Jungle Adventures in the countries of the world.
Imparting Smiles has been caring for and educating almost 150 kids for almost a decade. This year we had our first girl graduate high school. Kiang, has been a hard worker and dedicated to finishing school. I promised all our kids that if they graduated from High School I would do everything in my power…
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When I was a boy scout we had many mottos and core principles which guided our actions. One of those is “Leave a place better than you found it.” In general, this is referring to camp sites or places where scouts go to camp or work, and when we leave, there should not only be…
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Anyone who knows my family knows that my wife is the most amazing part of it! My wife regularly gets compared to Jesus; no one ever confuses me and our Lord!! (I am working on it!) Anyway, yesterday my wife told me about the counsel she gave to one of our women leaders and it…
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On July 21 I asked people to pray that it would not rain in Poipet. As part of our community development, we have been rehabilitating schools. The schools were damaged by rain and floods, so to fix them, we needed dry weather. Specifically, we were pouring concrete at one school to make a driveway and…
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I just came back from a special dinner. I wasn’t the honored guests, but I was one of the nearly 2000 leaders who were invited to celebrate in the inauguration of the Governor of Poipet city here in North West Cambodia. Even the Thai Governor of Sakeo province and military officials (who we are still…
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*** warning blood and guts: viewer discretion advised*** Yesterday I had a great day. Nothing was on my mind except for preparing to teach in upcoming seminars. I prepared covers for two books to be printed, checked the layout other teaching materials and made a final run through on my lesson for the following day. …
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Poo Lao is a villager from Ralouch village in Kracheh province. The first time I met Poo Lao he was standing in the middle of a road, with a krama (a Cambodian red checkered cloth: a towel) around his waist, shaved head but sporting a goatee, shirtless and with a bulging belly. If you ever wondered…
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Over the last few months we have had several young people come and out stay with us. They help with teaching English, painting, building. . . just whatever we need help with. For a job description we tell them that if they come with a “servant heart” then it will be easy to adjust. Everything…
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Who would think that summer school would be fun? I would think of it more like a punishment when I was a kid, but the children at Imparting Smiles love to study and are relishing the moment in which they have a special American teacher. Willena Brooks came to visit her daughter, Elisabeth (my assistant),…
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You all know the expression, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” In Cambodia, we have a similar saying, “If you want something done, do it yourself (‘cause no one else is going to help you!)” Over the years I have built homes, orphanages, roads, sidewalks and even attempting to build a bridge…
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