Wednesday 14 Nov
Preparing vegetables for market becomes an opportunity to share life.
Khmer women often grow, tend to and harvest vegetables and Deb has also begun growing vegetables in a garden surrounding her and Rob’s home. The women often sit together and prepare the vegetables for market and Deb is finding this is a space to share stories, laughs and sorrows across generations.
Mrs M is a woman who Deb has met through this space and she has come know some of Mrs M’s story. Mrs M has suffered the cultural shame of not becoming pregnant after more than three years of marriage. Being involved in public festivals and events is a significant part of life in Khmer culture. Over the past years, Mrs M has withdrawn from society and now no longer attends festivals and parties with her husband. Regularly while preparing vegetables, Deb sits beside Mrs M. For a long time Mrs M didn’t talk or interact with Deb, but slowly she grew accustomed to Debs’ accent and limited vocabulary. One day Mrs M shared that she had no hope and a lot of pain her heart. Deb shared the story of the woman who lost her coin, which led the group to consider what was of most worth to them.
There has been a gradual transformation in Mrs M. Initially Mrs M mostly looked down, occasionally taking a glimpse in Deb’s direction. However, a transformation is taking place within Mrs M and she is now smiling inside and out. Amazingly, Mrs M is now pregnant as well! Thank God for the transformation in Mrs M’s life and pray that the Kingdom seeds growing in her will take root.
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