It's gettin' busy!
Monday Feb 23
Phew! Monday’s not even over yet, and I’m exhausted! But it’s a good kind of tired, like that feeling you get after a hard workout.
The day started with a bit more editing for Moo, and then my 10am English class. We did adverbs of frequency today. Some of the questions they ask leave me speechless though!
I got to play piano a little before lunch, then Moo and I walked over to this Chinese home restaurant we know of and had lunch there. When I came back, I carried the keyboard up to the baby cooking room (that’s gonna be my new name for it from now on). That was 3 flights of stairs (although it didn’t help that I felt like wearing a skirt today, and therefore also had my high heal sandals on). Srey Mech and I had a lesson there. Then I left her to practice. At this point is was around 2:30, and hot as can be. AC still wasn’t working. I managed to get a fan for my 4pm lesson with Sopheak – she came to the church, cause she usually doesn’t come home till 9, and we figured it’d be easier that way.
Went back to the AC cooled office at 5 when Sopheak left. I sat and did a little bit of work, but at 5:30 I decided to bring the keyboard back down, and the fan back to where it belongs, across the street from the church. It was still really hot then, and I was exhausted once I finished.
6pm Sophea, my next student, showed up. In the middle of the lesson I left her to practice while I ran up to eat dinner. Then I went back down to see how she was doing. Wut, one of the guys from the church, watched me finish my lesson, and I ended up teaching him some of the piano basics as well. At this point I was beginning to feel like a broken record!
Wut did tell me a really cool story about Srey Mech though. She’s his cousin. When she was born, her mom had to leave her with his mom because the company she worked for didn’t allow children to come to work. That’s the norm here usually, it seems. I haven’t really heard of daycares. Children go to work with mommy, or they stay with close relatives.
Anyway, as the years went by, Srey Mech lived mainly at her aunt’s, and mommy came to visit whenever she could. Then, several years ago, her mom got shot. Srey Mech's not sure why it happened, she never asked. But her mom was brought to a hospital, and after about 4 months, since she still wasn’t well, she agreed to be taken home. They didn’t have the money to keep her there anymore. Her sister, Wut’s mom, cared for her but she didn’t get better.
During her stay in the hospital, Srey Mech’s mom heard the Gospel as people from the church came to read the Bible to her and pray for her. I guess Wut was already a believer at this time. She eventually accepted Christ.
Then one day, she said she saw dark men standing around her bed, telling her she had to go with them. She told them no, and to go away. They did. When she shared this with the family, Wut prayed “Lord, if she’s got to go now, don’t let her go that way. Open up the door of heaven for her, and let her in”. Later that night, at around 7, once it was dark, she was sleeping, and Wut says suddenly he saw a part of the sky light up very brightly, and then next minute Srey Mech’s mom had passed away.
I love hearing cool stories of people’s faith and testimonies. That’s what makes being a Christian so exciting. And here, they seem to have such a childlike faith.
For now however, I have to switch my focus over to lesson planning. This should be my last week with my big class, and I think I’m supposed to give them a test… eek…
Tuesday Feb 24
Lessons went well today. I was particularly excited about my second class, the smaller one. I got to explain the Gospel using Genesis 1:27. I did an object lesson using my camera to show that we’re made in the image of God (we’re not God Himself, but are meant to be like Him is several aspects), but that sin distorts that image. Jesus came to restore the image we’re supposed to have. It took the whole lesson, explaining words and concepts across both culture and language. But I think they understood.
It’s repetitious explanation of different aspects of the Gospel that leads the students to faith. We never do altar calls or press people for decisions, but simply explain and set up the stage for questions and discussion. It’s really cool.
Phew! Monday’s not even over yet, and I’m exhausted! But it’s a good kind of tired, like that feeling you get after a hard workout.
The day started with a bit more editing for Moo, and then my 10am English class. We did adverbs of frequency today. Some of the questions they ask leave me speechless though!
I got to play piano a little before lunch, then Moo and I walked over to this Chinese home restaurant we know of and had lunch there. When I came back, I carried the keyboard up to the baby cooking room (that’s gonna be my new name for it from now on). That was 3 flights of stairs (although it didn’t help that I felt like wearing a skirt today, and therefore also had my high heal sandals on). Srey Mech and I had a lesson there. Then I left her to practice. At this point is was around 2:30, and hot as can be. AC still wasn’t working. I managed to get a fan for my 4pm lesson with Sopheak – she came to the church, cause she usually doesn’t come home till 9, and we figured it’d be easier that way.
Went back to the AC cooled office at 5 when Sopheak left. I sat and did a little bit of work, but at 5:30 I decided to bring the keyboard back down, and the fan back to where it belongs, across the street from the church. It was still really hot then, and I was exhausted once I finished.
6pm Sophea, my next student, showed up. In the middle of the lesson I left her to practice while I ran up to eat dinner. Then I went back down to see how she was doing. Wut, one of the guys from the church, watched me finish my lesson, and I ended up teaching him some of the piano basics as well. At this point I was beginning to feel like a broken record!
Wut did tell me a really cool story about Srey Mech though. She’s his cousin. When she was born, her mom had to leave her with his mom because the company she worked for didn’t allow children to come to work. That’s the norm here usually, it seems. I haven’t really heard of daycares. Children go to work with mommy, or they stay with close relatives.
Anyway, as the years went by, Srey Mech lived mainly at her aunt’s, and mommy came to visit whenever she could. Then, several years ago, her mom got shot. Srey Mech's not sure why it happened, she never asked. But her mom was brought to a hospital, and after about 4 months, since she still wasn’t well, she agreed to be taken home. They didn’t have the money to keep her there anymore. Her sister, Wut’s mom, cared for her but she didn’t get better.
During her stay in the hospital, Srey Mech’s mom heard the Gospel as people from the church came to read the Bible to her and pray for her. I guess Wut was already a believer at this time. She eventually accepted Christ.
Then one day, she said she saw dark men standing around her bed, telling her she had to go with them. She told them no, and to go away. They did. When she shared this with the family, Wut prayed “Lord, if she’s got to go now, don’t let her go that way. Open up the door of heaven for her, and let her in”. Later that night, at around 7, once it was dark, she was sleeping, and Wut says suddenly he saw a part of the sky light up very brightly, and then next minute Srey Mech’s mom had passed away.
I love hearing cool stories of people’s faith and testimonies. That’s what makes being a Christian so exciting. And here, they seem to have such a childlike faith.
For now however, I have to switch my focus over to lesson planning. This should be my last week with my big class, and I think I’m supposed to give them a test… eek…
Tuesday Feb 24
Lessons went well today. I was particularly excited about my second class, the smaller one. I got to explain the Gospel using Genesis 1:27. I did an object lesson using my camera to show that we’re made in the image of God (we’re not God Himself, but are meant to be like Him is several aspects), but that sin distorts that image. Jesus came to restore the image we’re supposed to have. It took the whole lesson, explaining words and concepts across both culture and language. But I think they understood.
It’s repetitious explanation of different aspects of the Gospel that leads the students to faith. We never do altar calls or press people for decisions, but simply explain and set up the stage for questions and discussion. It’s really cool.
posted by Noemie at 6:29 PM
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