Cambodian Rain

Having been born and raised in Seattle I know a thing or two about rain. But to my Seattle friends (and friends from other cities too) let me tell you about a type of rain that you may not have experienced before. In Phnom Penh it is sunny and very hot for most of the year, but when it rains here it rains like nothing I have ever seen in Seattle. Today, Neth and I had an appointment down by Independence Monument and when we were inside working we could see through the windows that clouds were coming in. It started to rain before we ended our work and when I went outside to begin my moto trek home there was a full-on Cambodian style downpour. What is this like? Well, imagine if you went swimming wearing a pair of jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and your shoes, and then you stepped out of the pool. Now imagine being just a little wetter than that and that is what I looked like after riding my moto home tonight. It is the kind of wet that when you walk you feel and hear the water sloshing around in your shoes. It is the kind of wet that when you lean over even just a little bit a small stream of water flows off of some crevice in your body or clothing that has been holding a reservoir of water. It is the kind of wet that when you take off your shoes your socks stick to the floor. I learned that riding a moto in this kind of rain gives one the experience of being rained on from all different directions. Rain poured down hard from above and being behind a car it also rains up at you (from the car tires) and then also getting rain from the back (off my own tires) and the sides as other motos pass and splash up rain water from the puddles. It is kind of like going through a car wash, but without the car (and without the dryer at the end).

The business that Neth and I have started together, Employment Services Cambodia, is now 10 days young and it is such a great honor to work with Neth. We begin each work day with fellowship, worship songs, and prayer together; and God has blessed us beyond measure. We have also been tremendously encouraged by many people who when we share with them about our vision and mission they get excited about it along-side of us. At the end of our first two weeks we have gained the trust of 2 expat clients and 2 Cambodian businesses. Being so young we are in the exciting state of evolution where each step is into new, uncharted territory for our business. It gives us the opportunity to be creative, to really develop our work in alignment with the values we have, but even more importantly it humbles us and brings us to our knees before God – deepening our trust in Him.     

By the way, I tried taking a "selfie" to show how wet I was, but the camera kept slipping in my wet hands.