“For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

 

In less than thirty days, I will be back in Cambodia with a team on a new adventure with Cambodian Care Ministries. We have been planning this trip for about a year. Along the way, we have had to revise our plans based on resources and the composition of the team. However, in the last week we made a revision to our plans based on an amazing turn of events. A few weeks ago, Koy and Reny Chhim, the founders of Cambodian Care Ministries received a request to visit a village five hours away from Phnom Penh in the Kratie Province. The people had heard that Cambodian Care was opening schools for underprivileged children. Their village had no school.

Koy and Reny made the journey to the remote village to meet with the community residents and leaders. They led the village in a community asset mapping exercise and a decision making process called “The Ten Seed Method”. The village residents identified both their community assets and their community’s most pressing needs. Then, they were each given ten seeds. Each person used their ten seeds to vote on what needs they felt were most important to be addressed. They agreed that a school was in their list of top five needs.

In a matter of days, the community decided to give Cambodian Care a 1.4 acre property at no cost for a minimum of ten years to build and manage a school and establish an eco-farm. The eco-farm will in time provide resources for the school to be self-sustaining. (Of course, I would love to see a biogas digester and a pig farm on this site!) The school will directly benefit this village of 80 families, plus two neighboring villages of about 80 families each who have also agreed to send their children. The majority of these children have had no access to basic, quality education or medical attention.

Our team is excited to meet this group of people in August. While we are with them, we will be able to provide them with our mobile medical clinic staffed by our team nurses, using the medical supplies provided by MAP International. What an opportunity and a blessing for so many people!

 

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

 

P.S. I just published the THRIVE! Journal July Newletter. Click this link to read it: THRIVE! Newsletter July 2015