Open Arms Cambodia

Alabaster News

Hi folks an update on Alabaster.

The flow of women using Alabaster daily is increasing so much that we are fast running out of room.

It is a beautiful place ,the women come at around nine thirty they do their washing have a shower something to eat then they either sleep or a do a craft , they are so loved they staff are amazing ,they listen to Christian Music and tapes they are counseled  and offered a way out to a better life .

Open Arms now have a social worker on board who can do follow ups also will  be going into the village to see how we can help the community, a weekly medical clinic will be set up as soon as we can find the right people.

Two woman have come out and are now living in Open Arms Housing which is about thirty minutes away from street 51 the red light district or as pop has called it from the beginning Green Light district this saying has been adopted and it being used by many good isn’t it, one has been with us three weeks and is doing wonderfully, she is training and working in the salon her head is up and just yesterday she rededicated her life to Jesus. The other woman came yesterday and is due to have a baby at any time (we think), you just can’t imagine but she has been sleeping in  tuk tuks when she wasn’t working, she is a little frightened and confused but the little one who came three weeks ago is mothering and looking after her isn’t that beautiful.

With the influx of women we have had to look at another building for the children, Open Arms wants to teach the children skills what will help prevent them going the wrong way into adult life. By teaching Life Skills from a loving Biblical prospective, English, Computer and Hygiene it should help them.

Open Arms wants to have a safe place for the children to come study and play we would like to open from 9.00am until 9.00 pm we can’t do any more than that at their stage.

We were looking into a building just around the corner from Alabaster but it turned out it was much better for a men’s ministry that’s needed a place so we went on the hunt again. We have looked at one again near Alabaster and are starting to negotiate, again it’s a bizarre building filthy and run down but we love a challenge.

This is how the building will look:

Street Level and Footpath / Bread of Life Cafe

The Café will be a Christian café with worship music and heartfelt people ready to listen and love. We will use some of the plates and such from The Side Walk Café so really we will just have to buy tables and chairs and a good paint job should see it sparkle.

Two nights a week we will do a soup kitchen situation, after being in the area for

Nine months now we see there is much poverty and with that comes wrong spending so education and nutritious food is much needed.  We have kept all the huge pots and woks that we had when the kids were little so the costs won’t be high.  The pots have brought back so many memories to us, like when we had the 26 children we used to cook 50 kilos of rice in six days and the soup pots wow so huge.

So a folk that’s the plan the need is just huge in all areas of the world today but if we all do the job assigned to us and not shrink back by the enormity of it the job will get done.

Of course it goes without saying that Open Arms staff courageously comes in every day with huge smiles and ready to take on the challenges put to them they are our heroes.

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New project

Newsletter October

Ephesians 3 : 19-20

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that lives in us. To Him be Glory.

Hi folks exciting family times in Cambodia Jenna came third out of all the grade twelve students and has won a university scholarship, which means her university education will be half price. Beautiful Jesus He took a tiny wee little orphan girl with no future and put her in a Godly home and just look what happened we are so very very thankful to God and very proud to be her parents.

Lita has passed her entrance exam for university and will start in January 2015 this is another huge miracle ,we have often prayed through the night with this young woman she was so very sick and wow look at her now.

They young ones were totally blessed having Darcy and Annetta who are the leaders of YWAM Gold Coast staying with them for who weeks while we are home, they had a great time the pictures tell all.

Alabaster is going so well last month 241 Women came thought the house who would have thought, they are saying that they feel so much more calm and hopeful now, the team are now doing bible studies with them and very slowly introducing them to the Jesus and the Christian life. The cafe team are doing weekly cooking classes and the girls are leaning flower making this is all a part of the healing process. Recently all Open Arms team did a four day course on Trauma and how to deal with it their own lives and in the ones they serve , well again you know how I can brag they have taken to it like duck to water and comforting the women beautifully.

The children in Village 10 are proving to be a much bigger part of this ministry than we thought the need us great at then moment we are just doing the shampooing, the kids club and Sunday school, in the near future we will be teaching English and computer if you would be interested in donating to this a computer would cost $450 and we are aiming at buying six, Jenna and Lita will teach the children computer and English.  As you can imagine these kids have little or no discipline in their lives and they can prove to be very difficult, we laugh at our kids when they tell us and say we remember when you first came to live with us you were the same but look at you now. I received the email below from Sreynait this morning and I thought it was very cute I haven’t changed any of the grammar thought you might like to reading.

morning mate mom n pa did u had a good sleep; yes the kid behave yesterday now we separate them into two group big kid group n little kid group that way it very easy n now we wrote rule for them yesterday like Listen to the teacher no swearing love each other no fighting no saying unnice word and more that way it easy for us to teach them. yep mom i will freeze the chicken; well you two have a lovely days today ok i love you so very much muchxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooo

The beauty school training is just as good as ever five girls and ready to finish and we have girls waiting. We have changed the course we now offer four different three months courses we feel it will be far more effective this way, we are currently trying 28 girls.

The Cafe and Team Room team are playing a very active role at Alabaster two of the girls go every day and business has been slow so it’s all worked out well, the girls continue to train and daily improve their hospitality and catering skills. The birthday cake was an experiment and it turned out so good.

While we have been home two of the senior girls with the help of a young woman from Chab Dai have just fought and won a huge victory over corruption, it’s too long a story but they were called into the taxation department and demands were made on Open Arms that we knew were wrong so these little tiny powerhouses went to work sought the right people and corruption didn’t win I would have loved to be a fly on the wall they are so little but they are strong.

As most of you would know we have been held up in Australia  longer than we planned due to sickness in Grahame but we are booked to go back on the 6 the of October we will stay until Christmas.

Many blessings folks, please pray for great wisdom for .Grahame and I as we make daily decision that affect many lives, and please pray for the team as they step out in faith and minister to the people in village ten

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Salon Reopening

The salon had reopened, thank you for you love support and prayers.

It has been so good to get back to a little bit of normality, I spent the day at Alabaster yesterday the first time in two weeks , it never ceases to disturb me but the team are doing an amazing job. I went upstairs to see how the girls were going and here they were all smuggled up on the pillows sound asleep all fresh and cosy  . Deakson had put on a Christian tape and the room was feeling so peaceful .

A young man who owns some grocery stores here in Phnom Penh is donation fresh milk for the children on Wednesdays the team said there wasn’t a drop left in fact they ran heir fingers around the glass to get the last drop out. The needs for the children are a little overwhelming but we will walk toward them.

We start new programs next week firstly  on Tuesday morning we will  have a morning tea for the ladies it will be very fancy and lovely then we will start a bible study .

Suzy is going to do some cooking training and the young ones are going to teach the ladies how to make flowers the idea is to make them and take them  to Open Arms to sell them. Any money made will be reinvested to anybody who wants to start this as a little business making flowers.

It is becoming  increasingly hard to keep  up with the demand for training in the beauty school as the premises is very small we may have to look for a larger building nearby , so that means more staff which are very hard to come by .

Chiva and Jenna finish their grade twelve exams on Tuesday next week , for the first time in twelve years we won’t have any children a t school amazing isn’t it they have both done very well and as they both have good jobs with Open Arms they will enjoy a gap year before  going to university.

Jenna has sat for an exam that if she was successful she would receive  a four year scholarship to study in Singapore its a wonderful opportunity lets  just see what happens

The most exciting part of the week was finding a  university for Lita to go to,  we found one we are all  happy with she will be going for a Masters in Accountancy it is an internationally accredited course and if you think I am bragging you better believe this girl had walked a walk not many of us could survive so we are very excited for her.

Open Arms team have done it again worked alongside of pop and I to get the job done I really can’t imagine how they  must bless Jesus because they bless the  sox off us with their lovely cheerful attitudes, their faithfulness to serve and learn and give to all and really how they put up with us when we are doing a project and get a little mmmm dare I say hot under the collar all I can say is WELL WELL DONE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG PEOPLE.

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June Newsletter

What a wonderful week Open Arms has had. The pictures are the girls own work.

Alabaster Missions Outreach

Sixteen women have been showered some slept all day some shampooed some manicured some pedicured and some ate.

ALL were loved and treated with dignity

ALL were assured of Jesus unconditional love for them.

ALL left with a little bit of hope in their hearts.

And its very exciting two women are interested in training as they want a change of lifestyle.

Kids club as usual was full on and so much fun but it exhausts Open Arms team hahaha.

Prayer Point: There is a great need for a night shelter for young boys that live on the streets.

Pray for great wisdom for Open Arms as to who we network with in Village 10.

Salon Community Developement:

The trainers are very busy with late enrollments for this year’s course the course is a week on now but we always have stragglers. We will stop at thirty as we feel it’s a good amount of girls to train well.

The trainers have been doing some training themselves mainly to keep up with modern trends and stay sharp.

The business side is always good it is so busy we have hired two more staff they are mainly tea and tidy girls but they will grow into hairdressers as time goes by.

Prayer point. Can you pray for the trainers they are all suffering sickness at the moment.

Tea Room Community Developement.

The cafe has had its busiest week ever the girls have been as excited as it seems the catering side of Open Arms is really starting to take off with almost a weekly party to cater for.

The training is going well six young people are leaning these skills.

The girls had two Mock Tail parties this week one Monday and one Wednesday both for fifty people. They had only assisted me with one before and I was a little apprehensive as to how they would go on their own but with a few written instructions we are told they did a wonderful job well done girls.

Prayer Point. We would love some cooks to come to Cambodia on a short term basis to teach the girls some skills, they have the potential to do very well but I just don’t know any more to teach them .

Grahame and I are back in Phnom Penh on Wednesday after our lovely break and we are very excited to see what God will do in this next chapter.

Bless you all and thank you for your love, prayers and support.

Grahame , Sandra and Open Arms Team.

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