As always with the World Race, things
can change at any point. We are not working in Poipet but in Phnom
Pehn, Cambodia at a local orphanage called Cambodian Hope
Association. So far we have been at our ministry site for only 3 days
and already another piece of my heart is breaking off for these
children. There are about 65 children that live at this orphanage,
with only 6 volunteer staff members to attend to all of them. The
orphanage consists of 3 separate buildings: boys dorm, girls dorm and
church building. The kids range from 4-21 years of age. Some are
there because they desire to go to school and their village just
doesn’t have any form of formal education. While other children are
there because their parents have either died or abandoned them.
The orphanage began in a 3 bedroom
apartment with 15 kids, 1 man, and a vision from the Lord. The man’s
name is RT (I nicknamed him because his name is difficult to spell)
and the Lord gave him a vision to start an orphanage and raise up
Godly young men and women. RT lived in an orphanage as a child and
that is where he came to know the Lord himself; so he understands
exactly what these kids deal with and what they need. RT has
struggled to provide for these kids over the years; medicine, food,
clothing, and education has been very difficult to come across in a
country that is trying to recover from 30 years of war. But RT has
persevered through the hardships and he can now see the light at the
end of the tunnel. RT now has the building that I mentioned above and
increasing amounts of food, clothing, and medicine. He has appointed
the college age kids to teach the younger children as much as they
can, they also have bible studies and English classes. He has visions
of starting automotive training classes, basketball and soccer
courts, and better overall education.
RT has asked us to take over the
English classes, bible teachings, Sunday afternoon sermons, and fun
activities to just make the kids laugh. I have volunteered for the
English class, bible teaching, and dramas that represent
characteristics of Christ. This Sunday I will also be giving a
testimony during the Sunday church service. I may end up preaching
one of these Sundays, but as it stands I have taken on more than some
of my other team members and I don’t want to take away opportunities
for them to share Christ with these kids.
Yesterday we spent 2 hrs or so at the
orphanage just playing and getting to know the kids names (their
names are very hard to pronounce and remember). This is actually the
first time that kids are coming up to me wanting to play, usually
kids run from me or ignore me all together. The little boys are super
affectionate which is also throwing me for a loop, I’m not use to
kids running up to me and grabbing a hold of me just wanting to be
hugged back. The smiles on their faces are so contagious, the love
that they show towards me in heart melting. This one kid named Pip
would play games with us and when ever he lost the game and had to
stand to the side he would come over to me and just hug me and smile
up at me. It was in those moments that God showed me how much these
kids desire to have a father figure in their lives, and how much they
just want someone to love on them. Whenever we get in our tuk-tuks to
leave the orphanage all the kids give us hugs and say “God bless
you brother”, as we drive away they chase our cars yelling “see
you tomorrow!!! see you tomorrow!!!” Now I’m not really a mushy
kind of guy but it almost makes me want to cry, especially just
knowing that one day we will leave and not come back…
I don’t have pictures yet or video, but
I wanted to share something about the Khmer Rouge, a military sect
that wiped out 1/3 of Cambodia’s population. The Khmer Rouge waged
war against this country for 30 years or so and it’s only been about
15 years since their reign of terror has ended. So Cambodia is still
struggling to recover and rebuild this country.
