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Hope Cambodia - Day 6 Monday, August 6, 2007 - Eric's Birthday!!	Back to Home Page
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This day was a very emotional day, and not always for the reasons you would expect. By the end of the day our abilities to control our attitudes were put to the test, but I think we did a good job! We visited Destiny Rescue Mission, a network of homes for girls who have been rescued from the sex trade. That visit made a great impact on us all. We then traveled a long way to the town of Stung Sen to dedicate another Hope Center.


Joe - he is such a character. Here he is brushing his teeth in the parking lot before we left for the day.	Our new friend Ian prepared us for what we were about to experience. A couple of the girls had only been rescued very recently - it was heartbreaking to think about it.


These girls are playing a game like jacks, but by throwing a rock in the air and picking up pencils. I did not do well at it!	Here I am with my new little friend.


The girls did some traditional Cambodian dances for us. They were very nice.


Erin, always so lovely.	Allison is beaming because she is in her element here.


We got to pray for the girls, then they prayed for us.	It was very moving and many of us cried.

The girl above came over to comfort Karli (far left) and seeing that just broke my heart. After all she had been through for years and years - she was still able to offer comfort to someone else.	Pastor David told the story of Esther to give the girls hope for the future and to know that they were born "for such a time as this." They are going to go on to make great improvements in Cambodia, I'm sure of it.


Next we got to give out beanie babies - I'm so glad our team members thought to bring them!	She made me a beaded ring while we were there and when she gave it to me she said, "I love you big big!" It was so sweet.


Here Kelly learns part of a traditional dance.	Here I am with a group of the sweet girls.


Jessica, hamming it up with some of the girls.	Malika really bonded with this girl, they were together the entire time.

Suja - always beautiful, with another young beauty.	Joe provided music for us to sing some songs together.




This little girl was the one most recently rescued. It was good to see her laughing and being able to be a kid. This is her with Gretchen in these shots.


And clowning around with Josiah here.	I took this of me and my new little friend's feet - it made her laugh, and me too!

They all gathered as we left to tell us goodbye as a group.	Here they are waving at our vans as we leave.


	A random shot of a monk out the van window.


A dude's digs on the street.	A Cambodian gas station - complete with a lottery.


A view of how they sustain the gas supply.	A Cambodian road block - not very intimidating, but we took a long detour to avoid it anyway.

These scenes were taken on the first detour of the day. We were on a "two hour" trip to the town of Stung Sen where we were going to get lunch and then go to the second Hope Center dedication. Unfortunately, something bad happened to our communication and we ended up taking a 3 hour trip on VERY bad roads. It was extremely nerve-wracking, there were no stops for bathroom breaks (except one for the drivers), and no time for lunch. But we kept our attitudes in check, I promise!

A big garden area.	Freshly planted rice.


The store where Buddhists go for their lawn ornaments.	Cambodian scaffolding - safety is always first in this country!


The scaffolding being put to use. Scary!	Seen from the window of the van, this kid was pedaling for all he was worth!



We saw hundreds of homes like this on our long trip through the back woods on the super-muddy roads. At least we know we've seen some "real" Cambodia!


A view of the awful, muddy, pot-holed roads we were on for hours and hours. We were just sure we'd end up stuck and trying to push the vans out of one of these craters.	A rice field that has recently been harvested.


Some of the kids & scenes we saw along the road.







	Yes, this is our driver doing what you think he is doing. We had been driving for more than 3 hours with no bathroom stop. He created one for himself during the "discussion" between the drivers and our guide about the route we took .


Fruit stands we saw along the way once we got nearer to town.


Typical road-side shop.	At last! The Hope Center. I think we were late but they were very understanding. (And we were very hungry!)

	This is corn spread out to dry.



A close-up of the plaque at the Hope Center.	A familiar sight in front of buildings, the shoe area was crowded.


I like this creative modification of the bike to make it easier on his sister to keep up with him.


The pastor of the Hope Center and a lady giving an amazing testimony of a healing she received.	Man, they learn those silly hand signals from the youngest age!


The recycle lady, she came to get any used pop cans that would be leftover after the party.	Preparing for the ribbon cutting.


Jason, doing his video thing.	Ribbon cutting.


The ceremony began with praise and worship by both their team and ours.	Here our team goes up for their turn.


Pastor David and their pastor shared with the crowd.	Some of the orphans and a worker lady who cares for them.


The pastor & his beautiful wife, along with the kids who will live there.	The girl on the right had an amazing story of her recovery from polio.


A look out the back window to the neighborhood.	We were so hungry, we didn't care if the strange fruit would make us sick. We fell on it like starved animals. The small orange things looked like eyeballs inside!!


The pastor was very grateful for the support of Harvest and Joyce Meyer Ministries - these kids had been living in his home!	Naked kid playing in a puddle in the street.


Since it was Eric's birthday, we sang happy birthday to him in the street and someone gave him a strange piece of fruit. He was touched as you can see.	Kids are kids - all over the world.





Above are some of the "safety first" loading techniques we saw while on the roads. The most stressful parts of the whole trip for Eric was the driving. They went very fast on narrow roads while motorcycles and bicycles were only inches away on both sides. They rely extensively on the horn to communicate. Once Gretchen asked a driver, "What does that mean in horn?" There were few traffic laws and so many close calls and no seat belts. It was Eric's definition of hell.





Haystacks like this were everywhere for the cows.	A giant piece of local fruit our translators brought for us. It had the look of a green coconut on the outside, the texture of a dry lime, and the taste of a mild grapefruit. I liked it a lot.





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