Ok, I have been involved with Tearfund in different ways for pretty well the whole of my Christian life, and it is true that I am now a vice-president, and it is my job to say good things about the work of Tearfund. But let's imagine I were to take a step back into the land of objectivity. What would I say. Well, I would say, first of all that this trip was superbly organized and led. No 't' was left uncrossed, and no 'i' was left undotted. Everything was thought about in terms of health and safety, right down to the diarrhoea pack (which thankfully wasn't needed!). We also had a great leader in Billie Anderson, who was both orgauized and flexible, kind and firm - just the kind of person we needed!
But to go deeper, I was truly impressed by the partner with whom Tearfund is working here in Poipet, which is (as you will know by now) the Cambodia Hope Organization. It is, of course, a Christian-based organization, though here for the good of all. It is not the church as such, but 'church' has grown systemically out of its work. But it re-taught me a lesson which I learnt years ago in Southern Sudan - that there are many situations where the Church can be the most effective aid agency. The Church is on the ground, knows the situation, and will be there long-term. I am so glad that the genius of Tearfund is to support aid and development through the local church, and to connect those churches to one another worldwide.
Another things which impressed me was the way in which every penny in accounted for by Tearfund. Very little is spent on admin. So we were able to see specific projects with, for example HIV/AIDs and micro-enterprises, which are specifically supported by Tearfund.
But there is another thing which rejoices my heart and it is this. Tearfund also enables us to think differently in our Western culture, through programmes like Discovery and Just People. Let's really value them and use them to enable our folk to have hearts which beat with the heart of God.
Now that's an objective report- can you imagine a subjetive one......In one sentence 'Tearfund is brill'
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Music
Today we met at 7.30am for a special time of prayer for the nation of Cambodia, and especially for those grieving the loss of loved ones in the tragedy on Monday on Diamond Island Bridge in Phnom Penh. It was a wonderful time. The priestly ministry of the people of God in bringing the world before its Maker is a privilege. Tears were shed, prayers of love were uttered to one who knows and understands human grief and loss.
But, strangely, the part of the worship which affected me most deeply was the singing. Music here feels different- it has a kind of Chinese sound to Western ears. It is very beautiful. I only wish I could have recorded it for you to hear. Most of the hymns and songs were unknown to us, but we knew oursleves to be in the presence of believers worshipping the One God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began to ruminate as the music washed over me, that when we arrive at the new heaven and the new earth, there will be people of all tribes and nations and peoples and languages before the throne of God, singing 'Worthy is the Lamb'. I'm sure they will bring with them all that is best in their cultures, and I imagined myself wandering from nation to nation, as the beauty of their singing was lifted up to the throne of God.
Then we sang a song I knew: 'Amazing grace', with the last verse in English:
When we've been there tem thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Then when we first begun.
And thanked the Lord from the bottoim of my heart for his wonderful redemption, and for the whole company of the redeemed.
But, strangely, the part of the worship which affected me most deeply was the singing. Music here feels different- it has a kind of Chinese sound to Western ears. It is very beautiful. I only wish I could have recorded it for you to hear. Most of the hymns and songs were unknown to us, but we knew oursleves to be in the presence of believers worshipping the One God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began to ruminate as the music washed over me, that when we arrive at the new heaven and the new earth, there will be people of all tribes and nations and peoples and languages before the throne of God, singing 'Worthy is the Lamb'. I'm sure they will bring with them all that is best in their cultures, and I imagined myself wandering from nation to nation, as the beauty of their singing was lifted up to the throne of God.
Then we sang a song I knew: 'Amazing grace', with the last verse in English:
When we've been there tem thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Then when we first begun.
And thanked the Lord from the bottoim of my heart for his wonderful redemption, and for the whole company of the redeemed.
An army of ordinary people
Another blog from Jono Pierce:
We had a very moving day yesterday when we divided up as a group. I spent the morning and part of the afternoon with Bishop Harold doing some training and teaching with the pastors and church leaders in the local villages.
We began by hearing some amazing testimonies. Stories of immense suffering and pain, of time spent in refugee camps and abject poverty. Stories of men leaving Buddhist temples because of the light and life of Christ they had seen in others.
I was speaking from Mark 1 of the importance of building up our personal devotional life and again it was humbling to meet men who desperately want to spend time alone with God but have no space in their homes where they can do it. We have been given a deep sense of just how much we take for granted in the Western world on this trip.
We had a very moving time at the end of that day when we prayed for and anointed these pastors and church leaders. Bishop Harold anointed their wrists that they might have authority and courage to bring the Word of God to their communities. What touched us deeply was what they requested us to pray for. They prayed for boldness in sharing the Good News. They prayed for wisdom in leading their communities. They prayed for ways in which they could draw even closer to God. Then they prayed for us. I've no idea what they said but i know it was beautiful and it helped me enormously.
In the afternoon Gavin and i headed off on a motorbike Tuk Tuk to a remote village with Sem a community health worker who runs a service for those affected by HIV and Aids. While we were there Sem translated a session in a safe house about recognising the signs of HIV.
Sem who has come here 6 months ago from New Zealand spoke of how difficult his first 3 months were. Surrounded by such need and poverty he found it hard to deliver his training and learn the local language.
He would well up with sadness so that he could not speak.
Now He lights up with encouragement as he points out to me people who were terribly ill and can now walk. Children who CHO send to clinics for anti retroviral drugs. He translated a message for me as we spoke to the villagers and spoke of how our Father in heaven is making such a difference.
People from the village appreciate the rice and the cost of transportation to the clinics and the way that CHO travel the inaccessible roads on motorbikes to bring water, food and medicine to those who have nothing.
As we bumped our way back in the Tuk Tuk Sem beamed from ear to ear as he told me how much he loved his job. He said every day i'm part of something that is saving lives and i pray to our father every morning and every night to give us the strength we need.
What challenged me most was his comment that if asked to go back to new Zealand now he would find it difficult. He believes its important to just go in obedience to what God has called us to do. With a cheerful wave and a big smile he was off - another example of God's army of ordinary people in this place called to do extraordinary things and bring His kingdom here on earth.
Jono Pierce
We had a very moving day yesterday when we divided up as a group. I spent the morning and part of the afternoon with Bishop Harold doing some training and teaching with the pastors and church leaders in the local villages.
We began by hearing some amazing testimonies. Stories of immense suffering and pain, of time spent in refugee camps and abject poverty. Stories of men leaving Buddhist temples because of the light and life of Christ they had seen in others.
I was speaking from Mark 1 of the importance of building up our personal devotional life and again it was humbling to meet men who desperately want to spend time alone with God but have no space in their homes where they can do it. We have been given a deep sense of just how much we take for granted in the Western world on this trip.
We had a very moving time at the end of that day when we prayed for and anointed these pastors and church leaders. Bishop Harold anointed their wrists that they might have authority and courage to bring the Word of God to their communities. What touched us deeply was what they requested us to pray for. They prayed for boldness in sharing the Good News. They prayed for wisdom in leading their communities. They prayed for ways in which they could draw even closer to God. Then they prayed for us. I've no idea what they said but i know it was beautiful and it helped me enormously.
In the afternoon Gavin and i headed off on a motorbike Tuk Tuk to a remote village with Sem a community health worker who runs a service for those affected by HIV and Aids. While we were there Sem translated a session in a safe house about recognising the signs of HIV.
Sem who has come here 6 months ago from New Zealand spoke of how difficult his first 3 months were. Surrounded by such need and poverty he found it hard to deliver his training and learn the local language.
He would well up with sadness so that he could not speak.
Now He lights up with encouragement as he points out to me people who were terribly ill and can now walk. Children who CHO send to clinics for anti retroviral drugs. He translated a message for me as we spoke to the villagers and spoke of how our Father in heaven is making such a difference.
People from the village appreciate the rice and the cost of transportation to the clinics and the way that CHO travel the inaccessible roads on motorbikes to bring water, food and medicine to those who have nothing.
As we bumped our way back in the Tuk Tuk Sem beamed from ear to ear as he told me how much he loved his job. He said every day i'm part of something that is saving lives and i pray to our father every morning and every night to give us the strength we need.
What challenged me most was his comment that if asked to go back to new Zealand now he would find it difficult. He believes its important to just go in obedience to what God has called us to do. With a cheerful wave and a big smile he was off - another example of God's army of ordinary people in this place called to do extraordinary things and bring His kingdom here on earth.
Jono Pierce
How to cope with history
This blog is from Pete, the poet:
One of the places we visited earlier in the week was a huge, man-made dam near Battenbong. It was built by the Khmer Rouge in the seventies to provide irrigation for the dry season so rice could be grown throughout the year, However, due to the long hours of work and poor food many thousands died, One of the CHO team was forced to work on the dam - and survived - so it was quite an emotional return for him (only the third time in 35 years). We were also shown a deep cave high up on a nearby mountain where people were pushed over the edge to their deaths. As you can imagine, this provoked all sorts of thoughts on my part. Here's a poem which tries to sum it up:
Letting Go
I see a lake filled with Khmer blood
Sprinkled with lotus flowers.
The Buddha reclines
In a cave filled with skulls.
Mountain-top views over the Battenbong plains
Where the intelligentsia plunged to their deaths.
Beauty and tragedy are woven together
In this historical tapestry.
Acts of madness and unbelievable cruelty
Co-exist with courage and quiet heroism.
As for the survivors
I do not detect any harbouring of bitter memories
No festering of anger in the hidden recesses of the heart.
Rather a desire to let go of the past and purge the demons
To create hope and healing for the future.
It is the way of bloodless revolution.
It is the way of dignity.
It is the only way to be fully alive.
One of the places we visited earlier in the week was a huge, man-made dam near Battenbong. It was built by the Khmer Rouge in the seventies to provide irrigation for the dry season so rice could be grown throughout the year, However, due to the long hours of work and poor food many thousands died, One of the CHO team was forced to work on the dam - and survived - so it was quite an emotional return for him (only the third time in 35 years). We were also shown a deep cave high up on a nearby mountain where people were pushed over the edge to their deaths. As you can imagine, this provoked all sorts of thoughts on my part. Here's a poem which tries to sum it up:
Letting Go
I see a lake filled with Khmer blood
Sprinkled with lotus flowers.
The Buddha reclines
In a cave filled with skulls.
Mountain-top views over the Battenbong plains
Where the intelligentsia plunged to their deaths.
Beauty and tragedy are woven together
In this historical tapestry.
Acts of madness and unbelievable cruelty
Co-exist with courage and quiet heroism.
As for the survivors
I do not detect any harbouring of bitter memories
No festering of anger in the hidden recesses of the heart.
Rather a desire to let go of the past and purge the demons
To create hope and healing for the future.
It is the way of bloodless revolution.
It is the way of dignity.
It is the only way to be fully alive.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
A word from Billie
As Tearfund staff member on this trip Harold has offered me a turn on the blog today. So what follows are a few of my thoughts.
It is wonderful to be back in SE Asia- gentle and friendly people, green paddy fields and familiar but exotic sights and sounds. (Our family lived in the neighbouring country of Lao from 2005 - 2008). I'm very excited to see more of one of Tearfund's partners work firsthand, having also worked with Tearfund in the 1990s in Pakistan/Afghanistan and now being a staff member in the Teddington office.
CHO certainly doesn't disappoint - they are the church in the community bringing God's Kingdom in every area of life. This is Tearfund's distinctive way of working through the church to bring transformation in poor communities. We have seen how CHO are responding to all variety of needs especially focusing on children, while recognising that to help children you must also help their families to have a livelihood. From the desperate stories of children abandoned or even sold by their parents but now cared for at CHO's Safe Haven, to families like Suot's, who couldn't afford to send his kids to school after he lost his job when a cement factory closed down. He had no income until CHO gave him training and helped him set up a small holding where he grows gourds and beans and has the dignity of being his own boss and being able to send his kids to school. CHO is bringing hope to so many in Poi Pet.
Chomno is an inspiring leader with a big vision - he looks forward to a day when the Cambodian church will be transforming every village. He also dreams that maybe one day a child that they have either rescued or educated will grow up to become prime minister. It is thrilling to realise that we are a part of this work - as members of God's fantastic family. Thank you to any of you who have supported Tearfund or the Bishop's Appeal - you have enabled this transformation.
I think Harold wanted me to say a bit having to lead a team of 5 men (said with a twinkle in his eye which those of you who know him will be able to imagine).....but there has not been any issue with this; I have only been aware of 5 talented and unique individuals. It has been exciting to see how God is at work in and through each member of our team. We are a diverse group but each passionate about playing our part in His Kingdom. We have this in common with each other and with the CHO staff which brings a sense of purpose and unity that it is difficult to describe.
Thanks for reading to the bottom; we hope that these posts give you a glimpse into this trip and into where your prayer and financial support is directed if you have given these. Most of all though I hope you will feel encouraged if you are a member of the body of Christ by what your relatives are doing and if you would like to know more please do contact me at Tearfund or maybe even consider going on a trip yourself.
Billie Anderson
It is wonderful to be back in SE Asia- gentle and friendly people, green paddy fields and familiar but exotic sights and sounds. (Our family lived in the neighbouring country of Lao from 2005 - 2008). I'm very excited to see more of one of Tearfund's partners work firsthand, having also worked with Tearfund in the 1990s in Pakistan/Afghanistan and now being a staff member in the Teddington office.
CHO certainly doesn't disappoint - they are the church in the community bringing God's Kingdom in every area of life. This is Tearfund's distinctive way of working through the church to bring transformation in poor communities. We have seen how CHO are responding to all variety of needs especially focusing on children, while recognising that to help children you must also help their families to have a livelihood. From the desperate stories of children abandoned or even sold by their parents but now cared for at CHO's Safe Haven, to families like Suot's, who couldn't afford to send his kids to school after he lost his job when a cement factory closed down. He had no income until CHO gave him training and helped him set up a small holding where he grows gourds and beans and has the dignity of being his own boss and being able to send his kids to school. CHO is bringing hope to so many in Poi Pet.
Chomno is an inspiring leader with a big vision - he looks forward to a day when the Cambodian church will be transforming every village. He also dreams that maybe one day a child that they have either rescued or educated will grow up to become prime minister. It is thrilling to realise that we are a part of this work - as members of God's fantastic family. Thank you to any of you who have supported Tearfund or the Bishop's Appeal - you have enabled this transformation.
I think Harold wanted me to say a bit having to lead a team of 5 men (said with a twinkle in his eye which those of you who know him will be able to imagine).....but there has not been any issue with this; I have only been aware of 5 talented and unique individuals. It has been exciting to see how God is at work in and through each member of our team. We are a diverse group but each passionate about playing our part in His Kingdom. We have this in common with each other and with the CHO staff which brings a sense of purpose and unity that it is difficult to describe.
Thanks for reading to the bottom; we hope that these posts give you a glimpse into this trip and into where your prayer and financial support is directed if you have given these. Most of all though I hope you will feel encouraged if you are a member of the body of Christ by what your relatives are doing and if you would like to know more please do contact me at Tearfund or maybe even consider going on a trip yourself.
Billie Anderson
Battambang: the lake and the hill
Part of our visit was an opportunity to go to Battambang, a city about 100 miles from Poipet. What a privilege that visit was. Chomno was going back to places where he had experiences great pain, and this was only he third time he had been back since the days of the Khmer Rouge. The lake to which he brought us (See Photo Album) was the place he was taken captive from his village by the Khmer Rouge. Here Chomno was put to hard labour, digging a lake with around 100,000 men to irrigate the land around so that there could be two rice crops a year instead of just one. It was simply amazing to go out on a boat on what is now a very beautiful lake, with many lotus flowers growing on the surface, and to realize that this vast expanse of water is man made. But it was made at such cost. Around ten thousand men died for this lake. Chomno as there for three years, until he eventually managed to escape back to his home. At that time he was a Buddhist, but of course the Khmer Rouge outlawed all religion.
Ater the lake, the hill. As we parked at the bottom of the hill we were to clime, groups of kids gathered to fan us as we climbed up. We were going to the caves where the Khmer Rouge took so many people to put them to death. The kids knew the story so well, and could tell the story so well, and in English. It was a horrible thought that many of the best intellectuals of the area, and anyone else feared by the Khmer Rouge, were literally thrown to heir death into these caves. A pile of skulls is there in the Buddhist shrine- a grim reminder of horrible cruelty which could be forgotten so easily. It is too painful to imagine.
The day after, we found oursleves in a pretty far-out village. Getting there required crossing a river which had flooded, and getting on a rice truck, pulled by a rice tractor. We ,et the church there, about which I'll say more later. But it was pointed out to us that many of the fields were still mined: the bamboos were the point you did not venture beyond. Then we heard someone say: 'This was a Khmer Rouge village'. The amazing grace of forgiveness and reconciliation is that this is a place where CHO is very much at work. If I'd been treated the way Chomno was by the Khmer Rouge, I wonder would I have the grace to go there....
Pete has written a poem about all this which he read at prayers this morning. I will ask him to post it later today.
Ater the lake, the hill. As we parked at the bottom of the hill we were to clime, groups of kids gathered to fan us as we climbed up. We were going to the caves where the Khmer Rouge took so many people to put them to death. The kids knew the story so well, and could tell the story so well, and in English. It was a horrible thought that many of the best intellectuals of the area, and anyone else feared by the Khmer Rouge, were literally thrown to heir death into these caves. A pile of skulls is there in the Buddhist shrine- a grim reminder of horrible cruelty which could be forgotten so easily. It is too painful to imagine.
The day after, we found oursleves in a pretty far-out village. Getting there required crossing a river which had flooded, and getting on a rice truck, pulled by a rice tractor. We ,et the church there, about which I'll say more later. But it was pointed out to us that many of the fields were still mined: the bamboos were the point you did not venture beyond. Then we heard someone say: 'This was a Khmer Rouge village'. The amazing grace of forgiveness and reconciliation is that this is a place where CHO is very much at work. If I'd been treated the way Chomno was by the Khmer Rouge, I wonder would I have the grace to go there....
Pete has written a poem about all this which he read at prayers this morning. I will ask him to post it later today.
Here's another poem ...
I have asked Pete to publish some more reflections on our time in Cambodia. Here is a powerful one:
Darkness
Today the sky is aqua-marine
Children are laughing, blowing bubbles
Sweets and colouring books are given out
We sing songs together
And play hand games on the floor.
But we are reminded of the darkness
Could you sell - or buy - a three year old?
Could you give a healthy child brain damage
And put them in a wheelchair forever
Just so you can get more cash from them when they beg?
Watching chidren's faces in the classroom
I think of the ones not here
Those still in torment, despair and fear
Living in the shadow of terror.
I rage against such sick and perverted minds
For a while
Remembering that there is darkness in me sometimes
Remembering it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness
Remembering being taken to a series of dark rooms
Late at night
And shown a vision of such blinding goodness
That I have to believe:
Lord, help my unbelief.
Darkness
Today the sky is aqua-marine
Children are laughing, blowing bubbles
Sweets and colouring books are given out
We sing songs together
And play hand games on the floor.
But we are reminded of the darkness
Could you sell - or buy - a three year old?
Could you give a healthy child brain damage
And put them in a wheelchair forever
Just so you can get more cash from them when they beg?
Watching chidren's faces in the classroom
I think of the ones not here
Those still in torment, despair and fear
Living in the shadow of terror.
I rage against such sick and perverted minds
For a while
Remembering that there is darkness in me sometimes
Remembering it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness
Remembering being taken to a series of dark rooms
Late at night
And shown a vision of such blinding goodness
That I have to believe:
Lord, help my unbelief.
Hidden Agenda
One of the members of our team is Gavin Cameron, who has a particular passion to stop child trafficking, and has set up his own organization, Gavin writes:
I admit it. I have an agenda, a particular reason for being here...
I joined this Tearfund trip to Cambodia because two years ago I made a promise; to search for children enslaved in the world sex trade, to intervene and move them into a place of safety and nurture.
My organisation is dedicated to the rescue and safe-relocation of children enslaved, trafficked, and traded. Today countless children are exposed to a global sex trafficking industry, which we believe is a continuous assault on the innocence, dignity and love Jesus has bestowed on every child.
In case we find ourselves too far removed to be motivated to act...
Yesterday I held such a child.
He is two years old, and was sold for $300 by his own parents.
OUR PROMISE TO ENSLAVED CHILDREN
We know you are scared.
We know you are alone.
We know you cannot remember the days when you were not terrified.
We know men so much stronger than you hold you down, and beat you up.
We know they force you to do things that shouldn't be part of this world.
We can't imagine what you are feeling, but we want you to know that we are looking for you.
We want you to know that we are coming.
Our promise to you is that we will never give up on you.
We will never sit back and let you face these horrors without hope.
We consider it an absolute privilege to be even that last remaining shred of hope in your everyday nightmare.
We cannot let this continue.
We cannot let them think they own you.
When we find you, we will bring you home.
We will always work to bring you home.
The Harper Organisation.
Gavin Cameron
Founder of The Harper Organisation
www.harperfreedom.org
I admit it. I have an agenda, a particular reason for being here...
I joined this Tearfund trip to Cambodia because two years ago I made a promise; to search for children enslaved in the world sex trade, to intervene and move them into a place of safety and nurture.
My organisation is dedicated to the rescue and safe-relocation of children enslaved, trafficked, and traded. Today countless children are exposed to a global sex trafficking industry, which we believe is a continuous assault on the innocence, dignity and love Jesus has bestowed on every child.
In case we find ourselves too far removed to be motivated to act...
Yesterday I held such a child.
He is two years old, and was sold for $300 by his own parents.
OUR PROMISE TO ENSLAVED CHILDREN
We know you are scared.
We know you are alone.
We know you cannot remember the days when you were not terrified.
We know men so much stronger than you hold you down, and beat you up.
We know they force you to do things that shouldn't be part of this world.
We can't imagine what you are feeling, but we want you to know that we are looking for you.
We want you to know that we are coming.
Our promise to you is that we will never give up on you.
We will never sit back and let you face these horrors without hope.
We consider it an absolute privilege to be even that last remaining shred of hope in your everyday nightmare.
We cannot let this continue.
We cannot let them think they own you.
When we find you, we will bring you home.
We will always work to bring you home.
The Harper Organisation.
Gavin Cameron
Founder of The Harper Organisation
www.harperfreedom.org
Mourning in Cambodia
This has been a difficult day for the Kingdom of Cambodia. The time of national celebration has turned, suddenly and tragically, into a time of mourning. The Water Festival, celebrated throughout the nation, but in a very focussed and big way in Phnom Penh, provided such beauty and spectacle. You can see a little of what I mean in some of the photos of the local boat races in Poipet on this blog. But this year, the TV cameras were there to film the horrible scenes of so many people dying in the stampede on the bridge collapsed on the last night of the festival in Phnom Penh.
My first realization of the tragedy was at 5.15 this morning, when my daughter rang saying 'Dad, are you all right?'. I suppose that's what happens when someone is visiting a different country - you just hear about a tragedy in Cambodia and wonder if your loved ones are OK. Then I looked at the BBC news on my iPhone and realized something of the size of the tragedy. 349 dead and many more seriously injured. So large that the news on television all day has been about nothing else. The Prime Minister has just addressed the nation, and called a national day of mourning on Thursday, our last day in Cambodia. And this tragedy has touched the heart of the people so much that it has been compared to the time of the Khmer Rouge. On our way to our evening meal tonight, the street is lined with little 'offerings', I presume for the spirits of those who have died, and each place, including the Camboda Hope Organization, is collecting money to help those who have to pay for funerals.
I am so pleased that Tearfund has asked people to pray specifically for the nation of Cambodia tonight: Please pray also on Thursday. The people here carry everything with such quiet dignity, but there is a real sense of grief and pain, at the loss of so many, and in some cases, such young lives. Pray too, for the churches in Cambodia as they seek to stand alongside and among the people of this nation over the days and weeks to come.
My first realization of the tragedy was at 5.15 this morning, when my daughter rang saying 'Dad, are you all right?'. I suppose that's what happens when someone is visiting a different country - you just hear about a tragedy in Cambodia and wonder if your loved ones are OK. Then I looked at the BBC news on my iPhone and realized something of the size of the tragedy. 349 dead and many more seriously injured. So large that the news on television all day has been about nothing else. The Prime Minister has just addressed the nation, and called a national day of mourning on Thursday, our last day in Cambodia. And this tragedy has touched the heart of the people so much that it has been compared to the time of the Khmer Rouge. On our way to our evening meal tonight, the street is lined with little 'offerings', I presume for the spirits of those who have died, and each place, including the Camboda Hope Organization, is collecting money to help those who have to pay for funerals.
I am so pleased that Tearfund has asked people to pray specifically for the nation of Cambodia tonight: Please pray also on Thursday. The people here carry everything with such quiet dignity, but there is a real sense of grief and pain, at the loss of so many, and in some cases, such young lives. Pray too, for the churches in Cambodia as they seek to stand alongside and among the people of this nation over the days and weeks to come.
Monday 22 November 2010
A culturally insensitive poem by Pete
Pete our poet has had the muse upon him again, but this time there is just a hint of culturally insensitivity. Can you find it? As the Americans say: 'Enjoy'!:
I'll probably get excommunicated for this one!
Applause
They clap when you finish a prayer or sermon in Cambodia.
So what next? Marks out of 10?
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the X-factor.
The Very Rev Simon Cowell will now give feedback:
'Good prayer, but 27 minutes is a bit too long for me.'
'In your prayer, you used the word 'just' 39 times in 3 minutes'
'A very powerful sermon on soxial media.
I particularly liked the fact that you stayed at home and spoke via a 3D hologram.'
'I recommend next time you pray you speak in tongues,
It's more intelligible than your Belfast accent.'
I think God applauds us just for trying.
The best prayers are usually
Inarticulate groans of the heart.
The best sermons are the ones you live out.
So when things are getting tough
Listen hard and imagine:
The angels whoopin' and hollerin'
The saints shouting out encouragement from the sidelines
And, Jesus, giving you a big thumbs up,
With a card in his hand
That simply says '10'.
A Prize for those who can find the cultural insensitivity: An mp3 of this poem read by its author: in a Liverpudlian accent: the only thing harder to understand than a Belfast one!
I'll probably get excommunicated for this one!
Applause
They clap when you finish a prayer or sermon in Cambodia.
So what next? Marks out of 10?
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the X-factor.
The Very Rev Simon Cowell will now give feedback:
'Good prayer, but 27 minutes is a bit too long for me.'
'In your prayer, you used the word 'just' 39 times in 3 minutes'
'A very powerful sermon on soxial media.
I particularly liked the fact that you stayed at home and spoke via a 3D hologram.'
'I recommend next time you pray you speak in tongues,
It's more intelligible than your Belfast accent.'
I think God applauds us just for trying.
The best prayers are usually
Inarticulate groans of the heart.
The best sermons are the ones you live out.
So when things are getting tough
Listen hard and imagine:
The angels whoopin' and hollerin'
The saints shouting out encouragement from the sidelines
And, Jesus, giving you a big thumbs up,
With a card in his hand
That simply says '10'.
A Prize for those who can find the cultural insensitivity: An mp3 of this poem read by its author: in a Liverpudlian accent: the only thing harder to understand than a Belfast one!
Tragedy in Phnom Penh
I have just been rung at 5.15am Cambodian time, by my daughter, to say that they are worried about the team because of the news of a tragedy at the Water Festival in Phnom Penh. It seems that 400 people or more have been killed by the collapse of a bridge. Please pray for the many who are injured. We are more than 300 kilometeres from Phnom Penh, and are perfectly safe. You may have read of our enjoyment of the Water Festival festivities in Poipet. It is a major holiday with boat races, and flowers and candles placed on rivers, and absolutely beautiful. Probably millions attend on different sites.
Please use this as a call to prayer for the people of this land, who have suffered so much over the years, as we will do as a team in a few hours when dawn comes.
The night is nearly over. The dawn is almost here. Romans 13.12
Please use this as a call to prayer for the people of this land, who have suffered so much over the years, as we will do as a team in a few hours when dawn comes.
The night is nearly over. The dawn is almost here. Romans 13.12
Chomno's Vision
I said at the beginning that Chomno was a level five leader- the very best, but it was the quiet way in which he brought us to see his new building which really struck us. At first it just seemed like a quiet little evening outing. We didn't quite know what we were going to be shown, but we know it was to do with the vision for the future of the Cambodian Hope Organization, and to do with rescuing young girls who might get caught up into prostitution. When we entered he building, empty like a warehouse, we at first couldn't believe that it had really cost $500,000. Then we realized the size it was. Four floors, going very far back from the street, into which he hoped to move and grow his organization, which till now has been in rented premises.
Then, like the acts of a play he unveiled the plan:
Level 1 was to be a cafe with (as he described it) 'really good coffee' -Churches take note! And a really good bakery in the back. These girls will be trained in skills they can be proud of. They will not just survive- they will produce the very finest!
Level 2 will produce tee shirts which he will sell to the world, and at a good price. A fantastic embroidery machine is already there, and any logo or ext cam be put on them. And we all bought one to make that point. These are well done, but we warned them that XL means something different in the UK, and something different yet again in the US!
Level 3 will be offices for the CHO, which needs really good administration, and
Level 4 will be the church, though useable for conferences as well. As close to heaven as you can get!
When we asked Chomno where he and his wife and femily would live, he didn't seem to have got round to organizing that. They live in one room in the old building at the moment.
Here, in this place, the captives will be set free, Good News will be preached to the poor, and the Kingdom of God will be seen in the incarnation of the love of Jesus. It all makes my heart beat faster. My vision for churches is that they will be a little glimpse of heaven on earth. In the west, we make such heavy weather of it, but to a man like Chumno it comes naturally - or do I mean supernaturally?
Then, like the acts of a play he unveiled the plan:
Level 1 was to be a cafe with (as he described it) 'really good coffee' -Churches take note! And a really good bakery in the back. These girls will be trained in skills they can be proud of. They will not just survive- they will produce the very finest!
Level 2 will produce tee shirts which he will sell to the world, and at a good price. A fantastic embroidery machine is already there, and any logo or ext cam be put on them. And we all bought one to make that point. These are well done, but we warned them that XL means something different in the UK, and something different yet again in the US!
Level 3 will be offices for the CHO, which needs really good administration, and
Level 4 will be the church, though useable for conferences as well. As close to heaven as you can get!
When we asked Chomno where he and his wife and femily would live, he didn't seem to have got round to organizing that. They live in one room in the old building at the moment.
Here, in this place, the captives will be set free, Good News will be preached to the poor, and the Kingdom of God will be seen in the incarnation of the love of Jesus. It all makes my heart beat faster. My vision for churches is that they will be a little glimpse of heaven on earth. In the west, we make such heavy weather of it, but to a man like Chumno it comes naturally - or do I mean supernaturally?
Sunday 21 November 2010
Watching a beutiful thing unfold
A Reflection by Jono:
Its Sunday afternoon and we have been taken to an Aids Hospice in Poipet. All the patients who are well enough have gone back to their families for the weekend as its the water festival here. Its a holiday weekend.
When we arrive there are just four people left.
Perhaps their families no longer associate with them. Perhaps they are too ill to move.
We enter the ward and its a squalid place. There are dreadful smells and the few patients left are very ill.
In fact one lady is so ill we find it hard to be there. She is feverish and emaciated and with the help of our translator we move around seeking permission to pray with those who would like us to.
There is something about this young woman that touches us deeply. She is so young and so ill. We dont know whether she has contracted this disease through people exploiting and abusing her and here she is in the heat and the squalor.
There are flies buzzing around and she is weak and emaciated. We dont know what to say or do. There is just one lady left working in the ward over this holiday weekend and so there are no resources.
I watch Billie our team leader sit beside her and take her hand and pray the most beautiful prayer.
A tear drops from the cheeks of this young woman. Billie's voice and her tenderness seems to cross the language barrier as she prays God's love into this situation.
When we are confronted with suffering we often seek to distance ourselves and move away yet Billie takes it a step further.
She goes to the market and buys a cotton sheet to put under the lady's head. Its not much but it means that the sweat from the plastic mattress can be absorbed. We lift her gently and give her the choice of what sheet she would like.
My instinct is often to think thats awful. There's nothing I can do. Billie goes that extra mile and in so many ways embodies what i was speaking about yesterday morning. Seizing the one opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone who probably has little time left.
Its Sunday afternoon and we have been taken to an Aids Hospice in Poipet. All the patients who are well enough have gone back to their families for the weekend as its the water festival here. Its a holiday weekend.
When we arrive there are just four people left.
Perhaps their families no longer associate with them. Perhaps they are too ill to move.
We enter the ward and its a squalid place. There are dreadful smells and the few patients left are very ill.
In fact one lady is so ill we find it hard to be there. She is feverish and emaciated and with the help of our translator we move around seeking permission to pray with those who would like us to.
There is something about this young woman that touches us deeply. She is so young and so ill. We dont know whether she has contracted this disease through people exploiting and abusing her and here she is in the heat and the squalor.
There are flies buzzing around and she is weak and emaciated. We dont know what to say or do. There is just one lady left working in the ward over this holiday weekend and so there are no resources.
I watch Billie our team leader sit beside her and take her hand and pray the most beautiful prayer.
A tear drops from the cheeks of this young woman. Billie's voice and her tenderness seems to cross the language barrier as she prays God's love into this situation.
When we are confronted with suffering we often seek to distance ourselves and move away yet Billie takes it a step further.
She goes to the market and buys a cotton sheet to put under the lady's head. Its not much but it means that the sweat from the plastic mattress can be absorbed. We lift her gently and give her the choice of what sheet she would like.
My instinct is often to think thats awful. There's nothing I can do. Billie goes that extra mile and in so many ways embodies what i was speaking about yesterday morning. Seizing the one opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone who probably has little time left.
Sunday in Poipet
It's hard to tell how things work here in Cambodia, with regard to rest-days. It seems as though many people work a seven-day week, and pretty long hours at that, and that there is not a specific Buddhist weekly 'holy day', like the Islamic Friday, Jewish Saturday or Christian Sunday (please correct me if I'm wrong!). But this weekend adds to our confusion as it is a three day holiday for the Water Festival. The streets are wuieter, the atmosphere less hurried, and going to church at 9am on Sunday seems quite natural for us. A crowd, mostly young, are gathered in the 'upper room' of the CHO headquarters. We have seen many of the kids before and are beginning to recognize them. The music is electronic (just like home) and all the musicians are men. Mao, our guide on the journey from Thailand, leads the worship. The team is intorduced, each beginning with 'Jim reap suer' (Hello) and suitable hand actions. We feel immediately at home, knowing that we are with 'family' in Christ (Isn't one of the most amazing 'revelations' for a Christian the realization that we are born again nto a worldwide family?).
Jono preaches from John 12 on Mary anointing Jesus. and grasping this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with both hands. The sermon is received with applause, as are all the prayers - not a bad way to say 'AMEN'! and the kids sing ' I have decided to follow Jesus' with the mst beautiful hand movements.
The rest of the morning is quiet. We take the opportunity to put all our photos together and select some for the blog.
Then, after lunch, we visit the 'hospice' - a ward of TB sufferes and a ward of HIV/AIDS sufferers, which Tearfund has been involved in building. It was a difficult scene - I noticed that noone even tried to photograph it - because only the weakest of the patients were left. The others had gone to their families for the holiday. We pray with them, and give them a fresh sheet each, feeling a wee bit helpless. Perhaps the quietness of the day has put us all a bit more in touch with our emotions as we experience such a variety of ministry and life.
Jono preaches from John 12 on Mary anointing Jesus. and grasping this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with both hands. The sermon is received with applause, as are all the prayers - not a bad way to say 'AMEN'! and the kids sing ' I have decided to follow Jesus' with the mst beautiful hand movements.
The rest of the morning is quiet. We take the opportunity to put all our photos together and select some for the blog.
Then, after lunch, we visit the 'hospice' - a ward of TB sufferes and a ward of HIV/AIDS sufferers, which Tearfund has been involved in building. It was a difficult scene - I noticed that noone even tried to photograph it - because only the weakest of the patients were left. The others had gone to their families for the holiday. We pray with them, and give them a fresh sheet each, feeling a wee bit helpless. Perhaps the quietness of the day has put us all a bit more in touch with our emotions as we experience such a variety of ministry and life.
Saturday 20 November 2010
Jono's Thought for the Day
Jono was preaching this morning at Church, and we have just heard more of Chomno's life story, and I have asked him to do a wee Thought for the Day:
This morning it was a privilege to speak at the sunday morning service at the CHO offices in Poipet. I was reflecting on May my Favourite woman in the Gospels and particularly that beautiful astonishing action at the centre of the passage where she pours perfume on Jesus's feet and wipes them with her hair.
I visualise the stunned silence in that room as the disciples and the guests and Martha and Lazarus and Mary and Jesus have their sense of smell activated,
The beautiful fragrance wafts around the room and it is clear that Jesus's heart was touched by what Maru did for him.
We are reminded at the end of the prvious chapter that he was underground, the authorities had outlawed him and were seeking to arrest him. It is as he approaches the last week of his life that mary does this beautiful thing for Jesus.
It takes real courage to go for it and do the beautiful thing for Jesus.In our lives we often have those kinds of opportunities yet how slow and embarrassed we are to take them.
Mary just had one opportunity to do the beautiful thing for Jesus in his hour of need and vulnerability and she seized that opportunity with both hands. There was no sense of how little could i give and still look good. It was more like i could never have enough or do enough to repay you for all that you have done for me.
Here in Poipet we have been truly humbled to see the amazing things these wonderful Christian people in CHO are doing for the people of this area in Jesus's name.
Whether it is setting up opportunities for boys and girls to learn skills like sewing or motorbike maintenance, Whether it is setting up schools on a mat in the outerlying villages. Sometimes it is truly risktaking discipleship like rescuing children and women from trafficking and the sex trade. We have met Christians from newly planted churches who are prepared to take in and foster children whose parents have abandoned them and gone to work oin neighbouring Thailand.
In St.Finnians where i work we have been working through a tearfund course called Just people. We are trying to discern what ways in which we can discern and make a difference in our local community.
There is much challenge and food for thought in what we see the people here doing and their heart and their willingness to make a difference and transform society
This morning it was a privilege to speak at the sunday morning service at the CHO offices in Poipet. I was reflecting on May my Favourite woman in the Gospels and particularly that beautiful astonishing action at the centre of the passage where she pours perfume on Jesus's feet and wipes them with her hair.
I visualise the stunned silence in that room as the disciples and the guests and Martha and Lazarus and Mary and Jesus have their sense of smell activated,
The beautiful fragrance wafts around the room and it is clear that Jesus's heart was touched by what Maru did for him.
We are reminded at the end of the prvious chapter that he was underground, the authorities had outlawed him and were seeking to arrest him. It is as he approaches the last week of his life that mary does this beautiful thing for Jesus.
It takes real courage to go for it and do the beautiful thing for Jesus.In our lives we often have those kinds of opportunities yet how slow and embarrassed we are to take them.
Mary just had one opportunity to do the beautiful thing for Jesus in his hour of need and vulnerability and she seized that opportunity with both hands. There was no sense of how little could i give and still look good. It was more like i could never have enough or do enough to repay you for all that you have done for me.
Here in Poipet we have been truly humbled to see the amazing things these wonderful Christian people in CHO are doing for the people of this area in Jesus's name.
Whether it is setting up opportunities for boys and girls to learn skills like sewing or motorbike maintenance, Whether it is setting up schools on a mat in the outerlying villages. Sometimes it is truly risktaking discipleship like rescuing children and women from trafficking and the sex trade. We have met Christians from newly planted churches who are prepared to take in and foster children whose parents have abandoned them and gone to work oin neighbouring Thailand.
In St.Finnians where i work we have been working through a tearfund course called Just people. We are trying to discern what ways in which we can discern and make a difference in our local community.
There is much challenge and food for thought in what we see the people here doing and their heart and their willingness to make a difference and transform society
Water Festival Holiday
This weekend is a mjaor holiday, celebrating the harvest, in Cambodia. Everything has quitened down a bit in the town, and there are great celebrations on rivers and lakes, with the most amazing boat races, which rather put Oxford and Cambridge to shame. I will post some pictiures of these soon.
Nevertheless on Saturday, we had the opportunity to spend most of the morning at the Safe Haven school, and all thirty-five children were present. We shared prayer and worship with the children, did some bible teaching, and had fun together playing games and blowing bubbles. One of the things which is very striking is the way in which the children behave in such a dignified way. When we gave out sweets, noone clamoured for them. Each child waited for us to give them a sweet and n that gracious Camblodian way said thank you with their hands held together.
We heard too some of the stores of children who had literally been sold into slavery, and brought back again to the safety of this place. Some of the children sold for work are made to beg on the streets. We even heard of some who are injected with polio, so that they were disfigued and disabled, and could therefore earn more as beggars. Others are sold for work and others for the sex trade, often by their parents who are cross if they come back. It is a shocking darkness, and the light of the Safe Haven burns ever more brightly in contrdistinction.
The afternoon was time off at the Water Festival. The colours and the boats were amazing. we were ushered into front row seats, and Chomno had a VIP bagde to get in. We were seated in fromt of a row of Buddhist monks in their robes. Then the TV cameras were upon us, and we were probably the only foreigners there, and I was interviewed for Cambodian national TV. The food stalls were amazing, with all sorts of food on sale, including deep fried frogs and anakes, and a variety of insects including beetles. It was just like a set for I'm a Celebrity, but none of us tried anything other than popcorn!
There is so much going round in my mind at he moment that it is hard to tell it all, but I will try to sift it, oredr it and tell it in blogs to come.
Nevertheless on Saturday, we had the opportunity to spend most of the morning at the Safe Haven school, and all thirty-five children were present. We shared prayer and worship with the children, did some bible teaching, and had fun together playing games and blowing bubbles. One of the things which is very striking is the way in which the children behave in such a dignified way. When we gave out sweets, noone clamoured for them. Each child waited for us to give them a sweet and n that gracious Camblodian way said thank you with their hands held together.
We heard too some of the stores of children who had literally been sold into slavery, and brought back again to the safety of this place. Some of the children sold for work are made to beg on the streets. We even heard of some who are injected with polio, so that they were disfigued and disabled, and could therefore earn more as beggars. Others are sold for work and others for the sex trade, often by their parents who are cross if they come back. It is a shocking darkness, and the light of the Safe Haven burns ever more brightly in contrdistinction.
The afternoon was time off at the Water Festival. The colours and the boats were amazing. we were ushered into front row seats, and Chomno had a VIP bagde to get in. We were seated in fromt of a row of Buddhist monks in their robes. Then the TV cameras were upon us, and we were probably the only foreigners there, and I was interviewed for Cambodian national TV. The food stalls were amazing, with all sorts of food on sale, including deep fried frogs and anakes, and a variety of insects including beetles. It was just like a set for I'm a Celebrity, but none of us tried anything other than popcorn!
There is so much going round in my mind at he moment that it is hard to tell it all, but I will try to sift it, oredr it and tell it in blogs to come.
‘School on the mat’
‘School on the mat’ is a very impressive and cheap way to educate large numbers of children in the absence of school buildings. When the weather is good it works extremely well. We had the experience of visiting two such schools, one with as many as 200 children of all primary school ages from the local villages. There are several things which strike the western visitor:
First of all, the children clearly feel privileged to be there. They want to learn, and see education as a privilege to be grasped. When the teacher asks a question, hands go up all over the place. And there is a real sense of joy in being able to answer correctly.
The second thing which struck me was the content of one of the lessons we were observing. It was about child trafficking, and the children were being made aware of the dangers out there, which are manifold for children in an area like this. A social worker who knew the families well was also present, and she clearly kept an eye out for children who were endangered in any way.
The third striking thing was the joy and manners of the children. They sang, they ate together, they enjoyed the dramas on Bible stories which Michael Johnson led, and the team participated in. And we even danced a traditional Cambodian dance together.
But lastly, it was the real love of the teachers for their job, and especially for the children which left a deep impression. CHO seems to have a great pool of leaders, and I commend them to your prayers. The education of a new generation is critical, and the opportunity for that education to be Christian-based is a great privilege.
Friday 19 November 2010
....More great poetry
Peter, our resident poet, is wonderful at reflecting on the experiences we have had as a team, and putting our thoughts into words. Here are some of his reflections on the border crossing from Thailand to Cambodia. It's great to have others like Jono and Peter feeding into the blog as well, but I will add my own blog soon.....
Over to the poet!
Thanks, Harold. Here's my latest missive which relates to our trip from Bangkok to Poipet and specifically our crossing at the border:
Borderline
We file through one room after another
citing passport numbers, date of birth,
Country of origin.
Looking serious, hoping the uniformed border guard
will not notice we are nervous.
What is it about border crossings and guilt?
Do we not think ourselves good enough to get in?
Scrutinised by non-commital faces
stamping success - or failure -
on our notebooks of identity and status.
I am headed for a country with no borders
whose criteria for entry
is a simple acknowledgement of grace
and a realisation
that the journey is only just beginning ...
Over to the poet!
Thanks, Harold. Here's my latest missive which relates to our trip from Bangkok to Poipet and specifically our crossing at the border:
Borderline
We file through one room after another
citing passport numbers, date of birth,
Country of origin.
Looking serious, hoping the uniformed border guard
will not notice we are nervous.
What is it about border crossings and guilt?
Do we not think ourselves good enough to get in?
Scrutinised by non-commital faces
stamping success - or failure -
on our notebooks of identity and status.
I am headed for a country with no borders
whose criteria for entry
is a simple acknowledgement of grace
and a realisation
that the journey is only just beginning ...
Seeing where it goes
Jono Pierce, the Rector of St Finnian's in Belfast, has been sent on the Tearfund Cambodia trip by the Church of Ireland Bishops Appeal, of which he was Secretary for some time. Jono reports on a project which has been supported by this fund:
'A big question for those who donate money to a charity or cause is to ask whether it is reaching those who need it most.
As a long time supporter and a member of the Bishops Appeal committee it was a real privilege yesterday to meet some of those who had benefitted from a project cosponsored by Bishops Appeal and Tearfund yesterday.
In February 2010 Bishops Appeal gave a grant of 19,825 euros to CHO's Home Garden Development and Animal Husbandry project.
Another thing that struck me is how far what seems like a relatively modest sum in Western terms goes here.
I sttod in the field of Rickary who used to live in Thailand and was unable to support his family.
Thanks to a microloan from CHO he now rents some ground and has been given both the seeds and technical support to plant crops of Morning glory a vegetable like green beans and gourds and other vegetables which are now sent to the market in Poipet. Rickary works extremely hard and gives of his best and spoke with joy of how he can now educate his family and make a living and actually live again in his native Cambodia.
Even though his crops were flooded in the recent floods here he was able to replant and i was amazed at his resilience and determination to just get going again.
Growth is phenomenal here and we could see the results of his labours bearing fruit 6 weeks after replanting. CHO offer technical advice to help those who are starting their business and as part of the animal husbandry Rickary who started with a goat now has 14 goats and provided a really bright and hopeful future for his family.
We also met Unmap and Suyou can be sure that nsna who were at the end of the 3 year programme.
Together with their family they had provided irrigation pipes and planted vegetables for sale in the market. Providing again the seeds and the technical support CHO had offered this family with a source of hope and encouragement.
We were amazed to hear that the support of Bishops Appeal had meant that 420 families were benefitting from these projects. This now means that these families can live here in Cmbodia and educate their children and the future is so much brighter. Where families have no money the evidence is all around us here of children being trafficed and sold into slavery or prostitution in Thailand and so it is extremely inspiring and heartening to see the very real difference that suporting CHO's work is making to the outlying villages.
There is a wonderful spirit of resilience and determination in these villages which are off the beaten track and thanks to the generosity of Bishops Appeal supporters you can be sure that what you give is making a difference in the lives of those who are benefitting.
It has been humbling to be here and to hear rhe stories of those who are being released from poverty to enter a new future of hope and possibility for their families.'
Jono may report again later....
'A big question for those who donate money to a charity or cause is to ask whether it is reaching those who need it most.
As a long time supporter and a member of the Bishops Appeal committee it was a real privilege yesterday to meet some of those who had benefitted from a project cosponsored by Bishops Appeal and Tearfund yesterday.
In February 2010 Bishops Appeal gave a grant of 19,825 euros to CHO's Home Garden Development and Animal Husbandry project.
Another thing that struck me is how far what seems like a relatively modest sum in Western terms goes here.
I sttod in the field of Rickary who used to live in Thailand and was unable to support his family.
Thanks to a microloan from CHO he now rents some ground and has been given both the seeds and technical support to plant crops of Morning glory a vegetable like green beans and gourds and other vegetables which are now sent to the market in Poipet. Rickary works extremely hard and gives of his best and spoke with joy of how he can now educate his family and make a living and actually live again in his native Cambodia.
Even though his crops were flooded in the recent floods here he was able to replant and i was amazed at his resilience and determination to just get going again.
Growth is phenomenal here and we could see the results of his labours bearing fruit 6 weeks after replanting. CHO offer technical advice to help those who are starting their business and as part of the animal husbandry Rickary who started with a goat now has 14 goats and provided a really bright and hopeful future for his family.
We also met Unmap and Suyou can be sure that nsna who were at the end of the 3 year programme.
Together with their family they had provided irrigation pipes and planted vegetables for sale in the market. Providing again the seeds and the technical support CHO had offered this family with a source of hope and encouragement.
We were amazed to hear that the support of Bishops Appeal had meant that 420 families were benefitting from these projects. This now means that these families can live here in Cmbodia and educate their children and the future is so much brighter. Where families have no money the evidence is all around us here of children being trafficed and sold into slavery or prostitution in Thailand and so it is extremely inspiring and heartening to see the very real difference that suporting CHO's work is making to the outlying villages.
There is a wonderful spirit of resilience and determination in these villages which are off the beaten track and thanks to the generosity of Bishops Appeal supporters you can be sure that what you give is making a difference in the lives of those who are benefitting.
It has been humbling to be here and to hear rhe stories of those who are being released from poverty to enter a new future of hope and possibility for their families.'
Jono may report again later....
Micro-enterprise
So much of what CHO is doing here in Cambodia could be labelled 'micro-enterprise'. And Tearfund is a key partner in his aspect of the work of the Cambodia Hope Organization. People are being enabled to move out of poverty into self-sufficiency, to be trained in skills and to be seed-funded for starting up a new livelihood. We saw a great deal of this today. Vien who had lost a limb in a landmine accident had been enabled to start up a little shop in his village. Young people who had learnt sewing skills at the Safe Haven were making garments right through from scratch to the finished product. Or young lads were dissecting, fixing and re-inventing motorbikes- the ubiquitous form of transport here. They were taking and amazing pride in what they were doing, and even have CHO numberplates on many of the vehicles.
This afternoon, we visited several horticultural and agricultural projects which I will ask Joino Pirece to write about in the next blog. These were amazing. People are trained in skills, helped find land to rent and given seed to sow. Then they are helped to market their produce. All of this over a three year period, at which stage they are expected to be self-sufficient. All of this is hard work, especially for those who do not have irrigation, and who have top carry 50 watering cans of water to from the river every day!
Today ended with a visit to a safe house - a place where three children were being cared for. Thesekids have not seen their father, who is in Thailand, for years, and are looked after by a wonderful Christian leader.
The church here is certainly serving the community and valued by the comminity. The many certificate on Chomno's wall are testimony to that fact. But, more than that, the heart of God is blessed.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the Water Festival, a three day holiday at the end of the rainy season. More to report soon......
This afternoon, we visited several horticultural and agricultural projects which I will ask Joino Pirece to write about in the next blog. These were amazing. People are trained in skills, helped find land to rent and given seed to sow. Then they are helped to market their produce. All of this over a three year period, at which stage they are expected to be self-sufficient. All of this is hard work, especially for those who do not have irrigation, and who have top carry 50 watering cans of water to from the river every day!
Today ended with a visit to a safe house - a place where three children were being cared for. Thesekids have not seen their father, who is in Thailand, for years, and are looked after by a wonderful Christian leader.
The church here is certainly serving the community and valued by the comminity. The many certificate on Chomno's wall are testimony to that fact. But, more than that, the heart of God is blessed.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the Water Festival, a three day holiday at the end of the rainy season. More to report soon......
Arrived at last
It was really exciting to arrive, after three hours drive, at the border crossing, with its massive decorative arch declaring 'Kingdom of Cambodia'.
The border itself was fascinating in many different ways. Our rather smart and clean minibus suddenly turned into a side street, clogged with traffic, parked in the middle of the road and, with careful and precise organization, a wooden handcart appeared on which all our luggage was loaded, and pulled, by human muscle, over to the other side of the border to meet us there. It was a collision of cultures, and a meeting of modern technology with the old-fashioned way of doing things.
On the Thai side of the border was a massive market, run, as we understand it, almost entirely by Cambodians. It is a way of selling Cambodian wares to the rather wealthier Thai people, and highlighted what we were later to realize is a great problem: that sometimes Cambodians can be attracted to Thailand to make some money, but also that this juxtaposition of nations and cultures can be the potent mix which produces child trafficking: where children become beggars, labourers and even prostitutes, and are sometimes even sold into slavery by poor parents. The Cambodia Hope Organization has as one of its main aims the rescuing of children from this environment, and the enabling of such children to be educated and given skills which will allow them to find a better way in life.
The other stark reality on the Cambodian side of the border is the large number of Casinos. Gambling is forbidden in Thailand, but encouraged and even trumpeted in Cambodia, and clearly a massive money-maker, and no doubt people-destroyer, in and around the border. We didn’t venture inside any of the casinos!
At the border we were met by Chomno, the man who stepped out in faith to found the Cambodia Hope Organization early this century. It has only been going for a few years, but is amazing. When I met Chomno, I knew I was meeting a ‘level five leader’ - a person who is at the very highest level of leadership. Level five leaders have one characteristic in common above all others- humility. And Chomno has bags of humility. He knows that it is the Lord who has done this work through prayer, and not human effort. When I get home I’ll put up a wee video in which I interview him on this subject. But Chomno has such skills of leadership, utter determination, and ability to seek out and deploy other leaders that the most amazing things have taken place to the glory of God.
To give you a taster, we saw today just briefly: the school for 6-13 year olds; the sewing project; the brick-making project; the farm and horticultural project (some of which had been supported by the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal), the café, the income from which is ploughed back into womens’ projects, and the fish farm (Sadly some of the fish were washed away in the rainy season).
I have to give a word at prayers tomorrow, and the words which sum this place up for me so far are these, from the Letter of James:
‘Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say: ‘You have faith and I have works’. Show me you faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith...…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.’
I think I’ll speak on that.
I’ve also a few thoughts about church-planting rumbling around, as I observe how they do it here. Will tell you more later, but it’s a model pretty close to that of Jesus!
The border itself was fascinating in many different ways. Our rather smart and clean minibus suddenly turned into a side street, clogged with traffic, parked in the middle of the road and, with careful and precise organization, a wooden handcart appeared on which all our luggage was loaded, and pulled, by human muscle, over to the other side of the border to meet us there. It was a collision of cultures, and a meeting of modern technology with the old-fashioned way of doing things.
On the Thai side of the border was a massive market, run, as we understand it, almost entirely by Cambodians. It is a way of selling Cambodian wares to the rather wealthier Thai people, and highlighted what we were later to realize is a great problem: that sometimes Cambodians can be attracted to Thailand to make some money, but also that this juxtaposition of nations and cultures can be the potent mix which produces child trafficking: where children become beggars, labourers and even prostitutes, and are sometimes even sold into slavery by poor parents. The Cambodia Hope Organization has as one of its main aims the rescuing of children from this environment, and the enabling of such children to be educated and given skills which will allow them to find a better way in life.
The other stark reality on the Cambodian side of the border is the large number of Casinos. Gambling is forbidden in Thailand, but encouraged and even trumpeted in Cambodia, and clearly a massive money-maker, and no doubt people-destroyer, in and around the border. We didn’t venture inside any of the casinos!
At the border we were met by Chomno, the man who stepped out in faith to found the Cambodia Hope Organization early this century. It has only been going for a few years, but is amazing. When I met Chomno, I knew I was meeting a ‘level five leader’ - a person who is at the very highest level of leadership. Level five leaders have one characteristic in common above all others- humility. And Chomno has bags of humility. He knows that it is the Lord who has done this work through prayer, and not human effort. When I get home I’ll put up a wee video in which I interview him on this subject. But Chomno has such skills of leadership, utter determination, and ability to seek out and deploy other leaders that the most amazing things have taken place to the glory of God.
To give you a taster, we saw today just briefly: the school for 6-13 year olds; the sewing project; the brick-making project; the farm and horticultural project (some of which had been supported by the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal), the café, the income from which is ploughed back into womens’ projects, and the fish farm (Sadly some of the fish were washed away in the rainy season).
I have to give a word at prayers tomorrow, and the words which sum this place up for me so far are these, from the Letter of James:‘Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say: ‘You have faith and I have works’. Show me you faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith...…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.’
I think I’ll speak on that.
I’ve also a few thoughts about church-planting rumbling around, as I observe how they do it here. Will tell you more later, but it’s a model pretty close to that of Jesus!
Thursday 18 November 2010
A muse is among us
We have a poet on our team: Peter Barrett, and I thought you might enjoy his reflections on the few hours we had in Bangkok. Over to Peter:
Thanks, Harold. It's been quite an experience so far - and we're only on our second day here! Here's a poem I pulled together after our first night in Bangkok.
Senseless in Bangkok
I see:
blind people singing
banquets by the roadside
Bladerunner highways in the sky
forests of tangled phone wires
palm readers in doorways
smiling children on top of gleaming motorbikes
I feel:
the stickiness of sweat
the swarm of crowds
the forces of neon commercialism
I taste:
spices like fireworks on my tongue
waterfalls of lime
super-sweet roti
I smell:
stagnant sewers
personal success (as a yellow ferrari glides by)
the industrialised stench of sex (as every minute someone pushes pictures of naked women into my face)
I hear:
the crackle of deal-making
the flutter of fresh currency
God speaking in air conditioned hostel rooms
And in the hospitality of crisp white sheets.
Thanks, Harold. It's been quite an experience so far - and we're only on our second day here! Here's a poem I pulled together after our first night in Bangkok.
Senseless in Bangkok
I see:
blind people singing
banquets by the roadside
Bladerunner highways in the sky
forests of tangled phone wires
palm readers in doorways
smiling children on top of gleaming motorbikes
I feel:
the stickiness of sweat
the swarm of crowds
the forces of neon commercialism
I taste:
spices like fireworks on my tongue
waterfalls of lime
super-sweet roti
I smell:
stagnant sewers
personal success (as a yellow ferrari glides by)
the industrialised stench of sex (as every minute someone pushes pictures of naked women into my face)
I hear:
the crackle of deal-making
the flutter of fresh currency
God speaking in air conditioned hostel rooms
And in the hospitality of crisp white sheets.
Wednesday 17 November 2010
On our way to Poipet
I'm writing this blog from the Christian Guest House right in the middle of Bangkok, where the team is spending a night after a journey full of adventures. The three members of the Irish team: Gavin Cameron, Jono Pierce and myself, arrived at Belfast City Airport on Tuesday afternoon expecting a flight going out to Heathrow at 5.35pm. Well, to cut a long stoiry short, we left at around 7pm, arrived about 8.10pm, tranferred as speedily as possible to Terminal 3, met the other three members of the team, and got on the plane just in time. Then that plane was held up for two hours, mostly because the 'jetty' (walkway) had got stuck to the aircraft! So we arrived here in Thailand two hours late at around 5.15pm this afternoon (Wednesday). Then poor Jono discovered his hold luggage had not arrived. They have it in London and will send it tomorrow. So searching for a tee shirt in Bangkok for Jono was some fun - not all possible tee shirts would have been suitable!
All in all, my experience of travel is that there can be many things which go wrong, and I have to learn to 'go with the flow' and discover again and again that it is people who are important and not timetables - not an easy lesson for a Myers-Briggs 'J'!.
Now to the team: we have three English people on the team, along with the three Irish. The team leader is Billie Anderson, and she has the great privilege of leading five men, all of whom are happy to be led. Along with her are Michael, a leader of a drama-based fresh expressions of Church near Reading, and Peter Barrett, who is a buisinessman who has just hit 50 and is celebrating his birthday by going to Cambodia with Tearfund. Michael is very involved with the Greenbelt festival, and is a bit of a writer. The team was met at Bangkok Airport by Mao, from the Cambodia Hope Organization, who will be organizing our travel tomorrow morning on the three-and-a-half-hour journey to Poipet - i was wonderful to see a friendly Cambodian face.
We had great fun eating at a street cafe tonight- everything from Green Curry to Snapper, and then going for a half-hour walk in Bangkok - a vast and in many ways very westernized city of 20 million people, with all thse issues of such cities- and more. I took lots of photos, and the question now is whether I'll be able to find a way of sharing them with you. If I can manage blogging and twitter, then the world is my oyster......
All in all, my experience of travel is that there can be many things which go wrong, and I have to learn to 'go with the flow' and discover again and again that it is people who are important and not timetables - not an easy lesson for a Myers-Briggs 'J'!.
Now to the team: we have three English people on the team, along with the three Irish. The team leader is Billie Anderson, and she has the great privilege of leading five men, all of whom are happy to be led. Along with her are Michael, a leader of a drama-based fresh expressions of Church near Reading, and Peter Barrett, who is a buisinessman who has just hit 50 and is celebrating his birthday by going to Cambodia with Tearfund. Michael is very involved with the Greenbelt festival, and is a bit of a writer. The team was met at Bangkok Airport by Mao, from the Cambodia Hope Organization, who will be organizing our travel tomorrow morning on the three-and-a-half-hour journey to Poipet - i was wonderful to see a friendly Cambodian face.
We had great fun eating at a street cafe tonight- everything from Green Curry to Snapper, and then going for a half-hour walk in Bangkok - a vast and in many ways very westernized city of 20 million people, with all thse issues of such cities- and more. I took lots of photos, and the question now is whether I'll be able to find a way of sharing them with you. If I can manage blogging and twitter, then the world is my oyster......
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Countdown to Departure....
It is always exciting for a 60 year old to try new things, and today is certainly the beginning of something new! Becoming a vice-president of Tearfund has been one of the great privileges of life. Whether I took over from Bishop James or Sir Cliff, I'm not sure, but it is a joy to be a VP of such a wonderful organization. I have supported the work of Tearfund ever since it began, which must now be 42 years ago, because Graham Kendrick wrote that haunting and powerful song Beauty for Brokenness in 1993 to celebrate 25 years.
But that's not the only new thing. I have never been to anywhere like Cambodia before. Singapore is the nearest I've been, and it is probably a million miles away culturally! It was Tearfund who chose, and when they made the suggestion, I had just had a Christmas letter from friends in Cork, in which they said that they had recently been to Cambodia with -guess whom- Tearfund! So, I rang Bill and asked: 'What do you think?'. His answer was simple: 'Whatever you do, don't miss the opportunity -and make sure you get to see the work of Cambodia Hope Organization in Poipet!'. So that is exactly what we will be doing.
Now, to be honest, I'm always a little uncertain about 'trips' like this. Usually all the preparation in the Miller household is done at the last minute. Liz has just packed my bags, 'cos packing is one of my pet hates, and I am only now thinking myself into it. Will I be able to listen carefully enough to understand? Will I be able to report back in such a way that all of you want to engage with my travel experiences, and pray? Will I cope with the food, or have to be a vegetarian for 10 days? (On the last question, the girl whos ervies me in the sandwich shop says the food is wonderful- the Cambodians have French influence, and great baguettes and criossants, so I needn't worry about No 3!).
And the other new-fangled thing is blogging. I had a go at Lambeth 2008, and had a great readership- but that was controversial. This time I'm doing it all myself, and Tewwting for the first time to boot......Not bad for a 60 year old, but then, I sometimes think I'm still thirty! Now, it's countdown ro departure at 5.35pm......
But that's not the only new thing. I have never been to anywhere like Cambodia before. Singapore is the nearest I've been, and it is probably a million miles away culturally! It was Tearfund who chose, and when they made the suggestion, I had just had a Christmas letter from friends in Cork, in which they said that they had recently been to Cambodia with -guess whom- Tearfund! So, I rang Bill and asked: 'What do you think?'. His answer was simple: 'Whatever you do, don't miss the opportunity -and make sure you get to see the work of Cambodia Hope Organization in Poipet!'. So that is exactly what we will be doing.
Now, to be honest, I'm always a little uncertain about 'trips' like this. Usually all the preparation in the Miller household is done at the last minute. Liz has just packed my bags, 'cos packing is one of my pet hates, and I am only now thinking myself into it. Will I be able to listen carefully enough to understand? Will I be able to report back in such a way that all of you want to engage with my travel experiences, and pray? Will I cope with the food, or have to be a vegetarian for 10 days? (On the last question, the girl whos ervies me in the sandwich shop says the food is wonderful- the Cambodians have French influence, and great baguettes and criossants, so I needn't worry about No 3!).
And the other new-fangled thing is blogging. I had a go at Lambeth 2008, and had a great readership- but that was controversial. This time I'm doing it all myself, and Tewwting for the first time to boot......Not bad for a 60 year old, but then, I sometimes think I'm still thirty! Now, it's countdown ro departure at 5.35pm......
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