Up and Running – A Greater Hope

Construction Complete

Classes open

Pictures are worth a thousand words, but words and photographs can’t describe being here. Hearing the sounds the children offer during their studies and feeling the energy of their play are to me are hard to share or express. I say it often we’re not the best school, we’re still working through bugs and making adjustments and growing. But for me KNOWING that GOD has brought together this project, these people and enabled us to do his work. It is and will be the school HE wants it to be and to me that is all that matters.

I am proud to be apart of and lead such a project.

Another example of God working.

There are two men in Cambodia that I know and highly respect; almost masters in their fields. These local Khmer Men are invaluable men to their foreign counterparts. Funny they would both be related to Ream some how.

Vuit (sp?) runs the college/vocation program that Melor went too. He teaches vocation on maintenance program that young men learn how to fix everything possible. Ream and I have often desired a man like Vuit to work for us to take care of problems a person we can trust and rely on and a brother in Christ.

Kin (sp?) and another brother in Christ, trustworthy and reliable is a humble, hard working man who can do anything. When you meet these types of men you think “man” with that guy we could do so much. With a worker like that we could advance and grow and do more.

So yesterday while getting dressed something tickled my thoughts and reminded me of these men. I though again how wonderful it would be to have a man like that working with us.

So I get to school and on of the first things to come up was a lady wanting to be a teacher but can’t afford to got to college. She’s well spoken and attentive, which is not often seen in the average villager. So when you meet a person like that you become excited to think okay we got a good one here.

We accepted her application. Only later did e find out that she is a Christian and speaks decent English. Wow even better, almost so exciting I wish she wasn’t just starting college and really finishing.

After lunch her mother comes in to share with us. Here’s her story, the mother is the daughter of one of our teachers who the school kids absolutely love. The applicant is her daughter the granddaughter of our math teacher.

So the mother was depressed this week to think that the daughter would not get a chance at a good future. The mom went to a funeral Wednesday night where my assistant principal was, my assistant knows the mother and taught the girl and asked what her daughter would be doing now that she was done with school. Her reply was she wants to be a teacher but can’t afford to go. “What subject does she want to study”, “Oh that is exactly what we are looking for” is what my assistant said. The next day Thursday the daughter comes into apply.

Thursday after noon the daughter goes home tells the mom we will help her to school and be a teacher. Mom thrilled beyond belief and couldn’t eat lunch she was so happy and excited. Thursday after noon talking to the mom she says that her mom is sick and so her and her husband have come back to the village to care for her. They are in need of a job. What does dad do I asked; “construction” she says. She says my husband is in charge of a construction crew in Phnom Penh and would like to find work in the village. (this is near miracle) So we ask to talk with him to see if he is someone who would work out with us. The mom says I’ll bring him but I have to come as well because he doesn’t talk much.

Friday morning the daughter applying for school the mother and father sitting in the office. Dad doesn’t talk much because he is and extremely humble guy, smart, capable, eager to help the school. Also turns out the father can do or fix anything. Helping the daughter go to college has opened the door for us to hire ourselves a highly respected worker to soon become invaluable to his foreign counterpart. The very thing I asked God for Wednesday morning. Friday after noon I have a future teacher of for training and a man who will lift the burdens or repair.

So right off the bat I am looking at the guy and I’m pretty good judge of character, I’m reading him. I am watching the mother interact with the father and daughter and I am so excited that we have a good family asking to work with us. I actually stopped and prayed that God manage my excitement and protect me from making any bad judgement out of excitement, not to be blinded. This was while Ream was translating.

One of the things we have an idea is to have a class that teaches kids in school how to make and fix things like the rest of the world offers. This man I feel opens an that door and makes that classroom goal more of a reality. The fact that he manages a labor force makes it all really connect.

So all that to say how often we get to see, feel and know God is working and how exciting that is.

I feel to say that if you feel your self in a dry time where you might not see the evidence of God moving; so be excited that you being apart of this work, praying, giving or coming that YOU to ARE apart of what God is doing here through us. Be excited with us. I hope this refreshes you a bit.

But if you want to be closer to seeing God moving and working I would suggest that you have to get out of everyday life, beyond mundane activities of just living, going to work, eating, going to church, watching TV and going to back to sleep. Shake it up a little do something, fill a need, help out, make yourself slightly uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure you see God working.

Okay so a picture tour of A Heart For Wisdom school grades P,K, 1-9

Passing the sanctuary on the right the kids bicycles on the left.