Cambodian Comrades for Christ

July 2009 Cambodian Mission - Update #4

Cambodian Comrades in Christ,

  A quick note to let you know that we have arrived in Cambodia.  We got here yesterday afternoon, did some cultural stuff and got the girls acclimated to the city.  We went to bed early and are going to visit the high school that was converted into a prison during the genocide (Teoul Sleng) and then to the royal palace.  We will be preparing our crates for the rest of our trip later today.  Thanks for all your continued prayer.

Joe

Soo S'die (hello in Khmer).

    After living on a plane that felt like 3 days we have finally made it to Cambodia! We want you all to know it is very hot!Brooke lost her back in The Phnom Penh airport where the scary visa people were, but because of God we had previously met a Cambodian woman who spoke both Khmer and English and helped her find her bag. Praise Jesus! Othe rthan that all four tubs and all of our luggage arrived. We were greeted by our male interpretor Vannak and our female Linda, and of course Grandma (yay). So far we have gone to the monkey park where ...... one monkey liked Morgan's flip-flop ALOT. Brooke and Elisa rode an elephant!Definitely an experience. Traffic here is CRAZY!!!!

Thank you for all your prayers!

~Elisa , Brooke and Morgan

July 2009 Cambodian Mission Trip - Update #3

    We all made it to Taiwan in one piece, safe and sound.  It is 6:20 am here on July 10th which means that it is about 5 pm on July 9th in Denver.  We are waiting for our flight to Phnom Penh.  Will update from Cambodia.  So far everything is on schedule.  Keep praying!

July 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip - Update #2

Greeting to all my Cambodian Comrades!

  We are only three days from leaving.  Our feet leave the ground for 18 hrs of flying at 8:15 pm this Wed, July 8th.  I have seen a definite parallel with our team and the group that God sent out under Gideon's leadership in Judges 7.  What we hold in common is that we are both a small group of ordinary people and, like them, we are determined to follow God's leading and humble enough to know that anything our small team accomplishes can only be credited to the Lord.  We know that we cannot boast in our own accomplishments because we have faith that God will be at work and we will just be the vessels he uses to fulfill His purposes.

 We will have a full schedule and a lot to do (see Update #1).  Of course we will be providing for the physical needs of the orphans and families we support as we always do.  However, with a smaller team I think we can be more effective in spreading the love of Jesus and pointing them to the Kingdom of God. We have a lot of donated flip-flops, shirts, shoes and toiletries and plan on meeting needs on the street as the Spirit leads us.

I just did some research last night and found that in 2009 there are 15 million souls without God and without hope in Cambodia.  95% are Buddhist, 2% are Muslim and only 1% know Jesus.  Why does this matter and why does this bother me?  Let me explain.  There are already many non-profits, NGO's and programs in Cambodia to help stop the injustice, corruption, and human trafficking in this country.  They are attacking the abuse and trade.  They are doing great work and I commend them.  However, I personally feel God is calling me to help change the Khmer spiritual culture; not their heritage, nor their historical culture which is distinct from mine and needs to be preserved, but their souls and spiritual roots which we share as adopted brothers/sisters of the same Father in heaven.

  At the most fundamental level, I believe if souls are changed for Jesus Christ in SE Asia the human trafficking, injustices and abuse will dramatically decrease and slowly disappear.  And, justice will flow more freely because a heart sincerely given over to Jesus will not rest until these atrocities are put to a stop,  repentance and restitution invoked and the perpetrators punished for their misdeeds.  So, in my thinking, the focus has to be on the spiritual transformation of Cambodian souls to Jesus and his Truth.  I see this as the only way. (1 John 5:18-19)

Please pray for our safety and health on this trip.  We want to minister to the people and do not want to waste precious time recovering from an illness.  Pray that we can exhibit wisdom and guidance in all we do and that we keep the LORD by our side and practice His presence at all times.  Pray that we can exude love from every gland of our body even when we are tired and exhausted in our busy schedule.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support.  The next entry will be from Cambodia.

Humbled to be serving with these faithful and passionate young adults,

Joe Hamrick

Brooke Sinclair, Joe Hamrick, Morgan Hamrick, Elisa Eidson

July 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip - Update #1

Greetings to our family, friends, Cambodian supporters and those praying for us.

As you probably know, we have a small mission team:  a high school senior (Elisa Eidson), sophomore (my daughter Morgan Hamrick), a 2009 high school graduate (Brooke Sinclair) and myself.  Although we are small in number and not officially trained or schooled in what we will be doing, I believe the Lord will use us in extraordinary ways to make a difference for His Kingdom like He did a couple centuries ago with a bunch of fishermen and ordinary people.  The idea of taking this team can only be explained by God working through the circumstances of each of our lives to draw us together at the right time, at the right place with the same passion for the lost, unloved, orphaned, abuse and mistreated people of Cambodia.  We are going to love the unloved, give hope to those without Christ, be a father and sister to orphans, provide for the physical needs of those hurting and find ways to join the war against those who are trafficking young women and men for slavery and sex.

Over the last several years, I have been returning to Cambodia to continue to build new relationships and strengthening old ones.  The relationships are very important and they are built as a result of the love we freely give by caring for the poor, sick, homeless, starving and those without the hope of Jesus Christ in a country that has been through genocide and worse. The Cambodian people are trying to climb out of poverty and regain hope of a better life for them and their children. They are spiritually bankrupt as 95% of the country worships statues of wood and tries to find hope, peace and inner harmony through Buddhism. It just is not working. One newly converted Cambodian I talked to said, “I became a Christian because I saw first-hand how Christians love, by the way they serve and give, give, give. The Buddhist religion in my country just knows how to take, take, take with no regard for my welfare or spiritual life. I now know that I have a hope that can never be taken away.”

  In order for you to pray more specifically and know where we will be at any given time, below I have listed our itinerary.  This is our current schedule but we are going to be totally open and willing to change if we feel the Holy Spirit moving us in a different direction.

The first four days are travel and physical and cultural acclimation:

Wed July  08:  Leave Denver, CO for Seattle, WA, 8:15 pm
Thu  July  09:  Leave Seattle for Taiwan, 2:10 am
Fri   July 10:    Leave  Taiwan for Phnom Penh, 9:10 am
Fri   July 10:   Arrive in Phnom Penh at 11:35 am
Fri   July 10:  Rest and Dinner

Sat  July 11:   Cultural sights of interest

Sunday July 12 will be spent at Open Gate Fellowship Christian Church in Phnom Penh.  I have partnered with this Church the last two years.  The evening will be spent meeting for dinner with a Lutheran Church mission team from North Carolina.

Mon July 13-15:  Battambang (NW Cambodia)

We will be taking a 5-6 hour drive from Phnom Penh to Battambang (NW of country) and will arrive in the evening.  Tues will be spent all day visiting the Rapha House , a safe house for women rescued from sexual trafficking.  We will tour the facility and meet some of the girls.  We will also take part in Christian devotions with the staff and visit the halfway house (Freedom House) where the girls are learning new skills in order to get future jobs.  We would like very much to partner with them in their work.  Wed afternoon we will leave for the Child Rescue Orphanage 

Wed July 15-17:  Child Rescue in Krang Lovea  (near Kampong Chhnang on the map)

We will spend time loving the orphans and having fun with them.  We will cook them a few meals and incorporate Bible lessons with activities like a slide show of pictures from last year, Bible jeopardy, board games and a "girly" night where the girls will show them hairstyles, nail painting, etc.  We will also see if there are any other problems or needs to be taken that the kids have.

Fri July 17 we will say our goodbyes and head back to Phnom Penh.

Sat July 18-19 we will head down to Svay Rieng (SE corner of Cambodia on the map, 10 miles from Vietnam).  We will be visiting and delivering clothes, supplies and financial support to three orphan families that Child Rescue supports.  This area is very poor and considered third-world.  We help these families survive in their rough conditions.

Mon July 20:  Rest day and shopping

Tue July 21:  Visit and tour International Justice Mission (IJM) to see how we can possibly partner with them to stop all the injustices in Cambodia.

Wed July 22 - Say Good-Byes and leave Phnom Penh at 12:45 PM

Arrive home 10:45 pm on July 22.  We get to live the same day twice.

Thanks for checking in on our blog.  Most of the messages will not be this long when we are sending them out from Cambodia but more of a brief update of what the Lord is accomplishing through us.  Keep praying for us!

Humbled to be serving the Lord in Cambodia,

Joe Hamrick

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #11

Sunday, March 1.

Last day of our mission trip.

We are in Phnom Penh.

Went to an 8:30 church service at Open Gate Fellowship Christian Church (Vannak and Pegs church).  Service was in Khmer, but you know, it doen't matter.....you can just feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Deb gave her testimony, and then the team got up and sang Amazing Grace.  Most meaningful moment was when we all sang Above All together. Just amazing to think that halfway around the world, we worship the same Giving, Loving God.

Lunch at Narees restaurant with the Team, Ken Armstrong, Vannak, Peg and Vebol. Sad to know this is the last I will see of them this trip.

Well, that is it. 

We had a glorious time...and a very fruitful mission trip. 

Thank you for your support and prayers.

See you back in the states!!!

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #10

Hello all.
Back in Phnom Penh (PP) tonight...so thought would send an update.

Friday
Went back up to Krong Lovea.  Arrived about 3pm (got a late start as one of our vans broke down).
New driver is scary.  He drives so fast.  If animals are in the way, he will run over them (killed 3 chickens on the way).  Best to just sleep while he is driving.
One of our translators (Naree, who owns the restaurant in PP) had prepared ribs and corn on the cob for our dinner tonight. So we went right to work grilling everything for a communal dinner tonight. The meal was fantastic! In fact the kids said they want us here all the time so they can have these great (and different) meals. I think we are spoiling them.
After dinner, we set up for the Bible-lympics (essentially, Jeopardy, but with the categories being Biblical events).   We had 12 categories, with 3 questions under each category.  The categories were Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah,  Moses, Samson, The Good Samaritan, the Crippled Man, Jesus' Birth, Jesus Part 1 and Jesus Part 2, and .....I forget the 12th category.  The kids divided into 4 teams. Each team would send up a contestant, and we would ask a question both in English and Khmer (though our translators). 
The quickest on the buzzer would get to answer the question.
I was amazed at how much the kids knew about the old and new testaments!!!!
It was great fun, with the winners winning the games that we brought up.
Thanks to Carol for putting together the game. T his is a must for future teams.
Sleeping was difficult as we had a big thunder/lightning storm.  It really lit up the sky!!
And then there was a wedding that started at 4:30 am (they start that early....and go all day).
So we did not sleep real well.

Saturday.
Found out that the day after a big rainstorm is miserable (high humidity when the sun comes out).  It was tough to do things today.
We started with a good breakfast of pancakes, which the kids love.
Then we had our daily Team devotional (the theme today was our favorite Bible passages and why).
Then, Scott and Chuck did a tour of the Orphanage to come up with a to-do list for the next year.  Carol worked on painting, and Deb and Beth spent time with the cooks.
Scott and Chuck also spent quite a bit of time with the caretakers (Varek and Sra) finding out about each kid, and how we can help them better operate the orphanage.   It was a good meeting, with each side setting out expectations.
As usual, play games with the kids.  This is such a good way to spend time with them, and get to know them better.  However, we realized that we (and all future teams) really need to separate into boys and girls groups, and honestly discuss the roles and responsibilities of Christian men and women.  This is so important ......so they can truly learn Christian principles and values.  They don't have a whole lot of role models in their society.
Late lunch at around 3pm (another American meal of spaghetti and bread). 
Then we packed up and said our goodbyes to the kids.  This is always such a difficult time for us all.  We never know what the Lord has planned for us in the next year....so we never know if this will be our last goodbyes.  It really tugs at our heartstrings when we leave.
After another frightening drive back to PP, we met up with Ken Armstrong.
Good to see Uncle Ken.  
We took him out for ice cream.

Sunday.
Will attend an 8:30 service at Open Gate Christian Fellowship, and then go to Narees restaurant for a Khmer lunch (looking forward to it as we have eaten so much American food this trip).
Then we will spend time with Ken discussing needs for the orphanage.

Will post our final update on Monday.

As usual, thank you again for your prayers.  They have truly been helpful.

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #9

Well, we had to come back to Phnom Penh today to bring Pan (the cook who had a stroke) to see the doctors with Jeremiah's hope.   So thought I would send a quick update.

Wednesday
Headed back up to the orphanage in Krang Lovea today.  Got a late start due to shopping for supplies.  Arrived around 4pm.

Spent a little bit of time with the kids prior to dinner.  We had hamburgers for dinner (supplied by one of our interpreters who owns a restaurant).  Not sure, but this may have been the 1st time many of the kids had tried this American "delicacy".  They seemed to love them.

After dinner, we asked 4 of the girls if they could sing Khmer songs to us.  We were treated to a wonderful concert, which included dance with many of the songs.  Talented kids!!.   Then they asked us to sing.  So we did some great old worship hymns, some of which they actually knew.  By this time all the kids had appeared.  We decided to teach some American dances to the kids....... such classic dances as the Hoakie Poakie, the Chicken Dance, the Mackarena, etc.  We had soooooo much fun.  Then we sang some more songs together .  We ended with Amazing Grace (sung in both English and Khmer at the same time). 

You know, it is these impromtu events that are the most memorable.  We really had a wonderful time. 

The night was ended with the playing of board games.

Thursday

The night was relatively cool, so for the most part, we all slept well.

We were awakened to the sounds of the kids singing Christian hymns in Khmer for their daily worship service.  How it lifts our hearts to know that they start each day with Praise to God.

Half of the kids left for school, the other half stayed and helped us with painting projects.  We put a 2nd coat of paint on the kitchen, and Carol put up Welcome stencils up over the entry door (both in English and Khmer).  The kids helped us.....they love to do things around the orphanage.

Beth then brought out hundreds of pictures of the kids taken from our previous trips.  She gave each kid a picture album in which they put pictures of themselves.  Oh how they love to see themselves in pictures (as we all do). 

Today was also a day of "memorable ëvents" with our team members: 

Carol spilled oil based paint all over her (can only be removed by gasoline....she smelled quite good).....

Scott accidentally stuck his finger in a fan (nothing was severed, luckily)

Beth halucinated about seeing ants everywhere (she actually saw them, but we couldn't find them)....

Debbie turned into the cockroach exterminator.....killing every cockroach in sight (by the way, why is it when cockroaches meet their demise, they always end up on their backs????).

Chuck taught the kids the meaning of oops (whenever he makes a mistake, he says öops.....and the kids picked that up as the Phrase of the Day).

We left the orphanage about 3pm to bring Pan back to Phnom Penh.  She will see a cardiologist tomorrow morning to have some further tests done.

The DiGregorios are leaving to go back to the USA.  So we will take them to the airport tonight.  We will be sad to see them leave.  They have been a tremendous addition to our team.  Thank you Amy and Jason!

Ken Armstrong arrives tomorrow night.  So it will be good to see him.

Schedule for the next 2 days:

Back to the Krang Lovea orphanage tomorrow.

We will stay there on Friday night, and come back on Sat afternoon (plan is to do more fun time with the kids)

On Sunday, we will attend a church service in the morning at Open Gate Church (where Vannak and Peg go).  Looking forward to that.

Will give updates as can....

Thank you all for your prayers.

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #8

Update from Amy and Jason DiGregorio:

We’re posting a separate update, as we have been apart from the Child Rescue mission team for the past 2 days. As many of you know, our purpose in coming to Cambodia was twofold: first was to be a part of the Child Rescue team, and second was to work alongside Jeremiah’s Hope, another Christian mission team doing medical work here from Denver also. With our medical backgrounds, we were very interested in learning more about the condition of Cambodia’s health care system. Over the past 2 days with Jeremiah’s Hope, we’ve been able to tour a nursing school, medical clinic and 2 hospitals in Phnom Pehn. We’ve been able to observe surgeries, and tour all of the hospital units including observing physical therapy sessions. It was very educational, but very difficult for us emotionally. The medical system here is in very poor shape and the need for improved education is immense. Together with the Jeremiah’s Hope team of doctors and nurses, we’ve been brainstorming and praying for ideas of how to help improve this system in such dire shape. The team has had some exciting opportunities develop to allow us to work with the Khmer people by improving their skills and education. This may open the door for us to make future short term trips out here to help with nursing education. We ask that your prayers be with us and the health care team as we pursue these opportunities to improve the Cambodian medical system.

On a separate note, one of the physicians here with Jeremiah’s Hope will be evaluating Pan, the cook from the Child Rescue orphanage who had the stroke. The team will be bringing her down to Phnom Pehn tomorrow so she can see Dr. Sheehan, who will hopefully be able to help manage her condition medically.

Jason and I will be spending today with Kunthea, an orphan in Phnom Pehn we’ve been sponsoring for 2 ½ years. We are so excited to finally meet her and tour the facility, after years of correspondence through emails and pictures. The following day we begin the long journey home, so please pray for our safe arrival back in Denver on Friday. Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive of our trip!

Amy and Jason

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #7

Monday.

We headed down to Svey Rieng today (southern part of Cambodia, near the Vietnam border) to visit our kids down there.  This is a different "orphanage" than in Krong Lovea in that the children have been adopted by families that live in the village. 

After traveling for 3-1/2 hours, we visited the 4 families (a total of 14 kids).  We spent time talking to the families and kids, recording their family information, ages, likes/dislikes, etc.....but most importantly, just spent time with the kids.  We did activities like coconut bowling (using coconuts to knock down bamboo pins), coconut weightlifting, cow chasing, etc.   The kids loved it.   We essentially walked around the village to visit the kids since the van really couldn't travel the road to the homes.  By the end of the day, we looked like the Pied Piper ......we had a huge group of kids following us.  We loved it.

We did see the girl whose broken arm we set 2 years ago (via usage of a 2 liter Coke bottle, and duct tape).  Her arm is looking good (other than a big bump on the arm).  But she has full use of the arm, which she wouldn't have had if we had not been there when we were.  Praise God for bringing us to her in her hour of need 2 years ago.

We then had another 3-1/2 hour ride back to Phnom Pehn.   However, we rewarded ourselves by going to a seafood buffet that was incredible.  It did take some time getting use to all the heads being on the fish and seafood.....but you learn to overlook that when you are hungry.

Tuesday

We visited the Russian Market (a large Cambodian market) to purchase items for sale at the CCC International Market in the fall.  We got some tremendous deals. So look forward to the announcement of the CCC Market dates.  You will be able to get some incredible Asian merchandise at killer prices (ok....so much for my advertisement). 

The afternoon was spent visiting with 2 of the Krong Lovea kids that are now learning vocations through the Sky MInistry program (see previous email discussing the Sky Ministry Program).  Hoeun is learning the barber trade, and Tuch is learing to be an auto/moto mechanic.  Both are doing well in their respective programs, and have anywhere from 6 months to 2 years left, depending upon the speed with which they learn their trade.  We visited the Barber Shop where Hoeun is working (none of us had the courage to let him cut our hair yet), and went to the Auto Mechanic School where Tuch is training.  Pretty cool programs.  We do have 2 other kids that may be accepted into the Sky Program....i.e, Svey Mom and Tuon.  Keep all of these kids in your prayers.

We then had dinner with a missionary family from the US - The Roberts family (John and Sheryl Roberts, and their 9 children).  John and Sheryl are with a group called MUP (Mission for Unreached People) that works to re-educate orphans so they can become contributing members of their communities (similar to Sky Ministries).  It was amazing to hear John's testimony........being an undercover cop in Greeley, CO....then feeling Gods "knocking" to move into the role of a missionary....and then quiting his job, selling his house, and moving to Cambodia.  What a testimony to having faith in God.  They are tremendous warriors for The Kingdom......and have some absolutely hysterical, and touching, stories of their time over here.  Please keep them in your prayers.  

Tomorrow (Wed) we head back to Krong Lovea, to spend 4 days and 3 nights with the kids up there.  Pray hard for us, as we have never spent that long a period at the orphanage.  Pray for health.....but mostly, pray for opportunities to spread God's word and love to these kids (and the village). 

Also, keep an eye out for an email from Jason and Amy DiGregorio (2 members of our team that have spent the last 2 days with Jeremiah's Hope surgeons here in Phnom Penh).  They see tremendous medical opportunities here, and are seriously considering relocation to Cambodia to help with the medical needs here.  Keep them in your prayers.   The surgeons with Jeremiahs Hope will also be looking at Pan, our Child Rescue cook that had a stroke.  There is a serious risk of further strokes if she does not get medical help....so they will be spending time with her on Friday.

We love you all.....and miss you.

Feb 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip – Update #6

Sunday.

Rooster woke us up at 4am.....gotta love it.

We had a wonderful worship service with the kids this morning.  2 hours, with the older kids running the service.  I am amazed at how mature the older kids are.  They seem to have a true heart for God.  Plus they really watch over the younger kids.  The service consisted of many Khmer songs, and scripture readings.  The mission team then read some meaningful scripture verses, and we had a nice discussion with the kids about those verses.  Continue to pray for their spiritual growth.

The team then prepared a nice pancake breakfast with the entire group.  The kids LOVE pancakes!!!

Then, we had another session of board games, followed by some group games (eg, police/burgler, musical chairs, etc).  What a wonderful time.....the kids had a great time.  And a special thanks to our interpreters, who coordinated all of the activities. 

Carol and Chuck had a nice discussion with one of the orphans, Srey Mom.  She is one of the Sky Ministry "orphanage leaders "(i.e., an orphan  designated by Sky Ministries to be a group leader at the orphanage, and also voted into the position by the other orphans).  She shared with us about her childhood, her mother and sisters death (both on the same day), her abusive step mother, and her "adoption" by Child Rescue.  She has really flurished in the leadership roll at the orphanage.  However, she misses having a spiritual friend with whom she can share.  She stated how sometimes she feels God is not with her.  We explained how all Christians feel that way at some time in their spiritual life....however, God never leaves us.  We also told her that although we may not be there all of the time, we pray for her daily.  We also talked to her about the poem "Footprints", and will try to find her a copy of the poem in Khmer.  Please keep her in your prayers.  She is such a wonderful example to all the other kids.

Prior to our leaving, we shared another snack with the whole group.   A lovely assortment of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Pringles, and watermellon.  Man these kids can eat!!!.

We then left for Phnom Penh around 4pm.

Dinner was at a restaurant owned by one of the interpreters (Naree).  What a treat....and wonderful food.  I am just amazed how God brought her to our Group for specific reasons......i.e, she has such a strong faith, she has a tremendous love for the kids,  and she relates very well with the older women (specifically the cooks).  But what blew us away is that we have been searching for some sort of crop at the orphanages that can be relatively easy to grow, and can result in a quick and plentiful crop.  Guess what?.....her father ran a banana farm.  It just so happens that banana trees are easy to plant and maintain, they produce a lot of  fruit monthly, the leaves can be sold for thatch roofing, the trees produce mushrooms that can be sold to restaurants, and the trees grow almost everywhere.  Her father can sell us trees to plant.  So God answered our prayers through her. Praise God!

That was our Sunday.  Please pardon me if this makes no sense.... It is late.

Next email will discuss our trip to the southern Cambodia, and our orphans in Svey Rieng. 

Thank you again for your prayers.  We miss you all.