hey, everyone…
this is our attempt to bring you an update, every other week, on where we are, what we’re up to, how we’re doing and what you can do to join us on this crazy, awesome adventure. we might tweak it as we go (i.e. “team blog #1” linked you to each of our individual sites to find out the answers to each topic…but that’s too hard to do logistically, so we’re just doing it on my blog all in one this time), and we might rotate who posts the “whole” blog, but if we post it to someone else’s page, we’ll put a link on ours to direct you right to the update.
let us know what you think…enjoy…and God bless!
what we’re up to: ministry info (renee)
vanny and the children here at the khmer christian association & children’s home have definitely captured our hearts this month. as we’ve been teaching English this week the kids here have been learning their ABCs, couting, animals and grammar. our students seem to have doubled this week due to school being out for the King’s birthday. the village children have also recently joined us in our fun and games, bringing our daily students to a staggering 75.
we’ve had fun improvising and creating new games for the kids to enjoy. on wednesday we even threw a harvest party for the kids where we made masks, played games and most importantly ate candy! the theme for teaching has been “King Week” due to the King’s birthday, and we’ve had fun reading old testament stories about King Saul, King David, King Solomon, King Nebuchadnezzar, King Darius and, of course, King Jesus!
all in all, we’ve learned so much this month, and it will be very difficult to leave all our students behind.
how we’re doing: personal/group growth (becky)
On the funny side – we’ve been working on a couple of “must see” video clips, so watch Caitlin’s blog over the next couple weeks to see what’s humored us lately.
On the more serious side – we’ve been living in close quarters these past few weeks, and God has been teaching us about the importance of good communication and just how to live in community well with one another.
what God’s up to: spiritual growth (cait)
it’s been a wonderful time in Cambodia getting to know God’s heart and desire to see these people come to Him. the faith and innocence of the kids have inspired and challenged us to recognize our positions as children of God.
our team has also started a weekly study focused on 1 Cor 13 based off of sermons by Greg Boyd. we want to seek deeper relationships with our Father as he continues to become our everything. Yea, Jesus!
who we’re lovin’on: about the people (heather)
these kids are so AWESOME! if internet wasn’t so slow here, i’d post only pictures in this sections so you could see for yourselves how amazing they are J this week we’ve really gotten to know the kids even better and have seen even more examples of how deeply they care for and take care of each other.
everyone here has their place, and everyone very obviously takes care of the person to their left and right. the older kids are always doing something – feeding animals, working together to get things done around the orphanage and throughout the village. when they have down time, they are together, and you can sense their peace and support for one another. the kids in the middle ages (early teens) help bathe the younger kids. they help them with chores, help them get dressed for school, help with meals and help with teaching. the younger kids absolutely keep everyone smiling and laughing with their silly games and pure innocence.
and we always have vanny, his wife and daughter, and “grandpa” and “grandma” (vanny’s dad and mom) to pour love onto. they work SO hard to keep us comfortable, so loving on them in any way we can – from sitting with them to ask them questions about them to getting items for them from town when we went in – is our goal.
what’s up next: next week’s plan (jenn)
as renee mentioned, we’re finishing up here at the orphanage and will be moving onto debrief and transitioning to the Philippines next. we’ll do a “mini-debrief” and tour Angkor Wat (a temple that shows up on various lists as one of the 7 Wonders of the World…but there are a lot of those lists) in Siem Reap before traveling back to Bangkok. we’ll spend a few days there re-packing (mostly sifting thru items to leave behind as China has very tight weight restrictions…yikes!) before flying into Manila.
how you can help: prayer requests & praises (kari)
What Can You Do?
You can pray and praise!
Please pray for:
-the Khmer Christian Association and Orphanage
-for the churches in the area and the children here as they grow up and become women and men of God in a nation that needs Christ
-daily needs of the kids and orphanage (education, food, clothes, spiritual growth…)
-health of our team as we’ve had our ups and downs this month
-continued safety as we travel from Siem Reap, Bangkok, and then the Philippines
-Vanny and the kids are praying that God would bless them with enough money specifically for a new sewing machine, stable bunk beds (instead of the wood ones that get eaten by animals and need replaced often), and a concrete structure instead of the aluminum roof that currently operates as a kitchen.
-Cambodia! For God’s love and word to spread and be made known throughout the country
-for the enemies’ power to be broken and the deceived people to see the truth (it is a Buddhist country)
Praise God for:
-safety while at the orphanage (no break-ins, stolen motos or chickens, or land mines found…)
-wonderful host and how they served us in AMAZING ways while we were there
-what God did at the orphanage in the past three weeks
-our awesome translator Kalyan (pronounced Golion)
-being who He is – unchanging, faithful, loving, our provider…for teaching us many things this month and allowing us to be a part of what He is doing here!
