After my Father died I went through a cycle of depression and anger. I wasn’t angry at God or even what had happened, I was just angry in general. My first internal reaction to most interactions was negative. I held on to uncharitable thoughts and petty grudges for no reasons. I knew this was a…
Author: Charles
Taiwan Earthquake Update from Mennonite Christian Hospital
Yesterday, a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck Taiwan killing at least 9 people and injured more than 900 people. The quake was followed by over 100 aftershocks, further damaging infrastructure and buildings as well as causing landslides. I wanted to share an update on the earthquake from the Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien, near the epicenter. This…
2024 Prison Fellowship Cambodia Annual Conference
We’re aware of three organizations working in prisons in Cambodia. Two of the three – Peace Bridges and Khmer Vulnerability Aid Organization – are already current MCC partners, Prison Fellowship Cambodia is the other. I’ve been wanting to connect with Prison Fellowship to see if we could work towards a partnership with them too but…
What’s that Tower with a Ball on top?
An open air sewage canal empties into the Boeng Trabek lake near the MCC office in Phnom Penh. Across the waters, you can see a strange tower with a ball on top standing in the near distance. This tower is slowly being swallowed by new construction and doesn’t stand out like it once did. This…
Seek – Sreyhem’s Life Story and Testimony
On Friday, Sreyhem Roberts shared her life story and testimony with the Seek cohort. Sreyhem was five years old when the Khmer Rouge took power and was an early convert to Christianity through an underground House Church in the 1980s. She told us about her life, what it was like to be a Christian at…
MCC Mistaken Identity
Acronyms are helpful for simplifying a name but they can lead to confusion. Last year, while we were in Nepal, I kept on coming across a message spraypainted along the streets, “No MCC. Go Back America.” I teased the MCC Representatives to Nepal about this – already knowing that it wasn’t our MCC – and…
Phnom Penh High Rises
In my recent post about leading a walking tour through Phnom Penh I mention the rapid growth of high-rise buildings in the city. Specifically, that there were only three skyscrapers (two completed, one in progress) when I left in 2009 and that a decade later the Phnom Penh skyline was filled with high-rises when I…
Seek – International Women’s Day 2024
We had the Seek cohort over for International Women’s Day last Friday. It’s a national holiday in Cambodia and the MCC office was closed, as where many businesses. We started off with a hymn sing in the living room while Greta played the piano for us. The schools were not closed for International Women’s Days…
Deities, Divinities, and Spirits of Cambodia
While many ‘Westerners’ know the fact that Cambodia is polytheistic, rather than monotheistic, they rarely understand the broader implications of this when it comes to fundamental differences between their own worldview and the Cambodian worldview. In terms of spiritual belief and practice Cambodia is far removed from countries that are majority Christian, Muslim, or secular…
Elijah, Highs and Lows
When I’m low I often think about the prophet Elijah. Specifically, how he lived for three years on the run while drought and famine plagued the land, then how he confronted King Ahab and challenged 450 Prophets of Baal to a public contest on Mount Carmel. There, in front of a crowd of witnesses, Elijah’s…