Update from former intern Holly Sobetski

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”

…including rice and fish! As my first month in Cambodia comes to a close, I am reminded of the many blessings the Lord pours out on his creation. The different foods that our taste buds enjoy, the beauty of trees bursting with pink blossoms, the laughter shared with friends and the fellowship we have with Him! I invite you to read about my first experiences in Cambodia and share in the Lord’s goodness.

Arrival

I landed in Cambodia January 11^th with a group of 18 people from Christian Service International (CSI). During the first week, I visited different ministries with CSI, including a ministry for girls who are at risk of being sold into the sex trade and one of World Relief’s HIV/AIDS cell group meetings in the slums. We were able to go on a boat ride down the Mekong River to see the house boats and visit a silk weaving business.

Stan and Beth Doerr and Sopeat helped me with basic arrangements for moving to Cambodia. We visited Robledo Intal’s farm in Prey Veng province where Stan and Beth conducted a training on bucket drip irrigation. We met with the president of the Phnom Penh Bible College about using some land to experiment with agricultural techniques. Eventually, we would hold trainings for the students who will one day go out to minister in the provinces. The team left on the 19^th of January, and Sopeat and I began to plan for the ensuring weeks and months.

My Host Family

Living with a Cambodian family is like getting a new surprise every day! I love watching and learning how they do things. They encourage me to practice the language and laugh heartily at my mistakes. I eat dinner with them in the evening and even help cook sometimes. We always eat rice with 2-3 other dishes, including soup, whole fried fish, or stir fried vegetables and meat. I have my own room and praise God for their generosity and welcoming spirit.

The Language

Three times a week for two hours, I have one-on-one tutoring classes at a Khmer language school. I am learning speaking and reading/writing together and, thankfully, my teacher is very patient! I have learned a lot in the past month and continue to pick up on words that people say.

Teammate and Friend

Sopeat and I work together every day and she is a constant source of joy and insight. Culturally, we have different ways of communicating, so we are learning about working together and are committed to being honest and open with each other. Every morning we meet in my room and read the Bible and pray together. It is so encouraging and puts the rest of our day into perspective.

Agriculture Ministry

We have met with a dozen NGO’s over the past 3 weeks, to hear about the agricultural aspects of their ministries and to discuss how we can partner with them. Some of them have projects in the provinces (out in the “country”) and we went to visit several. We are praying about all the different ministry options and continue to research the greatest needs. We hope to start the experiment garden at the beginning of March. I am eager to start working the soil! By June, we will have a ministry outline and plan of action for the next year.

Development

The political and mental situation in Cambodia lends to making development work difficult. During the Pol Pot regime, the people learned not to trust their neighbors and to get what they could for themselves, whatever the cost. It takes transformation from within, not from outside, to change these learned survival skills. Pray for wisdom and patience for all who are working in Cambodia.

Korea

I have the opportunity to go to Soeul, Korea in April for the World Mission Conference of Suwon Central Baptist Church. They invited me to come and share about what we are doing in Cambodia, with the possibility of the church becoming a prayer and support partner. A Korean medical team just came to Cambodia from the church and they have a deep passion for Cambodia. Please pray about this opportunity to partner with them!

Our very own Red Hatter!

Docent extraordinaire, Vic Estoye, leads a group of Red Hat ladies around the ECHO farm. He must have joined the club, because he has his very own red-trimmed chapeau.

Winter Vegetables in Agroforestry

Being so far south, we are able to grow vegetables right through the winter months. Cool-season crops like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and strawberries do well on the ECHO farm this time of year.

Pictured to the left are vegetables growing underneath gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) tree branches in the rain forest area. The reason this is working is that the gliricidia tree has no leaves this time of year, allowing light to reach the vegetables below. Gliricidia is a multipurpose, leguminous tree used in agroforestry systems to provide- among other things- living fence posts, soil nitrogen, and shade to crops such as cacao and coffee. On our farm here in Florida, gliricidia does not set seed, so there are no gliricidia seedlings at the base of the tree to compete with vegetables. It looks like winter vegetables under gliricidia is a winning combination here in Florida.

ECHO’s Fruits Make Great Jams!

At the heart of the ECHO farm, there’s a room that smells of lemons and cloves, where head coverings are mandatory and the juicer whirs constantly. Jeanne Fiske, apron-clad and hair tucked securely under a plastic shower cap, is queen of this domain. Jeanne serves as ECHO’s commercial kitchen manager, organizing the micro-industry that produces all of the jams, jellies, and picklings found in the ECHO bookstore.

Asked about the current concoctions, Jeanne shyly, proudly, shows off lines of jars against one wall of the kitchen. ‘Tomato marmalade,’ she says, handing over an unlabeled jar filled with a sumptuous-looking mélange of red tomatoes and spices. Pointing to another row of jars, Jeanne tells me, ‘Caribbean banana jam.’

As we talk, Helen Coll stirs a steaming vat of tropical delicacies. She takes out measuring spoons and pulls down exotic spices from the shelf. In the back, at the sink, Connie Ryskamp washes carambola, while a pot of vinegar, sugar, and cloves (for ECHO’s famous pickled carambola) stands ready.

‘Not much on the ECHO farm goes to waste,’ Jeanne continues. ‘A lot of what you see growing around here goes right into these jams and jellies. For $4.95, you can take home your own piece of the ECHO farm.’

Visit our bookstore for the latest treats!

Look at the size of that jujube fruit!

Indian Jujube is a fruit species from the Asian tropics that, once established, is quite tolerant of adverse conditions such as poor soil and drought. The fruit is typically smaller than a chicken egg and is usually eaten when mature, as indicated by a greenish-yellow color. The crisp flesh has a taste similar to that of a baked apple. Jujube is also known for its sharp, numerous spines.
Click here for more background info on jujube.

Recently, ECHO acquired a variety of Indian Jujube called ‘Giant Thai’ that is said to produce apple-size fruits when mature. Our tree has been in the ground for less than a year and is already producing egg-sized fruits (see photo below). Other interesting features of this variety are nearly thornless stems and large leaves.

ECHO has sent grafted ‘Giant Thai’ jujube trees to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Haiti. It will be interesting to find out how it performs under conditions in those places. So far, we are pleased with how it is doing on our demonstration farm here in Florida.

Vietnam, Land of Surprises

Vietnam is fast, slow, traditional, cutting edge, exotic and familiar, and most of all...accessible.

On Monday, more than 200 Fort Myers residents took a cinematic voyage to the Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam as part of our 2007 Travelogue series. Our journey included stops in bustling Saigon and historical Hoi An, excursions to floating markets and cloth merchants, and a trip along the Mekong Delta.

Hosted by the Broadway Palm, both ECHO and Habitat for Humanity benefited from the proceeds. Some members of the ECHO family were spotted in the crowd.