Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
On 14 August, Kaitlynn Himmelreich finished up her two months of research with the deaf community here in Cambodia and got on the plane to return to her student life in the US where classes begin next Monday. Kaitlynn adjusted well to life in Cambodia and was really able to integrate with and communicate with the deaf people wherever she them. Here she is presenting to Charlie Dittmeier a thank-you card acknowledging the good experiences she had in Cambodia.
I know many people have, at one time or another, entertained ideas of serving in mission in another country. But then school or careers or families intervened and the mission idea was put on the shelf. At some point, though, you may discover you can take your mission ideas off the shelf to see where the mission call leads you.
Maryknoll Lay Missioners offers orientation, language training, and support in mission placements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to people from their 20s to their 60s–or maybe a little higher? If you’d like to learn a little more about Maryknoll mission from Karen Bortvedt, the Maryknoll Lay Missioner recruiter, she will offer a webinar (a seminar on the web) on August 15 at 10:00 AM EST. If you would like to take a peek, send an e-mail to join@MKLM.org for login information. This webinar–and more to follow–are just to give information.
Cambodia doesn’t observe many traffic rules. One exception is attaching warning flags to loads that stick out the back end of a truck or tuk-tuk or motorcycle. It may not even be a law here, but locals put out those warning flags. Click here to see some examples.
Many people have seen the movie The Killing Field and many have visited the killing field near Phnom Penh, the site most people know of. There are actually about 300 killing fields, though, spread throughout the country. There is such a large number of these fields because the number of Cambodians killed by the Khmer Rouge was great. It is generally thought that the Pol Pot regime was responsible for the deaths of perhaps 1.5 to 2 million people. The killing field that most tourists visit is the orange dot along the river, immediately south of Phnom Penh (next to the row of three yellow prison dots).
DDP has become quite well known in the deaf world since 1997 and many deaf people–individuals and groups–come to see us. This past week, Hosanna Church in Busan, Korea visited. They are a deaf congregation and we had a good visit.
|
““A church without charity and mercy is no longer the church of God.” ~ Pope Francis |
Krousar Thmey and the Deaf Development Programme jointly sponsor a sign language committee tasked with researching and promoting Cambodian Sign Language. The committee was supposed to receive training six or seven years ago but it didn’t work out.
Now Aaron Wong, a deaf man from Hong Kong, and Keat Sokly, the co-director of DDP, are offering three weeks of training. Both are trained sign language linguists.The committee members are meeting at DDP and are off to a really good start.
This past Sunday I had a special mass for the Salesian Sisters who were just finishing up their week-long retreat and also celebrating the 146th anniversary of their community. The retreat must have had a good effect because they were in a joyous mood at breakfast after mass!
It’s a good thing she has her helmet. In case of emergency, she won’t have to go home to get it.
The sun is bright and hot in Cambodia and people cover up themselves and their vehicles. Click here to see some of the cover-ups on Phnom Penh streets.