Background...


BACKGROUND...

We will be working with the Cambodian Hope Organisation (CHO), in a border town called Poipet. In Poipet the largest source of employment is day labour, 8-10 thousand people cross the border each day to transport goods back from Thailand; working conditions and pay is poor. Poipet lies in the shadows of ten super-casinos, they provide little economic benefit to the local area. The influx of tourists and gamblers attracted by the casinos has encouraged the sex industry to flourish. Child trafficking has taken a stronghold in Poipet, and its the poor families who are at risk of being lured into sending their children into Thailand where the risk of trafficking is high.

There is Hope! CHO works in the local community, and they envision 'a network of strong, hope-filled communities where adequate physical, psychological and spiritual needs are met.'


The work we will be doing with CHO is varied and includes; Helping to build a safe haven centre for children who have escaped the child trafficking industry, learning Khmer, the local language, taking an active role in children’s clubs and ‘school on a mat’, assisting CHO staff in their work in the community, working with individuals from different cultures and faiths, especially the Buddhist culture, praying for and visiting those suffering with HIV/AIDS, taking an active role in the life of the Church through worship, sharing testimonies, taking bible studies and preaching.


Sunday 11 July 2010

1st – 11th July

Well it turns out that we will be the guest Blogger (sorry for any disappointments!) as we enter the final week in Poipet!
174 days down, 9 to go…

The month started early at 5am with Alex’s birthday where the three of us and our friend Thea, one of the CHO staff with whom we do most of our work with, went to the meat market. We particularly enjoy visiting the overcrowded and somewhat smelly market and seeing what exciting new things we can find, and so, at Alex’s request we began the month at the place where it all happens in Poipet! Much busier at six in the morning instead of later in the day when we’d normally go, but not nearly as smelly; with temperatures reaching mid 40’s the smell of meat is, ermm… potent!

Our work currently revolves around the Safe Haven – at the building site in the mornings and with the children at school in the afternoon. The walls are built, the windows and doors in place and the roof is on, with the ceiling currently going in and we have just finished concreting the floors inside and out on the patio; next week we’ll start tiling.

We of course continue to teach English at the Safe Haven school and bible stories after that. We now know the children so well and we will certainly miss them when we come home, as they are a delight to be with, talk to, play games with, teach English and learn how to love like them. We have been doing another project with them over the last two weeks; putting on a production of Noah’s ark!
They made: animal masks, angry/laughing people masks, Noah and his family’s masks, 2 wonderful backgrounds – land and sea (flood), a rainbow, raindrops, acted out the whole story and we made an ark. With a wonderful narrator, an occasionally smiley God, some quiet angry people, some comical laughing, the ark almost falling down, some stray cats entering through the back of the ark and not the door, beautiful [praiseful] singing of “Happy Day” and a final prayer by Mana, Chomno’s daughter whom we live with, to end the performance; it was a wonderful afternoon. The children did so, so well and we were so proud of them! It was such a fantastic way to start saying goodbye to these awesome children!
We will ditch the English for them this final week and play lots of games – which may involve a load of water bottles, Cello tape, scissors, team building and lots of running around!

We had our last church service this Sunday morning where we played a few songs with the worship band and was both sad to say goodbye and surreal that we were - the final week seemed so far off a few weeks ago, and yet, here we are.

Tomorrow we are playing music at the opening for the new TB clinic they have recently built at the HIV/AID’s hospital that CHO run and so we are looking forward to that. The TB clinic will provide better facilities for those who suffer from HIV/AID’s and TB and thus able to separate those who do have TB form those who don’t. So for those awake at 2 in the morning, your prayers would be welcome!

We plan to do one more blog after this, but please keep us in your prayers as we are in the final home straight now and perhaps need your prayers more than ever now!
There are many thing’s we love about this country and thing’s we’ll miss, thing’s we won’t, thing’s we’re indifferent to, thing’s we’ve learned, thing’s we’ve seen, thing’s we’re looking forward to, thing’s we’re not, thing’s that have challenged us, changed us and transformed us.
Whether it’s the Safe Haven children, the Khmer people, building, moving bricks, gravel, sand and dirt from A to B, then to C and back to A, visiting the villages, playing games and sharing bible stories with the school-on-a-mat classes and vocational training classes, morning devotions, praying for people, seeing and living with those who live in a world so different to ours in Britain, teaching English, playing worship music and spreading the gospel of Christ; or sticky rice, deep fried battered bananas, living on a main road where incessantly beeping a horn on a moto, car or lorry is perfectly acceptable at 3 in the morning, washing in a bucket, occasional clean clothes, cockroaches appearing dead and consequently being eaten by ants daily; geckos, mice and the occasional rat; Khmer music, the never ending Khmer weddings (very loud music at all hours of the day – sleep is not allowed for those within a 100m radius of the speakers) and seeing an impossible amount of pigs and/or chicken’s being carried to the market strung upside down on the back of a motorbike and a family of 6 plus luggage balanced on a single motorbike; living in Cambodia and working with CHO has challenged us, it’s undoubtedly changed us and through Christ, and what we’ve been able to be a part of here in Cambodia has transformed us…

Yesterday was spent upturning the two rooms we occupy at CHO, where items previously thought lost, have once again been found; the floor is sparkly clean through the use of a broom, bleach and a crafty invention known to most as the common mop; the washing facilities have been cleansed from years of grime, cupboards emptied upside-down, back to front and inside-out, it was like ‘How Clean is Your House’. The first noticeable signs of packing have begun; though who would’ve thought Calum would be the first to pack! After 6 months of being with each other 24/7 (nearly 4,180 hours)... certainly not Paul and Alex, that’s for sure!

Well, to everyone and especially to all those who have been praying for us, sent us letters, packages and reading these horrifically long blogs, which are so sporadic it’s untrue, we thank you so much for all your support as we appreciate it ever so much.

God Bless
Alex, Calum and Paul

...and even if England did lose to Germany, at least through the referee, England made it to the World Cup Final 2010!

(Calum: I took no part in the inclusion of this ludicrous, ‘clutching at straws’ statement.)

4 comments:

  1. What do you mean, clutching at straws! Stan has already identified the fact that as well as the referee and the two linesmen there were 8 players within the two teams who played (or had played) for English teams, the commentator (at least the one here in Indonesia) was English, and we were sure that of the remainder at least 2 had at some time flown with BA!
    So actually, morally, England won!
    With love Stan and Sue
    (and we have just blogged as well - http://rothwellroute.blogspot.com)
    Some of your comments sound so familiar (sticky rice, the heat, the smells, the number of people and things on a motorbike, and the amazing people). Blessings to all of you as you think of leaving. Focus on what you will be taking away that you will never forget, and what you will be leaving behind that they will never forget.

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  2. Hi Guys
    Great to hear all your news, and your thoughts now you're coming to the end of your stay in Poipet. I'm sure you'll be remembered when you've left, but more importantly, you'll take many wonderful lessons and experiences home with you!

    Jim Dewar's group have posted their first Poipet blog which can be found on http://junipergreenincambodia.blogspot.com

    God bless
    Al

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  3. Great post. You will have a struggle condensing all you have to present to the St Andrew's Men on the second Saturday in September. You will need to consider the aim of the talk but I am thinking to show the married men that sending their sons and daughters out into the world to tell people about all that Jesus Christ did for us at the cross and continues to do as our great advocate in just the way you have done would be worthwhile and encourage the single men who know Christ, believe he is who he said he was and that he did what he said he had come to do to get out on mission starting with neighbours and stretching out beyond our shores.

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  4. hey there!

    This is going to be super short cuz I'm heading out real quick....

    It was so great to hear about the last stretch of your trip and what you've been doing over there. The skit about Noah and the ark sounds so great! It's so cool to hear about different ways the kids are using their creativity.

    Wow, you're all in the final week. That must be weird but exciting at the same time. :) When I think back to the quick time we spent there... and all that I learned, enjoyed and experienced during that time, I can't imagine how much more you all have learned, enjoyed and experienced in the 6 months you were there! Many blessings to you three as you enjoy your last bit of time in Asia!
    you're all in our prayers,
    Morgan

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