This is Where My Heart is

     I spent the morning at the orphanage.  The place that God put on my heart from the first day I spent there.  I felt like God had a purpose for these orphans and that they had a voice to speak out.  It's been over a month since God first spoke to me about these children and teenagers.  I don't feel any different about them and what I feel like God is raising them up to be.  But after a month I've felt like our time with them hasn't amounted to much.  Our game times, our teachings, our hugs, our songs, our dancing, and our goofing around.  I've seen more joy from them if nothing else.  When we arrive there are usually so many children waiting to give us hugs and to greet us with big smiles and lots of hellos.  Today there was only one or two children.  They didn't run up and greet us but ran and got everyone else to tell them we had arrived.  The smiling faces came running to us, the hugs, and the hellos.  These children love us and we love them.  It's a small place, the girls cook the food for the day, all from scratch.  The children sleep about four kids per bed.  Sopath told me today that he sleeps where the chickens are.  I kept asking him over and over since his english is pretty good, but still hard to understand.  He had told me correct as he pointed out the window showing me where he slept.  I really thought it was just a joke at first, and then I hoped it was a joke.  I felt my heart sink as I realized what he said was true.  It's no place for anyone to sleep, especially someone that has become a friend. He is 18 and has taught himself english.  He can speak and write and understand very well. I was impressed today as he had me correct some of the work he had done in an english book given to him by a friend.  There were almost no mistakes and he can spell words better than many Americans I know.  

     Please pray for this place.  I don't want to leave still feeling like not much was accomplished.  This is a place were children are going to rise up and make in impact in their country.  Many Cambodians have dreams of impacting the world and not just their country.  Their dreams are big, but their resources are small.  Pray for this orphanage and these orphans.  God is working and God is using us there.  If nothing else, they have seen love.  I have a class to teach in only a few minutes so I'll get the pictures up later.  Please don't read this and do nothing.  They need your prayers, they need people to care.  There are many needy and hurting people here in this country, so I'm asking you start with these orphans.  Pray for them and see what God puts on your heart for them or for this country.  God is moving and things are about to change drastically here in the next 20 years.  But not without our prayers and not without support from believers around the world.  

   Chue



   Cheak



    I'm going to start taking the time to teach english to the older guys       
   here at the orphanage.  They love to learn it and I've found that I     
   can build a stronger relationship with them through that.



Ratha








Sopath



   Thou