Photos help open doors

7.24.2012

Good morning. Or in your case good evening.

Another good day but they're all good. Sometimes I just have to look a little harder.

Getting back in the hang of things with moto. At first it's a little intimidating. Not sure which way to go but after awhile you just flow with the traffic. It is a very good way to see the country. You only go about 30 mph on the highway and you can drive either side. For real. That always makes it interesting.

Sitting in the cafe having pork, rice, vegies and tea for dinner. $1.25. If I were to eat at a tourist restaurant it would be $3.00. Only the tourist place is not as nice.

Took a ride to the next city. It is small. Half the size of Medical Lake. But ten times as many people. Maybe twenty times. Crossed a small river and there is small Vietnamese floating village. Sending pics.

Went to internet store and the girl showed me what I wasn't doing. Think I have it figured out now. We'll see here in a minute. (He got it right cause posted the photos he took!)

Going PP tomorrow to buy a battery powered photo printer. I have to have something to open the door in the village. Taking pics and giving back a photo into their hands is the ticket. Since I can't speak the language good enough. Need get a boy in village that can. When I start handing out pics they will produce him so we can talk. Then I can start to learn about them and what their needs are. I'm talking about the Cambodians now, not the Vietnamese. Need to do something with both of them. If we only work with Vietnamese the Cambodians get angry. They would never let you know though because you have to buy from them. But they would be resentful.

I found a little bit more about that. When the Vietnamese came in and conquered the Khmer Rouge it was much better in the country but in some areas the Vietnamese were pretty cruel. Not near as cruel as the Khmer Rouge, but took advantage of them pretty bad. So when the Vietnamese left, some of them stayed on the river along with the ones left during the war. Cambodia declared them criminals. If they didn't come on land then they would not be arrested. Now they can buy land. But land is so expensive. No way.

As for the floating fish ponds I found you should have pics today. They were started by a NGO. They came here for 18 month to start fish ponds. The plan was to build one and use part of the money earned to start another one. So on and so on. Well, it took awhile to get started. They worked with one of the local government guys because he could get things done fast. That is usually the way it goes. You have so much time to spend the money allotted to you. So go to how can get it done.

This does not work!

So many fish ponds have been started this way. Things go great. Two or three pens of fish sell. Then the NGO leaves. A rich man takes over and puts one family to work. He pays them very little to raise his new fish farm. 

If you are going to make a lasting difference here and raise up a new generation then it is better to manage it for them until they have grown enough. Which will take at least ten years. Maybe more.

If you really want to make a lasting change for people who do most of the work you have stay with them and help them. Lead them to Christ so they understand that in giving you are blessed. Because we are working with people who have been exploited for thousands of years they just figure that is the way it is. Because it has always been that way. The rich get bigger. We get smaller.

Well could go on and on as most know!