I missed this news when it was first announced but the Cambodian Mine Action Center has successfully trained three of its mine clearing dogs to sniff out COVID-19. They have seven more dogs currently in training. The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism is hoping to resume issuing Tourist Visas in October or November. However, it’s unlikely…
Author: Charles
Operation Eagle Pull
Some of my Cambodian friends, including two MCC Cambodia staff, are old enough to remember when the United States evacuated personnel from Cambodia five days prior to the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The photos and videos coming from Kabul strike a personal note for them. The two events are,…
What do we mean by Peace?
Mennonite Central Committee is a global, nonprofit organization that strives to share God’s love and compassion for all through relief, development and peace. One question that we get a lot is… What do we mean by Peace? By peace, we do not mean the simple absence of armed conflict or even reaching surface level harmony….
Family vacation to Siem Reap
In July 2020, we took a family vacation to Siem Reap province. In Khmer, the name Siem Reap literally means ‘Siam defeated‘ while the Thai refer to the province as ‘Siemmarat‘ which literally means ‘Siam’s territory.‘ Siem Reap is the home of the ruins of the ancient city of Angkor; which was the largest pre-industrial…
Pray for Afghanistan
As you pray for Afghanistan, please include a prayer for MCC Afghanistan and our local partners there. For security reasons I can’t share details but it is a time of immense fear, sorrow, and lamentation. Please also take a moment to remember Glen Lapp, a MCC service worker who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010….
Fishbones and the heart of the Mekong
I developed a dairy allergy in my teenage years. Since then, I’ve often been asked “how do you get your calcium without milk?” Well, calcium is available in many foods with dark leafy greens being of special note. One of my favorite sources of calcium is blackstrap molasses which is a fantastic sugar substitute for…
Best Mosquito Spray Brand Name
Between Dengue and Chikungunya, we’ve developed a healthy interest in keeping mosquitos away. There are few things more satisfying than frying the little bloodsuckers with a mosquito racket but we also use mosquito spray quite a lot. Since COVID-19 disrupted international trade, the brands of mosquito spray available here have been in constant flux and…
Two Year Anniversary
August 10th marked our two year anniversary in Cambodia. I got my dates mixed up and so we celebrated today. Just like last year, we splurged on lactose free ice cream in the mid-afternoon. In 2020, Crystal started us on a daily routine of writing a gratitude for the day on a notecard (you can…
Christopher Dock and Peaceful Education
Our rural primary school education program is making the shift to focus on peaceful education and that’s had me thinking about Christopher Dock. No, no, not Crystal’s high school but the educator for whom it is named. Christopher Dock was a Mennonite educator who taught in the Skippack area from 1718 to 1771 (with a…
Online School is back in session
Last week, Charlotte started second grade… It’s hard to believe that’s true but it is. My little baby is growing up so fast. …and, yesterday, Catherine started Pre-Kindergarten. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, both girls are currently studying online and it will probably be months in the best case scenario before they’re able to study…