Dear Friends and Family,
Was it yesterday or in the eternal past? When I think
about setting foot in Cambodia in 1998 it feels like
both. I don’t know how to relate to my absence from US
culture, now, starting on 12 years, other than to say,
“It’s kind of like a time-warp.” When I’m in Cambodia ,
it seems like I’ve been here forever, but when I go back
to the States? Well, it’s like I never left. I don’t
emotionally mix the two experiences. Weird huh?
2010, the second decade of a new millennium! Sou and
I’ve lived a life time in the last ten years. But, I
can’t say we’d want to do it again. We wouldn’t give it
up for anything, but a re-run? “No thanks!” We were so
gratified to see in excess of 5000 people attend
Christmas services, Sunday, Dec 27th, at the
Cham Chao Church .
http://www.missionreports.com/christmas_cele_chom_chao_09/index.htm
It is an attendance record, and it happened with little
help from us. There are always surprises. This year both
Sou and I sat there with our chins on our chest gasping
at the sight of five transvestites giving their lives to
the Christ. Then they asked to sing a song, all while
they were dressed in “drag”. Hey! How do you expect them
to get to know the Lord if we won’t allow then to invite
Him to come in? You have to catch the fish before you
can clean it. Right? Merry Christmas! More than 500
people came to Christ in the two services. Our factory
girls had a lot to do with the explosive growth, and
they’re just getting started!
There is a certain rhythm to life here in Cambodia that
we have sterilized out of our Western cultures. I’m not
sure why. Maybe it has to do with our affluence,
aversion to emotional pain, pace of life, forsaking of
religion. Or, possibly, does it arise from our removal
from personal involvement in the agricultural cycles of
planting, cultivation and harvest, and the struggles
that go with drought, pests and floods? I’m not sure
why, but we definitely see that there is a cyclical
pattern to life here. It is not always pleasant. In
fact, we had a very painful reminder this month, as our
prayers for the life of Seri Ngeam, who succumbed to
Japanese Encephalitis, Dec. 9th, were not
answered as we had hoped. I don’t cry much, but this one
broke me. I still can’t look at the picture of her lying
in her casket and not get emotional. She was so cheerful
and full of life, always the first one through the gate
to greet us; an orphan girl that the world forgot, but
God remembered. Her entire school showed up for her
funeral, which was held only 24 hours after her death.
With no funeral homes, embalming, or graveyards, the
kids in the home helped wash her body, and laid her to
rest on their property.
http://www.missionreports.com/tluk_yule_funeral
It interrupted our lives but, life must continue; with
the chores, the playing, the praying, and production
that is part of our daily cycle. We know where she is
and miss her greatly.
Boys and their toys! I bought a couple of beat up “Tonka
Toys” for Christmas; consisting of an old excavator and
a small bulldozer. Come on! The kids have their swing
sets! It seems our best hope at increasing rice
production is to move to multiple cropping and flood
control. This requires about ten miles of deep ditches,
roads, dikes, and retention ponds. We also have jungle
to clear for our cattle pasture; that should drive the
“Greens” crazy! Trading jungle for cow belches? Anyway,
with all of our fish ponds, rice, and clearing work, we
really needed this equipment. Our mechanics are working
overtime to render the equipment functional. Hopefully
by the second week of 2010 we’ll have some dirt flying!
Cheer up “Greens”! We’ll eventually be raising three
crops of rice per year instead of one. That should
triple the carbon munching green cover and more than
compensate for our cow’s passing gas. Do you think I
could get a “Carbon Credit”? Pastor Peter has gone
“politically correct”. We’re pushing quail production
again and building dozens of large, kerosene fired (not
good), incubators. Quail are good! They have simple
stomachs; less gas! Just hope that we really do have a
“Bird Flu” resistant strain this time after loosing more
than 100,000 birds in our last two attempts!
http://www.missionreports.com/agriculture_playground
Hannah, our youngest daughter, grew up here, now she’s
in college in the US and brought her fiancé, John
Rowley, (a chemistry major from Colorado, who plans to
teach) to experience Cambodia for the Christmas break.
They plan to be married in Colorado on May 23rd. I
believe my family has made a huge sacrifice, since we
really don’t know our grandchildren, and that’s a price
we wish we didn’t have to pay. It has been fun to have
Hannah and John here, and “Skype” and the internet do
shrink the world.
Christmas was a fun day! Bob Hollandsworth was in the
office one morning when Mak Sou was justifiably
“Grilling” the staff for some malfeasance. I finally
intervened and jokingly said, “Mak Sou, you need to park
the broom for a minute and give them a break!” Sou
started to laugh and said, “That’s what I need, a
broom!” I responded, “Not only a broom, but a turbo
charged one!” She said, ”Yes, I want one! And you
better get it here by Christmas!” Bob saved me! He spent
hours making probably the only “Turbo Charged” broom in
the world. We hung it over Mak Sou’s desk with an
explanation. You need to see it at the bottom of this
site.
http://www.missionreports.com/hannah_jhon
We
received some grants from the Foursquare Foundation. We
are extremely grateful for their help! We love you guys!
One of them is for well drilling. My problem is that I
programmed drilling to begin in December, but our
funding doesn’t start until January. I’ve learned that
villagers don’t understand broken promises so, we “Pay
it Forward”; borrow money on my cards and pay it back
when the grants come through. Confession is good for the
soul. Besides, the cost on this kind of project is;
“Front loaded”; you need extra money up front to buy the
equipment before you can drill. Grants are “Back loaded”
you get the extra money when you are finished. Someday,
we need to figure this out! Anyway, we’re drilling!
http://www.missionreports.com/well_drilling_rotta
I
need to redeem myself! That’s pretty awful, hanging a
broom over your wife’s desk! So, I took Sou up North, to
Phong Sali, Laos . It is way up in Northern, Laos right
on Chinese border. We went there looking for a lost
relative that disappeared in the 1960’s. There was no
trace of him, but we had a great time “Trekking” in the
mountains and tea plantations, and enjoying the cool
weather.
http://www.missionreports.com/lao_trip
There are so many to thank for the past year! All of us
in Cambodia are aware of the sacrificial giving during
this difficult financial time, and we will be forever
grateful! It has been a difficult year, but we’ve never
missed a meal! ‘Warm Blankets Orphan Care International’
has been so faithful that they deserve a special
mention. Please, if you have a last minute thought of
sharing with an orphan in 2009, drop them a check.
www.warmblankets.org
Our year has been full, and fittingly, one of our last
formal functions was to honor two of our “Elders” who
completed a two year theological training program.
They’ve been with us from the beginning, and we want to
share their honor with you:
http://www.missionreports.com/pastor_graduation
With that, we bid you a Happy New Year! And wish God’s
richest blessings upon you and yours!
We love you in Cambodia !
The Olbrich Family
Ted (Pa Thom)
Sou (Mak Sou)
Hannah & John
And most importantly, The Cambodia “Staff” who do all
the work!
