Hello everyone,

   Sorry for the long interval since the last post.  We truly have not had a minute free before now.  We were all sad to leave Cambodia yesterday, but had an uneventful flight to Hong Kong.  We took the tram to the top of Victoria Peak this morning, then the ferry across the harbor to the shopping districts.  We walked about 2.5 km to the Chinese market, which the kids love (they are quite the bargainers)!! We brought the subway back to the hotel and everyone except me has hit the pool for a swim.  We counted all the forms of transportation we've used this week and it includes airplanes, ferry boats, trains, cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, motos, and even an ox-cart, I think! Hong Kong is so different from Cambodia!  

   Tomorrow is our big de-briefing day, so please pray for good reflective time individually and as a group.  Also pray about the weather here... right now we're under a typhoon warning and the rain has been coming down off and on all day (but not enough to deter the shoppers :-).  We would like a break in the weather tomorrow as we have to take another ferry to the island where the Christian guesthouse is located.  We will spend our last night there before leaving for home at 9:30 Monday morning.  Parents, we thank you so much for allowing your kids to join us in this adventure.  We have seen good things happening, and are confident that spiritual growth will continue long into the future.  We are looking forward to seeing you on Monday!   Patty

   

How Many Fruits Have You Never Seen Before?

Today we have a couple of hours here at the Strong's home, so I thought I'd post an update. We've stayed so busy, I haven't even had time to log onto the computer!  I'm pretty sure I've never seed this group of kids really tired, but they are actually going to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 every night, it they haven't already fallen asleep in the lobby chairs!  They are working so hard and have such great attitudes.  They've dealt patiently and gracefully with hard work and incredible heat.  They've been flexible and cooperative, and still have had energy to encourage one another.  They're an amazing group of kids!! 

We went to the market in Battambang this morning where Josh M. and John went dress shopping, and we have been helping with processing the moringa leaves we picked on Monday.  The Khmer have been so welcoming and patient with us.  I (Patty) was also able to go along to the local orthopedic hospital this afternoon so that Matthew could have his cast removed. It was like stepping back in time to the 1960s.  Please pray that his arm will continue to heal and become stronger and that God will protect him from re-injury.  As you might imagine, dangers for children abound here.  

Yesterday was probably our hardest work day ... we transplanted rice for one of the Khmer families. We spent the entire day (except lunch and one break) in the tropical Cambodian sun, calf-deep in mud.  Our group went through 100 bottles of water in the heat, but sunburn was minimal, despite the protests about wearing hats and sunscreen (I won).  We praise God that the worst of our suffering were some headaches at the end of the day, all of which were cured with Gatorade, ibuprofen, and a good night's rest.  We were honored by being the first guests in the new home of our hosts, a lovely Christian lady named Omleup and her non-believing husband.  Their part-brick home is not finished (without a floor), but they still invited us to picnic in their living room/dining room/bedroom.  After we finished, we cleaned up in the pond with only about half of our kids "falling" in. For snack, Omleup made us delicious sweet rice with coconut milk and sesame.  I think the Garden of Eden probably resenbled Cambodia, as whatever direction you look, you see another tropical fruit just waiting to be picked and eaten.  Our group has tried jack fruit, dragon fruit, banana (large and small, green and yellow), green papaya salad, pineapple, oranges, and quite a few more. Cambodia is definitely a land of contrasts; we are constantly seeing the old and new.  In one of the photos above you see Om wearing his traditional Cambodian krama with his cell phone clipped to his belt!  The other photos show our group planting rice.

A few words from Rebecca.

Oh my goodness, this trip has been an amazing experience so far. Let me tell you first about yesterday, and then I will talk about what I have done/learned today.

Sunday:

Mr. Ed, Ms. Patty, Daniel, John, David, and I went to one church, and the rest went to another church. We sang "Blessed Be Your Name" and Ms. Patty, John, and I gave our testimonies while Aunt Doris translated. The service was 2 hours and 35 minutes long, so it was a bit longer than an average North Ridge 10:45 service. The service went really well and it was really cool to be in a different church setting. At the afternoon service, we were all together. We sang "Blessed Be Your Name" again and we also sang "In Christ Alone." Anna, Daryl, and I sang "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone" before Daryl gave her testimony. In summary, Sunday was awesome and I could really write tons more things, but you will just have to wait to hear :)

Monday:

Today was a really touching day for me. A few of us went to an amazing lady's house to help her harvest her moringa trees. She cuts the branches and then brings them to the Strongs and they pay her for her work. Our job was to help her for the morning. She has HIV/AIDS and she is a widow with 8 children, 6 of which live at home - the youngest is about three. She became a Christian about three years ago during the PLHA ministry. She has to provide for her children by herself. She blessed me probably a lot more than what our help was worth. It was incredible to hear her story. I have so much more to say, but I should really go to bed :)

Thank you so much for your prayers! It's great to know that y'all are praying for us and thinking about us.

-Rebecca

    Daryl blogging today :) 

First off- Yesterday!

I can't even begin to tell record everything I saw, heard or experienced... it was just too much. We woke up with the knowledge that we were building a fence for a pastor but we had no idea how much work it would take. We got drove in our trucks for about 40 minutes and were ready to start as soon as we arrived however, the Cambodian people were not and we were taught a quick lesson of patience (APPARENTLY starting on time is not a huge issue... I would do well :]) About 30 minutes after, we started. At first they wanted a compound post for the trees, so the guys cleared the land with machetes (only got showed up by a few girls :p) and the girls scooped up manure which wasn't as bad as it sounds :] After creating this huge compost pile, we started on the holes... hardest job EVER. In America you hire a man, who has a machine, who pushes a button that drills holes for the fence posts that will be probably mechanically be placed into the ground. Cambodia.. not so much. We had some tools and hands and that's what we used. I can't even explain all we had to do just to dig one hole. One Cambodian would take a hole, dig a perfect two foot deep circle and be on to the next in about one minute.. seriously. It would take TWO of us to go to a marker, start digging a hole together and finish in about.. oh I don't know.... 15 minutes. The thing that amazed me is that the Cambodians smiled and laughed the whole time and didn't sweat at all. We had looks of exhaustion, random here and there smiles and all of us sweat so much we looked like we jumped in a pool. We took a quick break to eat lunch that the Cambodians prepared for us. We had a lot of food but the thing that stuck out the most was the bamboo.. did you know you could eat bamboo? neither did we :] After that we got back to the holes and a couple hours later finished the hardest job we have ever attempted to take on.. but they thanked us a ton. Even though we considered ourselves sort of a hindrance cause we were so slow, we learned a lot of lessons of being appreciative. It was personally so amazing to me the grateful, loving, hospitable attitudes they gave to us... and how much you sweat and Cambodia!! We all took forever long showers and headed to the Strong's for dinner... American spaghetti (yay). After a yummy dinner it was time for an ice cream run, team talk, and bed. 

Today:  Today was our day to spend with the Khmer youth. After riding the lorrey we all split off into our groups. Anna and Rebecca were together with two sisters, Josh M. was off with a young man, Daniel, Josh B and I were off with this whole big family, and Caleb, John and David went with two young men. We all did different things and learned soooo many different things that you are going to have to as us each I suppose what our day was like. It was an amazing day for all of us and I personally was struck by how much it takes just to support a day for yourself and your family. It was a lot of work for us to live a day of a Cambodian because of how different all of us live. They are so content here, so happy with just the company around them. It might take more for these people to have a bed or even breakfast but it's almost better because it teaches them (a long with teaching me today) to depend on God and to work happily with those that you love. I prayed before I left that this would be a life changing experience.. that I would learn things that I could never learn with all the distractions back at home. Already in these few days this has come true for me and all my friends here. Keep praying for us and thank you for everything you guys have already done for us!

Love, Daryl :]

p.s. Josh Munroe spent the day with crocidiles, Caleb, John and David climbed coconut trees, Josh and Daniel Blanchard and I ate manure and survived, no one got stung by the many scorpians we have encountered, and Rebecca appreciates squatty potties but is thankful for American toilets. 

What's a Lorry, Anyway?

Today we took an early morning lorry ride to the north of Battambang.  Some of our Khmer friends rode with us.  The breeze felt so nice, as the temps here have been near 100 with high humidity.  After the lorry ride, our youth are spending the day with some of the Khmer youth in their homes, learning more about the daily life here.  We have seen great bonding between our youth and the Khmer youth, despite the limited communication ability.  Our kids have already noticed the deep joy in the Khmer people, despite the difficulty of their lives.

On Sunday, we will divide into groups and worship in two different churches in the morning and a third in the afternoon.  Several of our youth will be sharing their testimonies.  Please pray that they would be able to reflect God's love and faithfulness.  We will also be singing in all three services.  

Hi Guys,

This is Jack.

 Brief update from Battambang

The youth have just been paired with a Cambodian counterpart and are spending the day at their houses learning about their culture. This is a fantastic opportunity for our youth, as it will stretch them out of their comfort zone. 

The people we have met have been a joy to be around and to work with. Yesterday we helped build a fence 150 meters in diameter and it was quite the challenge in the heat, but we did it.

Please keep praying for us!

God Bless you,

Jack

Good Morning Battambong

This is John. Yesterday was very busy, we did some site seeing early thursday morning in Phnom Pehn. After that we had a very long kinda bumpy car ride with lot's of quick stops for the cows crossing the road. We made it to Battambong  safely last night at the Teo Hotel. When we got there all 15 of us pilled in to davids truck and went to dinner, It was an adventure! We have to go start our day, we are building a fence for the local paster today, hopefully we will be a blessing to him. Thank you for all the prayer and support!

P.S. There will be more info coming tonight.

Travel Update

  Good morning, everyone!  We had a great day yesterday (and the day before, technically).  We left Raleigh at 6 am, making it to JFK with time to spare, despite the lack of available assistance.  Our 14 hour flight to Hong Kong took us very near the North Pole, then over northwest Russia, eastern Mongolia, and China.  We had a lot of fun looking down at so many different aspects of our incredible earth! We saw the polar ice cap and the Gobi desert. Our flight to Phnom Penh arrived at about 5 pm in the midst of some pretty strong thunderstorms.  We praise God that our Airbus 320 made it through those storms safely! 

  David Strong was waiting for us at the Phnom Penh International Airport (ours was the only plane there....) and brought us to the Golden Gate Hotel, which is clearly a popular spot for westerners to stay.  As we drove through the capitol city, many streets were flooded with a foot or more of water, forcing a lot of the motor scooters off the roads for a while. There is no drainage system for storm water, so when it rains, they just deal with it. We checked in and then walked to the nearby Lucky Burger for a snack and to buy some water (we don't even brush our teeth with the tap water).  I had no trouble falling asleep, but was awake by 4 am, although I believe most of the kids slept a little later.  I came down to the hotel lobby at 5 to try to send some email, but found only Buddah and two sleeping hotel guards with the computers all shut down.

  This morning we'll be seeing some of Phnom Penh and after lunch we'll take the bus to Battambang where we'll be staying for the rest of the trip. We are completely dependent on David and Doris for everything, so pray that God will help us find means to communicate His love to the people of Cambodia.  Will try to upload a photo or two once I find the camera cable, which I hope I packed!  Also pray for us to recover quickly from jet lag.  It's extremely hot and humid here, and like most Asian countries, air conditioning  generally consists of open doors and windows.  You are in our thoughts and prayers, and we'll do our best to keep the updates coming.