As I type this, so many scenes are flashing through my mind. This summer Pieter & I loaded up our luggage, boarded the plane, and headed out on the 17-hour flight, (via a 3-day stopover in Taiwan) with one mission on our minds: to be God’s bearers of hope in Cambodia. Landing in Phnom Penh, we were greeted with sauna-type heat and humidity, but it felt like comin’ home. Turning to Pieter, I couldn’t help but repeatedly exclaim, “It’s so good to be back. So good! I mean……SO GOOD!” And Pieter smiled. Yep, there’s just something about this nation that has melted our hearts. Maybe it’s God’s call on our lives to be a voice for the voiceless (especially for the children); to be agents of His hope in places where darkness seems to run rampant. He’s called us to be LIGHT and that was our prayer, “Lord Jesus, would you shine in us? We can’t do a THING without you. Please use us to be your hands extended here in Cambodia.”
One Tuesday morning we took a tuk-tuk (an automated rickshaw) and made our way weaving in and out of the congested traffic and arrived at New Life Elementary School….the Christian school we’ve been partnering with since it began in 2006. The school now has over 180 kids (grades K-8th). As we entered the contained cement playground, a little girl came RUNNING up, grabbed our legs, and held onto us with one of the biggest knee hugs. Pieter picked her up and held her in his arms. Those huge hugs from 11-year-old Somphor were to thank us for getting her a sponsor. Ya see, God’s asked Pieter and I to help these kids……many who are orphaned, some who’ve been born with the HIV/Aids virus. It’s for the poorest of the poor that we want to help. That’s our heart. Pure and simple. Somphor, the girl who ran over to us and hugged our knees? Well, look out world! She is spunky, full of life, and has a ton of love to give out to others. And it’s for her (and 179 others) that we do what we do.
If you’d like to be a part of these kids’ lives in Cambodia, please watch the video below (it’s a few years old, so the statistics have changed). But BEWARE: your heart may be moved. We hope it’ll give you a glimpse into the school and let you see some of the cutest kids on the planet. For $30 a month you can sponsor a child, giving them a godly education, daily fed a nutritious meal, and be taught by creative, caring teachers who love the Lord. We’ve “adopted” one…..Phanit, a young boy who at 11 years of age entered into 1st grade (he’d never been taught how to read or write before). God cares deeply for these kids, and we pray that some of you out there will want to join us in bringing God’s hope to those less fortunate. Guaranteed…….you will NOT REGRET IT!!!!
-Dawn