Merry Christmas... in Asia?

Merry Christmas to all of you! Bonne Noel as they say in Khmer (yes, It's stolen from the French who brought it over!)

It's Christmas Eve morning here as I write, and we're going to be preparing some food for a traditional dinner tomorrow. I'm sure that's what most of you are doing too! Receiving visitors and company? Sounds great. We will have 5, single female staff members over for dinner tomorow, so that will leave Dean with 9 women around his table! Lucky guy!

Christmas in Asia is a stretch at best, but you have to hear this funny story that puts it all in perspective. This past tuesday, I phoned our orthodontist, as Julia's retainer had broken and was in need of repair. The Malaysian doctor that attends to us (and trains the Khmer dentists at this office) was already gone for Christmas, so I asked if there was anyone else on staff who could repair the retainer. Yes, another dentist could look at it. "You can come in on Saturday at 2:30."

While I was desperate to get this fixed before we left for holidays, I had to step back a minute. Saturday?? Wasn't I busy that day???....
Ha ha. "No, sorry, We can't come saturday." Can you imagine? Openning presents christmas morning, going to the orthodontist in the afternoon, having turkey dinner in the evening! Now that's some dedicated doctors, willing to sacrifice their Christmas day to help us fix a retainer! haha. (They obliged to see us on Thursday!)

So, aside from all the Christians here having a great old time preparing to celebrate christmas, life still goes on as normal. We see more kids on motos, dressed in red santa suits and dresses, and the christmas tree decorations are in the stores, but otherwise, same, same, as they say here.

Finally, the girls and I had to head to the "mall" yesterday to finish up some "last minute shopping." Wouldn't you know, by a display of Boston Books (a north american bookstore company here in town) there was a Santa! He was a Khmer Santa, sitting there on a makeshift throne, just sitting there, not doing a whole heck of a lot, expect waiting for the odd person to come by with a child and he's give them a candy! Did I mention he was just sitting there? No long line-ups through the mall, no other decorations, just a brown skinned Santa, looking bored out of his skull, probably mortifiably embarassed at his profession for the day! It was hilarious.

Maya saw him first, but of course, refused to go and visit with him. She did want to look from a cautious distance, though. "Is that the real santa??" What a question! No honey, sorry!~ That's a Khmer Santa. It was too cute. It was kind of like seeing the "black" Jesus picture on the walls of churches in the deep south, in America!

Well, Blessings to you all. Enjoy your family times and celebrations. We will miss you but enjoy our "family" out here and our break from school. I leave you with some devotional words that I read that really resounded with me. In fact, my personal Christmas wish and new years resolution are all pretty much wrapped and summed up below... All I want for Christmas is an entire filling!

"Even as believers, we often make it our first aim to find out who we are, what we desire, what pleases us and makes us happy. Then we bring in God in the second place to secure this happiness. We do not discern that God must have us at His disposal even in the most trivial details of our life to manifest His divine glory in us. We are not aware that this entire filling with the will and operation of God would also prove to be our highest happiness."
-Andrew Murray

It's over, baby!

Congratulations to the High School Choir and Middle School band, who wrapped up the Logos Christmas Concert Season in high style, with a great concert this past Saturday night.

Now Mrs. Weiss can breath....

I (Lesley) am officially now in the Christmas spirit here at the Weiss house in Cambodia, now that all the concerts are over. It's not like I was wishing them just to be done (at all!) but now that they are finished, it's just such a huge sigh of relief that all went well and we made it! The band played great, and as last year, impressed the audience with their ability to sound like a real band, after just such a short few months on their instruments! It's always great for me to hear as well. I accompanied some solos and the high school choir, so it was a very involved night. Not to mention singing in the staff choir--Mr. Weiss made his debut choir performance as well last night, to the jousts and cheers of the ecstatic audience. (For some reason, the staff choir incited this mayhem!) Our auditorium was full, the new stage was all decked out with the new curtainry, and the power didn't go off! Yay!

So, just a quick update on that. Julia performed last Thursday morning and evening, as Winnie the Pooh in the middle school drama and she was a riot! I hope to get a picture forwarded soon. She's a chip off the old block, that one! Quite entertaining to watch.

Lucky Steph is still in the middle of exams, but for a first timer, she's doing great. The first 3 went pretty well, but the poor kid is facing Biology and Algebra 2 tomorrow (I think it's bothering me more than her!) Anways, she doesn't like the lonliness of so much studying, but hopefully her hard work over the year will pay off now.

We certainly hope these last few days leading up to Christmas will be excellent for you and your families. WE will really miss not being with loved ones again this Christmas, but are greatful for all the friends we have here. Even just tonight, we went out for Indian food with a large group of staff and it was so much fun. We also attended a city wide combined church service held in a large hall at one of the high end hotels here in the city. It was many of the international churches here in Phnom Penh. What a blessed time--seriously, you looked around that room and just saw the world represented in almost every size, shape and color. It was so very cool. Makes me continually think, "to what do I owe this awesome experience???" Simply grace. God is Good.

Well, we sure hope to connect over the phone with immediate family this season, and once we're in Thailand, that should be much easier, so please expect more contact from us on or around the 28th. And just incase you're interested, there's been a cold spell these last few days. Some rain bringing with it a cool system, blew in about 3 or so days ago, and since then, it's been as "winter" as it gets here! Plus 22 in the mornings, then it warms up. Almost don't need air con at school AND, seriously, we're all chilly sleeping at night, our toes are cold, and the kids are wrapped up in fleece blankets. (Well, Dean isn't cold, but he never is, so he doesn't count!) So, we're thinking of you all in your snowy seasons, as we have to actually wear long sleeves on the motos, while we drive to school ! haha.

Love yous and God Bless!!! Merry Christmas!
L

The good, the bad, the...trusting.

"On a good day, enjoy yourself;
On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won't take anything for granted."Ecclesiastes 7:14, The Message

From Maya's grade 1 class at the afternoon elementary christmas concert

Well, that about sums things up! The good out here is so very, very good. The bad days, well, we all have them I know. Here it just seems multiplied and for very good reason.

The good...

From Lesley in here element. Running the elementary christmas concert

The Elementary Christmas Concert went very well this past Wed. evening. Kids were very excited and once again, we packed the gym. With our larger facility this year, things were not so squishy and the breeze that flowed through the more open space of our new gym, was a blessing. Kids did great, the Christmas message was clear, and the candy canes at the end of the show were a hit! Some picts to follow soon.

Principal Dean giving introductory talk at the elementary christmas concert and showcasing the new stage

The most exciting part of this Christmas Production Season for me so far, is Logos' acquisition of a new and multi functioning stage! Up until now, we have used some small wooden risers for a lift, or rented stages for a fairly expensive price. Well, the time had come, with plans to run a large musical at the end of this year, to invest in a decent stage for Logos, which was large, could be disassembled, stored, set up in various styles, could hang lights, etc. The admin looked seriously into all this, and did all the grunt work, finding out what our arts department wanted and needed, then got quotes from various builders around town. The final product is unbelievably gorgeous (you will see in pictures) and is so multi funtioning--even each stage flooring can double as a large table if needed! ) So, having our Christmas concert on this brand new, really nice stage was half the enjoyment for me! Logos now has this forever, and it is money well spent! Thanks for all the donations to the jog-a-thon, cuz that's what did this for us!

From Maya singing her heart out at the evening christmas concert in the gym

COming up still, is the middle school concert (next weekend) for Lesley, and Julia has a drama production next thursday. She's Winnie the Pooh (much to her chagrin) in a middle school play, so this should be fun to watch! Steph, poor kid, has 7 exams coming up at the end of next week, and the week after, to end this first term. This is her first foray into exams, being her first hear in high school, so although it is stressful for all kids, she is doing ok, and is a very independent studyier and enjoys academics. So, at least she has that going for her. She will do well, but still has to endure the studying.

From Les giving directions during the evening elementary christmas concert

You can all pray for Dean over the next few months, as he will be "flying solo" so to speak, running the ship at Logos. Dan Hein and his pregnant wife Jess leave this sunday to go have thier second baby in America, with a Christmas stop in Canada first. That means Dean will be the only administrator around until March. Now while Dan is always available through skype and e-mail and will be there for communication, he still really needs this break, and Dean does not need to run to him with every little thing. So, it's going to be an interesting (and busy)few months. A job that regularily takes 2, is now going to be handled by one. All the best on that one, Dean!

Christmas parties--the staff party was just held last night, we hung out with friends and decorated cookies the weekend before. Our tree is up and lights are on every morning and evening. We sure have to make our own Christmas excitement to feel in the spirit out here, but it really has been fun to gather as family over these alst few occasions. A bit of Christmas shopping as best we can out here, and everyone gets excited!

And there is more good. We finally were able to book some rooms for Christmas in Thailand, with friends of ours, so we now know for sure that we will be able to get away for the break. This is a huge sigh of releif and thanksgiving as we get to travel with friends for about 6 days, and we know we will have a bit of a holiday as well afterwards, taking the bus from the ocean in to Bangkok. We are so looking forward to it. THe kids still say their first choice for a Christmas destination spot is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada! But, we say that this will probably be their last tropical Christmas in a very long time, so it is best they enjoy it. So funny--how many of you in those cold climates wouldn't give a right leg to be on a Thai beach in December?? And our kids want snow! haha.

The bad these last few weeks, more for me, (Lesley) has been the culture stress. Not even the stress of school or concerts, but since the accidents, many things have still been difficult. By accidents, I refer to our traffic incidents and also the greater tragedy of the stampede on the bridge. All these things together cause what is referred to as "culture stress" and you would think after having been here for 2 1/2 years, I would be used to things already. Although for people out here this is considered a normal struggle to deal with at one time or another, but the stresses come in waves.
After our evening car accident, I simply struggle to even try and drive at night in our vehicle. It is hard to see, lighting is bad on the streets in general, it is just too much for me right now. So either I don't go out, or I take a moto a short distance. The result of this is feeling very much trapped at home, feeling like you are not safe to journey out after 6 pm when it gets dark. These feelings get very old and tiring when they last for so long. It's frustrating.

Plus, now with the post traumatic stress I am dealing with, I feel like many Cambodian's look at me with distrust or wish I would leave their country. This is not true, but it is definitely some of my thoughts as I am driving around. I don't see their outward friendly smiles, I see them as someone not to trust. OR I find I am more frustrated and angry that things are done a certain Cambodian way. For example, things in traffic that used to make us laugh, or we could take lightly seem to excite more negative emotion rather than laughter. (I speak for myself- Dean seems fine.)

This is all post traumatic stress. I know this. Many of these thoughts are not true, either, and I have to take them captive. I know this. Doing all this and putting emotional and mental health into action is harder. Especially when you're particularily busy at work, or at least can make excuses of that.

This is why the words at Eccelsiastes are so important. God allows us all these kinds of times and situations, so that we won't take anything for granted and trust him. And, be thankful.

I hope this Christmas Season is not finding you so ridiculously busy or stressed out, that you can't enjoy things. More Ecclesiastes on that:

18-20" After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live. "-the Message

elementary christmas concert see all 113 pics here

A Glimmer of Hope

You know, I got back to school today after a weeks long break. Cambodia has suffered horrible tragedy in that time, while we vacationed and had a restful week. Our entire beings suffer with these people, as this tragedy strikes far to close to home.

I have duty on Monday mornings. Usually I do not appreciate the necessity of making sure I'm at school on time first day of the week :), but once I'm there, I love saying good morning to the kids, and seeing their faces. This was especially real today, when I asked some of them if they knew anyone injured or killed in the stampede. Most of our kids have been untouched directly by loss, which is something to be thankful for.

However, the Gr 4 girls I was chatting with this morning, were all a buzz with the details. I talked with them a bit, but as been common, the conversation quickly turns to ghosts, and how everyone is so afraid. "My auntie who usually fights with her sister, they were hugging!" I mentioned just how thankful and priviledged we are to know God and that we don't have to fear spirits when our God is so much bigger and more powerful! The girls chimed in, enthusiastically, "I KNOW!" One beautiful young lady showed me her wrist that was tied with a small red string. She said her Grandma put it on her to "protect" her (We see this all the time, strings tied around people's waists, car mirrors, wrists--it's to somehow ward off the ghosts.) I again said how thankful we can be that we just know it's not a red string that protects us, but God does. This young girls enthusiastically agreed with me, she was honestly so greatful for the knowledge of the truth! What Joy, seriously, that moment has kept me going all day!

What follows here is copy and paste of a potentially bland blog post, that I've been writing over the last few days. It updates everyone on the "stuff" that's been going on since I wrote last. It's been a while, and alot has taken place, but the above story is the heart of the message here. We are protected, we are loved, we do not have to fear! Oh how our prayer is for all Cambodians to know that!!! The gr. 4 girls this morning gave me that glimmer of hope for one day....

Long Overdue Blog Update :

Phnom Penh Tragedy

We are so grieved along with this country, in the wake of the staggering loss of life due to the crushing crowds on MOnday night. The death tally has risen to over 400 people now, and here's what we see around the city: Many offering sites all over the place (Incense sticks, candle wax, bananas), fewer crowds and the newspapers full of articles, first hand accounts, authorities passing the buck, etc. We have not personally been to the bridge site, although know where it is, and are still somewhat hesitant to head that direction. On the night of the chaos, Lesley and the girls were in the province of Mondulkiri with a group of staff members, a good 400 km out of Phnom Penh. Even if we were in the city during Water Festival, we would never have frequented the accident site at that time of night. It is dangerous to be in the crowds in general. My parents phoned all the way from Winnipeg to the simple cabin porch I was sitting on , in the middle of the sparcely populated province, to see if we were Ok. I still cant' believe that phone coverage can get all the way around the world, from WInnipeg, to such a remote place in Cambodia!

Our prayers are with the people of Cambodia, such useless loss of life, that could have been so easily prevented. Such a horrible situation, terrible, yet not really the least bit surprising. With safety standards and crowd control as poor as they are here, what's surprising is that this has not happened yet, or happened even worse. So sad.

Ghosts and Hauntings

Our neighbor placing a scarecrow to ward off the evil spirits from the many dead in Phnom Penh

Because of their Buddhist and animist beliefs, Cambodians are now very scared of the many deaths that have taken place, because of the wandering spirits. They are afraid of ghosts and bad things happening to them by the souls that haven't had a proper burial. All over town we see the appeasing offerings that are meant to keep the spirits at bay. Right 2 doors down from us, appeared two scarecrow type statues; fully clothed, stuffed with grass, meant to trick the spirits to pass by their house. It was eerie to see them and know their purpose was for spiritual protection. (No "pretend" halloween here, folks, this is the real deal!)

Many are saying the bridge won't be used anymore and that they should just take it down because of all the dead and the ghosts that will haunt it and the island. This is very real to Cambodians, who have had centuries of these beliefs, that they could potentially be harmed by ghosts and spirits. And to a people who easily believe what they are told, the underlying fear in this city is evident. Whatever your thoughts or opinions on this subject, we really pray that the people will learn through this event, that God is bigger, smarter and more powerful than any evil spirits. It is very real, their fear.

Two other quick comments in wake of the tragedy. We've been reminded to pray for medical teams, as they continue to help the injured. Unfortunately, hospitals are understaffed and insufficient for this size influx. Many injured have internal bleeding, and that requires immediate medical attention (we are first hand aware of how true that is, when our Julia had internal injuries when she was in Gr. 2). Amputated limbs leave very poor people, with the inability to work, and the situation for many will be very difficult. The state and number of the injured is still a serious issue.

And, I've also heard from a very reliable source, that those little bunches of banana's the people are buying to offer up to the spirits! Usually $.50, the price has risen to $15! Talk about taking advantage of your fellow countryment in their time of grief and need! Now I'm not sure this is a city wide inflation, but it had happened. SO many problems...

Modulkiri

From Mondulkiri

As mentioned, Les and the girls headed with 2 vans full of Logos staff and families, to this eastern province, in a gorgeous mountain range (hills really, for you Rocky Mountain people!) We stayed at the "Nature Lodge" a lovely guesthouse area run by a European gal and her Cambodian husband (their first baby is due in a month or so!) THey are little cabins, complete with bathrooms, on beautiful grass area, cool temperatures prevail and freshness is in the air--very different from the city and much of the rest of Cambodia.

Welcome Eco Lodge

ANyways, the Weisses were the last to reserve, so were put in the "overflow" cabin, which was in a word, camping in the Cambodian bush! The wood boards of the cabin that didn't join together and the grass thatch roof, allowed for any spidery type creature to easy creep inside (Which they did!) We slept under mosquito nets and for the first 2 nights, we checked all the bedding inside and out, before crawling in and tucking in the mosquito net as close as possible! The funny part is that we were told we had a "shared" bathroom. Ok, for 2 nights, we can do that. TUrns out it was a small outhouse, with a toilet with no seat on it, a cold shower, no sink. No one would share that with us! haha. For two days, we used the squatty toilet close to the restaurant, and borrowed a hot shower from one of the other bunkhouses!

Spiders are big in Cambodia.

After the first two nights, they had room for us in a "Real" cabin, and then it was awesome! Still slept under nets, but had a nice attached bathroom and actual windows for light! But, we still ended up seeing huge spiders, a small scorpion that was in our bathroom, and on the last night, a HUGE tree frog that could really JUMP (causing me to scream!) as we tried to get him out back through a crack in the wall. THe name of the Lodge was certainly earned honestly. Oh, and did I mention we all got bit by ants? UNBELIEVABLY painful, it was weird!

Julia on her way to school. Just Kidding.

We saw some beautiful waterfalls, had an elephant ride, saw the traditional homes of the Pnong tribal people that still live there. It was a really nice time, very relaxing with campfires and marshmallow every night, great food from the restaurant, pool table, volleyball court. The kids had a blast hanging out with the Robert's family, kids the same ages. A few camping meals together made it a real different feel for what we know of Cambodia.

John and whole bunch of people jump 5m into the water below. Julia jumped too!i

Dean in Korea

From DeanKorea

Dean, however, spent his week in Seoul Korea, at the ACSI conference, where he needed to attend workshops to get credit for administration. As I write, we're expecting him home any minute. He did have a tour of the city, and travelled with 4 other staff members. He hoped to meet up with a former Logos teacher who is now there, and Ji Hyun, Greg and Shawna's homestay student they had for years. She's living back in Seoul now. I'm anxious to hear how his time was, although I'm expecting him to be tired:). (by the time this is actually published, he is home, it had an excellent time, and he came back with Korean candy treats for the kids and, drum roll please, Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee! What a treat!)

Post Accident News

We are doing well in the wake of our accident on Oct. 31. The car is still dented where it was kicked and hit, and Lesley's still not driving that much in the dark, but the windows are fixed. While processing has been positive, I (Lesley) still don't feel safe on the roads, and tend to be driving slower, which is actually dangerous in and of itself here.) It's been nice to have this week off to just rest, and it has been restful, so that's all been helpfu with processingl. I've written a few things down so that will keep record. Still haven't sent anything to the embassy or newpapers, but still am pursuing that.

Ted Price

A fellow Canadian who does work out here with the Cambodian police, met us for dinner the other night, as he was in town. Ted is also an attender of Seven Oaks, our home church in Abbotsford. IT was so very nice to see him. We introduced him to Pari Sor, a twelfth grade student who has hopes and dreams to become a doctor, and would like to pursue studies potentially at Trinity Western University, next year. ANyways, I have to say, Ted was so very encouraging! He was very enthusiastic about his ministries and our work out here. It was so refreshing and I really needed it right at that time. Our visit was very nice, and we want to thank Ted for taking the time to hang out with us.

Jog-a-Thon

From jog-a-thon2010-11

The last day of school before the Water Festival break, Nov 19, was Logos third annual jog-a-thon, a fundraiser for the school. Many thanks to some of you who donated for the kids. They all got their free t-shirt and had their names entered for some prize draws. DIdn't win anything, unfortunately, but the school raised around $12,000 with a matching grant from a private donor. After a computer lab is paid off, we should be able to put monies toward repairing the road to school, so we can all actually drive on it! (it is so nasty right now, after the rainy season, it's just lumps and bumps and is very narrow. ) *As this is published, we've actually driven on this road, and yes, miracles do happen--it's been grated, leveled and gravelled and it's AMAZING! Never thought we'd be so excited about a flat, gravel road!*

From jog-a-thon2010-11

Christmas Concerts

Lesley is in full swing of preparing for the Logos Elementary Christmas concert, Dec 8. We've been practicing for a couple weeks already, now after the week off, we'll prepare to perform in a week and a half. Crunch time! Looking forward to it, as it's such a fun night for the kids, and they put alot of effort into it. The mIddle school band course I teach, will see the kids perform on Dec 18. School goes until Dec 22, then we're still looking for a place to go for Christmas break. Here at Logos, since we start school in August, Christmas break is the half way mark of the school year. Hard to believe.

Future and transitions

WE will be looking at housing when returning to Canada, kids will be going back to MEI, and Dean has a position. Lesley is very excited (seriously!) to see what GOd has in store for her! I'm really hoping to help my family transition as it's going to be a HUGE transition with I'm sure lots of hills and valley's. Please be in prayer for us, as we make decisions and find out what the short term future holds.

Maya cute quips

From Mondulkiri

I have to write some of these down publically. They're so funny.
1. There was a short 3 and 5 K race a few saturday mornings ago. (I ran the 5 k for the first itme in a very long time and I'm still not sure how my sisters run half and full marathons! 5 K was a serious killer for me!) ANyways, after we left the race, Maya and I were driving on the moto just outside the school gate on part of the race route, and she asked, "is this where the Pre-K's ran???" (Get it? She heard "3K" and "5K" so much, she was thinking "pre-K." Cute.)
2. Maya was learning abou 3D shapes in school, so came home and pointed to all the tin cans and glasses on the table and said, "that's a salamander, and that's a salamander.. and that's a salamander!" (Meaning, of course, cylinder.)
3. There is a worhsip song that goes, "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.." As much as Maya loves to sing, she often slurs her words and just sings random syllables that make no sense! It's quite funny. ANyways, I caught her singing this song with the following words, "...as we wait upon the floor...wait upon the floor." Well, gr. 1 does do alot of sitting on the floor, waiting.....
4. Just before our break, Maya was insisting to her teacher, Miss Cole, that she would be traveling to CANADA for the break. (Instead of Mondulkiri, Cambodia--poor kid is so confused!) When corrected, she was insistant it was Canada she was going to, and it would take a whole day by van! Cute.

That's all, folks...
Thanks for staying tuned. We have so much coming up these next few weeks, that I hope to stay in touch in smaller doses, and send some pictures along. Take care all, and enjoy the beginnings of the Christmas season.
Lesley