March 19th - Wednesday afternoon

Since our last blog -much has happened once again.

Yesterday we went to our second Mat school in the afternoon. Two group of student were there. There were 18 children dressed in cotton pj - the kind with pants and shirt tops. These 18 are orphanges and live together with two gals in a home. It was a concrete building, empty other than a few double beds. Another group of students from another Mat school were there also, and we began our 5th Mat school experience - about 60 kids.

Our kids are doing such a great job, loving each of these young Cambodian children, sharing knowledge, smiles, hugs, high 5's, and just enjoying one another. After about 2 hours the thunder started in the background and the sky became grey. We decided not to do our craft, but head home before the rain. Once it rains, the road are impossible to be on, just a muddy, wet, oozing mess.

We arrived home as the first drops hit, and the sky opened. I don't know if we have every seen such rain. The roads were rivers. We did jump puddles and went out to eat, then team meeting, and then Pang held a Bible study in his room. About 8 pm the power in all of Poi Pet went out, and once it was back, the power went on and off for a few hours. We did find our flashlight, found out that all were well, and most of us headed to bed early.

This morning, off to devotions and Lisa shared her testimony for devotions. She did a remarkable job. During devotions Chomno shared with us that 15 homes in the area where they have built five schools, were distroyed during the night when the storm hit. Some of the money that we are leaving for the CHO ministry is going to this need that we were able to witness.

Off for breakfast, and then off to the Safe Haven property, about 30 minutes out of town on some of the worst roads there are.

Safe Haven is 15 acreas of flat land. At the moment they have a shed where they have their brick making machine, one building underconstruction, one building with the foundation laid, and nursery area where they are mixing up soil and the husks of rice, filling plastic planting bags, and growing mango and coconut trees. These trees are to give to poor families for food and to give to the Mat school areas for food.

A third of our team worked mixing the soil and filling the bags. The structure that they had built to provide shade to these seedlings has collasped, so they are in the process of rebuilding it. Money that we have left behind for the CHO ministry is going to this immediate need.

(CHO has 20 Mat schools with about 500 children. These children can not and do not go to school due to severe poverty. Many of these children are left behind with relatives, or just alone, and their parents head off to Thailand to work. Other of these children live in rural settings. There mothers are baby making machines, and the fathers usually gamble. There are people who come to the poorest areas, put up a bamboo structure, and then place a pool table or two there. The men start gambling in the mid day, start drinking later on, and that is life. Often the kids are sent off to meet their quota of money for the day and are not allowed home until then, or there is #%$^#%#*& to pay. The men who put up the structures take a cut of what is gambled and also a fee every time they rack up. There are bound in a type of slavery. So these children have no hope. CHO is there to give these children an education so that maybe they can have a way out!)

So some of these plants go to the Mat schools.

They have dug out a pond where they are raising fish. They raise them to give to the poor for food or give them to the people to place in ponds so that they will be able to produce fish for food.

CHO has also started putting in the footings for their pig farm. They want to build two barns and start with 20 - 50 pigs. Once they have piglets, they will give a pair to poor families. Once they have their own piglets, the mom and dad pig go back to CHO and they can start raising their own pigs for food and income.

You know the saying, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a life time." We are seeing this with our own eyes.

This morning we made bricks, just over a hundred in two hours. Boy did the kids work. Usually the workers make about 140 in a day. They were so thankful for our efforts and many smiles were exchanged. We were hot and tired, but felt great!!!!

We headed back to town and later this afternoon we are going to the CHO building where Chomno is going to share about his ministry and tell his story to us. Then we will share a meal with them.

Other ministries that they have are as follows. They have a building that they use to house HIV patients. These people come for very poor areas, are housed while they start their medication, then they are sent home, transportation provided, given the medications to take along, then are picked up for regular check ups, once again transportation provided. Right now they are ministering to 2000 individuals, once again the poorest of the poor.

They also have a place in Poi Pet where they teach young girls to sew. Once they have the skill, they are provided with micro loans to purchase sewing machines, and then they go off with a skill to make a living. They repay the CHO micro loans.

They have another place in Poi Pet where they teach young men auto mechanics. They acquire the skills, are provided with mico loans, and off they go, able to provide for themselves and their families.

They have 200 micro loans out at the present time and only 2 are not being paid back at this time.

This morning I had a chance to talk to Mr. Reatrey, Chomno's second in command, and asked about the ministry and his involvement. He is 31 years old, has a wife, and two young sons, 2 and 2 months old. Once Chomno decided to start his ministry, he called Mr. Reatrey who had been a student of Chomno. They started 6 years ago with nothing. Got a motorcycle to travel around on, then an office for the two of them. They prayed for their needs and money started to come in. Tearfund in England was one of his first supporters. The group from England are with Tearfund. (I asked their team if they knew eachother before they came here for their four month period. None did. It is kind of like YWAM. These young people come during their "GAP" year, the year between high school and further education.)

Maybe I seem a bit disjointed, but I and the team are learning so much, experiencing so much, that there is so much to tell, the thoughts just keep pouring in, and to think we have only been here for three days. I am so amazed at what God is doing.

When you think that the Cambodian government is open to people coming here are proclaiming God's name and doing His work - I am amazed. As we were told, the only hope for these people is GOD.

Tomorrow we continue with our work with MMF. David, who over sees the orphanage with 32 children, has been with us each day of the Mat school. Tomorrow we go into the slums to do preschool for two days with 120 children each day. He has told us we haven't seen the poor yet! We will be sharing meals for Thursday and Friday evening with the Big Girl home at the orphanage. Saturday we will spend the entire day at the orphanage, and stay tuned to what we will be doing, as we don't know yet.

Chomno did tell us this morning that the children at the Mat schools that we have been at are so excited and thankful for their backpacks.

THANKS KELOWNA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTNER WITH US IN THIS PROJECT HERE. SO MANY KIDS THANK YOU.

It is too bad that I do not have pictures for you, but maybe soon - we will see how it all works out.

Well, it is time to sign off and head to the CHO building.

We are all well - a few colds (but then that started already in Canada) the occasional bit of - my stomach feels a bit strange, but nothing that has stopped us from fulling living, giving, smiling, and enjoying.

Please continue with your prayers, not only for our team of 12 KCS students, 4 Thai girls, 2 Cambodian partners - Lida and Pang, Hilary and myself, but also for MMF's ministry and David - and CHO and Chomno.

Hopefully more to come soon!