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$2 - the cover charge for Education

 Posted: October 18, 2009 at 9:04 am | by
Filed under: Cambodia

Every morning, the team would arrive to the David Center around 8:30.  Some of us would walk the dorms to see if any of the kids who should be at school were not.  It was a great way to find out who was sick - or had other reasons for not going to school. 

We saw an older boy - around 15 - hanging out in the little hut at the front of the center where a lot of the older kids chill.  I don’t know many of the older kids at the David Center because as most teenagers do, they tended to be a little more aloof and shy about using English with us.  I didn’t - and still don’t know his name.  Rhonda tells me that he is the smartest kid at the David Center.

Obviously not sick, we started giving him a hard time about why he wasn’t at school.  Rhonda translated for us at first then broke into a conversation with him about his answer.  We found out quickly after that this young man had outgrown his uniform.  He hadn’t told anyone in time to get a new one (the school year is just starting in Cambodia right now).  He had tried to borrow enough allowance to buy a new one but wasn’t able to.  No uniform..no school.

As any good Mom would, Rhonda gave him a bit of a stern talk about not coming forward but then went to work with us girls to fix the situation..Toni bought his uniform for him on the spot.  As he stood before Rhonda - as stoic as he could - one tear slipped down his cheek.  On the cusp of becoming a responsible man he had tried to fix this situation on his own..and it hadn’t worked.   

After speaking with Rhonda about uniform costs (between $2-5 depending on how much fabric is needed) and holding the teenage boy as he cried on my shoulder (he hid his tears from me initially when I checked on him..but then broke down when I hugged him and told him that he was still loved by me and by God - and we would fix this) I made a promise in my heart and to God that our kids at the David Center would have uniforms.   

The David Center is raising leaders out of a pitiful heartbreaking start to a kids life.  Setan talked to me about how many other orphanages only feed the body – not the soul of the kids. That when you drive in they don’t come running..and they shy away from hugs.  The David Center is different.  Our kids have the ability to get out of a life of poverty – to access education and grow up to be loving Christians.  They are the future leaders of Cambodia – this generation is the hope of Cambodia. 

I am not letting a kid miss out on an opportunity for education because they don’t have a uniform.  $2.  That is it.  These kids are well nourished at the David Center..they are going to grow so new uniforms are an uplifting fact of life J    

That boy changed my perspective and my heart. 

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Cambodia

Posted: October 18, 2009 at 8:52 am | by
Filed under: Cambodia, About Me

It’s 5:19 am and I have finally given up trying to fall back asleep after an hour of tossing and turning.  My mind is focused on the thoughts and memories I have of Cambodia.  So instead of fighting it I have fixed myself a cup of Cambodian coffee (why do we not put condensed milk in our coffee?!), flipped the fire on & grabbed my laptop, ipod and kindle with the Shack in it.  Life is perfect as I listen to Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars - with my puppy curled at my side. 

It’s good to be me.

I am going to try and write some of the memories I have of our trip – to capture the lessons that I have learned.  I don’t want to forget the people who changed how I think about life in some pretty surprising ways.

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