We spent our Sabbath with the kids at Wat Preah Yesu Orphanage today and it made a lasting impression on all of us. This orphanage became the dream of a man from Australia named Tim Maddocks and his family about 20 years ago. God impressed upon his heart to spend his last dollars on a 17 acre piece of land outside of Siem Reap. Since that time, God has been providing for everything that they need. They don't have traditional "jobs", but instead they care for over 200 kids and several host families that live on the property. They never ask for money and they don't have their own income, but God has always given them what they need to live a stable, healthy lifestyle while providing for these kids. They now have a fully functional pre-school through 11th grade school, a church, host family houses, dorms for school students, housing for staff, a cafeteria, and a Christian recording studio (for recordings of the Christian message and healthy lifestyle tips) amongst other buildings. All build and provided without soliciting donations or saving money on their own.
When we arrived this morning the kids were waiting for our vans to pull up. We went in to an open air building and sat on the floor with the 300+ other children and families for the church service. After we joined the youth group for a small meeting and then Tim Maddocks took us on a tour of the campus and told us the story of his orphanage. They served us lunch and many of our students played games and talked to the kids for a while. Afterward, we held a short program for the kids where we sang songs and did some Bible drama skits for them. The children were so friendly and loving. TAPA/TAAS students said that they were touched by how happy the children seemed even though they didn't have families.
We will join their school/kids again on Monday and Tuesday to help paint some of their facilities as well as help the teachers in the classrooms.
Sunday's Agenda: Land Mine Museum and Cambodian Cultural Center
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