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Showing posts from 2021

Fun in the flooded streets

 Everytime I start a blog and look to see when I posted last, I can't believe it has been so long.  Time really does fly!! I thought I would share my Monday afternoon with you.  I had to go to our area commune chief's building in order to get a verification that I were living at our address.  I had to have this to get a new driver's license.   I decided to walk over there (about a kilometer).  I got my paper with no problems. After that, I was going to walk to the store and then back home.  However, I started walking to the store and it started pouring rain with high winds.  Very hard and very fast.  I ducked into an apartment building to wait out the rain. After an hour, I decided that it wasn't going to stop and I would just call a PassApp tuktuk (like using Uber).  But after 5 drivers declined, I realized that no one was going to drive in this.  I decided to walk home. Immediately, I found out why no drivers came.  The water started out just under my knees. It was st

I'm free!!!

 I have now been out of quarantine for over a week.  It is so great to walk around the streets and eat food that you want to eat! Rich is almost halfway through teaching the book of Matthew at the school.  He will give the midterm either Friday of this week or Monday of next week. He started preaching a series on the book of Philippians on Sundays. As for covid and restrictions, we still are not able to meet with our Christian brothers and sisters.  It is nice to have the avenue of meeting online, but it still isn't the same as actually meeting together. I do have to tell you that a few days after I got out of quarantine in Thailand, they changed the rules to be only one week instead of 15 days.  Then, a few days after I got out of 2 weeks of quarantine here in Phnom Penh, they also changed to one week!!!  I couldn't believe it! Now, Bangkok has just issued a statement that we can travel there with only one night in a quarantine hotel (until the covid test results come back). 

Ronda's medical results

 Since there are many of you asking about my medical results, I thought it would be easier to update you here. I just got back from the doctor.  I got the expected news that my diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia(CLL) is confirmed.   The good news is that my counts aren't bad enough yet to have to have treatments.   I will have bloodwork done every 3 months.  I did have additional bloodwork done today that will tell us which type of CLL I have (which will indicate how quickly it will likely spread and which treatments are best).  Those results will not be in for awhile. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all your prayers, love, thoughts for me!  I am indeed greatly blessed! I am to fly to Phnom Penh on Saturday (unless I can get an earlier flight).  I'll quarantine there for 2 weeks and then I GET TO GO HOME! Much love, Ronda  Just a couple side blessings from God:   1.  We rented a car in the US since we had to stay longer for because we tested positive for Covid. 

Quarantine #1

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 Rich is home, in Phnom Penh, and just finished his class on Psalms at the school.  Today, he started a class on Sermon Preparation.   The first week of October is the Pchum Ben holiday and school will be out for that week.  Please pray for our students as they are on the roads and at home; that they might be a glory to God and show guide many people toward the Lord. So far, even though Thailand and Vietnam are relaxing some of their restriction, Cambodia hasn't followed suit.   Most of you know that I am in Bangkok, Thailand in order to see the doctor.  There is a mandatory quarantine of 15 days here.  I am on day #12.  Downhill slide!  Actually, I keep thinking that this must be what rich people do - just sit around and call for people to deliver things to you.  😀 I am getting a bit bored, but it really isn't too bad.  My floor space is 15 steps, including the bathroom.  I laughed thinking that if a person was very large, that they would have trouble getting in and out of th

Quick Update

 For those of you who don't already know, Rich and I were supposed to fly back to Asia on July 28th.  However, we both got Covid and therefore couldn't fly. On Wednesday, August 11th, Rich was able to fly to Cambodia.  He is in quarantine for 15 days. As I was writing this, he called me on Messenger and said that he just got his Covid test done (it is Thursday morning there).  He will get the results on Friday or Saturday and, provided it is negative, he will be able to go home.  He is TIRED of being in one room 24/7. We had been told that some people test positive for up to 3 months after having Covid.  Due to my other medical issues, we figured that it would take me longer to get a negative result.  However, we both received negative results on the rapid test on August 4th.  I am going to Thailand to see the doctor and their requirements to get into the country are more detailed (and take longer to complete before traveling), so I planned to fly out on August 25th. However, o

Change of plans

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 We have had a great time in the US!!!  We have enjoyed seeing our kids and their families.  I got to be here when Lily Rose Dolan was born to Reuben and Emily.  We've seen so many of our friends.  We've been blessed. But, now we have Covid.  We were vaccinated while we were in Virginia.  Our sons, Randall and Reuben also have it.  We were supposed to fly out on Wednesday, the 28th.  But since we both still have positive results, we are going to have to push those dates back.  Like I told many of you, the restrictions of getting into Thailand and Cambodia is a hassle; and now we have to start all over with those requirements.  Please pray that we will 1)get negative Covid results soon; 2)can smoothly fulfill all the requirements for entry.   Below is our family - minus Reuben's wife, Emily and new baby, Lily.  It is always a sweet gift to get to spend time with our family. Thank you for your love and prayers.  Again, we have enjoyed getting to visit with many of you; you ar

We are free!

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I'm sorry that I haven't written.  I'm been so busy trying to get everything lined up for our US trip that I totally forgot to blog. We are now free to move about the city!!  Most of Phnom Penh is now in "Yellow Zone" meaning that we can pretty much go back to normal.  Still no dine in places and we still have to wear masks or shields outside of the house, but we can otherwise do like normal. These first 2 pictures I took from our roof.  Rain!!!  Let me tell you, after several months of hot, dry season, the rains are exciting!  It is still very hot (currently the heat index is 110 F and the humidity is about 60%) but at least we get a "cooling off" occasionally. The neighborhood markets are still not open.  I put up some pictures on our last blog of the sellers, but here are some more. I hope you can see the slabs of pork on the back on the motorcycle and then the pig legs handing off the next cart.  I woke up one morning to fish all across the from of o

Pictures of lockdown in our area

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As of April 29th, the government put the city in 3 zones.  Red zones for those areas with a lot of COVID cases; Orange zones for those with moderate cases and then Yellow zones for those with very little cases. We are in an Orange zone and so very thankful.  My sister lives about half a mile from us and she is in a Red zone.  Red zones people can't leave their house for any reason; not even to buy food.  They are grateful that they have a refrigerator and freezer, unlike most Khmers. Some pictures from our area.  The first picture is a barricade across the street at an intersection.  It is getting more difficult to find a way out of the area, but so far, we haven't had any problems finding a way out when we needed it.    As we are in a Orange zone, we are allowed out of the house 3 times a week to buy food and we can now also exercise outside.  Yeah!!! Our neighborhood market is in the same Red zone area as my sister's house.  And all the markets in the city are officially

Well, bummer!!

 As of April 14th, the government put a lockdown on Phnom Penh.  It is to last until the 28th.  It wasn't too bad.  We could get outside to exercise and go to the nearest grocery store/market three times per week.  They did have some road blocks in and out of the neighborhoods and you had to show papers to get to go through.  I had gone to the grocery store just before they set up and they let me go back to the house.  Now I am told that they have moved permanent blocks in most of the entrances to the neighborhoods so that they can control better who is coming and going. However, we just got an email from the US Embassy with the stricter guidelines.  Most of them don't really apply to us but we aren't allowed outside to exercise anymore.  (I will say that I saw a lot more people out exercising these last few days than normal.)  So, we are home except food runs.   We are thankful that some of the food stores now have delivery service and I think those can still run; we'l

Villages Worship Services

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Every now and then, some of our graduated students who are out preaching in their villages, send me pictures.  I thought that I would share some of them. This is Borey in the first 2 pictures. He has quite a few teenagers.  4 of the teenagers that were in his congregation are now in Phnom Penh studying in universities.   These next 2 pictures of Sokun and Soklee's village in Battambang province.  This is the same place as the picture I sent of everyone during Sunday services with their feet in water. Sokun and Soklee have worked hard to teach in their village and in the surrounding villages. Sokun particularly has made a point to get involved in the community.  Here he is giving them tips on COVID.  I think his involvment in his village and the care and love he shows all the people have made a big impact on them, and therefore, on the church. This is Kakada and Piset's village services.  They have had to deal with terrible neighbors and other problems.  But they have been dilig

A prayer request

 Good morning (well, for us anyway).  We have a special request of all of you. As I mentioned in the last blog, due to 4 Chinese women, COVID has spread and nearly doubled our amount of cases.  We suspended school for the last week and a half, and are starting back today (Tuesday). However, today, there was a notice put out that the prime minister has suspended all public gatherings indefinitely.   The prayer request is: 1.  For Rich to have the wisdom to know how to continue.  As Khemrin is teaching most of the students, starting today, and he lives at the house, as of now, that class will continue.  (Since they are all living there and are there anyway - no one coming in or out like a regular school).  Rich was to start teaching the 6 new students.  As we do not live at the school and being foreigners, we need to be careful what we do. Pray for Rich to have the wisdom to know how to deal with this class.  (Especially in light of what I mentioned in the last blog about the foreigners

Chinese New Year and new COVID happenings

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For those of you who might not know, Chinese New Year started on February 11th.   Many people were burning in these little metal burners all up and down the street.  These are 2 ladies that we say 'hello' to often when we walk down the street, so I asked her some of what they do. They burn gold colored paper and other pretty paper.  I am not sure how much of what is done in Cambodia is for the New Year angel and how much is for the ancestor worship that they do.   This is inside of their little house.  I asked them if they leave the food out all day.  They told me that they put the food out in the morning as an offering.  Then, when she is done burning all the 'gold' offerings, then they can eat the food except the fruit which is put up ont he wall on the spirit house. (I assume that it is like Khmer New Year and when they burning is done, that signifies that the ancestors are done eating.) Many of the stores had offerings of mainly fruit, bread, cakes, and incense on t

Christmas cards!!!

 I know that I just blogged but we got a great gift today! I assumed that since the mail wasn't running from Cambodia to the US, that we also weren't receiving mail.  I was wrong! One of my uncles accidentally transposed a couple of the numbers on our PO box and a friend ended up getting my Christmas card from them.  That's how I found out that the mail was coming in, just not going out.  (Well, you can send something for about $37 per letter sized envelope.) I walked up to the post office this morning to see if we had mail, since I haven't been checking it, and WE HAVE CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!  It was so exciting!  Thanks so much to Jim Hobson, Rick Hobson, Heidi Hollingsworth, Nathan and Wendy Lee, Ryan and Heather Askew, David and Erin Lee, Jimmy and Emily Lawhorn, and Charles and Judy Emerson (thanks too Judy for your update on your kids/grands)!!  We know that it takes extra effort to send things to us and we really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Really, we were so exci

Durian pizza for you!

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A couple weeks ago, Rich and I decided to go to the Pizza Company and get a pizza.  I thought you might like to see some of the options that we have. Durian pizza.  Let me just tell you, durian stinks!  It smells like gasoline.  When you drive down the street, you can tell when it is durian season and where the sellers are.  (My parents would disagree - they like it - but I'm telling the truth!) I can't even imagine trying to eat durian with cheese and crust. This is another option. You can have little cheeseburgers in your crust.  Not that we are going to rush out and try this, but it would come way before the durian pizza! Another thing I thought I would show you is our carrots.  We talk about the excellent tropical fruit, but we also have really good carrots. In this picture, I'm trying to give you an idea of the size of them.  That apple is a regular large sized apple.   As for the school, tomorrow, Rich is giving the final in the class 'Old Testament History I'

Odds and Ends

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This morning started new classes at CBI.  In the mornings, for everyone but Bunthai, Jerry Lundy from  Broken Arrow is teaching online.  He is teaching the Characteristics of Christ.  Rich is teaching Bunthai the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Bunthai only lack a couple classes to finish. Then in the afternoons, Bunthai and Mai are studying Work of a Preacher with Rich. This is a stalk of bananas straight off of the school landlord's tree.  So incredibly good.  I wish you could have the opportunity to eat bananas right off the tree.  However, it does make it hard to eat bananas in the US.     Saturday, one of the Christian young women got married in Kampong Thom.  For those of you that have been here,  Kampong Thom is the halfway point to Siem Reap. We decided to go during the day instead of the usual nighttime activities.  We left the house at 7:20 am and arrived at 11am.  We had rice and soup for lunch and then at 12:45 headed back to Phnom Penh, arriving about 4:10pm.  Rich