Bumps, Scrapes and some Bruises

While crossing the road in Phnom Penh today Ream was struck by a drunk, speeding motorcyclist driving the wrong way in the middle of the street.

Aside from the scrapes and bruises and all the pain She's fine nothing broken, thankfully she was literally 10 feet from a hospital and the police. 

When the police asked what she wanted from the driver of the moto she replied for him to pay the doctor bill. While the doctors rejected that notion saying she could get far more. She told them she was a Christian and wasn't going to do that. You could hear that echoed through out the halls of the hospital. She's a Christian and she's not going to ask for money.   Total cost for recklessness in Cambodia $137.29.

Personally I wanted to take his moto from him and give it to the first passer by; at least scold him for being drunk and a number of other infractions.

Again Ream is fine other that being very sore.
Please pray for her comfort and recovery.


Please also pray for those who heard Ream's witness and that the driver would realize the grace he's be given and give some thought to future actions.

Thankful I got to bring my wife home and thankful for the help of the family in the city that showed up offered some love and care.  It could have been worse in so many ways.

College Bound

In 2011 A Heart For Wisdom school 

sponsored 2 ladies (Chendo and Nary) to go to college for 2 years to get their teaching degrees.

Both these ladies have since graduated and this year are working for the school.

In 2012 A Heart For Wisdom school

sponsored 3 ladies (Chanta, Sreylin and Khan) and  2 males (Buneng and Pekday) to go to college for 2 years to get their teaching degrees.

This group will graduate and start their careers with us in 2014

Today we signed 8 students for college, they will graduate in 2015.

Some of these students and teachers are applying with us to continue with weekend studies enabling them to teach high school for us.

We are preparing for the future and in 2014 we will include high school classes into our schedule.

In 2014 or 2015 we will be looking to start building off the current campus onto a separate property which we hope would be the future site of the whole campus.  We will certainly be needing prayer over this.  

Our Sunday Youth Group has been growing.  

It's so large now that we bring the kids to the orphanage to play after service.

The cool thing I heard this Sunday is that attendance has been up significantly at the other Sunday schools because the children are from our school but live closer to the other Sunday school want more. 

 

Roughly this makes up 1.2% of the children in our area and close to half the children at the school.  

It's a pretty good start. :)

Up and Running

Construction Complete

 Classes open

Pictures are worth a thousand words, but words and photographs can't describe being here.  Hearing the sounds the children offer during their studies and feeling the energy of their play are to me are hard to share or express.  I say it often we're not the best school, we're still working through bugs and making adjustments and growing.  But for me KNOWING that GOD has brought together this project, these people and enabled us to do his work.  It is and will be the school HE wants it to be and to me that is all that matters.  

I am proud to be apart of and lead such a project.

Another example of God working.

There are two men in Cambodia that I know and highly respect; almost masters in their fields.  These local Khmer Men are invaluable men to their foreign counterparts.  Funny they would both be related to Ream some how.  

Vuit (sp?) runs the college/vocation program that Melor went too.  He teaches vocation on maintenance program that young men learn how to fix everything possible.  Ream and I have often desired a man like Vuit to work for us to take care of problems a person we can trust and rely on and a brother in Christ.

Kin (sp?) and another brother in Christ, trustworthy and reliable is a humble, hard working man who can do anything.  When you meet these types of men you think "man" with that guy we could do so much.  With a worker like that we could advance and grow and do more.  

So yesterday while getting dressed something tickled my thoughts and reminded me of these men.  I though again how wonderful it would be to have a man like that working with us.

So I get to school and on of the first things to come up was a lady wanting to be a teacher but can't afford to got to college.  She's well spoken and attentive, which is not often seen in the average villager.  So when you meet a person like that you become excited to think okay we got a good one here.  

We accepted her application.  Only later did e find out that she is a Christian and speaks decent English.  Wow even better, almost so exciting I wish she wasn't just starting college and really finishing.

After lunch her mother comes in to share with us.  Here's her story, the mother is the daughter of one of our teachers who the school kids absolutely love.  The applicant is her daughter the granddaughter of our math teacher.

So the mother was depressed this week to think that the daughter would not get a chance at a good future.  The mom went to a funeral Wednesday night where my assistant principal was, my assistant knows the mother and taught the girl and asked what her daughter would be doing now that she was done with school.  Her reply was she wants to be a teacher but can't afford to go.  "What subject does she want to study", "Oh that is exactly what we are looking for" is what my assistant said.  The next day Thursday the daughter comes into apply.

Thursday after noon the daughter goes home tells the mom we will help her to school and be a teacher.  Mom thrilled beyond belief and couldn't eat lunch she was so happy and excited.  Thursday after noon talking to the mom she says that her mom is sick and so her and her husband have come back to the village to care for her.  They are in need of a job.  What does dad do I asked; "construction" she says.  She says my husband is in charge of a construction crew in Phnom Penh and would like to find work in the village.  (this is near miracle)  So we ask to talk with him to see if he is someone who would work out with us. The mom says I'll bring him but I have to come as well because he doesn't talk much.

Friday morning the daughter applying for school the mother and father sitting in the office.  Dad doesn't talk much because he is and extremely humble guy, smart, capable, eager to help the school.  Also turns out the father can do or fix anything.  Helping the daughter go to college has opened the door for us to hire ourselves a highly respected worker to soon become invaluable to his foreign counterpart.  The very thing I asked God for Wednesday morning.  Friday after noon I have a future teacher of for training and a man who will lift the burdens or repair.  

So right off the bat I am looking at the guy and I'm  pretty good judge of character, I'm reading him.  I am watching the mother interact with the father and daughter and I am so excited that we have a good family asking to work with us.  I actually stopped and prayed that God manage my excitement and protect me from making any bad judgement out of excitement, not to be blinded.  This was while Ream was translating.

One of the things we have an idea is to have a class that teaches kids in school how to make and fix things like the rest of the world offers.  This man I feel opens an that door and makes that classroom goal more of a reality.  The fact that he manages a labor force makes it all really connect. 

So all that to say how often we get to see, feel and know God is working and how exciting that is.

I feel to say that if you feel your self in a dry time where you might not see the evidence of God moving; so  be excited that you being apart of this work, praying, giving or coming that YOU to ARE apart of what God is doing here through us.  Be excited with us.  I hope this refreshes you a bit.

But if you want to be closer to seeing God moving and working I would suggest that you have to get out of everyday life, beyond mundane activities of just living, going to work, eating, going to church, watching TV and going to back to sleep.  Shake it up a little do something, fill a need, help out, make yourself slightly uncomfortable.  I'm pretty sure you see God working.

Okay so a picture tour of A Heart For Wisdom school grades P,K, 1-9      

 Passing the sanctuary on the right the kids bicycles on the left.

Court yard

Pre- school classes morning

Snack, Book Store and Lunch

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

 3rd Grade

 4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

 Grade 8th not shown 

Grade 9th going home

 

Want Something Positive to Read?

Some Good News  

The schools been doing great today the school construction is officially complete.  I promise to get some pictures up this week.
I'm pretty excited about the library.  I saw an idea for shelves online that is going to create some wow's in the children.  You'll have to wait to see the pictures for that as well.

The construction took our 3 classrooms and turned them into 8 class rooms.  We gained an additional
1100 square feet.

We've been given a wonderful grace period from the metal supply.  The bill is not entirely paid for if you'd like to help with any part of that let us know as we'd love some more help with that.

Even Better News

 Thursday we sent the teachers to a conference for training in the city.  This is the 3rd year AHFW has attended the conference hosted by M.O.M. school.  Our teachers coming from the countryside walked in a little late.  Everyone was looking at them coming in smiling and staring.  They felt a bit uncomfortable and a little embarrassed.  But as they were seated they saw the conference package on the table our teachers were on the cover from last years conference.  So a bit of celebrities it was more of a grand entrance rather than just being late.  It brought a bit of attention to our school.  With the attention came questions and conversations.
Monday morning during our daily meetings the teachers young and old, new and experienced were excited about the things they learned. They were also very proud to tell us that there are many people in Cambodia that have already heard about the school they had to answer a lot of questions about our school to other teachers that have heard about the difference we are making.
It felt really nice to hear all that was said.
The funny thing was a day before they to the conference some of the teachers had gotten a bit of scolding over some issues.  One of the points I made was about us being a possitve example as people are watching us.
I also expressed to them that this was not just a job but a ministry and they should teach as if it meant a difference in the future.  If they are satisfied with way life is for their children or grandchildren and that they have the ability to change it or worsen it.  Feeding the child's soul is just as important as their mind.  We want to raise up smart mentally healthy capable of making a difference.   So at and during the conference the teachers got some confirmation on some of what I said especially about people watching us.
The attention is also great as we look for more teachers for next year which I think will be our biggest challenge yet the notoriety just might reduce that challenge for us.

All as I can say is we see God working I feel we've already won the race which I hope making the run that much easier.  Totally excited about life and work right now.

So stay tuned for pictures on the completed construction and enjoy the little report about our summer.
 

CCF - Cambodia N.G.O. Summer Report by Kit Carson