Adjustments Part Three- Khmer

This adjustment seems so obvious that it is scarcely worth mentioning. But I must say that this adjustment- learning the Khmer language- is a more formidable task than I ever imagined. Although God granted me the opportunity to lay a good foundation in the language before we ever moved here, adding to that foundation has proven to be one of the greatest challenges of my life.

The reality of this challenge is most keenly sensed when I am given the opportunity to preach. I cannot begin to describe the feelings that take place in my heart- and in my gut- before I stand in front of our church family and visitors to preach the Word of God in Khmer. Just knowing that I am about to spend 35 to 40 minutes struggling to clearly present God's Word in the Khmer language causes me to become more nervous than I have been in a very long time. Truly, this is a situation in which I must fully rely on God's grace to carry me through. Perhaps not having an opportunity to rely on any ability of my own is exactly what God has in mind.

Adjustments Part Two- Traffic Anarchy

This adjustment is not as spiritually significant as the first mentioned adjustment in this series. But it does carry its fair share of significance as far as my peace of mind is concerned. First of all, my primary mode of transportation has shifted from minivan to motorcycle. Secondly, gone are the days of driving in a country in which, for the most part, the traffic laws are both followed and enforced. You may say, "What are you talking about? There are all sorts of reckless drivers in America!" I know there are reckless drivers in the States; but the only rebuttal I have to that remark is, "You haven't lived in Cambodia; therefore, you don't know the meaning of reckless driving."

Adjustments Part One- Poverty

This being the first post of this series, there is a plethora of examples of adjustments that we are making that I could write about. But the adjustment that seems the most difficult to deal with right now is living in a country in which most of its citizens live under the poverty level. Here are just a few specific things I am struggling with right now:

Adjustments

I thank God for the nearly six years of experience working with Khmer people before we moved to Cambodia. It has proven to be invaluable. Bro. Benefield made a great point a few days ago when he told me, "You will probably never know what it is like to move to a country and literally know nothing of the language or culture when you arrive. I had to go through that 11 years ago. But you probably won't." Truly, being married into a Khmer family, working for several years with Khmers in southern California, and already spending two months in Cambodia in previous years have proven to be beneficial experiences.