Wednesday 18th -Saturday 21st July

This post contains three days worth of news and therefore is really really really long… hope you’re sitting comfortably…

The last few days have seen Team 2007 in a more restful, playful mood. Sometimes even we need to take a break from our hard labours. Around mid-day three days ago, after yet more playground building, we all piled into the Geoff-mobile and headed for the costal town of Sihanoukville for some R&R, Cambodian style.

We toured through some very different countryside to what we’d seen before– travelling through a mountain pass until the mid nineties controlled at night by the Khmer Rouge. Several hours of driving saw us arrive to beautiful sea views and sandy beaches which we promptly took advantage of – washing away the sweat and concrete in the warm waters as the tropical sun set in the background. I like Sihanoukville. Dinner was courtesy of a very good restaurant called The Holy Cow, apparently named after a certain cow of legend that performed miracles all over Cambodia. I don’t know if my “Cow sandwich” contained the aforementioned beast, but it tasted heavenly – although the tail did kinda stick in my teeth. Something else of note was the soundtrack – switching randomly from very pleasant jazz to what I can only assume was Cambodian pop. Or maybe it was a recording of the last hours of a starving family of lemurs trapped in a metal works with only a drum kit and a kazzo for solace. Weird.

The next day was easily one of my favourites in my 23 years. Early in the morning we jumped onto a dive boat with a bunch of other adventurous types and set sail for our very own island. I had the enormous pleasure of teaching “Wonderwall” by Oasis to a dude called Mike, sitting playing guitar with my feet dangling over the prow of a boat carving its way through the gulf of Thailand – phenomenal. Should have asked for some dive lessons in return. Arriving at the island, we stepped onto the rickety jetty, had a look at the huts we were staying in, said hello to the resident tokay geckos sharing our quarters, and headed for the beach for some snorkelling. This was my first experience of snorkelling, and for the next hour or so, I was a fish. Seriously, just call me Nemo. After that it was back to the boat for some lunch, and impromptu comedy when one of the Cambodian guys fell through said rickety jetty. Fortunately he was fine.

After lunch we headed for some deeper water. Again, it was beautiful. Fish a plenty, colourful coral and giant clams. Anna W even saw a shark… or was it a particularly threatening rock? After we were all satisfied and thoroughly sunburnt (note, wear a t-shirt when snorkelling) we headed back to the island where team 2007 would be left to spend the night.

It was a lyrical tale of campfires, curry, star-gazing and dogs chasing after our bottles of sun cream. We sang, we laughed, we gazed into the fire in quiet companionship. Altogether an amazing experience, and one I’ll never forget.

After some more snorkelling in the morning we headed back to the boat. I challenged Sarah J to dribble a football along the jetty and kick it into the boat. Needless to say it landed in the sea. Sigh. We were both dried off but jumped in anyway (me, to be a gentleman, Sarah to give me a fright) for a rescue. Cursing good-humouredly at being wet again, we soon realised the irony of the situation as long-armed Geoff leaned over the side of the boat and plucked the ball from the water – making the Khmer crew erupt with laughter at our stupidity. White-man got no common sense.

This is getting ridiculously long, so I’ll do some bullet points and get back to prose with the important bits…

Back in Sihanoukville for dinner at a Russian snake restaurant with cheesy 80’s break-up songs in the background

Awesome pancakes on the beach for breakfast

“Queen Anna S” sitting on the beach surrounded by her army of local beauticians pandering to her needs.

A long drive back to Kompong Speu playing chicken with an assortment of vehicles

Following a truck full of precariously perched pigs (if one fell off, would that be a bacon roll?? (worthy pun courtesy of SJ))

In Kompong Speu we had an outreach to officially open our playground and share with the villagers what we were all about. The kids were obviously delighted and the adult helpers who had pitched in were all pleased it was finally done. The joy of the kids playing made all the hard work fade away and we were all left with a feeling of satisfaction at a job well done.

We arrived back in Phnom Penh and went for dinner with a lady called Kim San and her elderly mother. This family was one of the oldest Christian families in Cambodia and, despite the delicious food in front of us; we all sat in spellbound silence as Kim San related an account of her times during the Khmer Rouge. Choking back tears as she told of her dying father blessing her and her sister to become missionaries, telling with joy of how God kept her and her family safe through impossible circumstances – it was a genuine honour to hear her speak. Not many people in the world have this experience as Cambodians are reluctant in the extreme to talk about those years. We finished off the evening singing Amazing Grace but I couldn’t bring myself to sing “through many dangers, toils and snares” alongside these incredible people who had known the reality of God though immense suffering. It just didn’t seem right. I can’t imagine how I would respond in a similar situation, in fact, I hope I never have to find out. We are abundantly blessed in the west to live through such peaceful and tolerant times.


Sorry for the long post – we’re off to Siem Reap so it may be a few days before this is updated again. Please remember us in your prayers as we will be working with the Cambodian Boys Brigade and a church set up by Reaksa Himm (and eating spiders…!)


Dave Thomson

Tuesday 17th July

I have reason to believe that the cockerel outside my window is getting depressed. He is regularly getting defeated by the group of Brits that wake up earlier and let out louder shrieks than he. The only difference is that ours are not attractive to anybody.

As the shock of waking up far before 6am lessens, the enthusiasm for the practice is still at an all time low. Our morning moans are followed by a near silent breakfast that starts to warm as the (western style) tea comes out. Then slowly into the bus for an inevitable debate that leaves us sweating even before the sun comes out.

We were greeted by the 71 year-old female chair of the Prison Fellowship organisation at their headquarters. Her strong attitude was evident immediately as she ushered moped drivers through her office and into the back courtyard. Despite the cold she was fighting, she showed genuine belief in the cause she was fighting for and was an inspiring person to start the day off with. A trip to two contrasting prisons followed and left us with something to think about.

The first prison was a woman and juvenile prison. We were greeted by a picture of boys playing basketball and women with their children. It is fair to say that we have seen worse pictures than this in the outside world on a day to day basis. But I was left with the feeling that this was not the whole story. For these 2 hours when the prisoners were allowed out into the courtyard, life must be a blast relative to the other 22 in the confinement of their cells. But do not worry; with an average of 15 people to a cell life is definitely not lonely! These are conditions that are not suitable for an adult, let alone children and babies.

The men’s prison did not paint a prettier picture although we were able to view prison fellowship do amazing work by teaching mechanics, English and Khmer, it was pointed out that less than 10% of prisoners enjoy this benefit at any one time. At this point I would like to emphasise the blessing of the prison fellowship, without their work there would be practically no lessons or worthwhile activities. It will be an honour to work alongside them in my long term placement when this youth trip is over.

The afternoon brought a medley of activities as we took part in Sarah’s Spectacular Phnom Penh Challenge. Armed with a digital camera, $10 and a tuk tuk (imagine a motorcycle/horsedrawn carriage and you are getting warm) we raced around the city collecting objects and taking pictures until we collapsed into a café to comfort of a banana milkshake and brownie. Naturally the winners (Sarah J, Sarah B, Anna W and myself) were gracious to accept victory over our lowly counterparts.

I would like to finish off my entry with a dedication to all the charities we have visited so far. With each one we get a new angle on how Christian charity work works and the benefits of the genuine sustainable development. I am continually humbled by the energy and initiative that our new compatriots show. If just one of us can grow to become one of the driven workers we have encountered the whole trip will prove worthwhile.

Monday 16th July 2007

Today began with yet another 5.30 start. After seeking out bricks, string, lunch, water and fruit amidst the mayhem of the early morning market traffic, we began work on the playground. It brings me joy to update you of the answers to prayer which we have received regarding the weather! It is soooo warm! We were delighted with the progress made on Saturday and were desperate for perfect ‘western’ conditions to work in today, thankfully God heard and he gave us a fabulous overcast sky and a moderate temperature of approximately 30 degrees! So I hear you guys have rain over there?!

The playground is coming along beautifully. The final coat of paint went onto the framework, the surrounding wall was laid, the giant concrete tunnel was put in place and painted green and will soon be decorated with multi-coloured flowers, we are so close but are starting to feel the pressure of time as our deadline is Wednesday lunch time. I would just like to emphasize the bricklaying mentioned previously, this is hilarious to those who know me (and possibly a few others in the group…ok anyone other than dave!) as it isn’t a skill that comes naturally although I think we did well considering we were using bricks with holes at both ends, an uneven trench and handmade mortar! What an experience in the scorching heat.

The village would like to have an official opening ceremony during which we are planning to run our outreach programme, so lets pray that the real reasons of our presence become clear through the songs, drama and testimony.

On our journey home this afternoon everyone fell asleep which is a pretty common occurance to be honest! However adrenaline kicked in quickly as we had 30 seconds to get changed from our very smelly, sweaty, dusty, or ‘just clean boggin’ work clothes! We were no sooner out of the bus than back on the road on our way to the Bridge of Hope for a prayer meeting. Teams of Khmer Christians do outreach work with street children in some of the poorest areas of Phnom Penh. They share the Gospel with children who are often in the middle of their 3pm – 1am shift of collecting rubbish to earn money to eat and pay rent to live in the slums. The prayer meeting was a multi-cultural experience as there were people from Australia, UK, France, Austria, Slovakia, New Zealand and Cambodia. Due to a recent law (as of last week) being considered by the Prime Minister as a result of concerns shown by Buddhist officials there are for the first time since Khmer Rouge regulations, restrictions on the work of Religious organisations. Hence we would appreciate prayers for our safety when working in the community.

Before I close for this evening I feel it is important to let you know about a scheme which Bridge of Hope have recently started. It is for street children who have to earn money picking up and selling rubbish. Their parent agrees to not let their child work in this way again and the organisers arrange for the money which would have been earned (10 dollars a month = 5 pounds sterling) to be donated by people who contribute to the scheme. This gives the child an opportunity to attend school with the intention of learning a trade which will lead to a prosperous job. This helps me understand why children here are so keen to learn, it makes you think.

Well, it is 10.45 pm here and approximately 4.45pm I guess in the UK so I am definitely saying Goodnight and God Bless! Hope this has kept you informed and please do leave a comment on our Blog! We thank you for all your welcomed prayers and thoughts.

Sarah Bell.


p.s. we had a really funny journey home – 7 of us in the back of the open pick-up bouncing around over the huge pot-holes!

Sunday 15th July 2007

Today is Sunday, not that you’d know it, because we were up early as per usual! Due to a minor oversight we had run out of breakfast! So, once we were happy it wasn’t a plan to make us fast on Sunday, we were in the van winging our way to a little island to do some outreach at another children’s club, (and a lovely local fresh breakfast was picked up en route).

To get to the island we took a local ferry, it was lovely to be crossing the wide murky brown river, with the wind in our faces. Once across, we got back in the van and headed up the dust track to the where a bunch of about 70 kids from babies to young adults were sat on mats beneath the shelter of a nice concrete building waiting for us. Before long they were laughing at us, (and a few volunteer kids), in our sheep masks that we had made on a previous evening out of a couple of cornflakes boxes, PVA glue and some toilet paper. The consistently favourite bit of Anna (W)’s drama, seems to be when Luke (as the shepherd) slings Dave (as the stray sheep) over his shoulder and prances around with him! The other highlight of the morning was the joy of the children as they imitated the ape impressions from the song “Who’s the King of the Jungle?”, the “oooh oooh”-ing seemed to extend far into the next verse!! The smiles across their little faces as they jumped up and down with glee were just so exhilarating, that at their request we repeated and repeated and repeated the song. Next it was out the back into the field in the boiling heat, for a massive Hokey-Cokey, lead by Luke, who did a sterling job of broadcasting his voice over such a large crowd.

I retired to sit in the shade and smile at the kids, whilst an energetic football game started up. After a while the kids cottoned on to the phenomenon of the digital camera, and were grouping themselves happily for all sorts of photos, bright orange cones were placed on heads and poses were adopted, - great fun was had by all.

I enquired of the project leader whether any of the children were orphans, to which she answered by pointing to a girl, who looked no older than 14, who was carrying a baby in her arms, clothed in rags. I am not entirely certain, but I think that if I understood correctly, the parents had died, perhaps of HIV, leaving this girl to look after the family of 7 (?). She also said that two of the children had died a few months back of disease, (I am not sure whether there are now 5 or whether 7 is the current number). I wondered how they managed; I think the village lends a lot of support to the children in this sort of situation. It really brings home the importance of community.

After a bumpy ride home, we decided to spend the rest of the day in the market, internet café, swimming pool and round it off by a hearty supper in an English restaurant. My surprise treat for the day was having the hotel receptionist come and ask me how he could improve his “English pronounce”, after recommending the BBC radio, and other such ideas, he came and offered me a reading from the paper, so we sat for a good hour, whilst I scrutinised his pronunciation, and poured over every word, for those who know me, you know I wasn’t letting him away with any sloppy endings!!! The poor fellow was a bit embarrassed by the repeated “th’s” and “v’s” and the awkward shapes I was instructing him to make his mouth!! :o). (I must admit that I misread some of the words myself, but thankfully I wasn’t the one reading it aloud! and it was at an angle!!, so he took my email, but I doubt whether I will hear from him!!)

Oh, and there are certain team members that are adamant that I mention the outstandingly brilliant win at water volleyball, (by Sarah, Sarah, Geoff and myself), making the overall score 1 all now!

Well we have all got home now, full to bursting with good old fashioned English cooking. The rain is pelting down, which is a very refreshing change. Dave has just lead a little sing song around the dinner table, and now everyone is just waiting for me to round this off so that I can do the nightly broadcast of our Blog to the rest of the team. So I shall say goodnight to you all and wish you a happy Sunday. Tomorrow is bricklaying round the playground, (weather permitting), so pray for a good nights rest. God Bless you for your thoughts and prayers, and keep writing to us, blog mail is eagerly received.

Anna Sutton xxx

Saturday 14th July

Today started as usual with breakfast and devotions. Then we all put our shoes on ready to go out, which is normally quite uneventful. However, this morning as I put my right foot into my trainer it was obstructed by something – as I looked inside I discovered the frog that had inhabited it. I was just grateful that I hadn’t forced my foot inside and ended up with mushed up frog on my sock!

This was our second day building the playground, which included painting the playground apparatus in bright colours, putting it in the correct holes, and mixing concrete, concrete and more concrete! (for the trench surrounding the playground). After having prayed for the weather we had the perfect day – cloudy with a slight breeze – ideal for the heavy work which we were doing. It was a great day and the playground work felt like a real community effort as the village Pastor and others joined in eagerly with the work, as well as the little children who enjoy helping us. It was a real encouragement to see the playground apparatus firmly in place at the end of the day with children climbing all over it – and their smiles and waves as we left in the van topped it off.

Having been out away from the house for over 12 hours we were relieved to return and were starving! We were greeted with a delicious meal with a dessert of chocolate brownies and cookies!!!!!! Having claimed my brilliance at arm wrestling Geoff challenged me to an arm wrestle – which I am ashamed to admit I lost. At this moment we are all relaxing, chatting, and some of the team are practising music. Off to bed soon for a good sleep before our island outreach tomorrow morning! Thanks for reading the blog and for all your support – it is much appreciated by all the team.

Anna Warlow

Friday 13th July

At 4.50am the alarm went off, even earlier than yesterday, the mornings are getting earlier and earlier. Today was spent building the playground we started yesterday. Group decision was to start early to avoid the heat. Our task for the day was to finish the trenches, dig some holes and level off the ground. We all got to work and soon the sweat started pouring. We had some kids joining us today, helping out and giving us high 5’s - they were great and very cute! One little boy was loads of help clearing what we were digging and moving our soil about. Its so great to see a little 12 year old boy so willing to help out.
So our holes were dug (one by me all alone!)
Our trenches were dug and evened out (straight lines are very hard to keep to) and the whole area was levelled out and grass removed.
While having our lunch of yummy rice we decided that our little helper should have some too. The little boy looked so pleased; he ate some and then put the rest away to take home for his family.
The playground was starting to look good and I think we all enjoyed digging and getting dirty. Luke claimed the best way do dig a hole was like killing a deer: you kill it and then you gut it (with your hands) best to say we got pretty dirty!
We then left the playground at about one. We decided to head off to the swimming pool to clean off and relax.
We had lots of fun playing with the beach ball and Anna W, Luke, Dave and I destroyed Geoff and the Sarahs at game of Volleyball.
As I write this Sarah J has just won the feather Olympics, by racing through an obstacle course with a feather on a plate in her mouth, with the fans on. A Very impressive technique.
We’re all pretty tired tonight but I think we all had a great day and are ready for tomorrows cement mixing and painting.
Thanks for your prayers, hope you are enjoying reading about our adventure as much as we are enjoying it.

Suzanne Cooke

Thursday 12th July

Today was another early start for the youth team. Getting out of bed at around 5.30 in the morning, I had a chance to spend some time on my own in the comparative cool before the others were up and the inside temperature rose to a turgid 28 degrees.

There was a reason for being up so early. We were heading out to one of the outlying villages around Phnom Penh to run a programme for an unspecified number of kids of unspecified age. Our driver that morning was a friendly American guy called Paul who worked for a local Christian radio station. With his New Jersey drawl and cheerful attitude he soon had me forgetting about the dodgy stomach that was making the morning somewhat uncomfortable. Or maybe it was the packet of Mentos he insisted on filling me up with as being the best possible cure.

As we drove out of the city I had my first glimpse of rural Cambodia. Large fields of rice stretch out on either side of the road (still populated by the maniacal horn-wielding local drivers) occasionally broken by the ever present sugar palms. Sometimes our view is obscured by run-down shacks and stores where the Cambodians live their lives. This is a stunningly beautiful country, but I wonder if the people appreciate in the middle of trying to eek out a living. After about an hour of this, we arrived at the village.

After not really knowing what to expect, hearing the excited shouting of the 120 children waiting outside their concrete and corrugated iron meeting hall was reassuring. They were clearly happy to see us and eager to get on with some games. We dived right in, singing songs, doing a drama about the lost sheep and having a short talk by Anna. After that it was outside for some games in the now sweltering sunshine. I managed the Hokey-Cokey but was absolutely trounced by a small Cambodian girl at “cat and mouse”, where I had to chase her in and out of a circle and try to catch her. In my defence I have only these reasons– 1. The aforementioned heat,
2. It’s against SAO policy to damage any of the kids regardless of how much they show you up,
3. The sweat got in my eyes
4. The 119 other kids who were all ganging up against me, and
5. Yeah, the heat again.
You can imagine my embarrassment when half way through our epic battle I caught the wrong kid and bowed my respect at her valiant efforts, much to her bewilderment and the amusement of the rest of the village. Humble pie, served at 36 C! We then gave out some gifts we had brought with us – immensely touching as these kids, who have pretty much nothing, all lined up patiently and received their gift with either a “thank you” or the khmer “okun” – always accompanied by a bow of respect and gratitude.

After a quick lunch of curry and rice we headed for the main construction project for this trip – a playground is going to be built, again in an outlying village. It’s only for small kids, but levelling 48 square meters of bumpy overgrown ground is no small task using traditional hoes. We dug a trench today to mark out the foundations for a surrounding wall, again thoroughly watering the ground with sweat, which seems to come out as fast as you can pour water in! I’m sure there will be more updates on our progress in days to come.

We drove straight from here to a youth church called “Young Life” back in Phnom Penh. Friendly greetings all round as 6 smelly, dirty, bedraggled looking foreigners turned up to teach English and join with them in evening worship. Education, particularly in English, is greatly valued here and I wish my classes were as eager to learn! The English classes are run both to help the locals and as an outreach, with the hope that many would stay on to the following service. We stayed and I was delighted to join in worship with our Cambodian brothers and sisters. One of my questions I hoped would be answered in this trip has been dealt with - it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, God is present, powerful and loving. Truly he has got the whole world in his hands, from the windswept island of Shetland where my home is, to the tropical heat of Cambodia he is real. Thanks for your prayers, they mean a lot to us all!

David Thomson