So much has happened since the Day Care Centre opened in October. Our Children have settled in well and run in the door each morning. We even had one child who was sick not telling the staff as she didn’t want to go home….
They begin their morning with sticking the weather unto a map of Phnom Penh, it is funny as every day they say that it is raining, cloudy, windy and sunny all at the same time. Most of the time the map shows a smiley sun as it is dry season at the moment and there is little or no rain.
They then get a snack of fruit, there is a vast array of fruit here, so variety is never a problem.
The younger children get some milk and go to sleep while the others do English class. Our teacher Mazong is very creative in teaching them and they are learning fast. When they first came to day-care, only one child could hold a pencil, now they are colouring in, writing their letters and numbers and singing “The ABC song” in English. After food of rice, vegetables, meat and water, the older children go to sleep or play quietly. The afternoon starts with a shower for each child and a play in the paddling pool, then Khmer class before they go home.
The children have gone from not doing anything they are told, to sitting down on chairs, working, listening and their overall behaviour is so much better. They are looking healthier although their living conditions mean they catch fevers very easily.
Christmas was very special. Apart from it being the first one for Liz and Mark in Cambodia being with the children as they decorated their first ever Christmas Tree was fun, they didn’t know how to hang the balls on the tree. They made stars and various crafts to decorate the tree and we must say the tree looked great. They got a present on the day we closed for Christmas of a school bag, some chocolate, an elf on the shelf and a six pack of milk. To our surprise the gift they were so excited about was the milk, they hugged it and it was carried around in their school bags all that day. So humbling to experience the joy in these children to get milk, material things are not the priority when you are poor.
Our staff are fantastic and dedicated to the children. Two of them live in the village and seeing what a difference day-care makes in their lives, having a reason to get up each morning, having money to pay off their debt and be able to provide food for their families is so special for us to see. Two of our children’s mothers and a grandmother/guardian have been able to find work which would not have happened if they didn’t have the children in day care with us. Two of the parents/guardians are now attending church as they explore for themselves the wonderful Lord who is behind why we are doing what we do. Just before Christmas one of our staff gave herself to the Lord and started her own relationship with Him – there is so much to be thankful for, to God be all the glory!!!
We thank you for supporting us and the children in our care. Continue to pray for our staff, our children and their families. We wish everyone could see what a difference you are making by contributing to our work. If you ever felt that you would like to come out as see, please contact us for more information by emailing info@eggshellcambodia.com. You could consider coming as a group of people on a Mission Trip or individually just pray about it and get in touch.
We also have people within Northern Ireland who would love to come to your church, group or home and tell you more about our work. They can be contacted by using the email address above.
Blessings until next time.
