Life on the Rubbish Dump

Being a teacher at a school that supports the work of other Missionaries usually means that we are not confronted with the “Coal Face” of Cambodian Poverty on a regular basis. Yes there are beggars in the streets and disabled people struggling even to shuffle around, but they are interspersed with peddlers and shoppers and expatriates. Our day, like most other teachers, involves the rhythm of school prep and classroom delivery, playground duty and pastoral care.

Recently our family joined our Church to assist in their regular community work at two villages that rely on recycling goods for their income.

Nathan's photos from the first village.

We played games with the children, addressed first aid needs, told them the story of Jesus, gave them the opportunity to colour-in sheets, supplied fruit to eat, and finally gave the children a Christmas present each.

Playing games with the children.

The people of the first village drag around large wooden carts through the nearby city streets to collect recycling.

The second village we visited is directly adjacent to the rubbish tip. Here the people live out a hazardous and impoverished existence. An endless procession of trucks come and dump the city’s rubbish. The villagers crowd around the emptying truck hoping to get recyclable items No sooner has the truck pulled away, and a large bull dozer backs over the rubbish to compact it. The Caterpillar Dozer does not wait for people to move out of the way, he simply drives over the rubbish pile. Anyone too slow to move out of the path of the dozer is crushed.

Once the dozer has driven forward again, the next dump truck pulls into place and tips out its load. Young, old, male and female all play their part. The tip is large and in some places burning and smouldering. The smoke stings your eyes, the rubbish squelches under your shoes. The smell is putrid.

The people become covered in filth and start to blend in with the environment. There are 7 people in this photo, Can you see them all.

Some of the youngsters, left unsupervised, make up games to play with, and in, the rubbish. Like the car bumper toboggans.

It was a very different side of Cambodia. It is hard to take in, that these people live like this every day. Our Church visits here regularly and we hope to be involved in the ministry work here throughout the coming year. Please pray for the people who rely on recycling rubbish for their income as you read this blog post.

Fiona

New Hobbies

There is not a great lot to do in Phnom Penh, compared to Australia anyway. So I have joined a drawing class at school. It is a fun class where we are exploring different drawing styles and media. I thought I would show you my second pencil drawing. I spent a number of hours on it as a project to try different techniques, so they don't all work in the one picture...but it was fun and a great experience... some of you will recognise where the picture comes from....

Naomi has taken up the piano keyboard and tinkers very very nicely with it. I can't show you the sound, but can let you know, she has a natural ear for music...which I wouldn't mind encouraging!

However, now I should really do some marking and write reports...

The life of a teacher goes on!

Fiona

And along came Tevy

During the mid semester break we visited Mondulkiri. It is in the far north east of Cambodia. We stayed in a simple cabin at the Nature lodge, with an outdoor shower and toilet. We took along with us a young christian girl called Tevy (21), who is a classroom assistant at Hope School. Tevy is also my Khmer language teacher.
Khmer life revolves around one's family / extended family. Young girls cannot go on trips with their girl friends as it is not considered safe, however their extended families are so large that it is not affordable to spend money or work time to go on holidays as a family. Needless to say, when we invited Tevy to come away with us she was very excited and pleased that her parents gave her permission.
For those who are unaware, Cambodia is pretty well flat. There are no hills to speak of in most of the country. Instead there are just long stretches of rice-paddy filled floodplains with palm trees and small timber or straw houses on stilts, baking in the suns heat. Mondulkiri is different, it is about 800m above sea level with grassy hills, tall trees, thick vines and creeks flowing through the jungle. The cool air at this time of year requires trousers , jackets, and more than just a sheet to sleep under.
So Tevy enjoyed many first-time experiences in Mondulkiri: grass plains and hills, water falls, 4WDriving, cold weather, sleeping with a blanket and sitting around a camp fire. We also introduced her to Burrito wraps, a pool table,"ten green bottles hanging on the wall" and taught her to coo-ee. We visited the Thompson family, who are CMS missionaries from Australia, they also introduced Tevy to pumpkin soup, dessicated coconut, home made bread and flat Indian bread. We spent quite some time with the Thompsons learning about their work in the region, sharing food, a picnic and playing cards together after dinner.
Tevy fitted into our group seamlessly, she enjoyed being silly with us and mucking around with Naomi and Nathan. She bargained for us in Khmer wherever we went. Since Khmer rates are cheaper than foreigner rates when purchasing this proved to be quite beneficial.
During the visit I came to appreciate in much greater depth the culture of the Khmer and about jungle tribes. Khmer and tribal people are so very supersititious, trapped in the associated fear they are not free to tackle many of the major problems which face them. It was also evident that many subsistance and minimal impact practices have been lost and replaced by non sustainable and ecologically destructive de-forestation and exploitation.

The Elephants of North East Cambodia

We have just returned from our mid semester break during which we visited Mondulkiri in the far north east mountains of Cambodia. We visited some CMS missionaries, taking up some supplies for them and blessings from people back here. In the Mondulkiri region live the Bunong people, an ethnic tribe who are culturally quite different from theKhmer and who speak their own dialect. The Bunong have for centuries captured domesticated wild elephants for work, however the elephant numbers are dwindling. The Bunong are very superstitious and will not let the domesticated elephants breed as they consider this brings bad fortune. Many of the traditional elephant skills were lost during the Pol Pot Period. The people often share an elephant between extended family groups and significantly overwork them, sometimes until they die. The Elephant Valley project seeks to meet the needs of the local people and elephants, renting farmland and elephants so that they can work along side the Bunong people and teach them how to care for their elephant and give it enough food and rest. The aim also is to manage this area of forest and prevent the rampant deforestation that strips so much of the region as outsiders grab the land, ​​fell timber and grade the soil, leaving large bare dust bowls. Some of the funding for the project and the local Bunong community comes from visitor costs, including fees for an afternoon trek in the forest with the elephants. Visiting this project was a highlight of our time in Cambodia.

Our Tutor Group: Year 7 at Hope School

Here are the students of year 7 this year at Hope school. They are standing in front of a mural which depicts areas of Australia. They are a friendly group of students from all around the World. From left to right in the front row: Alex (USA), George (England), Ye Sung (Korea), Ethan (England), Afshin (Malaysia), Elspeth (Scotland), Serenade (Cambodia). Back row: Daniel (Tanzania), Halldor (Norway), Toby (Australia), Kevin (Cambodia), Jordan (England), Chizuk (Nagaland), Naomi (Australia), Ha Young (Korea), Sarah (Korea). Between them they speak 7 different languages and have visited 30 countries. Their parents are predominantly missionaries and represent organisations such as Save the Children, Hope School, Interserve, Hagar, AZTEM (Australian Tentmakers), Korean Methodist Church, Korean Presbyterian Church, ICA (International Christian Assembly), Hosea Ministries, the United Nations, New Frontiers, Bible College Phnom Penh, EFC (Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia) and OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship).

Parent Teacher Interviews

A new experience for us... parent teacher interviews, yes I know we have done them before. But as you can see from the photo, there is a student present at this interview. Okay that is not completely unusual either.... So what is so interesting about this? ...

The student was present to act as an interpreter for the parents as they do not speak English. The parents are over here with the Korean Presbyterian Church. The interview was not for her, but for her younger sister. (Actually it did strike me that the language that we share the most with these parents is Khmer and I can see if we were here long term we would have interviews with some parents in Khmer rather than either of our native languages.)

Graham and I are the tutor teachers of year 7. Before parent teacher night all the teachers who teach year 7 jot down any notes they have on the students on a proforma. Then instead of the parents seeing all of the teachers, they see the tutor teacher who fills them in on the students progress and manner etc. This works well and cuts down on the number of interviews you have to do, though each interview is 15 minutes long. The reason Graham and I are the tutor teachers of year 7 is because we teach them for 5 of their subjects, so we are able to provide the most relevant information anyway.

Fiona

Daily routine of a school day

Hi all
Well we have now been here for three months. Our daily school day routine mirrors below.
5:45 wake up, QT, shower ( cold, there are no hot taps), get ready and walk to school.
7am School Staff Devotions / notices for 10-20 min
8am Students line up for notices (or assemblies Mon and Fri) then off to tutor group
8:20 First Period commences.
The school day is 4 x 50 min Periods followed by 2 x 45 min periods after an hour lunch break.
2:30 Finish the school day
2:45 attend a staff meeting ( Tuesday and every third Wednesday), or undertake an after school activity. ( Myself: Film Making on Mondays).
5pm find fresh bread somewhere?? It is usually dry white stuff that goes mouldy quickly.
6pm dinner, boil water for washing up (no hot taps), clean up, time with kids, filter the next days drinking water, arrange mosquito nets, coils etc, shower (yes again, and cold), pack up/lock up and stow everything of any valuable that could get stolen overnight- laptop, phone, wallet, camera, flash stick, keys.
8-9:30pm ish head to bed, turning on a fan just as you lie down because the room is still 30 degrees and will drop one or two degrees at most throughout the day and night. (Hence two showers a day).

That all flows fairly well, though it is tiring in the heat. Regular blackouts keep you on your toes and help you not rely too much on electricity for anything. Quirks here and there must be seen as freeing, because the only alternative is frustration. Time and time again plans go haywire and you learn to just say, "There is nothing we can do about it" and adpat or wait as required. I do see this as a valuable area of growth for each of us, including the children, who are becoming quite adept to adaptation and problem solving.... as well as prayer about daily needs. Further the staff and students and Khmer Nationals all face challenges and hence the sense of community is very strong.

Better toddle and read a great book with Nathan... Thanks to the thoughtfullness of Belinda Finlay.

Fiona

Sold into Slavery - prayer point.

Slavery, sexual slavery, prostitution, abuse and neglect. These practices are all too common in Cambodia and demonstrate the desperate need for these people to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, who came to set the captives free.

Pictured above is Isabel, the school French teacher, and her son Matthew. I can't say her "adopted son", because that is, and may never be, the case. No one knows when Matthew was born, or how old he is. What we do know is that Matthew's family sold him to another Khmer family when he was a baby. He was to be brought up to live in their household as their slave. Before he was a year old this impoverished and beaten boy was rescued by an orphanage, where for the next few years he was withdrawn and cried every day. Isabel was invited to the orphanage to meet this little boy, but also was introduced to a little girl whom the orphanage hoped she would "adopt". She prayed about it and God clearly spoke to her during the night to take home the little boy not the little girl. Matthew is now about 5 years old and attends our school. He is a lovely child and has a gorgeous smile.

Isabel would like to adopt Matthew. In fact we know of a number of western families living here with Khmer children who would love to adopt them. The problem is that registered birth dates, parents, names and the like are not automatic when a child is born. Some children are not registered, others have been registered by parents, a secondary family and an orphanage all with conflicting information. The fact is that there is not the clear cut paperwork and consent to allow these children to be adopted by western countries with their strict regulations. Isabel cannot leave Cambodia with Matthew and she will not leave without him. You could pray for the many many families in similar situations. Families who cannot return to their home countries because, in some instances they have quite literally rescued a child from abandonment, are bringing them up as their own and are not able to adopt them legally.

Out of the darkness

Last weekend we headed out of Phnom Penh with friends for a long weekend. This was the Chhum Benh Holiday during which the Khmer believe that their ancestor's spirits are released for 15 days. They believe they must appease these spirits, visiting the temples, buying gifts for monks and so forth. It is a very dark and often fearful time for many Khmer.

We took the opportunity to head to Siem Reap with the children. It took us 8 hours on the bus to undertake the trip of just over 300km. But the kids were very well behaved.

In Siem Reap we enjoyed access to a hot shower and bath, (we do not have hot taps or a bath at home), air conditioning and a swimming pool.

Our tuk tuk driver nick named Tommy was a humble and lovely English speaking Khmer youth. He was a friend of one of our group who has been witnessing to him over a two year period. He was carrying a previous injury and the 11 of us sat around him and prayed for him, which was an incredible privilege.

We visited the Angkor Wat Temple Ruins and also the Vietnamese floating village. The kids and I got up at 4:20am to go out and photograph Angkor Wat at sunrise. It was surreal to think "I am sitting in front of "Angkor Wat", and reflect back 2 years to our NAC trip.

Nathan was keen to get a landscape photo for the 2009 Aussie Kids Photo Festival (which now has an older age category also that Naomi can enter.) Above is one of Nathan's photos of the sunrise. No reds and oranges, just somber blues and blacks, He is very happy with the result.

Back to the grind today of teaching in a humid, noisy city. We shared Tommy's story with our pastoral group and will continue to pray for him. Pleasae join us in prayer that his foot is healed and that he will also come to know Jesus.

God Bless

Fiona

The harsh realities of accidents and incidents.

It has been an interesting week... hang on, we could say that about every week that goes by here. But this week particularly, a couple of the harsh realities of living here have hit harder than usual.

On Wednesday afternoon, outside the school, a car hit a man off his motor bike. Traffic rarely moves faster than 30km per hour, so it was not as major as it could have been, thankfully. The man fell to the ground, his right knee taking the impact and gouging out flesh down to the bone. The car just drove off. The man's wife and teenage son were on a second bike and stopped. Two passing school parents saw the accident and attended to the man. They washed his wounds, removed the embedded gravel, gave him some pain relief medication and, as I arrived, were putting on antiseptic cream and bandages - a process that took over an hour. One of the parents spoke Khmer well and explained that he should go to a hospital and have a tetanus shot at least. The family thanked the school parents, and then the wife and son helped the father up, and hopped on their bikes to leave. The man, obviously in agony, gingerly sat behind his son, looking like he could faint any minute from the pain.

Chrissie, (one of the school parents) and I hailed a tuk tuk and offered to pay for the father's trip to hospital. I offered the tuk tuk driver $2, which was plenty. But the wife would not accept our offer and explained to the other school parent that they could not afford to take the father to hospital, but would just go home. As Chrissie and I contemplated the situation, the family readied to leave. We offered to pay for the tuk tuk to take him home at least. Again the family refused.

Before they left, I held my hands up in blessing and said ''Jesu Bless You" to each of them, the school parent blessed them in the name of God in Khmer. And then off they went.

Chrissie, who works in a medical field, despaired for the man, without treatment his knee would most likely become infected and compromise his leg. But this is the reality of being poor. We see poverty every day, this was not the first injury I have seen, nor will it be the last. Khmer hospitals do little more than give a patient a drip, and send them on their way. It is not unusual to see a family on a bike, with the mother holding up a drip attached to a child's arm, while the father sits in front of them both, motoring along. ( In case you are wondering, there are expatriate medical services which we are covered for through our emergency evacuation insurance.)


Then,
Last night one of the staff families was burgled. Laptop, wallet, phones ... gone while they slept. A harsh reality that when announced left us all quite somber. We were all warned when we arrived that it is usual, not unusual, to be burgled while living here. There are huge gates, barbed wire, massive locks, barred windows and... crafty thieves.

These events do not make me question being here, as one might imagine. They encourage me not to become complacent, yes, they automate an "it's not fair" western type response asserting that "the proverbial dog is, at least in some respects, biting a hand that feeds it". But western cultural norms do not govern Khmer society, so it is not a good basis from which to judge events as it leads to arrogance, resentment and paranoia. You could say that this place is not for the faint hearted, nor the weak stomached. ... But God does send such people here, and... He gives them the strength to keep going in obedience.

Khmer life is a mix of tragedy, irony, and beauty. It is a place where you learn quickly not to take things for granted, be it health, electricity, water, security, decent stationery, communication, transport, Internet access, decent coffee, air conditioning, washing machines, Vegemite, fresh milk, clothes that fit, a space to play, peace and quiet, school resources... and the list goes on. But this a place where God's people live in strong fellowship and value community. I suppose life is still somewhat surreal, so it is easy to say that I feel blessed to be part of God's call to the hearts of the Cambodian people, and thankful for the work He is doing in our own hearts likewise. Please pray that this is something, that we as a family, will continue to be able to say as our lives and ministries unfold here in Cambodia.

Down by the riverside

On Thursday morning (28th Aug), a friend, Elysha, and I went down to the riverside to witness early morning Khmer life and the sunrise. The Khmer attend the river side en-mass to exercise, eat, chat and feed pigeons. Scattered amongst the people are homeless children asleep, beggers and also people selling their wares, often disabled or elderly.

Neighbourhood stroll

Recycling
he hoots the red plastic horn in his hand
so people will come out and sell him cans which he can onsell for a profit.

Home made kite
notice the mud splatter up the wall

This lady makes awesome waffles.

Broom and duster selling


Boys who wanted to pose for the camera

Life's little Challenges

Life here is really not that much different to Australia....

You can still get ants in your sugar, insects in your rice, mice in the kitchen and little lizards..okay geckos, in the house. Glass still shatters when you drop it, the oil in the pan can still catch alight and send flames up high enough to scare you. You can still lock yourself out of your house, washing machines still break down, drains still get clogged, and the neighbours dogs still keep you awake....

and when too many happen in the one day, you can still want to cry, put on some worship music, or go out for a prayer/photo walk and be thankful that you have sugar, rice, a kitchen, glassware, a washing machine, a stove, a house and plumbing.... not too sure about being thankful for the neighbours dog though...

Fiona

Hope School Week One

Well we have just had our first week of teaching at Hope School. The resources here are minimal, but then so is the administrative expectations, discipline issues and playground duties, so it is swings and roundabouts. Simple things like the pictured covered outdoor eating / work area for staff really make the place comfortable. There is a fan above the area and a kitchen next to it. I have enjoyed using this space for eating and for lesson preparation during a free period. The school has wireless Internet so staff can sit at these tables with their laptops and have access to the school network and Internet. I guess wireless was cheaper to establish than running cabling across the site.

This week the school had major problems with power, so often our rooms were dark and the fans inoperable, while the classrooms were over 30 degress, but I didn't hear any child have a major winge. The power supply was to be expanded during the holidays, but obviously wasn't, it should be this weekend though. The school owns a generator that kicks in when the power is out, though it was struggling with its own issues, so we had power outages more than often than we had power. Thankfully the server and main printer have a UPS (Uninteruptable Power Supply) so lesson prep was gernerally not affected if one was using a laptop.

The teachers are predominantly Kiwi, Aussie, Brits and Americans. We all get on very well, though we do not always understand each others colloquialisms which leads to plenty of laughs. The school support staff and classroom helpers are Khmer Christians. The children are a mix of Korean, Khmer and Europeans with a smattering of English, Americans and Aussies. - 25 Nationalities in all.

Setting the scene

Hi all,

As you can imagine Phnom Penh is culturally quite different to Nowra Australia. Rather than explain at length the myriad of differences I have decided to post just a few photos so you can see for yourself the flavour of sensory input we face each day as we go about our daily lives.

God Bless

Fiona

Traffic around the corner from our house.

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Poverty as we walk home from the market

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Security guards ( this is our school gate)

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A Buddist monk walks in front of our house

Ridiculous Prices

Well Phnom Penh shops are a melting pot of unusual goods and ridiculous prices, both positively and negatively. We keep in mind that our salary here is about 3-4 times less than in Australia, so bargains are not always worth grabbing. I have taught the kids to multiply prices by 4 to see what the equivalent would be against our wage in Australia before we decide something is necessarily affordable - that has been a very good check for them before they ask for something. For example, Nathan and I explored the limited range of cheeses, one of the first we looked at was $50 a kilogram, needless to say, unaffordable! Bread is about $1 a loaf, we can live with that - though that is a plain white sandwich loaf, but a big box of Special K is $9 - toast has become the breaky of choice for the kids because I cannot justify Australian cereal and other imports taste a bit like cardboard, but they don't mind at all.

Mind you, if you come to visit us, then there are wonderful bargains to be had for the tourist!!!

You can get custom made shoes from a bootmaker for about $20 while the ones in the stores are $10 - $30 and do not seem to come bigger than a ladies 7!

Nathan got three T shirts in the markets for $5, though girls t shirts are often $2.50 - $5. A cold 300ml bottle of coke is about 35cents. My Nokia mobile phone which was about $300 on ebay in AUS can be bought for less than $150 here.

The list goes on, and the lesson to be learned living here is to adjust your lifestyle to suit the items and prices best available, while keeping a few luxury's so that you have that little bit of familiarity to savour. (Even if vegemite is $5.50 a jar).

Contrasting Views

The contrasting views from our Cambewarra House, Singapore Motel and Phnom Penh House.

Our house in Phnom Penh which we are subletting is the top floor of a two storey house. It is quite large and in parts ornate, though simply furnished. The house is surrounded by tall metal fencing, barb wire and locked metal gates.

Neighbouring houses contrast each other in the size of the buildings, yards and security. (However it is not unusual to see simple houses with motorbikes or cars in their yard.)

The neighbours seem aloof but friendly. I have had a number of opportunities to practice my Khmer whether it be meeting the landlord, introducing the family to the house helper or buying drinkable water from a local sidewalk shop.

Fiona :-)

Here in the Phnom Penh Heat

We arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday evening 22 July after a short stop over in Singapore. The kids handled the flights well, it appears Nathan is nolonger afraid of flying. We were met by a staff member from the school who picked us up and brought us into town. We stayed the first night at the house of the school Principals, Mark and Jane Prothero and their children Eden and Alfie. It was good to meet others from the school and for the kids to start to make friends. The next day even more staff members dropped by to say hello. We were later taken for a small shopping trip to Lucky's supermarket before coming to the house which we are subletting for six months.

First impressions: Phnom Penh is bustling, loud, poor, hot and smells like cooking spices, - for me the smell is almost sickening at times, but I am sure I will adjust.

Fiona

Less than a month to go

Thank you to the many friends who have dropped in and assisted in any manner with our preparation, be it time, skills or financial, we are very greatful for your support.

In 26 days time we board a plane for Singapore with a scattering of belongings and embark on our new life in Phnom Penh Cambodia.

The school term here is coming to an end, my reports are written and I have a handful of classes left to teach.

Graham has been doing odd jobs to prepare the house for rental, with the help of great friends dropping in and assisting in the tackling some of the more daunting tasks.

Moving, knowing we will return has a different sense about it than a "normal" move away where it seems so "final". We do look forward to catching up with everyone again in two years. But we are also mindful that this trip may extend to more than two years. It is a blessing not to have too worry too much about that all and just trust that God has it all in his hands.

We would appreciate prayer for the rental of our house and the sale of our Prado. Having these two things sorted out will obviously lessen our financial burdens overseas. We also pray that we will not have any problems with our departure, such as weather, Qantas strikes or even World Youth Day events delaying our arrival at the airport.

Preparation Progress

It is 8 weeks until we fly out of Australia!
We leave at 9:05am from Sydney on Sunday July 20, 2008.

Thank you to the many friends who have nominated to support us to date in preparation, prayer, communication and/or financially. We couldn't make this journey with out an Immediate Support Team particpating in sending us into service overseas. If you would like information on being part of our Immediate Support Team then email us at brownsincambodia@gmail.com.

When we arrive in Cambodia we will sublet a flat rented by CMS missionaries who will be on furlough in Sydney. On August 4 we start our employment at Hope International School, with the kids starting on August 11.

Graham will be teaching full time in the areas of Geography, Social Science, Science and PE. He will also be administering the co-curricula activities and developing their outdoor education program.

Fiona will be teaching part time in the areas of Maths, Science and Christian Perspectives, she will also be helping Graham with the co-curricular and outdoor education logistics.

While there is only 8 weeks to go, it will be full of packing, cleaning, some fundraising, saying our goobye's and completion of term 2 at Nowra Anglican College for Fiona and the kids.

Please pray that all the preparation and support falls into place, and for continued protection and support as we settle into life in Phnom Penh. We look forward to updating you upon our arrival.

God's Word spoken

Is not God just so like awesome!

God has blessed us with a number of confirmations that serving in Cambodia is His call for us. From direct Scripture, to friends encouragement, our church's blessing, to a powerful dream. God working out His purposes through us, is such an exciting blessing!

And now the word is spoken in yet another way. Our trip is now public knowledge. We have informed my school Principal; he was very supportive and encouraging. Just how pivotal and freeing this feels is almost overwhelming.

Yes it is still all surreal, but we cannot imagine turning back, such is the strength of our call.

Psalm 40:4b(Msg)
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God.
Turn your back on the world's "sure thing"'
Ignore what the world worships.

A Khmer Hello

Hi all, a quick 'Hello' in Khmer.
Khmer script may look unusual, but is actually quite pleasant and fluent to write!
Naomi and Nathan are learning to speak Khmer use a "Learn Khmer" DVD for the PC, this is quite fun (and available in many languages).

I have set myself the challenge to also read (and hopefully eventually) write Khmer. I did start with reading, but without knowing any words found this learning curve too frustrating. Instead I have learned to speak simple words and phrases using the PC. It is sooo much easier to read once you can speak it a little!

There is a romanised transliteration of khmer available - in fact there are a few of them.aaargh!

Romanised Hello in Khmer is:
Sues'day

Employment Contracts

We have received an Offer of Employment and Employment Contracts from Hope International School. They are updating the contract and we expect early May to have the finalised documents.

The offer of employment states that we will be provided accommodation on our immediate entry and then assisted in finding accommodation. It is good to know that side is managed at their end. The accommodation will be a simple but comfortable furnished apartment. You can imagine the diversity of accommodation in Phnom Penh, from slum to ultimate expatriate luxury.

Graham has been busy working in the yard to prepare the house for rent. Pre-surgery, Fiona had been sorting through possessions; now she is recovering and at least contemplating the task ahead. She is also about to complete her Cert III in Ministry with a unit on Missions. The kids are learning Khmer on the Computer.

We will keep you up to date with the official communication between us and Brent Willsmore (The Hope Director). It will certainly be good to finally meet the man we have been emailing since October last year.

Cambodia Bound

Hi all,
Well it is still a bit surreal, but after lots of emails, prayer and phone calls the decision has been made. Graham, Fiona, Naomi and Nathan are heading to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to work for a small Christian Mission based School called Hope International School, (http://www.hopeschool-cambodia.org/).

Graham and I visited Cambodia in October 2006 with Nowra Anglican College to build houses in association with the Tabitha Foundation. (http://www.tabithafoundationaustralia.com/) We developed a heart for the place, saving to return in the short term, for a short time.

One of the most challenging bible passages to me is when Jesus instructs his disciples to "pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out harvesters into the harvest field", and the very ones who pray this, are the ones who are sent. God has a way of taking our prayers seriously and blessing such hopes and dreams.

Time will still tell, of how, and when, this will eventuate, but I will keep you posted.

Pray for guidance as we minimise our possessions..

Fiona
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