OWTW Week 2 November 2008

* Phnom Penh ...

... was sunny when we landed but had obviously recently had some heavy rain.



The weather is suprisingly cool here at the moment. Excellent!

It's Water Festival time on the Tonle Sap River, so we hope they have some great weather for the boating competitions. They say that during this period the city population swells by 2 million people. Most of the locals from Phnom Penh head out of the city during the 3 day festival, while people from the provinces head into the city for the big event.

Cambodia also celebrated the 55th anniversary of Independence Day with nearly eight thousand people attending the celebrations.

* Returning to the Tarsha's Legacy Centre Team ...

... is always a treat. We joined the team for lunch and gave out a suitcase full of gifts that Rod and Sallie had sent back for the team ...



... including laptops for Phearin and Vireak ...



... and a camera for To.



The use of some of the gifts required explanation ...



We took at stroll through the village to see the kids who were on holidays ...



... and discovered that some were dressed in their uniform and ready to attend the centre ...





... while others just wanted to have a photo taken. Cute!











The new kitchen island benches will look great when they are finished ...



... and we should now see less injuries associated with hot pots and open fires on the ground. Excellent!

* Hilary Ramsey from Citipointe Brisbane ...

... is back in town ...



... and it's always interesting doing business with her.

* Perth Guests Are In Town ...

... and we 'bumped into' a few of them along the road ...



... and later meet up with the team when they visited our home.

It's a family affair with mother and daughter teams within the team. There's Dee, Danielle and Sara ...



... and Janet and Georgia ...



... and sisters, Linda and Jen.



* Sew Empowered's ...

... order of wings for Calypso Costumes ...



... and jewelry pouches for Cheryl and Tommy ...



... are packed and ready to go to Australia and USA.

We are also now having discussions with Debbie from Brisbane regarding how we can best combine visions. Exciting!

* 'Village Medical Clinic' & 'Holiday Fun Day'...

... were scheduled at TLC and the team arrived to a warm welcome ...



... before getting down to business. The kids were the first to queue in the Doctor's waiting room.



Doctor Jen ...



... and Doctor Linda ...



... attended to a number of patients with a variety of health issues ranging from infections, rashes, pneumonia, ante-natal issues, aches, pains and wounds ...





... with Triage Nurse Janet assigned to pharmacy duties.



This young girl attends TLC and lives in the community surrounding the CRDP, and brought her younger sister along to be treated but the little sister was a little upset about the consultation ...



... and no doubt would have felt a little relieved as the medicine was prescribed and she headed home. Sweet!



Bophal was kind enough to join our team for the afternoon to act as interpreter for the Doctors.

Linda and Jen also brought bags and boxes of a variety of medicines including antibiotics and pain relief medication, which will be distributed between our projects and various other projects that will benefit from such a donation. Wonderful!



As you can imagine, a large number of people here can't afford a Doctor's consultation let alone the required medicine to treat their ailments, so it was great to be able to operate the clinic in the village.



Linda and Jen are the first Doctors to run a clinic at the project and we are grateful that they offered their services to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Meanwhile, Dee, Sara, Danielle and Georgia treated the kids to a 'Holiday Fun Day' full of a number of games, activities, songs and DVD's, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.





















I believe that the kids would have slept really well after all that activity.

Thanks for serving with us at TLC.

* The everyday.com.kh ...

... homepage has just reported that 'Cambodia and Thailand agree on border outline plan'. Excellent!

* The Water Festival ...

... is over for another year and people are busy getting the riverside back to normal.



* Moriah ...

... is still often like a little owl and therefore dictating how long her parents get to sleep each night. Unlike her parents, Moriah is still getting plenty of sleep throughout the day but happy to be cuddled while she sleeps.



We were delighted on this occasion when she finally woke during our visit.



And that is some of our week that was!

OWTW Week 1 November 2008

* Family Business

While we were treated home for family business, we made the most of the chance to enjoy the company of dear family and friends, including the latest 'twinee' additions.

During our Perth visit, we also took the opportunity to include ...

* ... Sharing at a Riverview Church Connect Group ...

... which was held at the home of Albert and Hannah.



The evening included a meal and we were treated to a tasty spread prepared by various members of the group. Some of the guys are great cooks and others had made excellent choices from the freezer section of the local supermarket. Speaking at the Connect Group was a great opportunity to meet Hannah (#1), Jason and Leah ...

... and also Hannah (#2) and Courtney who are focused on their upcoming exams ...



... and Steve and Ryan ...



... and Simon who is conspicuous due to the absence of a photo!

It was interesting listening to Michael who has recently returned from the Riverview Church Impact trip to the Ukraine.



There were also interesting questions relating to missionary life and being called to serve.



It was a lovely way to spend a rainy Perth evening. Speaking of rain, we were delighted to have some nice cold rainy weather while we were home!

* u-chüs ...

... is a member of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand and ...



... u-chüs creator and coordinator, Glennys Clarke hosted a Ladies Night at the Victoria Park Arts Centre ...



... and as u-chüs producers, we were delighted to be invited to share about Cambodian lifestyle and the various projects we run with a focus on the sewing income generation project.



Robert Roberts, from Fair Go Trading and Board Member of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand gave an informative presentation on Fair Trade.



Fair Go Trading is an independent WA retailer & wholesaler who support fair & sustainable industries that help reduce world poverty.

Check out the Fair Go Trading website at www.fairgotrading.com.au

Members of the Fair Trade Collective of WA, Shona and Annie were also there ...



... and the ladies (including a very young one) were busy shopping ...







... and there was an extensive range of items to select from a number of producers including:-

Baladarshan (India) - created to help and support marginalised people of India, particularly women, to recover their dignity by giving them the highest income possible.

Hagar Design (Cambodia) - assists women and children that have been exploited, widowed, abandoned or abused, to rebuild their lives.

Kamay Krafts (Cambodia) - only uses recycled products as its helps transform the lives of the depressed.

Klong Toey (Thailand) - is a cooperative run by women living in the largest slum in Bangkok. Their aim is to provide flexible and long term employment to reduce poverty.

Rehab Ministries (Thailand) - provides opportunites to women wishing to leave prostitution with a source of alternative income.











It was wonderful to see the items our ladies had produced in our 'Sew Empowered' income generation project displayed ...





... with products from the various producers in a number of countries and to see the costumes our ladies had produced for Calypso Costumes hanging on the rack besides the likes of Cambodian manufacturer Soksabbaai Clothing.



While everyone shopped ...



... these two young talented ladies provided the entertainment ...





... while these two young ladies, Georgia and Grace (Glennys' girls) made themselves comfortable ...



... and Jason (Glennys' husband) chatted with Patrick. We look forward to having them all in Phnom Penh in January 2009. That's not far away!



We are delighted to be 'Fairly Trading' with Glennys. Women in Perth - helping the women of the world. We like that!

Check out the website at www.uchus.com - You may even enjoy some online shopping that makes a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Kristy was also there with Rebecca and we had an interesting informative detailed discussion with Kristy relating to the medical clinic she will conduct at TLC in January 2009. It will be great to have Kristy, Paul and the boys in town.



Opportunities to enhance TLC's Children's English Lessons are always on our radar to ensure that we include excellent creative lessons in the schedule, so it was great to meet Shari at the u-chüs function.



Shari is a Speech Pathologist who has 'volunteered' to assist us with 'sound resources' for TLC. Excellent! We look forward to our next meeting.

And that's some of our week that was!

OWTW October Week 5

* New Life Fellowship's ...

... Sunday services were full of international guests including Debbie and Carole from the USA (who said during the Joyce Meyer Ministries '30 Days of Hope' that they would be back and here they are).



Bart & Wilma were also there with their guests, Graham and Trevor from Busselton, Western Australia ...



... as was Kerry, our fellow New Life Fellowship member.



It was great to meet NLF's special guest speaker, Pastor Simon Chua and his wife Ping, from New Life Community Church Singapore ...



... who presented great messages during the 3 services.

Vimean now has 200 young children ...



... attending NLF's children's ministry - Joy Club - each week. Excellent!

* On The Road Again ...

... were these poor kids whose lives consist of begging on behalf of their family.



I believe that one day the exploitation of these kids will end!

* We Were Also Back On The Road Again ...



... once the guy fitted a new tube to the back tyre.

* At TLC ...

... we were delighted to host a team all the way from Red Deer, Canada.

Chris found two little friends while strolling through the village.



Then the team introduced themselves to the children (in Khmer - I'm impressed!) ...





... and taught the children a song ...





... before setting up the craft session ...



... which all the kids enjoyed.







These little ones decided Chris was there to be sat on ...



... while one of the girls had to see the centre 'Nurse'. How sweet that the other was there to offer support!



David presented the English lessons ...







... and read the kids a story written by Marie Enz - 'My Forever Home'.



The kids were all happy to leave with their new designer caps.





Bill and Jean ...



... Lauren and Chris ...



... David, Cheryl and Jennifer ...



... and Blaine ...



... enjoyed a meal with the team before saying farewell.







Our visiting teams have been great and our team are always happy to welcome anyone who comes to serve with us.



* Breakfast With Becc ...



... is always a great treat and wonderful time of fellowship.

* Marie Enz from 'Place of Rescue' ...

... is such an amazing inspirational women and it's always a blessing to see her.



I also had to opportunity to chat briefly with Blaine, from Calgary, Canada, who is involved in the fund raising side of 'Place of Rescue' (and our guest at TLC during the week with his missions team).

* Sambath ...



... is still working his way through translating our training material.

* Creative Teacher Training With Destiny Rescue ...



... was held this week ...







... and included our very youngest attendee ever!



It's always great to serve other ministries through the teacher training. The kids that attend Destiny Rescue would be out on the town dump working with their parents if they didn't have the opportunity to attend the program.

* The Ladies From 'Sew Empowerd' ...



... worked on the order from Cheryl and Tommy.

* The TLC Team ...

... attended their scheduled training session on "Seek First To Understand ... Then Be Understood ...



.. complete with exercises on mirroring when listening ...







In the meantime Tola and Vorn prepared the meals for the team.





The afternoon's session was presented by Phearin and Makara ...



... who recently attended a external training program on 'Elementary Science'. The team enjoyed the summary of the program, complete with practical activities.







Vireak presented an excellent comparison of plants and children and the care required to nurture them.



* In The Village ...

... Pastor Sara, Meng and Ura were working on island style kitchen benches in between the houses ...



... and while the kids were on a government school holiday, some decided to help ...







... while others decided to play ...





... or watch!



Sam's sewing ladies were busy working on an order and asked me if what they had matched was OK.



In the nicest possible way I had to tell them that I didn't think Sam would be happy with one of their fabric matches.

* We headed back to Perth

... on a flight with fellow Riverview Church members, Carl, Susanne and Wayne who have all been serving in Phnom Penh ...



... and the men obviously enjoyed the train ride between terminals.



We were so cold when we walked out of the Perth Airport and were thankful that Phil and Lissa had thought to bring a jumper and jacket to the airport for us!

And that is some of our week that was!

OWTW Week 4 October

* At TLC ...

... when lining up ...



... the Kindy Kids had a bit of fun.



Jill and Vireak continued to work together. Our team are getting great ideas from Jill. Remember 'I can sing a rainbow ...'



Conversational English has been on the schedule ...





... My name is... I am ... years old ... My favourite colour is ...



In Cambodia the weather today is ...



... stormy, raining, cloudy or sunny.



Actually, all of the above in one day!

Jill sat with the kids while they had their meal ...



... before enjoying her last meal (well, at least for this trip) with the team ...



... and kindly typing up notes to leave with us for our reference ...



... and saying farewell.



Jill has made a major contribution to TLC for which we are very grateful and it has been a pleasure to have her join our team. Thanks, Jill.

It's great to have Sam back in town ...



... and to have the opportunity to meet Steve, our official photographer, here in action.



These little guys were making good use of the sink on the verandah.



TLC Teachers, Trainees and Volunteers ...



... are enjoying their weekend training sessions at CEF.

* At Riverview House ...

... I caught up with Linda and met Trevor ...



... and had a chance to chat with the rest of the Field Team members and had the opportunity to quiz Jason ...



... over a few website and internet issues that I was experiencing, which he managed to solve for me. Yeh!

* We had a Prayer Meeting ...

... at Kim and Sue's (our absent friend) with Mark & Jo ...



... and our good Shepherds, Pastor Jesse & Soar.



* A Moriah ...

... update for everyone!



* Ratanak's ...

... Cambodian representative, Sotheary ...



... met with us to discuss our projects and Sotheary kindly gave us some valuable advice relating to dealings within Cambodia.

* Mom ...

... is going great and looks so well and happy ...



... and it's such a privilege to be a part of her and little Samnang's life. When we first met Mom a few years ago, she was without hope and now she is full of it. Great!

* Centre of Peace ...

... children enjoyed the apples that Jack sent to them via Sam.





When Jack visited COP in July he told the kids that they were the apple of God's eye, so this treat was a reminder for them.

* Katja ...

... plans to go to Estonia for one year, so we had a meeting to discuss the New Family of Hope educational project.



It's with pleasure that we will continue to offer our advising services to Nai in Katja's absence.

* Boys Will Be Boys!

Patrick faired better than Mark in this years NAB football selections, so Mark treated us to dinner, thereby honoring his obligation.



We all enjoyed a meal at a nice new (to us) French restaurant down by the riverside and I am sure that Mark now wants to leave this years football competition behind him. He's a Geelong supporter, so you can understand why.

*The Community Relocation & Development Project ...

... committee met regarding a host of items on the agenda ...



... with Sam designated to take the minutes.



We are so excited for Sam and Matt as they plan their 2009 wedding.

Moriah was there with her Australian grandfather.



Moriah and Sochea are going great! So is Pastor Sara.

* Sew Empowered ...

... has just been given an order from a business in the USA and are delighted that they are not only producing for Australia but also the States.



The ladies were advised of the new dimensions sent through from Cheryl & Tommy ...



... and Seam set about producing a sample.



Chanty ...



... and Nimul were busy finishing off some beautiful red fairy skirts ...



... which Nimul decided to model.



I visited Mom ...



... and Seam at their homes ...



... to make sure that their equipment and work areas were maintained and that everything was working well for them.

* Here's The Changing Landscape ...

... of the block next door for all of our guests.



Our old neighbours have gone and a garage is under construction.

I already miss seeing our neighbours day to day activities as I go up and down the stairs, especially the kids. They were cute!

* An Evening At The Boddhi Tree ...

... with the Riverview Field Team was very enjoyable.





The team have been busy building, painting, teaching and doing a host of jobs on various projects.









After the meal it was time for speeches from Linda ...



... Kelley ...



... Lesley ...



... and Carl.



It has been great having the Impact and Field teams from our home Church in town. It's always wonderful to have some 'old faces' around (as in having known them for a long time), as well as meeting 'new faces'. It's also a reminder of how much our lives changed for us on our Impact trip 5 years ago. Wow!

While most of the team are heading back to Perth tomorrow, Carl and Susanne have a few more days in town and Jill and Vicki ...



... are heading off overseas on a girls trip.

We pray everyone will be blessed as they travel.

* Reverend James ...

... is in town on Teen Challenge business and it's always great to have the chance to enjoy some time together.



And that's some of our week that was!

TWTW Week 3 October

* Moriah

We are delighted to present Moriah ...



... daughter of Pastor Sara and Sochea.

Moriah arrived at 11:30 on Monday 13th October, weighing in at 3.3kg.

It was my first visit to the maternity section of a Phnom Penh hospital and it was interesting to discover that a bed for the baby is not included and also that Sochea had to be carried from theatre to her room upstairs on a stretcher.

* At TLC ...

... we had the pleasure of meeting Jill from Riverview Church who has come to work with the children and team.

After commencing the first session with introductions ...



... Jill got on with her first lesson.





Vireak and Jill are enjoying working together.

Phearin is a great leader ...



... and the children are all enjoying the classes at school and the centre.





The Kindy Kids love participating in the 'This is the Day' session with all of the other children.



Day Three of Jill's program included Lesson Planning with some of the team while the other team members presented the program to the children.









Then it was time to work with Vireak and the children in their small group classes ...



... using Twister ...





... which was a whole lot of fun!



* Sokhang

A Fred Hollows Foundation representative came to examine Sokhang.



Please continue to pray for Sokhang as we await on the report from the Fred Hollows Foundation.

* Creative Teacher Training

We met with Pat from Destiny Rescue, together with fellow visiting Kiwi, Betty.



It's always great to discuss various aspects of teacher training for the Khmer people and we look forward to presenting to Pat and her team in the near future. We also look forward to seeing what Betty may be able to instigate in the way of training resources.

* Our Guests ...

... Leon and Kelly visited Centre of Peace ...



... and had a game with the kids ...



... and showed them the photos ...



... before joining us on a rivercruise on their last night in town ...



... prior to continuing on their journey through Cambodia and Vietnam. We pray for safe travels and look forward to hearing all about the remainder of their trip. It was a pleasure to have Leon and Kelly with us while they were in Phnom Penh.

* Sew Empowered ...

... continue making costumes for Calypso Costumes.





Chanty is working on a beautiful silk doona cover ...



... and making samples for jewelry packaging.



* Working Kids ...

... along the Occheauteal & Serendipity Beaches are special kids, indeed!





It was great to have the opportunity to visit one of the art projects that the kids attend.



The team at the project are committed to providing a cultural and social platform for the beach children. Their aim is to give the children a creative perspective, a safe environment and a positive chance to develop their imagination and skills through artistic painting as the core activity, and through the sale of their paintings to generate some basic income for themselves and for their family needs.



The team also aim to connect artistic expression to general education and to help the children pursue their regular schooling. Excellent!

We enjoyed catching up with Carl and Susanne ...



... who were taking a break with the rest of the Riverview Field Team.

And that's some of our week that was!

TWTW Week 2 October

It's always great to met the members of the Riverview Church Impact Team on their annual trip to Cambodia and we first met up with this group at the New Life Fellowship Sunday service.



After the service we enjoyed Cell Group at our home ...



... with guests Maria and Matt from the USA who came with Leah ...



... followed by a leisurely cruise on the river with the COTK team ...







... where Deb was busy filming testimonies.



Later we headed to the Kiwi Bakery where we enjoyed a meal together.







While most of our house guests are invited and a pleasure to have around, some are not!



* At TLC ...

... it was the final day of the Church of the King mission trip. After all the communication, planning and organising both here and in the USA prior to the trip, everything went great!

The COTK women's group are surely the 'Louisiana Dream Team'. They came, they saw and they blessed us, heaps! Truly amazing!

With the costumes complete, it was time to get dressed for a photo shoot.













The ladies helped the ladies from Sam's sewing group in the village make 17 costumes for the Christmas play. So we now have beautiful Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, Shepherds, King, Servants, Angels and Sheep costumes.



We were delighted to have the women from the village volunteer their time to work with the COTK team.

In the meantime, Missy was busy with some of the kids ...



... and Patrick and John from RDI organised the water well ...



... while Vorn and baby volunteered in the kitchen.



The TLC Teacher Trainees, Srey Lin and Lai Em, together with one of our volunteers, Theara, dropped in on their way to school.



Then it was time to enjoy our final meal together ...



... and thank COTK and show a power point presentation capturing the team's activities.





Then it was time for a message from Doreen ...



... followed by a beautiful prayer from Diane and a rendition of 'We Are One Family' from the team and a Khmer rendition of the same song before saying goodbye ...











Later that night we went to say farewell to the team at the airport.







We had a great time hosting the COTK team and pray for abundant blessings as they return to their families and routines in America.

... "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Malachi 3:10

This little one has been in hospital with Dengue Fever and spent some time resting in the TLC foyer.



Phearin is doing a great job of managing the centre in Sochea's absence and scheduled a meeting with some of the team members.



The village English lessons continue in the centre ...



... and Ura is excellent value whether he works with the adults or the kids.



The kids have been busy learning news songs ...





... and studying in the classrooms.





* Riverview Church's ...

... Impact Team took over the afternoon's schedule at TLC.

As each team member got off the bus they received their very own 'Hello' from the children.



After a warm welcome (warmer because the power was off) the team introduced themselves to the children ...



... followed by a time of prayer as we remembered Tarsha on her first anniversary. Phearin spoke of the privilege and hope of a bright future that the children now have attending Tarsha's Legacy Centre ...



... and the children listened attentively as they joined hands to reflect on what was said.



Following the time of prayer, the Riverview team's program kicked off with a song with plenty of action ...









... ball games ...



... and locomotion ...





... until they all fell down!





There was a quiet moment as the girls sang ...



... and the children listened ...



... followed by face painting ...





... which Ura decided to try his hand at ...



... while the kids posed ...









... before receiving a gift from the team at the end of the program.



It was a bit like a day at the Perth Royal Show as the children left with their goodies.





A number of the Kindy Kids had come down to get a piece of the action.



The team had a stroll through the village ...



... where we told them that only the first stage of the project has been completed and that a big job still remains to be done. We're excited about the continued unfolding of the vision.



After some heavy rain, the road in front of the village is extremely muddy and in need of some soil to eliminate the water that is not draining away.

Then it was time to farewell the team.





Thanks for coming, Riverview!

* Other TLC Guests included ...

... members of Country Life Community Care, South Australia, led by Pastor Lewis C. McMaster, who requested a meeting with us.



The team is currently researching children's educational facilities and development projects in Cambodia and had been told about the educational centres we have opened. We are always happy to share our vision and experiences with those interested in children's education and development.



The girls were delighted to present Bruce with a mud cake. Sweet! We trust he enjoyed it!



Leon and Kelly are in town and visited TLC and the village with us. Phearin was happy to show them around the centre ...





... and then Kelly and Leon helped us out ...



... before some of the kids joined them during their break time.



* New Life Fellowship's ...

... management training was held this week ...



... complete with activities for the team to partake in.





* Sew Empowered

The ladies are enjoying making a new range of costumes for Calypso Costumes.



Some of the colours are bright and vibrant.



* Dinner at the 'Titanic' with the Riverview Team ...

... was a lovely way to spend the evening.





It was great to see Neil and Kelley and their two young sons back in Cambodia and great to have an opportunity to spend some time with Linda, Lesley, Carl and Susanna, along with all the new team members we had the pleasure of meeting on this trip.



It's 5 years since we first traveled to Cambodia with Neil on our awareness trip.

Everyone had plenty to talk about ...



... and lots of 'flaming ducks' were served up at one of the tables ...



... along with buffalo. I was happy to stick with prawns!

And that's some of our week that was!

TWTW Week 1 October 2008

And what a week it was!

* Church of the King's TLC Missions Trip

We're all about equipping, empowering and enriching the lives of the Cambodian people and the team from the Church of the King have come to do just that!

Margaret and her husband are missionaries in Penang ...



... and Margaret arrived in Phnom Penh the day before the rest of the women's group from Church of the King, Louisiana, who have come to serve with us. The team may have arrived late at night after having been in the air for a long time but they were all ready to get into it!



We filled two vans with the ladies and luggage and were pleased that Rambo was at the airport making sure everything was OK because we piled his car up with luggage, as well.



It was great to see Doreen again after first meeting her during the '30 Days of Hope' while we were hosting the medical teams at the hotel.

As the sun rose the following morning ...



... we headed out to the village to encourage the kids on their first day of the new government school year.







We walked towards one of the schools along a back road and met a number of TLC children outside their home along the way ...



... but we couldn't get through to the school because of the flooding, so we called for the Tuk Tuk and picked up one little boy along the way.



School looked at little daunting for some.





The TLC trainees are going to school across the river, so they left the village on a motor bike to get to the ferry crossing.



Some littlies were at TLC at 6.30am for their 9am start ...



... with others not far behind them with their Mums.





After a good nights sleep the ladies enjoyed a leisurely breakfast (due to the time it took for their orders to arrive) ...



... followed by an orientation presentation.



Everyone enjoyed a good laugh when we read through the 'Ten Ways to Ruin Short Term Mission Trips'. They're funny but true!



On the way to the village in the van, Judy, a speech/language pathologist and Terri, a speech pathologist, discussed their lesson plans ...



... and after a short time the team arrived at TLC to a nice warm welcome.









After an enjoyable lunch ...



... it was down to business with a quick meeting with the team leaders followed by plenty of action. Kids were measured up for the costumes for their part in the Christmas play ...



... and Doreen and Bonnie got the fabric and patterns organised ...



... and then went to the village, along with Cheri, to get the sewing activity underway with the ladies from the village who had volunteered to make the costumes for the centre.





Everyone got right into it and started producing the costumes in no time.









In the meantime, Diane met with the rest of the team to advise them of the schedule ...



... and then it was time to get organised for the activities. Diane, Becky, Rhonda and Cheri were assigned to the craft activity ...











... with Candace and Sam joining in later.



And where would you roster a speech/language pathologist besides the English classes ...







... (where Judy had class after class making their very own English Dictionary which the children will be able to continually add to) ...



... and alphabet activities! Missy and Terri presented the 'This is the Day' session ...



... while Margaret checked out the contents of the First Aid cabinet.



Therese was on hand to attend to an injury sustained by one of the little ones from the village and although it produced a few tears ...



... she soon forgot about the sting as she went about her business of pulling herself up on the tables, while her mother was busy volunteering setting the tables up for the children's lunch.



Donna, Michelle and Ura presented the Karate session ...



... and the kids were delighted to receive a Kung Fu Panda sticker after their session.



Play time was a great time for the kids to mingle with the team ...



... and Candace and Sam looked as though they were having as much fun as the children ...



... and everyone had a good laugh!





You can always find a Kindy Kid outside in the afternoons (I am sure they would like to attend full time).



As the kids program finished for the day the team took the opportunity to relax a little ...





... before leaving the centre ...



... and returning to the hotel where Sam showed us a number of stencils for a mural.



And that was just the first afternoon of the ladies mission. Wow!

It's Day two and Day Three and the action continues with great activities with Missy and Terri doing the 'This is the Day' session ...















... Missy and Michelle on the 'sound desk' ...



... and some R&R for some of the team ...



... and extra special activities for the Kindy Kids ...















... sewing ...











... administration with Donna ...



... more craft ...















... photography with Rhonda and Deb's 'serious' cameras ...



... singing and dancing with Candace, Ura, Rhonda and Becky ...



... Health & Hygiene presentations for the parents with Therese and Margaret ...



... including presentations for the kids ...



... filming singing performances ...



... aerobics with the kids very own work out trainer, Rhonda ...













... story telling with Michelle and Terri ...





... one-on-one rehearsals with Phearin and Candace ...



... English with Judy ...





... Karate led by Donna and her assistants Missy ...



(with the Kindy Kids getting all the assistance and encouragement they needed).

... and Diane and Michelle ...



... lots of hugging with Missy ...





... mural sketching by Sam and Candace ...



... (with the kids looking on) ...





... complete with Sam's live rendition of Kari Jobe's 'Beautiful' ...



... and Becky and Candace lending a hand.



Nursing with Margaret and Therese, complete with ...





... assistance from Sam with the thermometer demonstration for Phearin and Vireak ...



... and blood pressure machine demonstrations ...



... and Vireak getting the opportunity to get one back on Therese after the girls had put the squeeze on him with the machine ...



... and Phearin took to the Manager's desk to do his work ...



... while this little one set about preparing the fish and vegies for lunch!



The Kindy Kids were rostered to say Grace in English ...



... and Khmer ...



... and these little ones enjoyed their meal.



The ladies painted the Angel wings ...



... and packed a bag of goodies for the children.



The team enjoyed a trip down to the riverside in a Tuk Tuk ...



... for dinner where the team surprised us with a presentation of a generous gift ...



... and later the team went shopping at the riverside weekend market.

COTK's 'Saturday Fun Day' for the TLC kids was a great weekend treat ...





















... and the Youth Group was a special time as the team joined in ...





... and did a skit ...



... followed by a T Shirt activity ...



... while Sam sang 'Beautiful', beautifully! What a moving experience!



Followed by a time a prayer ...



... photos ...



... and goodbyes.





* Sew Empowered ...

... keep producing the orders ...







... while children play ...



... and the ladies do some running repairs!



And that's our week that was!

TWTW Week 4 September 2008

* R&R

We headed south on the weekend with Rod and Sally and enjoyed a wonderful few days relaxing in a bungalow overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. All we had to do was listen to the waves roll in and look out over the palm trees and ocean. Magnificent!

It's a bumpy roller coaster ride down the hill to the bungalows ...



... and you need to walk part of the way up otherwise the bike on the Tuk Tuk lifts off the ground!



The girls were there each day with the fresh fruit ...



... and we enjoyed a chat with the working kids ...



... and some guys from the Indian Navy.



It's a lovely spot ...



... for times of devotions ...



... and reflection.



* When Will It End?!

We hope and pray that the adults who use kids to earn an income by begging on their behalf, will get the message that they are robbing these kids of a childhood!



This young boy was leaning against the wall of the local supermarket with the baby in his arms and nodding off to sleep. This is a common sight and some of the kids actually go to sleep on the road.

Billboards have recently gone up in Phnom Penh on the very subject of working children and we look forward to the authorities cracking down on it.

* EFC's Children's Commission ...

... team invited us to present to the current course participants.



Presenting on behalf of EFC's CC is always a great opportunity to catch up with the team and people from other organisations that we have either worked with or trained.





We enjoyed presenting the session on encouragement, refreshing and rest ...



... things that we all require to serve in our ministries...



... and the team had a great time, too!



Win - Win relationships - That's what we like.

* At TLC ...

... during the month of October, the first anniversary of Tarsha's death, we reflect on Tarsha's words ... 'Life's too short to not live for something bigger.' TLC is certainly something big in the lives of the children, team and community.

On the government school holiday, the team attended a Personal Development training session.

The day commenced with Praise and Worship led by Phearin and Sochea ...



... followed by the presentation on Win-Win relationships, which they all enjoyed. The session included individual activities ...



... as well as partner ...



... and group activities.





Patrick presented a slide show from the TLC Seminar and Retreat which everyone thoroughly enjoyed while having a good laugh.



Sochea interpreted for me and Pastor Sara interpreted for Patrick.



Some of the kids came to visit once the door was open.



Lin cooked the meal and To assisted her.



Lin and To shared about the difference joining the TLC team had made in their girls lives.

TLC is not only building bright futures for the children but for everyone involved.

Srey Lin is one of our trainees ...



... and Makara is our Kindy teacher.



With the 3 day Pchum Ben holiday scheduled over the next few days just prior to the first day of the new school year, Sochea orgaised the distribution of the children's uniforms, stationery and books etc ...



... and what a pleasure we had presenting to the children. This little girl has come a long way since Pastor Sara and Sam met her family when they were living under an umbrella and invited them to move into the old village and subsequently into the new village.



The twins were happy to receive their goodies ...



... as were other members from different families.





With a few children from one family attending the centre, TLC sure is having a major impact on the household.



Sokhang was delighted when Patrick presented him with his ...



... and he later checked out the contents.



Please continue to pray for Sokhang as we await appointments and consultations.

The kids were happy as they waited ...



... and some 'Kindy Kids' also waited in the group. I think they would have loved to be a recipient.



The kids were very grateful and all made a special point of coming to thank us after the presentation.



These children were selected to give a testimony at the Parent's Meeting ...



... and all did a wonderful job as they spoke of the impact attending TLC has had on their lives.

Senthou made a lovely speech ...