King 왕: Norodom Sihamoni (2004년 부터) Prime Minister 총리: Hun Sen (1998년 부터)
Land area 토지 면적: 176,519 sq km; total area: 181,040 sq km Population 인구: 16 million 16백만명; life expectancy: 66.27 years Capital 수도: Phnom Penh 프놈펜, population 1.55 million Languages 언어: Khmer (official) 96.3%, other 3.7% Literacy 문맹률: 80.5% Ethnicity 민족성: Khmer 크마이 97.6%, Vietnamese 베트남인 1%, Chinese 중국인 1%, other 기타 4% Religions 종교: Buddist (official) 불교 97.9%, Muslim 이슬람 1.1%, Christian 0.5, 기타 0.6
Just as we thought things were on track, another curve ball has come along. Fortunately, we’re getting more used to those now! The last six weeks have seen us starting to make firmer plans for heading to Cambodia and start working on our related to-do list. On the New Zealand side, things are mostly going well… Unfortunately, on 20 February a couple of foreigners arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and bribed some guards to let them out of quarantine early. They then proceeded to visit quite a number of people and places before finding out they had Covid-19. Consequently, cases have now been reported in 8 different provinces and currently number over 750. Cambodia has responded quickly so hopefully they will be able to get it under control, but we’re watching and waiting to see how things develop and what impact this may have on our plans, as well as on the Khmer people who, like much of the world, are already struggling with the impacts of the pandemic.
As things stand, we’re still hoping to head to Cambodia in June/July. However, as many of you have probably found too, we’re constantly being reminded of the need to be adaptable and to hold everything lightly, trusting that God does know what He is doing and that, whatever His plans are, they are for good.
The new year has begun, and whilst we hope the world will look very different by the end of the year, for now it seems very much a continuation of 2020. In Cambodia, covid-19 is still keeping a low profile with the vast majority of cases caught at the border, but students have missed several weeks of school at a time throughout the last 12 months whenever community transmission is discovered. The photo above was taken on 11 January – the first day of in-person teaching this year at HOPE International School. As you can see, Cambodians are generally being very cautious which may well be part of the reason they have done so well with covid to date. If you’re curious about HOPE International School you can go to hope.edu.kh to find out more.
We recently arrived back from a nine-day trip around the upper North Island so now head into preparing for the return to work and school. With just over four months until we hope to leave for Cambodia, there is still a lot to do to prepare so there’s no chance of us getting bored!
To help you keep up with where we are at on our journey, our timeline for Cambodia is as follows: Now-March – sharing, practical preparations and working towards reaching targets for OMF clearances April – apply for health & finance clearances from OMF June – leave for Cambodia. 2 weeks quarantine followed by 2 weeks of introductory language & culture learning at the OMF guesthouse in Phnom Penh July – relocate to Siem Reap to find accommodation and settle in Aug – Peter & children to start at HOPE International in Siem Reap
Your prayers are appreciated as we work towards meeting the criteria to gain needed clearances over the next few months. For more information, visit our Facebook page at Hwangfamily2020.
As for all of you, this past year has been quite different from what we had imagined! Rather then experiencing our first rainy season (complete with floods) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we find ourselves living almost ‘life as normal’ in Christchurch, NZ. Whilst this change in plans and uncertainty regarding our future has been challenging at times, God has stayed faithful and we’re now looking forward to (hopefully) heading to Cambodia mid-2021.
Peter was offered and has accepted a position teaching Year 2-3 children at HOPE International School, Siem Reap campus beginning August 2021. Siem Reap is a reasonably large provincial town close to Angkar Wat that relies heavily on tourism, and it’s also the town we felt drawn to when we visited two years ago. So, although we’re taking nothing for granted, we’re hopeful that in 6-7 months time we’ll be finding our feet in Siem Reap.
Life has been quite busy with child-care and homeschooling duties over the past 5 weeks, but a rare day of the children amusing themselves without much fighting meant we’ve been able to put an update out. If you think you should have received it but haven’t, or would like to be added to our mailing list please let us know.
Here’s an abridged excerpt from our latest newsletter:
As with everyone caught up in covid-19 restrictions, there is discomfort and frustration at times. However, we are very blessed in that Peter can work from home, our cupboards are full of food, we have a nice neighbourhood for walking in, and financial & job security. We are very aware that many do not have these privileges. For me (Beth), this knowledge of our extreme wealth has been confronting at times – I’m unsure of what makes us so special that we get to live in such luxury, when others just by nature of their birth are struggling to survive – but I think it’s good to have the opportunity to think on these things.
With New Zealand looking like we may be over the worst of covid-19, we are starting to look both eagerly and a little anxiously to what the future holds, not just for us, but for Cambodia and for OMF & HOPE International School too. At the moment everything may seem like a great big unknown, but we know God is still working and will reveal the next steps when we need to know them. Until then we continue to trust and pray.
We recently discovered this quiet & beautiful spot within a 5-min walk of home. It’s been great for running off some of Shi-Yul’s pent-up energy during lockdown.
I was given the opportunity to share at our home church of Papanui Baptist this morning on Isaiah’s commissioning (or recommissioning), along with sharing the story of how God called me to Cambodia (a process taking many years). If you’re interested in hearing it, you can find it here (actual sermon begins 6 mins in): https://www.papbap.org.nz/mul…/here-am-i-use-me-isaiah-61-8/
We’re really thankful that a couple of churches have recently expressed an interest in supporting us, with the church I grew up in, Motueka Baptist, adopting us as one of their church missionaries. We now have a point person at our home church of Papanui Baptist, who will keep us connected when we’re overseas and is already proving to be a great support as we start to plan for the next few months.
Although we’re now entering a period of uncertainty regarding when we can go (i.e. when we will meet the conditions so OMF can clear us to leave), we know this is an important time to grow our faith, strengthen ourselves as a family, and to learn to hold on to things loosely, recognising that God sees a far bigger picture than us. I’m sure the ability to be flexible will come in very useful on the field too!
HOPE International School have confirmed Peter will have a position teaching a lower-level primary class at the Phnom Penh campus for the August 2020 school year, so we now know where we will be based for at least our first year. Peter’s even appeared in the school newsletter (see image above)! Whilst we were quietly hoping we’d be able to go to Siem Reap, we’re looking forward to the extra support and opportunities that exist in Phnom Penh where there is a strong OMF team and more access to language learning courses, etc.
Journey to Kampuchia 