Week 4 - March 2009

* Mission Direct's Team # 4 ...

... joined us for a presentation prior to joining the final stage of the construction project at the Community Relocation and Development project.



Team # 4 members are Myra, Richard, Janet ...



... Jo, Ian and Heather.



Of course, Anna ...



... and Linda were there!



The team were soon on the site building ...







... and enjoying a joke or two! The weather has certainly warmed up recently, so Team # 4 are experiencing the brunt of the dry/hot season.



Break time gave the team a chance to get some respite from the sun while enjoying a drink. Heather and Janet reported that they have never laid a brick in their lives before this project, proving that it's really never too late to learn new skills. Whoever came up with the idiom that 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'?! These guys are living proof that all things are possible. All you have to do is push your boundaries, get out of your comfort zone or out of the box!



I had a chance to talk over a few things with Mission Direct's resident translator, Leap. She's a real sweetie!



* SAO Are In Town ...



... and visited the CRDP & TLC projects.



They're a talented group and obviously enjoyed presenting the puppet show ...





... as much as the kids enjoyed watching it.







* Meetings, Meals & Networking ...

... are always on the agenda and this week we met with Marion ...



... and caught up briefly with Ann, prior to her flight out of town, and met newcomer, Julie, from Citipointe with Pat from Destiny Rescue ...



... and Selena, from NZ, who is here holding the fort at the Healing Home while Kim and Sue are on leave.



We caught up with Frank and joined Linda, together with the usual group, for a weekend breakfast.



Marie has recently returned from Canada and we met Mark ...



... Cheryl and Kassandra from Canada.



Cheryl has been in Cambodia since September teaching at Rescue and Mark and Kassandra have been keeping the home fires burning. Mark and Kassandra flew in to join Cheryl for the last couple of weeks of her trip. What a blessing it is to have people who are prepared to commit to short term mission trips in order to touch the lives of those less fortunate. Excellent!

* Dinner With Mr & Mrs Geisler, aka Graham and Seda ...



... at their home was a treat. Visiting the newleyweds gave us a chance to try out Seda's Western culinary skills and spending time with their extended family was a pleasure. Lisa was busy displaying her art ...



... while Davis read a couple of English books to me and showed me some of the work he has completed at TC. It's so encouraging to see the development in him ...



... and young Reatrey was happy just to have a cuddle.



* Connect Cambodia's Guest Speaker ...



... Paul Luchtenburg, presented a session on Microcredit, but not before we all had a chance to sing 'Happy Birthday'.



Paul's is CEO of AMK and his session was informative and interesting ...



... particulary, as we have recently launched a more formal microcredit scheme.

Mark and Jo are also heading south to escape the heat ...





... so we pray for a great time of refreshing for them both and look forward to seeing them upon their return.

* Sew Empowered's Ladies ...



... were delighted with their beautiful handcrafted gift from Cheryl and Tommy.



While some of the ladies worked on Calypso Costume's order ...



... I took time out to meet with Chanty and Srey Poe regarding our exciting new pilot program ...



... which will commence next week. Srey Poe has accepted a contract with us to manage the new Silk Screen T Shirt project and we are excited to have her join our team, as she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise. After we discussed the finer details of the project, we invited our resident 'Finance Manager' in to approve the funding of the latest skills training and income generation project.



All of the ladies are excited about learning a new skill, so that's great.

* The End Of Month TLC Birthday Party ...



... is always a treat and this month included two big kids, Anna and Patrick!



The oldest and youngest, who is now three, got together for a photo ...



... before joining the rest of the 'birthday kids' for the obligatory cake sharing ceremony.





At one stage there seemed to be as much icing on faces, as there was on plates and it didn't get there by accident!



* There Was Great Excitement ...

... as the kids queued to redeem their reward points ...



... and make their selection from the display cabinet.



* In The Classrooms ...



... I couldn't help but think about the recent articles in the Cambodian newspapers reporting on the school dropout rates which mar Cambodia's Millenium Development Goal (MDG) for education.

It appears that 'informal fees' collected by teachers are still a major concern as families struggle to pay for what is supposed to be free.

Gender parity targets are also at risk as parents still need convincing that they should invest in their daughters' education.



Women's rights experts have noted that gender parity would do much to facilitate the meeting of the third MDG: to promote gender equality and empower women.

And that is some of our week that was!

Week 3 March 2009

* Attending One of Church of the King's Sunday Services ...



... gave us the opportunity to worship with the congregation and listen to a message from guest speaker, Senior Pastor of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, Chris Hodges.



We also met up Pastor Randy, again, and Sam, who served with us at TLC last year. I can still picture Sam painting the mural on a wall at TLC and singing Kari Jobe's, 'Beautiful'. Beautiful!



Meeting a couple of the local Sherrif's was also a treat ...



... and the introductions continued as we met Pastor Mike.



* 'Sew Empowered' ...

... completed an order for Tommy & Cheryl's jewelry business after being introduced via email and receiving an order, so we met with Tommy & Cheryl to hand over and unveil the order of pouches that the ladies made.



Cheryl & Tommy were thrilled with the silk pouches ...



... and later informed us that the fabric and workmanship were fantastic and everyone they showd them to 'ooohed and ahhhhhed' over them. We're blessed by that news!

The 'Sew Empowered' women are in for a treat when next we meet, as Tommy and Cheryl gave us a beautiful handcrafted piece of jewelry for each of them. Excellent!

* Dinner At Therese & Jamie's ...



... gave us the chance to see some of the team members who served with us at TLC - Cheri, Diane, Donna, Diane, Missy, Rhonda and Deb, our gracious host - and to meet their husbands. Pastor Randy entertained everyone ...





... before blessing Jamie and Therese's culinary treat ...



... Louisiana's famous Gumbo!

John ...



... and Jamie kindly organised the visual and sound side of things for our presentation.



It was great to meet up with everyone again ...







... and lovely to meet Sara, who has been a missionary to China.



We had a great night!

* Speaking of Great Nights ...

... we joined our gracious hosts, John and Deb for a farewell dinner ...



... and couldn't resist wishing John an early 'Happy Birthday'.



Have a great day as you celebrate your birthday, John!

* Faith @ Work's ...

... Mission Statement is to equip professional women to be effective Chrisian leaders presenting a compelling picture of who Christ is. With a vision to support, teach and encourage one another they make a difference by bringing truth and hope to their workplace. What a great vision!



And what a great privilege it was for me to have the opportunity of sharing with Jennifer, Lauren, Theresa, Maryrita and Bethany at their weekly meeting led by Deb. These women are dedicated to their vision and obviously committed as they make sure they attend the meeting, regardless of the early 6am start.

Besides making a difference in the market place, this group of women also has a heart for missions and some have been on a trip, or want to go on a trip, or already have their next trip planned. Awesome!

* As We Leave Louisiana ...

... we couldn't help but think how great it would be to have John's truck to get around the streets of Phnom Penh.



That would be much safer than our motorbike!

And wow, do they know how to eat down here in the south! It's non stop beingets, hush puppies, corn grit, jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo.



So, as we prepare to leave the Pelican State of Louisiana, we thank everyone who welcomed us and made our time here, a memorable one.

We especially thank John and Deb for hosting us in their beautiful home and for going 'all out' to ensure that we were abundantly blessed!



May 'all ya'll' be abundantly blessed!

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

It doesn't make any difference where we travel in this world, our hosts are all the same ... gracious servants who make sure we are looked after in the best possible way and for that we are very grateful.

* Soon After We Arrived Back in Cambodia ...

... we headed out across the bridge, where we noticed that the new bridge is well advanced...



... to the village to see the team and kids and we arrived just in time for the commencement of the fitness session, where the team ...



... and kids were having a great time ...



... and those in need of assistance to get the exercise just right, got just that!



After the session, the kids moved into their classrooms to study.





New registrations continue at TLC, so before the new children can attend regular classes, they go through a catch up program to get them up to standard.



* Strolling Through The Village ...



... we were warmly greeted by everyone ...





... before taking a stroll out into the community to visit Sokun's family.



While we have been away, the team made renovations to the house, transforming it into a more comfortable home for the family. The area of the house has been increased and tin has replaced the plastic and cement bags which previously provided little shelter. The family will not have any concerns now when the wet season starts, so that's great!

We also discovered that Sokun's father went blind soon after his daughter's birth, so we will now organise a visit to a specialist clinic to see if his condition is operable.

And that is some of our week that was!

Week 2 ... Continued ... March 2009

* After Leaving The Lone Star State of Texas ...



... and Teen Mania behind, we arrived in Louisiana where we were in for another treat! Deb and John were at the airport to greet us and after having picked up their friend Brittany, we crossed the 24 mile causeway across Lake Pontchartrain from the New Orleans North Shore to the South Shore.



The beautiful live oak trees are hundreds of years old and are spectacular with their strong trunks and Spanish moss hanging from them, although there were a few that didn't survive Hurricane Katrina.



* Melvin Adams, A Former Harlen Globetrotter ...

... was scheduled to speak at a number of high schools in New Orleans, so we met up with Pastor Danny and Andrew and crossed the causeway to the North Shore to join Melvin. Melvin has spoken to over 2,000,000 youth at school assemblies, basketball clinics, camps and other youth events.

Melvin grew up in the ghetto in Houston, Texas and overcame negative challenging life experiences to achieve his dream of playing professional basketball. After winning numerous awards playing professional basketball, Melvin retired from the Harlem Globetrotters to pursue his burden of reaching the youth. What a passionate, inspirational man he is! www.melvinadams.com



Brandon was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and uses his unique gift in music to reach the new generation through Christian Hip-Hop. Brandon was raised in an unstable household and found himself fighting many obstacles. At the age of 16 Christ changed his life dramatically and he now reaches the world through his music and testimony by encouraging and inspiring people to become all they can be. www.myspace.com/syprememusic

Attending the high schools in the suburbs, aka the hood, was certainly a treat for us ...



... and after the assembly ...



... we met the Principal ......



... and kids ...







At the next high school on the schedule, Montana, a security guard at the school, checked us in ...



... and we met with Thomas, from Mission Lab in Georgia, who is currently on spring break ...



... and had a chance to chat with Pastor Danny.



The kids thoroughly enjoyed Melvin and Brandon's presentation ...













These kids all have big dreams and it was great that they had the opportunity to hear Melvin and Brandon's testimonies, which no doubt inspired them to be all they can be!



After the assembly, some of the students took the opportunity to chat about their dreams with Melvin and Brandon.





Finally, we headed to the last school on the schedule for the day, where the guys enjoyed shooting some hoops while they waited for the assembly to commence ...





... and we had the opportunity to meet some of the younger children during the break time.





At this school the kids finally responded to Brandon's invitation to dance while he was singing hip hop and they did an excellent job ...





... while the rest of the students enjoyed looking on.



* Dr's Mark & Doreen Babo ...



... treated us to an evening meal in their home in New Orleans.



We first met Mark and Doreen when we hosted the medical teams on the weekends, during the JMM 30 Days of Hope in 2007. Mark and Doreen were the team leaders for the first half of the outreach. We had the opportunity of seeing Doreen again when we hosted Church of the King's women's mission trip to Cambodia in 2008 and it was great to see Mark again after all that time.

We were blessed that Mark and Doreen were still in town at the time of our visit because they were only days away from leading a mission's trip to Nigeria.

* Church of the King's Executive Pastor, Randy ...

... and his wife, Diane, who served with us at TLC last year, treated us to lunch, which gave us all a great opportunity to fellowship ...



... followed by a shopping spree in Church of the King's Gift Shop, which blessed us with lots of resources, including DVD's for the kids at TLC. Amazing! While we were at the church, we had the opportunity to catch up with Michelle, who served with us at TLC.



* Church of the King's New Orleans Dream Center Block Party ...

... in the suburbs was scheduled on the weekend, so we went with Dr. John and after making a stop to pick up supplies for the outreach clinic we made a stop at John and Deb's Veterinary Clinic to meet the rest of the volunteers before heading over the 24 mile long causeway to the block party. Dr. John explained that repairs to the building from the impact of Hurricane Katrina still required completion ...



... and a house next to the complex still had a large tree leaning over the building.



At the Dream Center Block Party ...



... a number of dogs were treated ...



... by Dr. John and his team ...





... and one of the cats required all hands on deck to treat it, so Amy, Martina, Ashley & Ashleigh joined forces!



The Dream Center Mobile Medical Clinic volunteers were busy treating people ...



... as were the volunteers serving meals to the guests under the interstate.





Kids enjoyed playing on the equipment ...





... before watching Melvin and Brandon's presentations ...





... and shooting hoops with their very own autographed basketballs!



This little guy was excited as Melvin put the spinning ball on his little finger tip ...



... before giving him a big hug. Cute!



It was great to meet up with Candice and Missy who served with us at TLC last year ...



... and to later meet up with Pastor Danny, Missy and their children ...



... and have a chance to see Michelle again and meet her husband, Jeff. Michelle and her young daughter have a mission trip planned for later in the year. We really enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time with Michelle and Jeff over lunch.



We were truly blessed to have the opportunity to attend Church of the King's Dream Center Block Party and it was great to see a number of the kids that we had met during the week at the public high schools in attendance.

* Shopping For A Camera ...



... with John was a real blessing and we were served by Stephanie, who has a desire to be a missionary. Interesting!

And that is some of our week that was!

Week 2 March 2009

* Our Teen Mania ...

... itinerary was drawing to a close with Global Expedition's June-July trip meeting with Stacy ...



... and Emily ...



... followed by a tour of the campus with Ingrid to check out 'The Village' where the teams who go on Global Expeditions trips throughout the nations, first gather.





We haven't seen so many beds in one location before. The huts full of double or triple decker beds, can sleep up to 1,500 people.



Following 'The Village' visit, we went to Teen Mania's 'Acquire the Fire' epicentre, where we met some of the team ...



... including ATF's Call Centre Director, Jamin and Call Centre Manager, Todd ...



... and Oliver, who was interested in hearing about our life as a missionary.



Finally, we enjoyed an evening out with our 'Klein Castle, Lindale, House Mates' who opened their home to us.



We had a lovely time with the ladies who truly inspired us! Ingrid, Queen of Klein Castle ...



... was born in Colombia and moved to Canada when she was 4. At 18 Ingrid moved overseas to work as a missionary for 6 months in Central America. Directly after that she moved to Texas to be an intern at Teen Mania's Honor Academy. For the past 4 years she's been on staff (a total of 6 years in Texas). For her 25th birthday this year, Ingrid went to her 25th country. How cute, that Ingrid said that she loves us and is so glad that we stayed at her home!

Tara (on the right) has been with Teen Mania Ministry for 4 years. She's originally from Ohio and yet despised the cold! Tara loves coffee and tries to live by Isaiah 26:3&4.



Kristen (on the left) is 21 and has worked with Teen Mania for 3 years. She's in college and is studying to be a Counselor. Kristin loves to travel and hopes to visit Cambodia one day.

Mary grew up in Western Iowa in a small town ...



... and has been with Teen Mania for 5 years and love to sing and write songs. She is a worship leader at Christian Community Fellowship Church and manages the School of Worship at Teen Mania. Mary enjoys teaching and equipping young worship leaders.

Emma (you guessed it) works at Teen Mania.



Emma has a bus license and loves scarves!

We were blessed by our time with these young ladies and look forward to seeing them again, wherever that may be.

And that's some of our week that was and our last post from Texas, where everything is BIG!

Week 1 ... Continued March 2009

What an amazing week we have had at Teen Mania Ministries, Texas!



It's the Global Expedition's Project Director's Summit and as Global Partners, we were delighted to be invited to do a presentation. 90 PD's gathered from all over the country, as well as further afield. These people will lead teams of teens to 30 nations this summer.

Stefan led worship throughout the summit ...



... and we met with Eddie and Vivianne, who will be leading the team to Cambodia.



Eddie also gave us a demonstration of a great water purifier that he plans to bring to Cambodia in a couple of months.



The Summit program has been great and it's wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with people with passionate hearts for missions like Aaron and Adam ...



... TJ, who has been to Cambodia to serve with us on the last two Global Expedition trips ...



... Angela, who also has a heart for Cambodia and the world, together with Esther ...



... Kyle, who was in Cambodia during the JMM 30 days of Hope, with Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty's Victory Christian Center team from Tulsa, OK, and his wife Brenda.



Jeremy, Director of True Life Adventures was there ...



... as was Hallie, from Samaritan's Purse International who recently returned from Cambodia working with the SP Cambodia team.



Emily is working on the preparations for the Cambodian trip.



* 'Aquire the Fire' at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas ...

... was an amazing experience! When we arrived at the univesity, the ATF trucks were unloading and setting up for the life transforming event ...



... and we enjoyed a meal in a marquee that had been set up outside the venue, where we met Jen, who will be our contact for this years trip and caught up with Ingrid, our gracious host in Lindale, Texas ...



... and Jon Hasz, Director of Global Expeditions and Dave Hasz, Chief Operations Officer of Teen Mania Ministries , who have presented great sessions at the Summit.



Ron Luce, President of Teen Mania Ministries ...



... preached to the 7,500 thousands youth who packed the university stadium.



After the drive back from Dallas, we arrrived at Garden Valley, the home of Teen Mania Ministries, around 1am before heading back home.

We enjoyed presenting to the Directors ...



... and thank Lisa, who looked after the audio and visuals for us.



In between the summit sessions ...



... presented by Stacy ...





... and Jason ...



... and announcements from Emmie, to keep the program on schedule ...



... the team gathered for a photo ...





... and delicious theme meals presented by George and his team.







On the last night, we enjoyed a night out bowling ...



... where Patrick enjoyed bowling a strike ...



... and Marcus, who was on the team with Patrick, Nickee, Randee and Edwin ...



... who finally received answer to his prayer at the eleventh hour, when he bowled a strike on his last bowl.

It was a late night when we arrived home at about 1am and later still when we turned the clock forward an hour for daylight saving before an early start on the final day.

We were made to feel right at home and well looked after by Ingrid and Ashley, who drove us around.



Texas hospitality is amazing!

Teen Mania - What an incredible ministry! We thoroughly enjoyed the summit and consider it a privilege to be a Global Partner of Global Expeditions!

And that's some of our week that was!

Week 1 March 2009

* Blessed To Be A Blessing!

This story is about the little girl who came to TLC with her mother (see last week's update). In summary, the young girl was interviewed and enrolled and commenced studying at TLC. Costs associated with her attending the government school have been taken on due to the mother's health issues churning up the family finances.



When our team visited the girl at home they met with the mother, who is a paraplegic and also the father, who the team discovered is blind.

The team arranged a pack of clothing and necessities which included a new pair of shoes. The young girl was delighted with the new shoes and in her excitement told the team that she has never ever had a pair of new shoes before. In all this excitement, the father asked his daughter to 'show him' the new shoes. The father felt them all over and agreed with his daughter just how beautiful her new shoes were.

The young girl was also given milk with her meal at TLC and she told the team that she has never tasted milk before. It was a big day of 'Firsts' for this young 9 year old and we at TLC were blessed to be the ones to provide it.

After seeing the condition of the home, the team have decided that they want to bless them further. So stay tuned. We look forward to that!

* TLC's Children ...

... we all enjoying a movie ...



... while the team prepared to present their meal.





* Sam's Sewing Team ...

... are working on an order, so I met with some of the team one day ...



... and on another occasion to quality test the products. They all just keep on sewing away, regardless of the fact that they are all currently living in a construction site!



It was great to have the opportunity to encourage the women to keep improving their skills. They're doing a great job and are working hard towards producing excellent products for Sam to sell in Australia. We trust Sam will be delighted when she receives the completed order.

* At CRDP Only 6 Houses ...

... now await their extensions ...



... while others wait to be finished off. It's looking great ...



... and the kids are cute and always have the welcome mat out!



We look forward to meeting Mission Direct's Team # 3 in a couple of weeks. The team, together with the local team, will be the ones to complete the project. Excellent!

* It Was Time To Say Farewell ...

... to the team and children ...



... as we prepare to leave for the USA for two weeks for a round of meetings and speaking engagements.

And that's it until then!