CAMBODIA MEETING MINUTES
NOVEMBER 19, 2000

Laurie began the meeting with a prayer and shared a letter from Cathy and
Richard Early to their congregation.  The Earlys went on a 15 day missionary
trip to Samoa, and the letter was about their spiritual adventure.  It
reminded us that we should focus on the real purpose of our trip to Cambodia
instead of what we will see there, where we will sleep, what we will eat,
what we will wear (all important details, but not the focus...shall we be
more like the "lillies of the field?")  (Look it up.)

Nita reported that Godspell brought in about $1,500 to $2,000 profit,
perhaps slightly more, the final count is not in yet.  We brought in about
$1,500 on bricks and shirts.  New member Debbie Lawrence, who is going to
Cambodia, was introduced to the group.

Mike Nasca, a new member to St. Lukes, works as a special agent for the
federal customs service, and spent May of this year in Cambodia.  He
presented some customs issues to the group to prepare us for international
travel.  He discussed registering our electronic equipment such as cameras,
camcorders, laptops, etc. before we go so it does appear that we purchased
it there.  We should bring our original receipts along with us, or we can
register them beforehand.  He will contact a friend who can register the
equipment for us, but we have to bring all of it to church to get serial
numbers, etc.  We will do this shortly before departure, the date to be
announced later.  There is no problem if we leave any equipment in Cambodia.

We must declare all we bring back into the States.  Each person can bring
back $400 worth of goods tax free, couples can lump purchases and bring back
$800 worth together.  They need to be declared, so pack them separately or
in one bag.  Keep receipts if you get any and keep a list.  Mike brought
brochures we should each review.  It has a prohibited items list, and we
should stay away from plants, fruits, and vegetables, unless they are
packaged.  Even mud on our shoes should be cleaned off.

We were advised to get a prescription of Levofloxacin, a general antibiotic,
from our doctors and fill it before we go.  Keep all prescriptions in the
original bottle with our own name on it.  Carry all over the counter
medicines in their original containers.  It is a good idea to bring
anti-diarrhea medicine, cold medicine, pain relievers, etc. and don't use
any medications purchased there, since they are not regulated.

Mike has a US customs agent friend in Bangkok who can be a contact for us if
we need him.  He advised not to leave valuables in our suitcases, and better
yet, don't bring any jewelry, even wedding rings with us.  We should have
more cash available, there are passenger fees of $20 when leaving Cambodia,
$5 when leaving Siem Reap, and perhaps at other places.  Be aware of
political issues and avoid political gatherings or demonstrations.  The US
embassy strongly suggests not using public transportation, but hire drivers
or take taxis instead.

We should also check with our medical insurance carriers to see if we have
coverage for international traveling.  Financial transactions are done in US
dollars and we may want to get rid of any foreign change, since we cannot
exchange it back here.  Mike advised us not to travel on trains or boat,
since they don't have safety regulations.  Don't travel without a guide,
especially in dry rice paddies, around bridges or secondary roads.  He
suggested registering with the US embassy when we get there and contact them
if you lose your passport.  Mike will give us a list of key personnel at the
embassy.

On December 10, our $1,600 is due.  Make the check payable to St. Lukes.  It
will cost an extra 4% if we put it on a credit card.  It was estimated that
about $500 will be needed for expenses like meals, entry/exit fees and
hotels in Bangkok and Singapore.  We can use a credit card for hotels, but
we will need cash for most other things.  Travelers checks will be difficult
to use except in Singapore.  Laurie is working on an itinerary, but we must
be flexible.

Marla will pay for the tours ahead of time, and we can just pay her.  She is
also planning a side trip to the Killing Fields.

We should plan to bring our individual water purifiers and just depend on
sealed bottled water we can purchase there.  We can run it through our
purifiers if we want to make sure.  We will trust Joseph and Dalay to have a
cooking setup and meals for us.  Steve will still bring a very small camping
stove for coffee, tea, etc.  We may want to bring our own oatmeal packs or
rice for upset stomachs, perhaps Cliff Bars as a backup if the spiders don't
appeal to us.

Rich Boon showed us a pack he made up that is very lightweight and carries
everything he needs.  He bought a few yards of sturdy cotton/poly blend
fabric he can use for a sleeping bag and leave the fabric there for them.
He will put together a packing list for us.

Laurie made the following suggested assignments.  Other ideas are welcome.
Dick and Esther will be there to talk to if we have problems.
Marie will be our nurse and is preparing a first aid kit.
Ken and Steve will be responsible for our telecommunications.
Brian is in charge of construction issues.
Rich will be in charge of generator and tools.
Dan and Dale will be our security guards.
Dale will also take of our customs issues.
We will need to remember we are not going there to tell them what to do and
how to do it, we are there to help them do what they want to do.  We should
not assume we are the experts in anything.

Andrea Metzger will host a social gathering on January 7th in the afternoon,
for us and spouses, so we can get to know each other better.  Details will
follow.  The next meeting is 12/3.  Joyce will bring her camera next time so
we can get ID badges made to designate us as missionaries from St. Lukes.