Celebrating a first week

It's been a good week.

We started teaching classes at K hospital.  Lewis is reviewing slides with residents and teaching a pathology course.  I'm teaching an English class.  The first ones were on Friday.

Also Lewis was able to spend some time going over slides with his good friend (and excellent pathologist) Dr. Roanh who is now semi-retired but still works in his small clinic.

One of the young sister missionaries here was transferred to Phnom Penh.  That involved a flight to Ho Chi Minh City and then a 6 hour bus ride to Phnom Penh.  So her companion came to stay with us for a few days.  Sister T. is a gentle soul and a thoughtful one too.  She turns 30 soon.  Having her here meant that we were her companions for the visits she set up.  Doing the preparation for those visits, discussing the needs and concerns of the individuals and then seeking to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit both in the preparation and the actual time together was good.

L and I also made visits to and contacts with members of the branch at the request of the Branch president, again seeking to find out their sense of well-being, concerns and to do what we could to assist.  Again, the thought and prayer and counseling together beforehand and the seeking to understand while there was good.  There is much more good done when one takes the time to listen and seek to understand before one does anything else, both in relationship to individuals and to God.  We are certainly not perfect at it and have plenty of room to improve, but even in our own imperfect efforts the difference it makes is remarkable.

There was further good news from the Gatherums this week.  The project proposed to install sanitation facilities and latrines at 13 rural schools has been approved and can be started soon.  Today they are at a meeting where NGOs are gathered to discuss the drought in the central coastal areas that has been declared a national disaster.  They are hoping that the well-drilling resources they have may be put into play, perhaps not soon enough to immediately solve the current drought crisis, but in time for people to be better prepared for the next one, which will certainly come.

Traffic here is crazy on the main roads.  I hold tight to Lewis as we inch our way across busy streets. The method is to start out at a slow pace as you sense a slight space in the traffic and to continue at that same pace all the way across the road.  Changes in pace or quick dodges will catch drivers off guard and increase the risk of collision, but if they can see you and see what pace you are maintaining they can gauge your progress and move around you.  I hold tight to Lewis because I know he's remarkably more visible than I am.

Fortunately, one of the major thoroughfares nearby has a pedestrian walkway over the multi-lane divided street.  That's helpful.

And fortunately, many of the streets are too narrow for anything other than motorbikes, so they are not as tricky to cross, though you do have to be careful to hug the edges.  Those quiet streets are where you will find much of the really interesting architecture, both traditional and traditional with a modern twist.