Seeing Chjantee again

Back in October 2009 I posted an article about Baby Chjantee.

"She was born with a hair lip and double cleft pallet. She was a small baby and her mother was unable to breastfeed her. At 5 days old she was in hospital and in a coma for two days, not expected to survive. Babies like Chjantee would normally die."

We now go to a house church so I had not seen Chjantee for many months, happily though I bumped into Anne Turner and Chjantee recently in the supermarket. Wow has she grown into a beautiful little girl! I was very excited to see her. Chjantee has now been formally adopted by her nanny and continues to thrive.

Chjantee and the countless other children I meet; who would not have survived without the aid of tireless workers supporting and empowering Khmer communities, really bring a blessing to my heart and strong sense of purpose here in Cambodia.

Unfortunately, for each happy little child like Chjantee there are still so many who do not survive, who live in poverty or are slaves to viscous cycles of abuse.

Please pray for workers to enter the harvest-field that is Cambodia.

Fiona

Warning Graphic Content

As I mentioned previously, I went to visit the Khmer Soviet Friendship hospital to hand out food and water to survivors of the water festival tragedy. We were shown around for part of the time by a lovely Nurse called Tharvy Ho, who works with Operation Smile.

(http://cambodia.operationsmile.org ) Tharvy's work includes caring for the poorest of the poor, including those who cannot afford care at all. She was so dedicated to her work, very much an inspiration. As we went from room to room we handed out supplies to patients who were not part of the water festival tragedy as well as those who were.

Pictured is Rhatdjan (I don't know how to spell his name). Rhatdjan was in an accident 2 months before this picture was taken. He has been in hospital ever since. His family cannot afford the skin grafts he needs. Imagine what his body looks like under the bandages, ( raw meat- sorry but that's what his thighs looked like!)Seeing this boy was an incredible shock. Standing in this incredibly hot, run down and cramped room, observing his injuries, meeting his family. What an eye opener to the needs for what we would consider "basic health care" for the average Khmer family.

There is so much work still to be done in this amazing country, in the world, and this was a small but profound glimpse of it.

Please pray for harvesters to go into the harvest field, to heal the sick, drive out demons and proclaim the good news to the poor. For people to be infected with the Compassion of Christ basically!

Blessings

Fiona