No work today up at 6am shower - no coffee so had some tea not bad for a man on the building team! I did some journaling then 6 of us went in 1 tuk tuk to the Central Markets. The first tuk tuk driver asked for US$15! So we said no thanks the 2^nd then asked the same and we thought what’s everyone taking us for we’ve been here for 2 weeks now and we know that is too much, then negotiating for the 3^rd time we met an American called Michael Freeze from Baptist Mid Missions and he negotiated and got the tuk tuk for US$8 there and back - bargain. We thanked Mike after exchanging our details and he laugh at our accent and thought it was great.

At the markets got some Christmas presents and met up with Stu Nigel and Carl and did some more sightseeing. We got back to PFC around 1pm, then down to the local (next doors grocery shop which also had beer) for couple hours.
Later, our number one moto rider (constantly looking after us from PFC to anywhere) took me, Irish Nigel (130kg give or take a 30kgs) and Anthony – that’s 4 on a postie bike! We went to look at Marie Ens Rescue Transition House. Our moto driver had been to the house during the impact team visit so we took him in to see the walls painted, the ceilings in, the windows done, floors sanded, the fans and electrical done, the awing in, and when he got up stairs, he laid on the floor, he couldn’t understand how much had been done. He thought the floor was unbelievable, absolutely good enough to sleep on. We told him it was for the Cambodian children and now we were finished and will be going home tomorrow, he took us home, it was quite emotional , hugs all-round and I was honoured he wanted to give me his phone number.

Some other things that have happened to me during the trip;
 I remember the child that jumped on my back, he had mud from the tip all over his feet, but I couldn’t care less, we played and had a great time, we really bonded and even with all the muck on me and no clean clothes for Sihanoukville trip we were just headed for, I still didn’t care it was almost too memorable for words.

I also remember Richard’s moment when we thought he had been ”taken for a ride” when he gave a  girl “Sally” money and told her to promise him she would buy a school uniform, his faith was to be rewarded a little while later, when nearly all of us thought yep taken! But sure enough as we were about to leave she came past on a moto with her school bag shouting I got it, I got it thank you, thank you to Richard – another memorable moment.

Overall the whole trip has had an immeasurable impact on me, I have been healed from my “hurry” sickness and I have learnt it is about the journey not about the final destination.

Our day started sharp at 7:30am. We were back to the school at the tip to finish the work we began yesterday, yes this was the job that World Vision said was too much, but here we are nearing semi completion of stage 1.
The Cambodian Government Minister of the NGO’s showed up today, he was a man of very few words but he was so impressed with our efforts, that he gave every individual a gift of appreciation. He could not believe such a group could want to put their hand to what seemed to be an insurmountable task. Little did he know God can move mountains.
Most of the day I had to keep everyone supplied with materials, needless to say we did the following things – reroofed the rear section, rendered rear walls, ensured the drainage of the sewer was completed correctly, painted the front area, battened the ceiling upstairs and painted where required, removed the torn linoleum, and with Darra (the teachers) help we rewired much of the premises, prepared the floor of the kitchen area, replaced all the fluoro lights, with the last of the work being completed tomorrow and a new water tank being installed Monday with a 1500 litre capacity, which was kindly donated by Dorelle, an important part of our building team these days. For me it was a privilege to be part of this project and God’s plan. For this project will ensure education empowers these people and this will be the chance to lift the youth from this tip environment and give change to their lives and the future generations. I do love how God’s mysterious ways unfold, they truly are awe-inspiring . The professionalism of each member of the team left me inspired to see how God would work his plan and the amount and quality of the work that was carried out was truly outstanding. The local Cambodian people could not understand why or how we could work this hard and this well, but I believe they soon saw that it was really God’s hands at work just using us as his conduit. Thank you Lord Jesus

Love to our children Melanie, Martin and Bernhard we miss you all.
Carl

More to come from Jan
On Wednesdays and Fridays I’ve been spending time at House of Smiles which is a Hagar program  for children with disabilities, . These children are collected each day from their homes, taken to the Centre then on to school for the morning, brought back to the centre for the afternoon, then returned home again at the end of the afternoon. Until House of Smiles was started all these children were hidden away at home, some often restrained to keep them safe. One young boy, who has severe autism, was found naked crawling around in the street with wild behaviour. Once in the care of Sarin and his wonderful staff all the children have blossomed and become happy and smiling instead of the withdrawn children they were.

Jan

We\'ve been home almost a week now, after our 14 days in Cambodia.  Sometimes it\\\'s not until you are back home that you\\\'re able to fully reflect on all that we did, learnt, felt and experienced over that time.

This Impact Team were amazing.  Everywhere they went, they gave 100% of themselves to serve, to bless and to put smiles on the faces of the children we met.

Our work started the day after we arrived, with making up 700 basic needs packs to give out to the prisoners.  This was no mean feat.  We set up our little production assembly lines and the team were off!  Handing out these packs to the prisoners was a humbling experience - they were so grateful given the meagre food and supplies they receive.  We were also able to take in gifts for the children who live in the prison with their mothers.  Some of these children were born within the prison walls and have never been outside them.  What a delight to give these kids the gorgeous teddy bears donated from a lady at Riverview. 

Another highlight for me was visiting the Hagar House of Smiles, where disabled children are wonderfully cared for and given opportunities for a decent life.  I wish that more people could meet Sarin, an amazing man who has his own physical disability and manages the HOS program.  He sees the potential life of every child and it\\\'s because of his courage, determination and heart for these children, that he has been able to break down barriers to integrating these children into the local government school.  In a country like Cambodia, this is a huge achievement.  Last year when I visited the respite care centre, I met a very sad, crippled girl who couldn\\\'t interact with others.  Now she looks like a different girl - smiling and happy.  I remind myself that it\\\'s called the House of Smiles and I know why! 

Our time spent with Hagar was not complete without taking 6 beautiful girls who live in the Hagar Aftercare home out to dinner at Lucky Burger.  These girls have been rescued from the most horrific situations of exploitation and abuse.  The transformation that has taken place in their lives since being with the folks at Hagar (and being introduced to a loving God) is quite remarkable.  The donated Barbie dolls that Theresa received and gave to the girls were absolutely perfect for them.  They couldn\\\'t take their eyes off them.  I was reminded of how amazing the love of God is - to orchestrate these beautiful gifts from a lady in Perth, who had exactly 6 dolls and wanted them to go to 6 special girls.

The team also spent time with the children at Tarsha\\\'s Legacy Centre, an excellent project run by Patrick and Carol Kelly from Perth.  They also made a great start on the work that needed doing to Marie Ens\\\' halfway house in Phnom Penh (cleaning walls, tearing down walls, sanding walls, clearing away walls) .  By this time I was sick with the flu so I can\\\'t say I did any dirty work at all - other than cheer the team on from the couch!  Pastor Chis on the other hand, has photos to prove he was working...  Our Field Team are currently finishing this work off and you can read about their progress on the other blog page.

Visiting the children at Transform Cambodia was another highlight for the team, as they poured their last reserves of energy into singing, dancing, skipping, face painting and playing games with the 45 or so children at the 3 centres. 

A group of us also took time to visit the Sunshine Centre for Children and one of our newest projects called Friends, which is working to reintegrate street children back into the community.  We were blown away by the effectiveness of this project at providing vocational skills for kids who formerly were on the streets.  Finally we visited Place of Rescue Orphanage & AIDS Hospice and Destiny Rescue which is providing a loving and caring environment for rescued girls.  We loved hearing Ian Westbrook\'s heart for providing future work opportunties for these girls despite the cultural barriers and stereotypes they face.

I want to say thanks to the team for giving so much of yourselves - your finances, your gifts, your hearts, your time, your personal space (i.e 10 women sharing I bathroom!) and every last ounce of your energy to serve in Cambodia together.  It was great to get to know you and share that time together.  I know you were all richly blessed and incredibly impacted as you saw and responded to the needs of the poor.  I hope and pray this experience will be just the start of something more that God has for you. Keep telling your stories and sharing your hearts.

To the people we spent time with in Cambodia who are leading and directing these projects -  we acknowledge and honour the wonderful work you and your teams are doing to serve God in Cambodia.  Mrs Chis, Lesley Hewitt, Adam & Colleen, Frank Woods, Sue Hanna & Sue Taylor, Sarin, Marie Ens, Patrick & Carol, Barry & Lesley Austin, Ian & Julie Westbrook - you are heroes!  

Thanks to everyone who read this blog, prayed for us, donated stuff and supported family and friends who were on the team.  It\'s your turn to go next!

Love Bridget.

Today the hip hop crew are catching the skytrain into town to beat it with the big boys of Bangkok. Watching the kids from the slum trying on all these outfits that Nate had brought over and running around with their pants falling down because they are so big was a memory I will never forget. Hats on backwards, shirts to their knees, the excitement of leaving the slum and going to siam square is palpable.

Then the graff kids finished off their tags and their shoes today, watching boon, who has literally worn the same clothes everyday that we have been here running about in these sprayed shoes with a shout out to khlong toey graffitid on the side of them was to die for...

The candle makers have perfected the art of candle making and have packaged them up ready to sell at the concert tomorrow night. Some of the team have promised to auction some of the candles so the kids can take some money home.

The photography dudes went to a real photo studio yesterday and took some shots and have recieved all the shots and get to keep a camera each. Watching them with their cameras is so inspiring.

Music, preprimary and screen printing are all so practical as well. Every kid is taking home something.

Last night we wrapped around 300 presents to give out at tomorrow nights concert, from new clothes to stickers, baby blankets to whistles. The luck dip for all the children from the slum will be wild.

Last night we also sat with the three teams that are working in the slum at the moment, we havent really seen the other two teams one from South Perth Church of Christ and the other from Submerge in Melbourne because the slum is so big and the need is so great. So to come together as a whole crew and sing praise and worship and then share stories from the two weeks was very beautiful.

Many of our team cried as they shared the highpoints and the low points of the trip so far.

We are coming to the end of the business side to our trip, and the team are stuffed but elated at the same time. To stay in the slum and work with the same kids each day, everyday we are here is a complete privelege.

To everyone who gave and sacrficed so we could come so equipped to leave as legacy here thankyou. Every tim tam, jar of vegimite, texta, shoe, tshirt, gift has been welcomely recieved. Everything has been used to the maximum and the team have been unbelievably generous with their time and talents.

These two weeks will not be easily forgotten, neither will the looks on the kids faces as they do something that only the privelged kids outside of the slum get access to, like art, music, dance, photography, graffitti and more.

GOLD!

A

Up today and after breakfast I headed to Hagar Halfway house, Jill went to TLC and had an amazing time with "Dill" the puppet from Kidz Church (the baby from Rugrats series). The children at TLC could not get enough of him with his warm jacket, and then t-shirt and hogging the fan to cool down all incorporate into a weather lesson among many other stories.

At Halfway house the children were so inspiring and although sometimes I felt unsure of what was next, God always had the right plan ready to walked thru my feet, speak through my mouth and feel through my heart and hands, it was truly an amazing day, one which is really shown by the cards of heartfelt happiness and joy I received from the children. I'd like to share with you all one such card -

I love you, I like you, I need you, I want you wish you happiness!, Thankyou Teacher very much. Jesus loves you and I love you too! Thary love sister Vicki!
Dear Sister Vicki,
I very happy because I know you. Thank for teach me. I wish you have good luck. I wish you to be happy! and I wish you to happiness! I hope you will come again. Wherever you go. Whatever you do. I will be right here waiting for you. I will to thing (think) of you. You are beautiful girl in my eyes. I'm wrinting (writing) English not good, sorry. See you later. Goodbye. Good luck. Take care.

From Thary

What more could I say to sum up this experience, Thary’s words are those from our Lord so strong in her heart. Thank you.

Yesterday we just finished Marie Ens Rescue Transition house, getting home around 6:30 and the other guys were nearly finished at Kandal prison on the classroom. Today after breaky at PFC we headed off around 7:30am to complete the classroom at the Kandal Prison - not bad for four and half days. The only two projects for the whole trip were done. God obviously had more in store for this great team of builders - hidden secrets we call this in Ireland.
We had lunch, both building teams with Vuthy at another great local Khmer kitchen.
Then we were off to Sunshine House of Smile to paint. We painted a big 10x5x4m high room and we completed this while having fun with the kids and believe or not we also joined the non-union sanctioned teaching team (underground teaching, don’t tell the Education team OK!). We taught the kids some great stuff.
We finished at Sunshine house and got back to PFC around 4pm. Then my great day got better, we all headed out for dinner at the Boddhi Tree restaurant in celebration of my 47th birthday, yeah I know, I know, I don’t look a day over 33! But in all honesty this is one I truly will never forget - great company, incredible food amazing atmosphere and service, just everything was perfect, and this will stay with me for life - really incredible.

Love to my wife Lorna, my sons Chris and Andrew, and daughters Nikki (and her daughter Asha) Michelle (and partner Seb) and Corey and all back at Riverview. Thanks so much for your support prayers and thoughts.
Nigel

Live from BKK

Anyone who's spent any amount of time in Bangkok knows that this city has its own flow. Schedules and programs and any form of time management tend to get washed away and you find yourself boating along with the locals who stress less and smile plenty.

But as our team has found, there is a crooked logic that careful hides some of the city: if it isn't pleasant, it isn't here. And so many of the kids who call Klong Toey home have sad stories behind their contagious smiles. We mightn't speak the same language, but we share the same plan: just keep on keeping on.

Each day the world's coolest kids march into the Community Centre to teach and be taught. The priority is fun -  and perhaps to outsmart the foreigners. They leave with paint on their hands, glue on their feet, cordial on their faces and chocolate in their stomaches. We leave with extra friends and inspiration.

Win win.

Today after breakfast I headed off for Patrick and Carol Kelly's Tarsha's Legacy Centre (TLC) and my first class started at 9:30am with around 40 kids ranging age from 7yrs to 16yrs old. We started off with ball rolling and conversation about each student, things like - my name is....,  my age is, I come from Cambodia and my favourite colour is...,  with the word favourite being a totally new word for them to learn.
Through the day we sang songs learning colours and numbers and we used flash cards and coloured pegs, they showed a great knowledge of their numbers and colours and is was a very rewarding morning.
Before lunch I did some workshops with the teaching assistants on behavioural strategies and basic lesson planning.
I had lunch with the staff, which was quite memorable; I won't forget it in my life. Li the cook is great with God, she is just as important as the teachers and boy can she cook!
In the afternoon we did much of the same but with different children, so rewarding I won't forget TLC anytime soon, if ever, just a wonderful experience to have God use the skills his has given me in this way, thank you so much.

Breakfast on beach English style, and then a swim as well, to cool to believe. Then we brought some bracelets from Anna, one of the many children selling wares on the beach that we have come to know and care for.
We then jumped on bus and headed to the Holy Cow for lunch and stayed there for over an hour just soaking in the relaxed atmosphere. Then back on the bus and heading for home, well PFC, you know, our Cambodian home.
The journey back was quite interesting, along with the crazy style of driving, even at 80k/hr, we had traffic like Bali x100 combined, just for good measure, with a few  tropical thunderstorms with torrential rain.
We got back to PFC around 6pm, then we had dinner at different local spots, I went to Sovanna for dinner for the air-conditioned comfort. When I got back to PFC it was straight to bed ready for the day that lay ahead...

A day at the beach will never be the same as we all rest after yesterdays adventures.

The day started off at 9am with a noisy bus and us facepainting our group so we knew who we were to look out for at the beach. The sweat rubbed most of the face paint off, but the day went off with a bang literally.

Popping balloons, noisy drums, hip hop tunes and an overfull bus, we were on the disco bus with lights and all. The kids were so excited to be going to the beach as they don't often get to go.

2 hours later we arrived, to a heated discussion about where the kids could sit because they were obvisouly not from around here. We found a piece of pavement, shirts were ripped off and the bannana boats were eagerly awaiting our customerage.

All team members went on the back of the bananna boats with the kids and they were screaming all the way down the umbrella packed beach.

Apparently two whales were beached there that morning and it seems whereever we go we find a film crew filming a Thai soap opera or two...It was a dare from the team who could get into shot, so we could say we have been on Thai TV.

The kids were well behaved and the thai bathing house (change room) was not worth the 10baht everyone had to pay, or maybe it was for the experience.

We managed to pick an extra up on the way home. Not sure how that happened, maybe our initial count wasnt what we thought it was.

We dragged ourselves home, ready for a day of rest, before week two of the creative arts camp dawns tomorrow morning.

The team have been tremendous. No sickness, except a couple of sniffles, so keep praying for our health, as there has been alot of sickness in the other teams here at the same time.

Were having a ball and are exhausted as well.

Today was rest, markets and tonight we will have dinner and an early one.

PS- Ventitia used her pastry chef background to teach the cooking school how to decorate cakes. The katoeys were ecstatic!

We miss you all!

the pool beckons

Amps and the crew

We went for a very early morning beach walk and ran into Patrick and Carol Kelly and then had a beautiful breakfast at the hotel. Carl and I hired a moto and went all along the coast, which for me was very nice. On the way back we stopped at the 5 star Sokha Resort and laid in a beach hammock for free - what can say, I was with my beloved Carl.
We then rode into Sihanoukville and Carl showed me where the old market use to be and in its place was being built a new covered market - so no markets at this time. Then we went to the Seeing Hands (blind people) for an hour long massage at $5 each - wow that was special. Then we went two doors up road to the Holy Cow and had a very nice ice coffee and then back to the hotel for a nice swim in the pool. We went to the beach in the afternoon. Tonight we went back to the beach for a lovely meal with the group where we had a nice grilled barracuda with chips and salad and lots of beer (wine for me and the ladies though, someone has to show some sophistication around these boys). We just relaxed there for ages before calling it a day.

Love to our children Melanie, Martin and Bernhard we miss you so much.
Susanne

Today was our first day of rest and first sleep-in day thank God for the sleep.
Yesterday we completed the teaching classroom at Kandal Prison up to roof framing stage, and we are also about 80% through the completion of Marie Ens Rescues Transition House.
So today was most looked forward too!
We left for Sihanoukville at 11am for our 4hr bus ride at 80k/hr. We stopped on the way at Marie Ens Rescue House - to say hello and see Marie's blessed work with the intention to stop for 20mins, but due to the nature of the project and the happiness of the children we stayed for over 1hr. Playing with the kids and just being awestruck at what has been achieved here.
We left Marie Ens Rescue House, and then stopped for lunch at a service stop for noodles, eggs and soup - stuff of builders, we got into Sihanoukville, Orchardee Hotel resort a little later than expected but hey all was good. The Orchardee was fantastic, just like the Beverly Hill Billies - swimming pools and movie (well we had Nigel and Trevor - sorry what happens on the trip stays on the trip) stars.
We hired some motos for $5/day, we went walking on the beach in the afternoon and wewere accosted by the youth selling everything from bracelets to fans and sunnies, massages and manicures (I availed these the next day - what builder hey) but they were not your average tout as they always remained friendly and kind and with smile. oh and boy are we getting skinny and brown!
We had dinner on the beach at a restaurant and sat in papa sands chairs on the beach right on the water, what a wondrous night and great end to the day at Jacks Place.

Love to all my family and friends you who you are!
Richard

This morning I went to CC2 with the other Khmer teachers from PFC accompanied an ESL teacher Lynne (from America) to her class. We had 22 in my class - 9 boys 13 women.
In spite of strict prison environment, I was amazed, as once I was into teaching the surroundings seem to melt and the students were like any eager student from anywhere I have taught. They were cheerful smiling people, with a sense of fun. this made it easy to form a close relationship with them.
While some could already speak a little English, for many it was their first English lesson. It was fun to reinforce the teaching with a game, and I soon was able to sort out those who were struggling and spent my time assisting them.
One of the funniest things was the contrast between the Midwest American accent of Lynne and my own very English sounding voice, sometimes it sounded like we were speaking two different languages - not English!
It was a great experience and I left looking forward to my return next week.
I had a snack for lunch back at PFC, then straight out to a factory that only employs landmine survivors. I want to meet its founder, an amazing women named Marian Fromm, a South Australian lady who opened the factory in 2004. She trained landmine disabled people in hygiene, production, administration, and marketing. Marian, who will be 70 later this year, ensures all 27 staff learn English, she also provides accommodation for some of them. Marian's wonderful work has changed the lives of her staff giving hope and alleviating poverty, giving job security and restoring their self esteem.
Marian's vision is to build a new factory next year to employ and support up to 100 landmine survivors it will be purpose built for disable people as the current factory cannot support wheel chairs.
The land has already been purchased in Kandal province.
I got to taste all the products they make (I know lucky me!) which included glazed fruits, jams and pickles - absolutely delicious, needless to say I brought many to bring back. Gods work and spirit is clearly showing here and during this time almost all her staff have given their lives to Christ with only two left who are nearing the beginning of this journey, praise be to our Lord Jesus.

Much love to my son Kieron, longing to get back to tell all about this trip.
To my dear friends in Connect group, looking forward to show you how the money we raised will change lives.
Jan

Well it is day fourof the creative arts camp and the team are doing the most fabulous job. They are such a great team together. Let me introduce them to you, whilst Nate does a hip hop demonstration in the background and venetia does fire twirlling. The kids are enthralled, the slum is alive and the kids school holidays have never been this adventurous.

Tobi- Tobi is the most amazing school teacher back home and has done so much fundraising and resource collecting for this trip and the community centre couldnt be happier. She is keeping two classrooms of pre-primary aged children enthralled and the enrollments are escallating every day because of the amazing programs she is running. Anj the centre manager, our direct report is so impressed with her and how the children are responding despite the language barrier.

Trevor- Collected funds to buy cameras to teach the photography course and the kids absolutely love his quiet, faithfulness. In a country when older men are very violent, to have a gentle giant in the midst is so beautiful for the children. The photography course went to the crocidile farm today and you should have seen the kids faces as they got in the car to go out on an excursion out of the slum. They put their best clothes on and got to keep the cameras they used today.

Kym- her skills are so valued here. We did a cooking school on sunday and she has rebranded their logo as it is a microenterprise in the slum and lonely planet is coming to review them next week. She has also spread herself between the photography course and the spray painting class. The tag they did accross the wall of the community centre yesterday is so gold. To see these kids draw in their books and relate to Kym through art is breathtaking.

Simone- has been leading worship each morning and is preparing tomorrow to lead us all in comunion. To start the day with such a presence of God is so peaceful. She has been couragously leading the hip hop classes, and the boys in this class are a handful So in the arvos when the weather is too hot she is taking these kids and teaching them other skills like drawing, sewing and today walked them out of the slum to a pottery place to paint little statues. Very cute! she is amazing.

Venetia- is such a soldier and has been working so hard in the area of candle making and also every afternoon she gathers a group and teaches them poi, she had sewed these amazing flags together and she is fire twirliling tonight and the kids adore her. Her quiet spirit and soft heart is so inspiring.

Carole- is the most beautiful mum, who has the kids eating out of her hands. She is leading the screen printing and the screen printing that the kids have done are amazing. They made pillow cases yesterday and today libary bags, tomorrow they will be painting tshirts. Which in a time where we are finding a lot of kids without much in the way of clothing is so gold.

Nate- is such a champion and has become a local legend with his spray painting skills and also his breaking moves. He has hip hop booming through the slum right now and has the kids grooving and teaching them b boy tricks. Kid drama, is his street name and the kids adore him. Tomorrow his spray class are tagging shoes, that the boys can keep, and I swear I have seen more kids wearing their hats backward in the streets as we walk the slum since he has arrived.

Family who are missing their loved ones, I get the prievelge of hanging with them.

Sorry bout the spelling the computer is crazy, but so wanted to brag on my team.

Much love

AMPS

Well here we are (the building team), back at the prison for day 3 (quick check of what happened Tuesday at the prison - we poured the footings etc and made preparation for the slab) today we saw 3 quarters of the slab pour (last quarter will happen tomorrow) this is not as easy as it sounds as all the concrete bags have to be carted here in wheelbarrows. We watched in awe as we saw one prison worker pack 4 50Kg bags into a wheelbarrow to bring to the mix site with effortless ease, their work ethic is to be admired.
The slab concrete is mixed by hand on the ground - no mixing machines for us. This work is done by the prison workers as they have the experience at this - we get on with the preparations and pour. We had walls started as well, with one prison worker doing a wall on his own as straight as a die - when you look around Cambodia you'll understand how impressive this feat was - not so many straight, even walls around!
Lunch was provide by the local Khmer styled kitchen - thanks again Vuthy for taking it in his stride to know just what to order, Legend. We brought much more fruit today for the prison workers to get their vitamins and mineral levels up. We were happy to hear that many had started to lose the numbness in their legs - heartbreaking to know something so small, such as fresh fruit, can have such a marked effect on their lives.
Today was very hard and hot with the long stage of the pour taking place - this was made more difficult as each day the prison workers are placed in lock down from 11am until 2pm. When this occurred, each prisoner would say to Vuthy - remember me, remember me, as they desperately wanted to come back to work with us, for the friendships they were making and the fruit etc they received for their nutrition. I personally started to develop friendships with two prison workers - please forgive me for any incorrect spelling of their names - Tei and Guon - more the correct pronunciation than spelling. Any time I had during rest breaks I would spend with them, they had understandable English and English-Khmer phrase books, so we would sit and speak the name of an object in both Khmer and English, learning to communicate.
We also handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste today, something widely appreciated by the prisoners, as they get such gifts infrequently and their tooth decay is so widespread.
Tonight’s sleep is really being looked forward too!

Much love to my fiancée, Olivia. I miss you much!
Stuart

Hi From the Education Team today I went on the PFC bus with Vuth (Voot) the Education Manager at PFC and the other Khmer teachers from PFC to CC2 prison. The journey took half an hour, through Phnom Peng to the country side on both sealed and what only could be described as extremely rough potholed roads but still the country side is most amazing We arrived at CC2 around 1:30pm.
At CC2 I taught English to a class of about 22 made up of 16 women and 6 boys for 2hrs, whilst the other Khmer teachers taught things such as motorcycle repairs, sport, and bible studies among others.
The prison at CC2 has a population of around 700 with a mix of women and boys of predominantly Cambodian background with some Vietnamese and Thai's as well as some other nationalities.
I have taught in 2 prisons before but never have I seen such dreadful condition as in CC2 where they only receive two meals per day if all goes well with a budget of 25c US per day the nutrition is barely life sustaining. Their alternative to learning in class is to just stay in their cells so it is seen as great privilege and their wiliness to learn is so immense.
Despite our perceived view of despair they show extreme courage and happiness filled with hope whilst we instil thoughts and ways of a better future, thank you so much God for giving me this opportunity to do your work, my life will change forever.
One of the most powerful testaments is of a former prisoner who through these education programs and serving his term has now been released and has continue with his training to become a teacher back in the prison he was incarcerated in, other prisoners that knew him before see his change and understand how God has blessed his life and they too aspire for the same and so hope is pushed higher, efforts are increased and more lives are saved. These few meagre sentences do not do this testament justice but I trust the core of the message has been heard. This along with the smiling faces of happiness have spurred me to teach with all my heart and try to make it as fun as possible whilst these god blessed people learn the English language along with so many inspiring classes.
All the student looked to have friends no one seems alone, God is truly in this place.
At 4pm we were suppose to leave, but we got a message that the Chief Commissioner of Education in Cambodia was hosting a Vietnamese party inspecting the prisons, so we were asked to stay there, so they could see how the classes were run.
At around 5pm this was cancelled as the day was coming into dusk and keeping the prisoners out at this time was seen as a security risk, so they were sent back to their cells. We said goodbye then return to PFC.
The Field team went to the Sovanna air-conditioned (thankyou Lord) mall for dinner, cheap but good and clean Khmer food from the food hall. It was amazing cuisine - very fresh.
Constant thunder and lightning storms appear in the evening if not throughout the day as well. During dinner Carl mentioned that 70 people have died from lightning strikes in the area in recent times, this will give an idea of the severity and regularity of these storms, truly unbelievable.
We had our debrief back PFC 8:30pm to end a momentous day.

Thanks to all the Riverview crew and the over 55's connect group for your prayers and thoughts, they lift us and give us strength in our Lord Jesus.
Eric

Hey Homies...

Tobes & Sim here giving the lowdown for today! An earlier start this morning, began with a great word on communion by Anji & some worship before starting our programs....(by the way please excuse any typos or randomness as there may not be any kids around in the community centre right now but Amps is belting out a few songs on an out of tune piano, Kym is indulging her litergical dance skills and one of the staff here is litening to some Thai hip hop!!!) - good times.

We had 89 kids here today from 3-13 participating in lots of different activities we had planned. Not all of them worked but we went with the flow & managed to keep them interested:

Kym & Trev had a group of budding photographers who were super keen to get out and about & use some of the equipment. After some demonstration they were off & loving it! Venetia & I (Sim) started off with a story, some movement stuff & then onto Poi twirling - considering this art form is quite difficult they handled it really well. Then Nate joined us & busted out his breakdancing moves & they went nuts!!! You should see them trying to do the moves - its fantastic...Carole & Rod (one of the workers here) did some fabric stencil designs on pillowcases with the kids, they look amazing & used up all the paint in one go!!!! Nate & Kym also did a whole wall of spray painting & graffiti & Nate sourced some sneakers for the kids to graffiti as well...as he would say it's going to be "fresh". There was also a face painting incident where the kids had a free for all with designs on my face (Sim), no one could take me seriously with blue, black & yellow stripes & a pink nose!!!!

Well signing out now, we have some down time this afternoon after all our prep for tomorrow. Love to all & we are relly appreciating your prayers..so far no health or safety issues. 

Big Love, Create::Love Crew  

Apologies for the delay, but this is our first time accessing internet for a while…

Six intrepid team members chose to rise early on Sunday morning and pack to hop on a tuktuk at 6.30am, so we could get to church for 7am, but our first problem: the drivers did not know where the church was and everyone else was asleep! But with some interpretation by Mrs Chis’ offsider Varny, we were on our way, then as luck would have it there are two New Life churches in Phnom Penh and we had arrived at the wrong one, so with some helpful interpreting by the church parking team we turned a few more streets and got to our intended location just in time – what a wonderful service!

We headed back to PFC/Riverview House afterwards to help in the final clean up, a quick trip to the shopping mall for lunch and a hello to the new arrivals (the second Cambodia team), then it was onto our bus (after Joe helped the driver fix his flat tyre) and the two hour or so drive to the town of Kompong Cham, the third largest city in Cambodia and located right on the mighty Mekong River.

Parts of this town were lovely, with a French-style walkway along the river, near the 1km long bridge built about five years ago through Japanese aid. But for me, it is going on the DNR (do not return) list as the restaurants and hotel were below average.

Each new day brings a new highlight and Monday was no exception. We started the morning with breakfast then all hopped on the bus to go to Destiny Rescue, a project helping young girls escaping sexual exploitation and trafficking. They have five rescue houses and provide great emotional, psychological, health and educational care for these girls. I was impressed by the entrepreneurial attitude, such as some of the girls being trained as tuktuk drivers despite apparently being told they cannot do it by local police! It seems the glass ceiling is indeed low in Cambodia!

Some of them were so young, even nine years old – it nearly broke my heart to think of the horrific journey that each had been through to arrive at this place. But the centre was really well run, with lots of hugs, cuddles and laughs.

After chatting and exploring the house, we blew balloons, played ball and performed some praise songs for the girls, who made friendship bracelets or flower garland anklets and necklaces for us on the spot. The girls then got all dressed up in full costume and makeup to do some traditional Khmer dances for us… and some Khmer versions of Hillsong praise songs!

After a quick lunch, it was back on the road for the five-hour bus ride to Siem Riep, but it didn’t seem that long as the road was good (for Cambodia) and we had plenty of entertainment from different team members, and the occasional antics of the timber lorries, bike riders, children everywhere and occasional stop as a herd of buffalo or cattle crossed the road. The best sight en route was a wooden double bed being carried on the back of a motorbike!

Inside the bus we were playing I Spy, singing and wagering on the time it would take to reach our destination! Jason, being Jason, now has a photo of every single team member sleeping at some point on the trip, but thankfully I did not sleep! We arrived at our hotel at 6.16pm – yes, that precise as it meant the competition was won by Nick, making him ‘King Nick’ henceforth, as he guessed the closest time (6.14pm) and the prize was the right to order the rest of us to do what he likes for 15 minutes… a prize yet to be claimed.

We are staying at the Villa in Siem Riep, quite luxurious compared to what we have experienced until now and we all quite like this town but it does some very tourist-oriented compared to Phnom Penh, with many of us getting spa or massage treatments already and getting pestered a fair bit to buy things (often indulging!).

Today (Tuesday) we visited the incredible temples of Angkor, from Angkor Wat (1000 years old and stunning, with a full water moat surround) to the temple (some intact, some in ruins) where parts of the movie Tomb Raider were filmed. We bore the brunt of full sun in parts, had some interesting times on ancient stairs and were in awe at the intricate carvings and how these high-rise temples were built with modern engineering and construction equipment. Very impressive.

Our last stop on the temple tour this afternoon was at a hill, where Lynne and Albert caught an elephant up to the temples at the top, Karen walked up and the rest of us stayed and met the challenge of being begged to buy things, but all had fun and we headed back wearily (but very satisfied) to the hotel by tuktuk then out on foot to the restaurant district for a yummy dinner tonight – some at the Khmer Kitchen, the rest at the Blue Pumpkin, a café upstairs where most of the ‘tables and chairs’ are actually couches the size of beds! You lounge away and they bring a table and your food and put it on top of you – very decadent but we think maybe Perth needs a franchise… Emilie has plans for that! Tomorrow is a free day, but more on that later, and then the next day we leave Cambodia.

PRAYER: Praise for a wonderful time in Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham and now in Siem Riep and that the seeds sown will flourish and the children we have met (and their carers) will be blessed. Please also pray for those that have been sick to be healed, in Jesus’ name.

- Marie and Louise.

Well here we are two building teams one at Marie Ens House of Rescue halfway house taking over where the Impact team left off and our group out at the prison (kandal??) as well as the education team (more from them via Eric in tomorrow’s blog) I was not sure what to expect today but I was surprised when I we arrived to see the big gates at the back of the prison open with guards about getting dress - they seemed to live there or nearby.
Walking up to the work site where we are building a classroom in a muddy grassed area we could see a shed with weaving looms and many prisoners hard at work - they seemed very interested in our arrival. Our tools etc were brought by Vuthy (voot-tee) who organise many things not least of which was our lunches from a local Khmer styled kitchen.
We started the set out of the muddy grass area to work out where the columns and footings would go - we got the first group of prisoners that would become part of our work team, helping to build their classroom - they were extremely happy to be with us.
We brought extra fruit and water for them and learned that they had no eaten anything since 4pm the previous day and that due to the lack of vitamins and nutrition in their diet they suffer numbness in their legs etc - some to the point of losing the ability to walk - fortunately this can be reversed quickly with good diet practises, so our fruit - mana from heaven - gave them much more than we could have known when we decide to bring it, we decide to bring much more over the coming days.
Back to the work and we were able to complete the concrete columns today as well as digging the footings - we must thanks out prison workers for their help today as our materials were over 200 metres away from the site and they happily brought these to the work site - many hands make light work.
Right from the start many friendships with the prisoners were starting to form. I hope as the days go on that these will grows. I was preparing myself back home for a much harder experience but the work ethic of our team including the prison workers makes the work go by well. There is a constant knowledge of the difficult harsh prison life and diet they face, but we see smiles and enthusiasm and good kind hearted spirits that help to spur us all on to get this project up to full steam and eventually its completion.

Thankyou Lord for bringing such an awesome team together, we are truly blessed. Thankyou everyone back at home, your prayers are giving protect and strength, please continue to pray for us and this land and people of Cambodia.

Love to my beautiful wife Siska, and my children Scott, Erin, Jorja and Loren, I miss you already more than I can write and to everyone back at Riverview - without you in God I would not be here to do his work.
Anthony

Dear Friends,

We arrived at Bangkok 2 days ago, and proceeded to get comfortable in our hotel, Boss Building (?). The first Eight Floor section of our hotel is actually an 8 storey car park, with the lobby on the 9th floor. The community centre that has invited us to run our programs is located within the Klong Toi area, a home for more than 80,000 the poorest people in Bangkok.

As part of the programs we running during the next two weeks. the children will be involved in activities such as poi, hip-hop, graffiti, wearable artwork and photography. Our group of 8 will be assisted by the volunteers at the community centre, who have a real passion for bringing about positive change in these communities. Its truly exciting to have the opportunity to work along-side these people and see a world I personally am totally new to. 

Tommorrow is when we begin our activites with the children, so we\'ll keep you posted on how the next few days unfold.

Warm regards,

Trevor 

Hey all!

I quickly write this as I prepare to go play netball with a bunch of expats out here in Bangkok and today we\\\'ve been more than blessed. Our orientation into the slums has been enlightening and fun and it\\\'s a bit bizarre to be sharing in so much youthful joy when the people here are going through so much poverty.

This afternoon I played a skipping/ high jump game with a whole bunch of local kids here, which was made possible by a massive elastic band that was made of hundreds of everyday rubber bands lopped together. They make fun with whatever they can find here and this ingenious invention of play kept about 15 boys an girls occupied for hours. So great!!

All right - gotta run literally... game on and the motorbike taxi awaits!

- Blessings to ya!

Kym

Our Field Team arrived today and consisting of
Education team - Jan Gilbert, Jill Mounsher, Vicky Ogg, Eric Brooke, with Jason Rhys-Jones leaving for Siem Reap with the Impact Team to rejoin with us Monday week.
Building and Trades team - Carl Spits, Susanne Spits, Nigel Graham, Richard Bromley, Paul Haslehurst, Trevor Littemore, Ben Wardrop, Anthony Hocking and Stuart Greep.

We started with a farewell/welcome lunch for the Impact and Field teams at the local mall Sovanna with Pizza the name of the day - not much in the way of tender beef for an Aussie style BBQ. After the teams said their goodbyes - with Jason and Dorelle from the Impact team to rejoin us later, we went to the Russian markets, the Field teams first look at Khmer style shopping - in one market you'll find DVDs, clothes, meat, fruit, tools, kitchen equipment, books, antiques to name but a few things.
We spent about 1hr there in hot, humid oppressive conditions more like a Turkish bazaar that was enough for all so we went to Koffee Corner for a recovery drink then the team went back to the house until it was time for dinner.
We booked some tuk tuks for what turned out to be a 70min ride to the waterfront not bad for a 10km trip, talk about traffic jams! I think every Khmer had the same idea - probably because the waterfront provides parks and meeting places for families to come together rather than their hot sweaty homes.
Funny thing was though, that we had a meal at the Kiwi Bakery, nothing to do with NZ, although the Kiwi's in the group were exited, but it does serve great food in a great location at great prices how could you lose.
Around 8pm we started the trek home, a little quicker and straight to bed exhausted, tomorrow the real work begins and this crew are up for it, gee God is great, we have such a wonderful team.

Love and prayers to Penny and the Ukraine Impact Team and all the Riverview family we love you all.
Kelley

Today was brilliant: we all split into groups to go to Transform Cambodia, with Jason, Ali and I as team leaders. We all hopped on the bus and headed out to three of its centres, with each team due to deliver a children’s program for half a day.

Transform is an organisation helping children from very poor homes, by providing before or after school care, meals and extra tuition.

We were welcomed with bright smiley faces and really friendly staff: you wouldn’t believe the kids were from such poor homes, by the killer smiles on their faces!

Arriving at our centre, my team introduced ourselves and got our very own nicknames – mine was “Sister Em”. Our program (replicated by the other teams at their centres) included a couple of praise and kids songs that went off really great as the kids (and leaders) joined in, then Dave (“Dayo”) enthusiastically started a choo-choo train which ended in an almighty collision.

We then played musical statues, more songs, crafts and a game of pass the parcel - of course we regretted this shortly after when attacked by the stickers they had won. :)

Hanging out with the kids this way was the greatest thing I have done so far on this trip, and has been my favourite part - just to completely goof around with them but knowing it was actually going towards something greater. And I know that our entire group really appreciated spending time with them and just worshipping God through our actions, as it seemed to be the one thing which brought us together.

Each team ended their program by handing toothbrushes and toothpaste to each child as they left, thanking them, and then having lunch with the local staff. Sitting down with the leaders and talking with them made us feel more part of the team – knowing they had a real interest in what we were trying to do.

We wrapped up the day with a beautiful dinner at Titanic Restaurant on the riverfront, a great opportunity to get together with all the project leaders we had met and worked with during the week. It was great food, average company (just kidding!) and a perfect way to end the day... but it was not over yet, as minutes after getting back to the PFC house a giant thunderstorm began with seemingly endless rain – so while it was too late for a debrief, it was apparently not too late for the guys to strip off and show Phnom Penh what westerners do in these conditions... on a balcony... late at night.

PRAYER: There’s so much to pray for, but particularly for teams that are yet to come, that they have a willingness to really be bold in their actions and not afraid to follow through with what God is asking of them – even a simple gesture towards someone. Praise for again so much, but especially what God is doing in Cambodia right now, the inspiring believers I have met, the miracles we have seen and the hope the children bring for the future.

---- Emilie Taylor.

First thing today was a visit to the old Pol Pot regime’s killing fields. What a somber experience. Walking amongst the mass graves you could imagine what had happened back in 1975. There were signs along the way which told how people had been murdered in such cruel ways. One sign explained how a loudspeaker was used by the killers to drown out the moans of the people as they were bludgeoned to death. The skulls which had been collected from the graves which had been excavated showed the signs of the brutality.

Many of us stood or sat silent for a long time trying to comprehend how people could be capable of such cruelty. Men, women, and children were treated so horribly. It was terrible to think about what it must have been like for the families as children were ripped from parents arms to be taken away to be killed. I could only think that it was pure evil.

One thing which was encouraging was the sound of children laughing in the background, as there must have been a school nearby. That gave me a sense that there is hope for the new generation to move on from the atrocities of the past.

We then went and had some lunch at a restaurant called the Garden Centre...great food! Chis decided to throw me in the deep end by telling me that he had something important to attend to back at the PFC house so I would have to speak to the teenagers at the Rescue Centre, a wonderful place run by Marie Ens. There are huts for children and mothers suffering with AIDS, houses for orphans and children at risk of abuse by family members, and a granny’s house, along with a great undercover area and sports field.

Whenever we visit these projects we are amazed by the wonderful people who serve God in such amazing ways in Cambodia – they really do so much.  It’s also so good to see what our giving is doing here.

The children here are also so amazing and have the most beautiful smiles. During the meeting at the Rescue Centre a young Cambodian boy led us in praise and worship. Some of the songs required a few of us to invent the actions so there was heaps of laughter, and the Cambodian children worshipped God with such passion - even during the fun songs I saw tears running down some of their faces as they sang. They are so hungry for God.

I then talked for 15 minutes about how God has given each of them a gift that they can use for His glory and that God shows up strong in their weakness. The funny thing about being quite unprepared for speaking was that I had to rely completely on the Holy Spirit to do what He wanted to. Thankfully, God gave me a few scriptures which I think were really relevant for the teenagers and it was such a privilege to encourage them that despite their circumstances, God wants to take them higher and higher.

Joe then gave an amazing testimony and the kids laughed (again) when he told them he was only 15. We also gave the project a few things and Marie was so appreciative.

What else can I say? It was another amazing day.

Oops, almost forgot to mention Dave Hadfield’s dancing experience with one of the grannies.  She picked him out immediately and began to hug him and then started doing a bit of a groove!  Hopefully we got it on video.

- Albert Hansma.

This morning, one group went off with Varny to assist her program to the elderly, some stayed home at PFC to have a bit of a rest and a group of seven went back to the house we are preparing for children in Marie Ens’ program and worked some more.

Some painted the window grills that had been cleaned the day before, while others knocked down an old bathroom – complete with a few scratches and bruises as they came to grips with sledgehammer, but all trudged home happy and intact – if a little sore!

While handing out toothbrushes, etc, to children is great, doing this and working on something where we can see the results and know they will last a very long time is great and really satisfying.

Turning it from an old, shabby piece of concrete into a livable home means heaps, and has impacted me the most out of everything we have done to date.

This afternoon, one group headed to the Sunshine Centre, an after- and before-school centre Riverview contributes to and were able to meet some of the kids and hear from the education director, which they said was very interesting. An intrepid few of the building team returned to the house to work some more, while the rest of us headed to the markets and biggest mall in Phnom Penh, Soriya.

Minor panic when I thought I had lost my bag so we searched all over for about an hour, but the internet cafe people had kindly put it behind the counter for me = phew!

Today was Jason’s 37^th birthday, so to celebrate we all went back to Hagar Restaurant and had a special dinner, complete with cake, singing from the locals (and Ali and Emilie), which I thought was a fitting way to complete his special day.

PRAYER: family and friends who are unwell back home, as well as team members over here, and praise for all the hard work everyone has put in helping to make the house livable.

---- Joe Dunn.

Sorry people = we had a bit of trouble with servers down, so here is Karen's post from a few days ago!

==============

Hello all! Today it was our privilege to go and visit Hagar International, who run some of the projects supported by the foundation.
First we went to the House of Smiles and heard an inspirational talk by the Project Manager, Surin.
This covered how he started caring for children with disabilities and what his vision is for the future: he is such a passionate and dedicated soul and this was so evident from some of the stories that he recounted.

Disabled children are so undervalued here and one of the main goals of the project is to show the children’s parents how their children are not crazy or stupid and are wonderful, bright, funny and precious individuals.

This was made so very clear to our team when we were given the opportunity to interact with the kids. We had taken a variety of toys, games, stickers and anything that made noise along as gifts.  Before long we were all immersed in the fun of playing with balls or baby xylophones, blowing bubbles or flying plastic birds and even making some fairly obscure looking balloon animals.

Then we went to the Community Learning Centre that is designed for children that have been rescued from trafficking, or orphaned, or their parents are simply unable to care for them anymore and also children from the local slum.

Hagar has many arms to it but today we were able to hear from the “Two Sue’s” speaking specifically about the children’s programs.  We heard the success stories of course, but we also heard some disturbing, awful information that bought many of us to tears.  The work of this organisation is not only wonderful but is vital as many children’s very lives depend on it.

As a treat, we then went to lunch at Hagar’s catering restaurant, run by a Perth man called Frank Woods. This catering arm provides the opportunity for women and girls who have been rescued to find employment and learn a trade that will allow them to provide an income for their families.  And the food is sensational!

Riverview also sponsors an aftercare home for 6 children that have been rescued from prostitution and a very lucky few of us were able to meet the girls at Lucky Burger (think Hungry Jacks), to treat the girls to a meal.  We were able to give these children various gifts including 6 Barbie dolls that put smiles of their faces bigger than you can imagine.

The people I met today are truly inspired by God to work with some of the most needy, in some of the worst conditions imaginable.  They do it with grace and purpose and love and they are Earth Angels, just don’t let them hear you call them that.

--- Karen Gilbee (P.S.  Hi to Greg and my family and friends, take care, love you!).

Wednesday 8th October 2008

PENNY WEBB: MY SHORT ACCOUNT

Our time together began in Perth and Adelaide with much anticipation, only to arrive at Kiev with no luggage for anyone!  It was an apt beginning, perhaps to prepare us for the Ukrainian way where often things do not proceed as planned and therefore flexibility is essential!

But for the next ten days we were to live, eat and sleep together, to learn about the Ukrainian way but most importantly to serve the people, particularly the children who have been abandoned and are therefore at high risk of mistreatment.  For this reason, the Riverview Children’s Foundation (RCF) exists – to rescue, protect and empower children who are at risk of exploitation. 

This kind of trip is called an Impact Trip because together, for a short period of time, we are quickly and suitably impacted by the country, its ways and people, and the children who can benefit from our awareness of their plight and our resources to make a difference.

So for the next ten days, we travelled via Yura’s van, Metro, Matroshka (bus) and our little legs to visit organisations and establishments we support or are interested in supporting: Brovary Hospital orphanage which is now under the directorship of Natasha and House of Life for abandoned babies; Boyarka Orphanage which is a government institution for children aged 0-4 years; Ladyzhyn Disabled Orphanage some 5 hour drive from Kiev for children and youth; Sunshine Centre for street children; IOM (International Organisation for Migration) to hear a talk on trafficking; Jo’s Coffe House which is a Friday evening drop-in centre for the youth of her church; Novgorod-Volunskiy, a sick and disabled orphanage for children 0-5 years which is a three hour drive from Kiev; Our Father’s House a work for street children and those living in unhealthy family situations.  Visiting these establishments brought the team to life as they gave their time, care, understanding, bringing fun and energy to the children and workers.  Each had stories of one-on-one connections with individual children who brought much warmth to their heart, and who’s faces they will forever be etched in their memories.  Isn’t this often the way – we give, but we often receive much more in return.

I believe it is so important to be immersed as much as possible in the people’s lives of a country we are visiting in order to get to know the people.  And so we wrapped around these crucial meetings of visiting organisations and being with the children, times to appreciate and understand the Ukrainian history, culture and way.  We visited the Chernobyl museum, their churches, monuments, attended Hillsong Ukraine and Ps Sunday’s church, went to the Ukrainian Ballet for Swan Lake, but more importantly ate their food, slept in their home and learnt a little of their language.  We tried to ‘do it their way’ as best we could – from being absolutely crammed on the Metro each day to eating Shama on the street.

It was a massive time of impressions, and my thoughts are for all of us to not abandon the faces and situations of the children.  Let us together support the Ukrainian people, their way and their organisations for good, coming alongside to bring about the change that most so much desire.

MY THANKS TO THE TEAM...

You were absolutely amazing, each and everyone one of you: Terry, Matthew, Elaine, Maggie, I-Lyn, Kai-Wee, Michael, Jo, Natasha, Sasha, Aaron, Kate and Sharni.  You brought your gifts, the best of who you are for each other, the children and the people we met. 

You all represented yourself, God and the Riverview Children’s Foundation so well – impeccable in heart and attitude.  It was truly a pleasure showing you the works that we are supporting or are interested in supporting.

I do realise at times the schedule was huge but you gave your best, kept up your energies and passion each and every day for each other and mostly the Ukrainian children and young adults we came to serve.

As you return to your everyday life, I ask that you do not forget what you have seen and felt, and tell others that together we would take responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

MY FINAL PRAYER FOR THE TEAM...

“May everything good from God our Father be yours!

“I pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard.  As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work.  We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul – not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory strength God gives.  It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us.” Colossians 1

As I finish this off at the airport, awaiting our boarding call – God bless all those who love and care for the children of our world from your family to those in distant lands. 

The signature of your life is unique and personal and was planted deep within by God that you might touch a part of this world no one else can.

Love Penny

I was nine (they really drill the crime-and-punishment effect into you in Singapore) when I first visted a prison on a school field-trip. The only thing that remained with me at the end was the flogging demonstration and the reason it stuck was because the caner was only the size of a beach hut (I was expecting the Giant from “Jack and the Beanstalk”) and the victim was as limp as a rag-doll because that was precisely what it was – a rag-doll. The whole act was very impressive, but so is a dentist’s drill. If it’s of any comfort, a stroke is over in a blink of an eye. Juggernaut inhales, loud pop, Juggernaut exhales.

The politically correct likens flogging to torture. According to them, the thief when apprehended, should be taken to court, addressed by his Christian name and let off with a stern warning. (Un)Fortunately, I’m not one of them. So yes, the American boy who went around Singapore spray-painting cars got his condign punishment. Apparently he’ll be scarred for life. Oh dear. My heart bleeds.

Still, I was absolutely livid when I learnt that a boy of 11 got a 7-year sentence for stealing a chicken to feed his starving family and the appalling living conditions that existed before Prison Fellowship Cambodia (PFC) stepped in. PFC is committed to learn from and follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving the needy in a holistic way, motivated by and reliant on God’s love. The organization is making brilliant head way in providing the inmates with an education and this gives them a chance at a better future when they’re released. Heng, a staff member of PFC is one such example and a constant source of inspiration to the prisoners. It was really encouraging to see the heart-warming smiles (most of them probably don’t ever have any visitors) and, the giggles of the children as they opened their gift-packs were priceless.

Amanda and Tobi are sitting here trying to work this out!

Very Blonde moments. Hang on Tobi is not blonde!!

Anyways, we are very excited and very overbaggage allowanced! Can anyone help here. Prayers, contacts, love, Tobi needs to get her guitar on the plane...

Looking forward to many crazy and amazing stories to be posted here.

3 days to go...

Ahhh

Amanda and Tobi