Empowering and Supporting Cambodian People to Reach their God Given Destiny
Hi folks just a quick update.
We have just had a week off because of Khmer New Year a fine time was had by all swimming, eating and watching DVDs and they tell it doesn’t get any better, the team all came back full of beans and so happy so its onward and upward.
Business is slow at the moment but it’s so very hot and people don’t want to eat or have hair do,s but as usual everybody is in good spirits and lots of training and cleaning is happening . Really I just can’t keep up with them with cleaning sometimes I think I have trained them all too well they are obsessed with clean Hahaha ( I can hear my daughters laughing )
The trainees in the Tea Room are doing well and they are so bubbly its a pleasure to work with them , we are taking on a new girl soon she has had a sad life so we’re looking forward to not only training her but seeing her blossom in her life . Sreynait and Suzy never cease to amaze with their cooking skills they just get better and better and the catering is going well.
The beauty school truly is amazing they do an excellent job with the girls , it’s a constant flow of girls graduating and new girls starting, the job was just getting too much for the two senior girls so we have appointed a new Training center manager she’s a girl that’s been with us six years and its so wonderful to see her excitement , Open Arms will also now pay for her to go to school to bring her English up to a higher level. Sreyna and the office girls are working on a training manual better late than never.
Alabaster again is going so very well on Monday Chiva and Jenna will start English classes for the children we are so proud of them we still haven’t found a premises for the children’s center so please keep praying.
We have started getting vegetables and fruit from one of the local supermarkets and tomorrow we will start our little food bank I am very excited about this.
We are also very excited that some women are now off the streets and working in good jobs one ladies testimony went like this. She said she felt different inside and she loved coming to Alabaster as she felt loved and accepted so she decided she wanted to feel loved all the time so she just made up her mind to leave the streets and she got a job and she cried when she said they show her love beautiful isn’t God is so faithful.
Church in the park is always the highlight of my week I really love those people we have transgender , gay people , men and women and they are wonderful it seems like they can’t wait for us to sit down so they can pour out their stories and believe me some are just terrible . They are so beautiful as they finish their stories they move towards up and hold out their hands for us to pray it breaks me and certainly keeps my prayer life very active , I am believing for total transformation for each and every one of them.
Grandma
Grandma is an elderly Khmer lady who lives very near Alabaster, we affectionately call her The Old Lady Who Loved in the Shoe (That should have been lived I made a mistake but what a lovely true mistake ) anyway Grandma looks after nine of her grandchildren they live in a room about as big as a small bedroom. To support these kids she sells recycle things and sometimes there mums come home to visit and give some money , there are no dads as the mums are sex workers.
Open Arms started supporting Grandma and the kids a little while ago with some food and education but as the relationship grew of course we have started to fall in love with this very lively and wonderful family.
Today was treat day for eight of children and we expect for Grandma as well as we took them for the day , first was the makeover big baths , shampoos new clothes and hair styles they looked absolutely gorgeous then it was off to the White Elephant which is our favorite swimming place , they all had new water bottles filled to the top with juice and apples and chips to eat on the way ( what more can a kid ask for ) so needless to say they chatted all the way and cheered as each Tuk Tuk passed the other.
It is only twenty minutes out of Phnom Penh but they had never seen any of that area so that was extra exciting, when we got there one of the little boys about eight come over and took my hand and said I help you , tears so beautiful.
At first they were frightened of the water but like most kids in no time they were being old don’t jump , stay where we can see you all the usual stuff. They had pizza and chips for lunch and when they were told 30 more minutes they all agreed please one more hour.
Coming home they snuggled up and slept it was just how I remember , my own girls my grand babies and my Khmer kids and now these babies , again as I watched our Khmer kids play with these kids I was taken back to our first trip to the beach when they were so little and to be honest I was overwhelmed with what God had done all these years and if anybody said to me would you do it all again I would have to say I wouldn’t miss one day of it the good the bad and the very ugly.
I just wanted to share this wonderful family with you all to give Glory to our previous Heavenly Father who loves us all so very much.
Hi Folks.
We have just had the most wonderful week it started out with a community meeting at village ten , to say we were surprised at the attendance would be an understatement men , women , grammars and gran pars all showed up and all were very verbal it was just great.
We are going to set up safe houses for the street kids using the same system as at home. We also talked about a premises just for the children as we haven’t been able to find one but now all the village is on the lookout.
The families told us their worries for their kids, trafficking, lack of good education and we assured them that we would be doing our best to help but we asked them not to tell us fibs so we can really meet the need.
I think the best part was how the children reacted seeing their parents and us together, over the past year (can you believe it’s a year now) we have built up a strong relationship with the children and they seemed all happy and safe seeing their parents with us laughing and drinking and eating it was a very special time.
Today, Wednesday we have Alabaster just for the children I always smile to myself when our young ones come down after its all finished with their hair all in disarray thoroughly exhausted but so very proud and excited to tell pop and I everything that happened it seemed like yesterday that they were the ones being taught, isn’t that a wonderful thing to see.
While kids club is on myself and a little team go to the local park and do Church in the park , it’s the highlight of my week to see these sex workers come and sit and chat, they now look to sing and pray and they have stopped using the big swear word while we pray , last week we took them to the pool for a swim well it will always be one if the highlights of my life as they are all around forty and never been in a pool before , mind you I don’t think the place will ever be the same they like to shock people and shock them they do , anyway in the middle of the pool they all came together and sang at the top of their voices the one worship song they know I was like a proud mum I love them all so much they are beautiful women.
Back to today, when we got to the park our usual spot with the tree was taken and it was so hot I thought goodness will I survive with no tree, as we sat and got ready I noticed there were a lot of men hanging around today and I was a little anxious as in the past they were very unkind but I thought just do it and forget them, well within a few minutes they all came over and sat on the mat.
Sometimes being elderly and not so slim is a great advantage as it’s a talking point the men asked me questions about my age my weight mmm and then they just joined in, they made an attempt to sing that was very cute indeed, they held hands to pray, we prayed for employment for them all, they ate then they went on their way, it was just so amazing there were more men than women.
So tonight poor pop is just shaking his head as I am so passionate to do a men’s Alabaster, same idea as the women’s one the men also sleep in the park and they are just sad, I remember all their faces and I feel such a love for them what do you all think Alabaster for men it could be wonderful.
You can tell I’m excited but we not silly we always pray and sit on these ideas to be sure it’s what we are meant to do, so those of you who pray can you pray for two things first Jobs for the men , and a go ahead to do Alabaster for men.
Thank you all so much for your, love, prayers and support as always we can’t do it without you all
Many blessings Pop and Sandra and the team xxx
We are a Social enterprise business that is driven by a social environment purposes. The profits made are reinvested in training underprivileged and rescued young Cambodians. Open Arms only employs staff that have been trained in their centres or that come from underprivileged background.
BEAUTY SALON BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Full Body Massage $10.00
Shampoo , Straighten, Pedicure and Manicure $10.00
HAVEN TEA ROOM BY RESERVATION ONLY
Morning or Afternoon Tea $5.00
THE HAVEN SIDE WALK CAFÉ
Hamburger, French Fries, Can of Drink $4.50
All Pasta, Mini Salad, Garlic Bread , Can of Drink. $4.50
……………….
Hi folks I hope you are all going well.
Life is in full swing here in Cambodia the Khmer family group continues to grow in all areas, they are doing such an amazing job and carrying the torch more and more the team also continues to grow and step out with more confidence.
We are finding that our morning devotions are becoming a very important part of the staffs development we teach the bible and also life skills which is causing a greater level of self-esteem. Open Arms now has nineteen employees who would have thought this would happen, Grahame and I continue seek God and our accountability team for wisdom and direction as we lead these young people what an honor it is to do this.
The businesses are doing well, the training in both places is running smoothly and many people are still graduating and obtaining good quality employment.
Alabaster is going along at a steady pace as it is with any new project there are teething problems there has been so much stealing but we are retraining the team, as the report says we hope to be concentrating more on the children Jenna and Chiva will be teaching computer and English. The flow of women is constant with over 200 women coming through each month the team say they are more peaceful and there health is better.
There is an area near Alabaster where the Tuk Tuk goes twice a week to collect the women to bring to Alabaster it is a park that is really very tragic and so sad, the women there are reluctant to come to Alabaster they don’t trust anybody and really why would they, our team made the decision to cook food and take it out and just build relationships with the women so on Wednesday afternoons we take off to do what I call church in the park.
It’s a lovely time we just sit under a tree and chat we sing some songs and I tell them they are loved by our heavenly Father and us, yesterday they were telling me all sorts of stories of what they need and the need of course is great so I taught them a little pray they were so beautiful, there are also some families that live in the park so we are slowly building relationships and being very wise with how we assist.
So folk it’s a busy rewarding life thank you all so much for your continued love, prayers and support.
Grahame, Sandra and Open Arms Team.
……………