Week 4 November 2008

* At TLC On Sunday ...



... the children from the village decided to join the team who had gone to the centre to make Christmas decorations ...











... and also took the opportunity to rehearse for the Christmas Celebrations.



* The Printing House ...



... was the first stop after Patrick met me at the airport and then we headed out to ...

* ... The Village & TLC ...



... where a clean up was taking place.

Phearin has done a great job of managing TLC while Sochea is on maternity leave ...



... and I love the 'Bee' he has made for the children's upcoming 'Spelling Bee'. Some of the children were busy preparing for the competition with Srey Nik ...



... while Vireak conducted one-on-one sessions with other children ...



... including Sokhang. I wonder what the future holds for Sokhang after his diagnosis.



Meanwhile, Makara was reading a story to a group of children ...



... while these boys got some fresh air ...



... and a hug during the break time.





* TLC's 'Hygiene Poster Kids' ...



... have been chosen to encourage the children and families in hand washing.



* Community Care Interntational's ...

... container finally arrived in the province but was too big to get into the village and had to park out on the main road.



Patrick asked the driver where the keys to the padlock were, only to be told that there weren't any! That amused him!



As the truck pulled over to the other side of the road to unload, I was waiting in a Tuk Tuk parked on the side of the road. I noticed another truck coming down the road. As the container truck pulled across the road the truck behind found itself with nowhere to go except between the container truck and the Tuk Tuk and sped up to do so. I jumped out of the Tuk Tuk just as the truck side swiped the length of the container truck. Thank God it hadn't hit the Tuk Tuk and that I only received a sore leg!

The reason for the drama was that the truck driver had discovered that the truck didn't have any brakes and opted to try to pass between the Tuk Tuk and the turning container truck by increasing his speed! Side swiping the length of the container truck eventually brought the truck to a halt and the men carried out the repairs.



Then it was time to open the container ...



... but not before this girl, who was traveling alongside her friend on a bicycle and checking out what was going on at the same time, collided with each other. Soon they were 'back on their bike'!



With the container finally opened it was time to unload the contents ...



... onto shoulders ...



... motor bikes ...





... bicycles ...



... and trailers for the trek into the village.





For Theary the load was a little too heavy ...



... so she opted to assist Theara in getting the BBQ down the lane.



With the building materials, fixtures, fittings, furniture, educational supplies, clothing and a host of other things unloaded, it was time to unload the bicycles which were much easier to get to the village, simply by riding them down the lane.







After all of Vic & Fay's 'challenges' of getting the container off the dock at Sihanoukville and transported to Koh Krobey, all the contents were finally unloaded and stored until we organise a distribution and continue with the building project. We give thanks for Vic & Fay's organisation of the generous donation.

We returned to the city and decided that after a long eventful day and a few days apart, we would relax and catch up with each other over dinner at the Garden Centre, where we met Louise and Peta, from Brisbane, Australia ...



... who had just arrived in Cambodia from Malaysia where they had a good time (except for the stolen camera!) and will move onto an Intrepid Tour through Vietnam. We wish them hassle free travels!

* Mission Direct's Team ...

... led by Tim Martindale ...



... who contacted us after hearing about our project in May when Linda Chisholm visited the UK and happened to mention it, visited the village with his team members, Linda, chatting with our very own NLF international team organiser, Perth girl and previous Misson Direct employee, Karen ...



... along with Anna, Leap and Daniel.



After strolling through the village ...



... where Pastor Sara was administering first aid ...



... and the girls were getting ready to go to school ...



... the team enjoyed lunch with the TLC team before getting down to the business of constructing an extension to the exisiting buildings in the CRDP. Patrick ...



... and eventually Sam and Pastor Sara, all took to the whiteboard to draw the design ...



... while Anna copied the details to pass onto the team who will be doing the construction in January 2009.



The Mission Direct team had earlier enjoyed a time with the children ...





Then it was time to farewell the team as they left the village. Tim will return to the UK shortly while the rest of the team will remain until the construction team arrives in order to work with them.



We are excited that Mission Direct volunteers will be working alongside our team of locals, in building a lasting legacy. It's wonderful to have the practical assistance for this project. Excellent!

* Village English Classes ...

... conducted by Ura ...



... are going well with everyone happy to have the opportunity to study.





* Sew Empowered ...

... ladies cut their fabrics ...



... to sew at home during the coming week ...



... while baby slept!



Chanty had an accident during the week when a dog ran out in front of her motorbike. She sustained a lot of bruising to her legs, particularly around her knees, as well as abrasions to her foot, legs and face.

* Family of Hope's ...

... Katja leaves Cambodia to return to Germany before spending 2009 working in Estonia, so we met with Katja and Nai ...



... to do a handover.



We look forward to continuing in an advisor capacity to the project with Nai now leading and we pray for Katja as she travels and adjusts to life in the business world. We look forward to Katja's return after her twelve month break from serving here.

* Thinking About Volunteering in Phnom Penh?!

Family of Hope - an educational project offering great hope to poor Cambodian children - is looking for a suitable volunteer to serve on the project during the coming year. Accommodation is provided on site and if anyone is interested in learning more about the project or applying for the position, please contact us via email. A volunteer for 3/6/9/12 month period would be welcomed.

* Teen Challenge Takeo Campus ...



... celebrated it's Inauguration ...



... and Patrick and the board members joined official guests who included the District Governor, Police Chief and a representatives from MOSALVY, AOG ...



... and Pastor Jesse ... Teen Challenge Takeo Board Vice Chairman.



The Teen Challenge Hall was dedicated in June 2008 to the life and memory of Katie Prosapio ...



... who was killed in a car accident in 2006. Katie's father, Jerry, attended the dedication and it was a pleasure to meet Jerry and hear of Katie's passion for those less fortunate and her desire to one day be a missionary in India.

* TLC's Inaugural 'Spelling Bee' ...

... was held with most of the children choosing to register for the English spelling competition.



While some appeared happy ...



... others appeared to be a little nervous ...





... and on the edge of their seat ...





... while others preferred to stand.





At the end of the competition the winners from the morning session groups, Sopheak and Sonet ...



... and afternoon session groups, Lida, Srey Na and Sokhang, were delighted!



Due to Sokhang's vision condition, the book was not an appropriate prize ...



... so we discussed this with him and he agreed for us to replace the prize.

* Medicines ...

... kindly brought into Cambodia by Doctor Linda are a welcome provision for a number of ministries. Patrick checked out the instructions ...



... and Sue came to collect a supply for the Healing Home - Hospice.



And that is some of our week that was!

Week 3 November 2008

* Guests At New Life Fellowship ...

... included Senior Pastor Jodie Stehouwer from Resurrection Life Church, Mid Michigan, USA, who preached a great message.



Jodie, who pastors the Resurrection Life Church with her husband Randy, oversees Mission Matters and is currently in Cambodia with a team. We enjoyed meeting a number of members of the team, including Chuck.



* EFC's Children's Commission ...

... hosted Peter and Bev's Generation Ministries seminar on Creative Bible Lessons. Peter, together with Catherine, from Sun Focus Foundation Ltd, presented the sessions ...





... while Bev looked after the resources. The material is excellent and presented in manuals for Kindergarten, Primary and Junior aged children.

The curriculum is easy to follow and includes a great variety of full-coloured visual aids drawn by different artists suitable to the three age levels.





It's certainly a great addition to TLC's resource library and we are sure our team will enjoy working with the material.





Meetings and Seminars conducted at EFC's CC Hall provide us with an opportunity to catch up with Shiela and the team ...







... and 'old friends' working with young children.





EFC's Children's Commission always host excellent meetings and seminars for those working with children and I feel privileged to be involved as a member of the advisory council.

* Soksabbaai's ...

... Eric agreed to meet with us to discuss various aspects of the business.



The meeting was certainly very interesting and informative and it was a great opportunity to hear how a successful sewing operation like Soksabbaai runs.

Check out the range of Fair Trade Children's clothing on Soksabbaai's website at www.soksabbaai.nl

*Community Relocation & Development Project ...

... committee members met to discuss finances relating to the project ...



... before heading back to the city.



Pastor Sara looks a little tired these days, due to the fact that baby Moriah gets plenty of sleep during the day and stays awake a lot during the night.

* Doctor Jen ...



... and Doctor Linda ...



... and Nurse Janet ...



... conducted another clinic for the village people.





This team provided an excellent service to the people in our project and we are very grateful for their contribution.

* Visitors To Tarsha's Legacy Centre Included ...

Dee, Danielle, Georgia and Sara ...







... who presented another children's program. The musical chairs competition proved to be serious business ...



... with these two competing for the last chair.





As you know, the Kindy Kids only attend kindy in the morning but some had made their way through the foyer and up to the activity hall in the afternoon to get a sneak preview of what was going on ...



... before deciding that they were going to move closer to the action ...



... and ultimately take part in the action.



We met with some of the team to say 'Thanks & Farewell' at Jars of Clay before they set about winging their way home.



Some of the team have declared that they will be back and we look forward to that!



Sam doesn't mind wearing her Freo apparel here in Phnom Penh because not many people have heard of the Dockers' or their reputation!



Speaking of sport, Sam & Sara go way back to where they met at the basketball competition at Warwick, so it was great that Sam was able to join the team on a weekend away down south at Sihanoukville.



The ladies from the States, Debbie ...



... and Carole are due to leave Cambodia soon, so they visited TLC with ...



... Beverley ...



... and Jamie ...



... and enjoyed time with the Kindy Kids ...



... before giving a craft demonstration, with Yim looking on,
to some of the older children ...





... who then enjoyed making jewelry and accessories.





The trendy glasses ...



... were very cute!



* At Centre of Peace ...



.. the team were amazed at the testimony to the power of prayer after the speedy healing of Ratanak!

* Sew Empowered ...

... ladies were busy making items ...





... as we welcomed Veasna and her baby back to the project.



* We Presented Destiny Rescue's Team ...



... with another session of Creative Teacher Training ...







... while baby slept.



The team will attend two more presentations before the end of this year.

* Prison Fellowship Cambodia's ...

... quarterly board meeting was held with PFC's team members, Adam and Graham, joining the board to report on behalf of the Executive Director.



Linda had been sick and was not able to attend the meeting and little did I know at that stage ...



... that the following evening I would be accompanying Linda (who after a couple of short term stays in a Phnom Penh clinic was too sick to travel alone), home to Perth where she was admitted to Royal Perth Hospital upon arrival.

* Ratanak Foundation - Bringing Life to the Killing Fields of Cambodia

While I was boarding the flight to Perth, Patrick met with Ratanak Foundation's Brian McConaghy, over dinner.

I first met Brian soon after I moved to Cambodia and later on subsequent trips of Brian's to Phnom Penh.

I also met members of the Ratanak Foundation team in Canada when I had the pleasure of staying with Brain and his wife, Louise and their lovely boys, Ian and Andrew, when I visited last year.

Earlier this year, Ratanak Foundation was the recipient of the top award of the 2008 RL Petersen Awards for Non-Profit Innovation. Excellent!

And that is some of our week that was!

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!

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!