Thoughts from Team Member: Chrissy Ostrowski

Up till my trip to Cambodia, I believed that I had a good understanding of other cultures. I expected to be a perfect tourist, being interested in the differences in cultures and never being offended if people acted in a way that was strange to me. But it wasn't until I was hanging out with young adults who were my age that I realized how similar they were to my friends at home. I was in culture un-shock - shocked that I was not in culture shock - as we listened to the radio, studied math, talked about our life ambitions, and talked about God. Not only is music a universal language, but I realized that advanced algebra, hopscotch, volleyball, and, more recently, American pop music, are all becoming universal languages.

During a small group bible study, I realized something else - their understanding of God is the same as mine. They have had similar experiences praying and learning to trust God as I have, because we have the same Dad. After I left, I received an e-mail from one of my new friends encouraging me that we are "one family in Christ." Wow! Although language and distance keep us apart, I am so encouraged that we are working towards the same goal and listening to the same Jesus Christ!

- Chrissy

Pray for our Cambodian Friend

I just received an urgent prayer request from SEAPC and the team at the Phnom Penh orphanage for a young girl there named Phary. We met this girl and had a lot of fun with her over the course of our time in Phnom Penh and I remember her from when I visited there 2 years ago. She is very outgoing and lovable and speaks very good English.

In fact, she was one of a few kids that I purchased a gift for while I was there because she made that much of an impression on me and the rest of the team. Here is the prayer request...

Phary, a 15 (almost 16) year old girl at the Phnom Penh children's home is in the hospital. I don't know too many details except that she has inflammation of her brain. We have been told that there has been a little bit of improvement on her condition, but she is very ill. Please pray for her to completely recover and that there will be no permanent damage. She is a very smart girl with a gift for learning languages.

Keep visiting our blog for updates..

Thoughts from Team Member: Mary Sattler

In witnessing the joy, humility and gratitude of the Cambodian people, children & adults alike, I was experiencing change in my own heart. Concerns for comfort in what I may have otherwise thought I needed were being released. Experiencing God's love and care for His people (all people), was replacing my want for stuff to comfort me.


This is an entry written in my journal, spoken into my heart near the end of our visit in Cambodia:

When little is all that is available, it is sufficient.
When we have little, and know or have seen more ~
Little is not satisfying and we seek to have more.
More becomes never enough.
Better to have little and be satisfied in the Lord
Than to have more and always be in want.

Blessings,
Mary

Sunday's Mission Trip Highlight Sermon

Cambodia Mission Trip Video

Here is the extended version of the Cambodia Mission Trip Video that was promised to you in church today...

Cambodia Highlight Video (Extended Version) from RccArts Media on Vimeo.

Other RCC Arts Media at www.riversideconnect.org/media

Picture Post - Day 4

These pictures were taken on our travels back from Beantey Meanchey province at the Pursat orphanage and the Kampong Chnang orphanage...


Everyone in Cambodia poses with the peace sign...


Cathy and her friends from Pursat orphanage...


These children are so precious!


Dave, Leroy, Sokhom and Arun... Friends... (Mud Kiholm)


Sokhom's magic show :)


This young man asked Nikki if she would take a picture with him, he was a nice guy...


Bob is talking with a little fan in Kampong Chnang orphanage...


An orphaned child from Kampong Chnang...


The team presents gifts and a card to the RCC Children's Ministry sponsored child, Vain Sok, at the Kampong Chnang orphage...


This is Vain Sok, the orphan that RCC Children's Ministry sponsors on a monthly basis...


The team with Vain, he was happy to receive the gift and the good word from RCC children!


Musician at a Thai restaurant in Phnom Penh...

Picture Post - Day 3

These pictures are from Tuesday, July 28, 2009 in the Beantey Meanchey province and the village of Rongko...


Preparing Bible stories to share with the children...


Children at the Rongko public school where the team held an outreach...


One little girl from the public school...


Chrissy tells the children a story from the Bible (our team introduced Bible stories to the children and finally after five years of involvement with this public school, they will begin teaching the Bible as part of their curriculum this fall)!


The children draw the picture that Cathy teaches them to draw...


One very talented artist!


It was so touching - the children brought their finished pictures up for our team to see!!


Me and the principal of the school (enrollment is over 2,000 children)...


Playing Red Light, Green Light with the kids...


Leroy and Nikki join in the fun!


Mary and Sarah with new friends...


Bob takes a ride on a scooter...



Dinner at Beantey Meanchey Orphanage - spicy chicken, green beans and of course... rice!


Getting my tail whipped in chess by a pro! (Cambodia style.. ya I didn't know the rules completely so that didn't help)...


Sothea prays for the Rongko University during our 2 hour prayer walk of the campus...


Future building at the Rongko University that belongs to SEAPC-Cambodia and is part of the Cambodian Christian School Network (see www.seapc.us)

Picture Post - Day 2

On the way to Beantey Meanchey Province - Day 2 - Monday July 27 2009


The spider (live)!


Nikki eats a spider...



Bob also eats the spider...


Cathy draws pictures for the children at the Pursat II orphanage, where we stopped for a children's outreach program for about 2 hours on our way to BC Orphanage.


Happy children at Pursat II orphanage.


Mary teaches the children how to make friendship bracelets at Pursat II.


Singing "If You're Happy and You Know It"... They are happy!!



From tall to small...


The "squatty potty"...


Chrissy was waiting for us at the Beantey Meanchey orphanage that evening...



We slept under misquito nets on top of a mat...


The van and the orphanage at Beantey Meanchey...

Picture Post - Day 1

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Day 1 - Sunday, July 26 2009


Leroy is about twice as tall as the children at the oprhange.. They loved him!


Sarah and a new friend..


We visited the Genocide Museam to understand more about the recent history of Cambodia and the Killing Fields under Pol Pot regime during the mid 1970s.


We took Pastor Sinai and his family out for Chinese food that evening - and the fish was great!


Enjoying my fish!

We Are Home!

Well we are back in Pittsburgh now and i spent much of my day sleeping and resting.. It has been great to see the family again and my body will take some time to get adjusted to the lifestyle here at home (including time changes, work scheds, family life and a western diet).

I plan on uploading pictures and videos as time allows over the next week or so, so please continue to check in with the blog from time to time. On Sunday, August 16th we will have our morning worship services will be dedicated to our trip.

We had a great time!

Last Day

Well this is it folks, our last day in Cambodia! We are winding down with another full day! This morning we will teach children through workshops that we will have at the Phnom Penh orphanage from 8am-11am. The workshops are:

Arts & Crafts - Sarah
Drawing - Cathy
English - Nikki and Mary
Health & Hygiene - Bob
Music - Leroy
Basic Computer - Chrissy
Adv Computer - Dave

Each workshop will last for 25 minutes with 5 mins in between to switch. There will be 6 workshops that they will rotate through. Advanced computer will last for the entire 3 hours with a few short breaks in between. This class is more for the older and advanced kids and staff here at SEAPC-Cambodia and New Hope.

After the morning workshops we will come back to the hotel to check out, then go to lunch with some friends, then visit the Russian Market for shopping and then back to the orphanage to hang out with the kids. At 5 pm today we are going to have a BBQ party with the kids and then at 830 head to the airport. Our flight schedule is listed below on one of the first posts in this blog for Cambodia.

Keep us in prayer as we travel and we will be landing in Pgh at 444 pm Tuesday afternoon. God bless you all!

One More Day!

Well today was exciting and uplifting to our team. We ate breakfast at 645 and then were off to Fellowship Word of Life Church in Phnom Penh at the orphanage. There were about 60 in attendance there this morning. Leroy gave a personal word of encouragement and did a fantastic job! I led the congregation in a worship song "Lord I Lift Your Name on High". Then I preached a sermon they wanted a 45minute so that's what they got (including the interpreter it was a little longer). I began the sermon with the following statements (only I said them in Khmer - and I don't know if they were being nice but they said that my Khmer was very clear and good so I am happy about that)...

Good morning everyone!
How are you all doing?
May God bless all of you!
You are all my friends!

My name is Pastor Dave
I love Jesus and Jesus loves you!
I love you all!
I love Cambodia and I love Sow Mow (a very yummy fruit here, they all laughed at this)!
Thank you!

After that the sermon was based on the stories in the gospels of the harvest and Paul's instructions on one body and many parts. The service ended with a time of prayer where the whole team prayed for each one by the laying on of hands (for those who wanted to hear God's calling for their lives). Most of the church came forward for prayer.

Then we hung out with the children at the orphanage for a while. After which we ate lunch and went to the Resettlement Area (the area of Phnom Penh called the slums where there is extreme poverty, malnutriti0n and statelessness. Statelessness refers to people with no identity, the government calls these people nonpersons. The church that we ministered at (Freedom Church) in this area was mostly full of stateless persons. Since they are stateless they cannot receive any public funding a.k.a. gov't assistance.

In this service Leroy gave personal word of encouragement, sang Lord I Lift and Jesus Loves Me and I preached the same message as I did earlier with just a few changes to adapt to this crowd. After church service we passed out the rice and oil to 40 families. They picked this up at the church. The really cool thing is this... During the offering the pastor's wife told us (was translated) that last week many people from the church came up for prayer and asked for prayer that God would provide them rice because they ran out of money to purchase rice. Then they find out this week that our team purchased rice and oil (500USD) for them and they thank God that He heard their prayer and sent this rice and oil from heaven above. I also found out in a later conversation that August and September many people do not have much rice because it is the end of the year before the harvest of rice is brought in. WOW! What a blessing to know that a measly 500USD could make such an impact on people's lives. Their faces showed appreciation and for each one we had the chance to greet them, tell them God bless you and put a hand on their shoulder to express our love to them!

During the service most of the team was running the children's program for Sunday school. They did a great job and had a lot of fun!After we left the Resettlement Area we ate dinner with Pastor Sinai, his wife Somalay and their three children (Rebekah, Deborah and Angela) as well as the last dinner with our tour guide and van driver (and new found friend) Arun, Boeurn and Sokholm. We have really grown close with Arun, Sokholm, Boeurn and Sothea this trip and have laughed a lot together!

After dinner was back to the hotel to pack up our bags for tomorrow we check out and tomorrow night we fly out at 11 pm local time. We will land in Pittsburgh at 444pm EST so please be praying for safe travels. We are not looking forward to the flying home part because it will be exhausting. We cannot wait to share some stories, video and photos from our trip on Sunday August 16th so please make every effort to be there!

Thank you for following our blog, we will post again most likely!!

Kampong Cham Near Vietnam Border

Today was a long and grueling day.. We ate breakfast early today and some folks had to switch hotel rooms because of reservations that were in before ours. Then we went to Kampong Cham orphanage near the Vietnamese border. There we were presented with paint, paint brushes and rollers. So we began painting and it took all but ten minutes for my tank top to be half drenched and my hair soaking wet with sweat because the temps were extremely high just like the humidity. The air was so thick and heavy it was even affecting a team member or two with some slight ill effects. But no worries, everyone is back to normal and all is well..

We painted a building on the outside and inside (which was even hotter) and we did it in about 4 hours. In between coats we ate some lunch that they had prepared for us. After the painting I had to sit down for a good half and hour before I strapped on my guitar and started the children's program that our team had once again prepared for the kiddos. We sang songs with motions in English and Khmer, Bob told the story of the good Samaritan with the acting assistance of a boy named "Lee" who was one of the younger boys who visited our church in Aug 2007 for the tour. We talked about Jesus' love for each of us and our response in praise and the kids sang Jesus Loves Me in both English and Khmer, which is one of the most touching things you've ever seen.

After that we had the chance to pray for each child with the laying on of hands as we have with most of the other children's programs that we've done. Then it was balloon, candy and puppet time. I learned a few more Khmer words today such as "Mud Kiholm" which translates to "My Friend". The driver of our van this week, Arun, told me today that I was his friend and he hopes that when I come back in 2011 that I will again use his services and bring a team with me. He appreciated all the laughs that we've had this week with him, the sense of humor and the free food :)

Its been great hanging out with other friends here also such as Sokholm, Sothea, Boeurn, Vanna, Pastor Sinai and Somalay and the kids from the orphanages. One other thing I think that I forgot to mention from yesterday's adventures was that we had the opportunity to visit the IJM Cambodia team at their offices (International Justice Mission www.ijm.org). This was a highlight for many because it made our relationship more personal (we support IJM on a monthly basis, the Cambodia branch) and was very informative to those who had not known about IJM or the significance of what they do.

Well thats all for now, I am falling asleep yet again and its only 9 pm Saturday night. Tomorrow I preach in two different church services, the team will do Sunday school with the kids and we will distribute rice and oil to 40 families and have the opportunity to pray with them and chat.

Blessings from our team! Keep praying for us as we have two more full days then a long trip home. See you soon!

Missions In Our Back Yard - Nexus Facility!

Hi Everyone,

All of these updates from Pastor Dave and the Cambodia team are thrilling to read and I'm so blessed by all that God is doing through them. In addition to what is happening overseas, I wanted to let you know that a home missions project is underway right in Oakmont.

Construction on the new Nexus student ministry facility has begun! We want you to keep up with all the updates and view pictures of the ongoing work so please feel free to visit http://www.nexusbuildoutblog.wordpress.com/ for all the latest news.

Please consider joining the team for work days on Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 6:00 PM as well as Saturday’s at 9:00 AM. God is doing wonderful things through the RCC family ... both here and around the world!