English Camp Begins!

Well, it has been difficult for us to update the blog due to our busy schedule, but it has been a wonderful few days!! We'll break it down for you by day:

On Saturday, we visited the Toul Sleng Genocide museum, a sobering reminder of the horrors faced by the Cambodian people in recent history, but also a reminder of the hope that Christ can bring in the midst of the darkest of evils!

Sunday was a day of celebration with a local church. How wonderful it was to get a little picture of what heaven will be like, with people of different nations and different tongues praising God together! It was also exciting to see the growth that has taken place in the church since Daybreak was last in the city of Phnom Penh. God is at work across the globe! On Sunday afternoon we had orientation for English camp with the rest of the short-term teams (about 35 people in all). We are working with teams from Calgary and Vancouver, as well as individuals from Wisconsin, South Dakota, and New York. God has put a great team together!

Today (Monday) was our best day so far!! Our first day of English camp was our first opportunity to really interact with the Khmai people. We have around 110 students that came and they were so excited to be with us (although we're not sure who was more excited, them or us!) The Khmai people are so warm and friendly...they are a joy to be with. We were able to begin building relationships with the students that at the end of the week we will know as friends. As our afternoon field trip with the students, we visited the Royal Palace, where they were able to share with us some of their culture and history, while practicing their English in a more natural setting. Tomorrow we will have the camp in the morning and an afternoon field trip to the water park!!! This will be a welcome relief from the heat and humidity!

We are thankful that all of our team has been healthy and have recovered from the first few days of jet lag! We thank you all for your prayers and will update you again soon!