People always say that they realize how blessed they are after coming back from a mission trip. I don’t really agree. That is not to say that I am not blessed beyond what my feeble mind can comprehend. But there is something to be said about the joys of the simple life – which of course, it somewhat of a myth in Singapore. It’s clichéd but no one dies wishing they spent more time in the office.
My Lonely Planet guidebook described Phnom Penh as a somber cloud with a silver lining. I’d come to discover that this was a pretty accurate description. I remember very little about Phnom Penh, other than the people and especially our new friends from Preak Tual. On returning to Singapore, I’m surprised at how much I miss them, how often I think of them and how much I long to return to be with them again. Till then, they remain in my thoughts and in my prayers.
Sidetrack: Mith Samlanh/Friends
When preparing for my Vietnam trip 2 years ago, I stumbled across www.streetfriends.org and learnt about Friends – the Restaurant (nothing to do with the hit sitcom). The restaurant opened as part of a training initiative of the Cambodian NGO ‘Friends’. The initiative was designed to train former street kids in the skills of hospitality. Some 10,000-20,000 children are living and working on the streets of Phnom Penh. Their numbers are rising because of poverty in the countryside and due to more and more parents falling sick and dying of AIDS.
The story begins like this… In 1994, a bunch of expats decided to spend a couple of weeks in Cambodia. They were troubled by the numbers of street kids running around and decided that they would start giving them food. They weren’t the only people doing this and soon it got to a point when the children were receiving up to 8 meals a day. In fact, they were unconsciously supporting the children’s lives on the street. They had to come to a decision – either be bleeding hearts and ignore the problem or find some sort of constructive solution. ‘Friends’ is that constructive solution (sustained by a timely injection of funds from AusAid) and today it reaches thousands of street kids.
We ate there twice. The first time, sitting in the restaurant, enjoying excellent food with Mel and staring up at a stunning painting of Angkor Wat done by a former street kid reminded me of a time when I believed that a small, passionate and committed group of people could change the world – of a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed time when anything was possible. Reminded me that by the grace of God, it still is.
And lastly… thank you!
If you donated money at my party in July, a big thank you! The photos on this site will hopefully give you an idea of the work that we do in Preak Tual. The bulk of the money will be used for the purchase of a set of portable dental equipment. Our dental patients come to us at various stages of tooth decay – unfortunately, we currently lack the facilities to do filling for some of these cases and extraction is the only alternative. This is a real pity especially when they are young people and the teeth are already permanent. The portable dental equipment will go a long way in helping to “save the teeth” where possible!
--- edit (31 Aug 06)
We have hit our target and will go ahead to purchase a set of portable dental equipment. Thank you! :)
