One of the guys on our team sent this email to his family and friends. I've published it here (without permission :)). It's a good email and offers another perspective on the trip.
Hey friends,
I'm back home from Cambodia. Our team got back safely on the 14th of December. I had planned on writing a bit sooner but Life was not willing to cooperate and allow me some time to decompress a bit before getting back into all the responsibilities that were waiting for me when I got back. Suffice it to say, it was a crazy week last week trying to adjust through the jetlag and the before-Christmas work deadlines. However, I did want to give you a sense of my experience in Cambodia... FAQ-style!
Where exactly did you go?
Battambang, Cambodia.
Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia... behind the capital, Phnom Penh, and just ahead of the real touristy destination of Siem Reap (which houses all the ancient temples and ruins).
What kind of ministry were you involved with during your time in Cambodia?
For 5 days, we spent most of our days at the New Life Orphanage in Battambang. This orphanage is home to 36 kids... ages 6 to 17. During those days, we did a Vacation-Bible-School type of program where we taught them some Bible stories in the morning, sang some worship songs with them (including teaching them some crazy dance motions), played a variety of games and sports such as Twister and barefoot volleyball, and made a whole bunch of crafts and colored a lot with the littler kids.
Yes, we played around a lot with the kids... we had somewhat of a theme which we tried to incorporate into all of our activities. We tried to emphasize "Generosity". That through this Christmas season, one of the biggest things they can remember is generosity. And so one day we even invited all the kids in the surrounding neighborhood to join us for a birthday party for Jesus. On that day, we were able to give those visiting kids a special gift that the kids at the orphanage had made for them. During the entire time, I was wondering if the orphanage kids were getting the whole "Generosity" thing that we were trying to teach them about. And on the last day, as the kids were going around sharing how thankful they were that we were there, one of the kids said, "Thank you for coming. Thank you for helping us show God's love to our friends in the neighborhood." BAM! Yup yup... that's what I'm talking about!!!
Sounds like God did some awesome stuff through you guys. But weren't you gone for 10 days? What did you do the rest of the time?
Well, we hung out at the orphanage for 5 days. We spent 1 day in Siem Reap touring through some of the famous temples. (I got a chance to take a ride on the back of an elephant.) It probably takes 1 full day to account for all our travel in Cambodia. We rode from city to city and from hotel to orphanage by bus. And if you've ever been in a third-world country, you know that transportation is a little bit different from our super-highways. And finally, it took about 3 days for all the round-trip travel between Atlanta and Cambodia.
How were the conditions?
Not bad. Sure it's a third-world country... but we stayed at a local hotel where a number of foreigners were staying. Plus, we ate most of our meals at restaurants that specially catered to foreigners. Although I tried to eat local dishes, there was always Chicken Fried Rice if I wasn't feeling too adventurous. I was able to take a daily shower and we had running toilets... so no worries about that.
I financially supported your trip. What exactly was I participating in?
Well, even if you wanted to really bad, not everyone has the margin in life to take 10 days off and head overseas. So in my mind, I think these short-term trips are opportunities for you to partner with others who do have the margin in life to do so. I had asked you to partner with me... "hey, let's be a team"... both financially and in prayer... and help show love to these Cambodian children. And you did. You made it possible for me to go... and as an extension, I loved on them with you. But here's some other ways that your generosity was reflected. We were able to give this orphanage:
* A five month supply of vitamins for all 36 kids in the orphanage
* A five-plus month supply of fever/pain medicine
* A TV and a DVD player for the orphanage to use for different ministry purposes. You should have seen the kids watching the movie Cars... they were mesmerized.
* Posts, a net and a ball for a volleyball court. (They had dug holes and filled it with cement and were playing the next morning at 8am!
* A digital camera for the orphanage. Apparently, they need to document each kid with a photograph and submit to the local authorities.
* Christmas gifts for 100 kids in the surrounding village. The gifts included crayons, pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners, bracelets and candy. The kids at the orphanage invited the kids from the surrounding village to a birthday party for Jesus and give them the gifts. They did this as outreach and to show others God's love and generosity for us.
* Lots of love and attention through songs, games, crafts and sports.
Great stuff, Chris. Any personal highlights?
Well, developing relationships with kids at the orphanage were awesome. As soon as we got off the bus, they were all over us... holding our hands... grabbing our arms... hanging off our necks. They loved the presence. So did I. But there were also some other things that I enjoyed. The day trip to Siem Reap was pretty awesome. AND... the going rate for one-hour massages in Cambodia was $6. (The legitimate kind.) I definitely took advantage of that. Several times. In fact, at one massage place, they hired blind folks to provide the massage... so that instead of these folks begging on the streets, the massage place would train them through a real massage certification course. Can I say... "Best Massage Ever!"???
How was your team?
9.4 out of 10. My team was ridiculously Christ-like... especially for some of them who had never traveled outside the US.
Anything else?
It was an amazing trip. I've got some pictures if you want to see them. I have a lot more I could go on and on about. So if you want more detail... I'd love to talk to you about it. But let me just say, Thank you. A personal "thank you" for allowing me to experience what God is doing on the other side of the world. And "thank you" on behalf of the kids at New Life Orphanage. You'd fall in love with them if you met them. That's a guarantee.
I've attached a photo. It's meant to be for you. (I'm standing in the center-back row in case you can't tell me apart from the Cambodians :-)
Merry Christmas!
-chris
