A Change of Pace

You know, for some reason I thought I would be better about sending timely updates if I set-up a Blog.  Hmmm! I guess the problem’s with the sender, not the medium.  In truth, writing doesn’t come naturally to me at all, so I procrastinate.   Better just to admit (to myself) that I’m only going to send updates every couple of months, rather than set unrealistic goals that lead me to procrastinate for weeks on end.  So, with that out of the way……..

Let's see, what’s been happening……Well, the last couple of months have been different than any other time since I’ve been here. For most of the last year-and-a-half it has been a constant whirlwind of projects, activities, teams, transitions, etc. but now, for the first time, I actually feel settled-in and caught-up! It’s really nice! My “to-do” list is now a “want-to-do” list instead of a “need-to-do” list. And I have time to do some things that truly are important, but somehow always manage to fall to the bottom of the list anyway, like learning the Khmer language. I’ve picked-up enough language so far to get by, but now I’m finally studying through a textbook with a teacher, and it is helping tremendously. I’m even beginning to learn the Khmer alphabet and to read a little. I really enjoy it, but still have to make a conscious effort to make studying a priority.  You know how those things go!

The kids are all doing well!  Everyone is healthy and happy!  They have been back in school for almost two months now.  I say that very loosely, because they’ve also had about ten days OFF school so far for holidays, teachers’ meetings, or simply because the teacher didn’t feel like showing up (which happens quite often – and they just leave the kids sitting in the classroom with nothing to do for the whole day!! It’s crazy!).  I’m actually concerned about the kids’ education.  I really don’t think they’re learning what they need to, and for the most part the teachers don’t care if the kids learn or not.  I’m praying for wisdom and direction on what we could do differently to help the kids.  They really need more individualized attention, but that’s a difficult task with 30 kids.


 On one of the kids’ many breaks from school, we decided to have a special “Boys’ Day” for the boys and a special “Girls’ Day” for the girls.  For Boys’ Day, the boys decided to have a fishing tournament in the pond and then cook their catch outside over the fire, like real men.  In the evening, they set-up the tent and mosquito nets in the gazebo and camped-out overnight in the wilderness (of the yard).  They all felt very macho! 

For Girls’ Day, we first had a mini shopping spree (50¢ each) at the local market where the girls all picked-out a new pair of earrings for themselves.  Then we fixed each other’s hair, painted our nails, and dressed-up in our Sunday clothes.  We packed our dinner and went to a picnic area at the border and had a lovely picnic outside.  In the evening, we had a slumber party in the big house and watched chick-flicks (“Barbie” and “Cinderella”) until we fell asleep.  It was definitely a “girly” day!

David (my friend who was over the Home before me) had a break from Thai language school in Chiang Rai and came to visit the kids for a weekend in October!  We kept it a secret and he surprised the kids by picking them up from school. They were so excited to see him!  They really love him, as he does them.  It was a great weekend!

Now our attention is turned to the big events coming up in December.  We will have a wedding at the Home, a team visiting from Japan, and at least three different Christmas celebrations all in December.  The wedding is between two of our house parents, Witt and Mom.  Witt is a young Thai man who grew up at Happy Home in Chiangsen Thailand from 10 yrs old.  He had visited and served at Happy Home Cambodia several times over the last few years and had fallen in love with kids and the ministry here.  During the course of his visits, he also fell in love with one of our housemoms, Mom!   After finishing the Discipleship Training Course with YWAM last year, Witt came to live full-time at Happy Home.  Initially he was working with Brandon on other projects, but since August he has been the full-time housedad to the big boys.  He’s really great with the kids!  Mom is a PK (pastor’s kid) and has been serving with MMF almost four years.  She’s a little fireball of energy and ideas and is a great housemom to the big girls.  We’re all very excited about their wedding!  Please pray for them as they are encountering some unexpected problems with the legal/paperwork aspect of a cross-cultural marriage.  But we’re not worried; one way or another, they will be married in December!

Well that’s about it for the kids and home stuff.  In other news, Clarissa is back in Poipet serving again with MMF for her fifth year in a row.  Clarissa is the 60-something New Zealand grandma whom Vanessa and I worked with during our first six months here last year.  It’s nice to see a familiar face! She is once again managing the Hope Center and Preschool projects while Brandon is home on furlough.  Her pastor from New Zealand came for a visit a couple of weeks ago, and I took them to Siem Reap for a day to tour Angkor Wat.    

Another wonderful door has opened for me to serve the Lord here in Poipet.  There is a Christian doctor and his family serving in Poipet with Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA).  They have been serving in Cambodia for over five years, but were home in the States on furlough during my first year here.  They have now returned to Poipet and the doctor is starting to see patients from the church one day per week.  I learned he could use some nursing assistance and talked with him about it.  It turns out to be a perfect fit. So now, as I’m available, I’ll be assisting Dr. Kent one day per week in the clinic.  I had my first day last week.  It was great!  He’s teaching me to do tests and procedures I normally wouldn’t get to do in the States.  (Don’t worry, nothing too big or risky!) This is such a wonderful blessing to me!  As much as I love serving at Happy Home, I have really missed nursing since being here and have been concerned about losing my knowledge and skills base.  So once again, here I stand in awe of God’s grace and favor toward me by hearing my prayers and granting me the desires of my heart. 

To wrap this up, I wanted to share a couple of cute photos with you.  In so many ways, the kids here are just like kids at home.  This is Bael on the left.  He got his hands on Witt’s razor/shaver and decided to give himself a haircut!  Nice look, huh?

This is Peter on the right.  I brought back stickers from Hong Kong for all the kids.  Most of the kids put them in their notebooks and school books.  I guess because Peter doesn’t have any books yet, he decided to put them ALL on his face at the same time!   There is always something entertaining here!

Well, I wish you all an abundant Thanksgiving, full of the goodness and grace of the Lord!  Many blessings in Christ Jesus! 

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations."  Ps 100:4-5

Summer Fun!

Wow, it has been a busy summer at Christian Happy Home in Poipet!   The kids have been on break from public school during August and September, and we’ve had a full schedule.  There have been a few challenges and a few changes, but also a lot of fun.  Although the summer started a little rough, it ended well. 

As mentioned in the last update, we took our new little girl Chanta to the hospital in Siem Reap for a diagnosis of the curvature of her upper spine.  They determined she has Pott’s Disease, or tuberculosis of the spine.   We usually think of TB affecting the lungs, but it can actually affect almost any body part.  She has been started on a six-month regimen of TB meds that should halt the progression of the disease, which is the goal at this time.  But as you can see, here with her partner in crime Peter, she happy, active, and free of pain.  We believe that her coming to Happy Home is not by chance and that the Lord has better plans for this beautiful little girl! 

We’ve had some changes in staff this summer, with the departure of one staff and the hiring of two new staff.  We hired a new night guard, Heng.  He’s a young lay leader in the local church our kids attend.  Everyone already knew him and loved him, so it’s wonderful to have him on staff.  In addition to his guard duties, he’s helping teach a discipleship class to our older kids and a Bible study for the staff.   

Som Ouen, the younger brother of our housemom, Mom, came to volunteer at our Home over the summer.  He also grew-up in a Christian children’s home in Phnom Penh from the age of ten.  He has a tremendous heart for the kids because he understands their situation, and has a great desire to help them improve their futures.  He was such a blessing to us as a volunteer we decided to hire him full-time! 

Over the summer, two different parents, for different reasons, came to Happy Home requesting to take their children back home.  This is always a difficult situation.  When Happy Home accepts a child, we complete all the necessary documentation to obtain legal custody/guardianship of the child, and the family member granting custody agrees to not ask for the child back.  Nonetheless, it still happens.  It’s never enjoyable saying no to a parent.  But once the child becomes part of our family, and we love them and envision a new future for them, it’s impossible to imagine sending them back to the situation from which they’d come.

At the beginning of August, a wave of the flu swept through the Home.  Over the course of about five days, more than 20 of the kids were affected to varying degrees.  On two different days we kept 10 kids home from private school.  Although I was suspicious it was the swine flu, we had no way of knowing, as the only testing facilities in Cambodia are six hours away.   We’re thankful that none of the kids were affected too severely and none required hospitalization, but it was an anxious, hectic few days of taking temperatures and giving meds.

After the flu passed, we began our summer classes at the Home for the kids.  We had classes for math, English, guitar, piano, Bible, and arts and crafts.  A few of the kids show musical potential, so we’ll be continuing the music classes.

In mid-August, we took all the kids and staff to Siem Reap for a few days of vacation!  Siem Reap is home to Angkor Wat, the ruins of the ancient Khmer civilization and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  We had a great time!

We toured Angkor Wat, visited the Angkor National Museum, watched traditional Khmer dancing at another children’s home, visited a silk farm, and went swimming every day!

The first week of September, Som Ouen and Wittaya ran a two-day Bootcamp for the big kids.  It was so much fun!  The kids were split into two teams and played more than 20 games requiring them to think and work together as a team.  The final afternoon included true bootcamp fun, like climbing over walls, crawling through mud, walking blindfolded through a maze, crossing over the pond on a rope bridge and riding a zip line.  It was a blast and the kids loved it!

The following week, the Philippino Baptist church in Poipet hosted vacation Bible school for the kids.  The kids learned new songs, memorized Bible verses, played games and performed skits.  This is the second year the church has hosted VBS for us, and it is great blessing!

The third week of September was a national holiday in Cambodia and about half the kids were able to go home and visit their families for a few days.

 During that same week, I attended a missions conference in Hong Kong hosted by Calvary Chapel.  I enjoyed catching up with my friend David, now serving in Thailand, and meeting many other missionaries from around SE Asia. It was a wonderful time of refreshing and encouragement.

The kids are now getting ready to return to school full time.  They each were blessed with two new uniforms and a backpack for the new school year.  As an outreach to their public school, yesterday we loaded up our trucks with kids and tools and cut the grass and picked-up trash all around the school.  It’s the first time I’ve seen the grass cut and the school clean in the last year.  It looks like a new school!

As the summer break is drawing to a close, we can look back and see the Lord’s blessing and favor toward us.  We’re thankful for His provision, protection, and abundance of blessings!    

"Because Your lovingkindness if better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name."  Ps 63:3-4