Well, I thought I was going to be able to post all my blogs for the past several days today (Saturday). As it was, I had computer issues that kept me from connecting at the hotel where we went to hop on the network. If Mark hadn’t been here, I would never have gotten on. But by the time he figured out what the problem was (Microsoft, as usual), the network was so crowded with users that the speed was so slow that I couldn’t do anything much. Fortunately, I had used a café hot spot earlier in the day to IM my wife for awhile, which was a tremendous blessing. There, too, after a couple of hours got so slow that we couldn’t work anymore, which is why we headed to the hotel. All in all, a pretty frustrating morning technologically speaking! So, not sure when this will get posted. I did one posted, the final one from Singapore, which tells you how far behind I had fallen. There just hasn’t been connectivity here. Hope it’s better in China.

Getting around Phnom Penh on a motorcycle gives one a fresh perspective on the providence of God. Now, that’s not to alarm you, because you never really get going that fast, it’s just that the confusion of the traffic and the way it moves (or doesn’t) is a wonderful picture of the wisdom of man at work, and as I wind my way through it, openings appearing at just the right time, a car or truck setting a pick for me just when I need it to get across a road, and just generally not getting lost are all vivid evidences to me of the reality of God’s providence even in the small things of life.

As you can see from the picture, I am fitted out with the latest in moto fashion and safety gear. With the visor down, I look like a character out of the tragic sci-fi classic “The Fly,” only instead of being merged with a human, the fly flew into an experiment with a Cyclops. Oh well, I’m satisfied knowing that I am providing cheap entertainment for the local populace.

After a nice lunch out, Mark and I were preparing to head out for some grocery shopping when the skies opened up again. This time, we were right next to a little indoor mall, and we waited it out in there. Much better than walking or riding through it. Took a couple of hours, though, for it to calm down enough to ride again, long enough to flood some of the streets, but nothing that was a problem. People just take it in stride. The rain, however, meant that our planned excursion to the demon’s mouth temple that has just been completed didn’t happen, so we headed back to Mark’s place to rest up a bit before dinner. The skies stayed a bit cloudy the remainder of the day, which was great, because the temps stayed down to only the upper 80s or low 90s. With a bit of a breeze, it was quite bearable for this time of year. We rode out for dinner and our grocery shopping later, and enjoyed another really nice meal (duck flambé and Mekong lobster) on the banks of the river at the Titanic restaurant again. Great place.

It’s been a blessing to treat Mark to some places that he hasn’t been able to go to, and wouldn’t usually go to because he tends to bring new meaning to the word “frugal.” It’s also been a blessing to really take all these opportunities to really get caught up on his life and work here, and live it with him to some degree. It’s not an easy life, but Mark wants me to be sure to let everyone know that he isn’t suffering, either. He’s really learned his way around, and how to get things done. It’s clear that he is at home here, and very content with the sovereign choice of God for his life.

It’s Sunday morning as I write. The services at Glory Bible Presbyterian Church aren’t held until the afternoon, so we are enjoying a quiet morning of devotions and fellowship. Glory BPC is pastored by Rev. Stephen Choi, an IBPFM missionary from Korea. Mark helps out there doing some teaching and preaching from time to time. Their services are held on the covered roof-top of a building. When it rains it can be deafening up there, Mark tells me. The way the rains have been coming in every day so far, and the way the skies look today, we may be in for it again. Hope we don’t get caught out in the rain on the bikes in our church clothes, but we’ll get what we get. I get to just sit and soak up the Word today, which will be a blessing. I’ll write more when we get back this afternoon.

We made it back well before the rains came, though we could see the clouds on the horizon. They’re right over us now, and I expect a deluge at any time. Glad to be back under cover. The service on the rooftop was pleasant, since the approaching storm generated some breeze. By pleasant I mean that the sweat felt cool when the breeze blew! Anyway, Pastor Choi preaches in Korean, which gets translated into Khmer, which was in turn translated into English for us by a young man from the congregation. We sang a couple of songs that I knew, which was nice, though of course it sounded strange when I sang them in English while everyone else was singing in Khmer. The congregation is nearly all young people, under the age of 20 or 25 I would say, many coming because they also take English classes at the church during the week. All were very friendly, and I had the opportunity to bring greetings to them, which I did.

The ride home was uneventful, and Mark is preparing dinner for us tonight – traditional Cambodian fare. He is a very good cook, and it will be nice to just chill out (relatively speaking) here for the evening. I head for China tomorrow afternoon, and will just have time in the morning to get to the hotel and try getting online again. Hope it works this time!