I hope you enjoy the pictures! Our days in Phnom Penh are filled with a variety of ministries…
Our mornings are filled with beautiful faces,
The children at the orphanage keep us busy. Making bracelets, singing songs, playing games, etc. One day was devoted to cleaning! A total scrub down of the floor, walls, beds, clothes, kids…trying to get rid of the sickness! This week we hope to treat them to a day at the local water park. Pray this is possible – the kids need to experience some true summer fun during their school vacation!
Discipleship…
(Above) Every afternoon we meet with youth from the church we are working with. This serves a dual purpose – to teach them more about the bible while expanding their english conversation/pronunciation skills. Most of these teenagers are relativly new believers, but they are eager to learn more about this Savior they serve. Their parents are devout Buddhists – some of their fathers do not even know that they are Christians! Daily pressures from home continue to pull them back to Buddhism…mothers pay them to make sacrifices to Buddha at the temple. But they are dedicated to Jesus and they pray that one day their parents and siblings will join them at church.
(Below) – Sok Ly is 22 yrs. old. She is an active member at the church and has finished a discipleship training program with YWAM. She hopes to attend more YWAM classes in Hawaii in order to become a Christian Counselor and serve her people here in Cambodia. Over lunch yesterday, she brought history home. In the 1970’s her parents were united in marraige due to an arrangement made by the Khmer Rouge. Her family lived in Phnom Penh at the time and were considered wealthy. Many were teachers. Her grandparents, and many aunts and uncles were killed during the genocide. Here, across from me, sits a legacy of the recent Cambodian tragedy. And she serves Jesus with all her heart!
My English class…
…for beginners of all ages. Anthony (they chose English names) is the youngest and most adorable at 8 years old, and Jenna caps the class at 20 yrs old.
(below) Katie and Leah reciting a dialog in front of the class. While the ‘foreigners’ are here, the empasis is on conversation and pronunciation. Most of our time is spend on the pronunciation of ‘th’ (wea’th’er) as this sound does not exist at all in Khmai! I often have flashbacks to my days of teaching my sister and her friends in our makshift classroom in our basement (Fif – you are still my favorite student ever!) Only this time it’s for real!
Youth group on Sat. nights…
Pray for the youth in Cambodia. Because of the unstability of the country, this has left many youth without anything stable in thier lives. Many resort to drugs, drinking, gangs, girls…
There is hope for this generation as they are waking up to their identity in Christ. They are the best ‘tools’ in reaching their peers for Christ!
I am enjoying my time in Cambodia. Especially building relationships with kids at the orphanage, my english class students and youth at the church. I’ll leave you with one last picture…
The face frame and peace sign…In the Asian culture, I think that it is a picture pre-requisite!
