Monday 22 December 2014
Training and equipping church leaders
In November, a team of eight people from Brighton Road Baptist Church in the UK spent two weeks with CHO on a Connected Church trip, and got involved in many different areas of CHO’s work. Rev Tim Carter the senior minister of Brighton Road Baptist Church delivered some training for pastors and church planters. - Read more...
Sunday 23 November 2014
Sunday in Cambodia with CHO
A post from our friends Andy and Katie Hills who the BRBC team had the pleasure of working alongside on their recent visit to Poipet.
A lovely description of Sundays with CHO.
Blessings to you both.
Andy & Katie's Big Adventure
Blessings to you both.
Friday 14 November 2014
Our 2014 visit to Poipet, the complete story
For your convenience we have compiled the complete story of our 2014 visit into one convenient PDF document. It can be downloaded here.
Sunday 9 November 2014
Adieu
A huge thank you
- To all our supporters in the UK especially those at BRBC who made this all possible both through the planning stages, financially and supporting us in prayer.
- To Tearfund UK for their support behind the scenes and making this all possible through their inspirational Connected Church programme.
- To our friends at CHO who made us most welcome and gave us the opportunity to share in their amazing projects.
- To Chomno, Rosa, Reatrey, Rathana, Monorom, Sovann, Lita, Kagna, Sokheoun and all the staff in Destiny Café. It was good to work together.
God bless you all.
Saturday 8 November 2014
Creature Comforts and Hardship
We’re back in Poipet, minus Rod and Michelle who are staying in Siem Reap to do some sightseeing.
My new room at the hotel has a table and chairs, a window and a view, which I am enjoying. It also has the air conditioning on – air con is something for which we have all been consistently grateful since we arrived. All these things contribute to my sense of wellbeing at the end of the trip and reinforces a sense of gratitude to God for all his goodness to us over these two weeks.
Creature comforts like these make a lot of difference. The sights we saw yesterday at the Angkor temple complex were awe-inspiring, yet because it was so hot, one of the best parts of the day was an orange ice lolly in the car park (brilliant idea, Michelle!). Without the creature comforts I have mentioned, our visit to Cambodia would have been a gruelling endurance test. Yet (and you will probably have guessed this) as I reflect on the difference these things have made to our enjoyment of the trip and our ability to cope, I cannot but be aware of the number of people who live here without a comfortable chair, a window with a view, air conditioning or enough money to buy clean water or food for a balanced diet, let alone an ice lolly to cool them down. In one way we have experienced so much, but our creature comforts have insulated us against any hardships on this trip. We have been immensely privileged during our stay, and this is a measure of how we are all correspondingly immensely privileged in terms of the way of life we enjoy in the UK, both at home and in church.
Yet I would like to thank those in BRBC who have endured a small measure of hardship for our sake. While we have been sweating in the sun or basking in the air con, working and travelling, a faithful group have gathered every day in what has sometimes been a very cold BRBC chapel to pray for us. If today we can look back on the trip and see that God has been good to us and has used us in some small way to make a difference here in Cambodia, then your prayers for us have been an essential part of that, so thank you for the difference you have made as vital members of the BRBC team who stayed and prayed. God bless you!
Tim
My new room at the hotel has a table and chairs, a window and a view, which I am enjoying. It also has the air conditioning on – air con is something for which we have all been consistently grateful since we arrived. All these things contribute to my sense of wellbeing at the end of the trip and reinforces a sense of gratitude to God for all his goodness to us over these two weeks.
Creature comforts like these make a lot of difference. The sights we saw yesterday at the Angkor temple complex were awe-inspiring, yet because it was so hot, one of the best parts of the day was an orange ice lolly in the car park (brilliant idea, Michelle!). Without the creature comforts I have mentioned, our visit to Cambodia would have been a gruelling endurance test. Yet (and you will probably have guessed this) as I reflect on the difference these things have made to our enjoyment of the trip and our ability to cope, I cannot but be aware of the number of people who live here without a comfortable chair, a window with a view, air conditioning or enough money to buy clean water or food for a balanced diet, let alone an ice lolly to cool them down. In one way we have experienced so much, but our creature comforts have insulated us against any hardships on this trip. We have been immensely privileged during our stay, and this is a measure of how we are all correspondingly immensely privileged in terms of the way of life we enjoy in the UK, both at home and in church.
Yet I would like to thank those in BRBC who have endured a small measure of hardship for our sake. While we have been sweating in the sun or basking in the air con, working and travelling, a faithful group have gathered every day in what has sometimes been a very cold BRBC chapel to pray for us. If today we can look back on the trip and see that God has been good to us and has used us in some small way to make a difference here in Cambodia, then your prayers for us have been an essential part of that, so thank you for the difference you have made as vital members of the BRBC team who stayed and prayed. God bless you!
Tim
Partings, potholes and prospects...
After breakfasting together, well shaded from the brilliant blue sky and heat of the sun, we walked together along the River Sap which lies in the centre of Siem Reap, watching the water boatmen (aka floating 'dustmen') clearing the river and its banks from the abandoned chinese lanterns, fireworks and floating flowers left over from the water festival celebrations of the night before. In addition to the fireworks, colourful rafts and boats, another noticeable centre piece of this festival was a giant waterwheel. Celebrating the gift of water in this way, a commodity which we take so much for granted, might seem a little odd to us, but when we consider that this year the water level after the rainy season is still too low for a good rice harvest, and three years ago there was so much water the rice harvest was swamped to the extent that much of it rotted in the field it brings the delicate balance of the rainy season and the dry season into sharp perspective for us. The increasing variability and unpredictability of the seasons has a huge and direct impact on the staple food of this region, affecting the quality of life and of livelihood for a whole year at a time. When asked at Safen Haven School or school on a mat what they ate for breakfast the children will say 'rice'. When asked about lunch, they say 'rice', and when asked about supper....guess what they say first? You got it...Life here may not look all that hard in that the children are not skinny and starving, but they are not enjoying healthy mixed diets. The vegetables and meat produced by the poor on land owned by the rich are destined to be sold, not consumed locally.
The partings I refer to have occurred throughout the day. Firstly we said goodbye to Rod and Michelle as we left them behind in Siem Riep to start our journey back to Poipet. We wished them both a happy time and safe travelling when they do return home next week. We will miss their company and already feel somewhat diminished as a team because for eight such diverse people we had become very attuned to each other and therefore not only worked well and enjoyed our time here as individuals but also very much as a team.
Rathana, who has been our driver and guide for the past three days then drove the remaining six of us back to Poipet; a journey of two and a half hours. The road is largely wide and straight but it is a hazardous drive, due to large patches of mirage from the sun being almost directly overhead, vehicles ranging between pedal bikes loaded six feet high and wide with goods, through mopeds and scooters with five up plus luggage, to huge heavy lorries plying the long long road twixt Pnom Penh and Thailand all mixing in and out together in both directions. Every wit known to man is required to undertake this drive safely as vehicles cross lanes, sides, undertake and overtake in what to us still seems quite a random pattern. The potholes I refer to are just one among many additional hazards. The middle section of this long journey, lasting a number of kilometres, contains some spectacular pot holes though. These are not ordinary potholes, they are 'special Cambodian potholes' comprising large areas of unmade road with a surface of random rubble, with sudden drops into and out of them and no warning sign to suggest where they are. Some are as wide as half the entire width of the road and they are of variable depth. If not spotted ahead (and it's not easy!) then the result would be carnage with vehicles spinning out of control. It all makes for a bumpy ride and Rathana deserved his well earned round of applause as we arrived back safely.
This evening we shared our final evening meal here in Cambodia with Andy and Katie who have become good friends to us all. Please pray for them as they continue in their work here with CHO until mid December. Saying goodbye this evening was tough but we look forward to staying in touch. Tomorrow we will finally say goodbye to CHO staff who have taken such good care of us.
CHO are very clear in their request that we specifically pray for more and more church communities to be planted. This year, 9 separate communities have been planted so far and 5 more are planned for the first half of next year. As a team we have seen CHO at work at close quarters. They are simply amazing and their aim of strengthening the quality of life of disadvantaged rural people and at risk and poor children and cultivating hope for the future is definitely being fulfilled. No ifs, no buts and no maybes.
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Sue
The partings I refer to have occurred throughout the day. Firstly we said goodbye to Rod and Michelle as we left them behind in Siem Riep to start our journey back to Poipet. We wished them both a happy time and safe travelling when they do return home next week. We will miss their company and already feel somewhat diminished as a team because for eight such diverse people we had become very attuned to each other and therefore not only worked well and enjoyed our time here as individuals but also very much as a team.
Rathana, who has been our driver and guide for the past three days then drove the remaining six of us back to Poipet; a journey of two and a half hours. The road is largely wide and straight but it is a hazardous drive, due to large patches of mirage from the sun being almost directly overhead, vehicles ranging between pedal bikes loaded six feet high and wide with goods, through mopeds and scooters with five up plus luggage, to huge heavy lorries plying the long long road twixt Pnom Penh and Thailand all mixing in and out together in both directions. Every wit known to man is required to undertake this drive safely as vehicles cross lanes, sides, undertake and overtake in what to us still seems quite a random pattern. The potholes I refer to are just one among many additional hazards. The middle section of this long journey, lasting a number of kilometres, contains some spectacular pot holes though. These are not ordinary potholes, they are 'special Cambodian potholes' comprising large areas of unmade road with a surface of random rubble, with sudden drops into and out of them and no warning sign to suggest where they are. Some are as wide as half the entire width of the road and they are of variable depth. If not spotted ahead (and it's not easy!) then the result would be carnage with vehicles spinning out of control. It all makes for a bumpy ride and Rathana deserved his well earned round of applause as we arrived back safely.
This evening we shared our final evening meal here in Cambodia with Andy and Katie who have become good friends to us all. Please pray for them as they continue in their work here with CHO until mid December. Saying goodbye this evening was tough but we look forward to staying in touch. Tomorrow we will finally say goodbye to CHO staff who have taken such good care of us.
CHO are very clear in their request that we specifically pray for more and more church communities to be planted. This year, 9 separate communities have been planted so far and 5 more are planned for the first half of next year. As a team we have seen CHO at work at close quarters. They are simply amazing and their aim of strengthening the quality of life of disadvantaged rural people and at risk and poor children and cultivating hope for the future is definitely being fulfilled. No ifs, no buts and no maybes.
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Sue
Friday 7 November 2014
Immeasurably more
Here we are in Siem Reap as our visit to Cambodia and CHO draws to a close. We were busy throughout last weekend so we are now having a couple of "days off" in Siem Reap. As part of our ongoing project with CHO it is also really important for us to learn about Cambodian culture, the religious context and how it integrates with life here. We are also fortunate that it is a Cambodian national holiday - The Water Festival while we are here so this gives us extra insight into Cambodian life.
Today we have been visiting the Angkor Wat temple and other surrounding temples. I'll not try and describe the temples here as there are many good sources on the Internet (Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat ) or you could catch up on two excellent programmes screened on the BBC recently http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jmx7j However what you do need to understand is that these temples which are about 1000 years old were originally built as Hindu and only later became Buddhist temples. Probably the most significant fact which you appreciate even more when you are here is that this is the largest complete religious complex in the world and was once the centre of a great empire. At another level both the Lara Croft Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones Temple of Doom were filmed here! So while the site resonates with us it also reminds us of the clash of these different cultural images.
We had more insights in to the Khmer culture during our evening meal which was enjoyed buffet style in a restaurant with over 700 people eating together. Whilst this took place we were entertained with traditional Khmer Apsara dancing.
Typically this comprises five dances which re-tell famous Khmer tales. One we enjoyed was the Golden Fish dance, which tells the story of the Monkey King who tricks the Golden Fish into falling in love with him; beautiful dancing and a story line that again crosses cultures.
Whilst we are here in Siem Reap we have been guided by Rathana, one of the staff members from CHO, Rathana is one of CHO's long serving members of staff and is often involved in managing Tearfund UK projects at CHO.
So what of the team? As I look back on the past couple of weeks it has been an amazing journey - not just physically. We have a great team who have done what they planned and much more. We made some great new friends working alongside CHO staff at school, in village outreach, with staff in the office and specialists in the field, linking up with other Tearfund volunteers, before, during and we hope after the visit. We've done things in situations we could not possibly have planned for, and it might be a cliché, but done something to change lives which is CHO's aspiration - changing lives one step at a time. As we left, a group of students arrived from South Korea to start work constructing the next classroom for Safe Haven school. The vision is not just another classroom but for university level facilities in years to come.
Thank you to everyone that made this all possible.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Graham.
Today we have been visiting the Angkor Wat temple and other surrounding temples. I'll not try and describe the temples here as there are many good sources on the Internet (Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat ) or you could catch up on two excellent programmes screened on the BBC recently http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jmx7j However what you do need to understand is that these temples which are about 1000 years old were originally built as Hindu and only later became Buddhist temples. Probably the most significant fact which you appreciate even more when you are here is that this is the largest complete religious complex in the world and was once the centre of a great empire. At another level both the Lara Croft Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones Temple of Doom were filmed here! So while the site resonates with us it also reminds us of the clash of these different cultural images.
We had more insights in to the Khmer culture during our evening meal which was enjoyed buffet style in a restaurant with over 700 people eating together. Whilst this took place we were entertained with traditional Khmer Apsara dancing.
Whilst we are here in Siem Reap we have been guided by Rathana, one of the staff members from CHO, Rathana is one of CHO's long serving members of staff and is often involved in managing Tearfund UK projects at CHO.
So what of the team? As I look back on the past couple of weeks it has been an amazing journey - not just physically. We have a great team who have done what they planned and much more. We made some great new friends working alongside CHO staff at school, in village outreach, with staff in the office and specialists in the field, linking up with other Tearfund volunteers, before, during and we hope after the visit. We've done things in situations we could not possibly have planned for, and it might be a cliché, but done something to change lives which is CHO's aspiration - changing lives one step at a time. As we left, a group of students arrived from South Korea to start work constructing the next classroom for Safe Haven school. The vision is not just another classroom but for university level facilities in years to come.
Thank you to everyone that made this all possible.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Graham.
Thursday 6 November 2014
Village outreach
A couple of glimpses of the village outreach that took place on Tuesday Using simple resources: a sheet of coloured paper (for an origami paper cross) and three coloured pipe cleaners were used for creative work with the children.
Thank you to all our supporters in so many ways. From the team and staff at CHO.
God bless you all.
Siem Reap here we come!!!
We woke up as we always did to come down to Destiny Café for a delicious breakfast. We all were very excited to be going to Siem Reap but we had to say goodbye to Chomno and the rest of the team first.
The friendships we have made here are going to last forever. As we drove off we saw Chomno’s big beaming smile, something I will miss ever so much. We stopped off for fuel but then we were off. It was a very long drive but there were lots of sights to see out of the window.
We finally made it to our hotel and it is lovely. Lovely warm shower, nice comfy bed and A FAN!!!! We dropped off our bags and went off out for lunch. I had chicken wings at a very nice restaurant. It was delicious! After dinner we drove off to the floating village and it was amazing. We were all very surprised and excited because we got to go on a boat. It was an amazing experience especially when the driver stopped the engine and we just floated. It was so peaceful and relaxing just hearing the sound of the lake. We stopped off at this little floating bay and had a look around. There were crocodiles and snakes. I was just happy that there wasn’t a crab to be seen!
We then went back to the hotel to get ready to go out for dinner. We went to a huge room where they had a buffet and as you know everything we liked ended up on our plates. After dinner and some entertainment we decided to go out to look round the night market. There were some lovely clothes and bracelets. It has been a very long, exciting, tiring and brilliant day. I am ready for bed.
Night night one and all!!!!!
The friendships we have made here are going to last forever. As we drove off we saw Chomno’s big beaming smile, something I will miss ever so much. We stopped off for fuel but then we were off. It was a very long drive but there were lots of sights to see out of the window.
We finally made it to our hotel and it is lovely. Lovely warm shower, nice comfy bed and A FAN!!!! We dropped off our bags and went off out for lunch. I had chicken wings at a very nice restaurant. It was delicious! After dinner we drove off to the floating village and it was amazing. We were all very surprised and excited because we got to go on a boat. It was an amazing experience especially when the driver stopped the engine and we just floated. It was so peaceful and relaxing just hearing the sound of the lake. We stopped off at this little floating bay and had a look around. There were crocodiles and snakes. I was just happy that there wasn’t a crab to be seen!
We then went back to the hotel to get ready to go out for dinner. We went to a huge room where they had a buffet and as you know everything we liked ended up on our plates. After dinner and some entertainment we decided to go out to look round the night market. There were some lovely clothes and bracelets. It has been a very long, exciting, tiring and brilliant day. I am ready for bed.
Night night one and all!!!!!
David.
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