A broken system...

Hun Sen is Cambodia's Prime Minister. He is the longest standing head of state in the world and is known for his denial of free elections and promotion of human-rights violations.

Yesterday I watched Air Force One leave Cambodia with a brilliant sunset as its backdrop. I could not help but think about how that plane is so much different than the planes that flew over Cambodia three decades ago. This one represented a fair government, free elections and a desire to govern fairly. It seemed fitting that the plane was flying away from a country that would not want any of those things in the first place.  

In the late 1960's and early 1970's U.S. President Richard Nixon initiated a "secret" bombing campaign along the Vietnam - Cambodia boarder. Though official death rates are unknown, it is estimated that the United States killed between 30,000 - 100,000 Cambodian farmers as innocent as they were poor. While the U.S. bombs dropped throughout Cambodia, the young Khmer Rouge soldiers were using the violence to feed the flames of their cause. A revolution was born from anger and outrage and the Khmer Rouge grew into a violent and radical militia that would overthrow the Cambodian leadership, close off the country to the outside world and murder most of the educated class.

Much of the genocide can be blamed on American policy but little of Cambodia's current state can be blamed on anyone else besides the current leadership.

There is no genocide in history that has debilitated like the one that happened in Cambodia. Now, thirty years after the genocide, Cambodia is far less developed than it was in the 1950's and 60's - far less. Imagine making that statement about the United States. Cambodia operates under poor leadership, protracted corruption and an unresponsive government.
 
On Monday and Tuesday I took my students to a relocation community outside of Phnom Penh. In January 2012 nearly 1,000 people were forced from their homes in the city and forced to the province. They were given nothing but a blue tarp, a week's worth of rice and some poorly functioning shallow wells. It became a notorious community that bred disease, hopelessness and depression. The organization we worked with is in the process of building homes for each of the families that were displaced. They are providing hope and dignity to people who deserve it and their work is unquestionably just. However, I was struck by the thought that, in much of Cambodia, it is the NGO's who are doing the work of the government.

This village was a small example of the bleak situation that so many Cambodians face. They are under a leadership that expects NGO's and missionaries to take care of the people while they take their cut of the aid money flowing into the nation. This is an ugly situation that is exacerbated by a Prime Minister who refuses to allow free elections and discourages education in fear that education for Cambodians would mean forcing the government to be more transparent.

There is a cycle of brokenness that is so complex and entrenched that it is hard to explain in words. Corruption that leads to poverty, poverty that leads to violence and violence that leads to despair. Phnom Penh may have paved roads, a flourishing restaurant scene and growing middle class but much of the nation is suffering under a government that refuses to act responsibly.

The genocide that I mentioned at the start was just the beginning of the nation's suffering. There has been little evidence that the government is willing to help its people and little indication that they care what the outside world thinks. This week, U.S. President Barack Obama must have felt the same frustration we felt when he met with Cambodian leadership. They refused to allow media into the meetings, ignored Obama's speech about fair elections and justified their own human-rights abuses by comparing their actions to abuses happening in Burma.

Before the arrival of the President and other foreign dignitaries. Roads were closed, protesters were imprisoned, beggars and street-children were gathered and locked away and the city streets were polished to perfection. It was a perfect microcosm of this nation. Beautiful on the outside but full of corrosion behind the scenes.

I am blessed to have a U.S. seal on my Passport but even more blessed knowing the truth that we serve the least of these because they deserve that dignity.

For More Reading:

Hun Sen, Cambodia's Prime Minister

Obama's time in Cambodia

Forced Evictions

Stories from my phone

Cambodian children off to school on a rainy morning.

Kids waiting to see the dentist at the clinic in Prek Pneu.

Kids coloring on the floor of a home in a relocation village.

Cambodian soldiers waiting for the next dignitary to drive past.

Recently I have had a difficult time blogging because I feel like my words are repetitive or the avid blog readers have heard so many stories about Prek Pneu, Logos, our Tico or our trips around Asia. However, I realized this evening that my phone is still the one tool I use to capture moments that are not mundane to me anymore. My phone is a glimpse into the conundrum that is Cambodia. The four pictures above are from four recent events and each image tells a story of an event that I found to be poignant. So, here we go, stories from my phone.

Image #1: This is the least interesting image of the four because it is the view I have on my commute to school each morning. However, this particular morning was not like most. It was sprinkling rain, the breeze was cool and the road was relatively quiet. Leanne and I were in the middle of a taxing week and when I turned the corner onto this road, saw the girls on their Khmer bikes and felt the cool air on my skin, I could not help but praise God for the glimpses of heaven he gives us in the middle of trying times.

Image 2: As Leanne blogged about last week, Asian Hope sponsored a medical team from the States which came to Prek Pneu to deliver basic medical services to people in that community. There was something right about this event because it brought tangible, immediate help to so many people. When I am sick I go to the doctor but that is not an option for most Cambodians. They were able to get the care they needed and deserved.

Image 3: This week my students from Logos are participating in "Service Trips." The goal of this week is to get our kids to see the work being done by so many NGO's throughout Cambodia. This particular image is taken in a community an hour north of Phnom Penh. These Cambodians had their homes destroyed by the government last January and were given a blue tarp, a bag of rice and a 10-gallon bottle of water. That's it. What would I do in a situation like that?

We have been having these massive thunderstorms at night with heavy rain, wind, thunder and incessant lightning. I was annoyed because these storms, though impressive, interrupt my sleep. I wonder how the people who live in a tarp deal with this rain. Tough thought.

Image 4: The Association of South East Asian Nations is having a conference in Cambodia this week and with these leaders come the heads-of-state from the United States, Russia, South Korea and China. The organization of this conference seems to have befuddled Cambodia. Roads are closed, flights are cancelled, streets have become parking lots and schools have cancelled class. These soldiers are standing guard right near our house in case someone decides to get out of hand. There were groups of five AK-47 toting solders about every 100 yards on the main road leading to the airport (which is also the busiest national highway). Pretty crazy scene around here but interesting nonetheless.

That's it, that's all. These were the four most recent images on my phone and they tell a long and complex story of the country that we have called home for two-and-a half-years. I find these pictures help to explain a lot about our life and this country, I hope you do was well.  

Medical Clinics

For the past two weekends 2Five2 has been hosting a medical clinic outreach in the communities of Prek Pneu and Phnom Penh Thmei.  There has been months of planning, budgeting, meeting, and gathering supplies and volunteers.  But in the end it was all worth it.  Our first clinic was on Sunday, November 4th in Phnom Penh Thmei at the Logos campus.  The students and families from the 2Five2 program were invited in to have acute medical care and receive public health education.  On that day the medical team we partnered with were able to see just over 300 people!

 Patient Registration.

 

Patient care.

Overview of the clinic.

Our wonderful 2Five2 Phnom Penh Thmei staff that volunteered.

 

 

Then we resumed again on Saturday, November 10th with a health education clinic to the public school in Prek Pneu.  Here 4 doctors and their translators went to the Primary School campus and taught classes on nutrition, drinking clean water, wound care, oral hygiene, and disease prevention.  The school has over 1,100 students with an average of 50 kids per class, so it was such a blessing for them to get this training.  Students also received some Vitamin A as well as a horrible tasting (which was very apparent in their faces) de-worming pill.

 



And yesterday we finished the medical outreach with our largest clinic in the village of Prek Pneu.  Similar to the one in Phnom Pneh Thmei this team of 25 doctors and nurses taught and treated 366 patients that live in this community!  Many living here do not have access to health care so for most this was the first time they have seen a doctor before. At the end of these 10 days I find myself tired and excited for our upcoming holiday in a few weeks, but also filled with joy as we saw their thankful and smiling faces (even after getting teeth pulled!) leaving the clinic site.

Waiting to see the doctors and dentists.

Getting their vitals checked.

First doctor station.

 Our wonderful 2Five2 Prek Pneu staff and volunteers.

Inspired

Have you ever been around someone so special that when you walk away you feel like you are a better person because you were with them?  Have you ever been so inspired by someone that you just hope one day you could be like them?

We have encountered that everyday for the past two weeks with our dear friends Ryan and Angie Ketchum.

Angie and Ryan moved to Cambodia last year for Ryan to teach at Logos, and for Angie to finish in Masters in Nursing Education.  Before that they lived in India for 3 years teaching at another school and working as a nurse.  They have four girls, who are even cooler than Angie and Ryan are.

Well, about 2 weeks ago Angie was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at a local clinic here in Phnom Penh. About a week later her and Ryan had to leave to go to Bangkok to get further testing and see if surgery was needed.  It was confirmed she had cancer and now is still there waiting on her treatment and care.  They have had to leave their girls for the past two weeks, and face the scary world of cancer far away from home in America and from home in Cambodia.

But they continue to inspire us as they teach us about waiting on the Lord, about faith in His sovereignty, about trusting God's crazy plan for our lives, about peace in the midst of a storm.  They are faithful followers, loving parents, and friends who can make us laugh and cry all in one coffee date.

If you want to be inspired read this blog.  I know there is tons of stuff out there to read, but this will bless your heart.

Please pray for them, and for their poor girls who have to be under our care while Angie and Ryan are gone.  Last night we came up with the "Top 10 of the first week with the DeRemers"  here they are:

1.) Mr. D burning is foot trying to use the brake on the razor scooter.
2.) Make your own pizza night.
3.) Megann (2 years old) calling us Mommy and Daddy Dreamer.
4.) Mr. D catching the soccer ball on the back of his neck then kicking it afterwards.
5.) Mrs. D's dance moves, which the girls still can't master.
6.) Finding "Otter Pops" in Cambodia.
7.) Getting to Ride in the Tico.
8.) Brenna's (11 years) epic basketball tournament.
9.) Making fall acorn treats and Mr. D's quesdillas (he perfected the art in college).
10.) Skyping with Angie and Ryan.

 

Have you ever told the person who inspires you what they mean to you?

Staff Retreat

Last weekend Chris and I headed out on our annual staff retreat at the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville.  We look forward to this time because it a 3 day space where we enjoy a nice hotel room and pool, time with amazing co-workers, seafood, the beach, and encouraging teachings.

We had time to nap, watch NFL football games, play Settlers or Catan with close friends, play at the beach, and share meals with one another.  We also had a guest speaker talk about hospitality, which is right up my alley, so all was wonderful.  I love the picture that the early church gives us at the end of Acts 2 on how to teach with one another, eat together, pray, give generously, and celebrate in our joys and our sorrows.  It's a good read.

But I will leave you with some pictures of our time at the beach, though Chris is not in any of them I promise he did go.

 

 

 

(Pictured above: Leanne with the office staff and another Logos teacher, playing games on the beach with our staff, and Leanne with dear friends Chenda and Dalis.)

Soles for Souls

About a month ago (as you can see we are trying to catch you up on everything that has been going on here in Cambodia) Chris helped organize and fund raise for an event called Soles for Souls.

One of Asian Hope's outreaches is to invite the kids in the Logos neighborhood to come and get to use the school's pool, playground, and soccer field every Saturday afternoon.  This is obviously a huge blessing to these kids to get to be on this amazing campus.  Additionally, while they are at the school, our Khmer teaching staff also does a bible story or VBS type of time with them. 

Chris is the school sponsor for the Logos Student Government and his group of students wanted to help this outreach by providing shoes for all the kids.  In Cambodia most children spend the majority of their time barefoot, with no protection, they are more susceptible to injury and with little access to first aid and medical care, an infection is likely.

So the students raised money and bought or collected over 200 pairs of shoes to give to these children.  Chris' students gave away the shoes and the Khmer staff taught a lesson on following the footsteps of Jesus.

Another cool event...

Worlds Collide

A few weeks back Chris and I hosted a soccer game where our two worlds collided together.  Chris is the Logos boys soccer coach and I work in the village of Prek Pneu (which I am sure the vast majority of you already know this).  It turned out to be one the most fun events we have been a part of in our over 2 years in Cambodia.

A few months back the Khmer church contacted Chris to see if we could host a soccer game of the Logos team vs. the Prek Pneu church.  He agreed enthusiastically.  The event was actually an outreach for the Khmer church to get to know the men in the community more and be able to invite them to church.

Needless to say, the Logos team dominated, I don't know if it was that they are all 15 years old and substantially more fit, agile, and fast, or because Chris is such a good coach.  You can decide...

Chris and I even had an epic showing of a husband and wife, assist and goal combo to end the game.  The crowd went wild.  Really, I don't we have ever been cheered on that much.

We are blessed to play in games like these.  Games when teenage boys learn about their role in church growth, and games when small house churches find ways to build relationships.