Thinking Out Loud

Things are pretty quiet and all is well. We left Ankor Ban and arrived at Peam Chi Kong without too much trouble. The water is low right now and we have to use the extended walkway again. The the guys have figured it out and usually get it done quickly. I think the air is filled with anticipation for the holiday coming up. It is still a week away, but the crew have a spring in their step. Or, it could be yesterday was payday. I am helping Rick bag pills for his patients. He can go through them pretty fast. I was trying to listen to my Khmer tapes as I worked, but Piseth caught me putting five instead of 10 in a bag so I figured some things you can not double up. Sometimes my multi-tasking isn't efficient. So now I listen to Hallal music and reminisce on past workshops and song services. Not sure if they still do, but some nights at the village church, we would just sing. We sing here, but the harmony is not quite the same! The men can get off pitch, but they definitely sing with a cheerful heart. gail

Hillside Madness

We had an interesting week in Ankor Ban. First of all the steps that had to be created to get to the gangway were a bit on the treacherous side. It didn't help the day the rain came. What a mess! But we have lots of water to clean up with! Then came the wedding day! I doubt you can see very clear the pole with the loudspeaker sticking above the trees, but it is there. This family wanted everyone to know of their special day... alll day! Music and chanting and speaking fill the air! We decided not to try and compete so we did not play our dvd where we have some health information playing on the tv. But the crew loved it at night when the "younger" syle music was playing and they sat on the back and had fun!

Break Time

While in Kchau, several people kept bringing us coconuts. The crew loved to drink the liquid. Rick and I can tolerate it when it is cold, but it is not one of our favorites. This is Piseth, Sam Ath, and Bun Hai drinking and eating and having a good time! gail

Dr. Viseth

Last year when we were in KaChau, we had my brother Roger and the team from Denver here. While out walking one day we met a young dentist named Piseth, at least I thought that was his name. I found out this week his name was Viseth! He came on board for 3 or 4 days and we taught him how to do some injections and more difficult extractions than he was comfortable with. We are back one year later and he came to visit us again. He has added new equipment to his office and is remodeling his home so I think he must be doing well. He is not formally trained but he is probably widely known as the dentist who can really get you “numb”! We enjoyed seeing him again. Rick

Barbed Wire

We do not see too much of it around here. Barbed wire that is. That infamous stuff that changed the west and killed the cattle drives!
Being a Texan, I spotted it right off. The same stuff that covers tens of thousands of miles of ranchland across my beloved home State. This did look a little peculiar, however, attached to concrete “fence post” and stuck in place by a blob of mortar! This is something you won’t see back home. I guess the hungry termites here dictate this use and they haven’t discovered the metal post we use yet. All this talk makes me want to break out into a verse of, “Home, Home on the Range….where the deer and the antelope play.” Rick

Grandkids

Now I bet that title caught the interest of some of you! No, I am not having grandkids anytime soon. Although, the ladies that come on the ship always ask if I have children, then when they hear how old they are, they expect me to have grandkids. This little cutie in the picture actually let me hold and play with her. So many are scared and just cry when I look at them. I know, I know, my time with come!! Right kids? gail

New Students

Several of our crew members have not been involved in English study with the WEI books. So last night five of the men chose to take the entrance exam. Rick is currently working with one and he will add two more of the new men. That leaves me with three new students! Praise God! gail

Filipino Food

In times like these, everyone is looking for an inexpensive meal. There is a new restaurant down the street from the PIP house. Two Filipino women make a few selections each day. This day was a fish, tofu, eggplant and somekind of stir fry. I stuck with the eggplant which was pretty good. The price was better than the McDonald's 99cent menu! Joining us is Troy and Tabitha and Julie Broyles. gail

Up the Plank

Well, I made the drive to Kchau, but almost didn't make it up the gangway! Sometimes we have to improvise when the gangway doesn't reach the bank. The crew came up with a good plan for this situation. The wood planks were steady. However, the steepness of the gangway was alittle slippery without the hand rails! gail

Road to Kchau

Now that I am driving the car as the ship is moving to next village, I get to see some interesting countryside. The road to Kchau was pretty bumpy. I got alittle discouraged when a bicycle passed me by. I don't think I drove over 15 mph, but I'd rather be slow then end up in a hole. But I did come upon a beautiful scene as I crossed over a bridge. Didn't come out so good from my camera, but there were water lillys in the water and cows grazing with newly planted fields in distance. I told someone once that when I drive my motorcycle in the states, you have to be cautious of people pulling out in front of you because they don't see you,so it can be a bit stressful. But here, they pull out in front of you whether they see you or not and that is another reason I don't go too fast. gail

Board Game

About ten years ago I bought both of our kids a copy of the book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiousaki or something like that. I thought it had a great approach to how to simplify the lessons about money and its management. Well, to no ones surprise, they did not read it and I had even thought of buying the rather costly game that came along with it!
Well, low and behold, several days ago we were visiting with our good friends Troy and Tabitha Snowbarger, and they pulled out the game! I was shocked! Tabby had recently read the book and they ordered the game on e-bay and had it shipped directly to their home in Phnom Penh. We didn’t have time to play it but it revived my desire to maybe look into getting the game and maybe making a weekend of it this summer with the kids and spouses. I can just hear Greg moaning with this one! Ready or not, here I come! Rick

Dental Stuff

OK. Another one for you dental folks. This lady comes in for me to extract her mobile upper lateral incisor. It has a mobility of 4 and she wants it out. Nothing unusual here. What is unusual is the central next to it. It only has a mobility of 2 and she has no complaints about it. The apex is completely exposed on the central and there is a large rounded bunch of calculus surrounding the end of the root! Bet you haven’t seen this one before in your hygiene chair. That is what I call some pretty tough lingual periodontal fibers. Rick

The new system on the gangway was successful. New hinges were welded on so the sections could bend both ways. The long boat was used for the welders to stand on while working underneath the gangway not being used. Raising and lowering the gangway was a complex procedure. Now with the help of the winch, the gangway can be pulled up in a few minutes. gail

Man Overboard!

Actually, two men overboard. But they jumped in of their own accord! Piseth and Sam Ath decided this was the way to wash the water line instead of the usual way with the small raft we have. Piseth says this way is alot cooler! gail

Great Surprise!

Rick and I had come to Phnom for interviews. The PIP house was full so instead of crashing at Troy and Tabbys’ we elected to stay in one of less expensive guest houses. A year ago Alise Dorrity and I stayed there and I’m pretty sure I wrote about losing my clothes that I had carelessly left behind in the wardrobe. But, surprise, when we checked in, the manager saw me and brought back a bag with my pants and two shirts! I thought for sure someone was wearing my shirts (maybe not my pants)! That was fun! And then we also got to enjoy the weekly devotional that some of the workers in PP have in rotating homes. This week was at Sharon and Dennis Welch. Rick and I miss spirtual nourishment that these gatherings give to each other. gail

Goodbye to Russ and Rosemary

We didn't have a big sendoff for Russ and Rosemary, but we did eat some chocolate cake at their last meal! I'm pretty sure the crew will miss Rosemary's idioms and singing. We have all been blessed to have them here. With Russ working in the dental room, Rick could do some things that he might not normally. One picture is of him returning from Kampong Cham City where he attended a Ministry of Health meeting. They asked him to return next month and give a report, but he hasn't decided yet! Sitting through four hours of Khmer language isn't fun or educational, but he did represent the Ship of Life. So we will miss Russ and Rosemary but know their lives are a blessing to whomever they are with. gail