$2.95 for a little bit of sanity
My last blog post in early January was about there being a shortage of calendars in Phnom Penh. That's certainly the least of anyone's worries these days. A lot has happened since then. I left the country twice: once for a two week work trip and then a long-weekend in Singapore with Colin.
March seemed like the longest month yet. So much happened that each hour felt like a day. In the middle of March, Colin and I were about to book tickets to Vietnam for Khmer New Year (mid-April) and were looking at different places to visit. We decided to hold off for a few days. Within a few days, the border to Vietnam closed and the virus status got upgraded to pandemic.
At the present moment, our lives are only slightly different. Colin continues to work as usual and just hired a new apprentice. I now work from home. There are people taking our temperature at stores, cafes, restaurants, and spraying your hands (and sometimes your body) with alcohol sanitizer. It doesn't seem nearly as bad as it is in other countries, including Canada, our passport country.
I don't think I'm typically an anxious person but I've found myself having waves of stress/anxiety over this situation. I get a bit nervous thinking that there's no option to fly back to Canada or even Thailand for medical treatment. We're here. Although the Canadian Embassy sends regular emails telling us to book one of the few remaining flights back to Canada. We stay.
This is our home. This is where we have work. We have community here. There is an abundance of food. It's mango season after all, they're practically falling off the trees.
We try to maintain as 'normal' of a lifestyle as possible while being careful and respectful of others. We still go for runs in the mornings. Colin still meets regularly for Bible study with one of the interns. My Bible study group has moved online. We still go get Bubble Tea.
Today, as I was working from home and losing motivation, I started getting anxious. I learned that Cambodia is now a Level 3 as per the CDC. I have no idea what that means except that a while back I got an email from our health insurance saying that once your country of residence is declared Level 3, you have 10 days to qualify for evacuation money OR you're not covered for any COVID-19 medical expenses. We stay. Trusting we don't get the virus or at least don't have major symptoms that would require medical care. Because we stay.
I needed to restore some sanity. I was getting sick of my 'home office'. I went to Browns in TK but it was busy. I went to Browns at Aeon and there were very few people there. I got a small caramel frappe for $2.95 and sat in the corner and started to work on my Bible study. (At one point, I caught myself singing out loud to the Whitney Houston song playing in the café. Then I realized I was not at home singing to myself!).
Right now, I'm studying the book of 1 Kings with a women's Bible study group using the inductive method. I love it. Last year, we studied 1&2 Samuel. We just started Kings. Today I read 1 Kings 8, which is about Solomon dedicating the house of God and ALL of Israel is there. Solomon prays asking God to hear them and forgive them when they mess up.
I'm so freakin' thankful we can study the Bible. I'm thankful we have access to a Bible in our language and that I can go to a café and read it, mark it, take notes, and be in awe of God's Word. As I was studying, I couldn't help but feel peace knowing that God's Word is constant. It is holy. It's never changing. It's for us, this generation, just as it was for all previous generations. It's for all cultures.
In this time of great uncertainty, it's important to cling to what is certain. If you're wondering where God is in all of this - open the Bible. It's the living words of God Himself. He's here. He'll speak to you through these words.
March seemed like the longest month yet. So much happened that each hour felt like a day. In the middle of March, Colin and I were about to book tickets to Vietnam for Khmer New Year (mid-April) and were looking at different places to visit. We decided to hold off for a few days. Within a few days, the border to Vietnam closed and the virus status got upgraded to pandemic.
At the present moment, our lives are only slightly different. Colin continues to work as usual and just hired a new apprentice. I now work from home. There are people taking our temperature at stores, cafes, restaurants, and spraying your hands (and sometimes your body) with alcohol sanitizer. It doesn't seem nearly as bad as it is in other countries, including Canada, our passport country.
I don't think I'm typically an anxious person but I've found myself having waves of stress/anxiety over this situation. I get a bit nervous thinking that there's no option to fly back to Canada or even Thailand for medical treatment. We're here. Although the Canadian Embassy sends regular emails telling us to book one of the few remaining flights back to Canada. We stay.
This is our home. This is where we have work. We have community here. There is an abundance of food. It's mango season after all, they're practically falling off the trees.
We try to maintain as 'normal' of a lifestyle as possible while being careful and respectful of others. We still go for runs in the mornings. Colin still meets regularly for Bible study with one of the interns. My Bible study group has moved online. We still go get Bubble Tea.
Today, as I was working from home and losing motivation, I started getting anxious. I learned that Cambodia is now a Level 3 as per the CDC. I have no idea what that means except that a while back I got an email from our health insurance saying that once your country of residence is declared Level 3, you have 10 days to qualify for evacuation money OR you're not covered for any COVID-19 medical expenses. We stay. Trusting we don't get the virus or at least don't have major symptoms that would require medical care. Because we stay.
I needed to restore some sanity. I was getting sick of my 'home office'. I went to Browns in TK but it was busy. I went to Browns at Aeon and there were very few people there. I got a small caramel frappe for $2.95 and sat in the corner and started to work on my Bible study. (At one point, I caught myself singing out loud to the Whitney Houston song playing in the café. Then I realized I was not at home singing to myself!).
Right now, I'm studying the book of 1 Kings with a women's Bible study group using the inductive method. I love it. Last year, we studied 1&2 Samuel. We just started Kings. Today I read 1 Kings 8, which is about Solomon dedicating the house of God and ALL of Israel is there. Solomon prays asking God to hear them and forgive them when they mess up.
I'm so freakin' thankful we can study the Bible. I'm thankful we have access to a Bible in our language and that I can go to a café and read it, mark it, take notes, and be in awe of God's Word. As I was studying, I couldn't help but feel peace knowing that God's Word is constant. It is holy. It's never changing. It's for us, this generation, just as it was for all previous generations. It's for all cultures.
In this time of great uncertainty, it's important to cling to what is certain. If you're wondering where God is in all of this - open the Bible. It's the living words of God Himself. He's here. He'll speak to you through these words.
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