Hello all, it's been some time since my last update, due to a few weeks where I was quite under the weather. I hadn't been feeling well, found out I needed all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, got that done and then came down with a virus! So this past month has been unusual in some not-nice ways. Fortunately the Hansons' were awesome about taking care of me while I was taking some doctor-ordered bed rest, and I am now feeling strong and 100% better than before. :)
A lot has happened since last month. First and foremost, I want to share with those of you who don't know that In His Steps has received full funding for our safehouse project and the construction is underway! It's so exciting for all of us here to see God working out the details of what he has put on our heart for at-risk children in Saang. Being able to move forward with the safehouse is definitely the highlight of last month.
By the way, if you haven't yet seen our new website I strongly encourage checking it out, it's got great photos, a lot of info about what In His Steps does in Cambodia, and a blog that we update almost every week with stories of what's been happening and lots of new pictures. Plus there is a beautiful new blog dedicated to Sak Saum!
Also, my good friend and pastor Pheaktra got married to his beautiful sweetheart Heng and all of our staff got to attend the wedding. It was so awesome to be a part of their special day. Let's just put it this way: Cambodian wedding are about 40x brighter, louder, and longer than a typical Western wedding. Tiring but fun.
My health class in Saang just started a new sequence of classes about First Aid. The Goodlin's will be helping with the next few classes, which is fun. They gave a very humorous and energetic demonstration of the do's and don'ts of emergency response last week; the students loved it.
Two weeks ago we had an awesome event at our Center to celebrate International Children's Day. Children's rights are big issue here in Cambodia: violence and abuse in the home is common and it's simply normal to have young children working instead of attending school. So many children here never get to be a part of fun things because they are busy pushing clam carts on the roadside or working in garment factories. So we hosted a show with dances, songs, fun educational dramas, and more. We invited about 180 kids and their parents - over 400 attended! Some local government leaders came and watched too, which is great because we want them to understand the importance of the issue of children's rights and also to see what In His Steps is doing to educate the community.
Other exciting events are in the works at our Center, too... Hopefully I will be able to update you on some of them in the next few weeks.
Theavy's son Sokun has a birthday coming up, which makes me remember my time here as an intern in 2006 when Sokun was born. His name means "gift from God" and I know that his mom is very blessed by him. Sokun has been learning quite a bit of English at school. Lately, every night around dinner time he starts talking in cute, slightly broken English, letting loose an endless barrage of questions. "What is dees?" "What are you doing" "What is dat?" Now little Aaron (who is really not so little anymore, growing up so fast!) is learning from Sokun. However, his English sounds more like a product of the telephone game. "What de de dees?" "What do you do doing?" They are both very repetitive but extremely cute.
We have a new girl (actually TWO new girls, more on that at a later date) in the Sak Saum program. SreyWin is a sweet, quiet girl who is just starting to feel at home with us. I'm looking forward to getting to know her more.
Yesterday I had my birthday, and when I woke up I realized that I have been living in Cambodia for a year and a half now! It's been quite a ride; there are a lot of ups and downs to working in the missions field in a foreign country. But I can honestly say I wouldn't trade this time for anything. I know I'm supposed to be here and I am so blessed to be a part of what God is doing in this country. Some thoughts and observations since moving here:
- Confidence doesn't come from knowing your ability, but from knowing you are loved and accepted no matter what.
- Poverty is as much a mindset as it is a situation. People who want to come out of poverty need a paradigm shift for their approach to life, not just a change in circumstances.
- Programs are only effective when they are birthed from and centered on loving people and building relationships that can transform from the inside out.
- God's plan is always better. That's why he uses people without their own agendas. ;)
- Simple things like nail-painting sessions with your neighbors or running around in the rain with friends are sometimes just as important as "more important" things.
- Whether 3 weeks old in the womb or 10 years old being sold into slavery, the plight of at-risk children breaks God's heart and should move us to speak up for those who have no voice.
- There's no safer place or better feeling than doing what you are called to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment