Goodbye to Our English Camp Friends

Here it is, finally! Our group picture!! (Of course we have bare feet. We're in church.)

Kids by the roadside. That is their home in the background.

Today was our last day of English Camp in Siem Reap. We started the morning in the café across from the hotel. There were so many English Camp teachers eating there, that we had to have two tables. After breakfast, a couple of us took tuk-tuk rides and some walked over to the church this morning. The way to and from our hotel has become so familiar in such a short time, because we generally walk it at least twice a day. There are many children along the way, and it seems they all yell out “Hello! Hello, Ma’dam!” We return their hellos to hear squeals and laughter. Some of the children have clothes on and some don’t. We have noticed that they really perk up at seeing our white faces. I’m calling it the “Marti Effect” as Marti always has suckers for those kids along the way. They love to see her (and by association, us) coming! Today on the way back home, I took the picture of one group of children. One little guy ran away when he saw my camera, but the others stood and posed for me.  I showed them the picture I took, and they all burst out laughing. It was one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. One of the things I will miss when I leave here is how easy it is to find joy.

Sandy with a precious, little friend

But I digress! Let me tell you about our last day of English Camp.  We didn’t break into teaching groups today, so we had more time for freshie shows and singing, testimonies and devotions. Our group was well-represented on all fronts. Ben gave a testimony today, and Marlin did a devotion. They both did an outstanding job. Many of us did freshie shows as well. Oh, and I almost forgot about the final round of games! We have been having a competition all week among the different groups, to see who would be crowned the winning team. We had two games today, a pass the balloon under your chin sort of game, followed by musical chairs. You might remember that we had similar games at the first English camp. However, each group of kids is different, so it’s all new again. The games were hilarious and the teams highly competitive. A tie finish was settled by a rock-paper-scissors match, best three out of five. Pink was declared the winner, but everyone had a fun time together. In addition to all the other activities, today we had a skit as well. Andrea and Abby H. did a great job in their parts, and it was very funny.

Laura and Maxine with two of their students

As the morning wound down, it was finally time of the students to receive their certificates. They were very proud, and many photographs were taken. After everyone had a certificate, we closed with a word of prayer and the song “Goodbye my Friend.” Many tears were shed during and after the song, as we did say goodbye to one another. One of our goals is to connect these kids to each other so they want to come back together again. As short-termers over here in Cambodia, we will most likely not connect with these kids again. We may find a few on Facebook or the like, but many do not have access to that type of technology. So it was sad on many levels, to fall in love for a week and then say goodbye. God, and our full time missionaries, will take care of the work we began here. We have to leave it in their capable hands.

Khmer message, ready to go up on the board.

After a final lunch with our student friends, we had a de-brief meeting with Bill Lobbezoo and David Ens. (Abby H. and Marlin were not there, as Abby was not feeling well today and went back to the hotel after the morning’s events were done.) It was much the same as the debrief after English Camp I, but with many different teachers, the responses to Bill’s questions were different. We all thought back over our time in Cambodia and forward to how we will process this experience and what we will do with all God has taught us. After this session was over, we walked back to the hotel one last time. Our team was to meet for about an hour to do some wrapping up of our own. We met poolside, which was just perfect! We took time praise each member of the team, recounting what we had seen over the past week. It was a delightful experience for one and all, I think, and a few more tears were shed. The rest of the afternoon, we had the option of attending an engagement party back at the church or resting at the hotel.

This evening, Bill treated all the teachers to a buffet dinner. It was great! So many choices, so little time. There were Western dishes (or at least the Cambodian interpretation of Western dishes) alongside traditional Khmer dishes. Many delicious choices were made! Our team decided to go shopping afterward, so tuk-tuk rides were arranged to the night market. More deals were bartered and treasures found. The tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel, along the river with the city lights shining, was simply delightful. What a pleasant way to end the day!

Tomorrow is our day to visit Place of Rescue Orphanage II,  where many of you who read this blog have sponsored children. We are so excited to go there. We will take two vans, and then Marti, Maxine, Sandy, Kim, and Abby L. will head on to Poipet from there, while the rest of us go back to Siem Reap for one more day. It is hard to believe that the time here is going by so quickly!

Praises:

1.       Praise God for all the friends we have made in the past week.

2.       Praise God that Mike and Laura are feeling better.

3.       Praise God that the English camp was a success.

4.       Praise God for the beauty of this country and its people.

Prayer Requests:

1.       Please pray that Abby H. feels better. She really wants to go to Place of Rescue tomorrow.

2.       Pray that all trips will be safe, as our teams travel tomorrow.

3.       Pray that we communicate well with the children at the orphanage tomorrow.

4.       Pray for each of the English camp students, that they will grow in their relationship with the Lord from what they have experienced this past week, or that they will understand a little more about who Jesus is, if they are not Christians.

Thanks for your continued prayers for all of us. We couldn’t be doing this without you!