Baby Sarah
Comments (3)
Baby Sarah
Princess Sarah
Baby Sarah with her caregiver
Baby Sarah with our nurse Anne Chun
- My heart’s desire is that someone in Calgary would be called by God to adopt this child. We already know one family, The Seehawer’s in Calgary who have a little 6 yr. old boy, Sammy, with the same problems.
- May Sarah be greatly loved all the days of her life.
- May she learn to cope with her problems.
- May she remain healthy.
- May her birth mother be comforted and may she come to know Jesus.
- May the Lord send us many more children who need to be cared for here.
- May He call many to pray for us and support us.
This We Believe Part 4: God has a plan
THIS WE BELIEVE
Part 4 – God has a plan for each of our children and He will reveal it to them.
Our children have come from sad and difficult backgrounds. They have a lot to overcome. We believe that Jesus can heal their damaged emotions and bring them peace and freedom. They can have a wonderful future because of the presence of Jesus in their lives. They can experience His guidance.
Even when we see some of the older children make the wrong choices and some leave, still we know that what they have learned here will stay with them.
My son, Doug, wrote this beautiful poem that perfectly expresses the children of Place of Rescue.
This one
This one You filled up with music,
His heart beats like a snare
and his blood quickens when there is a tune in the air.
This one contains a little flame.
She shelters it with her fragile hands,
Like it’s the last light on Earth.
This one is filled to the brim with joy,
and it bubbles over accidentally into others.
In this one You have installed a mathmatical mind
That wraps around puzzles.
He sees his way through mazes.
This one contains a strong center,
A kind of titanium skeleton.
You built him to withstand the wind and not be shaken.
In this one You set the rivers to running.
She is lithe like the willow and wispy like wysteria.
This one contains a multitude of ideas
All clamoring to be the one that gets put into practice.
In this one You crafted a complex imagination.
Stories run around in his mind unleashed.
The characters in him think they are real and alive.
This one is filled with a sense of what is right.
He is a book of law.
But in this one You put a sense of easy meter.
She is a book of poetry.
This one contains a streak of defiance.
This one a river of love.
This one a glitter of happy.
This one a stormy grey mood.
This one a ready acceptance.
This one a passion for sports.
This one a thoughtful reliance.
This one a delight in all words.
I seen now that You are an artist.
Each one a container for your expression.
No. Not a container.
A vase.
Who knows the wonders that will be revealed in the future as the Lord Jesus expresses Himself through these beautiful vases!
This We Believe Part 3: God is our source
THIS WE BELIEVE
Part 3 – GOD IS OUR SOURCE
We believe that God is the Source of the vision to help families living with AIDS, to help children orphaned because of AIDS and by other tragedies, to help elderly women left destitute because their children were executed or died during the Khmer Rouge regime or because of AIDS and to help young women left vulnerable and unsupported by boy friends who got them pregnant and then abandoned them. The dream to reach out to these who are among the least appreciated in society was His from the beginning. He wanted a Centre where they would be loved and cared for and given the chance of a good future. He named it Songrua Chun Aus Songkoum (Rescuing Those Without Hope)
With each child or adult that comes to us comes the dawning of the awesome truth that here is another person, another life, that Jesus has rescued ; here is another person He has chosen for us to care about. And for me, here is another little voice that will call out, “Makyeay! Makyeay!” (Gramma) As we watch them happily playing or studying, dancing or singing our eyes well up with tears to remember what they were rescued from.
The courage to respond to the risks involved in engaging in the task of helping them is from Him. The huge amount of love and patience that is needed is from Him. Who would dare to seek to love a whole village of children and adults without knowing that God’s love for them is an endless ocean we can dip into. Our poor human love would never suffice to meet their needs.
The number of dedicated people needed to care for these bruised and hurting people
is not small nor is the task of each individual staff member a small one. Our house mothers and baby care-givers work 24/7. They love the little ones they care for like their own. Their small salaries don’t begin to compensate for what is required of them. God is the Source of our great staff and we continue to plead with Him as we increase and need more people of high calibre to come help us.
Our God owns the whole universe. In a time when all the world is talking about economic downturn we hold fast to this truth. He is the Creator and He is not short of ideas of how to meet our needs. Over and over again we have been surprised at the ways He has sent donations in ways that surprise and delight us. Even now He is preparing surprises for us. We do have current needs. We believe these needs will be met. Perhaps He will involve you in His dream to continue to rescue those without hope here in Cambodia.
Welcome Home Baby Bope
Welcome Home Baby Bope
Yesterday we met Bope, a beautiful little seven year old girl. She is bright and sweet, timid and soft spoken yet very courageous.
When the big white Rescue van pulled into her village and total strangers got out and asked her if she wanted to go with us to Place of Rescue Orphanage she answered without hesitation, “I want to go.”
What would make a little girl of seven give such an answer? When she was about two Bope’s mother left her, never to return. Bope lived with her Grandmother and a few other relatives in her village. Her father went to seek his fortune on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Once in a long while he would return for a visit. Bope and her 84 yr. old grandmother lived in extreme poverty. There was never enough to eat but kind neighbours would often help out. Then the grandmother died.
Now see how God moved His might hand to rescue Bope.
Sokhan, director of Rescue, met a woman at her local market. “There is a little orphan girl in a village near Pursat who is living in poverty.” she said. Sokhan wanted to check out this information but Pursat is a long way from Phnom Penh. It would take about 5 hours to drive there. But…. Emma Emgard, a member of the Canadian board of Place of Rescue is visittng Cambodia with her brother and niece and we were already planning to take them to visit Rescue II which would take us right through Pursat town.
On the way we called the commune leader to arrange a meeting. He told us Bope had an uncle who was not willing for us to take her. Normally this might have ended the contact but somehow we felt we should still check it out. When we arrived we soon knew why we had felt compelled to come. There stood the uncle. At 11 a.m. he was already drunk. His hair was long and disheveled and he looked like this was his perpetual state. He refused to let his niece go because every night she shared his bed. “She’s all I’ve got.” he said. From the bottom of our hearts we knew we needed to get this child out of that bed!! If she has not already been sexually abused it would likely be just a matter of time. The commune leader, the other villagers and a couple of relatives all urged him to let her go but he kept refusing. He insisted we had to wait until the child’s father returned and gave permission for her to go. We promised that when the father returned we would pay for him to come to Place of Rescue and if he wants to take her back we would allow it. Still in his drunken state he kept refusing and saying the same things over and over.. We had talked for quite some time and were at an impasse.
While the Cambodian staff continued the conversation I went to Emma. “Come with me.” I urged and Emma and I stood together under the shade of a nearby tree. We clasped hands and cried out to the Lord Jesus who has all authority in Heaven and earth. Together we claimed deliverance for this vulnerable little girl. After we had prayed we returned to the group and immediately I was thrilled to see a couple of the uncle’s buddies put their arms around his shoulders and gently lead him away. “Take her.” said the others and we joyfully put our precious possession in the van and drove away.
Bope showed no sadness at leaving all she has ever known. During the long drive to Mongkol Borey and then to Siem Reap, during the time in the hotel there, during the 8 hour trip to Place of Rescue, she never once indicated homesickness or mentioned that she wanted to return. She regarded all her new experiences and new places with wide eyes and loved the good food she ate in restaurants along the way, especially the rambutans we bought at a roadside stand.
Now safe home at Place of Rescue everything is new. She has a new “Mom” and new friends. Caring women at Maple Creek Alliance church in Canada didn’t know that one of the beautiful dollies they dressed up or us would be for this child. Bope got her new school clothes today and tomorrow she will join the other kids in grade one. Maybe tomorrow she will even learn to write her name – that special name that we will enter in our record book here at Place of Rescue: Bope Bowk. Welcome home Baby Bope
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly: defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Prov.31:8
This We Believe Part 2
THIS WE BELIEVE
Part 2 – Cambodians Living in Cambodia Must be Raised by Cambodians
With 19 houses for families living with AIDS, 20 Orphan homes, 2 Granny Houses and 3 Baby Houses, a primary school, a library, medical centre, offices and a meeting hall and with a staff of 70 Cambodians and 2 Canadians plus a few short-term English teachers from time to time, Place of Rescue resembles a Cambodian village rather than an institution run by foreigners.
We praise God for the wonderful Cambodian children, adults and grannies that God has created. We desire for them to enter their culture as Cambodians - understanding and accepting themselves and others as Cambodians. We feel this can only happen as our babies and children are cared for day after day by Cambodian care-givers and house parents. The people whom our children call “Mak” and “Pa” are the same nationality as they are. As they grow up they learn from their mothers what it means to be a Cambodian Christian in this culture that is often so different from western cultures. Thus they will be able to pass their Cambodian Christian faith on to others in their country.
Our children live in simple houses, 10 children to a house with a Cambodian house mother or house parents. They do not have separate bedrooms but live as most Cambodians live, in a communal room. They sleep on straw mats and eat sitting on the floor on mats. The food they eat is not western. Unlike the poor children from surrounding villages the food our children eat is nutritious and the rice is plentiful but it is always Asian food. Usually when they have a special treat or a special celebration meal it is special Asian food they learn to enjoy and associate with special times.
We desire that all our children have very good self images. We want them to appreciate and love the fact that they are Cambodians, created special by their Heavenly Father to fulfill His purposes in this country where He chose to place them. We desire that our young people fall in love with people of their own race, not seeing them as inferior to men and women from the west but rather seeing them as superior.
Except for the sin that brought so much misery to their young lives, we want them to love the way Cambodian people live. We want them to respect the lovely customs (and perhaps not so lovely) that are part of their culture, never causing them to feel that some other culture is better. We teach the children their own traditional dance moves with music set to Christian lyrics. In times of joy and celebration, such as Christmas, they dance their joy to Cambodian music and Cambodian dance.
Most important of all, our children pray and sing praises in their heart language, Cambodian, not English. This is what I long for: When these fatherless children imagine their Heavenly Father they see Him as a Cambodian, not as a Western father. This is crucial because if they think their Heavenly Father resembles a western person they will also think He must love His western children more than His Cambodian children.
Someone commented to me recently, “You hold the Cambodians feet.” This expression means that you favor someone when there is a dispute. I commented, “ I don’t just hold their feet! I kiss them!”
Baby PB bonding with his Cambodian caregiver.
Place of Rescue youth-May they fall in love with each other!
Place of Rescue dancers performing at Preah Khet Melea Hospital
A house mom and her "daughters".
House Moms in traditional dress sing at the Christmas program
This We Believe
05 May 2010
Start with love.
THIS WE BELIEVE
Place of Rescue has been in existence for about 8 years. We have seen many changes and much growth since the beginning in 2002. We rejoice and praise God every day for His grace extended to us in our weakness. We are totally dependent on Him.
In the next few blogs I will be sharing some things He is teaching us and that have become stronger and stronger in our spirits over time.
Here is the first one:
1. Place of Rescue must be a place saturated with love.
It all starts … and goes on… and ends with love. I love the tender song my friend, Paul Brandt wrote for his son Joe. It goes like this:
Well your mom and me
we think it’s pretty neat
How our love turned out this way
when we heard your heart
Oh, right from the start
both of us were changed
Watchin’ love grow a little more each day
If I could show you everything I’ve ever learned
I’d start with Love
Sum life’s meaning up into just one word
I’d start with Love
Oh and this can be a complicated life
But I’ve seen how everything will turn out right (yeah, I promise everything will be just fine)
When you start with Love
It’s the A B C’s
and then 1 2 3
and daddy play with me right now
all these tiny things
they add up pretty big
and that’s got me thinkin’ about
how life’s too short and how I wish time would slow down (so I could)
and the storms may come
and the winds may blow
but if you just remember this
it’s all you’ll need to know
© 2010 Giant Foothillbilly Music/ SOCAN
Lyrics and Music by Paul Brandt
Our kids don’t have a human daddy who can tell them wonderful things like this, nor can he watch them grow or play with them “right now”. Our kids are orphans. But like Joe they need to know a father’s love. We believe that their Heavenly Father has a special place in His great heart for them. We believe we need to help them clearly understand and receive comfort and security from this fact. They are not poor little orphans: they are children of the King of Kings.
Our children need to know that love is the greatest thing. They need to know that in this complicated life they need to start with love. We believe that they will only learn to love if they are themselves greatly loved. Before they came to Place of Rescue these kids saw a lot of abuse and violence and had many heartaches. They watched their parents die. Sometimes they went to bed hungry. Some never got to go to school. Some saw their fathers murder their mothers. Some were used as servants and hit if they did not please their masters. Some were ostracized because they have AIDS. They need deep inner healing and the only thing that will heal them is the love of Jesus. But they won’t receive this love unless we give it to them. Yes, they need to know that their Heavenly Father loves them with an unsurpassed love. But they need to know human love as well. So we emphasize that first and foremost every day and all the time our kids need to be loved and respected and they need to know it.
There is a belief among some Cambodians that parents should not let their children know they love them. They have the awful misconception that if the children know they are loved they will take advantage of the parents. Not here! At Place of Rescue we see through this lie. We let each other know – we love each other!
THIS WE BELIEVE: Place of Rescue must be a place saturated with love.
