "pleasantly surprised" with the quality of China Air and had had a good trip, personal tvs help. We chatted for a few minutes and ensured them that we are all praying for great things.

They are boarding the plane for Phnom Penn now.

Sometimes a facebook addiction is a good thing,

Jeff

Leaving LA

I just talked to Greg. They had a good flight to LA and have now boarded China Air - will fly from LA to Taipei (arriving in Taipei around 4:40 p.m. Jan 1st our time - 5:40 a.m. Jan 2nd Taipei time). They'll be skipping over Jan 1st in the air! They will have about an hour and a half layover in Taipei - should arrive in Phnom Penh at 9:00 p.m. Jan 1st Texas time/10:00 a.m. Jan 2nd PP time.
The team is already having a good time visiting with each other and are anticipating what God has in store for them over the next week.
Pray for them as they minister to the people of Cambodia.
Kathy