The Long and Short of It

A friend posted a board on Facebook this morning:  Parenting-the days are long but the years are short.  (Thanks, Ken). As you can tell from reading the blog posts this week, I have been so impressed by the long of it and the short of it of the care of the Asia's Hope House Parents.

It has also encouraged me, as in "Encourage one another" how the community of God works together to support each other and help "grow up" the kids of Asia's Hope.  As parents you know how much you want your children surrounded by other adults who will love and encourage them.

In Battambang, we have had faithful friends in Jill and Kevin Kane, who serve with Grace Brethren's Encompass ministry, yet have found time for years to teach English to the kids at Asia's Hope, and fellowship with them on Sunday.

At the same time in Phnom Penh, Narin Chey and his wife Quenie have been long time friends of Asia's Hope, while also pastoring at Gospel Christian Fellowship, and providing early childhood education to some at ABC-123 International School which Quenie founded.

One of the visions of the GCF (Gospel Christian Fellowship) was to begin a student dormitory for university students.  At the same time, some of the oldest children in the Prek Eng homes were preparing to graduate high school, and begin university studies.  They have found student living space in Phnom Penh in the dormitory run by the GCF where they continue to be surrounded by the love and concern of others.

Sopang, their Asia's Hope house parent at Prek Eng 1, reported  with a laugh
that they tend to come back home on Sundays, because they miss the cooking of their house mom!  Doesn't that just sound like a boy!!

It is the networking of the love of God that has been the encouragement today.  Thank you all.

Do you hear the laughter?

Do you hear the laughter?  We had lunch with the Prek Eng house parents and with Savorn, National Director of Asia's Hope and his wife Sony.  We all enjoyed the "attitude" shots which show the spunk and energy that they put into life.  Remember, every day they are helping raise twenty or twenty five kids.

For the last several years, these house parents have been packing and moving dozens of children almost yearly to stay ahead of the exploding Prek Eng rental market, and ahead of the landlords who wanted more each year.  The decision was made to purchase land and build homes for a permanent Asia's Hope campus.  There are four homes under construction or lived in, with the front space of this photo the section for the fifth home when money becomes available.

These are some of the children at Prek Eng two who will be moving into their home in two weeks, along with their parents Narun Roen and Sophal Em.  What a delight to be led around by the young woman in pink who shared with such joy what each rooms was designated for, and which bed area was going to be HERS!!!  Narun said that they have been praying as an extended family for years and that the children are thrilled to see God's answer to their  prayers.

It is a joy to share the joy of all of the Prek Eng Asia's Hope staff with you.

What will YOU be when you grow up?

Some of you will be teachers.

Some of you will be lawyers.

Some of you will be dentists.

Some of you will work for Asia's Hope.

These were the answers that I heard today when I asked our Asia's Hope kids what they are studying at the University.  They are in the first wave of the future of the hundreds of Asia's Hope kids that are growing up right behind them.

Let me tell you about Chhong Chhem:  Today when I asked her what she was studying and what she wanted to do, her response brought tears to my eyes.  "I want to help take care of children.  I know what it is to have a broken heart because of having no family.  I understand what they are feeling and want to help them".

All of these answers live out our recognition that these kids ARE Asia's hope.  They will change their country's future by helping one another change in the love of God.

Dr. John and I cannot say enough about the steadfastness, sacrifices, and love offered by the Asia's Hope staff at each home.

The men and women not only raise their "own" families, they are willing to extend their hearts to raise a family of 25 children through years of schooling, homework, sickness, life decisions.  They are the mentors who teach the children how to grow up well.

The children have extra tutors to help learn English, coaches to help play sports, a teacher to help them learn a craft or computer.  It is not much different than many homes that we know, except that there are a few hundred other brothers and sisters living with them, going to school, getting to take extra field trips, play games together, and worship together on Sundays.

So it has been a grand parenting day for us here in Battambang.  We are so grateful that inadvertently we arrived during a school holiday, so there have been many hours of hanging out with the kids.  We return tonight to eat supper with some of them, visit the computer lab, and smile and laugh.

Tomorrow we have the pleasure of returning to Phnom Penh and getting to do this all over again with the children and staff at the five Prek Eng homes!!

By the way, my ego once again received a boost by some of the children thinking that the Queen of Cambodia had returned to visit them (honesty requires me to say that as they compare me to her picture which is on the wall, we both have full faces, wavy hair, and are of a certain maturing age....but it is still fun to be considered royalty every once in a while).

The following pictures show the proud "papas" from the BB homes, one proud Mama surrounded by some of the girls, and two boys from the winning "football" team. (Again, the pictures are on Facebook, but so far not on the blog.  Sorry).

Loving for a LONG time!

Have you ever gone to see old friends, and been amazed at how much their kids have grown.  This has been Dr. John and my feelings today as we visited at the Battambang campus for Asia's Home.  There are ten homes there- the first started in 2002, and number 10 is being built as I write this.

Asia's Hope mission is to raise children with the love of God in loving homes.  An explanation of their family-home approach is   "to create stable environments with real full-time moms and dads,... and provide privacy and independence within the context of a larger Asia's Hope community."

Parenting is a decades long process.  Each of these 10 homes have a Mom and a Dad who love the kids, raise them, help them mature and grow into responsible young adults.

Does this approach work?  Share the joy of these word pictures  (until I can master uploading photos onto this blog.  The photos will be posted on my Facebook page.)

First is a picture of the parents and children at the very first home (called Battambang 1) from 2002.
These kids were young, and scared, and learning not to be hungry, but not sure about their long time position in this new "family" because other families had already disappeared on them.

Today, when Dr. John and I arrived at the Asia's Hope homes in Battambang, we found some of the same children home from high school and university and took the photo op to SHOW the love that has continued through all of these years.  They are studying to be teachers and lawyers, and be in marketing and whatever else their interests direct.

They continue to live in their BB1 home, ride off to school, and come back to study and be loved and love others.

These kids brought out a picture that included Dr. John taken with them in earlier years.  The extended Asia's Hope community has impacted their lives also through the years, seeing not just the Moms and Dads that love them, but others that come and share of their love and concern.

Years ago I (Bobbi) was told by a Cambodia student:  I know that you love us, because you have come back.

The same is true of the older students that we saw today.  Time after time they smiled and leaned in and asked "Do you remember me?".

They have value, because people care, and have cared for a long time.

Thank you for those who help the Asia's Hope community by praying and caring and providing.


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