First Day in Battambang

Today was a great day! We were able to spend our first full day at the orphanage. The first order of the day was music and dancing. For those of you who have not been to the orphanage, these kids can sing and dance like nobody’s business. We had so much fun. We then moved into an exercise to allow the kids to get to know us better called “Team Member Bingo.” We had bingo cards with a few facts about each member of our team, and the kids competed to see who would get all of their bingo spaces filled first. I must admit that we each learned a lot about each other as well during this process. For many on the team, this is their first time to the Battambang orphanage, and even though we had been with the kids for a couple of days, there is just something special about seeing them in their environment. Theyjust seem so much more at ease and comfortable.
                                                                                                                               

After getting to know each other better, we broke out our wiffle ball gear and got the kids out on the field for a little baseball. It became apparent pretty quickly that although not many of the kids claimed to be baseball fans, even the little ones would have given Barry Bonds a run for his money out on that field. We had a lot of fun but I’m not sure that baseball is going to overtake soccer for Cambodia’s greatest pastime any time soon. We wrapped up the game and then the team headed out for a quick bite to eat.



Today was also the day that we introduced our Bible study to the kids-It’s Ok to be Different. We created a workbook/journal to give to each of the kids. The journals look similar to small group curriculum and we even had them published into book format leaving lots of room for the kids to be able to journal in them over the next several months. Will Britt did an amazing job introducing the “Big Idea” for the week by sharing stories of others who have been mistreated and ostracized simply because they were different. Once we finished the overview with the help of our translator Preiyo, we divided the kids into small groups to talk about how being a Christian can sometimes mean we must act differently and are treated different-especially in a country that is only 1% Christian. The boys and girls met separately and were divided by age. It was so great to be able to communicate with the kids, and really dig into what’s going on in their lives. They face so many obstacles as Christians in their culture, and we heard some of them describe how they are teased and even hated for their faith in Christ. It was great reminder that these kids need prayer every single day. This evening we held an outreach to the community in the form of a “Businessman’s Dinner”. The Businessman’s Dinner is sponsored by New Life Church, and is conducted in both Phnom Penh and Battambang while our teams are in town. Local business leaders and professionals in the community are invited to attend the event where they hear from a member of our team about what it means to have a balanced faith and work-life, and then have the opportunity to hear the gospel presented. One of our trip leaders, Jon Vaughan, spoke via a translator to 145 attendees about running a business, being a Christian, and how faith and work can intersect for the glory of God. Among the individuals at the dinner, 55 men and women chose to accept Christ, and another 51 said they would like more information. That was truly an awesome experience and we were honored to be a part of God’s work in the community of Battambang.



Please continue to pray for our team as we continue through the week. It is so easy to become overwhelmed, discouraged, and distracted. Pray for protection for our team and for the kids, and ask that God’s Spirit guide our attitudes, actions, and thoughts in everything that we do. Tomorrow we get up bright and early to pick up the kids for a field trip of sorts. We are going to take a ride on the bamboo train, which is an unforgettable experience for many reasons, and look forward to another fun-filled day with the kids.

Mike and Garrett