Another amazing today.
I awoke early again but this time around 6 after a good nights
sleep. I guess being absolutely
exhausted really helped. I went across
the street for some coffee and then met the group for breakfast at 730. We all jumped in the van and went to Phnom
Pehn 1 orphanage for Sunday service. It was really something. I can tell you that its different and the
same. The energy in the room is always
something to behold. These people young
and old are so strong in their belief in Christ that it just comes through in
everything they do. The songs are louder
and more vibrant, the sermons are more based in their everyday lives and
troubles they face and the thanks they give is just something to behold. We celebrated communion again today. It was electric, simply the feelings in the
room literally gave me goosebumps.
The orphanage and Church we went to this morning
This is Piseth and a young lady I dont know the name of singing in the service.
Communion was so special!
After the service we spent a few moments meeting many of the
children and adults that I saw last year.
One of the teenage girls that came to America last year and met Wendy
was very much interested in how she was and wanted to know all about her. Such a caring people. Then four of us (myself, DJ, Sean and a translator/handyman
jumped in a van and drove more than 3 hours south to the orphanage in Kampot
province. It is amazing how a dot on a
map does no justice to a place on this earth.
As this was closer to the South China Sea, I expected a flatlands nearer
the sea and a small town. Instead I
found myself on the river delta with mountains on either side.
The sun setting over the gorgeous mountains in southern Cambodia
Deeper and deeper south we journeyed until we
stopped at an open air market about 30 minutes away. It was time to get the children a treat! So I bought them enough apples for each of
the 30 children to have one and 10 watermelons!
We also grabbed a tape measure for the project we were here to do.
Stopping quickly for some apples and watermelons for the Children!
We drove another 30 min or so and took a turn off the main
road. Now we were really heading into
the rice paddies and far into the countryside.
It took about 15 minutes of driving dirt roads until we arrived. The orphanage was as I had seen in pictures,
but I was so surprised by the mountains all around.
The four amigos! and the odd cow rump!
Rural Cambodia
The Road to the Orphanage
A brand new compound that the children just moved into!
Nobody knew we were coming and as fate would have it Kimeng
the house parent father was actually in Phnom Pehn – we had crossed on the
road! His wife and all the children greeted
us nonetheless and it was joyous. I knew
I had to work on the water project but I had to spend some time with these
children! So I sat down and shared with them who I was and the story of my
family. I had printed pictures of Wendy,
Rachael and Matthew to share and so I passed them around and told them all
about us. I actually printed a picture
of me as a young boy in the mountains and so that was really perfect! They so identified with that.
Everyone loves a good story!
I had purchased some glow in the dark
bracelets and so I told them about how in their heart they shone brightly in
God’s kingdom, I told them that life had ups and downs and just don’t forget
that God is with us in the light and the dark.
Then we all ran to a cubby hole where is was dark and those bracelets shone!
Very cool! Then we sat on the floor and
I took out my message of hope that I had thought to bring. I took a bag of jewel beads out that I had
left and poured them on the floor in front of them. The gasps and wide eyes were amazing!
I asked them all to take a few and to share
and they did. Then I asked them to sit
around me and to hold them up to the light to see how beautiful they were. They all agreed with huge smiles! I said that these were pretty, but they were
made by men. BUT they were beautiful and
more precious than any jewel because God made them each and every one in His
image and loved them and us all the same.
I cannot really explain how open these kids are when you just show them
love. Its so humbling. Then I took out the string I had brought and
asked DJ and Sean to work with them to make bracelets and necklaces for the
jewels.
Such beautiful children.
I went with Somnant Pean our
translator for the day but more importantly a very talented young man who I
would work with over the next three hours to design a system for the
water. This home has a new filter from
us, but what I did not know is that they have a well and a pond. Today they are drawing water from the pond
which is really just muddy water. The
well is 75 ft deep but it still is muddy water.
So we were designing a way to draw from the well with a pump and then
clean the water of sediment before lifting it to the cistern on top of the
house. Once there it would flow
unfiltered to the bathrooms and to the kitchen area where it would be
pressurized and filtered for clean drinking water. It is a pretty complex task and since parts
are hours away, a good parts list is so important.
The current water supply
The new well head
Great team work, working on the plan!
The lady house parent invited us for dinner with them, but
we did not want to take any of the children’s food so we declined.
She is such a loving parent to these children. Here she is cooking dinner on the only cooking source they have (an open fire under a ragged tarp) BTW it was fried rice with eggs and onions and soy sauce. I was drooling at the smell from the open fire.
All of the children gathered as they sensed
we were about to depart. We hugged them
and loved on them and shared smiles and words of encouragement. I told them I would see them again in a few
days at the camp and they were all so very excited to hear that. It was time to go and when you realize that
and you see them all looking at you with those beautiful faces, some smiles,
and some frowns of sadness it really breaks your heart. At least I will see them in a few days, that
helps the sting a little. It is
impossible to explain how these children I have never met and who I spend a few
short hours with have a place forever in my heart.
BYE! Love you!
Kimeng the father house parent drove back to the orphanage
as we drove north to the city so he called our driver and in some remote spot
at the intersection of who knows where, we pulled over to wait for him to
pass. He stopped and he and I who had
talked on facebook for a year, but never met, finally got to meet each
other. It was so very cool!
Meeting my brother Kimeng! ... somewhere.... in Cambodia
We are now on the rest of the 3 plus hour drive back to the
city and so I have had time to write this on the way. We should arrive somewhere in the
neighborhood of 10 pm, another long long day but one that I will never forget.
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