Some may say living in Cambodia is boring because of inconvenience and little entertainment when compared with Hong Kong. To a certain extent it is really true as I seldom come back my apartment later than 9 p.m. and I rarely go out after 7 p.m. However, I have discovered that there are many humorous things to do around us, as long as we observe the people and things around us. I usually share a lot about ministry in my prayer letters, but this time I want to do something a little different and share with you some funny experiences:

Where is 'Dr. Lau' ?

As foreigners, language is always the 'headache' because we can not express ourselves with proper words. I remember one time when my coworker told me that natural palm sugar is better than white sugar, but that it was only to be found in the local market. She told me that the pronunciation of the word sounded like "Dr. Lau" ¡V not difficult at all. So I searched through the nearby market and asked nearly all the sellers at the grocery stalls for "Dr. Lau." Some showed me a canned drink, some showed me soy sauce; some just asked, "What are you saying?" After a while, I finally found out the exact way to say it is "Dak Talau."

Honorable guests in the worship

Sometimes I find it difficult to concentrate on the worship service, and I have experienced what is meant by "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." There are so many things to distract my attention... Our pastor has a dog named Gigi, who is quite a talented dog. He always lies in the middle of the aisle, can stand on his back two feet to ask for food, and sometimes follows our pastor around as he preaches. Mosquitoes are other "honorable guests." No matter whether we are busy praying, singing, or reading the Bible, we need to spare at least one hand to entertain the guests. Most of the time, we need to 'offer' a blood donation too. Sometimes, additional guests like geckos, flies or cockroaches may join us too. It' s really a praise time for all creatures on earth.

Decent fashion

In Hong Kong, I usually need to change out of my pajamas just to go to the nearby store to buy a newspaper. However, when I came to Cambodia, I did not expect to see a lady wearing shiny, silky red pajamas to attend the worship service. Later, I also discovered some women in the markets also wear pajamas of various patterns - striped, scattered flowers, or colorful printing. I finally realized that pajamas are considered a fashion for outdoors and NOT for home wear. Surprisingly, when I had an opportunity to visit this lady from the church, I found out that her shiny, silky red pajamas are the most beautiful clothes she has.

Simple but may not be easy

Many non government organizations in Cambodia help to improve the livelihood of Cambodians, especially in the villages. Water treatment is one of the most vital issues. One organization has developed a water filter which is composed of a clay pot inside a plastic container. It is very simple to operate and easy to maintain. When I visited a village, I saw a villager trying to get a cup of water from the container. It was a breakthrough for the villagers to use the water filter, because they usually drink from large pots in which they' ve collected rain water or water from the river. This man tried very hard to press the spigot, but no water came out. He needed to just twist the faucet handle to the left. After a few tries, he just opened the lid of the container and took some of the water that was inside the clay pot (not yet filtered) to drink.

So we see that language, environment, culture and presumption are mostly the things that trigger our emotions. We may feel frustrated, irritated, upset or surprised in the context that is outside our imagination. Nevertheless, it is also a good learning process for us to understand what is really meant by 'cross-cultural' ministries.

Prayer points

• 42 families at Kampot and 2 families at Prek Ksev village have joined the piglet raising scheme, may God grant us strength and wisdom to manage the process
• Plan to construct the covered playground at Phnom Penh Thmei in November (dry season).
• Daily short prayer time with the staff in the mission office
• Parents of one of our church members, Nop Sokha, that are sick and hospitalized
• Preparation for the coming medical team from Hong Kong