Last week, 7 of us from the YAds team, Revival Centre went to Kampong Speu, Cambodia for a mission-trip. It is a rural village area about 1 1/2 hours out of Phnom Penh. I was both an eye-opener as well as an amazing miracle for me. We had many series of activities with classes for children and youth, and even conducting church service for their local church.
We stayed in a small guest house out in the main road of Kampong Speu where there is water and electricity supply. I guess us stupid pampered city folks won't survive without electricity & water-supply I suppose?? But we didnt try, and there were no guest houses inside the villages anyway. The main road area has electricity but it was out one of the nights we were there.
Anyway, guess what I saw outside our guesthouse everyday??
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| pergi jauh-jauh oso nampak Abbott trucks hahaha |
The trip was eye-opening because:
1. In some of the villages, there is no water or electricity supply... they use kerosene lamps and waters from the well. They are very simple people but very appreciative of life.
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| Now THIS, is a real kampong... unlike Kampung Pandan or Kampung Baru |
2. Some of the people are so poor there, a lot malnutrition happens. You can see small little kids who have pale blondish hair, whom did not achieve that look by dying their hair... it's lack of nutrients. Meat is also a luxury, when you order beef noodle, you will get noodles & cow spare parts. When you order nasi goreng ayam, you will get nasi goreng tulang-ayam. But I must say, they cook well... the taste is not bad at all.
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| cow spare-part curry wt bread |
3. Small small kids are super duper independent. As young as 6 would walk or cycle >10km by themselves to class. There was one kid in one of our class who had to carry her baby sister to class, babysitting I suppose... she herself could not be more than 6yrs old!!! Yet, they are still so appreciative and thankful for everything they have or get.
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| the village children playing games & doing artwork (photo courtesy of Li Chan) |
4. Many people do not get education because of the need to come out and work to support their family. Also, their education system is pretty corrupted causing their value of their degree to be next to nothing, unrcognized degrees, unrecognized universities... unfair for those who truly studied and worked hard to obtain their degrees. Sad. We had communication breakdowns whenever our interpreter was not with us, our request for cut chillies came out as a plate of sliced pork =.="
5. Pastor Kala (our contact there) answered God's calling 6 years ago to come here as a fulltime missionary... all alone!! She gave up all the comforts of Malaysia to be there to start teaching & do many community projects. Thanks to her, many of the youths in her classes can speak English, do simple Math & budgeting, know about caring for their health, and much much more! You can straightaway see the difference between those whose lives were touched by the missionaries and those whose lives were not. Hats off and total respect & admiration to Pastor Kala's selflessness and sacrifice. We visiting missionaries may be there to teach for a few days, a few weeks or even a few months... but it is her commitment and dedication that keeps all the programs running continuously, developing the people in Kampong Speu.
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| The church in Kandaldom |
The trip was an amazing miracle because:
1. The water supply was unclean & Pastor Kala & our Cambodian interpreter, Vuthy warned us not to consume ice for fear of typhoid and cholera. But because it was the hottest season there right now!! (That's why not many visiting missionaries this season) We all cannot tahan the heat & thus, did not comply. Thanks for all our home-church people praying for us, we were protected. None of us got sick at all!! And we ate all the food just off the street-stalls and definitely had lotsa ice. hehehe
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| Matahari super terik gila!! Hot and dusty! |
2. Many ad-hoc requests came up for session we did not plan. I had to conduct a vocal / music lesson completely impromptu!! Eeeeeeks!!! Takutnya. Yes, I know I can sing and play piano or whatever, but I am a lousy teacher. A really lousy one. But the feedback for my class was so positive. I even conducted an altar-call, me, erm... not exactly Miss examplary-Christian, conducting an altar call?? Erm... weird but people responded. Phew!! Just commit to what God ask you to do and He will give you the strength, skills and everything to do it well!! I know I should't have been afraid but hey, I am human too k?
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| Teacher Yee Huey... kekekeke ;-) (photo courtesy of Li Chan) |
All in all, it was a wonderful trip... it was even wayyy way better than my first trip to Cambodia which was for touring purpose only. I think I gained a lot more from a giving-trip than a receiving-trip. Praise the Lord!! I can't stop sharing about my experience since the day I got back... starting with my parents as they picked me up from LCCT. hehehe. Would I go back there again to teach? Absolutely! ^_^
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| Shout with Joy to the Lord, all the earth! |
