Let the blind man say, "I can see again!"

This week, I got new glasses. It was quite difficult not being able to see for a week and a half or so, but strangely I got used to it and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. All I had to do was squint a lot and read books and things on the computer so close that my nose was practically touching the page or the monitor (I felt like you, Mom).I think I told you that I lost my glasses on a beach in Sihanoukville (but in case I didn't, I forgot to remove them when I left my hotel room to go down to the beach, and when I got down to the water I left them on a table where people set their drinks and when I returned, they were gone). Last Saturday, I went to an eye doctor/glasses shop and had an eye exam, which was surprisingly legit. They used largely the same type of equipment that an optometrist in America would use. Then they gave me this pair of ridiculous tester glasses that looked like mad scientist goggles, they were so thick and round. The doctor was able to adjust them to fit my prescription to let me see if I got a headache if I wore them too long. Then I selected my frames, which are pretty similar to the ones I already had.

Anyway, they cost about half of what they would in the States, and it only took two days for the shop to make them. Two days later, when I put them on for the first time, it was like looking at the world through new eyes. Everything looked so beautiful, I could hardly believe it. Every detail was so clear, from each colorful fruit in the market to the fluffy cotton candy clouds spread across the sky as the sun set. It was really eye-opening, and I realized that I do not appreciate vision, or any of my senses for that matter, enough. It's so easy to take them for granted, and I wished the sensation of new eyes could last, but I knew that I would get used to being able to see clearly within a day or two. God is just so creative and amazing, and it's easy for me to lose sight of that. My heart becomes calloused to His love, just as my hands get dry and calloused after long days working with cement. I need to continually repent and turn from my ways of thinking and ask for refreshment from the Lord.

On Wednesday, the guys and I went out to the village of Phnom Kol and stayed the night out there so we could get more work done. We have been going there a lot over the past few weeks, and our labor is paying off. We have completed our slow sand filter jar (we learned how to make it in Bali), and the water that comes through it will be chemically tested first, but it should be safe for drinking. We have also seen a transformation in the vegetable garden we have been working on. Before, the ground was rocky and hard, but we have broken up the earth with hoes and tilled the soil, preparing it for plants. Now there are probably eight beds where we sowed seeds for cucumbers, corn, pumpkins, and tomatoes. We also installed drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation systems. It is really cool to be involved in this project that will be a model for villagers to see how they can improve their lives with better farming techniques and water systems. I have also learned a lot about planting seeds.

I have to go, but I will see you soon!

Love, Tree