Today the Cambodia Mission Team was delighted to welcome back Sr. Luise Ahrens who was with us for many years before returning to Maryknoll, New York. It was great to see her again and to celebrate the eucharist with her. She reported it was the first time 2 1/2 months she has been to mass because of Covid restrictions in the U.S.
Two weeks and counting…
“Where has all the water gone?”
Much of Cambodia is flat as a pancake–and floods every year. That is why the traditional houses are built on stilts. Large areas of the country are boeungs (lakes) which collect excess water in rainy periods and prevent some of the flooding. The boeungs around Phnom Penh also serve as aquaculture sites, like the one above, where vegetables are grown in the shallow water. But now, under relentless pressure from developers and their friends in government, the boeungs are being filled in, mostly to build factories and residence compounds. Above you can see the brown embankment with a road on top that has resulted when this boeung was partially filled to develop the housing compounds in the background. The rest of the boeung will likely be gone in a few short years. The developers make millions of dollars; the poor people are dispossessed and pushed out; and Phnom Penh floods because there’s no place now for the excess water to go.
KOMISO Clinic #2
Watch what they’re doing…
Musica Felice Donation
Notable Quote
It’s a new era…
When I first came to Cambodia more than twenty years ago, there were no used washing machines or used refrigerators. There WERE NO washing machines and very few refrigerators. People didn’t have the money to buy them, they weren’t sold here, and electricity was very expensive (it still is!). But today it’s common to see used appliances for sale in front of appliance shops.
Blessing the KOMISO clinic
Today Bishop Olivier blessed a new clinic building erected by the Korean Mission Society. This is a description of the tent set up that is used for such events. Click here for more information.