Journal from the Heart of Cambodia #2

Entry dated Tuesday, August 16th

Yesterday was our first day of VBS! The kids were lined up and waiting when we got there after breakfast. The first part is the singing and Bible story time. We acted out the story of Ruth and Naomi (I got to be Naomi) while Pastor Sophan told the story. He tied it in with the theme of honoring one’s parents, which is an important issue because people who become believers seem to not honor their parents wishes and religion. Gayle told us later he did a really good job of making it applicable to the kids.

Then we split boys and girls and taught them how to make the friendship bracelets Megan had taught us to make on Saturday. Some of them got it and others just made up their own pattern but I think they had fun. Next was the skills development time. It went better than I thought it would! We each had a table of about 5-6 girls. First they marked off their seams and got everything pinned. The girls at my table had sewn before so they just needed help with the pattern and what to do next. The time went by really fast, at least for the first day.

After lunch and some down time we headed back to the Center for English lessons with some of the young people. Ben and I had a group of 3 beginner students. I was nervous but once we got going it worked out okay. We had a lesson plan thankfully and we made it through the first day’s lesson. Mostly Ben worked with the two guys and I worked with the girl going through the different activities. The first hour went pretty fast and the rest kind of dragged but it was a good experience.

The son of a friend of Gayle’s had a pickup and so he came and gave us a ride to supper because it was raining. All the “kids” rode in the back covered with a tarp which was cool.

While Betsy and Megan were doing their English time they were able to talk with Meng about faith. He said his worries and pride are getting in the way but he’s really close to accepting Christ. When we had our prayer time and meeting we prayed he would step across the line and be ready. There are no other Christians in his family, but his mom was a believer.

I hope the kids and our English students see that its not just about learning how to sew or about verbs but about Christ.
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It’s been raining a good portion of the night and this morning. Some braved the muddy roads to go to breakfast but Kristin and Jeff and I just stayed and had a granola bar. It’s been nice to catch up a little bit and put off getting wet and muddy.
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I think the adrenaline has worn off, I was lacking in energy and just wanted to fall asleep today! We had to meet inside the Center because it was still muddy outside. The kids were wound up and I didn’t have enough energy to correct them. Sewing went well, at least I know how to tie knots and point out where to stitch. I have one little girl who is just precious. She is so animated when she gets to the end of a row or to a new part.

We split up into different groups to prayer walk after lunch. Kristin, Micah and I went to Kilometer 12 with Thal, one of the youth. The village is a really small area where people live on the west side of the main road. We were walking pretty fast but I was praying that God would make Himself known to each person and that they would experience His mercy and grace. God is beginning to transform the whole area and I know He wants more people to come to Him.

For English Paula and I were together and we had two different students: Dee and YoLa. Both have a hard time understanding so it took a while to explain each thing. Yet they were trying so hard!

We sang several songs after our team meeting tonight which was great. Josh brought a guitar back from the Center which added a lot.

I was about ready to shower and get ready for bed when Megan came to ask if I could show several people how to play Nerts. I helped Ben out, and then played one round. Then all the “kiddos” including Micah played Spoons. It was great to have some down time and I almost won. 🙂