“Like the wind You’ll guide
Clear the skies before me
And I’ll glide this open sea
Like the stars, Your Word
Will align my voyage
And remind me where I’ve been
And where I am going.”
lyrics – Hillsong UNITED – Captain
My team and I visited the Killing Fields while in Phnom Pehn this past weekend – These prayer flags and tokens of respect mark a mass grave that held hundreds of bodies brutally executed by Pol Pot and his regime: Khmer Rouge. More than 25% of Cambodia’s population was executed just 38 years ago. You see evidence of this tragedy everywhere you go. Yet, this hidden gem of a country is rebuilding itself every day.
You rarely meet anyone over the age of 50 because educated adults who held employment outside of the agririan sect were killed. Landmines are burried and remain active all over the country in unmarked and unknown locations. A sad reality is that farmers are affected most by this. They stumble upon an unknown mine, causing severe damage and resulting in amputation or death. This requires farmers to then rely on family for food, a source of income, and physical assistance the rest of their lives. To see this site in person, it is hard to describe the weight you feel walking around and seeing the remains left behind – but I know it is a memory that will stay with me forever.
To the people of Cambodia – I love you even more. I now know why generosity stems from your every being – it’s because you have experienced true and destructive pain. Thank you for choosing love even when all hope seemed lost.
The 17 young girls and 24 young boys I am living with this month at New Hope for Orphans: Pailin Province deserve the world and more. They are sweet, generous kids who do not hesitate to love others and give beyond a rational capacity.
These kids need school supplies, athletic uniforms and shoes, medical treatments, a second washing machine, and much, much more. I am asking you, my generous donors, to give a little piece of the comforts you have at home – and help the children here experience a life they are denied because of circumstances beyond their control. My team and I are the first visitors to be hosted by this orphanage. We are the first to see, long-term, what they do here and how their living situation can be improved. We are the first to share their stories with friends and family back home. We are the first to ask for financial support. These children are sponsored through Tree of Life Church in California. While the sponsorship covers basic food, clothing, shelter, and school fees – the money does not reach much further than that.
If you would like to donate – every little bit helps – please send money to my PayPal account. On November 24th, my last day at the orphanage, I will record a live video of myself giving the money you have generously donated to our host, his family, and most importantly, the kids at the orphanage.
For more information on New Hope for Orphans: Pailin, visit their Facebook page.
New Hope For Orphans has their own Facebook and Website.
