Operation Justice, Poi Pet, Cambodia - Day 2, Tuesday

Today’s update is short and sweet – I am really tired and need to get to bed – tomorrow we leave early for Siem Riep, where we are going to spend time with people who live on the rubbish dump. It has been a great day. I seem to have adjusted to the heat and the different time zone. It also seemed just a little bit cooler. Our day began with breakfast, and then prayer. Out of necessity – the problems we are investigating are so enormous; one would feel completely disheartened were there not a consciousness that we are not alone in this task, but rather that it is God’s work that we are supporting... 

Patricia King praying for a young girl in the TB ward

The first part of the morning included some teaching by Patricia King and by a lovely Canadian man named Ken about healing and God’s interventions in human problems. After this we divided up into teams and set off in different directions. My team went to the HIV and TB wards, where we chatted to the patients and their families again, and prayed for those who wanted us to pray for them.


In the HIV ward there was a woman who had such a beautiful smile. She already believed in Jesus, and was eager for us to pray for her and bless her. She showed us photos of what we thought was her daughter - it was a shock to discover that they were photos of her, before she became ill. HIV is a sad disease.

There was also a young girl who could not speak much; she was so sweet, kept hugging me and followed me everywhere, saying 'I love you'... and then I would say 'And I love you!', and then she would laugh and hug me again. So much love in a young heart...


In the TB ward there was a man who was very thin and weak. He was not much more than a skeleton, and he looked so ill.  I really wanted to pray for him, but I did not have an interpreter to explain. I went over to him anyway, and lightly touched his arm, and smiled at him, and prayed quietly for him to be comforted. The suffering in his eyes made me very sad. 


Afterwards, we went back to HTC for lunch, our much appreciated chicken and rice. 

After lunch, we again divided into groups and went to different places. 
My group went to Buffalo village (so called because of the water buffalo grazing nearby) to spend time with some children. This was good fun. At first we were bombarded by excited children, especially when they saw that we had some small toys and sweets. Narith soon established order, sternly instructing us not to give anything to a child unless they said thank you ('Akuhn'). We decided to teach the children some songs. Some in English, some translated by Narith as we sang them, and one - 'Father Abraham' - in Khmer! I have to admit that the children did much better at learning the English 'Jesus loves me, this I know' than we did at learning the Khmer version of 'Father Abraham'! I was amazed at Narith. He is so gifted in working with children. He soon had everyone laughing and participating. Commenting about this later, he shared that he always wanted to be a pastor, but God said no, and so he waited, but kept on praying for clarity... and that with time he realised his deep love for children, so his dream now is to be a children's pastor. 


Incidentally, it was at Buffalo village that I found the one and only horse I was to see for two weeks! He was similar to a New Forest pony, but smaller and more finely built. Sadly, he was decidedly unfriendly, and I decided not to risk a kick - considering that the nearest hospital is a few hours drive away!

Rambutan

Back at the Hope Transformation Centre there was time to chat with fellow team members, and then we went upstairs for supper – rice and chicken and vegetables. The menu is always the same, but different variations of the ingredients. Tonight’s chicken was spicy but good. And I was introduced to a fruit which looks like a sea anemone and which tastes like a lychee - it is called a rambutan. Claire, Shani and I ate with  Rigan and Narith, and we enjoyed hearing more about their lives in Cambodia. Rigan has a great sense of humour, and we laughed a lot! We also discovered that he absolutely loves football - and supports Chelsea United. Needless to say, he knows a lot more about football than me, but it was fun to talk about places in the UK where the teams he likes are based.


After supper we went to the XP Centre, where we had a fantastic praise and worship session in the street. It is funny how quickly a crowd gathers in Poipet. Within a short while of us starting to sing a couple of the motorbike riders pulled up to see what was going on. This was a cue, and within a short while, lots of people were stopping. 

Some team members and interpreters went to talk with people while others of us carried on singing. We were privileged to have some great worship leaders, and I was particularly blessed by the beautiful worship of David Joy from Burma.

More tomorrow...