Pizza Party...Soccer...etc.

Saturday, September 24, 2005 Last night we had all 21 of the 10th grade students over. The cook prepared personal pizza crusts, bacon, onions, pineapple, green peppers, tomatoes, and cheese, so everyone could make their own pizzas. We ended up playing many different games such as four on a couch, and a game called Smee. There were others but I can't remember what they were. It was a fun time and a good time for us to get to know the students better, but I confess I needed to escape to our roof a couple of times to get away from the noise!

This morning I woke up at 5:23 A.M. I quickly dressed in my soccer clothes, and was eating breakfast when the gate bell rang. I went to the gate and found Sam waiting for me. Sam is one of my Korean students in 10th grade. He's a little bit of a smart-alec, but he's a good kid. Anyways, Sam and I drove east across the Japanese Peace Bridge to the Cambodian Navy Grounds. Traffic was already picking up, and along the way we saw rice fields, fishermen in the river, and houses built on stilts alongside the river. We entered the Navy grounds which consist of several decrepit buildings bordering on the edge of the Tonle Sap River. A good comparison is a run-down trailer park with long grass growing everywhere except on the paths where people walk. The Koreans were here to play soccer, and Sam asked me to join them. I gladly accepted. I needed the exercise. We opened with prayer. The Koreans have an interesting way of praying. They all pray out loud at the same time. I find it very distracting and hard to concentrate, but I do see edifying qualities to it. After prayer, we played soccer for one hour. The soccer field is in good shape for Cambodian standards. It has a sand base, with a thin layer of grass over it, combined with cow manure and trash. I enjoyed my morning. I met new missionaries, although it was difficult for us to understand each other.

After working at the school, ( I prepared for my lesson about Jacob at Peniel) Kara and I went to The Shop, a coffee shop near the center of the city. We met Peter, Malin, and Nathan there. Peter works for IOM (International Office of Migration). They work a lot with refugees, migration laws, human trafficking, border patrol, etc. He is originally from Hamilton, Ontario, and a graduate of Redeemer College. We found out that we played hockey against each other while I was at Mohawk College; what a small world! His wife Malin is Swedish. They met at school in Belgium where they were both getting a master’s degree in International Relations. Nathan is their 5 month son. Peter is getting a ball hockey team together, so I will have another opportunity to get exercise.

Tonight we are having several teachers over from Logos. We will spend the night together in fellowship with reading, prayer, and singing. Oh, that reminds me. I introduced the Psalter to my 8th grade homeroom. So now every other day when it’s my turn to do devotions with them we read a Psalm and sing a corresponding Psalter. The only problem is that I really can’t read music so we often get off to a shaky start, but I eventually remember how it goes. The Lord is good. We covet all of your prayers as we remember you in ours. We are thankful for the emails we have received. Don’t be afraid to email; Kara and I are always excited to get emails!