After close to seven weeks in Cambodia it is almost time to go home. Sam and I arrived in Phnom Penh towards the end of March and after a few days in the capital we headed south to Sihanoukville where we were to spend a majority of our time (Sihanoukville is a coastal city in south western Cambodia).
One of the beaches in Sihanoukville
On the very first weekend we were able to witness the baptism of our sister Srey Pov. It was a special day down at the beach and included a shared bbq lunch and memorial meeting.
As the BEC in Sihanoukville is relatively new we worked hard to attract students by handing out flyers advertising the English course we were planning to teach. Word of mouth helped to gain students as many would bring along their friends to study with them.
In early April Simon and Anna arrived in Sihanoukvile to lend a hand at the BEC. It was great to have them along and we appreciated both their help and their company. By that time the number of students ha increased sufficiently so that we all had the opportunity to teach.
Most of the classes were designed to teach English using the Bible as a basis. The students’ eagerness to learn made them a pleasure to teach. They were always respectful, calling us ‘teacher’.
One of our youngest classes – these girls came to the BEC for both English and Sunday School lessons
Our last couple of weeks in Sihanoukville was busy and challenging all at the same time. Simon and Anna left to go back to Thailand so we were extra busy with teaching and then about a week after they had gone the water supply to Sihanoukville was cut. It has been a particularly hot, dry year and the lake which is used to supply the city with water has gone dry. It made us realise our dependency on water and how much we take some things for granted.
All in all it was an awesome experience with lots of great memories. Some highlights were shared meals with the locals, doing the readings together after tea and choosing our favourite verse, teaching the children, spending time at the beach and riding on motos and in tuk tuks.
Thankyou to the brothers, sisters and friends in both Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh who warmly welcomed and took care of us during our stay. May God continue to bless the work that is being undertaken here in Cambodia.
Naomi
One of the beaches in Sihanoukville
On the very first weekend we were able to witness the baptism of our sister Srey Pov. It was a special day down at the beach and included a shared bbq lunch and memorial meeting.
Srey Pov’s baptim
In early April Simon and Anna arrived in Sihanoukvile to lend a hand at the BEC. It was great to have them along and we appreciated both their help and their company. By that time the number of students ha increased sufficiently so that we all had the opportunity to teach.
Most of the classes were designed to teach English using the Bible as a basis. The students’ eagerness to learn made them a pleasure to teach. They were always respectful, calling us ‘teacher’.
One of our youngest classes – these girls came to the BEC for both English and Sunday School lessons
Our last couple of weeks in Sihanoukville was busy and challenging all at the same time. Simon and Anna left to go back to Thailand so we were extra busy with teaching and then about a week after they had gone the water supply to Sihanoukville was cut. It has been a particularly hot, dry year and the lake which is used to supply the city with water has gone dry. It made us realise our dependency on water and how much we take some things for granted.
All in all it was an awesome experience with lots of great memories. Some highlights were shared meals with the locals, doing the readings together after tea and choosing our favourite verse, teaching the children, spending time at the beach and riding on motos and in tuk tuks.
Last night in Sihanoukville – shared tea at the beach
Thankyou to the brothers, sisters and friends in both Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh who warmly welcomed and took care of us during our stay. May God continue to bless the work that is being undertaken here in Cambodia.
Naomi
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