Our last week.....

   Our last week or so here at Sovanapoom is flying, so much to fit in! and people to see before leaving! Last Friday we met with Dave and Darlene Hall for lunch,  we had a wonderful visit, just getting to know them, its been nice to meet Christian, Americans here in Cambodia:) They are with New Tribes Mission and have been here for 2 yrs now learning the language and working on translating some of New Tribes study material into Khmer. They are looking to God for the area He would have them work, now that they are nearly finished with their language studies.
   Saturday was spent sewing with the kids finishing up projects and creating stuffed toys:) We had a one minor incident when the large bag of fluff/stuffing broke when one of the kids sat on it.....POOF fluff flying everywhere!!

toys made by big sisters :) 

boys proud of their work, belts, pants, & bags !! 

Stan and the boys spent the day cleaning and refilling the water tower sand filters with new sand, a truck dumped a large pile of sand in the front, then they wheeled it by wheelbarrows to the back by the water tower, Stan with 3 kids on each side of the wheelbarrow ran back and forth trucking it back to the water tower!! then they filled buckets using a pulley system to take it to the top area where they filled the sand filters, it was a very wet sandy job!!
    Sunday a large team came for the day from City Point Church in Australia, to see the feeding program and spend the church service time doing crafts with the kids, the kids loved it:)  Tonet preached on 1Cor. 13 upstairs, and did a very good job, Ra's daughter and her potential fiance were here visiting and he isn't a believer (yet) but is interested in learning about God, ( he told Ra). We are praying for his salvation.
   Monday John left for the farm and Sreylin and I headed over to Oressay market to get popcorn to pop and stuff to have a popcorn party Tuesday night :) Stan is wanting to make popcorn for the kids, they are super excited about it! :) then it was school time, and a team of 4 Aussie, that came on Sunday came back to play with the kids for the afternoon . when they arrived I quickly realized, forget school...... it was just going to have to be a short school day! Later in the afternoon Tonet took us to say goodbye to his folks, they were busy harvesting, buddling the lemon grass to take to market. in the same area we had the picnic with them. We attempted to help, but it definaltly takes practice!! much harder then it looks!! Pray for Tonets mom, she needs a back surgery, is in a lot of pain, but still working doing her farm work... they won't do the surgery until they get her blood sugar level down... A wonderful Christan lady :) She sent a basket of fruit and fried corn, back home with us! thats how she is, she always has to give!!

    Tuesday I went into Phnom Penh to have lunch with Peta one last time and go over the newsletter article, pictures ect. picked up a few more water colors and pencils, school supplies. I'm going to have the kids paint a picture of one of the Bible stories Tonet has been teaching in the evening.
   The kids did an amazing job on their paintings!! Kristine you would be so proud! I'm trying to decide if I should bring them home to show off!
  The popcorn party was a hit, Tuesday night Tonet divided them in groups and had them preform a skit
about a one of the Bible lessons he has been teaching, great fun:)) then popcorn and soda and a little prize for all! We learned they like their popcorn sweet not salty here....we added palm sugar.

 skits of Bible Stories !

Bong and Jandee are the master tile guys, spending long hours tiling the walls upstairs. 

 The tile is looking very nice.
 wall start for audio system.

Stan and Tonet have been working hard all week getting this wall and table made for the audio sytem, lots of hard-work mixing and hauling cement upstairs. They are also trying to get a scaffold built for painting up high in the big room. Working hard till time to get on the plane, as usual, whether at home or here, sometimes I worry we will miss the plane!! 

Good Bye

Work project 101

   Its hard to believe how fast time is going by!! money was made available for redoing the walls upstairs so this week the kids were hard at work helping to prepare the walls. making cement and hauling bricks upstairs, for the framework of a new door they were installing. Needless to say not a lot of school work got done in the afternoons. but just as important as book learning is learning to work hard as a team to get things done!
  I was ok with not having alot of students because I really didn't feel to good this past week.....:(

looking like the older boys:)

    We had a pretty big rain storm!! there's nothing quite like playing in the rain and mud:) just ask these kids!!

  The windows were on my list of must do's before leaving!!  Stan recruited some small helpers to get the high parts!! Haven't quite got them all done but its on the list to finish this week!
I thought we should wait till the dirty work was done with the brick and tile work first....

    The tile arrived and kids were quickly put to work to get it unloaded. Many hands make light work, so the saying goes, so true!

 As the kids were hauling bricks upstairs from a pile outside, they discovered a rats nest of baby rats :( While Ester the dog had fun killing the big ones the kids enjoyed playing mama to the babies, scraps of fabric was quickly made into beds.. I was even asked what they could feed them....

Stan learning how Khmer men where their t-shirts when they work! 

A very dusty job grinding off all the paint and grout down to bare cement so the tile will stick, the boys did a great job getting it done! everyone and everything was white that was in the area!!  

The kids mixed cement and hoisted it up to the top with buckets, 

  This  Saturday was a full day for everyone cleaning up deep white dust from everything!!!!! those who have cleaned up from sheetrock know a little what I'm talking about!! I felt bad for the kids sleeping area's!! they hung blankets trying to keep it out but it was on everything!

    I took Sreylin and Seena to Phnom Penh to get a few things to finish up sewing projects and get the machines serviced, while there we went to where Sreyleark is working and picked her up and took her to lunch, it was a nice time, they indulged on pizza, bbq wings and salad, topping it off at the Swenson for ice cream sundaes!! :)

OOPS ! !

 I just realized I repeated myself on one of our stories from the last blog, so sorry.........
I guess I should keep this up a bit better! so I remember what I write about.

Happenings at Sovanapoom

 

   What's happening at Sovanapoom?? Lots! these past few weeks have been busy, farm trips and CV Team :) yeah! and farm trips... I will try to capture a glimpse of it all!
   To start off, the evening devotion time with the kids is alway a special time, Tonet does a great job teaching the kids, alway looking for new games, and things to make it special so they will remember what they are learning. One evening we had a candle lighting ceremony, we sat in a circle in the dark ad told about what we had been reading in the Bible or other story, Tonet had told the kids a few days in advance to be reading, because we were going to do a special game!  I was a bit worried how some of the younger boys were going to handle the candle's but, they took it very seriously!! Lately He has been teaching them new songs, along with teaching the scripture.

Khmer school is going very well, the teachers are faithfully coming every day, and teaching from 7am until lunch time. The headmaster loves it when Stan can sit with him and learn language:)

Cooking lessons in my house for Betty and I,  on the floor of course, where else would you prepare food!
      Sreylin was teaching us to make a pumpkin custard dessert! with Sreylin daughter's help, she was a great help separating the eggs!! Yummy

On Friday while waiting for our Christmas Valley friends to arrive, Maly spent the day with us visiting Sreyleark, where she is working and having lunch with us. It was nice to catch up with the girls and see how they are doing:) 

After a very long trip they have ARRIVED!!! So excited to see what God will do with thru their time here in Cambodia!!

The first day we had to take them around and show the sights, take them to say hi to Maly and of a little shopping at Central Market, the sad part was its the only market we were able to go to!! due to Chinese New Year all the other markets were closed for the week!!

decisions, decisions....

The week went flying by, I took a little holiday from teaching and enjoyed letting them teach the kids in the afternoons! new songs, crafts drawing and painting lessons with Kristin were enjoyed by all even the older kids enjoyed it!

Words cannot express what 

 an encouraging time for the leadership here, having the Christmas Valley Team come to visit, and much appreciated by all!! 

Sunday morning worship service was amazing Kristine and Dustin did an excellent job!! the people were glued to Krisitne the whole time !!

 

The men all helped get the spray rig assembled as far as it could go before it was taken to the farm.

 Next project was to take down the tower that takes the cement high, and put a new motor on it so it can be taken to the farm, to be used for the building of the water tower. 

don't fall!!! 

 A visit from Tonets parents, resulted in an invite to a picnic and time of fellowship in the mangoe/banana orchard, we had a great time helping gather the mangoes, and enjoying BBQ corn and fresh fruit!! Ther is nothing quiet like a time of fellowship and Prayer in the "jungle" with Christian family!! 

Stan and I  enjoy lots of little visitors to our little house, usually one comes for an owie to be fixed followed by many!! 

 Soon after the team left for home, Stan and John headed to the farm to finish the spray rig and work on the cement pouring project, which is the water tower and building for the rice mill.
   They had a very productive week, all the projects went very well, the boys are doing good, Jandee came back with them, because he is good with tile work to help with tiling the walls in the big room upstairs where they have school, church and worship and pretty much any event that comes along!!

water tower before cement