Perth has roasted through the hottest Christmas period on record with an average three day maximum temperature of 40.3C for Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.

Perth recorded 39.5C for Christmas Eve, 40.7C for Christmas Day and 44.2 C for Boxing Day.

The maximum beat the previous December record of 42.3C which was set in 1968, making Boxing Day the hottest December day ever recorded.



So there you go - Perth, the hottest city in the world on Boxing Day 2007!

... in 2008.

See you then!

... as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour.



While some of you will be celebrating with a white Christmas...



... 'Down Under' we will be celebrating in 39 degrees with the same forecast for Boxing Day. Hot, hot, hot!

... for our dear friend Sochea, who was the victim of a robbery in which she was pulled off a Motor Taxi on Sunday.

Sochea has concussion, a wound to the head which required stitches and a swollen face which is all causing a lot of pain. The hospital is unable to do a scan for a couple of days.



Join us as we stand in faith for a speedy recovery and healing. May Sochea be filled with strength and comfort during this time.

... beautifully decorated by the children from Jigsaw Jungle Palmyra were given to us for the kids in Cambodia.

90 kids will receive one of these caps upon our return to Cambodia.

... was a treat.



But there was an even bigger treat for Patrick in the bag - Kay's home made Christmas cake.

Kay has been instrumental in the success of our sewing income generation project, as it was Kay from Stitches-of-Hope, together with Aldy, who provided the initial training in November 06. Kay, through Stitches-of-Hope and Aldy have been great funders and supporters of the women's work.

.. of emails took a while after not having email access for the four days that we were in NN.



Waiting... waiting... waiting.

It was so quiet in NN without phone service, as well. Of course, there was always the old pay phone in case of an emergency!

... sent us a copy of their catalogue which looks great!



Amy and Kerrie are wonderful women joining in the challenge to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, who strive to undertake all their business dealings with honesty, integrity and transparency. How refreshing to do business with like minded people.

The children we presented 'Kids Knowing Kids' to at a primary school sent us 'Thank You' letters, which were very inspiring.



I love some of their comments like...

"You truly inspired me with the way you presented your speech and I love it how you take care of all those helpless, poor little children. I admire your spirit."

"I enjoyed hearing about the way you help sick people and orphans."

"If I get older I will be just like you and help other poor people in other countries."

"I think it is really good what you do in Cambodia and I hope you keep doing it."

"I liked the part when you were giving the kids toys and presents and when they were smiling..."

"My favourite part was when we saw the smiles on the kids faces."

"I especially like the song. It made me feel fuzzy."

"I hope you guys keep helping everybody until everyone has been to school in Cambodia."

"Your presentation was really cool and the photos of the kids were really cool."

"P.S. Please come back again to show us more."

Thanks, boys and girls! Until we meet again...

... was very relaxing, indeed!





The Benedictine Monastery is a great place to enjoy the peace and serenity and great guest house meals.

Patrick stands beside the statue of the founder of the Marist Order, St Marcellin Champagnat - a heart that knows no bounds.


Patrick studied for 18 months at the Marist Brother's Juniorate when he was only in his teens. Although he was never professed a Brother back in those days, he is now thoroughly enjoying his life as a missionary, serving the people of Cambodia.


We enjoyed meeting Brother Redmond and Patrick particularly enjoyed hearing about all the Marist Brothers updates.



We also enjoyed lots of walks around the Monastery grounds...









... and joining in the prayer times with the Monks.



Just beautiful!



You can take the man out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the man. He loves the land!



The old hotel still stands on the hill.

... are purposed and dedicated to equipping, empowering and enriching the lives of the Cambodian people and you can join us by emailing

patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh

Why wait?!

Sam reports that the some of the new 'Happy Village Homes' now have doors and windows.





We still need funds to complete the homes for the 20 families moving to the new village, so don't think that it's too late for you to contribute to building a home for a family.

Why not join us - Kellys' in Cambodia - and bless them this Christmas by giving them somewhere to live?!

Email us at patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh

and help us help them.

Steve and Wini have had a 'high climb' this year and are looking great (that must be due to Wini's nursing & TLC skills) and are looking forward to getting back into their passion of missions.

This time it's Steve on the camera - Obviously 'Take 1'...



... followed by 'Take 2' which includes all of us!



Steve was on our first trip to Cambodia and Wini has since been on a trip with Steve.

We'll see them both back there next year, which is fast approaching!

... Just can't wait to get on the road again!

This time we headed south of the city to a beautiful coastal location to meet with Mark.

We can't believe that we can travel such distances in such a short time frame. It's wonderful and a nice break from the pot holes and dirt roads of Cambodia.

It's always great to discuss our common passion - the future of the Cambodian people.



It makes for deep and meaningful conversation.



I like the look of the yachts in the background. A perfect day for a sail. What a nice spot!

We look forward to seeing Mark on Cambodian soil when next we meet.

... but that hasn't stopped us preparing for our return to Phnom Penh and our mission trips out into the provinces.

So it was time to get the 'shots' up to date and include the Japanese B Encephalitis jab to protect us on our new adventures.

Of course, with Flu being an issue up there all year round it was recommended that we have that, as well.



I don't think Patrick enjoyed the jabs or listening to the Doctor talking about possible side affects but I'm sure he'll get over it!

After our meeting we strolled home via the Swan and met some feathered friends along the way.



It was strange to look at a river and see the bottom of it, unlike the Mekong that we're used to.

... and it was a pleasure to meet Pastor Neil in his 'Vic Pk office' on our first day of leisure.



Neil's a treat and we came away refreshed and encouraged, as always.

Neil and Kristy led the Riverview Awareness Trip to Cambodia we went on in 2003 and we all continue to share a love and compassion for the Khmer people.

... with Ken, Steve, Don & Ray was a whole lot of fun!

... for this trip were held in Sarah and Serene's homes. One north and one south.





Girls love to shop!





Patrick packs away the computer gear for the final time before taking a break.

... it was to share an update of our ministry with Bryan and Mark over morning tea and to hear about Mark's Pacific mission experiences.



It's always great to have a discussion with guys who are passionate about overseas missions.

It was great to have the opportunity to share our ministry update with Sonshine FM listeners when Rodney Olsen interviewed us.



It seems so long ago since the last one and so much has happened.

Thanks for playing photographer, JD! Is that your reflection I see in the studio window?!

Matt and Nerissa introduced themselves to us via email back in February and then joined us in Phnom Penh in June. Kim and Sue were still staying with us at that time, so we all had a great time getting around the city and various ministries.



Since then, Matt and Nerissa have been traveling the world, so it was great to join them for a lovely meal and to hear their travel stories. And they promise to return to Phnom Penh in the future, so we look forward to that.

It's great to be doing missions with passionate, compassionate, enthusiastic people!

After trying without success in Cambodia to get a company to design a website for us, the website design went onto the 'Perth To Do List'.

At about that time I viewed one which was along the lines of one I wanted, so we got Glennys to introduce us to Andrew Arena - the man with website expertise.

While Rachel waited on us, we hit Andrew with all the ideas we wanted included.



Andrew promises to deliver the website of our imagination - an all dancing, singing, winking design.



Now we look forward to that!

... was a lovely social occasion...



... complete with all the culinary delights!

Craig and Charlene and the kids are passionate about missions, so it's always great to get together and share news from the mission field.

The girls were ready to shop...



... and interested in the new community relocation project. One lady has taken up the challenge to raise funds to build a house for a family. Wonderful!

The only thing wrong with the 'Brand B&B' was the fact that some that live there think that the guests should be up in time for milking!



No way, I say!

Patrick wanted to take the dirt bike for a test run, but needed to ask Dan some questions first.

Is it one down and five up?



No. It's one down and four up.



Whatever that means!

What an afternoon! A country presentation, complete with a country spread.

Patrick presented...



... then assisted.



Jim joined in the presentation, as he is well versed in our projects after his recent visit.





Then it was time for the girls to shop.

10 New Happy Village homes have been paid for or promised, so there's only 10 to go!

Wow! How exciting!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to give the gift of a home for only $1,500US or $1,700AUD.

Sam Reports...

... that the home of one of the families will be demolished today, so that family will move in with another family.

Over the next week or ten days, the remainder of the people will be moved off the land and have indicated that they are prepared to camp on the land until their new homes are completed.

Remember to keep the funds for the new homes coming.

Email us at patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh

As we ventured further south and hit the dirt road, it reminded us of Phnom Penh. Except there's no pot holes.



Well, at least a little!

If I could, I would attach the music file of Willie Nelson's 'On The Road Again'. That reminds me of our 'Presentation Tour' in the city and country.

We met with Peter to select photos for the fund raising brochure...



... before moving onto lunch. And what better place to discuss the Piglet Income Generation Program than Hog's Breath Cafe.



Through this project, Cambodian families are living a standard that they could only previously have dreamt of.

How good is that! Let's smash the poverty cycle!

Together with Sam and Pastor Sara, we are taking a community known as 'Happy Village', forced off land which is about to be redeveloped, from here...





... to this!





Our desire is not simply to move these families from one poverty situation to another, but instead to provide them with better quality housing in a safe community, better hygiene systems, and educational programs to teach them how to improve their life and the lives of their families.

If you would like to join us in developing the new 'Happy Village' community in Cambodia, we invite you to join us in any of the following ways:-

You can build a family a home by donating $US 1,500 or $AUD 1,700.

If you can't afford to build one of the 20 homes required, be a part of the project by building a wall, roof, floor, door, window, toilet, shower, security door or simply buy the padlock to secure the home.

Alternatively, take the lead and fund raise with family, friends and work colleagues and build them a home, together.

Homes are already under construction.







You can send a child to school for as little as $US15 or $AUD18 per child per month.



This will cover school fees, uniforms, education supplies and food at school.

Contact us at
patrickandcarol@everyday.com.kh
to find out how you can donate to this exciting venture.

This of course, is just the beginning!

Company Director's are opening their hearts and looking for avenues to channel funds from their corporations, so that they, together with their teams, are making a difference in this world.

We are looking for people to provide us with funds for our ventures. Put the two together and amazing things happen for those less fortunate than ourselves.

It's such a privilege to connect with people of like mind so that we truly do transform the lives of those in the third world.

It's always great to have a discussion relating to the opportunities available to change the Cambodian people's lives.



Mark, Helenn, Jarrod and Jess have all visited Cambodia and been touched by the Khmer people.

How many men does it take to cook a BBQ? Maybe they just enjoy the view of the ocean!



I think Patrick is huddled in the corner to stay out of the breeze.

... we were privileged to speak at the Fremantle Church.

The service commenced with beautiful praise and worship.



We shared our Ministry with the congregation...



... and Rob spoke about his 'Adventures in Ireland' working in a school...



... so it was a real mission focused service.

As you can imagine, the Cambodian photos were a 'little different' in comparison to the beautiful scenery from Ireland.

... is proving to be popular initiative and the presentation at Jigsaw Jungle was great...





The kids loved the photos and soundtrack and had lots of questions...





... as well as all the answers to the Quiz.



The kids presentated us with a donation to go towards something for the kids we work with in Cambodia.

We were blown away by their generosity. Amazing!



Kids with big hearts choosing to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than themselves. I love it!