40 orphans in a rice field village
Cambodia is a majestic country full of beauty and kindness. This is a place that I have been wanting to travel to since I was a child bewildered by the wonderful world we live in while watching various educational tv shows. This is one of the countries I was most excited to experience while on the World Race, and one of the reasons I chose this route.
As team Victory left the squad to head out to our ministry site, we boarded a crazy hotel bus, ( if you have ever seen the night bus on Harry Potter… it is quite similar of an experience … minus the whole shrinking to fit into tight spaces!) There is this bus that is shorter than most of the buses we ride in with bunk beds down the bay of the bus. One side of the bus has twin size bunks and the other side is double, the bottom bunk lays on the ground while those on the top bunks are protected by a short metal railing. This trip was to take 6 hours to get to Phenom Pehn, Cambodia. With all of the bus rides we have had during the past months, we have grown an understanding that the ride will be an hour or 2 long than which was stated. This bus ride was 5 hours! Probably one of the more scary and miserable experience of my life, yes I know a bit dramatic but its honest! The bus barreled down the road at very high speeds blasting over speed bumps sending all of the passengers flying into the air. Then Amber, Cole, Chance and I were given beds at the back of the bus, where the buses exhaust fumes filled in around us making it difficult to breathe and the engine in the rear of the bus as well heated up the metal railing that were to protect us from falling off! At one point the heat was so extreme at the back of the bus, I went to lay on the ground closer to the front of the bus near Kate, Kelley, and Brandon, but one guy kicked me in the head, then the bus stopped and another guy got out then right back on… I did not really want a night of being in the way and being woken up many times, so back to the sweltering abyss I went! At that point Amber and I laid sideways across the bed to where her feet were hanging off the side of the bed, I tucked my self in around as many blankets as possible to I could feel a little stable with the possibility of not flying off my bed in my sleep… not that there was much sleeping happening! Finally we arrived to a random bus stop on the side of the road where we caught tuk tuks ( little motor taxis) to the next mode of transportation for the remainder of our trip. We hoped into a van for a 2 hour ride to head out to the orphanage, where most of us fell asleep! But at one moment we woke to realize we were headed down a dirt road, not thinking much of it considering some of the places this race has taken us! Then the next thing I know we are at New Hope Orphanage as children start cheering and welcoming faces surround our van to help us unload our luggage! As we filed out of the van, we were welcomed with smiles ands excitement, then escorted by most of the kids from the orphanage to the house we would be staying in!
In the moment of arrival, I knew this month would be wonderful and we would get what we didn’t have in the last month, the opportunity to invest in a greater way with the kids we are working with. As our host oriented us to what he was hoping for, we realized we had free reign to do what ever project or program we pleased… only expectation is to spend time with the kids! During the evening of the day we arrived, we went over to the orphanage to see the kids and get oriented to where we would be spending our time, then some of the older kids wanted to show us the “pond” ! So, with about 10 kids we walked the 2ish kms to the pond, in the heat of the day, ( not a great idea) but it was good to start getting to know some of the older kids. But when I say pond, I am saying this very loosely as at one point it had the ability to be almost a tiny lake but it was pretty much drained when we showed up! There were a lot of Lilly pads, lotus flowers, and few roaming cows on the slightly water covered ground. The kids along with our team sat around the pond looking at the pond, while our team was wondering, how do people swim in this thing, the water is not even covering the cows feet? Our host informed us that previous teams like to go swimming at the pond, so we wanted to check it out ( about a week later we learned it was a much different place all together, but it was a fun process trying to see why a team would want to spend their days at that pond!) After some time the kids one by one hopped up and ran into the watery field and began collecting the flowers and running around. Eventually a few team mates jumped into the fun with the kids collecting flowers and bonding with the kids! They all return eventually with grand bouquets of beautiful lotus’ and their pods to which we discovered is a fruit to them once it is broken open! We were all offered a bit, in which we realized it tasted like earth… kind of what I expected a plant bulb to taste like! Some of our team mates also collected a few leaches on their feet which the kids helped in the removal and killing process of them!
As we walked down the red dirt roads passing by the fields upon fields of rice and talking with the kids, we were taken a back by the beauty of the place the Lord had placed us!
The next day, as a team we came together to decide what we wanted this month to look like for ministry. We set up a plan for VBS ( Vacation Bible School) and to do a few painting projects to help the appearance of the orphanage! We planned out what stories we would teach about, songs to sing, crafts to remind the kids of the story they were taught, and games to have a little bit of fun! We ended up doing two weeks of VBS and paining projects. During the two weeks the sweet bonds were made among us and each of the orphans, we learned names and faces. We learned that some kids love to cuddle and some kids love to run around and play games. We also went over to the orphanage on random moments just to spend time with the kiddos, to play card games ( which we taught them how to play Skip bo!!). Brandon became the master of the master of the paper air planes bringing the kids various types of planes to play with and be amazed with as these crazy shapes go flying through the air and swirl around! As the month went on, we realized how much the kids not only enjoyed us, but also enjoyed all of the things we taught them! The kids would come up to us singing the songs we taught them and sitting near the bible verses we wrote out so they could learn and memorize the verses. The kids were also a great help in the painting projects, as we found that when we put paint brushes in their hands, they were diligent to make sure that every thing was painted to the best of their ability! Some times the way they painted put our effort to shame! But, their were also times that the kids put paint brushes in their own hands and we were reminded that they are kids, following seeing the paint all over the trees and rocks around the land!
At the start of the month there were 35 orphans, as days passed 5 more kids showed up! Some of the new kids had bad behaviors and at 8 &10 were not potty trained. Some of them were kind jumping right into the fun and seeking out friends, while one held back in the background not sure of what to think! The kids at the New Hope Orphanage we were working with, ( as there are multiple orphanages around the country) the range of the kids ages were from 3 – 18 years old. They are all supported through monthly sponsors mainly from Singapore and America. Some of the kids are traditional orphans while some of them have family still, but they don’t have the means to be able to support them in school, clothing or even enough food to eat for the day. Some times sending their kids to the orphanage means their whole family will get to eat and knowing your child has a safe place to sleep, eat and are provided the opportunity to go to school is the best way to love their kids! The kids we started with were kind and gentle, showing love openly and had great behaviors. Then as the new kids arrived, the bad behaviors of two of the boys started to affect how some of the other kids were acting. I noticed the change in the behavior mainly when seeing the kids interact with 10 puppies from their beautiful German Shepard – Champa (flower). When we arrived the kids surprised me how kind and gentle they would treat the puppies, but following the arrival of these other boys I was noticing some harsher behaviors. With my background working with kids with negative behaviors, I tend to pick up on these behaviors quite quickly. The kids here have a lot of freedom to do as they please, because they are so well behaved, but when noticing the change happening in more of the kids, I talked with our host and he said he noticed! He said, my kids will train them in our ways, this is normal, they come from the villages and are allowed to get away with everything, but our kids don’t let it happen for long. That is exactly what is starting to happen after a week of them being here, their negative behaviors are bending and they are starting to show more gentleness and kindness. They are also starting to realize that the things around them will not disappear but is good and is going to be present for them everyday! One of them came up to me last night during a celebration dinner we hosted for the kids and he cuddled with me, he was testing some limits, but I just held him and hugged him. I feel that these two boys especially have been needing to be seen and heard for a long time! They are reaching out for our attentions in many ways, some good, some not so good! I love the hurt and broken kids so much, not any more or less than the others, they just hold a special place in my heart!
The day the new kids showed up, I began to get sick, I felt it come on fast and was sick for about 10 days in total. It was a rough was to finish out the month in Cambodia! I was going to Dr.s, or laying in bed so worn out after just changing clothes for the day. It is frustrating to not be able to engage in ministry for more than 15 minutes, when their are children so excited to see your face and be hugged when you arrive! I went to a couple of Dr.s who said I had a flu from walking around too much, but the symptoms didn’t line up with any flu, and our ministry contact told me it was a cold! So, I went with him on the Cambodian Cold, took some medication he suggested and started to feel better just in time for our final day of ministry!
During our time in Cambodia, and with Vandy’s family, I recognized how they each live their lives for the service and glory of God. Vandy and his wife Tevy, showed great joy and love in their relationship with each other, and with the children at the orphanage. Tevy’s family helps with the orphanage, and is apart of the one based in Phenom Pehn. Her mother stayed at our house most of the time to help cook for us, and help their family around the house. I found a great fascination with Tevy’s mom ( Taryn). Taryn is beautiful, like a queen beautiful, she loves well, she is kind and gentle! She and I did not speak many times, due to a great language barrier, but she taught me so much about being a woman of God and serving others in generosity! She radiating the beauty that the lord has placed with in her and walked in great humility! She is a wonderful daughter to her aging mother, a guiding mother to Tevy, a wise grandmother to her growing grand children. She is a tender Mother in Law to help grow her Daughter in Law in the ways of the Lord and the ways of being a wife and mother.
This month was full of laughter and trials, victory and failures, but I learned so much in this month that I prayerfully will carry with me beyond the race. The Kingdom of Cambodia, is a majestic and bewildering as I always hoped it would be. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have been able to spend a month in the Kingdom of Smiles!
