mamakristin’s Neighborhood

Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 5:18 AM
To: Kurt
Subject: Re: Arrived safely in Ratanakiri

From: Kurt
To: Michael
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 7:47:48 AM
Subject: ...responding to your email questions.
Dear Dad,

Thanks for keeping in touch and for your good questions.

What you have researched online is interesting.  When we arrived in Ratanakiri we first used the internet at our team-mates' houses.  They both allowed me to use their wireless internet that they get in the evenings.  I would try and remember to bring my laptop over when I visited in the evenings so I could upload/download email.  Kr... uses the same company that we used to use for internet in Phnom Penh, but it’s faster here than we had it in Phnom Penh.  Ke... uses DSL, but it’s not as fast as DSL in the US.  Both computers are working wirelessly.

The only topless women we have seen up here have been the same kind that we would see in Phnom Penh.  Older Grandmothers don’t always concern themselves with modesty around here.  The mother of a Khmer friend of mine (and her mom) used to walk around the back part of the house topless, especially on hot days and when she had just taken a shower.  A couple weeks ago we went to to the Se San River in Voen Sai and saw a grandma bathing in the river there.

We do see a lot of tourists around.  November through January are the coolest months in Cambodia and especially so in Ratanakiri.  It was 59F a few mornings ago.  I haven’t stopped to talk to many tourists, but we did eat a quick meal with one during our brief stop in Kratie during the van ride back up here last week.  He comes to Cambodia every year to visit his brother and also does little excursions around the country to visit the sites.  He saw the pink dolphins in Kratie.

OMF only works with the Krung and Brou peoples (up here) and I haven’t visited any villages of the other people groups except for visiting a Chinese village in Voen Sai when we went there with our teammates and a Chinese family they knew from Phnom Penh.  I still want to visit the rest of the Krung churches and Brou before I try to make it to any other people groups.  The Brou live along the Se San River and I’ve only visited Ta Veng, the district center, which is just off the main road from Banlung where we live.  It’ll be interesting parking our vehicles at the river and taking a boat up the river to visit some of the other villages.  We could possibly put our motorcycles in the boat too if we trust them.

I have met the church leaders from the other people groups at the Khmer Bible School because they all come together to study twice a year and they can all communicate in the trade language, Khmer.

With love,

Kurt

On Monday we had an exciting day.  I took my first true language evaluation with the outside consultant our mission hires for this.  He started off testing my speaking as we spoke about Cambodian immigrants in California, which I didn't have a lot of vocabulary for, but I was able to contribute to the 15 minute conversation.  Then, the missionary language advisor opened up the formal part of the evaluation with prayer.  She seemed to take this as a good opportunity for the consultant to know something about me as she prayed for my two year old son and our upcoming move to Ratanakiri.  The consultant seemed very amiable as he took this opportunity to talk some more.  Next, they gave me a passage of gospel scripture and the 3^rd grade primer to read and asked me some questions about them.  Later he read me a few sentences from each of these books and had me write it out as dictation.  He checked my spelling.  Finally, I shared my testimony and gave him a note I had written.  It was helpful to get much feedback on my pronunciation. He also gave me a good hint for sharing my testimony in a way that would be easier to listen to.

They had me go out of the room while they discussed my performance.  15 long minutes later the missionary gave me the “thumbs up” and gave me more advice in how to proceed in my study.  She will keep my classroom time at full-time until I move up near the end of the year.  Once we move we will have to come back to the language center periodically for reviews.

That night Sally and I went home with two reasons to celebrate.  It happened to be our son’s 2^nd birthday.  So we invited several friends/team-mates over to consume the cake I had made.  It was heart warming to see Nathanael play with Elizabeth, who is just a month younger, and to hang out with friends.  One of the friends is a man I have just recently grown closer to even though we have known each other for 4 years.  This is because we pray together weekly for personal needs.

The next day I started a training course in website design.  Our Cambodia field director signed me up for this after I agreed to help with the team website. You can view it at http://www.omf.org/cambodia/    

We are getting settled into our new house in which we are thankful for a convenient place to park our car even though we have to bring our motorcycle and bicycles into our dining area every evening.

MINISTRY

For the last several months we have been attending the Khmer church in Phnom Penh that our team missionaries planted between the railroad and the airport.  A couple weeks ago the church planter passed the leadership on to the local leaders that he has been training.  We may have the opportunity to serve in this church under the national leadership but are uncertain what kind of mentoring we would receive in that role.  In the mean time Kurt is praying about getting involved in one of their youth cell-groups that formed recently near our home.  It is helpful that they know some English.  Please pray with us regarding which ministries to be involved in after we both pass our language evaluation for level I.

We will finally have the opportunity to visit the people and province we believe the Lord has called us to.  We will spend a week there.  Three years ago, when we were there last, it took us three days of travel by taxi and river boat.  This time we will fly there on a Missionary Aviation Fellowship plane (1.5 hours) and return by land (approximately 10 hours).

We had a refreshing time visiting Sally's family before Chinese New Year, but the trip got extended because the medical check-ups we had there required follow-up.  We praise the Lord that we could get that professional care that is not available in Cambodia.  Now we are celebrating the birth of a healthy boy to Sally’s sister and brother-in-law.                                                                                            

PRAISE THE LORD FOR PROVIDING US…

·         With the housing we have been looking for.

·         A replacement camera for Kurt’s broken one.

·         A Christian babysitter who helps us on weekday afternoons so we may learn language.

PLEASE PRAY FOR…

·         Kurt’s language aptitude.

·         Clear direction regarding our ministry in Phnom Penh after the language evaluation.

·         Favor, wisdom, and good timing in Sally’s visa process.  We are planning to go to the embassy soon to start the application process for Sally’s visa so she may travel to Kurt's home.

·         Good health and protection during our trip and after. The Cambodia team here is currently without a team medical doctor.

Thank you for partnering with us through prayer!

eXÍF salI & NafaNEGl

Kurt, Sally and Nathanael Kovach

ADJUSTING TO LIFE IN PHNOM PENH

It has been almost two months since we issued a “Kovach Kourier.”  It has not exactly been life as normal, though we are starting to adjust to life in Phnom Penh.  I don’t know if seeing funerals, ice distribution trucks, flooded streets, motorbikes piled two to three feet high with vegetables or noodles will ever seem normal.  It has been a joy to also see a fair share of new life in the community.  Our landlord’s daughter had her fourth child (their first girl).

We had the opportunity to travel to Thailand for eleven days.  It was a nice break and helped us gain a new perspective on Cambodia, which we believe will help us cope with the way things happen here.

On the way home from the airport we were using our tuk-tuk driver who drives relatively safely.  We thank the Lord for him and use him whenever we can (and want to travel together as a family).  We got hit by a car but both vehicles were traveling very slowly so nobody got hurt.  This has been our fourth accident.  It’s one of those things that I just can’t understand why people act the way they do.  The car hit our tuk-tuk going 1 mile/hr and hurt his own bumper more than anything else.  Nobody showed any anger or even said much.  It was just like another day.  I just hope our tuk-tuk driver, who is our regular, didn’t sustain any damage.  It wasn’t his fault.  The other guy just hit us.  I think he didn’t dare ask for compensation because car owners are generally more powerful socially than tuk-tuk drivers.

We have started to get serious about looking for a place to live with a parking option for a car.  Please continue to pray for that.  We know the Lord wants to teach us to be content in every situation.  But it is un-nerving taking our baby in anything less safe than a car. 

We thank the Lord that even though we have had leaky faucets which twice almost flooded our restroom, we did not have any damage done.  The whole restroom is waterproof!

OUR MINISTRY

Language study is still our primary ministry.  We have finished our second quarter of language study at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.  Lately we are learning more spiritual vocabulary with our mission's language tutors.  This includes royal language (that God and the king use).  For example, Jesus does not “niam” (eat) because only regular humans “niam”, but He “souy” because He is a king.  And of course animals do not “niam” (eat) either, they “sea” because they are not people.  See the table below.

Church Building potential site

We have had the opportunity to visit many Khmer (Cambodian) churches and will probably settle down in one within walking distance from our home that we like.  I enjoyed visiting a village church just a half hour drive from us. It is one of the daughter churches of the larger one that our mission planted.

TIGER MOSQUITO ON THE LOOSE

A lot more people have contracted dengue fever (carried by the tiger mosquito) since our last letter.  Of course the toll on our team is small compared to the 38,000 infected so far this year in Cambodia.  It has taken the lives of 389, nearly all of whom are children.  Please continue to pray for God’s protection and quick recovery for the victims of the tiger mosquito.

Recently we bought a 50cc Honda Super Cub motorbike.  It had just been imported so did not have a license plate yet.  I went to the local police station to start the process of getting one.  Our landlord’s daughter went with me to prove our residence.  I brought two copies of my passport, license, etc.  When we arrived, the man I needed was not there.  Soon he arrived on his motorbike and we gave him the paperwork.  This police official threw the paperwork in the basket on his bike to take it to be stamped at another office.  As he pulled out of the driveway, onto the street, I saw an afternoon gust of wind blow all my personal information onto the street toward the local market. The police official yells at a vendor to grab the papers.  I trotted out to help also, not realizing how strong the wind was or how much of my paperwork had been lost.  The police official decided he only needed one copy of each sheet so that was all that was retrieved.  But I didn’t realize this until it was too late and the other copy of my personal paperwork was irretrievable. 

Nathanael had his first moto rides on local streets with Sally holding him as we rode through flooded roads both paved and mud.  Now I understand why when houses in our neighborhood are remodeled much of the rubbish is not taken to the dump.  The refuse construction materials are distributed on the roads nearby.  It is to prevent the roads from getting too muddy and so the vehicles will not get stuck.

Nathanael in Bike Seat1

PRAISE THE LORD FOR…

·         A good study trip to Angkor Wat.

·         Safety in traveling.

·         His continual protection from disease.

·         having steady electricity the past several months.

PRAYER FOR…

·         Kurt’s grandmother who is ill and recently moved to an assisted nursing care home in Ohio.

·         Search for housing.

·         Our language and culture learning.

Thank you for standing with us through prayer!

eXÍF salI & NafaNEGl

Kurt, Sally and Nathanael Kovach

We spent two days with our orientation mission team, studying the culture and history of Cambodia.  The historical temples were built from the 10th to the 13th centuries.  Angkor Wat is the symbol on the country's flag.

GIFT FROM GOD

Nathanael turned 1 year old on Aug 11th!  We had about a dozen friends over to celebrate the Lord’s goodness.  Of course Nathanael did not know any better but enjoyed being the people-lover that he is and tasting Cambodia’s tropical fruits, even the king of fruits - durian!  He particularly loved the party streamers purchased from a garage sale!  A BIG thank you to all who sent cards and gifts which Nathanael enjoyed holding. 

Our little “Gift of God” alias “Light-bearer” enjoys babbling, feeding himself (using his fingers), crawling in his unique way, viewing the world around him by spinning 360° with his legs while seated, pushing anything with wheels, standing and walking with support, clapping his hands, waving goodbye or hello, and giving “high fives,”  All his antics excite and tickle us, making our days cheerier!   

We are thankful to God for taking care of Nathanael.  Please pray for him to “grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” ( Lk 2:52), and for his parents love, wisdom and strength.  The Lord has provided a babysitter for six weeks to give us more time to learn language, but we continue to look to trust Him for a more long-term solution. 

REVISITING OUR FORMER HOSTS

When we visited Cambodia in 2004 we had the valuable experience of living with a Khmer (Cambodian) family.  We got their contact through a good friend in the USA.  Recently we had a good visit with them and even got to see the mother of our friend, who happened to be in town from the USA!

JESUS IS IN CHARGE OF OUR HEALTH

It is interesting how many passages in the Bible make more sense when we read them in Cambodia.  In our quiet time we read about the bleeding woman Jesus healed who “had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had….”  However, her world must have been similar to Cambodia, where many doctors enjoy a profit by giving harmful prescriptions.  Where we come from, suffering is not typically caused by the “care of doctors”.  We do not take for granted the good health care that is easily available back home.

The dengue epidemic is still raging.  To date, five of our OMF missionaries – one toddler, one pre-teen and three adults have been affected.  Two had to be evacuated for treatment.  Now they are back in Cambodia recuperating.

Sally is still undergoing dental treatment.  Her dentist is unable to do the bridge work yet because these molds are not available in the country.  This is because the national dentists usually extract the tooth instead of providing a bridge. However, we are praying that it can be mailed in for her soon.  The temporary filling she has is wearing off.

CONFERENCE

We had a refreshing time at our OMF Cambodia team conference, when the entire team of 85 adults and their children, gathered.  We had good fellowship with coworkers from all over the country and enjoyed learning about their ministries.  We also got to see the Cambodian beach for the first time.  Even though we missed a week of language classes, the time with the Lord and coworkers was priceless.  We needed that break from the city.  God is reminding us that in order for us to more than “survive” in Cambodia, we need to learn to depend fully on Him. 

THANKSGIVING

We are thankful for your support through prayer, letters, care packages, finances and other forms of help and encouragement.  Thank you for standing with us through your partnership in the Gospel.  We could not be here without you.

A REQUEST FROM US TO YOU

Please mail your photo to us at the postal address given.  Also please send three prayer requests that should be good for at least a couple months.  We want to put together a prayer photo album of our family and friends for our family devotion and to show Nathanael all our great friends and family back home!  This will help Nathanael put a face to your name. 

HOUSE-HELP

Thank you for praying for a new house-helper.  We have a new one who just started.  We are thankful for our new house-helper, Mrs. V.  She helps us so we have time to study and take care of our son.  She is like a window through which we get a glimpse of the Cambodian worldview.  On the other hand, we are helping her by providing her with a decent paying job which is helping to support her two school-going children.  She is not yet a believer, pray that we may be good examples of Christ to her and for the entire family’s salvation.  It is always encouraging to hear our babysitter talking to her about Jesus!

During the time without a house-helper, Sally is thankful for eye-opening experiences visiting the open-air markets.  They were priceless experiences that could not be learned in the classroom.  Even though it took a lot of time and energy cleaning a house that continuously gets dusty (from the dirt roads outside), and moldy (from the humidity), Sally says they were rewarding times.

PRAISE THE LORD FOR…

·         His continual protection from disease and accidents.

·         A house-helper who can read and write.

·         A good temporary babysitter.

PRAYER FOR…

·         Our house-helper to be teachable, diligent and honest, and that we would have open and good communication with her.  Pray for patience, wisdom and grace as we train her to do things in a different way than she is used to.

·         Our language and culture learning

·         Sally’s dental work.

Thank you for standing with us through prayer!

eXÍF salI & NafaNEGl

Kurt, Sally and Nathanael Kovach 

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Kurt, Sally and Nathanael too

OMF International

P.O. Box 570

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

What was the last wedding you went to?  Were you in the wedding?

Michelle & Andy's wedding last April. Michelle is the daughter of some of our closest friends and it was wonderful time and no I was not in the wedding.