From Pancakes to Circus Tricks

These last two days have been nothing less than exceptional, fantastic, awesome, amazing and wonderful. I truly thought that yesterday’s Bamboo Train was crazy fun….and so was today!

Today we started our day by making a little breakfast of pancakes, dragon fruit, bananas and apples for the kids. What seems like a monotonous chore at home was quickly viewed as delightful. The children were in awe at how the pancakes were made. Hungry tummies waited patiently to be fed. And eager Americans couldn’t wait to watch each child take their first bite. The excitement and joy was a perfect way to start the beginning of a really great day.

After stuffing our faces with nutella pancakes and fruit we went in for singing and dancing. These kids have some serious energy! We then continued our study in our prayer journals. Today we talked about “dealing with harsh words and teasing” as well as “how to treat girls with respect”. Jon and Mike both gave excellent examples of how to be respectful towards women, whether it be your sister or your wife or any other woman.

I’ve had the true pleasure of working with the older girls in these lessons each day. I have come back this year after two years away and seen the obvious growth and maturity of each one. I have enjoyed speaking to them on a new and different level of faith and how to serve our Lord in deeper and more meaningful ways. It is exciting to think that this is the future generation of Cambodia. These young men and women have a lot to offer. Their life has just begun.

In Sports/Activities, we enjoyed some serious competition today. (I’m not sure who’s more competitive…the Cambodian kids or our American boys.) Games like dizzy bat, egg relay, three-legged race, sack race, and a great game of tug of war were enjoyed by all.

Afterwards we were able to have a tour of the orphanage. We normally stay in the schoolhouse or the front yard for our activities but today we were given a chance to see a little more into how they live. While in many ways it breaks my heart to see the conditions that they live it, it also brings me hope. This orphanage has come so far in only a matter or 5-6 years. I have hope that in that same amount of time (or less), we will continue to see growth and change on this little campus that inhabits some of the coolest kids I’ve ever met.

We had lunch at the orphanage. Home cooked fried chicken, fried mushrooms, rice and fruit. These Cambodians put some serious love into their meals. It is heart warming to see how they take care of us when we are the ones who came here to take care of them.

After having a short rest back at our hotel we came back for more fun with the kids. This time we enjoyed writing letters in Khmer for the children that we will see in Siem Reap . I practiced my Cambodian writing and I have to say….I’m going to stick with the English alphabet.

As were about to go, we had one more surprise for the day. We told the kids to get themselves ready for our return later that night….because we’d be taking them to the circus!!!! It was so much fun to see the excitement on their faces.

This circus consists of orphaned and underprivileged children who have been taught a talent to keep them off the streets and in a better and safer environment. It is so great to see what these adorable kids can do because they were given a chance to succeed .

Our team and these children have been going at full speed this week. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve taken full advantage of our time with these kids. We know how quickly this week goes by and we have certainly made the most of each day. It has been reassuring to know that we have friends and family who are at home supporting and praying for us. Our health has been great, fatigue has been minimal and team unity has been beautiful. Thank you. God certainly has us in His grip. The Cambodians would say, “He has chosen favor on us.”

Yes, He has.

“You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit.”

Job 10:12