Happenings Battambang

   January 1st we were invited to join the family for a birthday party honoring "Yoot's youngest daughter " (Phally brother) who turned "9". I learned about a new soup to try at home ! :)) 

Birthday Girl

Baby Srey Mey first birthday party to attend 

Stan & I went to the farm to help Chris & Phally work on some projects, Chris wanted to add some roof to his "house" so Stan helped him figure it out & purchase the Steel, which was delivered by moto. and Phally wanted me to help her catch the baby fish in the man made canal & put them in the bigger pond, it was a fun "muddy" project! 
  But first breakfast in the local market. & getting food for lunch.

breakfast "noodle shop"

inside the "noodle shop"

Yummy noodle soup 

Cleaning the canal after we got the fish out

We put the baby fish in this netted area to get them use to the bigger area.

teaching Chris to build trusses

 On Sunday, during church another one of Phally's nieces who is about 10 I think played "Jingle Bells on the keyboard  (one of Chris & Phally piano  students) . There was a small team from Modesto Calif. who did the worship service that day. 

Then Sunday afternoon we went to Vandy's family ministry to help with teaching the kids,

they had a record turn out!! over 150 kids!! Vandy had cooked and packaged food for about 120, so they were scrambling to prepare & package more !! we sent one of the older kids to a local grocery stand to buy more cookies, since we knew we didn't have enough! 

We always come away from there so blessed and amazed by this ministry!! 

Vandy with the help of her niece Sokry do an amazing job, teaching the kids bible & english 6 days a week 3 classes a day with 13 to 20+ kids attending, and on Sunday everyone comes, the older kids have Bible Study at 2:00 and then they help teach the big group of kids at 4pm. 

Vandy introduced us to a few of the mom's who depend on Vandy's family to help them "get by" they are HIV patients with small children. Pray for this ministry and this village they are reaching out to!! 

The 'Icecream man , knows when the kids are at Vandy's & makes a few cents:) 

trying to take attendance see how many are new kids!

the "youth" escorting Stan and I back home

On Monday we joined the team from Modesto for breakfast, and they were going to a school to teach a Bible story ect.  that was out near  Phally & Chris farm,  As they were telling the story of Noah, a group of kids from other classes gathered around the building to "see what was happening"

school kids watching whats happening inside!! 

I'm always amazed how everyone finds their shoes in "pile"

The family quizzed us on what our favorite Khmer food was, they wanted to prepare a special meal for us, So I got to join Lada and Rajana at the market to purchase the ingred. which is always so interesting! then we all worked together to make it, the rest of the extended family kept stopping in to join us in making and eating, enjoying the food, "fresh spring roll, fried spring roll, Bouang Cheow (Vietnamese pancake)

cooking the Beoung chaow

Cousins:) Baby Srey Mey wearing "Paiges baby dress"

the busy cooks finally getting to eat!! 

Stan enjoying a visit with Pondy, practicing his Khmer :)

 during the week we went a couple times to sit in on & help with the English classes, & today Friday I am going over to play "minute to Win it" games with the kids. 

This is the little building they hold their classes in, looking to the Lord to see about replacing it with something a bit bigger., the floor is giving way, one of the kids tripped on it, broke her arm. :(

Stan has been spending a little time trying to help get the roof/trusses built for Chris.

  Yesterday I went to the dentist to get a tooth fixed, and I took Vandy to get an estimate, to see about her teeth ( her partial dentures broke while we were here :(( ).

Stan and I also were blessed to meet a few other couple here who are doing various ministries. Yesterday we were invited to join them for a Prayer time and to spend time in the Word together. It was a blessing to see & hear about whats happening here.

         Tomorrow, Saturday Jan 10th, Stan & I are heading to Bangkok Thailand by bus, then we will take a small plane to a Province out near the Thai/Laos border on Sunday. We are meeting a man about ministry opportunity working with farmers, in Cambodia. Pray for this trip and what we will learn, For us to be sensitive to the Lords direction. 

I think this guy has Stan beat on loading hay on a pickup!!