Fried Rice and Cornflakes

Sous-Dey, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia!!  I have finally arrived!  It was not an easy trip but now that I am here, it is all worth it!  I had planned on arriving in Cambodia on August 12 but made an unexpected detour in  South Korea when, due to a delay, I missed the connecting flight.  A few hours (and help desks) later I had finally made it to the right desk and that is where I met Sotheara, my first Cambodian friend.  His name means "Flower of Kindness" in Cambodian.  He and I had both been stranded in Korea on our way to Cambodia and we quickly became friends as we navigated our way through the airport together. 

Sotheara grew up in Cambodia until he was 16, when he and his family moved to America.  He explained to me that he would always miss Cambodia but that there were no opportunities for them in their homeland.  As we continued on to a hotel in the heart of Seoul,  South Korea he began to share stories of his childhood.  His Father had been fortunate to have work but they were still always hungry because he could not earn enough money in Cambodia.   As he looked out over the bright, colorful lights of Seoul he recounted a time when his hard working Father had to steal  a chicken to feed his hungry children.

I wasn't even in Cambodia yet, and already I began to realize just how important  organizations like Musicianaries International and Transform Asia are to the people of Cambodia; and how much the rice that our Positive Life Radio  listeners helped to buy would truly mean to the families there.

It had not been a part of my plan to miss the plane, and truthfully, as an American used to feeling in control, it was frustrating and deeply unsettling to me.  It was not until later, during my breakfast of fried rice and cornflakes at the hotel that I realized that while I had no control of the situation, God did.  What I perceived as a frustrating change in MY plans, God had made a blessing and an opportunity to prepare me for what lay ahead in Cambodia.  

 

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