Cambodia

It has been 8 days since we arrived in Cambodia.  It is a beautiful country and the people have been so gracious to us in countless ways.  I'm hoping the kids will write some blog entries to describe their experiences.  Last Sunday morning we visited a remote village where I awoke under some mosquito netting on a concrete pad where our group had slept on mats.  I had not looked forward to this experience - in fact, I was somewhat dreading it. These creaky old bones prefer a soft mattress well off the ground.  Imagine my surprise at a sound night's sleep interrupted by a gaggle of geese walking around our sleeping quarters loudly honking their presence.  It appeared they were announcing the arrival of morning and inspecting the new guests.  It also appeared that they were conveying the pecking order on the farm and expected proper deference during our stay before waddling in a dignified manner down the dirt road.  Susan and I watched the mosquitos as they were frustrated in their efforts to find their way through the netting.  Mosquitos almost never bother me, but they love Susan. We are presently in the city of Phnom Penh where our group just completed a presentation to law students on developing their countries and building their economies.  Last night there was a banquet with all the students to celebrate the conference.  I felt a bit like a rock star as a number of students took turns having their photos taken with me.  I noticed they had me stand in the street as they stood on the curb for the photos.  I'm a bit of a giant in this land.  We have been staying in a missionary guest house called the Diakonia.  Cambodia has many missionaries serving in the cities and villages.  The Korean missionary presence is strong and this morning we met a man from the Philippines who is working in a village in the Siem Reap area that we will visit tomorrow.  This morning we will visit the Killing Fields memorial and Tuol Sleng prison. I have tried to prepare the children for the horrors they will see at each location. Several days ago I visited the war crime tribunals where leaders of the Khmer Rouge are still being tried for the genocide that swept through this country and resulted in the murder of millions of its citizens.  I want our children to always remember the lessons learned at the expense of the Cambodian people.  Much more later, but it is time to get ready.