Monday, March 22, 2010

Safari World Trip 2


I went to Bangkok this weekend to meet up with some friends from
Liberty. And we had a great time.
Remember the zoo I got the baby tiger pictures from? We went back. It was so fun!!! I got picked up by an elephant with his
trunk. And then there was a cage of white tigers, and when one
walked by, I stuck my hand in the cage and petted him! A big adult
tiger!!! All my friends were screaming. They were so scared! It
was so amazing! An adult WHITE tiger.
I also stuck my hand in the marmoset cage and pet him (a tiny monkey).
I love South East Asia. There are no rules here!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Temples Take Two






Visited the temples at Siem Reap for the 2nd time. They are always beautiful, but they were more interesting the first time around.
Megan and Mark went with me. Megan is an American Student teacher who is in Cambodia for a few months. Mark is an Australian teacher who has taken over our 4th grade.

March 2010 Update on Life in Cambodia



Dear Friends and Family,

It is hot in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I mean very hot. I would love to see the spring in America this year. Cool mornings that require a light sweater. Baseball teams are starting to practice. March in Cambodia is more like sweat pouring down everybody’s faces as they fan themselves and hide in the shade. As much as, I’m hating the weather, Cambodia is really growing on me. I’m really enjoying my time here, and I’ve started to feel a deep connection to this crazy country.

Recently I’ve really felt the burden for my students. The kids that I teach are TCKs. The term TCK refers to a child that is a “Third Culture Kid” anyone who has grown up outside of their own culture. These children neither fit into the culture of their home country or the country they reside in. It is a hard place to be: at home in a place that sees you as a foreigner.

My students endure things that most adults couldn’t handle. Being ripped away from grandparents and cousins or being sent to a boarding school for your education. These students have a really difficult life. Often their parents don’t stay in one country for more than five years. The friends they make at school move frequently. The teachers of their school come for a two-year contract and then leave. They say good-bye more often than they say I love you.

These students are very special people. They have seen things that most teenagers are never aware of. They have worked in the slums of the poorest countries. They have fed starving children. The have clothed people who have nothing. They have befriended people of a different race and language. They have eyes that are wide open to the need and hurt in the world. They have giving hearts that want to do good for the rest of mankind. These are not your average selfish kids.

Another reason my job is so important is the parents of my students. Before my school was founded eight years ago, missionaries were forced to home-school their children. Some missionaries would leave the country because they felt they had to take their kids home for high school. There were no affordable, reasonable schooling options. There was one international school in town. It was not Christian, and it cost over $12,000 per year. Missionary women had no choice but to stay home and teach their children. Some women felt completely incompetent to teach high school science and other subjects to their children. Because of HOPE, they now have an option that allows them to affordably educate their children in a Christian community. Most of these women have been able to work outside the home in amazing careers. One mom, that has been liberated from the chore of teaching her two kids, began Chab Dai Coalition, an amazing organization that is working to bring an end to human trafficking in Cambodia.

I am telling you what a wonderful job I have so that you understand the burden I have. I love Cambodia, but my heart does not burn with passion to work in the slums. I love the idea of bringing an end to human trafficking, but I am not called to work with prostitution or the after-care of girls retrieved from that lifestyle. I am a teacher. I am called to love and impact students for Christ. I believe that my students are of a special category. They are different than anyone else. I have a special calling that is specific to children in my classroom from Monday to Friday.

Another reason my job is so important is the parents of my students. Before my school was founded eight years ago, missionaries were forced to home-school their children. Some missionaries would leave the country because they felt they had to take their kids home for high school. There were no affordable, reasonable schooling options. There was one international school in town. It was not Christian, and it cost over $12,000 per year. Missionary women had no choice but to stay home and teach their children. Some women felt completely incompetent to teach high school science and other subjects to their children. Because of HOPE, they now have an option that allows them to affordably educate their children in a Christian community. Most of these women have been able to work outside the home in amazing careers. One mom, that has been liberated from the chore of teaching her two kids, began Chab Dai Coalition, an amazing organization that is working to bring an end to human trafficking in Cambodia.

I am telling you what a wonderful job I have so that you understand the burden I have. I love Cambodia, but my heart does not burn with passion to work in the slums. I love the idea of bringing an end to human trafficking, but I am not called to work with prostitution or the after-care of girls retrieved from that lifestyle. I am a teacher. I am called to love and impact students for Christ. I believe that my students are of a special category. They are different than anyone else. I have a special calling that is specific to children in my classroom from Monday to Friday.

I believe that God is renewing my passion for these students. He is burdening my heart with the desire to be a safe place for these special children. They need good role models. They need a “big sister” figures in their life because the normal role of aunt, grandmother, or “mom’s best friend” is very different than what most teenagers’ experience. These students need me. I have a unique opportunity here. I can be a huge influence in these teenagers’ lives because they are desperate for connection and affection.

When I came to Cambodia, I signed up for a two year term. I believed fully that after two years I would return home to my normal life. I would go back to my family, my retirement savings, my car, and my comfy American life. Now God is clearly calling me to renew for another year. If he wants me here longer than that, I don’t know it yet. It may be that I’m unwilling to hear that call. I am not eager to stay in Cambodia. I love my students, but it is a hard life here. It’s not a comfortable place to live. I truly miss America and the ease of living there. Unfortunately for my materialistic and selfish side, God is asking me to remain in Cambodia another year. I’m not sure why, but I know that this is His will and not my own.

One of the most difficult tasks of deciding to stay in Cambodia is that I need to raise more support. Asking people for money is not fun. It’s highly uncomfortable. To put your financial security in the hands of others is humbling and nerve-wracking. I would prefer to make excess money and be able to help others. However because my role in Cambodia is a ministry, I need my friends and family to help me financially. Talking about money makes people uncomfortable, and I am no exception. I naturally shy away from asking for monetary help. Except in this situation I have no choice. Maybe God is trying to humble me. Maybe He’s yelling down at me, “Carrie, just trust in me.” And maybe I’m just too weak of a person to easily give control of my finance over to God. No matter why it makes me uncomfortable to ask my friend and family for money, I must do it. I must trust that God knows why this difficult task is necessary for me.

Pray for me. Deciding to stay here is not an easy choice for me. I would like to go home. I would like to be near my family. But God is calling me to stay another year. Since making the decision to stay, God has given me an unexpected peace and a pleasant joy about spending another year here. Please pray that the finance will come easily, and I will not worry about it. Please pray for my family as I am far away from them for another year. Please pray for me as I need to find a new roommate in Cambodia. Pray for my students; they are so incredible.

Thanks for all your support. Your prayers are so important to me. Your emails are always a treat for me. I look forward to hearing from you all.

God bless you,
Carrie Cordell