Hi folks,
Another very different month.
Mark and I have been working flat out and haven’t been home since January 2020, so we really needed to take a little break. There are no tourists here at the moment and the hotels are really struggling, room prices including breakfast are extremely cheap, so we took a room in the city for a few days to recharge our batteries. In a hotel which normally caters for upwards of 60 people we counted 10 staying including us. The staff were happy to have some work to do and we enjoyed the rest.
At the start of July, we did another food giveaway in the village. The people coming for the food are now naming the food “the Jesus Rice”, it sounds so good to hear them say that he is providing for them and that they are acknowledging his provision.
In another small village community of disabled people, we gave away 7 food parcels, and the children were shouting “Jesus is here” when we arrived. We love to hear the name of Jesus lifted high.
While Sokheng and I were walking recently around the village we heard some children say, “oh look “Pee Yei Barangs”, (two white grannies). This would have been endearing only for the fact that Sokheng is Khmer and in her early thirties!!
Again, Covid restrictions are still keeping us closed but we are trying to maintain contact with the children and their families. There is a lot of illness in the village at the moment, not Covid but something is causing them to be sick. Please pray for them that this sickness leaves soon.
It’s been a month of accidents and hospitals:
- Our cook’s grandson Joshua who is 2 years old, spent time in hospital after he pulled boiling water over his chest. We would value prayer for him that there will be miraculous healing and no scarring.
- A good friend of ours Richard, was recently in a head-on collision with another motorbike about 3 hours outside Phnom Penh. It was a very serious compound fracture, but God was with him, got him back to Phnom Penh and to the hospital where the surgeon was the only person in Cambodia who could perform the operation he needed. People stepped forward to provide the blood and the surgeon did an amazing job in saving his leg. He has a long recovery ahead and we would value your prayers for him.
- Sokheng also had surgery recently for an ongoing sinus problem. She is in pain but recovering, please pray for complete healing for her.
On a lighter note, I was wondering if someone could explain this!! “No Poo” Shampoo!!!!
We have Khmer friends here who run a TexMex restaurant, and we go and support them as often as we can as they are struggling due to Covid restrictions. Recently Mark and I were given a present from the owner (Sopheap), two black coffee mugs. We were delighted, but then she produced a kettle of boiling water and poured it into the mugs, Mark’s came up with a picture of him, Adam, me and all the staff celebrating his birthday. Mine was a picture of Sopheap, her Sister, Mark, Adam and me. What a lovely and thoughtful gift to give us.
We would like to introduce you to our staff member Heng Somnang. We have known Somnang for around 8 years, and calls us Mum and Dad.
My name is Somnang Heng, I am 30 years old. I am currently working in the organisation as a Senior Day-care Worker. I would like to share a testimony before and after I came to work here.
When I was about seven years old my parents got divorced my dad has a new wife my mother became very sad become alcohol addicted and not long after she died. Because no one take care of me my sister took me to Hagar Organization, I got a chance to go to school and I finished high school they also teach me music and because it’s Christian Organization that’s how I became to know God.
I got married and have two children. I thanks God I got a job at Eggshell Cambodia (Child Haven Organisation). I love working with child and thanks Mark and Liz for gave me opportunity to work as a child care worker. I really enjoy working with children and I like to share my love and give them a good care, so their parents not worry about their children. I have commitment I will do my best to keep children safe and happy.
I have been working for two years now I got a lot of experience and improving my skills of caring children, teach children in English, Khmer and Bible stories and learning children to sing and worship God by playing Guitar, not only working well with children but, I also working well with team. I learn to share, help, respect and encouraging each other. I also have a strong relationship with God when I am working here.
Last but not least, I would like to say thank you so much to Liz and Mark for giving me an opportunity to work with Eggshell Cambodia (Child Haven Organisation) and I thanks God for them loving and care my family.
Pray for Somnang, he is a great man, who is a role-model and a father to the children, as many fathers are absent from their lives. Pray for his family that God will continue to strengthen their faith and love for him.
So, Mark and I have left our most important news until last!
As many of you will know, we have been planning to expand our day care to allow us to provide a safe haven for more children within the village. We had plans drawn up to build three additional rooms on the existing church site.
Well, it seems that our plans where not God’s plans. Prov 16 v 9 reads “We can make our plans, but God determines our steps”.
God showed us a large building within the village. The building is 90% finished but the owner has now run out of money. When finished this building will give us a total of nine rooms, indoor play spaces, an office, meeting room and staff breakout area, kitchen, bathrooms, large area on the ground floor where the children can have their food and a huge outdoor terrace on the roof of the building for the children to play on. We have agreed to rent the building and finish the work. Our plans were small, God’s plans were big!
Many people have been raising funds for this expansion by doing the Eggshell Cambodia 6368 Challenge. We thank everyone who has taken up this challenge and virtually reached Phnom Penh in record time and are in fact now doing the return journey. We also thank all those who sponsored them!!!
This money will help us equip the new rooms and now that we have a much bigger place this is needed even more. Anyone would like to contribute can visit the website:
Eggshell-Cambodia – Belfast-to-Phnom-Penh
As the building work progresses, we will give you updates so you can see everything unfold.
We can’t wait for COVID restrictions to lift so that we can have teams and individuals come and visit us in our new place.
When we make plans, sometimes we limit what God wants to do, we think earthly, but God thinks heavenly – we plan small, he plans big! When disappointment hits when our plan doesn’t happen, God has to remind us that he is in control but when he does reveal his heavenly plan you can be assured that it will be much much more that you could ever have imagined. How awesome and majestic is our God, our good, good Father!
Lastly, how do you like your peanuts, salted, dry-roasted, honey-roasted? I am sure you have not tried them as they are done in Cambodia – warm with sugar, chilli and dried herbs? Give it a try, you might become a convert.
Until next time,
Blessings…
Liz and Mark.
