Trip to the Market, part 2

These ladies worked in the pharmacy. I think they are Chheng's nieces, daughter's of one of his sisters. The patch on the baby's forhead is like menthol, and they believe that it helps to pull the heat out of the baby. They thought the little one was too hot.

We purchased more toothbrushes and also soap to give to each of the children we are teaching hygiene to in the evenings. We bought such a great quantity that they were happy to deliver it to the church, which made it easier for us.


Bringin' home the bacon


Here is a sample picture of the items for sale at the pharmacy. No prescription needed here. Just buy whatever you please. Atropine, anyone?


Daniel wanted me to take his picture with this corn, so I granted his request. It looks like you can also buy large hoses, sickles, and rope here, among other things.

Trip to the Market, part 1

Saturday we loaded up in the car and headed to the Prek Ambel market. It's a short drive down the road.




The street outside the market is also the main street through town. When Kris first came to Cambodia in 2002, this street was not paved, and a cloud of dust exploded into the houses and shops every time a car passed by. It is so much cleaner now.


Bill chatted with most of the people we saw. They seem to really like him, and he speaks to most of them in Khmer, unless they wish to practice their English.


This "booth" had all kinds of prepackaged snacks. We bought some peanut brittle here - delicious!


This place had several different types of rice and other grains, including corn, which is the yellow kernels in the sack on the left on the ground.


This little toddler stayed close to his mother while she worked, and had only a shirt and no shoes on - typical Khmer little one.


This woman was selling some kind of rice snack she made. All the Khmer people squat like this to work, whether it is cooking beside their short stove, washing, waiting, whatever!


These folks are visiting and cleaning fish while they are waiting for customers. Typical market scene.


Different fish for sale


The fruits and vegetables are spread out on a piece of plastic.


This lady is selling pork - all cuts


These birds looked unusual, so I took a picture. Bill says they are probably not wild birds. They are probably similar to a chicken, and the seller may raise them. If you think you know what they are, please leave a comment and fill us in!


And last but not least, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the frogs. Perfectly skinned and ready to be cooked up!
(I hope these pics don't gross you out too much. I guess I'm a bit weird to take such pictures, but I think it helps capture some of differences between the U.S. and Cambodia.)

More on Christmas Day

Here are a few more pictures from Christmas Day:


Cheerful Jennifer with sweet Isaac


While the guys were waiting for our Christmas dinner to be ready, they took David and Thomas for a ride on the moto.


Christmas dinner included sauteed chicken, gravy, green beans with bacon, mashed potatoes, rolls, apple pie, and snickerdoodles. We all enjoyed it!


Jennifer insisted on doing the dishes after we ate, so the Pate fam took a walk and explored a bit. Here is a bony cow, which is what all the cows here look like: white and bony.


A view of the river from our walk





After our walk we bought some cokes and then played a game together. What a great day we had! We are so thankful!

Christmas Morning

I'm pretty sure that Christmas morning in Cambodia held all the excitement that it does in the U.S.



Can we open presents yet?




Everyone waiting impatiently while breakfast is cooking


Kris made excellent bacon and pancakes! He always knows just when to flip 'em so they are cooked through but not burnt. It's an art. Yum!



We brought our Advent calendar with us, and here the kids are placing the last item - baby Jesus - in the manger. Now it is complete!


We brought a couple of small gifts for the kids to open here. They loved and appreciated these small things. I think that being here has really helped them to be grateful for things that otherwise they would take for granted.


David likes his new yo-yo.


A small basketball hoop for our "tiny boy" (that's what Daniel says he is).


Katherine is investigating her new tea set.


Mr. Hale is excited about his Isaac's new toy!


Isaac was certainly present, but not so aware of his first Christmas.


We had a few mystery guests appear during our morning festivities:







We hope that you enjoyed being with your family this Christmas, and that, most of all, you were blessed by reflection on God's great love for His people by coming as a baby to die for our sins. Our place in His family is truly worth celebrating!

Christmas Eve

Anna and David busied themselves on Christmas Eve making decorations for the Hales' home. Thomas helped a little too. Here are a few pictures of their decorations.









We enjoyed making Christmas cookies, and found that even without an electric mixer, it's fun and simple!


Anna thought to draw a picture of Jesus on the cross, "Because that's the true meaning of Christmas."


And here is her picture of the empty tomb. These were sweet reminders of what is truly worth celebrating!


Time for some Christmas Eve candy!


Our homemade, packable Christmas tree. If you are thinking that the stand looks like a rocket launch...it is! That was Kris' idea, and it worked well!


Our happy decorators

The Hales' House

Here are some pictures of the Hales' property. They have a simple but beautiful home and we are so thankful for their happiness to share it with us.


This fence marks their property line, and the banana trees behind the fence belong to their neighbor. He sells the bananas, and dogs and chickens roam in between them as well.



This is the Hales' Forerunner, and the storage building Bill built is behind it on the left. Young chickens belonging to the neighbor behind often squeeze through the bars in the back gate until they grow too fat to fit. Once they are grown, Jennifer enjoys a reprieve from invading chickens for a while, until new ones hatch. Then the process begins again.


The family room


The family room


The guest room, where we sleep. The blanket canopy protects our bed from gecko droppings. They crawl all around the ceiling and walls, especially at night.


The bathroom and laundry room


The shower and sink


The backyard. The concrete barrel on the back right is where Bill burns their trash.


Another view of the front yard. I love this plumeria tree and the flowers surrounding it. They have a compost enclosure at the back left.


The back of the house. This is the kitchen sink window. They have a beautiful, lush view when they do the dishes.


This is the back/side fence, a.k.a. the dryer. Hanging the laundry to dry in the morning sunshine is refreshing and good for me! About 5 to 10 minutes after you come inside from hanging/taking in the clothes, you start to feel a little tickle. It's the ants. They crawl up your feet, and you don't even notice. In fact, you don't really notice them until they are way, way up your legs, in tight places! Then you really do have ants in your pants! Or on your back where you can't reach. Funny!