I pray you all had a blessed holiday season and are entering into the New Year with joy! At Christian Happy Home Poipet, our holidays were bountiful and blessed and we are thankful for the Lord's goodness and grace toward us!
For me, the holidays started with a Thanksgiving feast I will never forget! Dr. Kent (the doctor I've been working with each week) and his family invited me and the few other Americans in town to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. I was expecting a very Cambodian-ized version of Thanksgiving dinner, but what a surprise and delight to find we were having a fully-fledged, no-holds-bar Thanksgiving FEAST! Complete with turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, veges and even home-made apple pie! Wow! I couldn't believe it! Never did I expect to have a meal like that in Poipet! It was a wonderful day of feasting and fellowship.
In early December we added another child to our Happy Home family. Meet Nong, he's 8 years old and a very special boy. Nong was abandoned by his mother when he was 3 months old, never knew who his father was, and was raised by another man who was not a relative. That man has since married and had children of his own. And as is so common in this culture, the stepmother had no interest in raising Nong and saw him only as a burden. The home situation was becoming abusive, and Nong was starting to show the effect of the abuse by becoming rebellious and running with some other troubled kids. We received him on a referral from the crisis center and the police. Despite the situation he came from, Nong is actually a very affectionate and loving little boy. He's started 1st grade at school and is really doing well adjusting to his new home. We are thankful the Lord brought him to us and has given him a chance to know the never-failing love of his true Father! (p.s. Nong is in need of a sponsor, if anyone is interested.)
Unfortunately not everything in December was joyful. We are entering the dry season which also make it fire season. Many people do controlled burns of grass around their homes and in the fields to prevent unexpected fires later. Sometimes the fires get out of hand and move in unexpected directions. Such was the case at Hope Center. One weekend there were many grass fires in the Prey Coupe area and they grew out of control. Fires approached Hope Center from two different directions. Residents and neighbors came together to try to stop the approaching fires, but the flames were carried by the wind over the road and over the first house, landing on the grass roof of the second house. Starting there, five houses at Hope Center were burned to the ground before the fires could be put out. Fortunately, no one was injured and the burned homes were not being occupied. The school, kitchen, and occupied homes were all spared, for which we thank the Lord! Things could have been much worse.
In mid-December we hosted a team visiting from a Bible college in northern Japan for a few days. They helped us fill our new flower beds with dirt and repair the driveway in front of the houses. They also ministered to the kids for an afternoon with skits, songs, and games. They were really great with the kids!
December 19th was the long-awaited big day of Mom and Witt's wedding at the Home! It was really a lovely day. The wedding ceremony was in the morning with just close friends, family and the kids. It was a mix of traditional Khmer and western style Christian wedding. The reception was in the evening with many more guests and lots of food! It was a very joyful day! It has been beautiful to watch the Lord at work in the lives of these two, to know their testimonies and to see the obstacles they've had to overcome to be together. They both love the Lord and are passionate about their work with the kids here. I've no doubt the Lord has special plans for them in the future!
The following week was Christmas week, and we had a full schedule. On the 23rd, we took the big kids caroling to the homes of a few church members. The kids had never even heard of caroling before, so this was a first......... as it also was to the homes we visited. They didn't quite know what to do, whether they should stand and watch us, or join in the singing. The kids really did great and had a lot of fun! We hope to make it an annual tradition.
On the 24th, the Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) churches from two combined districts held their annual Christmas program at our home. (This is the church our kids and staff attend.) They set-up a big stage, lights, and chairs in the open field at our home. There were maybe 500 people in attendance. Each of the churches participated in the program with a skit, song, or reading. Our kids did a very funny dance number to a rocking Jingle Bells song. It was a great night of fellowship, worship, and rejoicing in Christ's birth!
Christmas Day was non-stop celebrating! In the morning we invited the kids' closest relatives to join us for a Christmas program. The kids performed songs, skits and dances, and acted out the nativity story to share about Christ's birth. The kids each gave a framed photo of themselves to their family as a gift, which for many is the only picture they have of the kids. Following the program, we enjoyed fruits and snacks with the families. 
In the afternoon, it was games, games, and more games!! The kids and staff were divided into three teams and the competition was fierce. Balloon blowing, balloon popping, water balloon carrying......... it's amazing how many games you can play with balloons!! Witt even made a pinata filled with candy for the kids to break open. Following the olympic games, we had a BBQ feast and stuffed ourselves with goodies!
In the evening, we had our own Home Christmas celebration, with more skits, worship, and opening of gifts! The kids were really blessed by the gifts they received this year. Not only did they receive necessities, like new clothes and towels, they also received extra special gifts like transformers and trucks for the boys, and barbie dolls and toy computers for the girls. Most of the kids also received new pajamas (which are very popular in Cambodia), and they look so cute in them! It was glorious chaos watching 32 kids open presents all at the same time! The expressions on their faces was invaluable! Thanks to everyone who made this Christmas extra special!
New Year's Eve brought more celebrating! After a special BBQ dinner, we built a bonfire in the field, sang songs, and cooked sweet potatoes in the coals. I was able to find marshmallows in Bangkok earlier in the month, so the kids had another first...... roasting marshmallows over a fire! They really loved it! Mostly I think they loved catching them on fire and blowing them out! After a time of reflection and thanksgiving to the Lord, we toasted in the New Year at 11pm, thinking the kids needed to go to sleep. Of course, the kids then talked us into watching DVDs until 1am anyway. It was a great end to an amazing year!
As I reflect on this past year living and serving at Happy Home, I'm speechless to express all that's in my heart; feelings of awe and gratitude for the Lord's grace, love, and favor toward me. I am still confounded as to why the Lord would entrust this responsibility to me. I'm quite certain I have not impacted the lives of these children nearly as much as they have impacted mine. And as I look forward to 2010, I expect it will be an even more amazing year than 2009. I see so clearly the Lord's hand at work in our midst, most especially in bringing together the incredible staff we have for the new year. I call them the "Happy Home Dream Team." They are young, energetic, devoted, and most importantly, they love the Lord and they love His kids. I know the Lord brought them to serve here, not for my benefit, but for the kids'. It is just one more way the Lord confirms that He is the Father to the fatherless. Bless His name! Happy New Year to you all!
"You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Ps 16:11
