Day 2 Boats and Bracelets

This morning we took a trip via boat along an inlet to the Sap lake.  This the major lake in the country and if you look at a map, Siem Reap is north of the lake.  We rode along an inlet/river to where the open water is in the lake.  There is a large population living along the lake in floating shacks and even in their leaking boats with just tarps that cover them.  The trip was very humbling as the poverty was excruciating and severe.  It amazed me as the resilience of the people as they lived on the water.  Most everyone as you can imagine exists from the fish in the lake and we saw many things to include pig pens floating on the water with a few pigs in it, chicken coops, stores and gas distribution centers.  The Catholic church has a school set up where the children come for school and in return they are fed three days a week which is more than what they receive in their floating homes.  We went to the end of the outlet to what I what would consider a tourist type place where they had crocodile pens, fish pens and a type of store.  There were some tourist type people there, Id say a dozen or two coming and going on the boats and the people were all around begging from the water.  As you drove up the river, a small boat driven by a mom holding an infant and leaking water badly would fly up next to you ... really like a row boat type thing with a motor is the best description i could say.  On the bow would be a small child of 8 or so and they were just standing there up on the bow begging.  sometimes the child would have a snake around its neck or the begger would be blind.  as the boat moved, they drove along side through waves and everything.  I even saw boys sitting in buckets paddling along cause they had no boats.  There were two schools, one the Catholic Church set up and one for an aid center.  Our group pooled our resources and purchased 6 50 lb bags of rye grain for the children.  We drove to the schools and hand delivered it (or rode the boat).  It will feed 350 children for a month.  When we got to the schools, we took a moment to look at the schools and Andy and I saw a bit of bank on the opposite side with children playing.  so we leapt over the mudbog onto the bank and shortly I was playing marbles and Andy was climbing trees with the children.  Rachael threw me a bag of lollipops and oh boy I had 3 children 6, 10 and lets just say all the pops are gone.  It was humbling.  Last note on this trip is most of the people were Vietnamese.  The Cambodian people and the Vietnamese dont really get along.  It was really great to see our group guides and translators jump in with the children too.

In the afternoon we went back to the orphanage from the day before.  We completed the beds that the church made and they asked us to cut two in half so the adults could have beds too.  SO that made 4 beds and of course we only had a hand saw so that was a trick...

We played a lot with the children and I personally spent a lot of time with them.  We did some skits and of note, I played Joseph in one and we used a tie dye t shirt as my multi colored coat.  That was a nice segway as we did tie dye Tee shirts with all the children.  Andy played Goliath  as he is the tallest and a child had to slay him.  wonderful stories from the bible.

We made fake snow and the children got to feel it (its cold and everything) and then a crazy snowball fight ensued making a heck of a mess.

We gave the children the hand made pillow cases which they adored, teddy bears and flip flops.  It was more touching one event after the next. 

Well after dark, with lightening in the sky and the rain coming down, the children came to use with bracelets they had made.  Each child picked out someone and gave them a bracelet to take home.  I have two beautiful ones on my wrist as I type this.

Finally it was time to go.  Many Many tears, and prayers and hugs and kisses.   The children were sad to see us go and all of us were so so sad to have to move on.  But we must.

Tomorrow we got to Ankor Wat to see the temple ruins in the AM and then onto an orphanage in the jungle and I hesitate to try to spell it, Bantamashay is how it sounds....  There we will stay in one large room for the whole group sleeping under mosquito nets in the open.

Posts may be a challenge.... Keep us in your Prayers.  The group is doing amazing work in the Lord's name.