Newsletters
With our regular newsletters, we aim to keep you posted on all the interesting and important news and updates of our programs and various activities. Enjoy reading!
June 26, 2006
Dear friends and partners, It has been 2 months since I have written and what an amazing two months they have been. My trip to Australia was phenomenal - Miriam and I met so many people in so many different settings. We saw the beauty of the country, the beauty of its diversity - the beauty of the people. How privileged we are to be able to call so many of them friends.
On our return in early June, we were quickly busy with housebuilding teams from various parts of the world. I am also so privileged to call them our friends. Often these house builders are unaware of the impact they have on the families they touch or on the staff or on me personally. For the families - there are hardly any words that adequately express what it means to them. Let me share what one of our families said to their team of house builders. What she said is said to all our teams - often not as articulately but the meaning is the same.
In late April we had a team that built in Kompong Som. As they completed their houses, the houses were presented to the families. The spokesman of the families was a lady in her forties, 90% blind and raising seven children. She said, "I have never lived in a house and I thought I never would. Now I have a home. You will not remember us over the years ahead but on the day that I die, it will be your faces that I see." What a testimony to all of you who come and build, to all of you who are unable to come but support these teams, to all of you who support our work so that housebuilding can be done.
The impact on the staff is one of wonderment and thankfulness. As the staff go about their daily work, they spend endless hours riding motorbikes down impossible roads feeling the onslaught of the relentless sun. The people they work with become their friends - they struggle together to make things better - the families give them protection and share what food they have. The staff hunger to see the families achieve more than a subsistence life style - they hunger to see each of their families live in safe and secure homes, they hunger for life giving water for each, they hunger to see our families being able to work in a way that would allow enough income to feed, clothe, school their children and get medical help when sick. When a team comes and they build for their families - a sense of contentment and well being infuses the staff - they know that these families are now safe, the children will all sleep inside, and the parents can protect their little ones. It is so good.
The impact on me is one of wonderment as well. Why in the world would anybody come so far and suffer this heat, making themselves tired beyond words - always completing the tasks that they came to do and in most cases, doing it with good grace. When we meet at the end - they are invigorated by what they have accomplished - by having made new friends with our families and staff - they are deeply touched by the courage of these families they came to serve. So many say we will come again, and so many do come again.
And my wonderment changes to thankfulness and joy and then to encouragement - and then to visions - visions of changing so many lives - being touched by so many people - people like yourselves, people like our staff, people like the families we are called to serve. How good my God is that He would allow me such a life.
Janne
