May was a quiet month; we all went into lock-down for approximately 3 weeks. Covid soared during May to 24,000 people considering the whole of 2020 we had just over 300 cases!
Over here if you have Covid, you are taken to locations such as schools or hospitals to be quarantined.
The officials decided to colour-code our lockdown into three colours Red, Orange, and Yellow.
- Red Zone No movement at all as they are high numbers of Covid victims. This meant no one could leave their homes at all. Food was brought to them.
- Orange Zone No unnecessary movement, barriers were erected manned by the Police and Army – you had to have permission to go out of the zone.
- Yellow Zone Free movement taking all the necessary precautions – hand-washing, compulsory masks and social-distancing.
We ended up in a Red/Orange Zone! Our side of the street was an Orange Zone and 4 meters across the road was Red. Go figure. We were unable to get out to our village and see anyone during that those weeks and we knew the children and their families would find it difficult to get food etc. We managed to send money via a telephone app which allows you to send money to a mobile number and they go to the official shop, show a generated code, and get the money. In this way the staff who live in the village managed to do two food giveaways to 50 families.
After our 3 weeks of lock-down most of Phnom Penh is now Yellow and we can move about again. We really don’t know how everyone managed such a long lock-down back in the UK, we were stir crazy after just 3 weeks!
But in the midst of all this upheaval and uncertainty, we want to share some exciting news with you.
WE ARE ABOUT TO EXPAND!!!
We have been seeking God’s direction for a while now on what He wants us to do next. After much prayer, God has opened the door for us to expand. We have villagers coming to our day-care on a regular basis, asking us to take their child so they find work, or we hear of a child’s circumstances that would make them eligible to be looked after in safety with us.
We are so excited to know that God is continuing to grow the work we are doing and that his good news will reach more children and in turn more adults who need his hope and love.
Our son, Adam is improving every day and has been able to return to work part-time. He still has quite a way to go, but again God is good, and we see Adam’s strength returning a little more each day. We thank you for all your prayers for him!
Well, as I said a relatively quiet month, we would ask for your prayers for Cambodia that Covid numbers will go down and that people are able to work again. So many businesses have closed their doors and recovery is going to take a long time, meanwhile there are few jobs available and with no social security, again the most vulnerable are hit hard.
Until next time,
Blessings…
Liz and Mark.
