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Back Row (Left to Right): Dorothy Hoover, Jill Sherman, (Dorothy Fashana - not going now), Susan Holmes -- WV Director of Vision Trips, and
Alice Greene
Front Row (Left to Right): LuAnn Yocky, (Cheryl Jereczek - not going now), and Shari Newman
Not pictured -- Brett Newman
On June 12, 2008, five partners from our chapter and the World Vision Director of Vision Trips are traveling to Cambodia
to visit and encourage the staff and children at the World Vision Trauma Recovery Center and Street Children Transformation Project in Phnom Penh. Please keep them in your prayers and read their reports from
the field that will be posted on this web page.
DAILY ITINERARY - Doing Justice: Bible Studies on Advocacy
June 13, 2008
We had good flights and after a breakfast at the airport Starbucks are ready to board flight to Cambodia. Hope for
more sleep on this leg of journey altho all of us slept for some hours last night. Eager to meet up with Jill and Dorothy in P. Penh soon.
Blessings!
LuAnn.
June 15, 2008
At least it is morning here - who knows what time it is for you?!
This is a double email as I am writing to my group and to Women of Vision (Hi Sandy!) to cover
the bases.
Thanks so much - all of you that wrote - kudos kids - you all checked in! It means the world.
We all arrived safe and sound in stages on Saturday - bags all here and well, albeit a bit tired. Saturday was just a get our feet on the ground kind of day. A bit of touring the
neighborhood and early to bed. Sunday really launched our first day in Phnom Penh. We had a lovely breakfast here at the hotel, which is air conditioned. A huge blessing not to be underestimated by
you who are enjoying the lovely Oregon summer, finally! We met Boht, the World Vision Christian witness coordinator, who took us to his church along with his wife and daughter. A two hour service of music,
a bit of Cambodian dancing (very lovely) and a translated! sermon on testing and temptation. As the pastor spoke for over an hour, he covered a great deal of ground. After the service, we met a darling 22
year old young lady who talked with us about her passion and vision for helping her mother build a church and to provide financially for that ministry. She works as a bank teller and gives half of her limited
income to that work already! We were so moved and inspired by her.
After a great lunch - the food here is fabulous - we headed out for the hard work of sightseeing and shopping! We visited the king's palace and its grounds and other buildings -
very ornate and glittering and beautiful and hot. We had a wonderful guide who added so much to the experience. She even draped Susan in beautiful fabric and folded it to form a pantslike
garment. Then she added a silver belt - Susan looked beautiful and yes we have pictures. The hard piece was visiting this temple which was full of hundreds of Buddhas. The amount of gold, silver,
diamonds and other precious jewels - the floor was totally of silver and there was a Buddha carved entirely out of a single enormous emerald. The money there and the worship was hard to see - so many Buddhas
and no real help. People were visiting a fortune teller, drinking "holy"water to help them and we came away so grateful the Lord who does not make us jump through hoops to serve Him and more
importantly, to be able to have His love and work in our lives. To help us recover (said very flippantly because I don't really mean it) we did what all good women do, we went shopping! We headed to
the Russian market - (and no, we don't know why it is called that!) which covered a city block of tiny booths and stalls selling pretty much everything in the world - one could even buy an opium pot if
needed! We all helped the economy significantly but paid for it in sweat and heat and stuffy air. Then we headed to the Foreign Corespondents Club for dinner - very cool. A couple stories up over
looking the river, ceiling fans and a definite feel of an earlier, almost colonial time. One kept expecting Ernest Hemingway or someone like that to trot in. Amazing.
First impressions could fill a book but here is a short list - amazingly beautiful faces, piles of trash, smells, new construction and buildings falling apart, motor scooters everywhere with
up to four people on them, tuk tuks - the little powered carts to take one about, crazy driving and friendliness and poverty.
Today we start to earn our keep - visiting the World Vision office and then off to the Trauma Recovery Center to visit the precious little girls God has rescued. Your prayers are so
vital to us and we also pray for you. As we said in Zambia - God is good - all the time. All the time - God is good. We will lean on that today.
Love to you all and I will try to get off more notes later.
Jill
June 16, 2008
Hello dear ones and WofV ladies (you can be dear ones too!),
Our first day of real World Vision work - After breakfast here at the hotel we headed over to the WV
office for a briefing on the work here in Cambodia. The building is quite nice and we were all amused by the large number of orange motor scooters in the yard. (Orange is the WV color) We were briefed
by a couple of wonderful women whose information was helpful but whose stories were incredible. The first young woman was born the year after the Khmer Rouge were out. She told us that she is inches taller
than her older siblings who lived through the regime as they were so poorly nourished. She also told us that the WV national staff numbered 275 at the time the Khmer Rouge took over. Three survived to
start the work up again in 1979. The next woman, Haidy, was 5 and she and her family were warned to escape from the country as they would surely be killed. They walked miles and miles over the border to
Vietnam - were there a few years and then escaped on a boat, eventually ending up in the US. She has now come back to work in her country and her passion and dedication put me to shame. We will get to have
more time with her later in the week and I am looking forward to that. After another great Cambodian lunch - buffet style this time - (be sure to try the green mango salad if you get the chance!) we headed over
to the Trauma Recovery Center for abused girls. That was quite disappointing as we had a very thorough briefing, piecing together the story thanks to a power point since the English was a bit tough for us, but
we had little time with the girls. Our project with them was to be Polaroid pics which they would put into these little foam frames we had brought and could keep them. We had been assured that this would
be fine but photos are not allowed to protect the girls ( which we fully support) but they couldn't get the idea that no pictures or even negatives would be coming with us - so no project. We just had a
tour of the girls' weaving project, some gardening, and just the smallest amount of interaction as we saw little groups of girls and went up to "talk" with them. A couple of us were blessed with
hugs, which brought tears to our eyes. As we were leaving, the girls in the play yard came up to the protective fence to watch us. Some of us went over to talk again and push hands through the
wire. It was terribly poignant and felt too symbolic to almost bear - we were free and they were not. Most of the girls were very friendly and as precious as they could be but one very little one was
encouraged to come up to the fence - she was tiny in stature, even by the standards here, darker skinned and had the saddest face I had ever seen. She hung back and seemed very shy. We guessed that she was
new to the project and pray for healing for her. Then we had to leave, grateful that this project exists but quite sad that we didn't have more time with those precious girls, whose suffering we cannot even
begin to imagine.
After a brief break to collect ourselves we headed out to a restaurant which is run by a group which helps street children. All the servers and cooks are rescued kids. It was such
a warm, wonderful place - the kids were darling, the service impeccable and the food so delicious that three of us even sprang for dessert.
Now we plan to rest for tomorrow - our long day as we learn about a couple of projects, visit the Bamboo Shoots project, which helps street children and then work with the street kids
ourselves in the evening. I am very anxious to have that time, especially after today. The children always pull at me and just being with them is seeing the heart of Jesus. No where else am I so close
to God.
Again, I love you all - it means a great deal to be able to share this with you all.
Jill
June 17, 2008
Good morning all,
It is a hot and humid morning in Phnom Penh and we are all wondering where our ankle bones went! Yes, it is hot but a very tiny price to pay for all that God is allowing us to see and do.
Yesterday was packed with activities about which I will only be able to scratch the surface. We got off to an early start, after our light breakfast in the French restaurant around the corner - coffee and
pastries all around! Lovely way to start the day.
Boht met us and we headed north into an ADP area - getting there was part of the adventure as we took a ferry across the river and were bombarded with images we so wished to could capture on film. As we were
driving, some of it bouncing along a dirt road limited those opportunities but Shari faithfully had her camera out the window and snapped away.
Our first visit was to a local pastor who became a Christian at 19 and has felt led to start this small church and help the people there, all with no support except God's. He is starting a pig bank to help
there. Ask about his story sometime = he took us to visit a household of 8 widows and their children. Some of them are HIV positive. This precious older woman was there and we had a rich
"conversation" and heard her story about the time of the Khmer Rouge (heretofore the KR to save space.) She lost a son then and the rest later. She had 13 children and now only a few daughters
survive. Out of their poverty, they offered us coconuts with straws in them! A bit of tart coconut milk all around. Then we walked up the muddy path a bit to a 6 person household who live in a tiny
(about the size of one of our bathrooms!) hut. This is not an exaggeration. The wife is pregnant again and the father farms. The children looked healthy but their means are limited in ways none of us
can even imagine. We prayed with them and felt that we were the ones blessed and prayed for.
Oh, I need to add that we first visited a site where new sponsored children were being enrolled. That was absolutely joyful and awesome. So many darling kids and their happy mothers - it gave all of us a
new appreciation for the incredible value sponsorship adds to the lives of those here. Pictures were being taken, documents filled out and thumb printed for a signature. Loved it.
After a rich family time with WV staff over lunch, we headed back to Phnom Penh and to the Bamboo Shoots project - this is a residential home for up to 30 street children, most of them boys. The staff there is
amazingly dedicated and loving to these children. We finally got to do our Polaroid project with them and that was a real kick. They all love having their pictures taken so enthusiastic hands were waving
their photos around, trying the hasten the developing. Then we helped them frame the photos with little foam frames and they decorated them - some wanted their names on them so great fun trying to phonetically
sound out their Cambodian names into English letters! Much laughter as we tried to pronounce their names and they ours. After the disappointment the previous day at the Trauma Center, this was pure
joy. The children were enthusiastic and smiling and a delight to be around.
By this time, all of us were dripping and a bit overwhelmed by the day's experiences thus far, so we headed back to the hotel to clean up and supper. Then we headed out to the Street Children Project. A
few of the boys from Bamboo Shoots were mentors and to see these boys who had been as fun and goofy as the rest at the project, now turn into serious mentors and story tellers to these children was very
exciting. The project goes around the city at night and sets up sites to gather street children to show them picture stories about HIV, drug use, protection from abuse and so on. Food is handed out and
children are checked for medical needs. Our first stop was on a street corner - the atmosphere was moviesque as it was dark, rainy, with yellow street lights. Then add in the piles of garbage dumped in the
street for going through for any food or items to sell and then pick up, and you get a bit of a hint of the environment. Do add in the smells. We learned that most of these children do have homes but
travel as far as 10 kilometers each morning, pulling carts, rummage through the garbage for what they can find all day and then pull the carts back after 10 at night. The next day they get up at 4 or 5 and do
it all over again. The stuff of heartbreak. Our next site was even harder - today is a national holiday and this stop was right across the street from the Royal Palace, all lit up for the festivities. We
were with the street vendors who just live and sleep right there under an open market roof - one mother with AIDS was there with her 2 year old baby which we all first thought was about 4 months old. It is
impossible to describe the scene and do it justice or adequately describe the feelings that raged. Compassion, anger, disgust at the surroundings these people endure. At first I felt a sense of despair -
what can I do about this? I realize personally, almost nothing. However, it renewed my passion to return home and tell the stories over and over - as God's people, we are called to do all we can to
help. I know I am preaching to the choir here - this is mainly for me to remember and keep what has been entrusted to me.
I know this is long but the day was full of so much. Thank you for your contined prayers - God is here and with us and with those we are seeing and loving.
Under the mercy,
Jill
June 18, 2008
Dear Ones,
Today is hard to talk about - we visited the Killing Fields in the morning and the Tuel Sleng Museum in the afternoon. The horror of man's inhumanity to man never ceases to appall and
sadden. Hopefully it will also move me to action when I hear of other situations that still occur. This one, though, was so mindless, with seemingly arbitrary killing for killing's sake and the very
young or old were not spared.
The Killing Fields site is a short distance from Phnom Penh and is where people from this area were brought to be executed. The famous sutra with all the skulls is there, as well as many depressions which are
the locations of mass graves. It is a sad and quiet place with lovely butterflies fluttering over the grass now. We had a very helpful guide who explained the situation very well. I will spare you all
the details but it is a place of remembrance.
The museum, on the other hand, screams and yells. It was once a public high school which the KR turned into a torture and interrogation center for the stated purpose of finding the educated and unsuitable people
to eliminate them for the agrarian paradise they imagined. The classrooms were divided into tiny cells and the abomination of that made me ill. We saw much but the rows and rows of pictures that were taken
of the victims as mug shots when they arrived, were wrenching, especially those of the children. Again, I will not continue - my heart is full and going out to dinner tonight seems very frivolous but God is
still God - we are alive to bear witness and we are eating with a woman who works here to hear her story - more information to help us better serve, educate and advocate.
I promise my next email will be lighter but I needed to "talk" this out a bit. My gratitude for my God and my life overflows. Thank you all for being a part of that life.
(To my family - you may all read along if you choose - I am praying for you all in these days of Dad. I love you all so much.)
A child of the King,
Jill
June 19, 2008
Hello, my dear friends,
Thanks to those of you I am hearing from. I am very grateful for your notes, love and prayers. All is well here and we continue to learn so much, eat very well, perspire a great
deal (my college PE teacher used to tell us that women do not sweat, they glow - oh that that were true!) and support NGO shops with great zeal.
It only gets into the high 80s each day, but the humidity is extreme, faithfully kept there by a brief daily deluge. My ankles make a brief daily appearance in the morning and then leave me for the day.
Before I go into events, let me try and give a brief snapshot of life here. The streets teem with motor scooters and cars - the scooters dash in and out wherever they can find an opening. Helmets are rarely
seen, up to 5 people have been seen on one scooter!, but no crashes yet. It is like one big dance or as our WV friend said, a great river that just flows. Lanes seem to be just general suggestions and stop
signs are optional. People are tiny and I have yet to see an overweight Cambodian. Life is lived by the streets, in little booths that sell everything needed for daily life. Beautiful little children dart
in and out. There are smells, color, activity.
The subject line of this note is a picture of how the different sexes are viewed here. If gold is dropped in the mud, it is unchanged or harmed but if a cloth is dropped, it becomes soiled and
irredeemable. That is the difference between boys and girls. This is slowly changing here and we were delighted to hear that a few of the girls from the Trauma Recovery program have married but that is
certainly not the norm. Last evening we had dinner with 3 volunteers who work with the Hagar program (check your Bible for that story) and they work with women and children. We had a wonderful evening with
these 3 dedicated Kiwis. One had just returned from 6 weeks in LA where she had taken 7 girls who testified at the trial of an American pervert (my word!). He was found guilty!!!! Cheers all
around! She works in preparing girls who need to go to court and testify and as well as other counseling. Her husband is in charge of production programs which provide jobs for needy people. The other
woman, Sue, works with children in crisis and runs numerous programs. They were delightful people and we so admired their commitment to Cambodia and the least of these. It is also wonderful to see the
interaction between many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to accomplish the work.
Today we spent the morning being briefed on programs related to peace and justice issues - learned so much. The highlight was meeting and hearing the story of a young woman who now works for WV. She had
been trafficked at 13 and spent 3 years of her life in the brothel before escaping. She spent time at the Trauma Recovery Center and today works there, helping other girls as they know she understands. She
stayed with us throughout the afternoon and it was such fun to watch her warm up to us and see her leave with smiles and hugs. What a privilege for us to meet this heroic young woman.
Tomorrow we head out to the ADP to see our sponsored children. We are very excited and are so looking forward to the time. God continues to show His face and I just pray to be found faithful. I am
realizing that the statement, to whom much is given, much will be required, is not just about material blessings. I have been given a wealth of information and experiences - let me do all that is required.
I am off to bed. My heart is full as well as my stomach and that is no small blessing.
Love to you all,
Jill
June 20, 2008
Beautiful Children and Blessed Women
Hello, my wonderful friends,
Today we headed out of Phnom Penh, into the countryside to primarily visit our sponsored children. It was a beautiful drive as we got out
of the city - emerald green rice paddies - that green that Oregon gets in March when just looking out the window is a joy - a small range of hills - palm trees for exclamation marks - oxen - carts- people working
the fields. After arriving at the ADP office, we had a briefing on their work and then the Vision Project overview. Vision Project deals with micro-enterprise here. It was all very interesting but ran
over the scheduled time so I was growing increasingly anxious to go see the children, who were just next door! Finally the meeting was over ( I don't think any of my dear colleagues felt my glares when they
asked additional questions!) and we gathered our gifts and headed into see the kids. They were all in a large open room with a parent or parents or entire families. Joy abounded, at least on our
parts. My darling Chantra was so precious. Her father was with her as her mother is unable to walk or travel well. Chantra is 8 and is quite shy and reserved but the smiles came and gifts were shared
and pictures shown. This same scene was being played out all around me so it was such fun to look up and see all of us loving this time. After visiting time, we all walked across the street to a restaurant
for a group dinner. This was a special treat for our families and they really dug in. Chantra ate twice what I did and then held her stomach a bit afterward! A little more time was given for
final words, pictures and at times, tearful good byes - all on our parts. Truly a rich time.
Then we headed to a village to see their holding pond, their bore hole, and some other sanitation projects. Our last stops were to visit two people who had received micro-enterprise loans and to hear their
stories - this program is so valuable and the success rate of repaid loans and people improving their lives is over 99%! Amazing.
We hopped into our faithful van to head back to the city - our driver has been wonderful and we think having a driver is the way to go! On the way home, the heavens opened and the rains poured down. There
were wonderful thunder and lightning effects but the rain overwhelmed the streets and we watched, in comfort, as the scooters and bicycles made their way through some inches of rain. The rains really slowed the
traffic down but we kept moving. At one point we turned onto a street which quickly became a river. Our van has high clearance and a great driver but we watched children walking along with the water up to
their knees! It was actually good to see this as it gives us an idea of what they have to deal with during the rainy season, why houses are built on stilts, and why street people suffer so much. After
dinner, we are now all packing and preparing to head to the airport tomorrow morning for a quick flight up to Siem Reap - the site of Ankghor Wat. Can you believe that we are doing this? I can't.
Thank you again for your faithful prayers. Today was a rich day and it was a delight to know that God was smiling.
More soon -
Love to you,
Jill
June 22, 2008
 Hello All,
First, to my kids, sorry I missed you on the phone - I was thinking of your so often today and being with you from afar. Love you all
The sun rose on us at the foot of Angkor Wat as we watched it come up over the temple. We left the guest house at 5 this morning and soon arrived at Angkor - there is a long stone balustrade walk in over a canal
with the temple in front of you. There really aren't words to describe it. The sheer artistry and detail and hard labor is amazing. ( I really need a new
list of superlatives) We watched the sun come up with other die hard tourists but it didn't diminish
the experience. As a Christian, it is so interesting to be on ground which is holy to another faith - it still felt holy and I know we brought God with us. Worship here is interesting as it seems to be a
combination of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddha reins here though.
 After the sunrise, we headed into the temple proper
and toured, seeing the rooms, the reliefs - then headed back to the house for breakfast. Then we headed back to the site to visit some other temples. The first
one was magnificent in its ruin. It was shady (thank you, Lord) and overgrown with huge trees which convoluted around and about the temple walls. Think Indiana Jones or Lara Croft - Tomb Raider, which
was actually filmed here in part. I mention this only because it is now the main claim to fame for this site.
We were rather overrun with Japanese tourists who photo shot at the movie's key locations. We fit in where we could but it was still incredible. The next temple saw a few of us climbing to the top -
not nearly as harrowing as it sounds - only the small top section required any stone climbing - the rest was a rather steep wooden stair. Although we all almost suffered heat stroke, it was well worth
it! We have pictures to prove it so please ask - we are dying to show them to you! The last temple we visited was filled with all these four sided pillars with a huge face of Buddha on each side -
absolutely fascinating. Ask us about kissing the Buddha - don't worry - it required no compromise of our faith! At this point, we were all able to wring our shirts out if we desired but abstained.
Brett was quite grateful! We took our hot sweltering selves back and inflicted ourselves upon the forbearing staff and had lunch. Brett commented at lunch, that he didn't think he had ever done so
many things before one o'clock in his life before! Most of us bailed at that point to shower and nap - wonderful.
After nap time we headed to the Artisan shop again to pick up things we had seen the previous day. To the reading audience who doesn't know, my son is getting married in the fall so I have been
putting together my wedding outfit here and found the last piece at this shop. It has been such fun as all my friends give input - I should look dazzling!
Supper took us to the Siem Reap Foreign Correspondents' Club and then a tuk-tuk ride to the Night Market. I love the tuk-tuks! They are motorcycle drive little carts and they cut in and out of
the traffic - you are right in the middle of the streets and their life, with the breeze blowing - it was delightful. I only want to ride in tuk-tuks from now on!
Tomorrow, we catch an early flight to Bangkok and meet with WV again there. We will miss Laura, a lovely young college senior from Pennsylvania who is doing an 8 week internship here, teaching
English, primarily to teachers. We met her our first night and she was able to join us all day today - we really enjoyed getting to know her a bit.
I am off to pack and get to bed before too late, as it was an early morning and an enjoyable night last night!
Good bye from Cambodia,
Jill
June 23, 2008
Why do Americans love children so much?
Hello precious friends and family,
I am missing you some but candidly our time is so full I am not homesick at all, just wish you could
share some of the adventures directly.
The subject line question was asked of Susan while we were out in the ADP in Cambodia. I am
glad people here know we love children but it also shows the prevailing attitude toward children who are often seen as just another mouth to feed and are expected to earn their keep. Literally, as
soon as possible, which is age 6 to 8 or so. Kids, are you getting this?! It explains a great deal about all that happens here when children are seen as a burden or a commodity.
This morning we quickly breakfasted at our lovely guest house, said good-bye to our sweet new friend, Laura, and flew to Bangkok. We are all experiencing some culture shock as Bangkok is New York City in Asia.
Skyscrapers everywhere (not a one in Phnom Penh), traffic following the British pattern, some semblance of obeying the rules of the road, a number of scooters, but many more cars and no tuk
-tuks! I am in mourning. American businesses abound - yuck! but the one ray of light in all of that
is there is Starbucks! (You may groan but there is a little joy in my heart that I can have my first tall
nonfat no whip mocha since leaving West Linn!) There are still the little elements like street vendors to make one feel like she is in a foreign place but we are all missing Cambodia. However, after
lunch we went to WV headquarters here and heard an excellent presentation on children's issues and saw a couple of short DVDs which first broke the heart and then offered some hope. A
statistic - there are more malnourished children in India alone than in all of Africa. I give that, not because we don't want to continue to support everything we can in Africa, but just to show how
comparatively little is being done is this part of the world. The awareness is not there so we were grateful for all the info. Another stat - there are more slaves now than the total number transported
from Africa during those awful days. Please pray for us who now have this knowledge, that we will be faithful stewards of what we have been given but also that we will share with kindness and
wisdom, as we all want to stand on a street corner and yell out for change. Families, don't worry - we won't but the impact of all we have heard is huge.
I continue to enjoy the multinational nature of WV as we had a Sri Lankan, an Aussie and an American at the table with us today. A Thai gentlemen came in to deal with the universal problem of
computer issues. The incredibly high caliber of people working for WV continues to impress me and shows the way God has chosen to bless this organization which serves him.
Our hotel is very nice but we are not here much - tomorrow we head out to an ADP at 6:30 and won't return until 10 at night. Should be a great day and it will be lovely to get out of Bangkok. I
won't be able to write tomorrow as the computer center's hours won't work for me due to our long day. Sorry - I'll get a new one off ASAP.
In just a short while we are taking one of the WV staff on a dinner river cruise - a true hardship for all of us.
Please continue to pray for us as we do for you. We are learning so much, experiencing so much, jumping around to so many varied cultures. However, the climate is a constant (HOT!) so I should
be thankful for that! Be gentle with us when we return home - we are changed by what we have seen and heard and will be seeking God's heart for what we do with our knowledge and where to go next.
You are dearly loved,
Jill
June 25, 2008
So long, farewell
Dear Friends,
This will be my last email that includes the Women of Vision. It has been a joy to share this trip with
you all. Tomorrow we go our separate ways - LuAnn, Susan, and Alice off to the US, Dorothy to Hong Kong and Shari, Brett and myself to Vietnam! Wow!
It will be a bit hard to "break up" after our time together. I have learned so much from my traveling companions and admire so many things about each one - youth and enthusiasm, a sense of
adventure and willingness to try anything, wisdom, patience, humor and an undivided heart for God, kindness, sweetness, love of children and beauty both inside and out. What a joy to travel with
these women and young man.
I will backtrack a bit. Monday we headed out on a dinner river cruise (and no I don't know the
name of the river and couldn't pronounce it if I did!). We were met by two stunning Thai young women in costume who very efficiently pinned an orchid on us and took our picture with one of
them (to be purchased at the end of the cruise, thank you very much). Getting onto the boat, we were serenaded with a "welcome, Welcome, Welcome" song - very funny. The buffet was
enjoyable but the best part was going onto the top deck and watching the lighted temples and palace go by. There was also this stunning bridge of pillars and cables - we all had fun trying to get
cool shoots of it. There were some highly entertaining moments but those will have to wait for personal sharing!
The next day we got off early (what else is new!!!) and headed out into the countryside to visit an ADP on the Thai/Cambodian border. They work with children who come over either legally or
illegally. It is an area of a great deal of trafficking. The poor Cambodians come across with empty carts, buy things at the market in Thailand, and drag these incredibly loaded and heavy carts back to
sell and make a bit of money. Their children come as well and some children come on their own. We visited the project WV has where children can have classes while their parents work -
heartbreakingly beautiful children - I got to play with one little guy on the floor. At first he steadfastly ignored me but gradually I started dueling building blocks with him and even got a smile -
a worthwhile day. We also met these charming little ones who carry umbrellas to shade visitors and hope for a few baht in return. They play tag with the police all day as they are not supposed to
hassle people. We adored them and one was named Attie (not sure about the spelling) so I showed her my At's picture - smiles all around. There were also children garbage picking for food and
recyclables to sell. Too hard and again brought us near to the heart of God. In a book I am now
reading there was a quotation from Dostoyevsky - "The soul is healed by being with children." It does but it can also break the heart as we want every child to be loved and cherished and well
cared for and so very many are not. It was an incredibly valuable day - full of the frequent blend of stabs of joy and shafts of grief.
It was also a long day as it took about 7 hours round trip so we all opted for a late dinner near the hotel - Italian food in Bangkok! Greatly enjoyed by all as it was our last dinner all together.
Today we got off to an early start (do you see a theme here?) and became tourists again as we drove not quite as far to see two floating markets - the first was mainly for the local people and was
long, low boats filled with food stuff - people were even cooking on the boats so we sampled some things - the coconut pancakes were my favorite. The women were all older and charming but
pointed out that the young do not want to live like this so this way of life may die out when this generation is gone. That would be very sad as it seems like a sweet and decent life. The next place
we visited put us in the boats and was definitely geared toward tourists - we motored along narrow canals with boats pushing against each other, much like the traffic dance in Cambodia. Many of the
shops were on the shore and hooks would be shot out to capture boats so the highly touristy wares could be hawked. It was fun to see but felt rather like a rundown Disney attraction. We all
preferred the first market.
After lunch at a totally Thai restaurant (we were the only white people there and where I had a few
bad moments after some way too spicy soup - think running eyes and nose - burning lips, mouth and throat and a stomach that instantly said "WHAAAT IS THIS??? I recovered quickly but am
disgusted with my wimpy western palate and how's this for a run on sentence??) we headed slowly back into Bangkok - the traffic here is terrific and the only ray of hope is that the lights count down
so one does know it will change at a given point. Whether of not you get through, is another issue.
This afternoon we have gone our separate ways - some still faithfully shopping, a couple off to do
art, one resting and me typing to you after a rejuvenating Starbucks break - a little coffee, a little Jill time and a good book. Now I am ready for our evening out at another buffet :) and a cultural
program which of course is the best in the nation.
Brett, Shari and I leave the hotel at 5 tomorrow morning so I hope it will not be a late night.
Thank you for traveling this far with me - my heart and mind are full and the stories, lessons, pictures, experiences will last forever and into eternity I hope. Thank you for your faithful prayers and notes
. Again - God is good - all the time.
With my love and gratitude,
Jill
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