Cambodia Team: This verse jumped off the page for me. I read it last year and it stood out, then I read it again this year and it jumped off the page, so here it is. 2 Corinthians 2:14,15. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." ... I visualize the Team walking into the village in triumphal procession. With communication being limited there is a universal language that speaks without words. The fragrance of Christ is recognizable. The aroma of God's love is in the air and it cannot be missed. You represent the fragrance of the knowledge of him. The aroma of Christ lingers in the air. Without words, God's love spreads from village to village. You speak without words, but they understand.
I am praying for the Team,
Fonda Hundl
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
We Are Here!
All of our connections went very well. It was fun to see lots of snow in Chicago and Seoul. It is about 1:00am in Cambodia. Everyone just settled down into their hotel rooms...waiting on the AC to catch up :)
I already know we have a great team! Everyone has been so happy and easy going during the almost 30 hours of travel. I'm so glad so many folks have returned on our team, but I think I am even more excited to see Cambodia through the eyes of our first-timers. Especially the students!
It was so good to see our two missionaries - Lauren and Tamara. It is hard to believe that it was two months ago that I came with them to Cambodia to drop them off. And, as always it is good to see my friend Pastor Sokhom. Tomorrow holds lots of adventure. Make sure and check back for perspectives from different team members.
Thank God for safe travel!
-Randy
I already know we have a great team! Everyone has been so happy and easy going during the almost 30 hours of travel. I'm so glad so many folks have returned on our team, but I think I am even more excited to see Cambodia through the eyes of our first-timers. Especially the students!
It was so good to see our two missionaries - Lauren and Tamara. It is hard to believe that it was two months ago that I came with them to Cambodia to drop them off. And, as always it is good to see my friend Pastor Sokhom. Tomorrow holds lots of adventure. Make sure and check back for perspectives from different team members.
Thank God for safe travel!
-Randy
Monday, December 27, 2010
2010-2011 Trip
The BPF Team leaves for Cambodia very soon!
Our flight is at 6:55am on Wednesday, December 29. We will arrive in Phnom Penh really late on the 31st. On Friday we will tour the city. Saturday through Wednesday we will go to Lveasor to visit Hope for Cambodia Orphanage and to do our projects. This year's projects will include: Children's Bible Club, Pastor's Conference (at 2 locations), Teacher Training, House Mom Appreciation, Student Career Fair, and Construction Projects. We have a lot to accomplish - but we have a big team with just the right folks. There will be 33 of us!! On Thursday we will go to Kompong Som to the beach. Friday we will arrive back in Phnom Penh and fly out very late, in order to get back home at 2:00pm on Saturday, January 8.
Check back often for updates from our team.
Thanks for your prayers!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Note from Tami (sent midnight Monday, Texas time)
Sitting in airport in Seoul Korea (Icehon). We left Phnom Penh 12 hours ago and have slept about 3 hours in the last 30. We are looking forward to boarding the plane and sleeping a bit before getting home to our beds. This has been an awesome trip. We have seen amazing sites, miracles from God and made wonderful new friends of beautiful and gracious people. Thank you God for arranging this trip!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday morning, our last day!
Today we are planning to go to the Russian Market and Teoul Sleng. Then we are meeting Tida and Danubia for lunch. We will probably spend our afternoon cleaning up and packing.
For dinner we are meeting with our translators, plus Ravy, Callan and Nyda for pizza at the mall...a time to say good bye to everyone. That will be very hard!!
Sokhom is picking us up at 8:00pm to take us to the airport.
This has been such an awesome trip!! We have not been on a strenuous schedule. It has been relaxing and lots and lots of time just to spend visiting with old and new friends!!
We will see you all back in the states on Tuesday night!!!
Jan
For dinner we are meeting with our translators, plus Ravy, Callan and Nyda for pizza at the mall...a time to say good bye to everyone. That will be very hard!!
Sokhom is picking us up at 8:00pm to take us to the airport.
This has been such an awesome trip!! We have not been on a strenuous schedule. It has been relaxing and lots and lots of time just to spend visiting with old and new friends!!
We will see you all back in the states on Tuesday night!!!
Jan
Saturday, May 15, 2010
It's Saturday night...We have a big day tomorrow!
We are back in Phnom Penh. We got back around 4:00.
Saém and Sokhom both asked Kevin if he would preach tomorrow. Sokhom said it only has to be around 40 minutes!! So Kevin is busy preparing for that!
Sokhom also asked Joe if he will say a few words. I told Joe and Tami to be prepared just in case he calls them up to sing tomorrow!! You never know how you might be involved!
Tonight we went to Ronni and Sokhom's for dinner. It was so good!
The Mey called while we were there and wanted to talk to each one of us!!
Better go, we have a big day tomorrow!! Can't wait to see the orphans one more time!!
Jan
Saém and Sokhom both asked Kevin if he would preach tomorrow. Sokhom said it only has to be around 40 minutes!! So Kevin is busy preparing for that!
Sokhom also asked Joe if he will say a few words. I told Joe and Tami to be prepared just in case he calls them up to sing tomorrow!! You never know how you might be involved!
Tonight we went to Ronni and Sokhom's for dinner. It was so good!
The Mey called while we were there and wanted to talk to each one of us!!
Better go, we have a big day tomorrow!! Can't wait to see the orphans one more time!!
Jan
Friday, May 14, 2010
First Experience at the Orphanage - Tami
It has taken me a couple of days to process Wednesday's trip to the Orphanage. I may never be able to put into words all the emotions I experienced. We left for Laveasar by van around 8 am. It was rush hour and it took the better part of an hour to get to the ferry. I am not sure what I was expecting when we got there but what can I say - WOW! When the Ferry arrived it was a mad dash for all to load. There were about 20 people and vehicles (bicycles, mopeds, and two vans) all crammed into a space the size of a city bus. The "facilities" was a small closet with a hole to the Mekong River. Luckily I did not need to make use of it. The trip across took about 10-15 minutes. Once across we loaded into the van for a short ride to the Orphanage. When we arrived the children were still in class. Sohkom took us to each individual class where we were greeted by the entire group. My estimation is that there are approximately 100 students, 68 of which live at the Orphanage and the rest are from the village. While the children ate lunch we had ours outside under a tree. We were treated to fresh coconut milk right from the nut with a straw. The local ladies provided lunch of rice, fish, and fresh fruit. Afterwards we spent about 2 hours playing with the children. The toys were a huge hit. Kevin and Jan showed the kids how to hula hoop. Hilarious! Joe had several of the boys playing with the frisbees. No instructions needed for the soccer balls or jump ropes. The children were so affectionate. Some were content to be held, while others wanted more interaction. Several were intrigued with my fake nails. When it was time to leave it was very difficult. We loaded up and took the ferry back across. We stopped at RDI to purchase nativity scenes. We were treated to a water treatment lesson between the RDI employee and Sohkom. We arrived at Sohkom's home about 6pm and he treated us to fresh jackfruit and dried mango. The dried Mango was the same taste and texture as a fruit roll up. We then returned to the hotel. Joe and I were dead on our feet so we chose to skip dinner and go straight to bed. We were dirty, sweaty, and swollen from heat but totally exhilarated. What an awesome day.
Update from Kevin
The trip has been VERY fulfilling and VERY tiring. The heat has been pretty oppressive; but, the heat has been more than off-set by the many new friends that have been made in Cambodia and the many smiles we saw on the faces of the orphans at Lveasar.
We just completed our mini-Discovering Marriage class with several young couples from Sa'em's church. One comment from one of the young men at the conference almost brought Jan and I to tears. He said that he told his boss that he would need to take some vacation so that he and his wife could attend a marriage conference and the boss questioned the need for such a meeting. It ended up that the young man lost some pay in order to attend the conference. He said that it did not matter - he wanted to come even if it meant taking a pay cut. He said he felt it was a higher priority to put his marriage above his job - what a testimony!
We have had some pretty interesting meals on our trip to Sihanoukville. Since I am a "seasoned veteran" in Cambodia (my second trip), I felt a bit more adventurous than before in eating the food. And since Jan was eating the same food, I felt very safe in eating it!
I wish I could have seen Joe when he left with Tida to go help him at this computer business. They rode on Tida's small scooter with Joe carrying four laptop computers. He said his legs were sticking out quite a bit as they traveled the 20-30 minute ride to Tida's business. Joe and Tami have both shown great flexibility on this trip - they are real troopers.
It was great to see Jan working with the orphans at Lveasar. She was in her element working with the kids. They had such big smiles on their faces when they saw her and they were clamoring to hug her and be by her side!
The kids had so much fun playing with the hula hoops, soccer balls, frisbees and jump ropes. Even Pastor Sokhom got into the act hula-hooping!
Can't wait to see the orphans again on Sunday. Callan Edquist will join us on the trip on Sunday.
Kevin
We just completed our mini-Discovering Marriage class with several young couples from Sa'em's church. One comment from one of the young men at the conference almost brought Jan and I to tears. He said that he told his boss that he would need to take some vacation so that he and his wife could attend a marriage conference and the boss questioned the need for such a meeting. It ended up that the young man lost some pay in order to attend the conference. He said that it did not matter - he wanted to come even if it meant taking a pay cut. He said he felt it was a higher priority to put his marriage above his job - what a testimony!
We have had some pretty interesting meals on our trip to Sihanoukville. Since I am a "seasoned veteran" in Cambodia (my second trip), I felt a bit more adventurous than before in eating the food. And since Jan was eating the same food, I felt very safe in eating it!
I wish I could have seen Joe when he left with Tida to go help him at this computer business. They rode on Tida's small scooter with Joe carrying four laptop computers. He said his legs were sticking out quite a bit as they traveled the 20-30 minute ride to Tida's business. Joe and Tami have both shown great flexibility on this trip - they are real troopers.
It was great to see Jan working with the orphans at Lveasar. She was in her element working with the kids. They had such big smiles on their faces when they saw her and they were clamoring to hug her and be by her side!
The kids had so much fun playing with the hula hoops, soccer balls, frisbees and jump ropes. Even Pastor Sokhom got into the act hula-hooping!
Can't wait to see the orphans again on Sunday. Callan Edquist will join us on the trip on Sunday.
Kevin
Retreat in Sihanoukville
Friday evening:Today went very well at the conference...we had a few things that were hard to translate but most everything translated well. There was lots of good discussion. They are all so sweet and so hungry to learn!!We have felt right at home with them! Thank you so much for your prayers!!We really had a good discussion about showing affection!! We learned a lot about their culture. They were talking about how their culture raises them to not show affection, not just in public but even in their homes. One young man said,"I want to know if the wives really want affection or if they agree with the culture?" All the wives started talking about how they want affection!! We may have started a revolution of hand holding and kissing!!!It was so tender when they wrote love letters to each other...they took every activitity very seriously!! Many said they had never done that before!!Tonight we had dinner on the beach and they cooked American food for us...hot dogs and grilled chicken (head and all!!)My boys will appreciate this...Kevin has a new joke that we are hearing over and over! He counts to nine in Khmer and then for ten he says "prohm prohm"(five, five) all the Cambodians laugh which just encourages him and he goes to the next group and says it again!! Tami and Joe and I wish people would not encourage him!!We are not going to have the financial management class. Saém feels like it would not relate to them and we agree. After being here and listening to their stories we need to rethink how to help them on this one!I know the best thing about this trip has been the new friends we have made!! We feel so close to all these young couples!! We have just extended our extended family!!The worst thing about this trip...using the squatty potty!!! This is my fourth trip over and somehow I have managed to avoid theseon every other trip!! Good night from Sihanoukville!Jan
Note from Joe...
Laptops have been delivered. I spent the day with Tida on Tuesday at hisbusiness and worked with he and a technician to install Khmer languagepack and typing programs on each of the laptops. The hope is that thekids at the orphanage will be able to learn to type, pick up basiccomputer skills and even help build their English language skills by usingthese programs and others as time goes on. (The internet may be only 2 years or so away...) Tida picked me up at our hotel. Transportation to his business was veryinteresting to say the least! I traveled on the back of his motor scooter,four (4) laptops and all through the streets of Phnom Penh. Quiet a siteto see. At times we were only inches from other mopeds, scooters, TukTuks, cars, buses and trucks (not while we were stopped I might add)! Ittook us about 25 minutes to get there. Ask me to share more with you whenwe return next week. The trip to the orphanage has to top anything I have done to date. Withoutquestion it is an experience words and pictures cannot adequately explain.I have a new friend, Chang, who is 6 years old. Not long after we arrivedhe ventured out of the group of kids to check out the visitors. I smiledand extended my hand out to him. He came over and hugged me and wanted meto pick him up and hold him. That is where he stayed the better part of ourtime at the orphanage. All he wanted was to be held and loved on. I know the others have blogged about the long journey, lost luggage, typesof food, etc. and I cannot add anything of note. I look forward to sharingmore details after we return. Joe
Friday Morning in beautiful Sihanoukville!
It's Friday morning in beautiful Sihanoukville!!Thursday was a day of travel and beach time! It took us 4 and 1/2 hours to make it from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. It is beautiful here! We unloaded at our hotel and then went to the beach for a couple of hours.We are really enjoying getting to know our new friends from House of Love church (Sa'em's church). Sa'em does not like us to call it his church!!!Last night we had a time of fellowship and getting to know everyone. Sa'em and Kevin handed out new Bibles to everyone who has never owned their own Bible!It is a very young church, lots of young couples and little babies!!Today we will be teaching the marriage conference. There will be 26 in our class. There are also about 28 singles who will be studying the book of Acts. We will be having teaching sessions all morning and afternoon. Then for dinner we will eat on the beach and have a time of fellowship this evening.Please pray that our lessons will meet the needs of their culture and will be what they need in their everyday lives. Just pray for God to take over!! Joe and Tami wil be teaching Financial Peace to the whole group, marrieds and singles, Saturday morning.It was funny, I was showing Ravi a picture of our whole family and he pointed to Alden and said, "that looks like Ashley!" He did not know that they are sisters! He said no wonder she looks like Ashley!!We are having fun! Thanks for your prayers!Jan
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Comments
For some reason blogger is having trouble publishing the comments from readers, but keep sending them and I will continue to work on it. I know the Flacks and Johnsons love to hear back from you as they update us with the things that God is doing!
Here are two comments that I could not get published:
Tami, I am so happy to be able to hear what is going on with you guys.
You sound wonderful- at peace.
Know each morning on our way to school, the boys and I are praying for
all of you as well as my many prayers throughout the day.
Cant wait to hear more!
Love you, jen
I am jealous. I want to return to Cambodia soon. When you get to the
orphanage, please tell my little Mean Khoun that Teresa, Chris, Leah,
Cory and I send our prayers and our love.
I'm praying that your conference is a great success. I want to come
over there and do a Small Group Conference. :-) ronnie
Here are two comments that I could not get published:
Tami, I am so happy to be able to hear what is going on with you guys.
You sound wonderful- at peace.
Know each morning on our way to school, the boys and I are praying for
all of you as well as my many prayers throughout the day.
Cant wait to hear more!
Love you, jen
I am jealous. I want to return to Cambodia soon. When you get to the
orphanage, please tell my little Mean Khoun that Teresa, Chris, Leah,
Cory and I send our prayers and our love.
I'm praying that your conference is a great success. I want to come
over there and do a Small Group Conference. :-) ronnie
Wednesday Update
Wednesday evening:
Today started out great!! I got to talk to Greg and wish him a happy birthday!! It was a surprise for both of us!! Thank you Kathy for arranging that!!
Today we left the hotel at 8:00 headed for Lveasar!! Sokhom had told the kids at the orphanage that they would have a visitor today but did not tell them that it was us. When we showed up they were so surprised and excited to see friends from America!!
It was worth all the time, energy and money to get here just for this one day!! It was so much fun!! All the hugs, smiles and laughter!!!
They had so much fun playing with all the jump ropes, hula hoops, frisbees and soccer balls!! We had a great big very long recess!!
Randy and Ashley, Toma is awesome with a hula hoop!! He was laughing so much!! But the best was Sokhom!! All the kids got a kick out of watching Sokhom hula hoop!! It was great fun!!
We had three translators with us and a technician from Tida's work. Yesterday when Joe was at Tida's, they installed a Khmer to English program on four lap tops. The technician went with us to set up a lap top on their generator and to teach Sokhom how to use it. This will be great for our kids to help them learn English!!
Tonight we are exhausted and ready for bed!! It is a good tired!!
In the morning we leave for Sihanoukville!! We are excited to go with Saém's church to the conference!!
Good night from Phnom Penh!
Jan
Today started out great!! I got to talk to Greg and wish him a happy birthday!! It was a surprise for both of us!! Thank you Kathy for arranging that!!
Today we left the hotel at 8:00 headed for Lveasar!! Sokhom had told the kids at the orphanage that they would have a visitor today but did not tell them that it was us. When we showed up they were so surprised and excited to see friends from America!!
It was worth all the time, energy and money to get here just for this one day!! It was so much fun!! All the hugs, smiles and laughter!!!
They had so much fun playing with all the jump ropes, hula hoops, frisbees and soccer balls!! We had a great big very long recess!!
Randy and Ashley, Toma is awesome with a hula hoop!! He was laughing so much!! But the best was Sokhom!! All the kids got a kick out of watching Sokhom hula hoop!! It was great fun!!
We had three translators with us and a technician from Tida's work. Yesterday when Joe was at Tida's, they installed a Khmer to English program on four lap tops. The technician went with us to set up a lap top on their generator and to teach Sokhom how to use it. This will be great for our kids to help them learn English!!
Tonight we are exhausted and ready for bed!! It is a good tired!!
In the morning we leave for Sihanoukville!! We are excited to go with Saém's church to the conference!!
Good night from Phnom Penh!
Jan
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Awesome Update from Jan!
Monday in Phnom Penh:
I love it here!!! Who would of thought that I would be coming to Cambodia every chance I get! This country and the people here have all become a special part of my life!
It has been fun experiencing Cambodia with Joe and Tami and seeing everything for the first time again through their eyes!
Yesterday we took in the markets, bargaining for our purchases and riding in tuks! We ate American for lunch though...pizza!
Last night Saém, Sokhom, Ronni and Rachna came to the hotel to eat dinner with us! We had so much fun visiting with them and planning our week! I love being around them...they are all such gracious, humble servants! Such an example for me!!
We changed our schedule around a little. Because we did not have our luggage we decided to wait until Wednesday to go to the orphanage. We have frisbees, jump ropes, color sheets and colors to take to them (all in our luggage!)
After dinner, we took a tuk to the city mart to get some toiletries.
It is funny, when I was reading my Bible yesterday I was in John 6, and verse 27 says "don't be concerned about perishable things...spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you." I had to laugh, don't be concerned about perishable things...I'm in Cambodia without my luggage! No blow dryer, no curling iron, no hairspray, no make-up, and only one change of clothes! And everyone that knows me, knows that those things are very important to me!! Thanks God for the gentle nudge!
"Spend your energy seeking the eternal life" That is why I love these people over here so much...this is what they are all about!
Kingdom Work! Kingdom Glory!
I love being a part of the big picture!!
Now, it's Tuesday:
This morning our luggage was delivered to the hotel!!
Today we are splitting up. Tami went with Rachna to help her with her college application. Joe is with Tida at his work, helping him with computers. Kevin and I were on a mission to buy Bibles!
My parents church sent money with us to purchase Khmer Bibles. Saém met us at the Cambodian Bible Society. We bought 73 Bibles and 8 preschool Bible story books. Saém told us that most of the people in his church that are coming to the conference do not have their own Bible. It will be fun to give them brand new Bibles!!
Tonight Ravi is meeting us for dinner!! It is so much fun spending one on one time with our friends here!!
Tomorrow we head to Lveasar to play with our kids at the orphanage!!! Besides the things in our suitcases for them, we have also bought some soccer balls and hula hoops!!! We can't wait to hula hoop with them!! Tomorrow will be fun...playing all day!!
We have three translators going with us!
We got an e-mail from Callan Edquist, he is coming to Phnom Penh on Saturday. He is going to join us on Sunday when we go back to Lveassar!!
We are having a great time!!! I love, love, love it here!!!
Jan
I love it here!!! Who would of thought that I would be coming to Cambodia every chance I get! This country and the people here have all become a special part of my life!
It has been fun experiencing Cambodia with Joe and Tami and seeing everything for the first time again through their eyes!
Yesterday we took in the markets, bargaining for our purchases and riding in tuks! We ate American for lunch though...pizza!
Last night Saém, Sokhom, Ronni and Rachna came to the hotel to eat dinner with us! We had so much fun visiting with them and planning our week! I love being around them...they are all such gracious, humble servants! Such an example for me!!
We changed our schedule around a little. Because we did not have our luggage we decided to wait until Wednesday to go to the orphanage. We have frisbees, jump ropes, color sheets and colors to take to them (all in our luggage!)
After dinner, we took a tuk to the city mart to get some toiletries.
It is funny, when I was reading my Bible yesterday I was in John 6, and verse 27 says "don't be concerned about perishable things...spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you." I had to laugh, don't be concerned about perishable things...I'm in Cambodia without my luggage! No blow dryer, no curling iron, no hairspray, no make-up, and only one change of clothes! And everyone that knows me, knows that those things are very important to me!! Thanks God for the gentle nudge!
"Spend your energy seeking the eternal life" That is why I love these people over here so much...this is what they are all about!
Kingdom Work! Kingdom Glory!
I love being a part of the big picture!!
Now, it's Tuesday:
This morning our luggage was delivered to the hotel!!
Today we are splitting up. Tami went with Rachna to help her with her college application. Joe is with Tida at his work, helping him with computers. Kevin and I were on a mission to buy Bibles!
My parents church sent money with us to purchase Khmer Bibles. Saém met us at the Cambodian Bible Society. We bought 73 Bibles and 8 preschool Bible story books. Saém told us that most of the people in his church that are coming to the conference do not have their own Bible. It will be fun to give them brand new Bibles!!
Tonight Ravi is meeting us for dinner!! It is so much fun spending one on one time with our friends here!!
Tomorrow we head to Lveasar to play with our kids at the orphanage!!! Besides the things in our suitcases for them, we have also bought some soccer balls and hula hoops!!! We can't wait to hula hoop with them!! Tomorrow will be fun...playing all day!!
We have three translators going with us!
We got an e-mail from Callan Edquist, he is coming to Phnom Penh on Saturday. He is going to join us on Sunday when we go back to Lveassar!!
We are having a great time!!! I love, love, love it here!!!
Jan
Awesome Update from Tami!
I do not have the words to express my first impressions!! After traveling
some 30 hours to get here, we were weary but so excited. Visna was waiting
for us at the airport and everything had gone so smoothly all the way to
Phnom Penh. Unfortunately our luggage was not so lucky and we were not sure
when it would arrive. The trip to the hotel was quick and uneventful since
it was after midnight. We slept through the night but were very warm due to
the air conditioner in the room not being turned on until we arrived.
On Monday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, first time I have eaten
fried rice for breakfast. It was good as was the rest of my meal. The
staff have been most gracious and helpful. After breakfast we walked to the
Central Market. There were so many people on the street. Everywhere you
look there are bicycles,mopeds, motorcycles pulling carriages call "tuk
tuks", and cars. They are all heading in different directions all at the
same time. All along the sidewalks there are the same type vehicles parked.
Oddly enough I was not nervous walking within inches of these moving
vehicles. Once we arrived at the Central market I was so overwhelmed by the
variety of products. I am not very good at bartering but Kevin gave me a
few lessons and I was very satisfied with my first purchase. As my
salesclerk said, "It was a lucky good morning for you and for me". All the
sales clerk were drawn to Joe. All seemed to be measuring him for clothing
items. Being the Southern gentleman he is he stopped and spoke with each
before assuring them that he did not need anything. From the Central Market
we walked to the Mall. After an hour of shopping we ate lunch at the Pizza
Restaurant. It was very good and so much like Pizza Hut.... Jan and Kevin
had bought Soccer Balls to take to the orphanage earlier and before leaving
the Mall we bought hula hoops to take also. After an afternoon nap, Kevin,
Joe and I went to visit the Royal Palace. This is a must see sight when
visiting Phnom Penh. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. After
spending an hour and half in the sweltering 90ish degree heat we were ready
to cool off and rest again before dinner.
Dinner was the highlight of my day. I knew we were meeting Sa em for dinner
at 6 but I did not know that Sohkum and his family were also meeting us.
One of my assignments for this trip is to assist Rachna (Sohkum's daughter)
in her Brazosport College application to nursing school. I was anxious to
meet her but a little nervous about whether we would connect. She and her
family made me feel immediately at ease and we were never at a loss for
words. Rachna and I spent the entire dinner talking. Ii felt as if she
were one of own children. Ronny, Sohkom's wife brought Jan and I bags of
Dragonfruit and Mangostine fruit along with a knife to cut the fruit.
After Jan and I assured Ronny that we would be two of many mothers to Rachna
while she is in Lake Jackson we said goodnight.
Since out luggage was still MIA we made one more quick trip to the Mall to
buy a few toiletry items.
Tuesday -
We each have different agendas today. Rachna met me at the hotel lobby at 8
am this morning. Joe met Tida in the lobby at 9 am and Jan & Kevin were off
at 9 to purchase Khmer Bibles with money provided by Jan's mother's church
in Texas. While I was gone with Rachna our luggage was delivered - not sure
if I am glad or disappointed that we will not need to buy clothing for the
next few days.
My time with Rachna was most productive. I was amazed to think how
completely comfortable I was with leaving the hotel alone with Rachna and
going to a local internet cafe. I thank each of you who have prayed over
this request for me. Why am I surprised that God has answered them? In two
short hours we were able to complete her college application, complete most
of her TOEFL application and answer many questions she had. Before she left
me at the hotel she thanked me for offering to be a mom to her, I was
touched. I cannot imagine traveling half way around the world alone. I told
her I thought she was very brave and she told me "No, not brave." She hugged
me goodbye and we agreed to meet again tomorrow to finish her TOEFL
application.
As I write, Joe is still with Tida. Jan, Kevin and I had lunch and will
meet up with Joe this afternoon for a bit more shopping. Tomorrow we will
head to Laveasar to spend time with the children and try to get the four
laptops up and running for the children.
I can see now how God has been planning this trip and preparing me for so
long. I am thankful that he has allowed me to be part of his plan.
SO SO Glad to be here!
Tami Flack
some 30 hours to get here, we were weary but so excited. Visna was waiting
for us at the airport and everything had gone so smoothly all the way to
Phnom Penh. Unfortunately our luggage was not so lucky and we were not sure
when it would arrive. The trip to the hotel was quick and uneventful since
it was after midnight. We slept through the night but were very warm due to
the air conditioner in the room not being turned on until we arrived.
On Monday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, first time I have eaten
fried rice for breakfast. It was good as was the rest of my meal. The
staff have been most gracious and helpful. After breakfast we walked to the
Central Market. There were so many people on the street. Everywhere you
look there are bicycles,mopeds, motorcycles pulling carriages call "tuk
tuks", and cars. They are all heading in different directions all at the
same time. All along the sidewalks there are the same type vehicles parked.
Oddly enough I was not nervous walking within inches of these moving
vehicles. Once we arrived at the Central market I was so overwhelmed by the
variety of products. I am not very good at bartering but Kevin gave me a
few lessons and I was very satisfied with my first purchase. As my
salesclerk said, "It was a lucky good morning for you and for me". All the
sales clerk were drawn to Joe. All seemed to be measuring him for clothing
items. Being the Southern gentleman he is he stopped and spoke with each
before assuring them that he did not need anything. From the Central Market
we walked to the Mall. After an hour of shopping we ate lunch at the Pizza
Restaurant. It was very good and so much like Pizza Hut.... Jan and Kevin
had bought Soccer Balls to take to the orphanage earlier and before leaving
the Mall we bought hula hoops to take also. After an afternoon nap, Kevin,
Joe and I went to visit the Royal Palace. This is a must see sight when
visiting Phnom Penh. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. After
spending an hour and half in the sweltering 90ish degree heat we were ready
to cool off and rest again before dinner.
Dinner was the highlight of my day. I knew we were meeting Sa em for dinner
at 6 but I did not know that Sohkum and his family were also meeting us.
One of my assignments for this trip is to assist Rachna (Sohkum's daughter)
in her Brazosport College application to nursing school. I was anxious to
meet her but a little nervous about whether we would connect. She and her
family made me feel immediately at ease and we were never at a loss for
words. Rachna and I spent the entire dinner talking. Ii felt as if she
were one of own children. Ronny, Sohkom's wife brought Jan and I bags of
Dragonfruit and Mangostine fruit along with a knife to cut the fruit.
After Jan and I assured Ronny that we would be two of many mothers to Rachna
while she is in Lake Jackson we said goodnight.
Since out luggage was still MIA we made one more quick trip to the Mall to
buy a few toiletry items.
Tuesday -
We each have different agendas today. Rachna met me at the hotel lobby at 8
am this morning. Joe met Tida in the lobby at 9 am and Jan & Kevin were off
at 9 to purchase Khmer Bibles with money provided by Jan's mother's church
in Texas. While I was gone with Rachna our luggage was delivered - not sure
if I am glad or disappointed that we will not need to buy clothing for the
next few days.
My time with Rachna was most productive. I was amazed to think how
completely comfortable I was with leaving the hotel alone with Rachna and
going to a local internet cafe. I thank each of you who have prayed over
this request for me. Why am I surprised that God has answered them? In two
short hours we were able to complete her college application, complete most
of her TOEFL application and answer many questions she had. Before she left
me at the hotel she thanked me for offering to be a mom to her, I was
touched. I cannot imagine traveling half way around the world alone. I told
her I thought she was very brave and she told me "No, not brave." She hugged
me goodbye and we agreed to meet again tomorrow to finish her TOEFL
application.
As I write, Joe is still with Tida. Jan, Kevin and I had lunch and will
meet up with Joe this afternoon for a bit more shopping. Tomorrow we will
head to Laveasar to spend time with the children and try to get the four
laptops up and running for the children.
I can see now how God has been planning this trip and preparing me for so
long. I am thankful that he has allowed me to be part of his plan.
SO SO Glad to be here!
Tami Flack
Monday, January 18, 2010
See You Thursday - 1/21/10
CAMBODIA PARTY!
Thursday, January 21st
7:00 - 8:30pm
BPF All Star Room
Childcare Provided
"You come into my heart and the world is so
much brighter than before."
(a shirt worn by several children at the Hope for Cambodia Orphanage)
This certainly goes both ways!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Seoul, Korea
We finished the first leg of our trip home, a five hour flight from Phnom Penh to Seoul.
It's sunny and cold in Korea. What a contrast from the unusually hot days in Cambodia to seeing snow on the ground here.
We'll soon depart for Tokyo. After a 2 hour flight and 5 hour layover at Narita Airport we'll board a Continental jet for Houston! It was so nice to walk up to the transfer counter here and get a boarding pass with no hassle, strange looks, or calls home to our travel agent.
I'm already missing Cambodia but ready to get home too.
Greg
It's sunny and cold in Korea. What a contrast from the unusually hot days in Cambodia to seeing snow on the ground here.
We'll soon depart for Tokyo. After a 2 hour flight and 5 hour layover at Narita Airport we'll board a Continental jet for Houston! It was so nice to walk up to the transfer counter here and get a boarding pass with no hassle, strange looks, or calls home to our travel agent.
I'm already missing Cambodia but ready to get home too.
Greg
Stand-By Six Are Coming Home
We've accomplished everything we hoped to do during the extra four days we planned. Some of them were things we intended to do. Others were simply providential, like meeting a man from Spring, Texas who comes here four times a year with his mission. He gave us a lot of good ideas and contacts, but the best was the name of a good travel agent he has used for years!
We also made contacts regarding future hotel reservations, travel in country, new projects (like a marriage conference for young couples we work with each year), and the cost of living for the young adults who may consider coming here to volunteer in the future.
While the Culverhouses were checking out a beauty school as a "next step" for some of their students from the Lveasar Orphanage Kathy & I went to the US Embassy to learn about the adoption process here. We've been hearing from friends back home in the Khmer community that Cambodia was opening back up the adoption process. That's technically true. I'll explain it to any who are interested when I return. There is hope, but it'll be a few years before anything actually can happen.
And last but certainly not least, we discovered not a small number of new restaurants to eat at, including a really good one right around the corner. It's been a lot of fun but not as relaxing as I imagined it. We've had pretty full and long days. I'm looking forward to sleeping a lot on the flight home.
Greg Pickering
We also made contacts regarding future hotel reservations, travel in country, new projects (like a marriage conference for young couples we work with each year), and the cost of living for the young adults who may consider coming here to volunteer in the future.
While the Culverhouses were checking out a beauty school as a "next step" for some of their students from the Lveasar Orphanage Kathy & I went to the US Embassy to learn about the adoption process here. We've been hearing from friends back home in the Khmer community that Cambodia was opening back up the adoption process. That's technically true. I'll explain it to any who are interested when I return. There is hope, but it'll be a few years before anything actually can happen.
And last but certainly not least, we discovered not a small number of new restaurants to eat at, including a really good one right around the corner. It's been a lot of fun but not as relaxing as I imagined it. We've had pretty full and long days. I'm looking forward to sleeping a lot on the flight home.
Greg Pickering
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Light of the World
Hey guys! The trip is almost over... we leave late tomorrow night. I can't believe how fast it has come and gone. This was my first time EVER to leave the country... and to be gone this long. Who would've ever thought that i'd spend my first time stuck in airports and becoming a member of "The Standby Six". haha! While i've been here a lot has gone on. On Jan. 1st I lost a good friend back home. And at first it was really hard being here and not in the states. But once I got to see the kids again, God relieved me from all the stress and depression I was feeling. I was able to take my mind off everything and just have fun. The kids at the orphanage are as cute as they can be! They are all so full of joy and love. God has really worked his magic on me during this trip. He has changed my heart in so many ways, and he used the best kids in the world to do it. It was so hard to say goodbye on Saturday... all of the kids just had that "please don't go look". =( But I know that God will continue to work on me and the kids even after I leave Cambodia.
Not only did I learn a lot from these kids, I learned a lot from the culture.
1.) Redlights really mean if you can squeeze... GO FOR IT!
2.) Tuk-Tuk drivers can drive against the flow of trafic without any problems!
3.) Stop signs are pointless... nobody uses them!
4.) When somebody drops bread on the ground... no worries. Brush it off and stick back on the for sale stack! =)
5.) Tour Bus Gus is the BEST bus driver in the world. No street is too small for him!
6.) Fried spiders and crickets smell... BAD.
7.) Lines (like to wait for something... food, check out, etc.) are nonexsistent.
8.) Trucks aren't just meant for a few people... they are meant for as many as possible plus cargo!
9.) Always look both directions before stepping on a bus... ( I was the one who got hit by a moped!)
and last but not least...
10.) The kids here are the Light of the World.
I'm sad to be leaving tomorrow, but at the same time I can't wait to get home and share my stories with everyone.
-Katherine Chaney
Not only did I learn a lot from these kids, I learned a lot from the culture.
1.) Redlights really mean if you can squeeze... GO FOR IT!
2.) Tuk-Tuk drivers can drive against the flow of trafic without any problems!
3.) Stop signs are pointless... nobody uses them!
4.) When somebody drops bread on the ground... no worries. Brush it off and stick back on the for sale stack! =)
5.) Tour Bus Gus is the BEST bus driver in the world. No street is too small for him!
6.) Fried spiders and crickets smell... BAD.
7.) Lines (like to wait for something... food, check out, etc.) are nonexsistent.
8.) Trucks aren't just meant for a few people... they are meant for as many as possible plus cargo!
9.) Always look both directions before stepping on a bus... ( I was the one who got hit by a moped!)
and last but not least...
10.) The kids here are the Light of the World.
I'm sad to be leaving tomorrow, but at the same time I can't wait to get home and share my stories with everyone.
-Katherine Chaney
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Our last day in Lveasar...
We headed out to Lveasar again this morning. The kids were all sitting in chairs at the front of the orphanage waiting for us. We had fun just hanging out and washing all of their heads! Jennifer was so excited to see dead bugs floating in the water. I must admit my head started itching a little bit when we were talking about the lice!Khim Mey cooked an absolutely delicious lunch for everyone - fried chicken, fried rice, meatballs, crab meat sticks and a couple of other things (not sure what they were). They also gave each child an apple and soft drink. It was like a Thanksgiving feast. Most of the children ate all of the food, except the chicken - they wrapped it up and "saved" it for later.
Sokhom had the orphans say Bible verses that they have memorized. There are 4 kids that have memorized between 75 and 100 verses. I was very much inspired how much of God's word these kids have in their hearts and minds.
After lunch and the memorized scripture reciting, we loaded up and headed back to PP. It was hard to leave, as Greg said "It doesn't get easier to leave year after year... it gets harder!"
I absolutely LOVE coming to visit these kids!
This evening we went to eat dinner at Tida's home, his wife is from Brazil so they prepared a Brazillian BBQ for us.
Tomorrow morning we are going to church with Ravy and then in the afternoon we are going to visit Saem's church. Hopefully, I'll get a little shopping done in between!
"Sweet 16" glad to hear you guys are home safely.
God is up to stuff in Cambodia,
Kathy
Friday, January 8, 2010
The "Sweet 16" Are HOME
We made it to Houston without any problems. The layover and tour in Seoul was a blast! I know everyone was excited to see their loved ones at the airport. Ashley and I (Randy) were sure glad to see Kendall. In fact, I need to go play with her now!
Keep checking back to hear about the "Stanby 6" and to read as team members process all the things that God has done!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!
Keep checking back to hear about the "Stanby 6" and to read as team members process all the things that God has done!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!
Standby Six have confirmation!
Greg and I just finished confirming all of our flights for our trip home.
We leave Monday night from PP - fly to Seoul Korea then Tokyo Japan and then to Houston!
We are scheduled to arrive in Houston Tuesday afternoon.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support for all of our travel ordeals. God is good!
We are busy with other meetings and projects for the next 3 days.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we go back to the orphanage to eat lunch and wash the orphans hair with lye/lice soap - in the same water that Greg baptized in last week! Fun times!
Kathy
We leave Monday night from PP - fly to Seoul Korea then Tokyo Japan and then to Houston!
We are scheduled to arrive in Houston Tuesday afternoon.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support for all of our travel ordeals. God is good!
We are busy with other meetings and projects for the next 3 days.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we go back to the orphanage to eat lunch and wash the orphans hair with lye/lice soap - in the same water that Greg baptized in last week! Fun times!
Kathy
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Back with the "Standby Six"
Well, the rest of the team has headed to Phnom Penh airport. It was sad to see them leave, but our work as a team is finished.
The "Standby Six" are still together. We have full days planned for the next 4 days and will "hopefully" fly back home Monday night - to arrive in Houston Tuesday afternoon.
We are still waiting on all of our confirmations for our flights. We just talked to our travel agent and she said we should have them within an hour or so... I think I'll stay up and keep checking email to make sure we get them!
We have had a totally incredible time. Our team of 30 worked and played together so well. God is good!
Cambodia team, I am grateful for the time we have spent together this past week and a half. Remember before the trip - I told you, after the trip, we'd know more about each other than we ever cared to know! (pretty true, huh?)
We will try to continue to update the blog with our adventures over the next few days.
Please continue to pray for us - for the team on their way home, for our flight confirmations and for the meetings and projects we still have here.
Bringing hope to Cambodia,
Kathy
The "Standby Six" are still together. We have full days planned for the next 4 days and will "hopefully" fly back home Monday night - to arrive in Houston Tuesday afternoon.
We are still waiting on all of our confirmations for our flights. We just talked to our travel agent and she said we should have them within an hour or so... I think I'll stay up and keep checking email to make sure we get them!
We have had a totally incredible time. Our team of 30 worked and played together so well. God is good!
Cambodia team, I am grateful for the time we have spent together this past week and a half. Remember before the trip - I told you, after the trip, we'd know more about each other than we ever cared to know! (pretty true, huh?)
We will try to continue to update the blog with our adventures over the next few days.
Please continue to pray for us - for the team on their way home, for our flight confirmations and for the meetings and projects we still have here.
Bringing hope to Cambodia,
Kathy
Siem Reap
We arrived back in Phnom Phen this afternoon after a 2 day visit to Siem Reap! It was a great experience and we had a lot of fun. Siem Reap is about a 5 hour drive north...and that in itself was quite an adventure! We rode in 2 vans - really like church vans - and had drivers that stayed with us in Siem Reap to take us around. Our drivers were great, but driving in Cambodia is a whole new experience. They pass like crazy, there are motorcycles on all sides, and today we came so close to running into a cow that was crossing the street! What an adventure.
Siem Reap is very "western" and has lots of tourists that go there. There was a lot of shopping, lots of nice restaurants, and fancy 5 star hotels and guest houses. Our team stayed in a garden villa guest house that was very nice! It was also very cheap - one room was only $15 a night! Both nights we would order our breakfast before going to bed and then when we came down in the morning, we would sit out on the patio in the garden and they would bring us our food. It was great! Tuesday when we got there we did some shopping in the night market and had some good American food. Wednesday we got up and visited a bunch of very old temples. Our first stop was Angkor Wat, the biggest of all the temples. It is over 1000 years old. We crawled all through it, jumping and climbing around. It was a lot of fun. After that we went to a different temple, Bayon. Then we had lunch. Next we headed to Dat Pram, the temple that is still covered with trees. It was very very cool. This is the temple where Angelina Joile filmed Tombraider. It was fun to climb around on all the tree roots that have grown up through the walls of the temple.
From there, our group split in half. Half the group went to tour a floating city on Tonle Sap lake and the other group went to 2 more temples. The last temple we went to was on top of a very tall hill and we went to watch the sun set from there. I will have to let someone else tell you about the floating city - it sounded very cool, but Randy and I went to the temple on the hill for the sunset. We thought we were going to be able to ride elephants up the hill, but when we got there we found out we had to be there much earlier to reserve an elephant ride. So, we started our hike up the mountain. It was a long steep walk, but so worth it when we arrived at the top. The temple up there was a square, and there were very steep, thin steps going up each side. To climb it you had to put your foot sideways. It was so much fun and the sunset was pretty. We walked down with all the tourists in the dark and some of us went back into town to get foot massages that were much needed! We also got to eat another great dinner - Randy and I ate at the Red Piano, which is a great restaurant that is famous for having Angelina Joile frequent it. It was my most favorite meal of the whole trip!
This morning we packed up and made the 5 hour trip back to our hotel in Phnom Phen. The Pickerings and the Culverhouses will be staying a few more days, so we checked into their rooms. We are all showering and resting and then we will be heading to the airport around 9:30 pm our time. We are looking forward to getting home, and hoping that weather doesn't hold us up! There is a lot of snow in Seoul right now!! Thanks for all your prayers - we are tired, but full of great memories and experiences!!!
Siem Reap is very "western" and has lots of tourists that go there. There was a lot of shopping, lots of nice restaurants, and fancy 5 star hotels and guest houses. Our team stayed in a garden villa guest house that was very nice! It was also very cheap - one room was only $15 a night! Both nights we would order our breakfast before going to bed and then when we came down in the morning, we would sit out on the patio in the garden and they would bring us our food. It was great! Tuesday when we got there we did some shopping in the night market and had some good American food. Wednesday we got up and visited a bunch of very old temples. Our first stop was Angkor Wat, the biggest of all the temples. It is over 1000 years old. We crawled all through it, jumping and climbing around. It was a lot of fun. After that we went to a different temple, Bayon. Then we had lunch. Next we headed to Dat Pram, the temple that is still covered with trees. It was very very cool. This is the temple where Angelina Joile filmed Tombraider. It was fun to climb around on all the tree roots that have grown up through the walls of the temple.
From there, our group split in half. Half the group went to tour a floating city on Tonle Sap lake and the other group went to 2 more temples. The last temple we went to was on top of a very tall hill and we went to watch the sun set from there. I will have to let someone else tell you about the floating city - it sounded very cool, but Randy and I went to the temple on the hill for the sunset. We thought we were going to be able to ride elephants up the hill, but when we got there we found out we had to be there much earlier to reserve an elephant ride. So, we started our hike up the mountain. It was a long steep walk, but so worth it when we arrived at the top. The temple up there was a square, and there were very steep, thin steps going up each side. To climb it you had to put your foot sideways. It was so much fun and the sunset was pretty. We walked down with all the tourists in the dark and some of us went back into town to get foot massages that were much needed! We also got to eat another great dinner - Randy and I ate at the Red Piano, which is a great restaurant that is famous for having Angelina Joile frequent it. It was my most favorite meal of the whole trip!
This morning we packed up and made the 5 hour trip back to our hotel in Phnom Phen. The Pickerings and the Culverhouses will be staying a few more days, so we checked into their rooms. We are all showering and resting and then we will be heading to the airport around 9:30 pm our time. We are looking forward to getting home, and hoping that weather doesn't hold us up! There is a lot of snow in Seoul right now!! Thanks for all your prayers - we are tired, but full of great memories and experiences!!!
Siem Reap
We arrived back in Phnom Phen this afternoon after a 2 day visit to Siem Reap! It was a great experience and we had a lot of fun. Siem Reap is about a 5 hour drive north...and that in itself was quite an adventure! We rode in 2 vans - really like church vans - and had drivers that stayed with us in Siem Reap to take us around. Our drivers were great, but driving in Cambodia is a whole new experience. They pass like crazy, there are motorcycles on all sides, and today we came so close to running into a cow that was crossing the street! What an adventure.
Siem Reap is very "western" and has lots of tourists that go there. There was a lot of shopping, lots of nice restaurants, and fancy 5 star hotels and guest houses. Our team stayed in a garden villa guest house that was very nice! It was also very cheap - one room was only $15 a night! Both nights we would order our breakfast before going to bed and then when we came down in the morning, we would sit out on the patio in the garden and they would bring us our food. It was great! Tuesday when we got there we did some shopping in the night market and had some good American food. Wednesday we got up and visited a bunch of very old temples. Our first stop was Angkor Wat, the biggest of all the temples. It is over 1000 years old. We crawled all through it, jumping and climbing around. It was a lot of fun. After that we went to a different temple, Bayon. Then we had lunch. Next we headed to Dat Pram, the temple that is still covered with trees. It was very very cool. This is the temple where Angelina Joile filmed Tombraider. It was fun to climb around on all the tree roots that have grown up through the walls of the temple.
From there, our group split in half. Half the group went to tour a floating city on Tonle Sap lake and the other group went to 2 more temples. The last temple we went to was on top of a very tall hill and we went to watch the sun set from there. I will have to let someone else tell you about the floating city - it sounded very cool, but Randy and I went to the temple on the hill for the sunset. We thought we were going to be able to ride elephants up the hill, but when we got there we found out we had to be there much earlier to reserve an elephant ride. So, we started our hike up the mountain. It was a long steep walk, but so worth it when we arrived at the top. The temple up there was a square, and there were very steep, thin steps going up each side. To climb it you had to put your foot sideways. It was so much fun and the sunset was pretty. We walked down with all the tourists in the dark and some of us went back into town to get foot massages that were much needed! We also got to eat another great dinner - Randy and I ate at the Red Piano, which is a great restaurant that is famous for having Angelina Joile frequent it. It was my most favorite meal of the whole trip!
This morning we packed up and made the 5 hour trip back to our hotel in Phnom Phen. The Pickerings and the Culverhouses will be staying a few more days, so we checked into their rooms. We are all showering and resting and then we will be heading to the airport around 9:30 pm our time. We are looking forward to getting home, and hoping that weather doesn't hold us up! There is a lot of snow in Seoul right now!! Thanks for all your prayers - we are tired, but full of great memories and experiences!!!
Siem Reap is very "western" and has lots of tourists that go there. There was a lot of shopping, lots of nice restaurants, and fancy 5 star hotels and guest houses. Our team stayed in a garden villa guest house that was very nice! It was also very cheap - one room was only $15 a night! Both nights we would order our breakfast before going to bed and then when we came down in the morning, we would sit out on the patio in the garden and they would bring us our food. It was great! Tuesday when we got there we did some shopping in the night market and had some good American food. Wednesday we got up and visited a bunch of very old temples. Our first stop was Angkor Wat, the biggest of all the temples. It is over 1000 years old. We crawled all through it, jumping and climbing around. It was a lot of fun. After that we went to a different temple, Bayon. Then we had lunch. Next we headed to Dat Pram, the temple that is still covered with trees. It was very very cool. This is the temple where Angelina Joile filmed Tombraider. It was fun to climb around on all the tree roots that have grown up through the walls of the temple.
From there, our group split in half. Half the group went to tour a floating city on Tonle Sap lake and the other group went to 2 more temples. The last temple we went to was on top of a very tall hill and we went to watch the sun set from there. I will have to let someone else tell you about the floating city - it sounded very cool, but Randy and I went to the temple on the hill for the sunset. We thought we were going to be able to ride elephants up the hill, but when we got there we found out we had to be there much earlier to reserve an elephant ride. So, we started our hike up the mountain. It was a long steep walk, but so worth it when we arrived at the top. The temple up there was a square, and there were very steep, thin steps going up each side. To climb it you had to put your foot sideways. It was so much fun and the sunset was pretty. We walked down with all the tourists in the dark and some of us went back into town to get foot massages that were much needed! We also got to eat another great dinner - Randy and I ate at the Red Piano, which is a great restaurant that is famous for having Angelina Joile frequent it. It was my most favorite meal of the whole trip!
This morning we packed up and made the 5 hour trip back to our hotel in Phnom Phen. The Pickerings and the Culverhouses will be staying a few more days, so we checked into their rooms. We are all showering and resting and then we will be heading to the airport around 9:30 pm our time. We are looking forward to getting home, and hoping that weather doesn't hold us up! There is a lot of snow in Seoul right now!! Thanks for all your prayers - we are tired, but full of great memories and experiences!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Last Day with the Orphans
Wow!
What an incredible experience being in Cambodia has been. It's late Monday night here and somehow, our time with the orphans is already over. The love that we have been shown is something that I have never experienced before.
But first, Sunday...
The Church Service at Levesar was their form of a Christmas pageant, Cambodian style. I felt honored being able to sit at the front of the service when there were hundreds of other people there! I couldn't upload pictures, but you will all see how many people were at this service. The amount of people that Suk-Hom influences is just incredible. We are so blessed to have him as our contact in Cambodia. The Christmas pageants/musicals/super spectacular productions that I have seen seemed kind of similar to theirs, but theirs was so genuine. Everyone was so happy to be there, praising the Lord. The children were obviously the stars of the production. First there were dancers in Khmer dress performing the Blessing; next there was a wonderful group of senior adults who sang a few worship songs. Then of course there were some great scenes of acting in which the kids acted out the "Lost Sheep Parable" (I Think...). The kids were all very into it and just loved portraying such a wonderful story from the Bible. That parable can definitely describe some of these kids in specific ways, but watching it being performed and translated for us, it reminded me of how often we forget how directionless we are without Christ.
Also, there was a lady who is a House Mom at the orphange who wrote a song and sang it describing the life of an orphan. It was so beautiful and even though I had absolutely no idea what was specfically in the song, it had a distinct hopeful tone to it which to me was the heartbeat of the trip. More on that later. After a hilarious fashion show where the kids got to show off some clothes and perform, we were asked to go up on stage and sing a song. We sang "God of This City" and "Amazing Grace." I was really happy we got to sing "God of This City" because it reminded me of the Daraja Choir from this summer and kind of stated what God was doing in Levesar.
After a great lunch we traveled to one of many of "The Killing Fields." Greg Pick will give anyone who wants it a very detailed and wonderful history lesson about them, but to summarize, these are where the Pol Pot regime of the late 1970's basically committed genocide on those who opposed them. I was lucky enough to be able to walk through these mass graves with Kim who along with The May survived this time in Cambodian history. We were shocked to see how the graves were basically left as was with clothes of those murdered just laying on the ground, some half buried. We also got to go to Toulsone Prison in Phenom Penh where the Khmer Rough regime tortured those prisoners for future sendings off to the Killing Fields. Both of these were reminders of the injustice that continues to occur around the world. It was so shocking to hear about all of the murders and really the inability of other countries to stop it. I could talk about that all day, but let's talk about Monday!
Today was our last day with the kids and it was definitely bittersweet. For the crew who was working on the Water portion of our mission, they very nearly completed everything. If we would've have stayed all day, that crew would've helped pour all of the concrete they made in the morning on top of the structure, pretty much completing the job. That crew was definitely worn out at the end of the day because they had given it their all. The tank looked awesome and it will serve a great purpose for the orphanage.
With the kids today, we did our daily song routine consisting of a Wiggles song I think? about shaking the wiggles out. I do not frequently watch the Wiggles, so I cannot comment on that song, but we also sang O, Happy Day with them, and they loved it. We taught them some motions and made sure they understood what the song said. One of my greatest joys of the week was hearing all of the kids just randomly singing the song without us prompting them throughout the day. It's a song that easily gets stuck in your head, but it has such a great message, so i'm glad that's the song they learned.
We made some bracelets and played with them for the next few hours dreading the goodbyes that were to come. A really cool tradition-ish kind of thing is that the kids walk us to the ferry dock and wave goodbye from there. It's a great last few minutes with the kids as we walked, hand in hand for the last time for a long, long time. Some of those kids, regardless of whether or not we come back, we might never see again. When I think back on this trip, I'm going to remember those faces, always smiling; those hands, so small, dirty, and always reaching towards you; I'll remember those kids smiling, yelling, and waving at us from the shore as the ferry chugged away for the last time for us this trip, and I'll smile because I know that God is working with those kids. If you spend any time with those kids and don't believe in a God who has unconditional love, then you are not too smart. Every day when we rolled up, there were kids who just wanted to be loved, but regardless, they were going to love you. Even when I messed up every Khmer words, they wanted to teach me. Even on the way to the ferry, they were teaching me new words. It probably took like one hour for me to learn 1-5, but about 10 kids were willing to sit there and laugh their way through me trying to speak in another language.
I'll let someone else pick up from there. I'm not really sure if I covered everything, and there is so much else to say about what I've talked about, but this blogpost is long enough. So thanks for reading!
Thanks for your prayers and petitions to the Lord. Please pray for a few sick people who feel a little under the weather and for our van ride tomorrow to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat!
Thanks again for reading, and oh yea:
You should definitely think about coming to Cambodia!!
--Sam Jones
P.S. I misspelled probably 95% of Khmer words on this page, so apologies for that, but don't worry, I mispronounce them too.
"God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
What an incredible experience being in Cambodia has been. It's late Monday night here and somehow, our time with the orphans is already over. The love that we have been shown is something that I have never experienced before.
But first, Sunday...
The Church Service at Levesar was their form of a Christmas pageant, Cambodian style. I felt honored being able to sit at the front of the service when there were hundreds of other people there! I couldn't upload pictures, but you will all see how many people were at this service. The amount of people that Suk-Hom influences is just incredible. We are so blessed to have him as our contact in Cambodia. The Christmas pageants/musicals/super spectacular productions that I have seen seemed kind of similar to theirs, but theirs was so genuine. Everyone was so happy to be there, praising the Lord. The children were obviously the stars of the production. First there were dancers in Khmer dress performing the Blessing; next there was a wonderful group of senior adults who sang a few worship songs. Then of course there were some great scenes of acting in which the kids acted out the "Lost Sheep Parable" (I Think...). The kids were all very into it and just loved portraying such a wonderful story from the Bible. That parable can definitely describe some of these kids in specific ways, but watching it being performed and translated for us, it reminded me of how often we forget how directionless we are without Christ.
Also, there was a lady who is a House Mom at the orphange who wrote a song and sang it describing the life of an orphan. It was so beautiful and even though I had absolutely no idea what was specfically in the song, it had a distinct hopeful tone to it which to me was the heartbeat of the trip. More on that later. After a hilarious fashion show where the kids got to show off some clothes and perform, we were asked to go up on stage and sing a song. We sang "God of This City" and "Amazing Grace." I was really happy we got to sing "God of This City" because it reminded me of the Daraja Choir from this summer and kind of stated what God was doing in Levesar.
After a great lunch we traveled to one of many of "The Killing Fields." Greg Pick will give anyone who wants it a very detailed and wonderful history lesson about them, but to summarize, these are where the Pol Pot regime of the late 1970's basically committed genocide on those who opposed them. I was lucky enough to be able to walk through these mass graves with Kim who along with The May survived this time in Cambodian history. We were shocked to see how the graves were basically left as was with clothes of those murdered just laying on the ground, some half buried. We also got to go to Toulsone Prison in Phenom Penh where the Khmer Rough regime tortured those prisoners for future sendings off to the Killing Fields. Both of these were reminders of the injustice that continues to occur around the world. It was so shocking to hear about all of the murders and really the inability of other countries to stop it. I could talk about that all day, but let's talk about Monday!
Today was our last day with the kids and it was definitely bittersweet. For the crew who was working on the Water portion of our mission, they very nearly completed everything. If we would've have stayed all day, that crew would've helped pour all of the concrete they made in the morning on top of the structure, pretty much completing the job. That crew was definitely worn out at the end of the day because they had given it their all. The tank looked awesome and it will serve a great purpose for the orphanage.
With the kids today, we did our daily song routine consisting of a Wiggles song I think? about shaking the wiggles out. I do not frequently watch the Wiggles, so I cannot comment on that song, but we also sang O, Happy Day with them, and they loved it. We taught them some motions and made sure they understood what the song said. One of my greatest joys of the week was hearing all of the kids just randomly singing the song without us prompting them throughout the day. It's a song that easily gets stuck in your head, but it has such a great message, so i'm glad that's the song they learned.
We made some bracelets and played with them for the next few hours dreading the goodbyes that were to come. A really cool tradition-ish kind of thing is that the kids walk us to the ferry dock and wave goodbye from there. It's a great last few minutes with the kids as we walked, hand in hand for the last time for a long, long time. Some of those kids, regardless of whether or not we come back, we might never see again. When I think back on this trip, I'm going to remember those faces, always smiling; those hands, so small, dirty, and always reaching towards you; I'll remember those kids smiling, yelling, and waving at us from the shore as the ferry chugged away for the last time for us this trip, and I'll smile because I know that God is working with those kids. If you spend any time with those kids and don't believe in a God who has unconditional love, then you are not too smart. Every day when we rolled up, there were kids who just wanted to be loved, but regardless, they were going to love you. Even when I messed up every Khmer words, they wanted to teach me. Even on the way to the ferry, they were teaching me new words. It probably took like one hour for me to learn 1-5, but about 10 kids were willing to sit there and laugh their way through me trying to speak in another language.
I'll let someone else pick up from there. I'm not really sure if I covered everything, and there is so much else to say about what I've talked about, but this blogpost is long enough. So thanks for reading!
Thanks for your prayers and petitions to the Lord. Please pray for a few sick people who feel a little under the weather and for our van ride tomorrow to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat!
Thanks again for reading, and oh yea:
You should definitely think about coming to Cambodia!!
--Sam Jones
P.S. I misspelled probably 95% of Khmer words on this page, so apologies for that, but don't worry, I mispronounce them too.
"God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
Saturday, January 2, 2010
My Cambodia Top 10!
#10......diapers are not a option :)
#9........things are cheap
#8.....all the people on this trip are waaaaayyyyyy cool.
#7......my hand is constantly held and these people love to hug :)
#6......This place makes me feel totally and utterly complete.....I hope this is 1% of what heaven will feel like.
#5.....These students are brilliant at cutting hair....we may be on to something ;)
#4......being on the same "page" with my husband. Watching God flow through everything he says and does makes me smile. He is sooooo on purpose.
#3......watching my daughter become who God planned her to be, even before she was born. I love standing back and watching her love on these girls...no matter the fear of lice or whatever...she doesn't care about that...she just knows she is in love. Watching her with the boys and wrestling with them as if she were with her own brothers.
#2......money does not create happiness here.
#1......watching my daughter tear up as she was getting baptized in dirty river water in a homeade fish pond.
How else would I ever feel and see the love of God? How else could I ever feel more complete?
Oh yeah......if there were a number off the charts.......it would be Sokum and The Mai. Standing back and watching their passion and smiles for these people is truely humbling. It's not about the car they drive......the clothes they wear.....everything is to bring glory to God. Their smiles of gratitude and joy as they watch us with their people....it is sincere and pure in it's purest form. I swear, they are like modern day bible people.
I love this place......you should come. :)
#9........things are cheap
#8.....all the people on this trip are waaaaayyyyyy cool.
#7......my hand is constantly held and these people love to hug :)
#6......This place makes me feel totally and utterly complete.....I hope this is 1% of what heaven will feel like.
#5.....These students are brilliant at cutting hair....we may be on to something ;)
#4......being on the same "page" with my husband. Watching God flow through everything he says and does makes me smile. He is sooooo on purpose.
#3......watching my daughter become who God planned her to be, even before she was born. I love standing back and watching her love on these girls...no matter the fear of lice or whatever...she doesn't care about that...she just knows she is in love. Watching her with the boys and wrestling with them as if she were with her own brothers.
#2......money does not create happiness here.
#1......watching my daughter tear up as she was getting baptized in dirty river water in a homeade fish pond.
How else would I ever feel and see the love of God? How else could I ever feel more complete?
Oh yeah......if there were a number off the charts.......it would be Sokum and The Mai. Standing back and watching their passion and smiles for these people is truely humbling. It's not about the car they drive......the clothes they wear.....everything is to bring glory to God. Their smiles of gratitude and joy as they watch us with their people....it is sincere and pure in it's purest form. I swear, they are like modern day bible people.
I love this place......you should come. :)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Better than Christmas in Cambodia
It's been a really awesome trip so far! Today was a very sucessful day. We started out in our teams with the hair school, pastor's conference, water tank construction, teacher training, and bible club. I must say, I love my job on this trip as photographer. I get to walk around and take pictures of all of the different activites going on. I get to see the progress of each team working.
The students in the hair school are amazing with how much they are learning. Today they got to practice hair cuts on some of the kids and even a few of us! Luckily Urban Asia is such a good hair cutting school that everyone looked wonderful. I thought it was quite funny when nearly all of the boys getting their hair cut wanted the haircut that Jason Culverhouse has. I guess he's a pretty cool guy.
In the pastor's conference all of the pastor's seem to be very attentive; taking notes and following along very closely.
The water tank construction is going along as planned. They have covered the tank in concrete, inside and out. Nice work boys!
From what I hear, the teacher training is going well. All of the teachers look eager to learn everytime I go in the room.
The bible club had some fun today like always! We colored coloring pages, told a story, sang songs, and painted faces! The kids loved getting their faces painted.
This afternoon was one of my personal favorites for sure! We handed out the presents that each of the orphans', moms', and teachers' sponsor families created for the orphans. We took all them into the cafeteria and past out their envelopes with their goodies inside. Then we told them to all open their presents at once. It was basically like Christmas morning... but better! Yes, better than Christmas morning! These kids were so excited to see what they had gotten. The little boy in the picture below, Makra, took out the first thing he saw (this toy car) and held it up with the biggest smile on his face squealing with excitement (Thanks Mike and Chantel!). Thankfully I had my camera ready! Obviously these gifts were a big deal to each one of these kids, and it was awesome to watch them open each one of them. I know that they all appreciate what the sponsor's are doing and would love to tell each one of them thank you. Also thanks for the many prayers that are being sent their way. Being here this week, I have gotten to see an obvious difference in the kids' spirits and attitudes because of our church. They are such happy-go-lucky kids, and I can't wait to see them again tomorrow!
Thanks for all your prayers!
-Micaela Erskine
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