Our Cambodian Home

     On November 19^th, we returned to Cambodia, where we have committed to spending another 5 months teaching English to the children living at Place of Rescue.  In addition to English, Stacey will also be teaching keyboard to a number of students.  

     Place of Rescue is our home while we are in Cambodia, and upon returning, we felt as though we were returning home, and were welcomed accordingly by those living here.  We are more than happy to start off where we left off with in our relationships with the children and youth, and are looking forward to getting to know a number of them on a deeper, personal level.

     Each child living at Rescue is a miracle, which is so much more evident to us this time around.  It is hard to look at a face, or listen to them laugh without realizing this fact.

      Each child in the orphanage section of Rescue has literally been taken out of a hopeless situation, without parents, and often coming from heartbreaking backgrounds. These children are given a family, schooling, and teaching about God.  One 16 year old boy said to us that he was so happy when he came to Rescue at 10 years old because there was food and he was able to go to school.

      The children who are a part of the AIDS centre section of Rescue live with their existing families, who, as a whole, regularly receive AIDS medication and medical care.  Each family living in one of these 16 homes are very much a part of the rest of the Rescue community.

     We have felt so blessed to be able to return and be involved in the lives of the children living here.  Because Cambodia is a very social culture, there are many activities that occur throughout the week, bringing everyone together regularly.  It is fun to be involved in this social community, and we are eager to use these times to form deeper meaningful relationships with the children here.

     Please partner with us in prayer for the continual safety and health of al the children adn parents living here.  

Also, please pray for us, both for our time here now, and for our future decisions. Pray for continual strength, patience and creativity for inside the classroom and out. 

      Thank you, Stacey and   Jeremy Bacque

                       “O Lord, I give my life to you.  I trust in you, my God!”

                                                                                                                                                       Psalm 25: 1-2a

      

The Heart of Christmas

     It is the season of Christmas, and what better way to get into the season than incorporate Christmas into the classroom?  My students have made cards and crafts, learned Christmas songs, and played Christmas games.  

      It was in my youngest class that I began to read a Christmas story - not THE Christmas story, but one about wanting presents and toys, about Santa and what he will bring.  These are ideas that do not seem foreign to the westerner, in fact they are far from foreign.  But as I was reading, and having my translator translate, I found myself embarrassed that I would even read such a book.  I apologized to my translator and said, “The End.”

     This occurrence has caused me to think deeper about what Christmas really means to me.  I know in my heart that the birth of Jesus is the reason for Christmas, and Christmas should be about love, community and sharing; but, how deeply engrained are these false stories of Santa and toys?  I mean, we all know the songs, and exactly how Santa travels and comes down chimneys, but to the foreigner, this idea is just that.

     Coming to Cambodia for Christmas has removed a large part of many Christmas traditions for us.  But one large tradition, of coarse, is shopping for presents.  I love buying, wrapping and giving presents.  I don’t care as much about receiving presents though, so I don’t buy so I can get.  When you remove this shopping factor, and suddenly you are left without shopping, you feel as though all the prep and lead-up to Christmas is gone.  This is a problem.  Once I realized this is how I felt, I realized that shopping and presents are what really does define Christmas in western culture; and although I like to think otherwise, it has defined much of what Christmas means to me.

     By being removed from westernization this holiday season, I have learned more about myself, and feel blessed to be able to focus on the things that matter: Jesus, love, relationships, and community - all which are very close to us now and easy to access!

Christmas in Cambodia

It is December 1^st on this side of the world, and the Christmas season should be in full swing on your side of the world by now.  For those who know us, know that Christmas is a favorite for us… by far.  We love decorating, and I allow Jeremy to put his nutcrackers throughout the house :)  This year, for obvious reasons, will be a very different Christmas… no santas, reindeers, bells in the mall, Christmas parties… (and although we will be missing our friends and family this Christmas wholeheartedly), I feel as though I’ve won the lottery being able to spend it with all the children here.

I realized this week, that I have been underestimating the children, and their perception of us, and the way they watch our ways.  They see when we leave for the city, and when we stay to spend time with them on the weekends.  This should seem obvious, but it was only with their small comments here and there that I have realized this.  

The other day, one of the older boys, Thai, brought up Christmas.  He wondered if we would be leaving to spend Christmas at the beach, or in another country.  When I told him we were here to spend it with them, he was both surprised and excited.  The older children, at least, understand what a big occasion Christmas is to westerners, and I am glad we can give our passion for Christmas over to the ones we love here.

Our experience in coming back has been very different from the 1^st time we were here.  This time around, we have entered into a world we are familiar with, and a people we already know and love.  It is like we are entering into a family we left behind.  Our once room feels like our home, along with the rest of Rescue’s grounds.  And, although needing some small breaks at times, all I want to do is spend time with my family here, where last time privacy was a luxury for me.

Thank you for all the prayers coming out our way.  Although I enjoyed the children before, and for that reason we are back, I now feel an overflowing love for each of them, and sense of belonging in this one huge family.  

So, when I here “I’ll be home for Christmas….. if only in my dreams…”  I am torn, because I dream of family, snow, and tradition, but I am given an outpouring of love, and isn’t that what Christmas should really be about?  God’s love for us, and our love for others.

The Market

I went to the (food) market for the first time this morning since returning to Cambodia, and although I am used to the sights, I did think to myself, if only everyone I knew could see the things that I am seeing.

Imagine walking through narrow lanes, filled with people buying, selling, eating, driving motos.  I wait for my friend, who is buying pork, which is hanging on hooks.  She is touching each one to see which one is more tender.  Once she makes he decision, the "butcher" uses a hammer to remove the pig hoof, then an exe to cut up the pig leg.

Down a ways are the ladies selling the fish.  I like to buy fish from the market because they are still alive (until you pay)… for the most part.  Beside the alive fish lie large fish head.

Other sights include ladies sitting beside large bowls of eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts.  Pig heads, and chicken heads wait to by bought.  Behind some vegetables is a salon, where a lady is getting a pedicure, while at the back of the shop there is a double bed holding a father and child.

I hope your imagination works for you to see what I could see.  I wish my mind could take pictures that could be seen by all.

The time has come

After over a year of traveling, we finally made it back to Canada where we have been blessed with incredible family and friends.  It had been just over 2 months that we were home, which at times had felt like a whirlwind of faces and activity, but was much needed due to our time away.  Thank you to all of you who had welcomed us home and poured out into our lives.  

We left for Cambodia early November 19^th, to arrive in Phnom Pehn late the 20^th.  It was a long and exhausting, but fairly comfortable day of travel,  and we were warmly welcomed by our Cambodian friends.

Although many events have happened in the last 5 months since we left Cambodia, once we left the Phnom Pehn airport, it felt as though we had never left.  In many ways, our room at Place of Rescue has been our last home, and we were excited to finally settle in somewhere again.

The children have already been excited to see us, some of them counting down the days until we came back.  A moment ago a group of small boys were at our window, and informed us there is a baby named “Baby Jeramiah” (which is how the kids say Jeremy).  We’ll find out if that’s true.

We are looking forward to these 5 precious months we have with the children.  It has been almost a blessing to be removed from Place of Rescue, and take a fresh look at what we can do differently, and how we can form even deeper relationships with the children.

Please pray for inspiration, strength, and patience.  We are grateful for all the prayer and financial support we have received so far, but can never have enough prayer.  Thank you to all of you who have poured into our lives.  

                                                                                    Love you all, Stacey and Jeremy

A Few European Favorites

the Return...

After spending just over a year away from our families and friends, we have eagerly returned home to Canada, our home.  Our time away had given us so many new experiences, and insight into the hidden passions that exist within our hearts.  My eyes have been opened to the many social issues that exist both outside and inside Canada, and I now have a longing and eagerness to be a part of the solution to these issues.  I am not sure just yet how this will look, or when it will occur, but my heart longs to bring change.

As for now, Jeremy and I have decided to return to Place of Rescue in Cambodia.  At this moment we do not have a ticket booked, but we are looking at leaving mid-Novemeber until around April.  Our time at Rescue had opened up a new definition of what LOVE truly means.  All the children living at Rescue have been saved out of devastating situations through God's love, and have been embraced into a large family eager to reign down love on the new addition to Rescue.
On return to Cambodia, we will once again teach English to elementary, junior high, and high school students, as well as some additional teachers.  We are also looking forward to spending our extra time with the children we have left behind and miss so much.

Please partner with us in prayer as we move forward in our immediate future, but also search for direction for our distant future as well.



Click on: Place of Rescue for more information about where we will be heading.

If you want to know more about the history of Cambodia, which continues to impact all Cambodian lives, click here: Pol Pot's genocide

Reality meets West

Under the glowing Eiffel Tower, tucked away on the steps and benches of Paris are many people living within their invisible walls of a home:

The man in a deep sleep on the steps of Louis Vuitton, bed made comfortably, suitcase at foot, and on the suitcase neatly lies his suit-jacket, careful not to wrinkle it.  By day, I wonder, if I saw this man would I know he does not have a home?  Well dressed, suitcase with wheels, walking Paris.

We pass the disheveled woman, maybe 55, with low pigtails and dark make-up, dirty white dog in her lap.  What is her story, I wonder?  Was she in broadway and still living the dream?  That is how it seems to me.

The man across the street is singing a lullaby to all, while the man in the bus stop near us is encouraging him to quiet, speaking more to himself than to anyone else.

A man fast asleep in a glass phone booth, one foot up on the door.

A mother and father tucking their 2 young boys in on their large mattresses in a dark street.  After all, they had had a long day and it was after the boys bedtime.

A father sits on his mattress on a busy street corner, 2 year old daughter in lap, fighting her sleeplessness.

As we walked the enchanted streets, it seemed more than common to pass someone lounging on their mattress in the morning sun reading a magazine, or petting their dog, with what seemed to be all their possessions lying beside.  Not boxes and bags, but suitcases and basketballs… normal possessions that we ourselves have as well.  What happened?  Who are these people and what are their stories?  

Last night in Paris, and it was hard to fall asleep.  Not because I didn’t want to leave (which, I LOVED Paris), but because after seeing these images for 3 days and 3 nights, the faces were calling out to me.

At the point of Paris, it had been over a year since Jeremy and I had first set out on our adventure around the world.  We have entered and exited so many countries… (was it 19 that we counted? Give or take 1?) …we have embraced so many people, and cultures, and sights, and religions - although we didn’t agree with or like all, but we loved all.  

Walking through each country and seeing the exposed weaknesses, we have come to learn that every country has a need.  Every person has a problem.  Everybody needs to be loved…. whether that is in Paris, Australia, Cambodia, or Canada.  This lesson was both on Jeremy and my heart as we wrapped up our final days abroad.  

While in a new city, it is easy to take in all the new things, because you are not expecting anything…. you don’t know what you will discover.  On the streets of our own city, we know the sights, we know the homelessness already, and over the years we have grown accustomed.  Paris had opened our eyes to the need in Paris, but  reminded us of that same need in Edmonton.  There are heartbreaking life stories everywhere, but we can no longer “grow accustomed” to them.  We can no longer walk past another day and think, “I should do something, I should volunteer maybe, but where is the time?”  There is always time, until one day life is over.

We have landed in Canada, and we are not sure how our future will look after this year.  What will change?  I am not sure just yet, but how can our lives be the same?  They can’t?  Mundane routine?  The thought scares me.

Solena

Solena.  She was an incredibly happy girl: always laughing, always running, a very free spirit.  She was loved and she loved.  Having been brought to Rescue with AIDS, she was well cared for and given the proper medicine she needed.  One day last week she started having seizures due to what we thought was a fever,  but the doctors though meningitis.  After almost a week in the hospital, she passed away.

If there is one thing that I have learned through the passing of my dad is that God does not always heal in the way we expect.  Heaven is the perfect healing; and, although we do not always understand on earth, God knows what he's doing.  It is through our selfishness that we want to be with the person we love, and that is what brings the pain.  We often are confused and shocked when someone passes, especially a child.  I can only think that God is sitting up in Heaven and thinking, "now is the time that I take away all her suffering", so He does.

Solena will be missed by the large family that she inherited through Rescue.  But ultimately she has been rescued from the pain of this world.  Please pray for those left behind.

3 years…. + ….

      3 years…. and counting.  Time rushes past us… but, that same time if so full of meaning and memories.  Usually the memories long to be more than just memories, and if only they could yet again become the reality that they long to be.

     I am the type of person who would rather move forward than sit in grief.  This is what I did, and I refused to allow myself to grieve.  My dad was my hero, and losing that meant too much to think about.  In the last 10 months that we have been travelling, the time we have spent in Haiti and Cambodia has forced me to slow down and embrace the quiet moments, and my real feelings - the pain of the loss, as well as the memories I will always cherish.

     

     In the last 3 years, there have been different instances where the loss of my dad has hit me. . . hard.  The first time this happened was shortly following dad's passing, when I encountered an elderly man, who shared the same pale blue eyes that dad had.  In that moment I was overcome with shocking grief.  In the following weeks, I saw this man daily, and each time I felt as though I had been given a piece of my dad.

     Most recently, I watched a man pursue life in the purest form before he died of cancer.  Free.  Happy.  Although this was a movie, he reminded me of the child-like tenderness and freedom that my dad displayed in his last days.  Enjoying each moment he had with his family, in the greatest way that he could.  Singing, dancing, joking.  His eyes were always kind, loving, and at peace.

     Losing someone close to you changes the way you see life.  I know this sounds cliche, but for me it is true.  Life is all about loving others in the purist way possible.  Looking at those who need love and giving it to them.  I have encountered many of these people most recently, and it makes me long to continue loving them, as well as try to help change their situation.
     But, then there is the pull to share more time with my family and friends who I hold so close to my heart.  After all, time just becomes memories, and these are the people I long to be with most.  So where is the in between?

     And why is it that we wait until we are dying to live life?  Isn't this the time we already possess to live?  Each moment is here to embrace and enjoy.  Losing my dad, as well as the past 10 months has showed me this.  I want to embrace each day with Freedom, Happiness, Singing, Dancing, and Joking. For our time here is just too short to do anything otherwise.

 A broken world

     Watching the children laugh and run and play, it occurs to me just how pure and innocent they were meant to be.  They were born this way, with no fault; but, they were born into a fallen world, one full of sin.  Some, from the time they took their first breath, were introduced to sin.  Each small child has their own set of scars, not ones that they committed, but ones that were given to them.

         Looking at the faces and smiles of the children, I sometimes forget that each child that I see everyday has a story; a past.  Why should this be?  Should children not be allowed to merely be children?

     This world is so dark and evil; but, the children are a light in the darkness.  Their futures are like a blank canvas, one to be shaped and molded.  The scars will never go away, but there has been redemption and healing through God.

     This is not the story of only Cambodian children; this is the story of many children all over the world.  A history filled with abuse and darkness.  Who will bring these children God, and hope, and a road to recovery, so they too can be healed from the evils of this world? 

Flowers

Many of the children pick flowers for us at Place of Rescue.  Right as soon as the flower is ripe and beautiful to pick, there's a chance someone has their little hands all over it.  Some of the kids here have AIDS and as one boy handed me some fresh flowers the other day, it made me contemplate the lives of the other sick kids around here.  I hope you do too.

 Untitled

The little boy picks flowers for me

And offers them affectionately 

Yet I wonder if he doesn’t know

The time it takes a flower to grow

Young petals that had barely spread

I hold in my palm already dead

So how do I respond or react

To this flower no longer intact

Blossom you barely had time to soak in

The sun, the rain and your life within

He plucked you from your sturdy stem

And no longer were you one of them 

Appreciation for such intricate form

A lot resolved before you were born

If he only knew your plight

You might have stood up tall upright

Why though is there such beauty 

In this flower he has picked for me

Foolishness I dare not say

For it was given life this day

He sowed some love at the expense

Of a timely act of providence

To demonstrate how much he cared

For in this bud his soul he bared

Its stalk was weak and so is he

But love in them is all I see

A life they both met underserved

A life, a love is now preserved 

He is the blossom that keeps on living

Though his sickness is unforgiving

And when I hold this tiny blessing

Christ’s love I am now possessing

Place of Rescue

      It was not until the day we were flying into Cambodia that the nervousness of teaching began.  I had never taught a class full of children, let alone English without a translator…  I really was not sure what to expect.
      Once we flew into the country, Jeremy and I spent 3 days in the city of Phnom Pehn, and after 2 ½ months of travelling from place to place, I was excited to see where we would call home for the next 3 months.  It was fun finding the different markets and grocery stores, and eagerness to learn the Khmer language kicked in.

     Arriving at Place of Rescue, which is an orphanage that was established by Marie Ens, we were impressed right away.  After spending much of her life as a missionary in Cambodia (with her late husband), Marie returned to Cambodia to "retire".  As a retiree, she saw the need to help those suffering during the AIDS crisis.  Many woman were left abandoned by their husbands, leaving many children without parents following the death of their mothers due to AIDS.  Marie started by first taking one child and her mother off the street.  They were given shelter, food, medicine and love.  The little girl, Ny, is still here..but she has grown into a young woman, almost ready for college.
Rescue is set up in a village-like style.  There are AIDS homes, where families can stay together in their own home, and receive the proper medicine and treatment they need.  There are trips to the hospital 2 times a week, as well as an on-site nurse.
As for the children who have survived their parents, there are a number of houses arranged in a family style.  Each house has a house mom, and about 10 children.  The children are expected to help with meals and chores, as well as eat as a family.
Marie has also set up a home for grannies who have no one to look after them otherwise.  This adds a great dynamic to the environment, as Recuse ranges from the little babies to the wise grannies.

     Jeremy and I (along side 2 other Canadian English teachers) are teaching English to elementary, junior high, and high school students.  There is an elementary school on the grounds, where the children attend Monday to Friday.  The Junior high and High school students ride their bikes to the local schools Monday to Saturday to study there.  After they return from school, they have English classes in the evenings.

      The children here are so happy and full of life.  The little ones bound towards us only to wrap their arms around our legs whenever we are in sight.  The young ones look for us to play with them, and still the older ones want to hang out.

      Since arriving, we have grown accustomed to faces in our windows (however, it is not always appreciated), our bucket shower, and late evening traditional Khmer dance practices.  There is usually much noise around Rescue, with worship, movies, dancing, and plenty of laughter.  Being the type of person who loves to be involved in whatever activity is occurring, but then finding quiet solitude to rejuvenate poses a challenge here.  At Rescue, there is always something going on, and quiet solitude is hard to come by.  Luckily leaving rural Cambodia to retreat in the busy urban dwellings of Phnom Pehn can actually offer the solitude i need to face another week.

     In saying all this, we are loving Cambodia, the people we work with and the people we don't.  I have fallen into a teaching groove, and it turns out that teaching is not as scary as i thought it would be…

If you want to know more information about Place of Rescue, check out the home site at:
http://www.placeofrescue.com/home/

The Chase

The Million Dollar Question

What would you do with a million dollars?  Undoubtedly one of the most popular of all hypothetical questions.  At one time probably a very creative quandary or ice-breaker, but now more of a silly conjecture for which there is neither a right answer, a wrong answer, or an answer that will appease everyone.  Cleverly spun by the media, this query is often posed to actors who in one instant can appear as heroic ambassadors of good will, or instantly lose any generous credibility due their name, based on what they assure us they will spend the money on.  Furthermore, whether its our best friend, a game show winner or a billionaire turned philanthropist, the answer offered in usually just a split second leaves us feeling skeptical.  A more natural reaction than believing the answer is to pull out our theoretical measuring stick and gauge it against what we deem to be a satisfactory answer.  Unfortunately our motives lie more in sniffing out an incorrect response than continuing a topic we are serious about addressing.

How do we know then that someone is telling the truth?  Can we offer an honest response to this question?  I think there is an honest response and I will share a couple examples that compliment each other well.  Unfortunately neither of them offer substantial evidence, but merely a humble call to action, which for this circumstance I will gladly call hope.  Maybe you will read these thoughts cynically and be left disenchanted, after all money has a more profound way of leaving us feeling pessimistic than hopeful.  Just remember, these honest replies are not muddled up in hidden agendas, political platforms or egotism.  They come from people who do need to dwell on such conundrums.  They come from the poor.

Jesus witnessed firsthand what someone would have done, as written in Luke 21.  Remember, this is not a parable.

“The poor woman at the temple treasury deposited two very small copper coins.  This represented her giving out of her poverty, all that she had to live on.  The rich man who approached the same collection placed a larger monetary amount,” one that did not set him back financially as Jesus explained: “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  

One student at Rescue in Cambodia was posed the million dollar question.  Remember, many of these kids are victims of AIDS, homelessness and abuse, kids that didn’t have a dime to their name when they were scooped out of some very deplorable situations.  Same position as the poor widow, worse actually I’ll wager.  

Here was the response: “I’d try to help orphans and poor people find a place to live.”  I wasn’t in attendance for this class, but I’m sure I would’ve witnessed a generous round of head-nodding and murmured agreement.  We’re shocked by this answer.  The story about the poor widow is lost on us sometimes but this is 2012, there’s a lot of things you can do with a million bucks, especially if you need it like these kids, right?

What the “haves” envision a million dollars accomplishing is probably drastically different than what the “have-nots” would think.  The average North American might have that money spent by the time they’re finished answering the question.  I could tell you that these kids literally wouldn’t know what else to spend the money on and its because they never had it to begin with.  I suppose you could attribute their simple and generous answer to lack of education, or childish innocence, but is that really the path we want to take?  I have to say, I want to believe his answer, I do believe his answer.  I can search my heart and know darn well that if it’s my money it could be misused starting with the first dollar.  I know what its like to have money, to control my finances, to understand in theory how far a million dollars could go.  Alas, this is where the downward spiral comes into play, and many of us hope that we could do the right thing with the money but we would struggle greatly because we would not have in mind the things of God but the things of this world.  

To satisfy this dilemma, God gave me this verse.  The words stun me, because they give conformation and hope to what I’ve struggled to make sense of for a couple of weeks now.  It spoke perfectly to my heart because too often I am an outsider, too often polluted by this world and far from pure and blameless.  Its not about a million bucks, its not about five bucks, its about a call to action, God’s way, not our way.

James 1:27  “Religion that is pure and blameless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

OUR TIME IN ASIA THUS FAR (IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY READ THIS...)

A Canadian Mindset

     We have been at Place of Rescue for just over a week now; yet we entered into routine in less than a day, making it feel as though we have called this home for awhile now.  Coming to Cambodia, Jeremy and I were both very excited for a number of reasons, but one being that we could finally settle down into our own place.  Traveling to different places, experiencing new foods, cities, and cultures was an amazing experience, but it was also very tiring.  Thoughts of settling down caused me to look forward to cooking our own food… having spinach, grains, seeds, fruits…. Things we were missing from our street food diet.  We had heard that we would have our own kitchen in a “house”, so naturally visions of a counter, stove, and fridge entered my mind, as a part of our “house”.

     It was not until we entered the grocery store that I began to feel overwhelmed … we had no food to start from, so we literally had to buy any and everything we would need… but we couldn’t just buy everything!  The prices in the grocery store also surprised us…. Wasn’t this Cambodia?  The land of cheap?  The items that we were used to buying back home were suddenly higher in price (now they were foreign items, thus more expensive).

     It was also at the grocery store that we learned we “...do not have power.”  ???  No power… something that we were used to in Haiti, but we also did not cook in Haiti.  No power must mean gas stove (and it did), but what about a fridge?  I must sound selfish, but this stressed me out.  We would have an “icebox”.  In that moment I did not even know what an icebox was (it’s basically a cooler for anyone who is as naïve as I).

     (Our “house” is actually a bedroom off of the school office housing our bed, desk, closet, gas stove, sink, and cabinet.  Being a part of the office offers us little privacy, but in return we look at tiny smiling Cambodian faces peering in our windows a number of times a day.  If you have to lose privacy, this is a good alternative).

     After a week we have entered into a routine of ordering ice every 2 days for our icebox, and a jug of drinking water every 4 days.  We are growing accustomed to our “bucket shower” (which was a huge shock to find!), although it could never replace our love and respect for a real shower.

     During the days we have running water for our sink, but it was this last weekend we were surprised to find that we do not have running water on weekends.  Every now and then we will find a new surprise I am sure, but, this is Cambodia, not Canada.  It is different here… life is different here. 

The Great Wife

When You are Closer than Ever Before

We were sitting and waiting for a flight when the strangely familiar smell of a stranger’s gas wafted through our airspace.  Stacey gave me a curiously hopeful look that said, “I know that wasn’t you, but I would like it better if it was in fact you, rather than that man behind us.”  Sorry Stacey, it wasn’t me, it was 14F.

Lots of Room at the Inn

As Singapore drew closer, all we had heard was that it is super expensive.  If you know someone there, stay with them because hotels are a rip-off.  Well, the only couch surfing reply we received was from Melvin, God bless his heart.  Already had 3 couch surfers at his place but he was willing to take us if we stayed in his room on an extra mattress.  Sure why not, I thought, wives love doing things like that!  She agreed reluctantly, and sushi has a way of changing Stacey’s mind about anything.  Plus, sleeping in strangers rooms would be a lot weirder if you didn’t sleep and instead you just watched them all night, waiting for them to attack you.  But then you’d be the one with the problem, not the guy who invited you in.

Thrift Store

In Haiti especially, Stacey and I felt like we were in survival mode sometimes.  If a short-term team brought peanut butter or chocolate to the compound we devoured it!  Oddly enough though, one team left many of their clothing items.  Now I know something about Stacey.  She does NOT shop at second hand clothing stores, unless they “ have cute stuff like the ones in Vancouver.”  But this is Haiti.  Stacey shopped, looked great and wore it like she bought it.  Great story about overcoming fear. 

Foreign Mattress

Probably slept on 20 of these so far.  They all smell, look, feel and taste different.  I have proved I can sleep almost anywhere, just not through noise.  Stacey is the inverse, so much that she psychs herself out of being able to sleep on rock-hard mattresses.  Seriously, who can’t do that?  So, to express her displeasure at foreign mattress she will  kick her legs skyward, landing them with a disruptive thump and then violently swing her upper body from stomach side down to ceiling side up, while I have already started sleeping, dealing with my situation, but like I said, I hope for a firm mattress.  I turn to the spastic, straitjacketed earthworm beside me and firmly remind her, “Stacey when I am uncomfortable in my bed, as gently and quietly as I can I will reposition myself as not to wake you.  How do you repay me?  By thrashing around like a donkey inside a refrigerator box.  Please stop doing that.”  She didn’t budge.  I didn’t say donkey in a refrigerator box.

Asian Stacey

People love Stacey wherever we go.  She wears an eternal smile and graciously attempts to speak whatever foreign language people oblige her with, even though she has no clue what they’re saying.  She can’t bargain worth a cent because she doesn’t want the poor shopkeepers to lose out and she’ll always try to translate every single menu item before ordering, even when every alphabetic character is undecipherable to her.  When there’s no shower, she’ll use the bucket method and you won’t hear her complain about anything for much than a moment, because she’s already thought of a clever way to make do with the situation anyways.  There is a Thai phrase that people use: “same, same, but different.”  Stacey will always be the same sweet girl that many of you won’t see much this year, but she’s different and different is always better!

Longing

Clear blue waters are easy to look at; the crash of waves is easy to listen to; but the longing to be home with family is hard to hide.  It is not always easy being half a world away.

Unglamorous

Tranquil turquoise seas lining white sanded beaches; sea breeze blowing slightly against your sun-kissed skin.  New cultural dishes, all nicely priced so one can try one of each.  Landscapes that change upon entry to each unfamiliar country; ready to explore.  These are the thoughts that enter most minds when it comes to traveling, and rightly so, they are quite accurate.  But with each heavenly thought comes a sacrifice, of sorts… traveling is not always glamorous.

Instances, such as in Australia, when all you want to do is crawl up on your own couch and eat a home cooked meal.  No more cities, no more walking, no more pictures, no more restaurant cooked food.

Or in Bali, when the money exchange guy takes half your money right in front of your eyes, but you don’t even realize… until…. It happens a second time!  It is at that time that you realize you are another easy target.

In Java, being a white female in a predominately Muslim country brings out a feeling of discomfort.  Over time one does adjust to the layering of clothes.  One also becomes accustomed to the numerous daily Calls to Prayer that are heard throughout the streets, followed by a trail of Muslims showing up to the Mosques.

By Singapore you just long for western food of any kind, to help overcome to bug that has overcome your stomach… a gift from the Indonesian food.  

A closet to call your own, instead of the backpack jammed with wrinkled clothes, is also one the wish list.  Picking up and leaving every couple of days, never having a space of your own….

Eventually Malaysia hits, and so does the longing to see family and friends.  The thoughts of home so strong.   Skype, the only link to filling our desires, only Skype doesn’t truly fill the desires within our hearts.

Thailand…. Oh Thailand.  The experience getting here was one to remember.  Crammed in the back of a minivan, behind luggage, which helps to block the little airflow available.  Realizing your life and time is not as sacred as the packages and parcels that are needed to be dropped off first.  The supposedly 8 hour trip turned 10 hours.  This was our first encounter where knowing the country’s language would have come in helpful… but how does one learn this language when the alphabet is completely different?  

It isn’t fun hiking halfway up a mountain with a 18 kg bag on your back, looking for your pre-paid hotel - booked under one name, but after nearly an hour learning the name was changed!  How Amusing!

But when all is said and done, the cultural experiences, and beauty of a magnificent red Thai sunset captures your heart, causing the annoyances of the day to melt away.

Traveling brings new experiences, both good and bad.    Cultures have their loves and hates.  This is fact.  This is traveling.  No one said it was glamorous.

Modern-Day Slavery

     While in Malaysia, we stayed with a missionary family who uncovered new information to us regarding modern day slavery in the country.  I then borowed a book that was put together by YWAM Penang, and Raise Their Voice, called “Disappointed by Hope”, which outlines 30 different stories of peoples lives who have been involved in the abuse of modern-day slavery and/or refugee camps.  This book gave me much needed information regarding an area that has been looked past in so many ways.  

     “At least 1 in every 4 workers in Malaysia is a foreigner. Migrants have become an essential part of the country’s economic growth and productivity. Malaysia is also a country of refuge for tribes and nations from all over the world. However, despite their longing for a better country, migrant workers and refugees have not found an easy life. Malaysia’s laws, policies, and practices create an environment of vulnerability for both these groups in different ways. Unlike Malaysians, they are at a legal, social, and political disadvantage.

     The reality of life in Malaysia leaves many migrants and refugees disappointed by the hopes they had of a better life. Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation and cheating. Because they are not given legal status, refugees are often arrested, detained in poor conditions, punished through imprisonment and whipping, and then deported.”

YWAM Penang website:  http://www.ywampenang.org/main2/?page_id=807

     In the streets here you see them, foreigners working on construction sites, as house maids, in street cleaning crews.  Many of these people are here after having fled from their unsafe countries or impoverished situations, hoping for a better life - for them; for their families.  

     Others are recruited by companies who promise their workers high wages to work in another country, offering hope to these people who long to change their situations.  In some cases, after reaching the airport, they are told their contract has changed: the pay is far less, the hours of work has increased, and their passports are taken away.  In other cases, woman, who believe they are on their way to a new career (in fabrics for example) are sold at the border into prostitution, and imprisoned by by their owners.

     Often employees demand that the workers continue working past their visa limit, and fail to fill out the proper paper work to extend the migrant workers visas. Without a passport, migrant workers are unable to leave the country at the time required for them, transforming the once legal migrant worker into illegal immigrants.  

     There are many refugees that come to Malaysia from the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Thailand, Africa, Indonesia, and Burma.  These people are fleeing for their lives in many cases.  The Malaysian government has allowed the refugees who are accounted for to stay in the country (often they need to pay a monthly fee); however, these people are not entitled to healthcare and education, leaving many children uneducated.

     In Burma, the muslim people, known as the Rohingya people, have become unrecognized as citizens of the country, and therefore do not hold citizenship in any country.  Others in Burma have been terrorized by the countries brutal military rule and have fled out of fear for their lives.  (Fortunately, after nearly 50 years of of unethical victimization by the military, the government is promising new political reforms which will provide safety for the Burmese people). Because of the situation, many refugees have picked safe havens, such as Malaysia, to form a new life.

http://www.refintl.org/where-we-work/asia/burma

     Often the Malaysian government seeks to crack down on the number of illegal immigrants within the country and conducts raids, locking up the guilty in unethical and immoral refugee centers where the people are “disciplined” before deportation.  As some do not hold an identity or citizenship to their home country at the time of imprisonment, death sometimes occurs before deportation.

     While we were in Haiti, Trevor had sent us a link to an article outlining the modern-day slavery occurring in Dubai.  ( http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html). Although the article was lengthy, I could not stop reading as I felt like I needed to know all the facts that I felt like had been hidden from me.  After reading the article I felt sickened that humans could treat other humans in such ways. Hadn’t slavery been abolished already?  

     I said that I would never go to Dubai as I did not want to contribute to the economy of such a place (although my penny would be just a drop in the bucket).  Yet, it was not until we were already in Malaysia that I learned of the slavery occurring there.  I realized that it happens so many places without the average person knowing, or understanding all that happens.  Many large popular companies, names of which we have all heard of, hire out work to the smaller, “slave-like” companies to do their work.  These companies can claim that they have not part in slavery, as they pay the smaller company well in comparison to what the “slaves” are making.  It’s the smaller companies that don’t quite pay the “slaves”.

     While walking down the street, I started to notice the signs.  A burmese worker slowly working to sweep an small area, fatigued.  The name of a unknown (to me) company on his back. The lines of clothing hanging on the bottom floors of a local hotel/apartment that is still in the early stages of construction…. I had to wonder if the workers were staying there, in the concrete shell.  I passed a sign that said “INDONESIAN AND THAI MAIDS. FAST DELIVERY”…. Delivery?  Are we still talking about people or possessions?  Another sign “Indonesian maids” - the name of the company, ‘Servance’.

     These are peoples lives that are being destroyed.  People who live and breath and laugh and cry and feel pain just like anyone else.  I feel compelled to look deeper in to modern day slavery, and learn more about what I can do.  It is hard… so many large companies involved, where do you start?  Some locals help by teaching the refugee children in a put-together school.  Some have boughten new mattresses for the 12 men sharing a 2 bedroom apartment (because that is all the construction company provided for them)…. The previous mattresses full of stains, mold, and bedbugs.  It is through touching one life at a time in this horrific tragedy that occurs.

     What more can you do?  This is a question that I ask myself.

                        Isaiah 44:9-20

                             New International Version (NIV)

                                         ⁹ All who make idols are nothing, 

                           and the things they treasure are worthless. 

Those who would speak up for them are blind; 

   they are ignorant, to their own shame. 

¹⁰ Who shapes a god and casts an idol, 

   which can profit nothing? 

¹¹ People who do that will be put to shame; 

   such craftsmen are only human beings. 

Let them all come together and take their stand; 

   they will be brought down to terror and shame.

 ¹² The blacksmith takes a tool 

                and works with it in the coals; 

                       he shapes an idol with hammers, 

                            he forges it with the might of his arm. 

                             He gets hungry and loses his strength; 

                         he drinks no water and grows faint. 

                              ¹³ The carpenter measures with a line 

   and makes an outline with a marker; 

he roughs it out with chisels 

   and marks it with compasses. 

He shapes it in human form, 

   human form in all its glory, 

   that it may dwell in a shrine. 

¹⁴ He cut down cedars, 

   or perhaps took a cypress or oak. 

He let it grow among the trees of the forest, 

   or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 

¹⁵ It is used as fuel for burning; 

   some of it he takes and warms himself, 

   he kindles a fire and bakes bread. 

But he also fashions a god and worships it; 

   he makes an idol and bows down to it. 

¹⁶ Half of the wood he burns in the fire; 

   over it he prepares his meal, 

   he roasts his meat and eats his fill. 

He also warms himself and says, 

   “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”

¹⁷ From the rest he makes a god, his idol; 

   he bows down to it and worships. 

         He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!”

¹⁸ They know nothing, they understand nothing; 

   their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, 

   and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 

¹⁹ No one stops to think, 

   no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, 

“Half of it I used for fuel; 

 I even baked bread over its coals, 

   I roasted meat and I ate. 

Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? 

   Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”   

²⁰ Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; 

   he cannot save himself, or say, 

   “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”