Mercy Home is a great place. It is a ministry for many villiage kids to come learn English, but they usually learn about Jesus, too. A man named Vuthy runs the show, teaching classes and hosting World Race teams that help out. Living here, or very close by, are 10 stand-up guys in their teens. They are all devoted volunteers that love the Lord and help Vuthy with every aspect of the ministry.
Daily schedule:
5:30 Jesus time
Wake up and have time with God.
7:00 Breakfast
Go to market to buy fruit (mini oranges, bananas, sometimes pomegranate), bread, muffins, deep-fried bananas, etc.
8:00 Team Bible Study
As a team we study Galatians each day.
9:00 Construction
We are building a church building on the property of Mercy Home. No drawings, no permits, no material estimates, no problems. Architectural planning is so overrated!
11:30 Teaching English
My first class is 1 hour long, with about 20 kids ages 10-14 years. I teach with Kelsea and Jenny, while Sophia, a Cambodian girl translates. They are learning contractions, prepositions, and how to sound out new words.
12:30 Lunch
Lunch is provided by Mercy Home, cooked by our contact’s mom and some of the boys who live here. Usually we have chopped veggie, fried meat or fried egg, and rice. Always rice. Other days we have ramen noodles with some meat, and sometimes we get mashed potatoes or french fries!
2:00 Teaching English
This class is 2 hours long, with about 10 kids ages 8-11. Kim and I teach this class together with the help of a translator. They are learning verbs with past and present congegations.
4:00 Public school
I teach English by myself at public school, sometimes with, and sometimes without a translator. There is no assigned curriculum, and I have never met any staff member from the school or received any direction for lessons. The class is 1 hour long, with about 24 kids ages 10-14. They are learning animals, body parts, and how to spell out numbers. Basically whatever comes to mind and seems feasible to teach. After class they always pick flowers and give many hugs and high-fives. “Bye Teatsha!” (They can’t pronounce teacher very well.)
6:30 Dinner
Same type of food as lunch.
7:30 Team time
We talk about our days, how we’re doing emotionally and spiritually and pray for each other.
9:30? 10? 11? Bedtime
We sleep in bunkbeds under mosquito nets (which keep out the mosquitoes but not the mice).
Things you say at Mercy Home:
More rice, anyone? – Every meal.
The funeral music kept me up all night. – The funerals here play non-stop blaring music for 3 days, then another 24 hours on the 7th day, and again on the 100th day. It is SO loud. And SO Cambodian.
Slept in til 6 a.m. today, it was nice. – Early mornings have been easy this month because everyone is doing it. Peer pressure for the win!
Where are my sleeves?! – We can’t show our arms or legs while we teach. So regardless of the unmentionable temperatures, we have to cover up and hope the sweat doesn’t soak through.
Oh hey, that’s my student over in that field, walking her cow! – Girl has got to do her chores!
I just peed all over my foot! – Squattie potties. Just when you think you have the hang of them you pee all over yourself and confirm that you don’t.
