Day 6….Travel to Siem Reap

Posted by on June 12th, 2011, No Comments »

What a day! It all began with an early morning at camp, leaving around 9 am for a 7-hour bus ride to Siem Reap. Yes, I said 7 hours on a bus, on roads that were less than ideal and maybe a few “hold your breath, close your eyes till we get around this car on the wrong side of the road” moments. Yea, it was as bad as just described…but fun in strange way, too. 🙂
After dinner at Viva Mexican restaurant (so good!), we got ourselves foot massages and are settled back in the hotel. Excited tomorrow to head on to the Tonle Sap lake!! There we will see PCL’s water filtration ministry, something that Lee’s Dept. of Business partnered with to develop. We will pass out water filters on the PCL boat and take in the surrounding sights. Very, very cool.
Ok, off to bed…..

Mitzi

Youth Camp!!!!!!

Posted by on June 11th, 2011, No Comments »

Wow. What a blast we have had since Wednesday afternoon…..it is Saturday night 10:45 pm, and we are wiped out! It is the last night of camp, and I just found the wi-fi!!!! We leave for Siem Reap in the morning to stay thru Thursday. We have really enjoyed getting to know all the kids (100 of them!) while here, and building relationships with the PCL Cambodia staff. It is so humbling to see their love and boldness for Christianity in their worship and prayer.
Coming from a predominately Buddhist culture, it is a big deal for them to accept Christ and follow Him. They speak about their strong Buddhist families and how they are the outcasts because they have chosen Christianity.
Hearing prayers in Khymer and English at the same time is also an awesome event!
We had another team join us from South Carolina and it even included another Lee alum, Chris Hamilton Class of 1990! Really such a small world. They have been entertaining us all with their “Thriller” dance and various drama performances! Videos to come soon.
Us “westerners” have really learned our share of the Cambodian culture, too. From traditional Khymer dances to phrases (Hakun means “thank you”), we feel like we are really a part of their family. They have embraced us so well and are sad that we have to leave tomorrow. We are, too.
I can’t say that I wll miss the food…but I will definitely miss the kids.

Talk tomorrow,
Mitzi

Day 2: PCL sights and Youth Camp

Posted by on June 8th, 2011, No Comments »

Wow, what an awesome morning! We started the day with breakfast and team meeting at the hotel, then off to visit several PCL sites, including the Poverty Reduction community and the People for Care & Learning offices in Phnom Penh. It was humbling to see how Cambodians live among trash and dirt just to survive. With the building of the PCL learning center in the midst of the filth, it has helped to provide clean water to the thousands of people that were formerly living in the trash dump. This is another way PCL teaches the Cambodians to survive beyond initial help, by teaching them how to survive in new, better environments.
Now, we are loading up for Youth Camp for the next three days. While there, we will be without internet so I will be sure to check back in when we get to Siem Reap on Saturday (Friday night for you all).
Talk soon,
Mitzi

Day 1

Posted by on June 7th, 2011, No Comments »

I am sitting in the room now (it is 10:45 pm on Tuesday 06/07) just reflecting on all that we saw today. From very solemn to very happy, it was an emotional day, certainly. We started our day by wheeling in from our 23-hour flights to meet up with the rest of the group to be our sightseeing.
Up first, the Killing Fields. These are the actual locations of the genocide that occurred in Cambodia from 1975-1979; hard to believe it happened in my lifetime. It touched you so deeply to walk through where nearly 2 million died unnecessarily. Seeing the location where Khumer Rouge (Camobidia rebel group) murdered all “educated” Cambodians, including their families was an experience that is unforgettable. Check out the Flickr link on the home page for pictures from the sites.
Next up, we visited the Tuol Sleng prison where everyone was held prisoner prior to being brought to the Killing Fields for execution. Needless to say the conditions were inhumane.
After a nice lunch at Jacob’s Well (monies earned go toward the end to human trafficking in Cambodia), we headed over the PCL House of Hope for a delightful afternoon of fun with the children living there. Check out some videos I will post in the You Tube playlist from there.

Well, I am exhausted. This trip has been just amazing so far; ready for tomorrow when we head to the youth camp.
Talk then,
Mitzi

Miz

 
 

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