Tim Talking - We had a pretty good downpour yesterday at school. Rained pretty much all day long. Black low hanging clouds. I told my seventh graders at one point during the class that it looked like "IT", the dark evil presence from the book "A Wrinkle in Time" was outside and heading this way. Since we are reading the book and had just watched the movie, every seat emptied to plaster themselves with Squeals of delight and feigned horror at the approaching black clouds. Could not have asked for a better visual if I had ordered it from Hollywood itself. Anyways... it poured down all day long, which is odd. Usually only in the afternoons hard, and then lightly into the evening. This was a hard rain and everything flooded. Cynthia and I of course have the Motto to ride home on. The streets were up to a foot deep in water and cars were stalling out in water that was over 2 or 3 feet deep on the roads. It was semi-organized chaos as everyone was trying to find ways around the flooded streets, many of which were still impassable today. We finally arrived home after several detours and many close calls with typical crazy Cambodian drivers. I was soaked up to the knees,but no further, thanks to my trusty paper thin plastic poncho. Cynthia was, of course on the back holding on like a trooper. She just has to listen me as I repeat my frustration expression as we have near death experiences every several hundred feet, or so. My term is "Freak" I borrowed it from a good friend of mine in Wichita, (Thanks Steve T) and it just fits when some Lexus blows by you and completely drenches you with absolutely no remorse. I know that in Cambodia, the natives just brush it off as nothing.... but I am not a native yet.... working on it, but not yet! So I periodically yell into my visored helmet "Freak!" and then I feel a little better.... I know God just looks down and must shake his head and mutter something like "Yeah, and I'll keep sending rain storms and people to drench you until you stop Yellin out "Freak" every time someone tries to kill you on your Motto!... Well, that's kind of the relationship God and I have.... I yell "freak" at someone in frustration, and God says... I'm going to Keep working on you Tim, because I love you. Good heavens I feel like I am just starting out again in life some days. But I am much more honest with who I am, so I feel that this gives God something much more mouldable to work with. I will try to get some pictures tomorrow, because everything is still flooded. You have to see this insanity to believe it really happens. Not only that, but it is weird walking into a staff devotions at 7:30 in the AM and seeing many of your fellow teachers with their pants rolled up past the knees, wet, bedraggled, and barefoot. Just the start of another day of school in Phnom Penh. Last year they actually closed one day when water was coming into the first floor classrooms. If I return to the states to teach, I will forever be ruined with hearing someone complain about not being able to get to school ever again.... I'm sure I'll just look at them and mutter something like, "Freak,...they have no clue." Then God will do something to modify my attitude yet again. I am so glad God is patient with me and lets me learn in my "Self Paced Program" of life. Anyways... Cynthia and I are healing well, but you really never get over the cough thing in this city. I think there are just too many germs all over the place and airborne. Maybe after a year, or so, we will have enough antibodies build up to stay healthy for an extended period of time. Until then we continue to develop the most amazing antibodies known to mankind. And we have learned that you cannot heal and get better, even with medication, until you stop everything and sleep. That seems like the only way to really beat the bugs. I feel like I have been here for a year already... I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but at least I am feeling at home here. We are able to order most things and make our wishes known in Khmer (Cambodian) and we are finding ourselves responding in Khmer without thinking about it with everyday expressions. It will take a while to get fluent, probably at least a year. The good thing is no matter where we go from here, we will probably be able to talk to each other and not have anyone know what we are saying! LOL. That could be fun. We are debating weather to go to the coast for a short break in November. We would also like to go to Viet-Nam...Expensive for a visa, but cheap while your there....$8 hotel room $4-6 for a dinner for two at a nice place. you can rent a motto and just motto between cities and towns. The people are friendly and seem to speak a bit more English than in Cambodia, so you don't need to act quite as much like a fool trying to communicate.
We will try to blog more often now that we are finishing up grading and the first quarter unit exams etc..... Love to everyone. We covet your prayers and know God is protecting us in so many ways, while letting us ramp up our learning curve over here. Keep praying that God will soften and reach the hearts of these students with His love. I am having many opportunities to share, counsel, guide and lead them by modeling Christ. I am just being my same -old weird self and the kids have accepted me for who I am in a way that only kids can.
All for now, I have to look for some really cool Medieval Japanese videos to spice up some teaching for my 8th graders, so it is off to YouTube and other places to hunt for some interesting teaching material. Thanks so much for those who are partnering with is with prayer and financial support. The Bibles Y'all helped purchase are still a huge hit with the kids. It is so encouraging watching the little ones open the Word of God and be thrilled to read about our Lord and His love for them.
Stay strong int he Lord and the strength of His might! Tim (for the both of us)
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