... gathered at head office for their prayer meeting ...





... where everyone especially prayed for Chuk Phol on his retirement day. Patrick shared a story about Chuk Phol from our Riverview Awareness trip in 2003. He told of Phol's integrity and his dealings with government authorities and how he would not compromise, regardless of the fact that those in authority were trying to get him to do so.



Phol was one of the first three PFC staff members and has been a great example to everyone who has had the opportunity to work with him.



Linda and Phol have worked closely over the years and I am sure that he will be missed.



May Phol be abundantly blessed on his new journey.

Mom's son Samnang's BMI results from his nutritional assessment conducted by Kristy, reported that he requires a 'Supplemental Nutritional Plan'.



Even though Mom was sad to hear that Samnang required additional nutrition, she was touched and blessed by the fact that the requirements will be supplied.

Now that the ladies are all working from home, I organised a meeting at our home so that they could all get together and see what each one is working on.





The girls have been working on aprons, cushion covers, table runners and bags ...



... in addition to the wraps they are making for the children in the orphanage.

... is back in town on business ...



... and it's always great to have the opportunity to meet with him over a meal.

... Bye for now!

The time for Kristy's departure seemed to come around so quickly. I guess that's because it's been non stop since her arrival and she is such a pleasure to have around.



We trust Kristy has a pleasant flight home to her family after her 10 days of amazing service here in Phnom Penh and Kandal province. Thanks, heaps, Kristy! Be blessed.

We had an informative meeting with Enrica, Hagar's Nutrition Program advisor.



After the meeting, Graham gave us a guided tour of the new premises and we stopped by Bart's office to have a chat.



Bart, and his wife Wilma, from Busselton, Western Australia, arrived in Phnom Penh last week and are currently staying at Kim and Sue's home (while Kim and Sue report they are having a wonderful time on Australia's white beaches) until they find their own apartment.

Kristy was delighted to have a look at the factory and see the girls sewing because Kirsty's friend (who is also our friend) Glennys from u-chus purchases Hagar products for her business.

By the time we did that, To had the Tuk Tuk loaded up with our 'So Nutritional Corn Snacks' order.



It was so full that he had to go and get another Tuk Tuk to take us home.



Now that will keep the kids going for a while.

We look forward to advising Kristy of the positive changes in the children's health and well being after implementation of the initial nutritional program and subsequent assessments.

Sam stopped by to collect the WHO charts to record the details of more children wanting to enrol at the children's centre.

... away from the children's facts and figures charts and reporting...



... long enough to enjoy a meal at 'Le Duo' on her last night in town.

Kristy is a 'Goodchild' all right!

Kristy has done an amazing service to the poor people in Cambodia - especially the children and it has been such a pleasure for us to have Kristy stay in our home and have her devote her time and energy to the village and orphanage children's health.



We are blessed and privileged to have wonderful people such as Kristy and her husband Paul and children Tyler and Zack, on our team.

A big 'Thank You' goes out to Paul who has no doubt been busy at home working and looking after Tyler and Zack!

'Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.'

Proverbs 31:8&9

This was Kristy's last trip to the village before she returns home to Australia, so it was time to say goodbye to Sam, Sara and the community. And what a farewell it was for this amazing young woman!

Pastor Sara thanked Kristy on behalf of the community ...



... and then Kristy shared words of wisdom - like 'Keep your children away from the fire' - with those gathered.



Then everyone lined up for a hug...









... and followed Kristy down the road...



... for a photo shoot ...



... after which some of the children climbed up into the Tuk Tuk...



... before jumping off and running down the road behind the Tuk Tuk as they continued to call out and wave goodbye.



With Pastor Sara and Sam ministering to the people in the community and the specially designed nutritional program, thanks to Kristy, there's such a positive impact happening in the lives of all these people. Thank God!

While nutritional matters were attended to by Kristy and the TASK nurses, I discussed the appointment of staff for the children's centre with Patrick, Pastor Sara and Sam.



Meanwhile, parents from the village came to see if they could enrol their children at the centre.



For some, it was time for a haircut ...



... while others just blew bubbles ...



... or slept.



Sam organised funding for this ladies small business...



... and Patrick and Sara thought they would give it a whirl!

... were discussed when Sarim and Neang visited the community.



Sarim and Neang are nurses who were trained by Servants to Asia's Urban Poor and now work on Servants TASK Cambodia project, which supports the health and development of the poor.

The 3 children who Kristy identified as 'most at risk' were interviewed with their mothers.





Arrangements have been made for those children to attend the TASK clinic for treatment. The children will benefit from the pilot 'Plumpy Nut Bars' (therapeutic food bars) project funded by the William J Clinton Foundation.

In addition, the parents will receive additional food packs which include rice and fish etc., to ensure that their children receive their nutritional requirements.

The Children's Centre will schedule regular training sessions for the mothers of the children which TASK will facilitate. So we're excited!



We are so blessed to have this resource. It's amazing what can happen when we all work together for the good of the whole.

... pack the first aid kits for each home in the village.



The packs are to be distributed as part of Kristy's medical training program.

... the weighing ...



... and measuring continued.



With all the data now recorded, Kristy can enter the relevant data into the graphs and establish the children's BMI.

Kristy was our guest at the bi-weekly meeting for the CRP and presented her Nutritional Support Program Report and Budget to the committee.

Patrick and Kristy looked intense ...



... as they worked on the final figures for the Nutrition Budget.

Sopha has been busy making samples for the Sewing Project.

It's always interesting to research how other successful projects operate.



So Patrick and Kristy went out over the Monivong Bridge to do just that.

... are in Cambodia visiting their projects and as their partner, we had the pleasure of showing them around some of our projects.

It's a year since Geoff and Betty were here, so it was great to see them again and to meet Victoria.



Our first stop was the Community Relocation & Development Project in Koh Krobey, Kandal Province...



... where we received a warm welcome from the kids ...



... because the mothers were at the 'First Aid Training' Kristy conducted.





After the demonstration one of the mothers had a go...





... and after applying the dressing, comforted her child as Kristy instructed.



The boys played marbles ...



... and had a great time!



Plenty of photos were taken ...











... and Sam joined us to discuss details of the project and various projects throughout the world.





Meanwhile, back in the 'training room', Kristy continued educating the parents ...



... while we rescued kids playing with inappropriate utensils and tools.





Consequently, Kristy's next training session will be on Safety Precautions!

We took a quick look at the Children's Centre construction site ...



... before saying good bye to Sam and the kids ...







... and moving on to our next project visit at our adopted orphanage, Centre of Peace ...



... where it takes a lot of rice to feed all the kids.



We had a guided tour through the orphanage...









... before saying good bye ...



... and moving onto Seam's home to check out a home business of our 'Sewing Income Generation Project.'



Finally, after a big day out, we were treated to a meal with Geoff, Betty and Victoria.

What a lovely way to end a great day!

... advised us a week or so ago that they were returning to Phnom Penh to visit TC and invited us to join them for a meal, which we did.



So we picked them up in the Tuk Tuk and headed to Le Duo's new venue. It's a lovely place to relax and enjoy a great meal.

... for her moto driver (aka Patrick) ...



... to take her to Centre of Peace ...



... where the kids had their turn on the scales and tape measure to establish weight and height updates.

... with her brother Heng...



... and Kristy, Sam & Sochea returned home after doing the shopping for the first aid packs for the training Kristy will conduct in the village.



After listening to the conversation regarding the new children's centre, Lora decided she wanted to make a difference in the children's lives by making a donation. All together, we do make a difference!

We enjoyed a BBQ at Pastor Mara & Leah's and we especially enjoyed the lawn, as we don't get to see it or feel it under our feet here very often. Life really is about the simple pleasures!



It was also a great opportunity to meet Jason from Samaritan's Purse and his wife Caroline and their girls from Brisbane. Jason took up his position with SP here in Cambodia a few months ago. Mark & Jo were also there.



It doesn't seem to make any difference how far the 'Aussie Boys' are from home, you can still find them in a huddle around the BBQ no matter what country they're in.

... gave Kristy the opportunity to catch up with some 'old faces', as in those she has met before, as well as an opportunity for us to all meet some newcomers visiting Cambodia.

... is keeping us occupied and...



... it's very interesting delving into the children's health data and results.

... with Bophal to see one of the boys requiring an operation didn't go according to plan because the guard stopped the foreigners at the gate.



Baby, also needed to go to the hospital for a check up, so Sophea took the baby and waited in the queue.



Some enterprising people have set up stalls to cater for the large crowds that queue each day, so you can buy food, drinks, clothing etc.





The queue wasn't as long as it could have been because nobody had queued around the corner.

... at Centre of Peace.

... were conducted...



... followed by the photo shoot.





Then it was time for Kristy to open the 'Mat Clinic', so the kids lined up ...



... and received treatment ...



... one after another...









... while everyone looked on.



This little one was obviously very happy with her treatment...



... and so is this little guy!



What an amazing service Kristy is providing to the village people, especially the children. Awesome!

In Chip Ingram’s book ‘Good to Great in God’s Eyes’, he makes reference to Jim Collins book ‘Built to Last’. In the book Collins states that companies with lasting power have ‘big, hairy, audacious goals’.

Ingram figures that great goals could happen by human effort, but only God could fulfill God-sized dreams.

That’s what we see our dream to educate, feed, equip, empower and enrich the lives of thousands of Cambodian people as. It’s definitely a ‘big, hairy, audacious goal.’

Thank God we have like minded people on our team with big hearts who share our vision. That will ensure that we fulfill our purpose and realise our dream of seeing thousands, educated, fed, equipped, empowered and enriched!

May each one be abundantly blessed!

A number of issues requiring medical treatment were discovered as a result of the visit to the village, so Kristy packed a first aid kit ...



... to return to the village fully armed (we hope) to address those needs, as well as continue with the interviews.

While Kristy was still packing, Samnamg arrived (interesting that I mentioned to Patrick late last night that I would love to have Samnang checked out so that we could put him on the required nutritional program)...



... so we seized the opportunity to weigh and measure him. Great! Now we will be able to do something about his state.



Samnang also got to select a toy from the range that Tyler and Zack sent up for the kids.



Then Kristy and Patrick headed out to the village.



Patrick can now go on the mobile clinic with the Doctor's title he received from the hotel staff when we hosted the medical teams at the hotel during the JMM 30 Days of Hope!

After enjoying a (nutritional) meal together, it was time to get down to the business of evaluating each child.

Sam had a lesson in compiling the initial health history data and completing the charts for - height for age, weight for age. weight for height and BMI for age. (Again, that is for the nurses).



The Growth Indicator Table results for height for age, weight for age, weight for stature and BMI for age, reported whether a child was stunted, underweight, malnourished, wasted or severly wasted.

The Z Score Outcomes and Nutritional Plan Table established whether the child required:-

* Basic Nutritional plan
* Supplement Plan or
* Immediate referral to specialised care.

As you can imagine, the above produced some 'interesting' results.

The centre progressed to a new level with the second storey concrete pour.



That's exciting!

... the kids...





... that she came to Cambodia to design a nutritional program for.

This lady kindly opened her home to us.



Then it was down to business with Sam, commencing with the sorting of all the charts required for each age group/gender ...



... and time to conduct interviews with each family. Pastor Sara translated for Kristy. The questions on the Health Profile Chart included basic information and other relevent information such as gestational age at birth, single/multiple birth, immunisation schedule, birth rank and adverse events (that detail is for all the nurses around the world reading this!).



Time for a taste test of Kristy's secret weapon (peanut butter/paste)



In typical Khmer style, we had an audience at the window ...



... and the door...



... and a constant line up.

Everyone was weighed...



... and measured...



... and photographed for identification purposes on their file.







How many children did you say you have?!!

... Kristy managed to carry home all the supplies, as well as morning tea - complete with a Frappacino - on the motor bike!

After making purchases of equipment required for the children's health program and a selection of milk varieties, Kristy got down to specifics regarding the nutritional content of each of the products.



Just what value do each of these packs contain?!

With the children's nutritional expert in town (that's Kristy), it was time to get down to scheduled meetings.

Our focus is on a nutritional program for the children in the village who are members of the Community Relocation and Development Project and Children's Centre.



With all eyes on Pastor Sara...



... I hope he has the answer to what appears to be a very important question!

... Advisory Council members took time out for a photo shoot.



It's always exciting to discuss the latest news of the Children's Commission who are having a great impact on the lives of children and those working with children here in Cambodia!

Notification of the flight cancellation in Perth didn't stop Kristy arriving in Phnom Penh on her scheduled day - even though it was much later than anticipated!



Kristy's bags were packed with items relating to health care, as well as some treats for the kids.

Kristy also came bearing gifts for us...



... some of which had to be refrigerated immediately upon our arrival home (after the delay in getting here).

I wonder what's in the bag?!



Nothing less than good ol' Australian steak!

After the steak went in the fridge, we hit the streets in a Tuk Tuk and dined at a local restaurant before heading back to the study at home for an initial discussion on children's nutrition.

It's great to have Kristy here in Phnom Penh with us. It's 4+ years since the 3 of us arrived in PP together as members of a Riverview Church Awareness trip.

... what we'll find in our post office box, so it's like an adventure!



This time it's green tea for Patrick, all the way from James in Malaysia. Thanks, James!

We took Mom and Samnang on a 'shopping spree' complete with lunch at a nice restaurant before taking them home with their bags of goodies.



Then we visited Theara and Veasna to see how they were going...



... and we took a stroll to the local shop to get a drink.

... were treated to a 'shopping spree', thanks to the generosity of Tyler & Zack from Australia.

We took Hong & Lout to the local market...



... where they had fun trying on...





... a range of jeans, shorts, T shirts and shoes, with the help of their "Mom" Bophal.





It was 'warm' in the market, so we took the boys into the 'food hall' to treat them to a nice cold drink after they had made their purchases.



They had a wonderful time looking at everything in the market and I guess we weren't surprised to discover that they had never been in there before.



Then it was time to travel back to the orphanage in the Tuk Tuk with their bag of goodies. Their new outfits look great and I think they may have a challenge deciding which outfit to wear first!



Hong & Lout send their grateful thanks to Tyler & Zack for caring about them and sharing their pocket money so that they could have some nice new clothes.



Aahkun Cheran, Tyler & Zack!

We have commented about the fact that we often meet in restaurants because it's convenient to do so over a meal or cuppa. But today we conducted a meeting by the side of the road. Now that's different! (Actually, thinking about it, Sam & I have previously had a discussion while Sam rode her motorbike alongside the Tuk Tuk I was traveling in).



As we were traveling back from the village we passed Sam, Sara and Lim so we took the opportunity to stop and discuss the result of the census that was conducted in the village. Some interesting stats were produced. One of the new homes has 11 people residing in it. Now that's cosy!

... and a house that Ron & Robyn kindly built for one of the families.



A host of other people contributed to providing the funds for the new village homes.

Like we say - we can't do what we do without the support of those who want to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and for that, we thank you!

... is taking shape and the children are excited!



Some of the children were happy to walk around the village with us or simply sit around in the Tuk Tuk...



... before it was time to say goodbye.

We enjoyed a morning with Katja and Sonai and the opportunity of getting to know the students at our new partners project - New Family of Hope. We were delighted when Katja informed us that the project has a new building to move into shortly.



The students are all beautiful people and achieving high scores at the private school they are attending.



Sophal joined Sonai 8 years ago and most of the other students have been with the project for 4 years.



Sonai is excellent with the students. A wonderful leader and watching her reminded me of the John Ruskin quote...

'When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece'.



I was thinking about the fact that the youth have come from poor backgrounds, financially speaking, as well as adverse social conditions for a couple of them and now have such great hope for the future. Now that's testament to the project!

The project is about to double it's student intake and that's wonderful.

It matters not the hour of day, when you become a part of the Khmer peoples lives you are on call 24/7.

We received a text message at 3am advising us that Mom's son, Samnang, was sick and needed to go to the hospital and would it be OK if she came to our home to get some money for the hospital visit. Mom and Samnang are very dear to us, so of course we did not mind being woken up.

Late in the afternoon we visited Samnang in his home...



... back in his own bed, complete with an IV. As nothing had been prescribed to bring his raging temperature down, he was as feverish as! So Patrick 'braved' the peak hour traffic to get the necessary medication.

... with 66 consonants and 22 vowels - first and second series - is proving to be very 'entertaining' and at times, a great laugh. Our teacher is excellent. If only we could speak like him!



'A cheerful heart is good medicine...'
Proverbs 17:22

We consider our language study, good medicine. A large dose!

Once a week we have a meeting with the ladies on the sewing team in their home.



It's great to see them enjoying their work.

Scripture says...
... Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

So that's what we do. Get together once in a while over a cuppa and encourage one another as we face issues and challenges and remember all the wonderful things He has done for us.

Many of you know that Graham & Sandra have huge hearts and a home that is full of kids!



It's a 'home' like no other where the kids are growing up in a loving, safe environment with a couple who are passionate about seeing the kids become all they can be.

... but the Christmas greetings still keep coming!



Peace on earth!

... Straight from the heart
Pulls us all together
Never apart
And once we learn to speak it
All the world will hear
Love in any language
Fluently spoken here



Valentine's Day is big here in Cambodia with lots of hearts, lights and tinsel decorating the place.

Happy Valentine's Day!

... building at Happy Village is taking shape!



Pastor Sara and Samantha have done a fantastic job relocating, establishing and ministering to the community in their new village. Awesome people, doing amazing things!

The Community Relocation and Development Project has moved to a new stage of conducting a Census.

The information gathered will then be used to finalise the number of children to be enrolled as well as the establishment and operating budgets of the centre.

In addition, the questionnaire will obtain information from the families relating to various members employment status, to assist us in providing adult educational and skills training to suit the needs.

It may be a small town - our hotel was certainly the tallest building in town - but it was a nice place to relax for the weekend.



The new bridge had been built in partnership with the Australian's...



... hence the kangaroo!



There were lots of 'Hellllloooo's!!!!'...



... and friendly faces...







... and some sad faces...





It is a place where the buses pull in...



... and let the motor 'cool down' ...



... or 'load up'.



The town is also famous for it's crickets, which they catch in nets hanging around a blue fluro light...



(can you see one off in the distance? In some areas there were long rows of lights).

... and sell at the street stalls.



Seda checked them out...



... and decided they were fresh...



... and proceeded to make her purchase, which she obviously enjoyed!



Then we enjoyed the sights on our 3 hour bus ride back into Phnom Penh. A distance of 168 kms. Yes, that's correct. 3 hours to travel 168 kms.

Here in Cambodia we always ask the time it takes to travel the distance, in addition to the distance in kilometers.

The ceremony was beautiful and we were privileged to be 'surrogate parents' for Graham, as his parents are in the States.

Speeches were given...





... and symbolic offerings made to Seda's parents...



... after which, rings were exchanged to complete the engagement ceremony.

Then it was time for the family photo shoot...



... and one with the Pastors. The Pastor from Asia's Hope was at the ceremony, as well as Graham & Seda's Pastor from their Church in Phnom Penh and Seda's childhood Pastor from Kam Pong Thom.



I felt I had been transported to another place and time and was sure that at any moment, Graham and Seda would break out in a dance, just like the movie 'The King & I'.





The women were kept busy preparing the meal.













The engaged couple mingled with the guests.





Sherrod aka 'Photographer' had been kept busy throughout the course of the day!

... we waited outside the hotel to be picked up...



... by the driver who took us to Seda's home, where Sherrod made himself comfortable, but not for long before ...



... we were escorted through a block ...



... and down along the road in the beautiful countryside...



... to the Church ...



... where the ceremony was to take place.

Along the way we saw some interesting characters...





Meanwhile, people were taking their place in the Church...



... and rehearsing the hymns...



... or just waiting patiently.

In the evening we went out to Seda's home to enjoy a meal with family and friends who had gathered for this special occasion.







Here's Seda with her father...



... and fiancé to be.

... and headed north to Kam Pong Thom to combine a weekend sojourn with Graham & Seda's engagement party.



At least on the Mekong Express, you get a seat to yourself!

We arrived at our hotel in Seda's home town...





... where it was noticably quieter than Phnom Penh...



... except when the buses pulled into town and everyone crowded into the hotel restaurant.

Katja has recently arrived in Phnom Penh from Germany to work with Sonai on the Family of Hope project, which enables children and young people from financially needy families, to receive an education.



The girls have invited us to partner with them to market and develop the project.

Sonai has just recently returned from a short term mission to India with the Jesuits and visited the ministry established by Mother Teresa in Calcutta, so it was interesting to hear about that.

... it was Christmas all over again for the children at Centre of Peace Orphanage.

Patrick packed up the bike with the presents and we headed over to the orphanage...



... where the children lined up...



... and received a gift from the children at Jigsaw Jungle, Fremantle, Western Australia, who hand painted Christmas themes on caps for the children.

















The caps came complete with a beautifully handcrafted greeting card from the children at Jigsaw Jungle, which the children loved! And they had a whole lot of fun trying to pronounce the names of the children on the cards.









Of course, baby had to have one!



And so did Bophal.



Finally, the children enjoyed getting organised for a group photo shoot...



... and they send their very best wishes and thanks to the children at Jigsaw Jungle, Fremantle!

Well done, Jigsaw Jungle! Even though you are thousands of kilometers away from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, you all touched the hearts of the children at the Centre of Peace orphanage. May you in turn, be blessed!

The time for our second Khmer lesson came around very quickly, so we did a quick review before we went to school...



... where we continued our lesson with our happy Teacher.

We love training teams, whether it's in teacher, leadership or management training, so we were excited at Pastor Jesse's invitation to work with his management team.

We met with Pastor Jesse to discuss the training requirements and expectations and to finalise the details of the pending New Life Fellowship management training.

We have the privilege of developing the curriculum and facilitating monthly...



... and we look forward to working with the NLF management team.

Back in our study we got straight down to the business of preparing the course outline and curriculum.

... may officially be 7th February 2008...





... however, here in Cambodia, with so many Chinese/Khmer's, the celebrations have already kicked in (although not as elaborate as celebrations in Hong Kong like those in the photos above) and people have gone on their holiday break. We know the locals love their public holidays because there's certainly enough of them.



Our local market has been particularly busy and there was 'stuff' everywhere with everyone (that could) spending up big for the long break.

With a lack of new 'formal procedures' to support the obvious 'informal procedures' introduced by the MoFA, we have had a number of meetings in relation to establishing just exactly what it is that the Royal Government here now require for signing and renewing MOU's with International Non-Government Organisations. Surely, it's akin to dealing with a 'Secret Service' of some sort.

Consequently, we continue to be 'entertained' on a daily basis as we edged closer to ending 'the game' of running between various government ministry departments who are operating on 'different pages'. In fact, some are reading different books!

This time we met with Hilary and Helen to work on their Citipointe MOU application.

... those who do not have enough.

The previous couple of posts have been related to food consumption i.e. what people eat and nutrition.

So following the previous post, I thought if each family who reads this blog would commit to contributing $5 per week ($20 per month), we could feed a lot of hungry people here. Think for a moment about what you could leave off your table each week (without probably even missing it).

If you would like to join us, and we thank those who are already doing so, please go to the Contact Us page and email us to make your pledge, to assist us in feeding the hungry.

We thank you in anticipation.

Interesting, or as Kristy says, 'Mind boggling'! I agree!

Germany: Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07



United States: Food expenditure for one week $341.98



Italy: Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11



Mexico: Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09



Poland: Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27



Egypt: Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53



Ecuador: Food expenditure for one week: $31.55



Bhutan: Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03



Chad: Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

The Sewing Income Generation project has moved to a new stage.



The girls were excited as they were presented with sewing machines, which means that they can now operate a small business from their home, complete with a support system in place for them.

Little Samnang was pleased to see us for the first time since our return from Australia.



While the girls were busy making the wraps for the children in the orphanages...





... the men had the job of dismantling the machines to ensure safe transportation.







We love to see them equipped and empowered and living enriched lives!

At a meeting with Bophal from our adopted orphanage, we were presented with Centre Of Peace T Shirts that have resulted as a gift from someone.



Then it was down to the business of finances and budget reviews.



We are purposed and dedicated to ensuring that this orphanage will be raised to a standard they deserve.

Of course, the top priority will be a nutritional program for the children, which will be especially designed by Kristy when she arrives in a couple of weeks. Then all we need is the funding to implement the program.

How exciting!

We met David Raj from Joyce Meyer Ministries India, during the Hope Cambodia project and we were delighted when David tracked us down and arranged to meet with us on his visit to Phnom Penh.



Besides a nice meal, we enjoyed hearing an update on the JMM ministries within Cambodia.

We commenced our formal Khmer language study after years of informal lessons from our Khmer friends and colleagues.



How do you pronounce that, again?!

... we have taken to ensuring that we get plenty of relaxation, so Patrick decided to try his hand at baking...



... which provided me with plenty of entertainment! I had tears of laughter at his antics and especially the result, or should I say, flop!

... as we enjoyed yet another meal... this time as guests of Sandra & Graham, along with Pastor Kim and Sue at an Italian restaurant.



But that only came after Patrick entertained the kids while we waited for our lift to the restaurant.



Guess who got tired of this game, first?!

We had a great night of fellowship with the team from City Life Church, Victoria, Australia at Pastor Jesse and Soar's beautiful, welcoming home.





Soar made sure there was a lovely meal to be enjoyed...







... and there was lots of conversation relating to everyone's Cambodian experiences.





Meanwhile, Jessica appeared to have everything under control on the mobile phone!





Everyone seemed to be intrigued at something that was going on!



Pastor Pisit appeared to be the centre of attention in this little huddle and a lovely night was had by all.

... it was nice to finally put the faces to the names.

We enjoyed an inspiring time with the Ramsey girls - Pastors Hilary and Leigh - and Helen from Citipointe Brisbane, Australia, after they looked us up and arranged a time to get together.

Helen (in the middle) has been in Cambodia on a short term trip. However, interestingly enough, her plans have now changed and she will be going back to Australia soon to pack up and return to Phnom Penh to join the ex-pat contingent already serving the Cambodian people.

... this lady ...



... required a tin roof on her home so that she no longer had to stay with the neighbours.

This lady ...



... required a toilet at her home because the one her family have been using (which belonged to a neighbour) has had the access way blocked with a brick wall.

And this lady doesn't have a home...



... but has permission from a relative to build on their property, so we provided money for the start of the construction which will be a roof that will shelter the family until they have enough money to build the walls etc. The husband is a moto taxi driver, but has worked on construction, so he will build the family home.

Needless to say that the people were very grateful and full of hope when we left them.

... also heard about the piglet project and wanted to provide a piglet for a family.

... is an acronym for 'Know Your Bible' which is one of the women's groups at Metro Church in Australia.

The lovely ladies in the group kindly donated money to purchase a piglet for a poor family in the village.



Recently, we provided funds to build a sty and now this family is on their way to operating their own piggery.



It doesn't take much to make a huge change in the standard of living of the village people.



So now, KYB also applies to the piglets and is an ellipsis for 'Know You're Bacon'.

Ebony & Ivory...



... live together in perfect harmony, as they enjoy a meal together!

Thanks, 'Lovelies'.