Griffith Gleanings FEBRUARY 2017

Proverbs 4: 4&5 Lay hold of my words with all your heart…Get wisdom, get understanding, do not forget my words or swerve from them.

GRIFFITH GLEANINGS FEBRUARY 2017
Greetings from Siem Reap, Cambodia. We expect many of you reading this have recently returned into familiar routines at the start of a new year. Since arriving eight weeks ago we have settled into some new habits. Some activities bear some resemblance of what we did in Australia, like getting on a ‘push’ bike for an early morning exercise, but other activities are a world away from life in Oz. Ordering a meal at a local rice shop in a new language, spending hours each day seeking to acquire new words and cultural understanding, and building relationships with locals who are patient enough to put up with our attempts to be understood using our limited Khmer language has become part of our daily routine.
We have began to build a vocabulary in our language lessons that includes around 700 Khmer words, but it still feels like we are a long way from being able to freely converse in Khmer any time soon. We are grateful for the priority we are able to give to language learning at present. Learning more language and culture will always be part of life for us in Cambodia.Thanks for your supports to be here and to be available for his work among the Khmer.

A number of occasions now we have ventured out of the city of Siem Reap and seen some of the rural areas that are more often the places Khmer people call home than the city. As convenient as it is to be surrounded by goods and services a short walk from our door, we feel much more at home away from the sight of concrete and iron and sounds of city life. We look forward to opportunities to explore the country side and to have the language skills in the future to engage with the people who live their life outside the city.

The markets hold so much knowledge and traditions to learn.

Roses express love, orchids express respect, but for Buddhists, there is no flower more important than the humble lotus.

Prayer Requests: Family members transitioning. Safety on the streets. Attentive patterns to learn the Khmer culture and language. Team members in Australia (x5 units) preparing families, churches and themselves to join us all in Cambodia.
Praise Points: Good health, opportunities to exercise, safety on roads. Opportunities to be exposed to this culture and learn the Khmer language. Beginnings of Khmer friendship connections. The help we receive adjusting to life here from our friendly Aussie team mates Scott, Janelle, Rosie and Isaac Windus.