English Camp Graduation Day

It was another glorious day here in Phnom Penh. The morning “ice-milk coffee” routine held for Ron, Karen, and Marti. I (Liz) really should have done more preparation and developed a taste for that before I came over here! We arrived at the church this morning, again via truck ride. I really enjoy that ride.

David Ens with Gee Gee

This day was different from our others. We stayed together in the sanctuary for the whole morning. We have had a competition all week between our different color teams of students and teachers, and today was the final day. We had several very competitive games, the highlight being a full-contact version of musical chairs. It was very funny, and Ron got it all on video. After the competition was settled once and for all (Blue Team beat out Silver Team on a tie-breaker “rock-paper-scissors” best two out of three), we had more worship time and sharing of personal testimonies and devotions. The worship time was so beautiful. It was a huge transformation from the first day, when the kids barely sang or moved. By this morning they were singing, doing actions, and even making up little dances for the songs. Then came the moment the students were looking forward to, when they got their certificates! They were so pleased to have them.  Teachers signed the certificates, students got email addresses from each other and from teachers, and many of us were crying as well. We passed out the salvation bracelets and Chinese jump ropes that our youth sent along with us. Then we all ate lunch together and the time with the students was at an end. We will all miss our new friends.

The kids and their ice-milk coffee

There were no scheduled activities for this afternoon, so Ron, Marti, and I decided to take in the Russian Market one more time. It is so much fun watching Ron and Marti bargain, and I got a few good deals myself. Of course, there was an “ice-coffee with My Boy” break in the middle of our shopping time to recharge batteries.

Marti and Liz with the tuk-tuk driver

To get back to the guest house from the Russian Market, we hired a tuk-tuk (a cart pulled by a motorcycle) . This driver spotted us coming into the market and watched for us to come out. When we came out for our coffee break, he ushered us to the stand, got us seated, and even placed our order. He really wanted our business later. He waited another 45 minutes while we shopped some more, and when we were ready to go, so was he. It had been raining pretty hard while we were in the market, and it was still raining while we took the ride home. It was good we weren’t walking! I loved the ride and want to do another one soon.

Flooded street in front of the church

Supper was back at the church. This time, we rode in the cab and the back of David Ens’ pick-up truck. It might have been my imagination, but I think he took the craziest route possible to maximize the experience for those riding on the back of the truck. It was definitely not one of the routes we had traveled on the bus or in the other truck. Marti and I ended up in the cab, but we heard plenty of squeals and screams (of delight, I’m sure) from the back. Many streets were flooded from the afternoon rain. When we arrived at the church, the street in front of there was pretty much filled with water. I thought of what a blessing it was that we were done with English camp when this rain occurred, so that we didn’t have to get on or off big buses in that deep water. Patti Ens said that when it rains hard like that for about half an hour, the streets flood. If it does it for two hours, the houses flood. And the water is sewage mixed with rain water, but people drive, run, and pedal their bikes right on through it. She said if your skin was sensitive at all, you would probably end up with a rash from that water. I believe her.

The beautiful end of a beautiful day

The evening ended with a gorgeous sunset. I caught this little girl, daughter of one of the workers (I believe) looking out at the rain soaked world with the sunset in the background. I though it was a fitting symbol of the week we have had, and the blessings God has shown us in the lives of young people.

Praises:

1.       Praise God for the beautiful ending to our first English Camp.

2.       Praise God that we have only seen three rains during our whole time here so far, and that this heavy rain held off until our camp was done.

Prayer Requests:

1.       Pray for the hearts of these young people who just attended camp, that the young Christians might be strengthened in their walk with Christ. Also pray for those who were unbelievers, that they might receive the blessing of Christ’s love in their lives.

2.       Pray for rest and recovery time for Bill Lobbezoo (who ran camp two weeks after arriving back in Cambodia and actually moved into his new place today) and David Ens as they and their families recover from one camp and gear up for another.

3.       Pray for good decisions over the next couple days as to what to do with our unscheduled time.