Last Day

Yesterday was our last day to spend with the kids. It was a fun filled blast of a day. It started with Wendy giving a lesson on loving yourself. At the end of Wendy's lesson, each team member said something they liked about one of the kids. Peter, our translator, would then translate the message for the kids to understand.
After Wendy's lesson we took the kids to see a movie, bowling, and pizza. The movie we saw was Big Hero 6. It was absolutely fantastic.
Finally we returned to the Church  where we said our goodbyes to the kids. This was hard since many of us have grown attached to the kids through the years.
In closing none of this would have been possible without the Lord's blessings and your prayers and support.  The gospel is being proclaimed through out Cambodia. Thank you and God bless

Love

Yesterday the morning was spent at the Central Market where we bought prizes and games for the carnival we are going to have for the kids today. The market has everything you would ever need. It also has things you don't need.  It was a very interesting experience. After the market, we went to the orphanage for the afternoon. Beth talked about love languages and each kid took the love language test. The five love languages are gifts, acts of service, time, touch, and words. The results were very interesting.  It was once again a great way to spend time with the kids
 

Thankfulness

Sunday Nov 9, 2014

Today was a full day. The morning started off at Phnom Penh  New Life Church where we heard a sermon on the blessings of God. From church we visited a local mall. Just for instant I thought I was back at Lenox Mall in Atlanta. There were all sorts of high end stores There was even a movie theatre playing first run movies. 

After visiting  the mall,  we went to the orphanage. At the orphanage, we played games with the kids and had Thanksgiving dinner with the kids where we ate sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Before the meal, each kid said one thing he/she was thankful for. I heard some amazing responses such as being thankful for a home, thankful for God's salvation, thankful for food, thankful for God's grace, and many other wonderful things. Each team member then mentioned something they were thankful for. We then sang the prayer song that the kids sing before every meal at the orphanage.

A New Day

Everyone on the team this year has been to Cambodia before. Each year before we leave the team takes time to plan events and activities to do with the kids during the week. Usually the first day is pretty slow going as we are trying to get our bodies adjusted to Cambodian time. This year however due to a change in circumstances we had to move up our waterpark day to today. It was great seeing team members and the kids going down the water slides, floating in the lazy river, and splashing water around. Everyone had a great time. Towards the end of our time at the waterpark, a team member, Matt Davis, got baptized by Pastor Vek. It was an amazing moment. It reminded me that we serve an awesome powerful and wonderful God.

Time

Time is always moving. It seems like only yesterday we were beginning to plan for our upcoming trip to Cambodia. Our departure date is finally here. Through the hours of planning, God has been working in my heart and the hearts of my fellow teammates. I believe each one of us has vital contribution to make. Here are a few verses regarding God's involvement in our lives

Philippians 2:13

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Philippians 4:13

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Each verses shows us the power of God in our lives and who we are in Christ. I pray as we begin our journey we remember this.

May God bless you

Robb

Blessings in Cambodia

Why come to Cambodia? Come because the kids will change your heart. During this week  we have seen how respectful, kind, and caring these kids are to us and other kids around them. Each kid has unique and wonderful talents. They have been a blessing to us.  Every day we leave the orphanage  we feel blessed that God has called us to play a part in these kids life's.

Fiesta

On Sunday. we went to New Life Orphanage for the first time. It was amazing to see the kids again. I
love seeing the kids meet the bus when we drive up to the orphanage. It was also great seeing the new people meet the orphans for the first time.
After playing soccer, football and other various games with the kids, several team members went to the kitchen to prepare fajitas for the festival. The kids loved having fajitas with chicken, onions, preppers, cheese, and guacamole. Before eating the kids sang a prayer, which was very beautiful.
After dinner, we had angry bird piñatas for the kids.  The kids had a great time trying to do destroy the piñata, and the team had a great time watching them.
Overall it was another great day!

The First 24 Hours

As one of the "newbies" to Cambodia, I am happy to say the first day (and a half) have been a success! Yesterday was a great day spending time the the team. Many of you reading know one or two people on this trip, but let me tell you this is an amazing group of 11 individuals.

We spent our day yesterday exploring the city. The morning was emotionally a very hard one. First we went to the church, which was fun to see. It was much larger than I expected. After that we went to S21, the concentration camp used for the people in Cambodia. Seeing the faces of thousands who were not just killed, but tortured then killed was heartbreaking. While it was difficult to see, it was important to understand better what many people who live here had been through. It was amazing at the end to see one of the seven survivors!

Lunch was after S21. We went to a great buffet where we were able to try LOTS of local specialties. The food was great (the smells when you first arrived... not so great). After lunch we went by a local grocery store, think a Whole Foods of Cambodia. We ran around like kids looking at all the unique items. Ice-cream flavored Oreo's were just one of the specialties.

Next we went to the market. Hundreds of vendors in a huge space selling every (fake) name brand anything you could want, clothes, paintings, and food. We spent the bulk of our time here walking around to see everything and buying fun gifts.

We left for dinner at 4:30 as Mike predicted people would be falling asleep at dinner if we went much later. He was right as most of us were delirious when we got back to our hotel about 7.

So far, it's been an amazing trip and I know there are lots of great things to come! Off to tackle day two...

**This was written very quickly and not proof-read, sorry for any errors :) **

Back in Phnom Penh

After months of prayer and planning we finally made it back to Cambodia. Getting here from Atlanta took a while- I believe the total travel time in the air was around twenty one hours. Before signing off I would like to share a story.

Two years ago I went to Cambodia for the very first time on a missions trip. I didn't know what to expect. During the trip, I learned about Cambodia and God's wonderful plan for the people of Cambodia.  One child, really connected with me. His name was Chean. Mike, the leader, told me that I was the first person Chean had really connected with.
After leaving Cambodia, I knew that God wanted me to return, but I also felt a stirring to support a child- the child I started to support was Chean.
Two years later I am back in Cambodia- but before I left I received a letter in the mail from Chean. In the letter, he wrote I love you and I miss you . That letter confirmed that going back to Cambodia was from God .

Heading back to Phnom Penh!

I can't believe we are heading back to Cambodia on Thursday!

Its been almost 11 months since I was there. What a year its been. My wife and I had a baby... and, well, my wife and I had a baby... that's pretty much all that happened this year. But our daughter pretty much took over so it seems like more than just "one event."

It seems like only yesterday we were there telling the kids were were going to have a baby. I cannot wait to see the kids again and show them pictures of their "sister". It's always hard to describe to people who haven't been on the trip, just what these kids mean to us and just how much they feel like our family. Once these kids get in your heart there is no turning back, you're hooked. This will be my 6th trip to the orphanage, and I cannot wait to be back.

We have a great team and am excited to see what God does next week.

We'll be spending the week talking to kids about relationships. Every relationship from their relationship to God, to Us, to their Community, and to each other. The team has some great ideas planned to make a huge impact.

We also have a ton of fun activities planned–the water park, the movies, eating out, and a dodge ball tournament (just to name a few).

Its going to be amazing! Check back during our trip to see how everything goes.

We can't go "back to normal"...

...but perhaps we can go forward as people changed by the experience we've shared. Hello. My name is Jennifer Perlick and I've just returned with the Phnom Penh team from my first mission trip. When I applied to be a part of this team in November 2012, I was coming off a personal low and I was looking to serve as a way to forget about my own situation. I'd heard Andy preach many times about serving in our local and global community, and I figured it was time to see what it was all about. Many people who serve and volunteer in various capacities will tell you that serving does more for them than they are able to do for others. Oh how true! As I acclimate myself back to Atlanta time, I can't help but look at the clock and think about what we would be doing at that point on Cambodia time. I'm reminded of being greeted by the smiling faces as we got off the bus each morning, the sweet voices of Srey Lin, Srey Mom, Pony, and Chea as we held hands in a circle and shared our prayers in both English and Khmer, and the laughter of Peanut, Narin, and Samnang as they would run and play. These moments stop me in my unpacking process as I prepare myself to return to my regular routine next week. I had the luck of being roommates with Tiffany on this trip. She and I are both public school teachers (she teaches 5th grade and I teach 8th grade special ed math). She reminded me while in Cambodia that she and I are privileged to get to work with kids every day. How lucky are we?! We get to do what we did in Cambodia, every day back home! So as I prepare to start another school year with Georgia teenagers, I can't simply go back to my usual teaching routine. The loved shared by our kids in Cambodia must be paid forward to my kids here. Perhaps the biggest lesson that the kids in Phnom Penh taught me was to love others the way that they need me to love them. The teens in my classes here may not hold my hand and talk to me as our kids in Cambodia did in new situations. In fact, my kids here will likely act out in times of unfamiliar and uncertain situations. So I may not show my love for my kids here in the same way that I could love our kids in Cambodia, but I can love my kids here in the way that they need me to love them. Maybe we could all do that...love those in our daily lives at home in the way that they need us to love them.

Now I remember....

….why we are so darn crazy about this country on the other side of God’s green earth. Today was a long day. Long in a great way! A day filled with prayer, fellowship, service, great food and FUN!

We begin with Emily Rains and our fab four freshmen (Emily Stubbs, Jen Perlick, Alanna Cronk and Tiffany Fick) leading morning worship with strong voices and incredible dance moves. It’s amazing how quickly all the kids catch on. We then divided up in to our small groups. Topic today was ‘Service’. No matter how big, how small, how rich or how poor we all are called to serve God by serving others. We reviewed John 13 and washed all the kids feet… in return they washed ours. Very moving for us all. We then headed out on foot to visit the residents that live around the orphanage delivering rice to them. We packed them full in quart size bags with a small aluminum cross and a business card that had the address of New Life Church as well as John 3:16 written in Khmer (the language of Cambodia). We were welcomed by the locals and they accepted our gifts graciously.

After lunch we returned to the orphanage and let Tiffany and Jen do their thing teaching English lessons. It is wonderful to see children who treat learning like a luxury. Like something so rare when that when it’s available they recognized the value in it.

Then we all decided to treat ourselves with a dose of fun. We planned to take the kids bowling…but…the bowling alley had been closed for 3 months. So, plan B. Cambodian amusement park. “Dreamland”. And that it was. Kristie Poll said it best, “It was kids being kids. And it was wonderful!”

Next stop ‘Pizza Company’. 8 Dozen orders of chicken wings, 15 large pizzas, 18 pitchers of soda and 31 smiles! Worth every penny!

We then told the kids good-bye for the evening with many hugs and best wishes. They returned to the orphanage in their bus and we….. stalled…. And showed up about 15 minutes behind them and took them by surprise creating a thirty minute party filled with glow bracelets and Chinese sky lanterns. Despite the rain the 26 sky lanterns lifted off in to the dark rainy sky with only one casualty. The kids loved it! They cheered and danced in the rain…many, many happy faces and much, much joy!

Tomorrow will be our last day to visit the orphanage. A day we look forward to, yet a day we wish was still far in the distance.

Sister.

My name is Tiffany and this is my first time traveling to Cambodia. Before leaving Atlanta, I was excited to come to Phnom Penh to serve the children that live at New Life Orphanage. Although this is my first time in Cambodia, it is not my first mission trip. I have been serving since I was 11 years old all over the States and overseas. I was not sure what to expect when I arrived here in Phenom Penh, and I was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming amount of love received from children that didn't even know me. As we pulled into the orphanage driveway, kids were waving and chasing our bus. Many of the people in my group have already been to Phnom Penh 2 or 3 times. When getting off the bus, I expected the veterans to be greeted by the kids with warm welcomes and "I love you's". What I didn't expect was to be pulled by the hand of an older child with a smile across her face. Within the first few hours I was getting to know a very special girl named Kim Chhai who I would later call "Sister". Instantly we connected. Maybe its the tomboy thing, or the ability to create friendships bracelets in a matter of minutes. Whatever the case, with in two days I had adopted and renamed Kim "sister". On Tuesday when we arrived back at the orphanage from the beach I was greeted with "sister" from Kim unlike the broken "stiffany". This after noon I was given a card from Kim with beautiful penmanship labeled "Sister". I also broke down before opening it. To see the love these children have for people they barely know is amazing. It just proves that God's love can break all barriers.

As we worked with our small groups each morning, I am able to listen to my four teen aged  girls pray to God is their native tongue. It is the most amazing experience. Their love and understanding of God's grace,  strength, love and kindness is eye-opening. I think about my life and what I was thinking about at age 14. It sure wasn't God. God can penetrate through any circumstance, and that is proven as I spend everyday with these children. There is nothing more powerful than seeing a glowing face speak about Jesus.

I wish I could document in writing each of the activities that we have done with the kids thus far, but there are too many to type and I am exhausted. Tomorrow will be another fun-filled day as we deliver rice with messages to local families, teach more English, and take the kids bowling. Tomorrow will be bittersweet as well since it is our last evening in Phnom Penh with the children before heading to Siem Reap.

For those that have supported our mission financially and spiritually, I thank you! 

The Beach and Back...

Just to get everyone caught up a little....the Business Luncheon was a huge success! On Saturday 73 local business owners and influential members of the community showed up. Andrew Rains did a terrific job communicating his five points of business success (with the help of a translator) to this large group of people. Many of the attenders were observed diligently taking notes and appeared to be fully engaged. Andrew also spoke of his Faith and how his relationship with God and the values God has laid out for him has a huge impact the way he lives his life, his career/work ethic and life as a family man.

 Andrew delivering his business man luncheon message.

We followed up the luncheon with a trip out to the orphanage to see the kids for the first time since we arrived. Lots of hugs and smiles and for the folks returning on this trip it was wonderful to see our team members new to Cambodia  begin to engage with the kids and begin to learn about them individually!

Sunday, we were early risers and made our way to the 7 AM service at New Life Church. Following the service we loaded up the buses and headed to the beach with all three teams and all three sets of kids from each orphanage. The beach, as usual, was delightful! The kids (and us) had the opportunity to run free, dive, splash, flight kites, throw balls, build sand castles, take pictures, laugh and eat like kings! That only left one thing to do for the ride back...sleep...

 Darrel, being nice and posing for a picture, and for one moment, not dunking the kids underwater

 Kristie with Narin. Look familiar?

 "But what really knocked me out was their cheap sunglasses, oh yeah!"

We returned back to the city yesterday evening in the thick of rush hour. We finally were dropped off at one of the favorite restaurants (Khmer Surin) the teams over the years have enjoyed to celebrate the success of the last two days!

Amazing

Yesterday the team and kids returned from a two day trip to the beach. I left for the trip feeling frustrated about having a difficult time learning their names. I returned from the trip thankful for the long bus ride home that allowed me to get to know them. I spent that ride home in the back of the bus with the older kids. They remind me so much of my students back home. I'm just in awe of these kids. I can't help but allow them to influence the way I see life! They are simply amazing.

Day 1

-->

We officially arrived yesterday, Friday, July 12^th, around 10 pm local time (11 am EST).  All twenty-two bags made it here and we were greeted by some of the older boys and the New Life church staff who helped us with our luggage and provided bus service to the hotel…yep, back at the wonderful and all familiar Cozyna Hotel.

And now we are waking up to our first morning under the Cambodian sky.  It was a short but well needed night of rest and we are ready to begin our day. This first day will consist of visiting and touring the church grounds, visiting a location known as Tuol Sleng, aka ‘S21’, (once a Khmer Rouge concentration camp during the late 1970’s) and hosting a luncheon for some of the influential businessman in the Phnom Penh area. The intention of the luncheon is to break bread with local business operators to share best practices in regard to growing and sustaining a small business but most importantly sharing the word of God.  With the help of an interpreter, Global X team member Andrew Rains will be the featured guest speaker at the business luncheon event.

I'm a Seoul Man!

The flight from Atlanta to Seoul doesn't get any shorter....however, we have arrived at our transfer point and will be boarding in one hour for the next flight destined for Phnom Penh.

Our thirteen member crew (we officially added Kristie Poll mid-flight....."sorry Mark and Jon....we got her") is happy and healthy.

The next leg of the flight is roughly 5 hours which will put us in Phnom Penh sometime around 10:30 pm local time. (That's 11:30 am EST). We are very much looking forward to being greeted by the kids and certainly having a few hours to lay down and sleep... and not in the 'upright and normal position'.

Stay tuned for day to day coverage...or whatever Cambodian Wifi coverage will allow.

Ready to Fly!

 

 

I'm Christina and this will be my third trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia with GlobalX. I am so ready to see the kids again! I can't wait to see how much they have changed in the past year. I am excited to introduce them to the new team members. I know the team will fall in love with these kids like everyone who meets them has! And of course, I can't wait to see this sweet face, Pichhing! Please pray for our team as we endure LONG flights tomorrow!

Why can't Cambodia and Mexico trade places?

I sit here in Cambodia, a mere 12 hours from departure, and all these moments from the week keep wandering through me mind. 

Yesterday we took the kids to Angkor Wat. I don't know why in my head they were going to stop and ponder and study and meander the way we grown-ups do.  They are, after all kids. It was actually kind of funny and precious to see the same glance-and-go reaction to monuments as I had as a kid. I kept pointing out features I found really neat, like all the faces sculpted on every surface of the face temple, and Sieng Hai, in his sweet quiet way, gave me that, "Yeah, its another face that looks just like the last one," eyebrow raise.

I think they enjoyed it, they just did it a lot faster than I anticipated. But I'm really glad that they're kids, and they get to be kids.  They are so mature in some ways, so giving, so good (at least while we're here--they are kids after all) that in some ways I forget they're still children. 

The worst part was coming to the end of the third temple. Not because I really wanted more time out in the Cambodian sun, but because I knew we were only one meal away from goodbye. We all felt it. The smiles were still there, but more hands were held, and hugs lasted a bit longer.  

After lunch, it was time. For me it is easier to be left than to leave, so watching Pichhing, Sieng Hai, Mom, Rathanak, Ry, Kim, Davan, Pony and all the others climb up  and wave from the windows wasn't nearly as hard as last time, when it was us driving away from them. Don't get me wrong, I was a teary mess. It's so hard to say goodbye to people you love, especially when you don't really know when you'll see them again. They've grown so much over the last two years, and I pray I can come back, but I don't know that for sure.

What I do know is that I will love them wherever I am, wherever I go.  I will keep writing to Pichhing and Sieng Hai and probably a few more. I will pray for them and feel so lucky to be prayed for by them. I will follow the blogs of other trips to see pictures. I will print my own pictures and make everyone I know look at some of them, at least. I will tuck the little bead bracelets I got into my jewelry shelf and see them and know that the pieces of my heart that are here in Cambodia have blossomed.

That Shakespearean line, "Parting is such sweet sorrow," makes sense right now.  I love them and they love me. I can leave with only the sweetest grief because I know they are loved, by God and Vanak (the orphanage director) and his wife Hanna, by each other, and by so many other brothers and sisters in Christ in the States.  I know they will be okay.  I came to tell them God loves them completely and perfectly, and I got to do that. I came to show them, to be His hands in theirs, His hugs, and His smiles, and I was. And, they were the same to me as well.   Since the kids are so spiritually rich, I might ask them to pray that Cambodia and the US can be closer together so I can see them more often. For them, God just might do it.  For now, I will dwell on some of the bright moments that continue to float in my heart and mind.

Getting to look Rathanak, Samnang big, and the others in their eyes and tell them how much God loves them.

Ry poking me in the arm to wake me up on the 10.5 hour bus trip, so I wouldn't miss anything.

Srey Mom's big smile when I gave her a bead bracelet

Seeing Jim rock out as the chief at the cultural center while our whole team and 30 kids whooped and laughed and applauded.

Pichhing patting and holding the hand I had draped over his shoulder.

Pony, who was timid at first running up for a hug with her shy smile.

Playing who-can-poke-who-in-the-side with Rathanak, a 16 year old boy who is just the definition of sweet with the world's biggest smile (even though he probably wouldn't love hearing that)

Devotional time with my team

Getting to know Kristie, who has moved here, and is the older sister the boys have longed for and now finally have.

Sieng Hai grinning as I took his hand and we walked hand in hand through the ruins. And then telling a tourist, when asked, that no he is not my son, but he is the son of my heart. And knowing it is true.

Busloads of fun!

It takes five hours of bus travel on a pretty even mix of paved roads and bumpy dirt roads to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Unless your bus hits a ginormous pothole and you get a flat. Then you wait a while, miss your chance to get into town before lunch and have to stop for food, stop again to switch the bald front tire with the less bald back tire, and 10.5 hours later pull into Siem Reap. 

I can now say I've had flat tires on four continents.  Thankfully we had a stack of movies to watch. They were all in English but the kids didn't care, and it helped me out. I sat with Ry, a teenage boy who speaks about as much English as I do Khmer.  We pointed at things outside the window, shared snacks and I made him a friendship bracelet.

When we arrived at four, we went straight to the Khmer Cultural Center.  The kids had requested we go and were so excited. I was eager just to see them enjoy the experience. As we started to walk around, we heard loud music and walked up a hill to a little stage nestled in the hill. It was designed to look like a village from some point in Cambodia's past, but again the Khmer language thing got in my way, so I don't know when.  The show was a hoot. They did a dance and pulled a guy up from the audience to take part in a wedding ceremony and dance. The actors hammed it up and made it super fun. The kids loved it and were glued to the performance (or so I hear, I was too.)  We went straight from that show to another one depicting a similar course of events in a different era.  In the third show, which seemed to be the most historical, they picked Jim from our team to be the audience participant and we all cheered. He did great, yelling Cambodian things he didn't understand, wearing a big headdress and sitting in a bamboo throne. It was a great end to the cultural center.

I got to spend a little more time with Sieng Hai and Pichhing, I just love that these 14 year-olds--who wear skinny jeans and style their hair--will hold my hand. It makes me go all gooey. All the teen boys seem to really value attention, which makes total sense since they probably don't get a ton of it. But the sincerity of emotion and the willingness to express affection move me. I love it. As much as it means to me, who is not an orphan and was not raised with 30 other kids, I just am grateful and eager to show that same affection to them. I made a handful of yarn bracelets and gave most to the older boys. Rathanak, one of the older boys, is quiet but has this killer smile. We started goofing off today, and I made him a bracelet too. Srey Mom, a sweet girl, attached to my left hand for most of the day and saved me a spot at dinner, and I hugged on her a lot, I just love her smile.

Tomorrow we will meet the kids and go to Angkor Watt. It is one of the coolest things I've ever seen, and none of them have ever been.  I can't wait to share that with them!  We've divided the group into teams by color and as a proud member of the green team I'm happy to say our group is stacked. We get Pichiing AND Sieng Hai and even Rathanak. It's going to be a fun day.

As enthralling as the cultural center was and Angkor Watt is to me, it's so much greater to these kids whose heritage is represented. They get to see a new part of their own country and some amazing things built by their ancestors. I'm so glad for them to have this experience.  But for me, I'm mostly glad I get an extra day to hug their necks, hold their hands and take a bazillion pictures to hold me over until next time.

OH, I almost forgot. While we were walking through the cultural center to the show, we saw a Cambodian music video being filmed!  HOW COOL IS THAT!

Okay, photos are taking eons to upload, so I'll add some later.