Sons

The last two days I have been cycling a lot and therefore also sweating a lot. One small thing that I really appreciate in Phnom Penh is offered at the Open Arms hair salon next to the guest house where I am staying; that small thing I am referring to is called a “hair wash”. My favorite part of getting a hair cut in the US has always been getting my hair shampooed and the scalp massage that goes with it. The Khmer hair wash is like an extended version of that. It is about 15 minutes of washing with shampoo and conditioner followed by a traditional kind of Khmer massage where one cups their hands together and gives you a neck massage with a karate chop motion – producing a clapping sound. It is very relaxing. After all that, they also give you a shoulder massage. So, after biking around Phnom Penh the last two days and getting rather sweaty I treated myself to a hair wash today. I am grateful and relaxed.

This all came after being at the Daughters’ Operation Centre today to present a finance workshop on “Saving and the Power of Community” to the Sons. This was basically workshops two and three (that I presented to the Daughters over two weeks) all rolled up and combined into one workshop. We talked about the connection between saving and patience. We also talked about how saving is like a loan in reverse – where instead of borrowing $35 and paying back $45 you invest $30 and end up with $35. We talked about how difficult saving is because there are so many needs now. But a lot of the Sons admitted that there are things that they don’t really “need” and things that they can cut out of their lives. We looked at the passage in Matthew 14 where Jesus feeds 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish; and then afterwards His disciples collected 12 baskets full of left-overs. When we give God what we have and trust Him with it, He provides for our needs and can make what we have given Him grow to be more. It is hard for me to tell how well this message sat with the Sons. They are in such a different place than I am in. But I also believe that at the right time the right message will become clear for them.   

Before the workshop began I was hoping to print my notes, but as frequently happens the power had been shut off. The power grid in Phnom Penh is insufficient to meet the demand and so throughout the day power is cut off to various parts of the city. So, I was up on the third floor of the Centre where there were a lot of Daughters who sew and we were all waiting for the power to come back on. One of the Daughters came up to me with an arm full of new t-shirts that had been on an outdoor rack on the third floor. She just smiled and looked at the shirts so I also looked at them, admired them, and said, "nice!". She smiled and gestured for me to go where the rack was; so I walked to the edge of the 3rd floor balcony and she smiled, laughed and pointed down to the tin roof of the neighboring shack. There on top of that roof was a bright, new, white t-shirt. We both laughed and I began wondering if I could climb on that roof. I doubted it would hold my weight though. Then I looked down and there was the same Daughter now on the ground floor and holding a 15 foot bamboo pole. Within minutes she was on the second floor and managed to salvage the shirt from the rooftop. As I saw her putting the pole back I gave her the thumbs up sign and she just smiled back. I never did get the notes printed, but one of the staff (Todd) loaned me his computer and so I just read from that.

Cycling back to the guest house (before the hair wash) I stopped by Spice Garden for a cold beverage and delicious German Shortbread cookie. I had a kind of funny conversation with the Khmer manager at the restaurant. She asked me when I would be back again and I replied that I did not know. She smiled, laughed and said, “Sounds good”. I think we had a bit of a miscommunication there, but then she said something that touched my heart deeply. She said, “God used your life for the good of the company.” I have loved every day and virtually every moment that I have been here. God has set a deep footprint of love in my heart for Cambodia, for Daughters, and for so many people who are here, but even if I had struggled through the past 3 ½ weeks here those ten words would have lifted me up.

German Shortbread Cookie at Spice Garden

Seeing these kinds of living conditions in Phnom Penh hurts my heart