Days 9 & 10…Angkor Wat Temple and Travel to Bangkok, Thailand

Posted by on June 16th, 2011, No Comments »

Well, we made it. What a journey so far and we still have two days left to soak it all in. We arrived in Bangkok this afternoon and o boy, it is a large, busy city. Did I mention busy?

After an event-filled day yesterday, we welcomed a relaxing night and we did just that. A quick skytrain ride to Siam Paragon, area mall, for a quick dinner and we are settled back into our cozy hotel On8 Sukhumvit.

Only Ashley and I are on this leg of the trip, as the rest of the team head back to the States tonight. We had planned this time to meet up with some missionaries that Fred Garmon connected us with whose children are Lee alumni. We meet up with them tomorrow for some shopping and dinner.

Our day yesterday consisted of a visit to Angkor Wat temple. In a word, amazing. The detailed work that the three temples we were able to see was very impressive, and even more so when you know it was constructed in the year 1000 A.D. I mean, where did they find the tools to do such craftmanship?? Check out the pictures I posted in the Flickr account on the home page, and you will be saying the same thing.
Being the picture nut I am, I took just a few of the temples…
O, and you better believe we took our “Torch Travels” alumni picture right in front of the main temple shortly after sunrise. It. Was. Gorgeous.
Yea, you read it right, we were there at sunrise. That meant we left our hotel at 4:45 AM to get there in time. This was after a very colorful experience with the 10 Tuk Tuk drivers it took to get all 30 of us there.
It was as fun as it sounds.
What is a Tuk Tuk you might ask? Only THE way to get around Siem Reap, and it usually only took $1 to get any where in the city. That is Ashley’s kind of travel price.

I could say so much about this trip and what it has meant to me, but I think I could easily sum it all up by saying coming on this trip and having to document every part of it has made me realize just how “real” it all is. The people, the influence PCL already has in Cambodia, and the great impact of PCL’s slogan in action “Inspiring Hope. Empowering Potential” definitely affected me most. Just plain awesome.

Alright, heading to bed. Long day of shopping, I mean sightseeing, tomorrow.

Mitzi

Youth Camp days (Days 2-5)….by Abby Fletcher

Posted by on June 15th, 2011, No Comments »

I woke up extremely late today…. 6:15. ha.

I barely made it through last night’s worship and dances. As in, I literally could not keep my eyes open. I went to bed at 8 and slept like a rock. I think I’m finally un-jetlagged.

We had service again in the morning, after breakfast (which was another hot dog), and it was really lovely to hear a testimony. You may not understand their language, but when they cry, you understand what that means. And when they smile… its comforting.

After our small groups, which always follow up the sermon, we started working on a skit that we are to perform at the night service. Each group has a skit to share in the competition and they LOVE it! My students would probably despise an activity like this but as we talked at dinner, it’s important to realize that their lives are extremely monotonous with no diversity of any kind because survival is so important. Therefore, anything with some spunk and fun they absolutely love. They happily do it because it’s so different to them.

After a very intense soccer tournament of 4 teams and barefooted jumping and kicking, a few of us went swimming. The pool is beautiful and they swim in their clothes. It’s an extremely modest culture which is somewhat refreshing. I just wanted the option to actually be cold and I enjoyed every moment of it.

I had a pre-dinner snack and nap which consisted of Pringles, cookies, and then rice. I actually woke up to my dear friend AM putting a cookie underneath my net and it was the best wake up treat ever.

A group from South Carolina joined us today and they did a few dramas and a dance at the evening get together. The Khmer loved it. Also, each group performed the dramas they prepared and our group had the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers. And can I just say the way we practice it was NOT at allllll how we performed it. I couldn’t fix it either because I had not clue what they were saying… just had to go with the flow. Once they got on stage, they drug it out because they love having the microphone. =) Apparently, after talking to all of the other groups, everyone’s group did that. I think that’s funny.

The last full day consisted of a morning service, small groups, Khmer dancing and games, and then a fun evening service. Small groups were really intense and we actually had a few students, just in our group, fully commit to Christ. One girl said she prayed and actually felt something different inside of her physically which is so ridiculously cool because she would have no frame of reference to ever make up something like that.

I won’t go into details but everything panned out super fun…. We did all the Khmer games in the pouring rain which I think the kids loved and then they taught us their dances. They are a very “dancy” culture. Maybe that’s why everyone is so skinny?

Day 8-Church!

Posted by on June 14th, 2011, No Comments »

Another day is in the books, and yet again, we had amazing experiences in the Cambodian culture.

To start the day, we paid an early morning visit to the Takom Village in Siem Reap where more than 200 families live in poverty. We worshipped with residents of the village in their weekly Tuesday church service and distributed more than 100 water filters to village families. Sharing in a time of worship in a Cambodian village is pretty awesome. (I mean…how often do you get to go to church wearing bug spray and sunscreen?!)

After the service and filter distribution, we relocated to another area in the village where the integrated farm is located. The integrated farm was established and maintained by several groups and organizations, including the Lee University Department of Business. The farm helps to sustain the village by teaching them to grow other crops in addition to rice and to store the crops during the rainy season. Lee University alumni proudly took a group picture (with the most recent Torch edition) in front of the farm’s sign.

Following a yummy lunch at Common Grounds, the team spent the afternoon and early evening at PCL’s Siem Reap children’s orphanage. The 28 kids of the home welcomed us with hugs and smiles as we stepped out of the vans. It was as if they had known us for years. The lovely children performed dances, gave everyone on the team a handmade scarf, and provided us with a tour of their facilities. While we waited for the evening church service, Lee alumni painted fingernails with the girls, played basketball and chess with the boys, and took advantage of the opportunity to establish friendships with some awesome kids. We capped off the visit with a wonderful worship service and some very difficult and sad goodbyes.

It was such an emotional day…we had laughs and we shed tears, but we will never forget the life-changing moments.

It’s off to bed we go. Tomorrow’s day starts off with a sunrise visit to Angkor Wat Temple.

Stay tuned,

Mitzi

Day 7…by Ashley Mew

Posted by on June 13th, 2011, No Comments »

As we waited to depart on our journey to Southeast Asia, we learned of the details of our itinerary, including what to expect with the events of each day. The more I learned, the more I began to ponder which missional activites would have the greatest impact on my life. I concluded that visiting the Tonle Sap Lake was very high on the list, and I knew that witnessing the lifestyle of Vietnamese refugees who live on the lake would be a humbling and life-changing experience. Our boat ride throught the floating village today did not disappoint. While I had an idea of what to expect, I could have never imagined that the sights, sounds, and (yes) the smells would affect me so deeply. I was quickly reminded that I share time and space in this world with so many less fortunate people who deserve happiness, health, and hope as much as anyone. My senses experienced moments today which will be forever etched in my mind.

In addition to the numerous activites which came with high expectations, I have been more astonished by the random moments of awe. So many people and images have crossed my path in the past week which have left me speechless and emotionally “moved.” To the man who stood on the bus for 8 hours…sir, you will always be remembered as life-changing moment for me. Thank you for your perseverance, and may God bless you.

Today has come to an end for us on the Eastern side of the world, and tomorrow is sure to hold some amazing adventures.

Blessings,

Ashley

 
 

© 2011 Lee Alumni Go to Cambodia.

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