Home?

So we're home, or are we? I feel like I've left a part of myself back in Cambodia. When we landed I had this distinct feeling that we had been gone for much longer than three weeks. I've narrowed the cause of this feeling down to two possible causes. Either I did, saw, heard, and learned so much that it made the time seem longer than it actually was, or I was so affected by my experience there that I was coming back to a familiar environment that wasn't really familiar, like returning to your elementary school. I duno if that makes any sense. I'm not sure it makes sense to me yet. Anyway, since you guys didn't really hear much from us while we were there perhaps my team mates would like to write out a favorite story of theirs from the trip and post it up. Just a suggestion. (=

I guess that means I should start, but I'll cheat a little cause this isn't really a story about Cambodia, it's one the speaker at the Pine Valley Youth Camp used in one of his messages.

Once there was an American who needed to cross the African jungle on foot. He hired a group of tribesmen who were familiar with the jungle to take him on the quickest and safest route. On the first day of their journey they made excellent progress due to the skill and knowledge of his guides. The man was very pleased with the amount of ground they had covered as they stopped to rest for the night. He thought to himself, at this rate we'll make it there in no time! The next morning he was up early, eager to press on towards his destination. He went to rouse the tribesmen so that they could be on their way but they wouldn't budge. Confused and a little frustrated he asked his translator to find out why they did not want to go on. After conversing with the tribesmen the translator returned and told him the reason they would not move. His translator said, "Yesterday we traveled so far and so fast that these men have left their souls behind, they are waiting for them to catch up."

Though this story isn't about Cambodia it does remind me of the mindset of the people there. Especially in their Church services, the Cambodians are more concerned with the quality of the event than the punctuality of it. They would always start with some singing from the hymn book, then the kids would sing, then sometimes the youth and the adults, they they would ask if anyone else would like to sing. A couple churches even asked us to sing. Sometimes they would ask if anyone had a testimony or prayer request. Only after all those things were finished would the speaker start. It was quite refreshing to be free of time limits and cut off points.