big

"If a job's worth doing,
it's worth doing well."

Do you remember hearing these wise words growing up? Quality is good. And yet in this season, I'm learning to embrace this variation on the theme:

"If a job's worth doing,
it's worth doing big."

In this context, a quality activity will attract numbers. Sometimes these numbers are bigger than I plan for. Sometimes the numbers freak me out, wear me out, make me want to sleep for a week. But I'm trying to embrace the big... even when it scares me.

Sixty kids in an English class? We'll manage. Teacher Scott putting his foot through the bamboo floor, breaking every stick of chalk in the box while writing on the dodgy board, attempting to engage the 11-14 year old hanging out the back window? All part of a job well done. Five hundred young people playing football every Sunday for three months? We'll try. I get there early, move construction materials from the corner of the field, scoop animal crap from two fields, check the ages of the players (prohibit kids who are too old from joining in), remind the referees of the modified rules for U13s, explain the word 'forfeit' when a team arrives 45 minutes late, keep an eye on the time for the referee and step in for coaches who can't make it to let players substitute so that everyone gets time to play.

Big has implications. Big allows many more opportunities for dozens of little things to give me a headache. But there's a momentum and an excitement in big too. So if it's worth doing...

big Football progi

big English class

reading the bible

This year I'm continuing to read through the bible. I started in August 2010 so I'm about half way through the Bible In One Year plan. I'll often journal thoughts about what I learn or just take a pen and mark key verses. When I miss a day I catch up later.

Reading the bible habitually hasn't make me an instant superhero, immune to mistakes, failures or frustrations. It does help me to focus on the big picture. Maybe it makes be a bit more centred. It equips me to teach and encourage others'. Reading the Scriptures regularly strengthens me when challenges and interruptions come.

It doesn't take me long to read a few pages of the bible every day. I try to read with an openness and a sense of expectation. Also, I try to read with an attitude of humility, acknowledging my preconceptions, my cultural biases and my lack of understanding. I try to engage with the text prayerfully.

So I'm wondering... what about you? Do you read the bible? If so, how does it inform your decisions and priorities? How does it shape and strengthen your spiritual journey? How does it challenge you?

Enjoying the Marathon

A couple of years ago in a moment of deep insight, I penned two ancient secrets of mastering the art of distance running. They are....(ready?!)

1. Start running.
2. Don't stop until you reach the finish line.

Maybe I should add a third?
- Try to enjoy it.

Yesterday I ran my fifth marathon. I craved an escape from work. I wanted a long run...

So I made the journey by moto, bus, taxi and plane to Khon Kaen in Thailand's North East. I ran the 42km about ten minutes slower than my PB set at the Gold Coast last July (i.e. just under 4 hours for this marathon). It wasn't speedy. But it was a good run. Why? I'm starting to enjoy the marathon. What I mean is: I'm not just enjoying the feeling of having done a marathon but the actual process of running it. I'm running freer and I hope that later this year I'll run faster too!

In clear contrast, I remember when running my first marathon I wasn't at all appreciative of the people who turned out to cheer their family members/ friends/ anyone wearing four inch shorts. When someone yelled, "Good job!" I wanted to reply, "If this job is so good, why the heck aren't you running?!" When a stranger at the 20-mile mark called out, "Looking good!" I almost turned and screamed, "Are you kidding me?!" Sweaty, tired, stumbling along with dried Gatorade caked around my mouth, I knew that I did not look anything close to "good". My response, "Seriously, this nutter needs to get her eyes/ brain checked."

There for sure used to be a little part of me that hated the perky crowds cheering in their PJs with a take-away coffee cup in one hand and a camera in the other.

Now, I don't mind it. I like running. I know I'm not going to win and I'm absolutely not going to stunning at 30km. But when yesterday's marathon started at 4:15am and a few thousand people from a small city in North East Thailand turned out in the dark to support the participants, I figured I should enjoy it. Each time I passed a group gathered around a band, monument, temple or at a major intersection, I grinned and waved at the crowds like a mid-pack rockin champion!!! They smiled, blessed me with encouraging words in Thai and one young woman even yelled "beautiful" in English when I was waaayyyy past the 20 mile mark....

That's the secret: Start. Don't stop. Try to have fun.

5th marathon! yay!

Just got back from Thailand. I only took a few pics to remind me of:

- the 3:36am pic before the 4:15am marathon start. (Yup... gotta beat the heat in Asia!)
- the FIRST AIDS stations all around the route. (Made me smile!)
- the finisher T. (A good enough reasons for friendly strangers to start up a convo post-race...)

execution apology

You may remember a recent post about being misguided & lost at the Chiang Mai half marathon? The race director wrote an apology on the website. It's a little confusing but reads:

Dear, All runners.

From the confusion of the race route Chiang Mai marathon on December 26, 2010 caused by the failure of officials in the way some say the wrong path.
Because the group is leading runners run long path can not run to the finish line.
The organizing committee Chiang Mai marathon so sorry and apologize all runners who have been affected by the execution of the duties of this committee.

Best Regards,
Mr Sayu Somdulyawat
Race Director Chiangmai Marathon

Translation? "We screwed up. You ran about 28k instead of 21.1k. You should have placed. So sorry."
No worries. Can I get a free race entry for 2011 and we'll call it even?

hope

'The Economist' Christmas Edition opens with an article on 'The redistribution of hope'. To quote a few lines:

Hope is one of the most overused words in public life, up there with change. For the past 400 years the West has enjoyed a comparative advantage over the rest of the world when it comes to optimism. The Founding Fathers of the United States offered citizens not just life and liberty but also the pursuit of happiness... Now hope is on the move. According to Pew Research Centre, some 87% of Chinese, 50% of Brazilians and 45% of Indians think their country is going in the right direction, whereas 31% of Britons, 30% of Americans and 26% of the French do.

The articles compares China and India's economies that are growing at 10% and 9% respectively with America and Europe's 3% and 2% growth rates. It points out that the US is struggling to come to terms with a 10% unemployment rate, while Spain faces a 41% youth unemployment rate.

So hope is supposed to be on the move. Is it coming to my city or shrinking away? I say neither. Hope is here because God is here. God is working through men, women and children. God is working with children, women and men. Hope is here because God is. Simple.

This year I will use words like hope. Change. Transformation. Love. Freedom. I don't care if these words are out of fashion. Hope is here in Poipet and I want to write about it. Hope isn't the exclusive domain of households with two parents, running water and electricity. Hope isn't just for the generation to come. Hope is for now. Hope is here because God is here. For this same reason hope is also in the US, Europe and Australia. It hasn't disappeared. We just don't always see it when our focus is narrowed to economic statistics.

Study At Home

Thanks for the comments & emails of encouragement about this activity! All but three of the families came to collect their resource packs this morning. The parents, grandparents and uncles brought the information brochures with them and some crammed before the interview/ text. (They all passed!)

Panin's mum was first in line and she quoted the five points perfectly. One mother changed the wording from being general points to "I will" statements. She sat before us, tears welling up in her eyes, saying, "I will motivate my child to go to school. I will ask them about their studies. I will help my child to study at home. I will praise and encourage them. I will visit my child's school." Wow!

Study At Home Too

This week we are recognising some of the best pre-school students in Kbal Spean village. Through the NGO run school, MMF, we will give each of the selected students a pack to help them study at home as well as at school. (The package contains: one Khmer textbook, two storybooks, a maths textbook, notebook, pencil, sharpener, alphabet & numbers flashcards, one writing board & a box of chalk.)

A few months ago I was at the school when one of the kids invited me to visit his house. I agreed. He led me to his house a few hundred metres from the school. While chatting with his mum, I heard that this boy loves school! He wants to study the whole day instead of half-day classes. This isn't possible, however, because the free school is full. I wondered if it would be possible for him to study at home too?

This month, we're discovering that there are many other pre-schoolers who are just as enthusiastic about learning! We asked their teachers to choose 28 of the top pre-school students. We wrote a letter to their parents telling them that their child has been selected for the 'Study At Home Too' program. In addition, we created a short brochure with 'fill in the blank' exercises to teach five points about how parents can help their children to learn. To receive the resource pack, a parent or caregiver must learn the points and be able to tell the teacher/ volunteer at the school how they can assist their child to learn at home.

This week Phoeurn and the teachers have been visiting the families. Here are some of Phoeurn's reflections:

I thought it would be difficult to catch the parents at home. Many of them are busy working all day. Even so, 20 families were able to arrange for a parent or caregiver to be at home during the hours I said I'd visit. (One of the teachers followed up the other 8 families over two nights.)

When I told them that I was there to talk about educational resources, the families were interested. I said that their child was chosen because they were a good example. They come to class on time, listen to their teacher and concentrate on their lessons. Even more than the promise of the gift, what really made them happy was the affirmation that their kids are smart and enthusiastic students. Some people said, "I have nothing to give my child. But I am able to give them this opportunity." Maybe the most powerful thing about meeting with the parents was to be able to say, "This is something your child has earned. It's not from their teacher. It's not from a parent. It's for your child and from your child. It's the result of your child's hard work."

Before I talked with the parents I thought that most of them didn't care about their children's education. I thought that they just wanted to use their children to work such as collecting garbage or begging. However, it became clear that they want their children to learn. Many parents regret that they have to send their children to work.

Most of the parents couldn't read the information I gave them. They had to ask a relative or a neighbour to read it for them. A mother called to ask some more questions about the exercise. She'd never been expected to do something as challenging as read a page of information and complete a simple exercise. Panin's mother needed some help, but afterwards she was confident that she could read the information and remember the points.

I think the equipment will be useful to encourage the students and the families alike. I'm looking forward to giving the books, flashcards and other materials tomorrow!

Congratulations

Top students!

Top teacher visiting a student at home.

Chhai with his mum.

Congratulations to these top pre-school students from Kbal Spean village. These little guys (and girls!) come to school regularly, listen to their teachers, concentrate on their lessons and show an eagerness to learn. Well done : )

New Year baby...

This little guy was born last Wednesday. So good to meet you Ponleur! (Ponleur means 'shining light').

the cult of vegetable Wednesday

It's our pattern to eat vegetarian food on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We started doing this a couple of years ago when we realised that most of the poor in neighbouring villages can't afford to eat meat every day. This is one small way that we can remember them. Secondly, it saves money. Thirdly, it saves time. I guess all these things help us get that food is for the body, not the body for food.

One of our housemates (Cambodian) became a Christian less than a year ago. She talks about her new-found faith enthusiastically! Recently, a neighbour asked her three questions:

1. Why don't Christians burn incense?
2. Why don't Christians drink alcohol?
3. Why don't Christians eat meat?

(Technically, I don't see any biblical reason to prohibit any of the above but...) My housemate answered as follows:

1. Even if you think you are burning incense to worship God, you're not. You are worshipping evil spirits and Satan. The only reason I would burn incense would be to worship Jesus. But you worship Satan not Jesus. (Blunt!)
2. Christians don't drink because they don't want to get drunk.
3. Christians don't generally fast from meat, except for religious reasons on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

It took a bit of explaining but now we're clear that this is not the cult of vegetable Wednesday. It's our habit, our response to faith. It's not a universal rule. Sorted.

pics from jan 1

girls football festival

This New Year we were pleased to receive a group of 20 young, female football players from SALT in Battambang. The girls led a half-day football festival aimed at bringing other teens on the field for the first time. There was no reason for girls in Poipet not to attend! No team? No problem. No money? No need. No skills? That's ok! Just come and learn!

Kick. Play. Smile. Repeat.

At 2pm the fields were prepared with five stations to teach different soccer skills. The visiting group had also prepared cones to create small games. At first the forty participants from Poipet seemed nervous. However, Sam Schweingruber from SALT Academy divided the girls into teams and then the players from Battambang took responsibility. They coached, led mini games and prepared a 'life lesson' at each station. I was impressed that they spoke to their peers from their own experiences about issues such as trafficking, hygiene and drugs. Afterwards, some of the Poipet girls had a friendly game with the Battambang team.

The Girls' Football Festival confirmed that there are some females in Poipet who are eager to play football! It's a new experience. But kick, play, smile seemed to trump the two common alternatives of sitting on the sidelines watching the guys play or staying at home doing nothing! The more experienced young players from Battambang enabled Poipet girls to dare to try.

Captured

Captions from Christmas Day pics read something like: 1. Stopped at this bridge in Chiang Mai to take a photo. 2. Noticed someone else taking photos. 3. Liked her shot. 4. Liked the shot of her shots. 5. Err...until the break in traffic was over!

2011

Early this morning I resolved: no New Year's resolutions for 2011.

I couldn't sleep last night. Got up at 4am, went out for coffee at 5am. I think the problem was my subconscious mind was freaking out that I didn't write a 'to do' list last night.... so I slept, woke and slept again with a vague fear that my day was already screwed hours before the sun rose. Not good.

Anyway, I wrote my daily 'to do' list at five this morning. Besides this, I've got goals for improving my Khmer language ability this year. Then there's the annual work plan I will present to our team for a discussion tomorrow. I have 2011 holidays booked in and flights paid for. I've reviewed my quarterly plan for how I want to a)be a disciple and b) make disciples. Then there's my life goals/ bucket list. Also, I've got a chart on my wall that specifies how many kilometers I should run every day this month and what kind of training session I'm aiming for in preparation for the next marathon. Enough lists. Enough goals. Happy New Year! : )