Thursday in Cambodia... saying Goodbye!

Our last and final day in Cambodia... is it really over... I wish was back there this very minute.  Welcome to Thursday... a day full of tears...
Here is our trusty driver... he was amazing and kept us safe and on time the whole trip.  He was a joy to be around and he was happy to share with us his new marriage to a beautiful bride.  We knew we were thankful for him but especially when we got to the airport later that day and meet a group of college students that had a similar van to ours (no seat belts and 7 passengers) and they were in a horrific car accident that killed the driver and co-pilot and several of the students were injured and were being taken back to Singapore (where they were going to college) to get further care.  We are so thankful for a safe trip.


Our gang with all of our loot... we had a great mission and we did some shopping too.

I will forever remember these people and remember the good times we shared and the stories they told... If I could only be half the woman/man these people are... I will be doing good.


Here is a random street... but here is a better shot of the street that we were on when we had out flat tire... now you tell me that God was not all over that...

Teacher Mo is one of the teachers that has to share the office to sleep in with another male teacher... he has a hard time sleeping bc the other teacher stays up talking with his girlfriend... but Mo never complained just gave his friend a hard time... so my gift to him was a clean pair of ear plugs... sleep well Mo.

If we were away from the kids... this is usually what I was doing...

One of the Cambodian Ministries that IBC supports is Kingdom Creations... where they make mostly bags (that look like Vera Bradley)... if you know me you have probably bought one of these or been given one as a gift... on our way out of Cambodia we got to see the shop where these ladies make the bags... a great ministry where they are trying to teach women in Cambodia to sew and make income for their family... a great safe place for them to be and they are awesome and make some cute stuff.

Leaving Cambodia... what a great group of ladies...


Oh yeah... we had to do one more shopping adventure at a local market... oh boy...


This is what I came for... cow bells... they are known for here in Cambodia and along time ago this is how the farmers use to tag their cows... by ornate cow bells... I got me a couple.. they are so pretty.

And some old pipes for some substance that will stay unnamed... use your imagination... I do have to say they were pretty.

Our team (minus a few and plus some new ones) are going back in April for another VBS visit with the village... I really prayed hard over this but with the timing and some other key important reasons (you will learn soon) Blake and I thought I should stay here in Singapore and pray for the team while they are there... it breaks my heart to miss this opportunity but no matter how bad I want to go (selfish reasons I am sure) God is saying no... can't wait to hear about all the amazing things the team will do and so thankful that our church will get to love on that country again (and again).

Last time with the kids in Cambodia...

Once we finished at the village we headed back to the school for another afternoon session.  One of my favorite times of the days are in-between sessions while the kids are just playing and in their element.  I spotted the kid below sitting in a tree taking the tree sap and putting it on one of his wounds (from bugs).  I asked someone later and they said that the sap helps heal it and keep other bugs out.

Once VBS started we were back at Games... they were so happy to be playing with a balloon.


This was the night that we opened up the school for MOVIE NIGHT for all... anyone in the village was invited to come and we brought popcorn kernals from Singapore to share with the people.... Here is our gang trying to whip up some popcorn... the cook (lady in pink) was fascinated...

We had a good turnout for the movie... we watched Rio in English but they did not mind they seemed to laugh at the right parts and loved all the color...

Sorry the pics are out of order but here this is a good picture of what happens during the day... we talk and then a teacher translates for us... time consuming but it worked.

Can I just take the boy home with me... please...

More clothes for the kids...

At the end we had the kids line up and we gave them all candy... oh boy...

Here is our gang, with some children that got new clothes, and the teachers...



Never forget their faces... and please join me in thanking God for them...

Afterwards we had some good times with the teachers... they wanted to show us their local dancing and they even taught us some moves... we of course had a lot of fun... here is our charlie's angels pic...


A great last day with the kids... tomorrow we are coming back to spend some special time with the teachers, encouraging them and thanking them for their dedication and commitment.  It is so hard to say goodbye...

More of our time in The Andong Village...

Between all the members of our group we had hundreds of pics... you can imagine I am sure... most of the people in the village wanted their picture taken and the kids wanted more than one.  So we ended up with some fabulous photos but I only sharing with you the ones that I hope leave an impact with you and can kind of share their story at the same time.

Yesterday I spoke of the various types of houses... the pic below is of some men that were building a new house...almost finished.... they have a rood and it is multi level...

We passed by this one house that had a sleeping baby in the hammock... now Pierce would have loved to sleep like this (and has before) but I would have never figured out how to keep the walls from crashing in on the baby... why didn't I think of two pieces of wood... clever.

A mom working hard and making a living... there will be a lot of pics below that show you how various people earned an income while staying in the village... many of them revolved around food.

Here is a great shot of just common life in the village... like I said it was hot... and there are times I had wished I was naked like these kids...


We did get to pray with a family that had just had twins... when a bunch of women walked in to this house we all oooeee and aweeed... sweet little babies that just lie their all day and a sweet mom that worked so hard to take care of them.  They were so happy to see our faces and we just wanted to hold them... but we did not.  The school donates formula for this family so the children are well nourished.

Here is the proud mama... she walked us out....


This lady you will see again... I am so glad that I got a picture of her sweet smile.  She was taking wool and stuffing pillows and mattress' that is how she made a living..


The Twins again... oh how I wish I could watch them grow...

Just one of the trash piles... that they will burn someday... Pastor Abraham has taught them to keep their trash in a common area to take care of their village.

There is nothing like a barbed wire clothes rod.

Here is the same lady that was stuffing pillow.  Not sure if this was her home (under the tree) or if this is just where she works... but I am so proud of her for making a living and supporting her family.

A picture of one trench... that carried waste and natural rain water away from the village.

If you know me... I ask a lot of question... here Pastor Abraham is trying to explain something to me...

You saw this sweet man yesterday and I am happy to show him again... after my picture with him he wanted more... and was happy to take them... this time he saluted with our Vision Trust leader who is responsible for all the funding from Vision Trust for this village and school.  This is her second home and was happy to see this man again.

Got to love this last picture from the village... our fearless leader holding tight to two children... the children just wanted to be with us and it was so hard to say goodbye...