HAPPY NEW Year!

Well here we are again, finally.  I want to tell you about Chinese New Year in Cambodia.  Sounds strange that they would celebrate this since Khmer New Year is in April, but many Khmers are intermarried with Chinese.  Many of the businesses in Cambodia are owned by Chinese.  So about 3 weeks ago, we celebrated Chinese New Year in grand style.   Stew and I were out walking the Saturday before CNY (January 26th was the actual day) when we saw many people with tied up, dead looking trees on their motos, hanging out of cars or being carried over the shoulder.  There was an air of excitement, anticipation all around us.  I suddenly noticed across the road what looked like tree lots - just like Christmas at home - with happy looking people lined up buying the trees.  The flower vendors along the road were doing a booming business with customers walking off with armloads of bouquets.  Traffic was horrendous - we could hardly walk along the road in some spots.  The next day we were invited to join Sotheary's sister, Mom, and her family to celebrate CNY and there was her tree, no longer dead looking but beautiful with twinkling lights, fresh green leaves and little yellow flowers decorated with red and gold Chinese envelopes stuffed with money for the young visitors of family and friends who stop by throughout the 'season'.  We were treated to a feast of Chinese delicacies very reminiscent of the wonderful meals we've had with our daughter-in-law, Katie's family.  It was so nice sitting on their large balcony overlooking Phnom Penh, eating, visiting, laughing at our struggle to understand what they were saying.  We all went home very full, tired and happy.

All of the markets and many businesses were closed from Sunday through to Thursday, traffic was very light, it was hard to get a moto/tuktuk.  The sound of Chinese music would come down the street and truck loads of costumed men and boys would jump down in front of house or business and dance with Chinese dragons - how fun.  Youngsters were running down the street to take it all in, giggling and hopping up and down.  What fun for everyone.

There's another side to CNY, though and it's not so much fun.  We had an e-mail from C&MA missionary friends in Poipet where Ratanak funds medical/discipleship work.  On the Sunday of CNY, their church had just finished communion when an unbelieving father came into the service yanked his believing daughter out of her place, dragged her home and began beating her with electrical wires all the time yelling at her to recant her faith in Jesus.  She refused over and over and told her father even if he killed her she would not recant.  He finally gave up and left her in her pain.  There is persecution for believers - some find their wells poisoned, others find their dog dead and others, like this girl, are beaten &/or disowned.