With the packing almost complete, the trick is now to get someone willing to move everything out of our current home, which is on the third floor, to our new three story rental apartment.



This guy has two trucks and a crane and he is still here negotiating, so let's hope he's the one to take up the challenge! At least he came to the house to check everything out - nobody else got that far.

I couldn't agree more with a sentence in a resignation letter I received.

...'I must get back to my first love in my Ministry'...

It's imperative that we stay on the path God has planned for us as individuals and not to divert to assist those who think they need you or visa versa.

God's yoke is easy and His burden light and as soon as it's not, it means that man has interfered. Simple, really!

I'll never give up 'my first love', my call, my passion, because that is what I was born for.

Kellys' Motel has closed it's doors.

We are about to move to a new rental home in a few days, so we are excited about that.

I hope the house we are in doesn't fall apart before we depart!

It is such a privilege to share in the joy of a hope filled program such as the new street elderly day care centre that has just opened. The street elderly project has taken a leap from meeting and ministering in the markets, to providing respite for those begging each day.

The team, led by Lorraine, and others, gathered together to pray for the centre and project as it lifts off into a new dimension.



Dreams do come true, so expect a miracle!

It was great to get together with our friends to celebrate their daughter's birthday at a restaurant located over the Japanese bridge.





A couple of the girls decided to partake in the Karaoke...





... and Sunna made sure that Australian wine was on the table.

Centre 2 & 3 teams are getting very excited as they near the completion of their centre fit outs, as this leads them into the next phase of the time line - reaching out to the children in their respective districts and inviting those who fit the criteria to join Transform Cambodia.

It is beautiful to see their passion for children they are yet to meet.

This is a Daily Devotional from 8th May 2006 which I have on the noticeboard - although almost a year since I first read it, it still rings true loud and clear today.

Children

I envision all the children of the world living in a loving, nurturing environment.

... What a privilege it is to watch them learn and grow and become unique individuals who express their own thoughts and ideas.

In children, I see the future come to life before my very eyes! Every child on earth is an integral piece of the puzzle that, when finished, will make a complete picture of the world of tomrorrow.

I give thanks for children everywhere and pray for them as they prepare to lead us into the future. I envision these children filled with the light of God and surrounded by a loving, nurturing environment where they can spread their wings and soar.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs."

Matthew 19:14

I was amused at the way The Weather Channel reports today's weather forecast:-

Partly Cloudy
95°
Feels Like: 107°

With reasonably high temperatures, coupled with the lack of rain, electricity rations are once again a normal part of the day.

After the departure of our most recent guest, we enjoyed a quiet night home alone and contemplated the past couple of weeks.

It was such a pleasure to have Craig, Charlene, Leah, Caleb, Nathan and James here and we both agreed that we feel that the 'Windows of Heaven' had been opened above us!

How humbling to be on the receiving end of such an abundant outpouring. Praise God!

... for the team from the Farrell's.

Craig and Caleb demonstrate their perfected Khmer traditional dance style...



... and Charlene shared her testimony.



Craig continues telling his jokes. Actually, this one was sweet and I am pretty sure that they 'got it'.

It was time to rendezvous at Rendezvous Restaurant to enjoy one last meal with the family before their departure the following day.

What an absolute blessing it has been to have them with us! A real 'taste of home'.

Thanks, guys, for consistently pouring out your love, hugs and blessings upon us, day after day!



Craig continues to entertain us - 'Is that anthrax?!' No Craig, it's just the fan mist spray to keep you cool.



It was the first time our dear friend Frank met Craig and I am sure he was amused (or maybe, just confused).

It was time to say 'goodbye' - but not before we had a group photo.



We look forward to seeing you soon, Nathan! Thanks for being a blessing.

It was Nathan's last evening in Phnom Penh for this trip, so we all enjoyed a lovely meal complete with entertainment - although not all would agree that you could call it entertainment (they are all like their Pastor, in that respect).

Leah modeled her new Vietnamese outfit in Cambodia - S'art na! (Very beautiful)

Patrick has adopted the Khmer style of riding, consequently, he ran into the back of the moto taxi I was traveling on soon after this photo was taken.



It taught me that I have to stop holding onto the back of the bike seat! Thanks, Babe.

... the other is on the timeline for Centres 2 & 3.



It's all coming along perfectly!

Caleb and Leah stayed with us to watch a movie followed by an afternoon nap. While Leah did get a nap it was obvious that a nap was not on Caleb's agenda, so it was time to call the tuk tuk and go out for an ice cream and spend some time in a play ground for some entertainment.

James shares with the team and children.



Later, this little 'pilot in the making' received some private instruction and training.



This is serious business.

Some of the kids at Metro House were presented with gifts from their sponsors - some in person - so there were a number of excited kids in the house.

Nathan brought gifts from Michael and Linda for their sponsor children.



This little girl was so happy with her new dress that she danced on the chair.



James presented his family's sponsor child with a gift and presented his son Joshua's sponsor child a gift on behalf of Josh.

Everyone who visited the village had a wonderful experience!







Tarzan?!

If you are interested in setting 98.5 Sonshine FM's Rodney free, check out how by logging onto

http://www.rodneyolsen.net/2007/04/convict-for-cause.html

It could have been a welcome party for James or a sayoonara party for Helen and Jess or just your typical dinner at the Kelly household. We always have a great night when the 'nations' gather.





Dr Rawlins gave away some books that he and his wife LeeAnn have written.





In my flip flops Jessica took charge of the dishes!



How cute!

It is great that James has flown in to spend some time with us. We have a few boys at Metro House who want to be a pilot when they grow up, so the children will get a nice surprise when James tells them his story of how he became a pilot.



We met up with Sam at the airport - she appears to have recovered from the Dockers loss!



We discovered that when you ask a pilot where he lives, you get the answer in specifics - longitude and latitude 'coordinates'.

Could Craig and Charlene contemplating an acquisition of a mobile branch of Lock Stock and Farrell?!

Where are Nathan and Craig?!



Oh, there they are - watching the footy!

Leah and Caleb are ready to go to Church.



Meet the Pastor.



Church Competition - Rock - Scissors - Paper (Face style)

Leah and Caleb won their qualifying rounds, then it was time for the finals.

The Semi Final.



The Final.



The Grand Final.



And the winner is...

Patrick and Sam are back into the footy!

It may be 11:20pm and half-time and the Dockers are behind, but they don't seem to mind at this stage.



The rest of us are not that enthusiastic about the Dockers, so we will have an earlier night than Patrick and Sam.

We all had a wonderful day and had a lot of leisure time together and Craig and Charlene and the children continue to pour out their love upon us. It is such a special time for us.

Tonight it was 5 star Cinema Under the Stars and the movie was 'The Pianist'.

Pre movie drinks - and Craig (our illustrious leader) took the opportunity to show us all how to eat cashews 5 star style.



Then it was time to settle into our lazy boy and watch the movie while we snacked on our picnic basket.

Can you believe that Craig asked them to turn up the air conditioning (remember this was an outdoor movie). We believe there are a lot of confused Khmers in town trying to comprehend Craigs humour!!!





The movie was great.





Then it was time to head home in a tuk tuk. First stop - Nathan's Hotel then back to our place. I wonder what happened to the limo!

After Leah and Caleb had a ride on the motor bike with Uncle Patrick, they think that they are ready to drive a tuk tuk.





Co-drivers.

Our home has been busy with visitors as everyone is out and about celebrating the Khmer New Year, and we have received lots of blessings and gifts. They're all so sweet!

Charlene was kind enough to give us the details of the Chu Chu Tunnels in Vietnam. Very interesting!

Leah and Caleb were taking a well earned rest at our place after all the activity at Metro House over the past couple of days.



Then it was time for a ride on the motor bike with Uncle Patrick.

It was certainly an interesting exercise shopping with the boys!

Craig was trying hard to get rid of the Vietnamese currency still in his possession. 'Do you take Dong?' But the shop manager wasn't taking any notice of him!



What will we have for dinner?!



Where's the shopping trolley?



Craig and Nathan were a little hot and therefore delirious, so it was time to get them out of the smelly, hot market and into an air conditioned supermarket complete with trollies.



Now let's get the ice cream home, quickly!

Charlene took charge of the globe and gave a geography lesson.

It looks as though the morning session with the kids had worn Nathan out.

Tom and Myra were in town for a short visit, so it was nice to catch up with them!

Learning how to make use of variety of teaching tools and materials.

Hope is certainly rising in Cambodia as the country is prepared for the 30 Days of Hope.

It's always a blessing to get together with the guys from Joyce Meyer Ministries and it was great to enjoy a meal with them while JMM Asia's David Raj from Hyderabad was in town for a few days.



It's also great that Charlie provides the entertainment.

... the roads are becoming more and more congested in various locations throughout the city as everyone tries to organise various 'bus style' types of transport out of town back to the provinces.

All of the team are thoroughly enjoying the training program.

... at Metro House today with so many visitors.

Craig and Charlene were taking in all the action.





Caleb and Leah were busy with games.



For Linda and Helene it was balcony views.



English with Charlene.

It didn't take long for Leah and Caleb to get into the teacher roles.

...you are needed.
There is at least one important work to be done
that will not be done unless you do it.

Charles Allen

Craig blesses the team with Devotions - but not with his joke where the punch line is lost in translation!

The Farrell Family arrived safe and sound after a 'hairy ride' overland from Vietnam and it was great to go out in the tuk tuk and enjoy a meal together.

Cambodia for Christ.

The second and final day of the Conference on Intercession was awesome, so the team had a couple of wonderful days!







Praying for the teenagers.



Everyone at the Conference committed to preparing Cambodia - 4 cities and 20 provinces - for the main event - 30 Days of Hope.

With approximately 1500 people in attendance, it was necessary to queue, but not for long. The event was so well organised and orderly. To us it was an excellent prelude to the big event.

Transformed Generation.

It was interesting to find this T shirt. The stick figures are older than the ones on the Transform Cambodia T shirts and the statement reads Transformed Generation 2006.

While Centre 2 & 3 teams run the program they designed for Metro House last week, the Metro House team have a weeks training, which started with Hope Cambodia's Festival of Fellowship 2 day 'Conference on Intercession' at the Chenla Theatre.

What an amazing day it has been and we are only half way through. The preaching and ministering is the best I have ever seen or heard. Absolutely amazing!



And the Interpreter on the left in the photo below, is the best I have ever seen or heard. Fantastic!



Just imagine what the 30 days of hope is going to be like!

... there was a young lady named Jess, who read the children at Metro House a story.

Prior to today the kids at Metro House didn't know the answer to that question, but thanks to Helen, now they do!

Please stand up nice and straight so that we can see how tall you are. Good girl.



Please step on the scale so we can see how much you weigh.



Good boy. Now let's see how tall you are.

When we went to leave home and go to Destiny, we had one too many passengers for the tuk tuk, so Jess was very happy because she wanted a ride on the motor bike. But I think Helen was a little nervous about the whole thing - especially when our moto driver passed us after he had been told to follow us. We knew she was safe!



We always have a great time of fellowship with the wonderful 'Destiny Family'. Tonight was a multi-cultural evening with respresenatives from Cambodia, America, India and Australia and the young Pastor delivered a great message.





The little kids that live near by love to come and join in a sing-a-long after the service.



Then it was time for the kids to take their turn on the stage. They performed beautifully.











It was interesting discussing the Festival of Fellowship Conference on Intercession with guests who have just arrived in Phnom Penh to minister.



We especially enjoy the very special Sunday evening worship and meal with everyone.



Jess was more than happy to get back on the moto for the return trip, even in the dark!

... that didn't stop some of the Metro House kids and their friends noticing our motor bike at the centre. So the gate bell rang and our names resounded as they sang out in one accord.

They are so cute and it's wonderful to be a part of their lives!

We are watching Geelong and Carlton on Australia Network at 10.35pm and you can't help but notice that rugby certainly has the top weekend timeslots on the Australian Network here in Phnom Penh. But I guess we are lucky to get it at all.

It's always great on the weekend to visit the kids in the slum and to present them with some treats and see them enjoy a sing-a-long.

After talking about coming to Cambodia for so long and then all the organising prior to the trip, the 'girls' are here.

Further to our 'dinner' in Perth and 'via email' discussions, and last nights discussions upon the girls arrival, we have agreed upon an itinerary and now there's so much planned that their feet will hardly touch the ground.

Well, that's how it will be until at least when they arrive at the magnificant resort in Sihanoukville for some R&R.

It is always like 'Hay Street, Perth' on a busy day when we 'welcome' or 'send someone off' at Pochentong Airport and Friday night was no exception!

Pastors, Missionaries and guests are always one their way in or out of Phnom Penh, so it's like the local meeting place and a great time to 'catch up', while we wait for the big birds to land or take off.

patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh

Thank you!

... standing next to me, to leave her position in Cambodia and return home to Japan. So a multi-cultural group from Australia, Cambodia, Japan, Korea and Spain were invited to lunch to enjoy one last meal together.

Can you believe that Khmer was the common language, not English?!



I was a little amused to hear that a return trip is already planned for sometime in May.

For this little working girl, today is just the same as any other day out on the streets of Phnom Penh.

Well, we haven't seen an easter egg, but that's the way it is here in Cambodia.

May you and your family be blessed abundantly, as you celebrate this special Easter season and remember all He did for us.

Although getting around Cambodia is considered stressful for some, we often enjoy a good laugh as we see various incidents.

In this case, seconds before this photo, the driver of the maroon car up in front of the motor bikes, was most upset and kept blowing his horn due to the fact that the motor bikes were all pulled up quite some distance from the traffic lights under the shade of the tree to get some respite from the hot sun, while the electronic light system completed it's countdown, before turning green. (This is a common practice).

The driver finally managed to maneuver his way around the stationary bikes while they just stared at him and continued to enjoy a break in the shade.

... visit Metro House.

The International Operations Manager for Teen Mania was in town for a few days on a 'recky' checking out the logistics related to the organisations participation in the upcoming Festival of Fellowship.

The Country Representatives from Festival of Fellowship also visited the centre with the Teen Mania representative.

The children performed beauitfully as they sang a couple of their well rehearsed 'oldies' and added in the very new rendition of 'Old McDonald Had A Farm' - Ei Ei O. Very cute, indeed!

Everyone enjoyed a special time.











Then it was time to get down to business and finalise the schedule for the Teen Mania group who will be visiting the three Transform Cambodia centres, where they will have the opportunity to minister to the children through dramas, creative projects and more. How exciting!

Young children living with their mothers in prison have been on our heart for quite some time, and we felt a burden to bless them. So it was great to kick our 'Surprise Sacks' project off and present our first distribution to young children living with their mothers in prison in Siem Reap.

Here's Patrick shopping for some of the contents of the 'Surprise Sacks'.



The items to be included and the packing thereof.





For obvious reasons we will not include the photos of the children being presented with their 'Surprise Sacks' in prison on our blog.

I have been privy to a lot of dialogue on the subject of 'Jobs & Work' with people from around the world working in both Christian and secular organisations recently, which made me take particular notice of one of my daily calendar quotes. Here it is:-

Regard the job you have as important
but not all-important.
It should honor Christ and serve others.
But keep in mind the limitations to work.
No job can provide... ultimate fulfillment.
But if you find a sense of contentment in
your work, rejoice! It is a gift from God.

Sherman/Hendricks

... in taking up the challenge of an earlier post regarding releasing women in Cambodia from their poverty entrapment, will be contacted over the next couple of weeks.

If I do not have your email details, please email me at patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh

Thank you for your interest. We can make a difference!

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's ruling party Monday declared a landslide victory in the country's local polls as it continued to secure its grip on power ahead of national elections next year.

The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said it had won 1,592 of the 1,621 commune councils -- small administrative bodies that govern rural villages or city neighbourhoods -- contested in Sunday's vote.

"Absolutely, the Cambodian People's Party won the elections," said CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith, who is also the minister of information.

Election monitors had said going into the polls that a CPP victory was expected, but that opposition parties could also make gains.

Cambodia's main opposition leader Sam Rainsy told AFP Monday that his party had doubled the number of commune councils it had led previously, winning at least 27 top council seats.

The gains insured a greater share of power after the 2008 national elections, he said.

"It means our voices in the 2008 election will double," Sam Rainsy told reporters.

"Now only CPP and Sam Rainsy Party need to work together ... in the interests of the people. We are not enemies," he added.

The royalist Funcinpec party, the CPP's coalition government partner, took only two communes, according to a tally compiled by the CPP.

The party of ousted royalist leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh won none, CPP figures showed.

Official results from the National Election Committee (NEC) are expected to be released April 24. NEC officials said Sunday's vote was largely free of the violence that had plagued previous polls in Cambodia.

Prior to the country's first commune council elections in 2002, local officials were appointed by the government and had remained largely unchanged since the early 1980s.

...in the earlier post... before election day dawned, the result is obvious.

No waiting around for a result here!

... 24 little hours. Remember the song?!

With our hearts and minds clearly focused on equipping, empowering and enriching the lives of the poor and needy of Cambodia and knowing that in order to achieve this we are here for the long term, and our commitment to achieve deadlines in a country where that is a recognised challenge, we have got smart about the way we operate and '24 hour Sojourns' are a normal part of our monthly planning.

We have just returned from this months (or should I say, last months) Sojourn away from the dust, heat and 'our study', consequently feeling refreshed, passionate and ready to forge on with our God given ministry.

... due to the fact that we were advised by our service provider on Friday that the National Election Committee had enforced a ban on SMS's this weekend.

Also, with lots of locals heading back to their province to vote, lots of businesses are closed and the streets are noticeably quiet. This will probably continue tomorrow as there is a dispensation to allow voters to return to the city. I wonder who will front for work in the morning.