Two weeks ago our team visited a school/orphanage home that is focused on the arts. The two women who started it (a Cambodian woman and an American woman) have a passion for taking in, caring for, and raising children in high risk situations and bringing God back into the arts.
In Cambodia, the arts are an integral part of the culture, especially dances and carvings that have special meaning in Buddhism (but do not bring glory to God). It is cool to see how this ministry is bringing the glory back to God for the beauty and creativity He has blessed us with.
This ministry reaches out to at-risk kids–kids who come from abusive homes, kids who live in extreme poverty, kids who have alcoholic parents, kids who live on the streets, kids who live in an innumerable amount of devastating situations. The ministry itself is not geared toward rescuing from the sex-trade, but every aspect of what it does is helping to prevent the cycle of the sex-trade.
They educate: The kids go to school on the grounds of the orphanage. They learn all the same material as the children in state schools, but they are also exposed to, instructed in, and encouraged to pursue interests in drawing, painting, dancing and singing in the traditional Cambodian style, and playing traditional musical instruments.
During my first visit I saw their beautifully intricate
drawings and saw 3 of the beautiful dances they
had prepared. One dance was a traditional
wedding dance and the other two were written and
choreographed by the students and depict eating the bread and drinking the wine during the sacrament of Holy Communion.
They share Jesus: The kids learn about Jesus–who He is and what it means to follow Him– and know that it is because of Him that they were taken into a loving home. They see and experience His love and presence first hand.
They live in community: The older children learn to care for the younger ones. They cook and clean and take care of the home together. The two founders and two other teachers are the only adult caretakers– the rest is done by the roughly 35 kids that live there. They learn skills to help their small community in hopes that it will translate to a bigger community in life outside the walls of the home.
Next Monday I will begin teaching English to 15 of the youngest children at the home. It is so exciting to have a place where I can be with kids and put to use my passion for and background in education. It is scary because I speak so little Khmer and they speak so little English. I don't want this undertaking to over take my life here; however, this is an awesome experience to help me learn Khmer and learn about the culture while helping in a needed area. The Lord opened the door to this opportunity and I am faithfully trusting that great and marvelous things will come of it!
The home is really struggling right now. Many of the kids and teachers have come down with either the flu or a parasite. This has disrupted the schedule of the home and made things rather chaotic. This is a spiritual attack like none the home has ever had in 17 years of existance–the enemy hates that there are believer here helping the least of these.
Please pray that health and a semblance of normalcy are restored in the home and that ultimately the glory is given to our almighty Lord!
The kids after their performace for our team!
Sounds like an amazing place…. I will be praying for their health.
Sounds like your kind of spot…I will be praying for you as you minister to them through your classes with them and will lift up the whole school for their health concerns.