“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ NIV)

 

This past weekend, we spent time with a group of children and their families who live in the slum neighborhood, Tuolpongroo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. These are the kids that heartily participated in building their own school. On Saturday morning, we started our nutrition program with a hand washing/hair washing seminar. All 106 kids enrolled in school, plus a group of their mothers listened attentively as I described the process of washing your hands and why it’s important. We invited four of the students to be the handwashing models. No one moved as we lathered our hands with soap. Honestly, I never imagined that none of them had ever washed their hands like that before, but they hadn’t.

Then, we switched to shampooing hair. Three little girls waited patiently for their turn to get their hair washed. They were so excited. As we shampooed their hair, I encouraged the children to wash their hands, hair, and bodies with soap before coming to school each day.

I was humbled by how this simple information will transform the health of the kids and their families. The Light of Future School in Tuolpongroo is definitely bringing more than basic reading, writing, and arithmetic to the community. I am blessed to be a part of this project.

 

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” (‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭20-21‬ NLT)