river trip pics

Here are some pics of John and me on our river trip about 5 hours. 

Chinda and Chan really made this great.   

The pic of us praying before we eat is of the family that 5 kids are living with me.

God is so good!

Thanks for praying with us!!

first dinner in house

first dinner in house. 

some people from the church showed up with a feast to pray and bless the house with a meal!   God is so good!

spent all day scrubbing bathrooms and the boys floor. it is amazing just how much respect you get when you do the drity work with them. they didn't want me to help. said I shouldn't have to clean. but how could I sit and watch them work? wouldn't want to anyway! they said I really clean good. 

most of the drit is from the water and years of build up. when you fill the water barrel after about a week there is a film of dirt. even though the city well is over 150 feet deep. you only notice it in the barrel or on the floor after a few weeks of taking showers. 

when you come from a house of palm reeds this place was very clean to them.

a week with pastor john

left pastor at airport last night.  was very sad time for me.  I came to know him as a dear friend and parting with a friend is never easy.         

what a week it was!  one of the best I have had in a long long time.  we were able to talk to many other missionaries. it was totally all the Lord doing.  John may have gotten information over load.  for me, for the last 6 month i have felt like i haven't done anything but make friends and relationships.   I do  business is the way Lord programmed me for.   and not been doing any of that.  been doing everything i though i was no good at.  but seeing it through John's eyes i see i have been doing just what i needed to do.  

you have no idea how that makes me feel.  when we are weak He is strong.  believe me when i say it has all been Him, not me.   i have just been me. didn't seem like much, but after seeing it all condensed in one week showed me i have done just what the Lord wanted me to do.  now time for me to do what i came here for. need others to pick up the pieces i won't have time to do now.  Praying God will send others to pick up where i will have to let go to do bacon. The lord gifted all in different ways  


being here by my self has been very hard. many many days i have not left my room because felt i wasn't doing anything. and very time you go out so many need so much. just to eat. so hard to see and not be able to do anything about it.   but then this last week showed me i have done a lot with very little.  sometimes that is the way it is.  as Americans we think money is the answer to every thing.  don't get me wrong.  it takes money to do anything.  but i had to go through this time to see that money not used right does more damage than good. 

i don't do any thing unless Chinda says to. seems strange but she knows her people so much more than i do.    like giving small money to kids on the street.  your heart says help but most buy glue with it. so giving them any thing is just buying them drugs.  glue cost 500 reil. twelve cents. help to destroy a life with twelve cents.   buying toy.  they need food not toy.  what we take for granted does not work here.  i would have made so many blunders with out Chinda.  i thank God every day that He put her in my life. she has stopped me from making so many mistakes.
  
one thing that is hard here is talking with them about things we take for granted. like meat slicer. i bet there are only 5 in the whole country so they have no idea what i am talking about.  so many things like that.  everything is done like it was 150 years ago in the US. they are that far behind.  they're not dumb. they just  have not ever seen so many things we have seen since we were young.  but when they do see it the look on their face says it all.    

if others would just come for a few weeks or months. i bet many would never want to leave.  the first couple of weeks is shock. after that you begin to see how they live so simple. so happy with so little.  if you never saw it you never miss it.   

well, will let  you go. lots of love from bother in Christ Jesus. half a world away but still together.  only God could do something like that.   thank you all. i couldn't do any of this without you. i am just the hands and feet. you are the rest of the body.  love from Cambodia

Mark

bacon and baby

finished batch of bacon

   

real close in flavor. is very good and everyone at guesthouse loves it. cured for six days. maybe two too long.  have another batch smoking tomorrow.  only cured for 4 1/2 days. should be just right.  taking that one to Richard in the morning.  he is going to try it. the taste is right. the smell is right. just a little salty. not bad but a little to much. see what richard  thinks. 

doing what i can here to to help Vietnamese and Cambodians.   

I can't do any more as I don't have any more nitrates and Dan's meat won't sell me any more and out of money.  but got done what I needed. 

last pics of baby born in house close to Chinda's.  she is big for Cambodian baby but what a sweetheart. two hours old. I  am a blessed man. I was asked to pray over her that she would live to get her name in 30 days.  won't name until 30 days old then have party.  over fifty percent don't make it that long. pray for her.

God Bless you all  

before smoking

after smoking

smoker

one of the Lord's lovely creations

Pics of baptism

Pics of baptism yesterday.

 I am so blessed!

   And couple of me in village school. 

God Bless all of you for making this happen.  You will never know what a blessing you are to all of the children.  May Jesus bless you greatly for your support!

   Your bother in Christ Jesus,

Mark

Feelings

Yesterday as we were coming back from village  a car hit a moto bike right in front of us. Was car's fault.  

The man's leg was broken in 3 places, bone sticking out blood everywhere. He also had very bad cut on head. Barely conscious.  Had to help move him out of road. Held leg as it just hanging there.  Blood didn't bother me but afterwards  I was really shook up.  I have never been afraid of any thing. If it was dangerous I was the guy for the job. Top trees 100 ft up. For high lead walked walls on 3 story building. Nothing bothered me.  But I am afraid to drive on highway now.  It is very strange feeling. I feel like a sissy.  But I realized that could have been me the other day.   

The man will never walk right again. Will take months to heal especially here.  If that would happen to me every thing that Jesus has for me to do would stop.  I don't know what to do. Really afraid not to ride in town. Only go 15 mph but highway 35 and cars go as fast as they want.  The rule of the road here is the bigger you are the more of the road you can use.  No traffic cops. Took one hour for police and ambulance to come. 

The man may not live.  The car just kept going. Never even slowed down.  Life is worth about 50.00 here if you kill someone. In wreck will cost around 8000. Wow!.  I knew all this but really hit home last night.   I really know Jesus had me in His arms in my wreck. I was driving to fast. Only a cracked rib and a few scratches. Nothing.  But  know I could just as easily be killed or hurt very bad.

What to do?    

Pray that God helps me with this. It very upsetting to me. New feeling. I can not explain the way I feel. Never had this feeling before.  I know Jesus is with me but I also know I have take care of myself so I can do what ever it is He wants me to do.  

My life is not that important but what Jesus has for me to do here is.   God bless all of you!

Mark

 Merry Christmas from Mekong Floating Ministries!