A Day in Cambodia
Today was one of those days where you either have to laugh or cry (Christiana and I are laughing…). Don’t get me wrong, the whole day wasn’t all bad, there were some really nice, tender moments (especially towards the end). Here’s how it happened:
5:15 AM – Ava, unaware of the time, decided to get up early, and in the process woke up both her mommy and daddy who were sleeping in her room because the paint was still drying in theirs.
6:30 AM – Got to take the Asian Hope boys out for breakfast, the car didn’t start (seemed like a dead battery again – it had broken down yesterday as well), so instead of going to the normal breakfast place we walked to have Phở at a new shop down the street. Had a great discussion about a godly man’s relationships with others (from Watson’s “A Godly Man’s Picture”). Picked out unidentifiable parts of some animal out of Phở. Had ice coffee, most likely of the “un-pure” type.
8:00 AM – Headed over to Daren and Jodi’s to put the spare tire on their van because the front right tire was completely flat (Daren is out of the country attending our mission’s yearly council meetings). The jack was too short, so after about four or five tries, had some Cambodian’s help, we ended up jacking up the car as high as we could, putting some bricks under the car, letting the jack down, bricks proceeded to crack and burst under the weight, but held together long enough to put the jack on top of a cement slab and jack up the car again getting just enough height to take off the flat and put on the spare.
9:00 AM – Took the flat tire to the shop to get it patched, $1.25 later, had the tire back on and the spare back where it belongs in the back of the van. Also asked mechanics where I could buy a car battery charger, since our car battery keeps dying, I wanted to keep a spare to jump us if we got stranded. Found out after fumbling over vocabulary I don’t have, that they can be bought near Wat Koh (a wat is a Buddhist temple).
9:50 AM – Brought car back to Jodi and the kids, and then headed out to buy a battery charger, after asking some kids at Logos school where Wat Koh was (they said it was near Central Market).
10:10 AM – Decide to go to battery shop closer to our house in case they sold battery chargers. Asked shop owners where I could buy a battery charger and they also confirm that near Wat Koh is the place, but say it is near Orasey Market, not Central Market. I bought some jumper cables and then headed off.
10:15 AM – See another battery shop, decide to ask them the same question to make sure I am on the right trail. They confirm Wat Koh near Orasey Market and they add that it is near Big “A” (but I was under the impression that Big “A” closed a while back, so not sure if it is the Big “A” that I know). Good, I’m heading the right direction. But street names would have been nice (but they are not the common way to get directions in Cambodia).
10:30 AM – Headed in the general direction of Orasey Market, but can’t totally remember where it is, ask a street vender where Orasey Market is and she tells me turn left at the next street.
10:50 AM – At a split in the road, while waiting for a red light, ask a moto driver next to me which way to Orasey Market, and he tells me to bear right.
11:05 AM – Arrive at Orasey Market, but still not sure where Wat Koh is. Stop and ask a watch repairman where I can buy a car battery charger and he tells me to keep going straight and look on the left hand side for a shop.
11:10 AM – See battery shop on the left, stop and ask owner if he sells battery chargers. First he thought I meant jumper cables, but then understands me and points to a very large machine that charges batteries. I ask if they sell smaller ones for personal use, and he says no, but that near Wat Koh there are some shops that sell them. I ask where Wat Koh is and he says just keep going straight and turn left at the light, or go on a back street and turn right. At that moment realize that the street is Monivong (one of the main streets in Phnom Penh) and that the shops that everyone was talking about were the same shops I have bought voltage converters and stabilizers from. Nice. Decide to take the back way to get to them.
11:15 AM – On the way see a shop on the left that sells voltage converters, so I stop assuming he also sells battery chargers. After a bit of talking, find what I am looking for. He shows me how it works, and I buy it. Put it in my backpack and head home.
11:40 AM – Arrive home, have lunch, delicious Khmer Curry with French baguettes. Hook up the battery charger to the car.
12:30 PM – Decide to grab some cold drinks for Christiana and I (it was pretty hot today!) and test drive the car. The car starts (yay!), and I head off. Get to shop, buy two “frapuccino” drinks at a new coffee shop and head home. The car started fine, good. About half a mile from home, car seems to shift into another gear, and then dies. Pull over to side of the road – don’t quite make it. Try and start the car, the battery is fine, but it doesn’t turn over. Put in the car in neutral, get out and push it to the side of the road so it won’t get hit by passing traffic. Motodope sees me pushing the car, pulls over and asks if I want I ride. I say yes, he comes over and helps push. Get the car to the side of the road, grab the two cold drinks and motodope home.
1:00 PM – Arrive home, have a laugh that our car has broken down again. Enjoy our cold drinks, and then I head off to find a mechanic.
1:20 PM – Ride dirt bike to car, try and start the car again. Same as before, so I head off to look for a mechanic.
1:30 PM – Decide to use a new garage not too far from the car, pull up and ask if they can come look at the car – only one “understudy” mechanic is there (it is Saturday), but the fiancée of the secretary says they can go tow the car to the garage. Talk with Sam (the fiancée of the secretary) for a while, learn he is a Cambodian who lived in Bakersfield for 10 years and has just returned (a few days ago) to marry his fiancée (an arranged marriage). Talk with him about what I do and why I am here with my family. He invites me to his wedding out in the province later this month and says he would be very happy if we could come – he is very gracious and says that he is so appreciative of any foreigner who comes to help his people. We then drive a truck to our broken down car, hook up a short cable and tow it back to the shop.
2:30 PM – Wait in the waiting area (that has air-conditioning!), read up on some cars for sale and real estate in Cambodia. Find out you can buy a 2009 V8 Land Cruiser for $100,000. Make some calls – including asking Jodi if we could borrow their car in the evening (it’s date night!). Jodi says no problem.
3:45 PM – Tell the secretary that it is ok to leave the car in the shop, and that I promised to take my wife out this evening. She says no problem. Fills out a receipt and gives it to me. Talk with Sam, who says it is going to take a while to fix the car because the head mechanic isn’t here (because it is Saturday) and also because they were unable to hook up the computer to the car (it actually is a really nice shop, everything looked pretty new and even having a computer is not all that normal). I say no problem, give him a little more history on the car, and head over to the Beck’s to pick up the van.
4:00 PM – Pick up the van from Jodi, and head over to pick up Christiana and Ava to take Ava over to the Lopez’s who graciously accepted babysitting duty (thank you!).
4:30 PM – Get ready for date night, and head out to the Lopez house, buy some diapers on the way.
5:15 PM – Arrive at the Lopez house, talk for a bit and then head over to the riverside to eat.
5:30 PM – Decide we are not too hungry yet, so we go a little farther to see if the art shops are still open. They are so we park the car and look for some paintings to brighten up and tie together the downstairs.
6:45 PM – End up finding some paintings we like, buy them and then head to dinner. Have a delicious meal (I had grilled chicken with veggies, and Christiana had a tasty burger).
8:00 PM – Head back to Lopez house, pick up Ava who had cried for an hour and a half (not normal for her, but she seemed to be ok, no fever or anything), and thanked the Lopez’s for their endurance. Picked up BJ’s guitar so I could prepare for worship tomorrow (the guys who normally play can’t this Sunday).
8:30 PM – Arrive home, unpack the car and then got ready for leading worship and communion tomorrow. Play with Ava and then check e-mail.
10:55 PM – Finished writing this blog post and off to bed.
These are the days that I need to remember that God is working out all things for my good, and for His glory. May He be glorified, and oh, how amazing it is that He is actually working for my good in all of this!
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
