In August, Caleb’s US Passport was issued and he was officially acknowledged as a US citizen. However, technically, Caleb was in Cambodia illegally because he is a foreign national without a Cambodian visa. As is in the case in many countries, Cambodian visas can only be renewed – not issued – inside the country. So…
Author: Charles
ក្រូចថ្លុង | Pomelo
Pomelo is a large citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia that bears more than a passing resemblance to Grapefruit. However, Pomelo has a light green skin, pale yellow flesh, and – often – a thick layer of pith. It’s citrus flavor is gentle and mild, without the acidity that I usually expect from citrus. Pomelo…
MCC U.S. Board Learning Tour 2023
In June 2023, the MCC U.S. Board of Directors spent eight days in Cambodia for a Learning Tour. There were 26 visitors in all, including Board members and MCC staff. We were quite a crowd when the MCC Cambodia team met up with them. On Sunday morning, the Learning Tour split up into two groups…
Please welcome Esther, Harleysville area friends
A few months ago I shared that Esther, a young Cambodian woman, would be volunteering at the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, Pennsylvania through MCC’s IVEP program. I’m happy to share that she received her visa, attended orientation at the MCC office in Akron, and is now in the Souderton area. For our friends in…
Worship Guides from MCC Peace and Justice Ministries
I wanted to share two new worship guides from MCC U.S. National Peace and Justice Ministries. These are intended for fall church services or personal/family prayer time. Each contains prayers, song suggestions, Bible readings, and informative reflections. Climate Action for Peace: International Day of PeaceThis year, MCC’s Peace Sunday packet centers on the theme of Climate Action…
Fresno Pacific University Visit 2023
In July, we hosted a group from Fresno Pacific University in California. Fresno Pacific is a Mennonite Brethren University. The group spent most of it’s time in Vietnam but came through Cambodia for a week and ended with a few days in Thailand. The lead Professor for the group was Dr. Ken Friesen who was…
What is Seek?
Seek is a new cohort discipleship program from Mennonite Central Committee that had it’s first pilot earlier this year in Israel/Palestine. The second pilot is planned for next year in Cambodia. It is a 6 month discipleship program meant to engage Anabaptist youth (ages 18-20) with the core tenants of Anabaptist faith, MCC, and the global…
Grocery Shopping at Boeung Tumpun Market
Last week, I read a Times magazine article which shared that 25% of all dollars spent on groceries in the US are spent at Walmart. This made me realize that it’s been awhile since I last posted about shopping at our local market – two years – and I thought I’d share some more about…
Article: In Memory of American Grandpa
I recently shared a news article from Dhaka about Art Defehr’s early work with MCC Bangladesh and thought that I’d share another one. I don’t plan to do this too often so don’t worry that this will become an article blog. Currently, MCC Asia and MCC Europe are launching initiatives to strengthen our connection with…
Flowers of Bangkok 2023
This week we had to make a ‘visa run’ to the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to get Caleb’s visa. The bright side of having to wait for three days for the Embassy to issue the visa is that we had time to explore the city and visit a few of it’s many wonderful gardens…