Impression in Phnom Pehn (4) Brother, Brother!

金邊印象（四）兄弟，兄弟！

PTSD, Pol Pot Regime and street kids problems may all be some bad but true term to describe Cambodia today,but I don't believe Cambodia is doomed by all these bad words, but on the other hand blessed because of these today, just like the rainbow sign shown to Noah by the Lord after the Great Flooding.

I write in English this time, because in facebook I made some new friends in Phnom Penh, some of whom liked my Chinese writing on Phnom Penh even they know only a little Chinese words. And these friends I call them brothers or sisters are can read my English writings.

Yes, PTSD may have disabled some of their parents and the older generation, the yound generation learned to protech each other and strengthen their bonding among brothers and sisters because of this.

Yes, the older generation may not be able to take good care of the children in Cambodia, the elder kids learned to become the best elder brothers and sisters to their younger family members because of this.  And, they are real street kids, but not the vulnerable kids in the street.  They themselves are the lords of the streets, in a sense very different from ours.    I say so because the streets are just like the backyard of their homes.  I would like to add that they live in a home 10 times bigger than Hongkongers on average.

Pol Pot is no longer in his reign.

Phnom Penh brothers impressed and surprised me a great deal from Day 1.  They are especially social.  They initiates a conversation very often.  In conversation they can go into private but key issues very quickly, meaning I am trusted and not someone to be guarded against.

Stepping out of the Pol Pot era, in the past 2 decades young Cambodian people started to develop their own leisure culture and find their fun in the hardship of their life (many of them own a motorbike but not a washing machine).  My brothers all have their own ways of making fun in every day lifes.

Ezra loves body building and cycling.  Sarin lives to play pingpong.  Dyla loves movies so he found me looking like Stephen Chau and was eager to take photo with me.  Hoeun, Sophon and Channy often take time to be with their little kids as young fathers and enjoy.  Besides, they are devoted in learning and in seeking new opportunities in rebuild their own nations in the names of Jesus.

I asked some of them, what does it mean to know Jesus as a Cambodian.  You know, Cambodia is in the first place a nation of Buddhism, not Christianity.

One of them told me, "In the past I am frightened by evil spirits.  But knowing that Jesus is the Lord feared by even evil spirits, I know in Jesus I need not fear anymore."  True.  I found that Cambodian people are fascinated by ghost stories and there are movie theatres which only show ghost movies.

In Jesus they learn a very little but important thing - we need not fear anything any more in the GLOW of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Although for me this is something I learned a long time ago, I learn from my new brothers in Phnom Penh the deeper meaning of the term "Brotherhood".

In the 4 days short visit to Phnom Penh, I need to add that I learned a good word too, Chiyangna.  It is equivalent to "Oishii" in Japanese.  The steamed banana roll sold in their street is really a wonderful local delicacy.

Chiyangna!