Dirt moving, gospel going forth

 The dirt is moving!!

Group worship at the building site

This has been the majority of Ed's week working with the Project Manager Ueli Sommer who lives in Phnom Phen, Cambodia (origianaly from Switzerland) and Rady Huch from the YWAM Base. Their task was to mark the boundaries and follow the contract that was made with the dirt moving company. On the right is a photo of most of the truck drivers and hoe operators. There was a worship service as well as some fresh fruits to enjoy. We are in the process of moving an area larger than a football field and hopefully 10 meters deep to a 13 acre site which will be the future permanent home of the YWAM base. It is estimated that we will move over 6,000 dump truck loads of dirt.

While Ueli goes back and forth from Phnom Phen, Ed and Rady supervise the work at both the dig site and the fill site...from base also are base staff and volunteers (thanks Shane for coming to Cambodia to count trucks and play with the kids that love to sit around you and "help"!) as I said they are handing tickets to trucks coming and going and at the end of the day they are to match.

Rina Sou and her father's mother

Ed only missed class one day, so I was blessed with teaching 29 youth that day, I must say he has a lively bunch. My calm class tolerated them well, and won the game we played. Who can identify the picture I held up and state a full sentence first!

Thursday of this week was relevant topics again, this time I gave the talk on the four loves, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to really use me to speak to these "kids" cause to me they all are kids. I had prayed and prepared but I am so thankful the Holy Spirit really gave me the words to speak on Friendship Love - with friends, neighbors our chosen friends, Affection Love - family love, how this can be beautiful and disappointing all in one. How are parents love us in the best way they know how, how it can be hard for them and for each young adult in the growing up period. Romantic Love - how this can be the most beautiful and the most abused love, I talked about purity saving yourself for your husband or wife; staying away from pornography, young girls save yourself for your husband do not get caught in prostitution. And I talked of God's Love the perfect love, how God loves each of them and if any of theses vices have been already apart of their lives, there is forgiveness. Ok you are not getting the full 45 minutes but what a wonderful opportunity to be able to share with all of these youth!

Digging dirt to level the base build site

Friday was fasting and again what a blessed privilege to worship at the end of the day with the Staff, hear their hearts and listen to their singing. Praise God you are alive in Battambang, Cambodia, but as we prayed there is SO MUCH to DO!

On Saturday we took a trip after going to the land to check on the work and spend time in prayer, we took a 20 minute tuktuk ride to Rina Sou's village where her grandmother lives and then walked to the river and crossed the river via fishing boat to the Muslim side to where her other grandmother lives, her Dad's mom. What a blessing to meet her family, we have come to know and love Rina who was orphaned at well that is hard to say, her father died unexpectedly when she was 5, she has a younger brother Ya and sister Sally, both are in DTS currently. When her Dad died her mother went to Battambang to work and left the children with their grandmother. This means whenever her mother could she got a ride back to the village, to come see them when she occasionally could. Eventually Grandma heard of an orphanage where the children could live and go to school, so they were taken to the orphanage, Rina's mom got sick and died when she was a teenager. Rina says it is because I was in the orphanage that I heard about God and came to love God. She is currently on staff with YWAM with SBS (School of Biblical Studies) and Titus. Titus is teaching the SBS students how to teach the Bible.

Saturday nite Ed either started reacting to some of the village foods or got the bug many have here, so he has been resting or checking land only...so prayers for his tummy to get better would be appreciated.

This morning at Base Worship,  Pok shared how to tell stories to share the gospel he said there are so many ways to enter people into conversation about God, thank you Pok for reminding us of the opportunities that are before us everyday. Which reminds me of Sunday afternoon while we were at the land with Channouen and Piseth, Piseth rode with one of the truck drivers back and forth from dig site to dump site. He said when he got back "what an awesome opportunity, the truck driver had lots of questions and I could answer... be ready to talk about Jesus whenever you can!

Otherwise we are so good, thankful for so many opportunities God has blessed us with, are we aware of the fact everyone needs Jesus!

Blessings, Ed and Mary