Service Projects

What a day filled with blessings and grace!**** ***Wherever you are, there will always be those who rise above and automatically become the leaders in the group or in the class. This morning one of my young boys rose to the occasion. He came to class singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children," one of the ten songs they have learned thus far. Other children foolwed behind him trying their best to remember the words! During class I was checking the song they had copied from the board into their composition books and allowing them to choose a color of smiley face to add to the page representing the Happy in If You're Happy. I alsoput a tiny happy face next to the word face to illustrate for them-of course allowing the naming of the color by each child. He saw my procedure and grabbed the AMEN stickers to illustrate the word in the third verse...always helping. Then, as if he had overheard the conversation last night between Mike Meirhofer and myself about getting pictures of me working with the children, he picked up my camera and asked if he could take pictures for me. (Well, it was all done in Kmai and sign language, but he did get permission before fooling around with the camera.) I appreciated his help and he even came back in the afternoon to help some more! He is delightful and appears to be around ten or eleven. The boys and girls here really enjoy playing a form of jacks using plastic chain links. I amazed at the songs they remember and their eagerness to learn even more. The Word is getting down the street and into the homes of these children most of whom come from a Buddhist background.****This afternoon Srey Nang, Phalika and I took a tuktuk to town to gather supplies. We wove in and out of traffic and Phalika enjoyed pointing out to me the wiring that lit the tuktuk's overhead light. It was a loose wire hanging down by the pole near her head. The one on the other side of the tuktuk powered the jam box wired into the overhead poles for the driver's enjoyment. It was almost more than the vehicle could manage to get up the bridge and over the Mekong River into town. Slowing down for turning cars; changing lanes to avoid bicycles laden with boxes or tools or most anything you can imagine; waiting for the turn signal as the myriads of vehicles of all sizes and styles pass us by the excursion was quite an adventure! Once in the market, we wove in and out of aisles and hallways filled with everything imaginable! Three stories of stalls housing everything from electronics to houshold cleaning supplies to fine jewelry. On every corner sat a person sellig something to eat...fruits, sweets, items wrapped in banana leaves, soups, etc. Srey Nang bargained for the best price throughout the compound loading down her arms with sacks at each stall she chose. Then we came to the serious shopping for the house of twenty five people. She stopped at one last stall where she bought cooking oil, oyster sauce, cooking sauces by the bundle, and several heavier items. We then called our driver to meet us at the nearest corner and hired help to get us to the street to wait for him there. The trip home was a bit overposered by the jack fruit we had bought. It is the most pungeunt smelling fruit I have ever been near! Thank goodness we had open windows in the tuktuk!***The students amazed me this evening in their English classes as well. I ventured out to teach them a round, not knowing how it would work out. (Those of you who know my singing ability would understand that. I am one who cannot clap and sing at the same time. I also have very little ability to sing on pitch. ) We learned Love, Love, Love, Love. After singing it about six times through, I tried to get it going in a round...NO luck! After three attempts, I thnked the guys for trying and said we wwould just keep with the unison version. Two brave young men ventured out and sang the second part--and sang it well! The next time through there were two more who joined them! It really sounded pretty good!****The guys are working up lessons for Joe's classes on the various heroes of the Bible. Today they started the studies for their presentations on Abraham by round robin reading the entire story of his life! Instead of working during the afternoon session, Joe sent them out into the neighborhood to be servants. Equipped with trash bags, brooms, p lastic gloves and a willing heart, they went out two by two to introduce themselves to the neighbors. Most of the neighbors were skeptical of accepting help from them...whether from pride or mistrust...they sent them on their way. One group wound up at the Buddhist Temple where we had saught a geocache the other day. The monks were glad to accept the help of young Christian men! SEveral of my young children saw them and joined in the fun of cleaning up. One of the children enlisted the boys' help to come to his house and clean their yard. The students gladly took the opportunity to meet the parents of the child and to invite them to services on Sunday. Their reports were inspiring and often humorous as they told of the people's eyes as they asked them how much they were charging for their work and they told them it was their first venture into the life of service!****on the lighter side, Joe and Sokhom went to the grocery this morning! Joe enjoyed his Tostitos and salsa this evening and should have enough soy sauce to get him through the rest of our visit here! The guys really are enjoying Garrett's gift to them. Every spare moment it seems the strings are being picked and choruses are being lifted in praise! Several of them are quite good singers. Others are talented in sports and love to play volleyball in the afternoon break time. WE need a good night's rest to be ready for the outing tomorrow to the Women's Island!