FGA Orphanage, Kg Speu, PP

There is an orphanage set up by Full Gospel Assembly of KL in Pnomh Penh and the fact that you see less homeless kids running around begging in PP is testament to its success.

The grounds used to be a motor repair workshop/garage used by the army but since abandoned and leased to FGA.

The original motor shed/garage has been maintained and now used to store vehicles, bicycles and storeroom of sorts.

 

One of the classrooms   where English is taught. The guy in blue is Sunny, the caretaker of this place. He’s a Malaysian and  runs the place with his wife. 

The children take turns to man the kitchen and other duties.

The water filter room

The home is quite self sufficient. You can see vegetables are planted on a plot of land at the back. The children are each given a small plot of land and they are allowed to plant vege there to be sold back to the orphanage or in the market place. They are allowed to keep the money as allowance  or buy more seeds. In this way, they are also taught the simple basic economic law of  supply and demand cos if they plant certain vege that are in high supply, it would not fetch good value.

Sunny even bought a couple of cows to graze the land and thus saving on a lawnmover and the cow manure can be used to fertilise the vege farm. 

 

There was a crack in the water tank but as you can see, due to the hard water , calcification took place and sealed up the crack. The hard water also explained why we saw many locals having “coloured” hair.

 

Boys(above) and girls(below) dorms. 

Where there was once hopelessness…now there is hope!! PTL

Reminder to self

All of God's Girls Have Issues
Lysa TerKeurst

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1 (NIV)

Devotion:
Two years ago, I lost 25 pounds and for the first time in my life, I've kept it off.
However, my real celebration isn't over the smaller clothing size and reduced numbers on the scale. My real celebration is over the spiritual insights I gained while losing the weight and maintaining my healthy progress.
For me, this has been a spiritual journey—a significant spiritual journey with great physical benefits. I had been overweight physically and underweight spiritually and finally tying those two things together was life-changing.
One of the richest lessons has been realizing the amount of mental and spiritual energy I wasted for years just wishing things would change. All the while, I was beating myself up for not having the discipline for making those changes.
If you have an issue with weight and food, you know what I mean. But no matter what issue you are currently dealing with, can I offer a bit of encouragement? Jesus wants to help you with that issue. He really does. But you've got to stop beating yourself up about it and determine to follow His lead.
Have you ever looked at other people and thought to yourself, "How does everyone else have it all together? And why is it I seem to have so many issues?"

We like to identify our shortcomings, form them into a club, and beat the tar out of ourselves mentally. Over and over and over again. We label ourselves and soon lose our real identity to the beaten and bruised fragility we call "me."

We compare, we assume, we assess, we measure and most times walk away shaking our head at how woefully short our "me" falls compared to everyone else. How dangerous it is to hold up the intimate knowledge of our imperfections against the outside packaging of others.

If there is one thing that living 40-plus years has taught me it's this... all God's girls have issues. Every single one of us.

Now, hear me out.

Having issues isn't the absence of victory in our lives. It's simply a call to action reminding us victory is right around the corner.
I can make the choice to identify my shortcomings and instead of using them against myself, hand them over to Jesus and let Him chisel my rough places. The grace-filled way Jesus chisels is so vastly different than the way I mentally beat myself up. My mental scripts can so often be full of exaggerated lies that defeat. His chiseling is full of truth that sets me free.

Oh what a difference.

Jesus doesn't compare.

Jesus doesn't condemn.

Jesus doesn't exaggerate.

He simply says, "Hey, I love you. I love you just how you are. But, I love you too much to leave you stuck in this. So, let's work on it together. You can do this."

There is something so powerful in really believing that with Jesus' help you can do this. Say it with me, "I can." In my new book, Made to Crave, I wrote, "I can is a powerful little twist for a girl feeling deprived and defeated."

I can helps me walk into the dinner party and find the conversation more appealing than the food table. I can helps me stay on the perimeter of the grocery store where the fresher, healthier selections abound and smile that I know this. I can helps me reach for my water bottle and find satisfaction in its refreshment.

I can helps me look at the drive-thru menu and order a fruit tray without even giving a thought to the fried foods I used to snack on. I can reminds me to look up a restaurant's nutritional information on the internet before going out, insuring wiser choices. I can reminds me no food will ever taste as sweet as victory does.

I'll say it again, having issues isn't the absence of victory in our lives. It's simply a call to action reminding us victory is right around the corner. Today is a great day to start believing you were made to walk in victory and to say to Jesus, "Yes, with Your truth as my guide, I can."

Dear Lord, help me to see myself the way You see me. Please help me to remove the lies that defeat me more often than I want to acknowledge. You have set me free. Help me to live like I truly believe that. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

New Year

Time and Again
Rachel Olsen

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

Devotion:
We are creatures of habit, aren't we? Whether those habits are beneficial to us - or even if we regret them time and again - we tend to repeat the same behaviors day after day:

· We light another cigarette, even though we just said yesterday we want to quit.

· We eat the brownies in our pantry, even though we're aiming to lose weight in the New Year.

· We camp in front of the TV for hours most evenings, even though we want to be the kind of person that goes for walks and reads novels instead.

· We leave things laying where we last used them, even though we long for uncluttered surroundings.

· We buy a new Bible, figuring that will propel us to get in the Word more. Two weeks later it sits on the shelf.

We want to be the person God calls us to be, so we use January to make New Year's resolutions about how we're going to change this year. We give voice to that longing in our hearts to be different - to be somehow better. And we decide to give a heart-felt go at changing.

And there's nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it's a move in the right direction. However, the Bible advises us to check our plans against the Lord's, and then ground our commitments in His truth and power in order to succeed.

Remember this, for the Holy Spirit to facilitate God's work and purposes in us, He must first (re)define our definition of reality, and our priorities.

For example, say that you wish to spend time in God's Word in 2011. Great - that's God's will for you as well. For that to happen, your habits must change. And for that to happen, your perception of reality must be redefined.

I'm guessing you currently believe, and your current actions demonstrate, that you don't have time to really pursue God like you want to. You're convinced you're too busy to join a Bible study, or have a regular quiet time of prayer and Bible reading, without quitting your job or neglecting your family in the process. But is that true?

"God has given everyone enough time to seek Him. It is there," says Francis Frangipane. He continues, "Those who would find God, find time." "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV).

When a favorite TV show comes on, we find time to watch. When a favorite store announces a big sale, we find time to go. When a friend wants to meet for coffee, we make time to meet her. We find or "make" time all the time! So rest assured that if you live a healthy, God-honoring life, there is plenty of time there to grow in your knowledge of, and connection with your Creator.

It is true that in our busy lives we cannot do everything. But we can choose which things absolutely will get done. We can choose what to do first. And that's precisely what the Bible tells us to do. Jesus calls His followers to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, and then He promises we will have all we need (Matthew 6:33).

It is also true that our willpower is limited. Our dedication wanes. Our intentions are good but our follow-through is shaky. We don't have what it takes to revolutionize our entire lives. But God does — and He lives in us. "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT).

You absolutely have time to spend 10 or 20 minutes a day getting to know God and His promises for you in His Word. You also have the extra eight seconds it typically takes to put an item back in its place. Watch one less TV show a night and you'll have created time to read three or more books every month, and take a brisk walk after dinner. Seek God first - time after time - and you'll even have the power you need to put down the brownies or cigarettes.

We are creatures of habit - let's make it our habit in 2011 to seek God first each day and commit our plans to Him. I think we will marvel at the results, time and again.

Dear Lord, today I seek Your face, wisdom and Your will. I give my plans to You and I ask that I may operate in Your power. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Prey Kedai Village, Kg Speu, PP

We spent about 2days in this village which is a predominantly padi farming village.

This is the church led by Cambodian Pastor Moses. It is just a hut structure built on slightly elevated ground.

Local haircut – USD0.50

  

This little girl is the best dressed in the village and rightly so as  her father is the moneylender in the village and one of its wealthiest!

Some of the kids who came for the English class and Children’s Church programme.

Cows are normally reared in the compound and supplies milk for the family. In these villages, your wealth can also be defined by the number of cows you have!! 

On our visitation rounds with food supplies for the villagers.

Our Malaysian team decided to wear red on this day hence the majority of red tees worn.

The babies were so cute and the villagers were friendly and open to ministering and prayers . 

November is the harvesting season here

Thrashing of the padi for the grains.

Some of us got involved in the thrashing as well!! City folk always get excited by the simple things in a village.

This mother and child were also praying with us!

  

  UNICEF donated the building of this well to the Prey Kedai Village

Mushroom farming has just been started in the village successfully.

   

During visitations, we came across a grave that was in front of one of the houses. Pastor Moses explained it was of the grandmother of the inhabitant who lived there.

Cambodian villagers do love to rear dogs as they provide protection at night against intruders.

Most of the houses we visited had a bed platform made of cane and wood and this is normally where they would sleep and eat as well. Note the mosquito nets were also provided by UNICEF.

   

Notice the drip bottle hanging from the ceiling..well if you cant afford to go to the hospital this is how you get your intravenous fluids supplied by the nearest clinic.

Children’s church is always a happy time!!

The boy in red was so happy to receive goodies from us!

Luke 18:16 – Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Dinner and breakfast at Kampong Speu

We stayed at this Pheng Ang Guesthouse the whole time we were in the Kampong Speu Province and commuted via Van to the villages nearby. A twin bedded room cost USD12 per nite. Comes with attached bathroom, aircon and tv. The aircon may not work at times, so best to check before you settle in.

This was the sign hung inside all the rooms. Note item 4 and 6, makes us wonder!!

4. Please leave weapon to the guard

6. The drug and drunk is not allowed to bring into guesthouse 

We ate our breakfast and most of our dinners at a coffee shop opposite the guesthouse. Cambodia also serves beef noodles similar to the Vietnamese Pho Noodles. 

They also have yau-char koay…tho not as crunchy and tasty as Malaysian ones!!   

Comes with the pork porridge.

Samurai drink equivalent to our Red Bull.

For dinner, we normally ate the beef fried rice or noodles.

Cambodian Coffee

We have all heard of Vietnamese Coffee but what about Cambodian Coffee?? Well on our last nite in PP, we had a chance to try it out at a little coffee shop nearby. The shop was also a gathering hole for locals to see television so was kinda noisy.

This is the iced version…and you can see the condensed milk at the bottom. The trick is to try not to stir so much of it if you dont want it too sweet!

I had the hot version also very sweet but the coffee was really super-kao(thick) hence, thats why they put so much condensed milk. 

  Everyone taking pics of their coffees.

Verdict : May not be as good as the Vietnamese version but runs a close second!!

Taiwanese Food in PP

We tried out this new Taiwanese coffee shop opposite our hotel in Phnom Penh, and it turned out to be quite good.

Apetizers served foc…salted baby prawns and mustard leaves.

I had this stewed oxtail noodles…

Below is the plain soup version with pork leg. 

Ice Cream in a Coconut

This is a popular dessert that we ate twice in Phnom Penh. It is easily available in coffee shops around the Central market area.

This is what you get for USD2…ice cream in a coconut and a glass of coconut water.

There are other desserts available so check them out.

 

However the general opinion was the 3scoops of icecream over a bed of palm seeds and jelly is the best!!