Jenny & I are settling into a schedule here at the New Hope School in Phnom Penh:
8-10am I help teach the preschoolers. (Really though I try to learn as much as possible myself, cause the class is in Khmer, and the only english taught is when I speak. So far, I have learned the first 5 numbers { ១២៣៤៥​ }.
10-11am I help teach english to a combined grade 2/3 class.
3-4pm I help teach computer class.
4-5pm I help teach english to the combined grade 2/3 class again.
5:30-6:30pm I help teach english to college age students.

The importance of education in a country like Cambodia cannot be understated. People who have studied Cambodia much more than you and I have said that there is no hope for anyone who is living in this country. Hope is for the unborn. The total situation here looks hopeless indeed. By teaching english, and computer skills, etc, you set in motion something that will build upon each successive generation, which could turn the tide of this country and make it into what it has the potential to be. I really do applaud Pastor Keat & Sally's vision and efforts here. The school they oversee is amazing. They provide education at a cost that is little or none. They incorporate teaching Jesus along with teaching english, etc.
Along with our duties at the school, Jenny & I will also get to teach at New Life in Christ Church and disciple believers who are in desperate need of credible Christian witness. I actually get to speak at a youth meeting tomorrow night and am so exicted and grateful for the opportunity. I pray that hearts are changed and generations of bondage are completely destroyed.
It is amazing to back on the foreign field. My heart never leaves here.

Behold, the Lamb of God, that beareth the sin of the world. ( John 1:29 Murdock)

Written by Georgia Wilkins    Wednesday, 22 October 2008
'Government indifference' has earned the capital the second-worst rating in National Geographic's 2008 destination survey

Phnom Penh’s Independece Monument bedecked with coloured lights is a key tourist attraction. AN annual National Geographic survey has rated Phnom Penh the "second-worst" city in the world to visit, putting its shortcomings down to "government indifference".

The 2008 "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey, announced this week by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, based its ranking on how well cities endured the pressures of mass tourism, the ravages of nature and the onslaught of global development.

According to the iconic magazine, the charm of Phnom Penh has been "lost to uncontrolled urban growth and the outright greed of land speculation", one of the judges said, adding it was a "very sad story" its astute colonial urban planning had now all but disappeared.

Govt dismisses result
Kousoum Saroeth, deputy director of the Cambodian Board of Tourism, dismissed the survey, saying that development has an overall "good impact" on tourism.

"Right now we have many projects that are helping organise tourism events in Cambodia," he said Tuesday, adding that tourism was one of the big earners in Cambodia.

The survey, which was judged by an independent panel of 280 experts in travel-related fields from around the globe, asked participants to scrutinise 109 historic places - the theme of the 2008 survey.

They were also asked to evaluate the qualities that make a destination unique.
Earlier this month, architects and urban planners warned the government that major commercial development projects, such as the filling-in of Boeung Kak lake, were tarnishing the once architecturally-lauded city. But City Hall has insisted all plans were sustainable.

Phnom Penh will sit just above Central City, in the US state of Colorado, when the full list of cities is featured in the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. It was labelled worst because, judges claim, casinos stole its charm.

7:30am!!! Yes, that's what time the service at New Life in Christ Church started. And you wanna know the more crazier thing?...................The church packed out around 70-80 youth!! Imagine, that many youth getting up that early for church?! Incredible, by our western standards. Most Westerners can barely drag themselves out of bed in time to catch the last song of worship in a service that starts at 10:30!!!
The entire service was in Khmer, so Jenny & I did not understand a word, but it was an experience that neither of us have had before. Church, SE Asia style. It was good though. Pastor Keat explained to us later that he spoke on time management. Something that is crucial here in Cambodia.
We relaxed in the afternoon, and then went over to Matt & Nary's for lunch, before heading to International Christian Fellowship for a late afternoon service. This is an english speaking church where missionaries, and NGO's attend. We got a couple of contacts afterwards, and ended up with a scenic tuk tuk ride home.
Tomorrow we start teaching english in the school New Life in Christ Church has. We are excited for great opportunities to present themselves in this new sphere of influence we enter.

The traffic was as erratic as I have ever seen. Poverty living amongst affluence, in an extreme we don't see in the west. These where a couple of my foremost thoughts as Jenny & I rode from Phnom Penh airport towards New Life in Christ Church with Pastor Keat Kove and his wife Sally.
It is the tail end of the rainy season here in Cambodia and the result of that is quite evident. From the plane, I looked down upon flooded fields and washed out roads. The rains should be drying up quite soon, and the dry months will begin.
It was a test of endurance to actually make it here. A 4 hr drive to Halifax where we spent Tuesday night. At 7:30am AST, we left Halifax for a 2 hr flight to Montreal. After a 2 hr wait we flew an hour and a half, or so, to Newark where we spent 11 hrs in a layover there. Then we flew 7 hrs to Anchorage, Alaska, where we had an hour stopover, and then our next leg was a monster 10 hrs to Taipei (the longest flight I have had)! We spent about 3 hrs in Taipei before a 3hr flight to Phnom Penh. We landed here at 1pm local time.
We slept a bit and then took a tuk tuk to a market and got some food for the rest of the week.
We are extremely excited to be here, and are anxiously awaiting the things God has in store.

Alright; before I say anything, check out this sweet shower rod in the bathroom or our room at the Halifax Airport Hotel. Is that not brilliant?!! At first glance........nothing special, until you get in the shower and realize that the curve gives you almost double the space than a straight rod!! Absolutely brilliant!
So, Jenny & I are in Halifax, and we have 14.5 hrs before our flight leaves to Montreal. Then we hit Newark-->Taipei-->Phnom Penh. It should take us about 42 hrs to get from Halifax to Phnom Penh.
We graciously thank my grandfather, who took Jenny & I to Halifax, saving us about $120 on a bus ticket! That was a major save.
Really though, it is great to be on my way again. Don't get me wrong, PEI is a great place, and we love our friends and family. But, I'm a missionary, and this is what I do. It's what I live for; what I get up in the morning for. For me, this, is life. Nothing else.
Please pray for us. The 10/40 is virtually unreached for a reason.
Cambodia, ready or not, here we come.

3 days left before Jenny & I head off to serve Jesus in the people of Cambodia. All our vaccinations have been taken care of (well, not really, but anyways), and we have all our malaria medication (well, not really, but anyways) and we have everything put together in a nice little package, with a neat little bow on it (well, not really, but anyways).
I wonder what the final days of preparation were like for people like Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, etc. Pretty crazy stuff.
It is good to know that the local Cambodians I have been in contact with, are not worried about the Thai/Khmer border conflict that is recently dominating Cambodian headlines. It is unlikely, that it will escalate into a full scale war, hopefully. Both countries have remained in talks, and both want to settle the situation with as little drama as possible.
So, Jenny & I wait it out. Today we will go to our church, and then out to the country to visit Mom, and some others. Tomorrow we do more visiting, and then head in to my bro's for the night. On tue my grandfather will drive us to Halifax where we will spend the night before catching an early flight on wed morning. Two (or so) days later, we will be in SE Asia, expecting God to use us in ways that are not conceivable.
Enjoy Jesus everyone, and then do something with Him. Love someone with Him, or just spend some time with Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, He's a resource the church seldom uses :(

I am seeing an interesting story developing in Cambodia (from my & Jenny's standpoint). There is a border-dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, and both sides don't really be willing to budge in the matter. Actually, Cambodia says if Thailand troops don't pull out of the region, they will attack. Thailand says they're going nowhere, and will respond militarily if provoked.
For an interesting article on the story, click -->HERE<--
This will likley go nowhere, but larger wars have been started with less build up.
All this, with only a week to go before our departure date. If the two erupt into a full scale conflict, I will let you know!

In 'our' life, it has been much less dramatic. Today we are supposed to get some pictures done, and then we will head out to Faithworks Center, for our pre-departure pastoral meeting. Tomorrow we head to the travel clinic to see what kind of shots we are gonna need. The rest of our time consists of connecting with family and friends before the 22nd comes.

Yes. Just 10 days to go before Jenny & I jump on a plane and start a loooong journey to Cambodia. It has came on pretty quickly as I received an email from my travel agent quoting me tickets for $2000 less than anything I've seen online. The catch...........there was only two seats left at that price and we had to make the decision immediately. So, we booked it.
We leave from Halifax on the 22nd, and will arrive in Phnom Penh on the 24th.
There is much to do, and we will be really busy for the next 10 days, but we are extremely excited that the reality of Cambodia is manifesting before our eyes.
We ask for prayer: 1)that a small army of prayer warriors will take on the task of covering us, and 2) that sponsors will also take on the task of sowing into the harvest that is Cambodia.
Things just got a lot more interesting!

Associated Press
KATMANDU, Nepal - Hindu and Buddhist priests chanted sacred hymns and cascaded flowers and grains of rice over a 3-year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday.

Wrapped in red silk and adorned with red flowers in her hair, Matani Shakya received approval from the priests and President Ram Baran Yadav in a centuries-old tradition with deep ties to Nepal's monarchy, which was abolished in May.
The new "kumari" or living goddess, was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial temple in the heart of the Nepali capital, Katmandu, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status.

She will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists as an incarnation of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju.


A panel of judges conducted a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste.

The judges read the candidates' horoscopes and check each one for physical imperfections. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark.

As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear.

Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in almost complete isolation at the temple, and will be allowed to return to her family only at the onset of menstruation when a new goddess will be named to replace her.

"I feel a bit sad, but since my child has become a living goddess I feel proud," said her father Pratap Man Shakya.

During her time as a goddess, she will always wear red, pin up her hair in topknots, and have a "third eye" painted on her forehead.

Devotees touch the girls' feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in Nepal. During religious festivals the goddesses are wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees.

Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights. The girls often struggle to readjust to normal lives after they return home.

Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former kumari will die young, and so many girls remain unmarried and face a life of hardship.

7 years ago today I was on Day#4 of a 4 day set of meetings at Faithworks Center with Ron Kussmaul as the guest speaker. I made a decision that night that was to forever change my life in ways I could never imagine. Looking back, 7 years, way too much has happened to even try to comprehend or take stock of. Jesus continues to stretch me and change me. I want even more of Him this year than ever before. I need more of Him this year than ever before. He has positioned me into a place of dependence upon Him, and there is no sweeter place to be.

Philippians 1:6 (GNB)
And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.