4-07

We have hired a guardian, a older female.

Things are going great so far and we are getting a much needed break. At the same time it is sad because we are moving into a different job. I am more and more in the office and Ream is directing staff more. It is what are job title says, Directors. The little things we get to see and hear are being reduced in some ways it is nice in others it is sad.

It is good because we will grow faster having more people to help the children adjust.

Here is a good example of our children hearts, a letter to his sponsor,

Dear Sponsor,

My heart is full of joy when I received your letter. It is wonderful that you are my sponsor. I always pray for your health. So how are you doing? I am so excited that I can come and live in the Orphanage. The other children and I are good kids. We pray to God and we love Him. We have really strong faith in Him.

How are your students? Do they study hard? Do they get good grades? I and other kids really like the English books. I like to play ball like your students. Since I’ve seen you pictures I really miss (long to see) you and your children.

Love Tong

Tong just turned 8 has been a Christian for a month or so. He is always polite, kind and generous. He made the honor roll at school and had received the most points this quarter for best child.

Here was a real blessing. We helped a friend take some local children to a deaf school where they will live and learn for as little and $35 a month.

The mothers knew what we where showing them the school. The boy who many have heard of Soy and the girl didn’t know what was going on. They where a little scared until I showed them a sign text book and Soys’ face lit up. He looked out side and saw the children signing. In that one second the light came on. You could watch his face in slow motion as he is looking at pointing he knew what we where doing, that he would be coming to this school and that other people could speak with him. A life was set in his hands that day, wow. What a great moment. It is like when a person comes to Christ. It will be one of the greatest gifts he will receive.

Thank you Ron M. for your support. Because of that year learning to sign they will have a good start in this school. Soy who might not have been accepted, was accepted because he already knows how to sign a little.

The girls’ mother who loves her daughter very much was moved to tear as her little girl was pulled into the class and spoke with the other children for the first time.

I have that small moment on tape.

Tate and Tong had their birthday this month and we celebrated the other night with

sack races, balloon tosses, dancing and cake.

They also received the 1^st,2^nd,and 3^rd place prizes for child of the quarter. This helps us promote the positive things they do. School, bible, English, behavior, cleanliness and so on.
The same day we surprised them with some water balloons. From the roof.

Here are updated pictures and school grades. From / to what

Tee Chang- ? Te-a Chang- ?

Tong Nyn- 9/4 Tate Nyn- 37/4

Darow Main-1/1 Channee Siam- 33/9

Chan Chow-19/8 Melor Pen- 36/12

Bow Rack- 27/7

The children are doing really well in English class with Ream.

They work hard around the property watering gardens, feeding animals, and cleaning.

Boys are cleaning the duckweed from the pond so the fish do not die. Also the pig and duck will at it.

This is when we found out how deep the mud was in the pond. So a day or so later we drained it so we can dig it out and put a liner in before the rain comes.

So the boys went and played in the mud.

We have a lot of projects going this month and the children have 3 weeks off to help.

They are having a good time they love being here and ask for more teaching.

God is blessing us and I pray that He blesses those who are participating in this project with us.

I will try and write again soon we will take the children to the city this month.

3-07

Any volunteers for how about Summer?
We are offering a lovely setting this year. The theme is tropical. For those who like sun we have had plenty this month. Here are two of our guest having the time of their lives.
Te-a and Sam

We’ve had lots of fun this month. Are two boys Tate and Tong adjusted so fast we took another two right away. 2 boys Te-a Chang 9 years and Tee Chang 7 years old.
Where at 9 boys right now and one teen age volunteer.
Chow Tee Tate
Darow

Tong Tee Tate
Darow

We where happy to get so funds this quarter for projects.
Thank you so much to the Sunday school classes for the playground money you raised.
We bought 11 pieces with that money and the children love it.
They did complain a little about the marry go round they got so sick. They asked mom “why did you buy such a terrible toy?” They where getting sick some where crying but it was funny because as soon as they felt better they where playing again.
It was a real challenge for them to wait until every thing was properly installed.


We found a man who plants any size tree that we want. We bought coconut palm trees for $70 and 5 other fruit trees for about $50 each. The trees are coming out 15 feet high and ready to give fruit. It is awesome how cheap they are and who big. We are trying to get tree that will give the most shade to the playground equipment.
In the future we hope to buy grass from him it is $1 a meter plus 12 inches of soil, which is pretty good. Also this guy cares for every thing for 3 months and guarantees it after that.
I was thinking of some friends who sell palms and how much they would cost there. :)
When all these things where coming down the road all the people followed. We had 35, 40 neighbors and kids on the property playing and watching the trees come in. It was a fun day.


The children have been out playing games like tag, hid and seek and kick the can. After they win there might be some dancing.



Englime Channee Melor Chow

At meal time the children line up for prayer, Channee thanks Mow for his meal.
Everyone sits and eats.


Bible study earlier that morning 5:30 am. I am lucky I get to sleep in with the baby down stairs.
Wayne was looking at some real estate. I think the up keep was the turn off.
Wayne and Glenn AGHO board members say good by to Reams’ parents.


The last couple of weeks we have had some visitors from the Mennonite churches in Canada and Pennsylvania. They are doing a 3 month say here in Cambodia and have been living with the villagers doing what they do, eating what they eat, pretty brave. They’ve spent three days doing things with the kid playing teaching and playing.


Amy doing her clinic with my brother Ra.
A week after Wayne and Glenn left it rained and the termites came out in swarm. The children collected them for the ducks.

Kids and I put together a little road to the pig pen.
Septic and leach lines where complete.
We got some free fruit trees from a NGO and planted them out back.
They are pretty small though and will take a while for them to fill in.

We have some guardians volunteering two days a week here and at church. We will hire them come April 1st

P.S. Tate and Tong where saved the second Sunday at church by the third Sunday Tate memorized all the books in the bible and was first in his class with his quiz.

feb

Ream made her first visit to the states with her main goal of renewing her green card and filing taxes.
She was so happy to call and tell me of the warm reception she had received. She had a difficult time getting there with out me. Once she had arrived the friendly people of Fallbrook and Anaheim where so kind to help.
Thank you so much to all the people that had taken care of Ream and baby for me.
It makes me look forward to Christmas.

Life has been busy here with all kinds of reports to do for the end of the year and the new year. We had team in the area doing clinics; dental, eye and women clinics. Are good friend Dusty was on this team. Cambodia is such a good place for Dusty. Dusty is always cold and loves to bike ride. Here it is never cold and everyone rides bikes or motos. We hear tails that Dust plans many trips back to Cambodia which is exciting.
We thank the Dentist and Eyeglass people who came and saw the children.
The dentist was a hard worker. She pulled and pulled all day long and from what I saw enjoyed every minute. It is a lot of fun to have someone visit that love what they are doing.
I have to say the most enjoyable part of meeting them was when the dentist said my teeth where fine. :)
I also would like to note that Calvary Alpine was responsible for this team coming and to thank Pastor Drew Mc entire for his visit and leading such a hard working team.

I would like to extend an invite to Calvary Honolulu and my friends Pastor Bud Stonebreaker and Dave Riddaskjold who said they might come this year.
I would really like to learn how to roast a pig and how to make Kuala pork. A team member that could teach us this would be valuable.
Mostly I miss your friendship and Bud teachings.

I would like to thank a Pastor Tom Fenholt Calvary Huntington Beach for your interest in what we are doing here. Since we are not in the city it is hard for us to keep regular contact. As we get more help we would hope to put out better information.

Thank you Luke Gernandt for the help you shown my family here, we where so impressed with your daughter Bree. To be young and pretty to have a good heart like she does says a lot to me about the kind of father you are. We do look forward to your return.

I would also like to think my sister for coming back. Her first trip was a little challenging with sickness heat
She just got her first teaching job. She had to move to Las Vegas to find it but it seems to be a real blessing for her. She says that the community is very teacher friendly and that people stop to thank her for coming to be a teacher.
So she came during her first break to help teach our children. I think she had fun and did not get to sick this time.

We’ll as for the update we received 2 new boys in January Tate and Tong. They are very kind and smart. When they arrived in the middle of the week we held the out of school until Monday. It gave us a chance to make them comfortable before facing a new school and new kids.
They got their blood test done and we received all their paper work from the care taker.
We had the chance to watch them study and find out how they where doing in school.
Tong our third grader was helping our eighth grader with his reading.
I turns out both boys had gone to a foreign supported school and are much more advanced then the others. The school they attend now is unsupported.
So when Monday came around it had seemed like Tate and Tong had been here for years. Their adjustment happened over night. We enrolled them into school a grade higher instead of 2nd and 3rd they are in 3rd and 4th grade and are nearing the top of the class.
It is such a relief to take an unknown child into your hands and have them be so easy to handle.

I would note that Tate and Tong are not Christians yet but will have no difficulty making that change when the time comes.

We have had the difficulty of telling families no to their children coming. The one recently was a child I recognized from a year ago. He was a so called tour guide in a nearby temple. He seems like a good child and we would have like to have him here but we could not take him. His family has too many options to explore before she gives him to us.

Tate and Tong came from a widow who has 8 children at home and 2 grandchildren. Because she was losing her eye sight and could not work or earn enough money that we felt lead to take them.

The rest of the children are advancing in school Channee was most improved went from 33 place to 8th in his class of almost 50. Mostly it is because he goes to school now.

Chow and Melor lost one of their grandmas this week her funeral was down the street so we got to listen to it all night for three days.
It is a funny thing here. They put her in the coffin about 10 feet in the air right at the edge of the road. Over a loud speaker they blast the same songs over and over, on and off the will monks chant. At night they will shoot off a firework or two and on the third day right at the edge of the road they burn the body, a giant burning inferno and if your down wind that’s to bad your smelling grandma all night.
So on the third day there is lots of the same only longer and louder they where shooting firework off until 11 or so at night. They are trying to scare the evil spirits away so her spirit can go where ever it is going.
I though to day to myself for a religion based around finding inner peace, the country is walking around scared.
What I think the catch is that the monk scares the people in to believing their needed so they have a job in getting rid of what scares them. What a big silly circle Asia is running in. It is hard to believe they can’t see out of it.
All of our children are scared of ghost, even the Christians. None of the children will go upstairs by themselves they always travel in packs.