Earlier this December I told the Governor of Banteay Meanchey province that we did not want to hold a huge public Christmas this year and instead have a “family Christmas” with our kids in the Imparting Smiles center. We didn’t mind if the pastors still wanted a public Christmas celebration, but we decided we would…
Last week there was terrible flooding in Cambodia and with Typhoon Magi heading toward Cambodia we were fearing the worst. After much prayer (and a high pressure system) the typhoon pounced on China and Taiwan (sorry about that). I breathed a sigh of relief assuming we would be ok. I went on with my comfortable…
On June 3, 2010 the Imparting Smiles Children center was dedicated at Poipet, Cambodia by the Deputy PM of Cambodia and Governor of Banteay Meanchey Province.
One of the rarest phrases I have heard in Cambodia is “Thank you”. I have literally provided millions of dollars of assistance to Cambodians over the last fifteen years. I can count the number of times that I have been told thank you. On December 25, 2009 the Governor of Banteay Meanchey publically expressed his gratitude to Noit and I for our efforts to help the children.
For the first time in my life, I did not have a family Christmas on December 25. I chose to do it on December 23, so that I could join with hundreds of Christians and dozens of Government officials in Banteay Meanchey to celebrate Cambodia’s only official Christmas.
David is a guy who has every excuse in the world to just take it easy. Few of us have had the difficulties in life that David has. Few of us can barely imagine how hard life has been for David. Yet David knows who he is in Christ and he is grateful for the life that Jesus has given him. He devotes all of his effort and work for the purposes of the Kingdom of God.
We were in an exclusive zone next to the Thai border were access was limited. What shocked me further was that most of the people, hundreds of them, that were just hanging around were children. Their parents were off trying to find work and the kids have no choice to just wait, often for days for the parents to come back.