Newsletters
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November 2005
Dear friends and partners, Today is the first day of the annual Water Festival in Phnom Penh. It's a week when more than a million people from the rural areas travel to the big city to enjoy the boat races celebrating the beginning of the harvest season. This season is marked by the waters flowing down the Mekong River reversing itself and flooding up country to fill the Tonle Sap Lake in the middle of the country.
This means that for most people, a week of holidays is enjoyed. For Tabitha staff - it's a week of work - not because they are not allowed to have holidays but because they want to make sure that as many of our families as possible receive a new home. How does that happen - through volunteer house building teams - two of whom are here during this week. I ask the staff - are you sure you want to do this - their reply is consistent - look how many families will get houses - the families are so very happy - it's what we want. But oh my, it's not without cost - just traveling in and out of the city becomes a challenge all of its own. I personally grumble and mumble through the whole week - what an inconvience this is - all these people. All this traffic. And in the midst of the grumbling, one of our sewers walks into my office - she is very nervous - and she stands and twists her hands - I ask her what she wants - and she shyly turns and pulls forth her family - 4 boys, 3 girls - all twisting their hands and giving me scared glimpses through downcast eyes - each face tries desperately to hide little smiles. Each child is wearing new clothes - how beautiful - their eyes are shining - there is a giggle from the smallest and it becomes infectious - the sewer says softly, my children will celebrate this week for the first time ever - I wanted to come and show you. Do you not wish to join them, I ask? She shakes her head - no she says, tonight I will join them, today, I want to earn enough money so that next week I can pay for each one of them to go to school. I am so blessed, she says - I never thought this would happen. I stand on the street with Miriam and watch as so many people come to celebrate - so many in ragged clothes, clutching their few riels in their hands, so many who walk for hours just to be a part of the celebration - I watch and see the children stare at all the many new things they see - I watch as they try to decide what little tidbit of food their money can buy. Miriam's hand is in mine - she too, is staring - she is watching a young girl with a little one on her hips - snatching scraps of food off the food stalls - she asks me, can I spend my money on whatever I want. I say yes. She goes to the owner of the food stall and orders rice and fish, soup and chicken and a fruit shake - I ask her if she is hungry - her face is ashen - she says nothing but goes to the girl and takes her by the hand - she makes her sit on a stool - the little one gets her own stool as well- she can't sit still - her butt beats a tattoo on the stool - the girls eat and eat - Miriam does not move - tears slip down her cheeks - she says, I am so happy mom, that God gave me you as my mom. I have a team in town - they went to Kirivon for the week-end - it was hard build - little in the way of the comforts they are used to. One of the moms gives me something her son wrote this year as an assignment required in his class. I am deeply touched. Rory is 13 and in grade 8 - he wrote My Dream in Cambodia « To build at least 20 houses in Cambodia through Tabitha « Have already built 4 in sixth grade « Going on another building trip over spring break « If each house holds a family of at least 5, 100 people have a better standard of living « Older Cambodians who lived through the Khmer rouge would rather die than go through it again and a lot keep poison in their house « I want to show them that the Khmer rouge won't come to power again and to get them to throw out their poison. As we in Tabitha all celebrate Water Festival in our own ways - I want to say thank you to each of you for celebrating with us through your support. I, like Miriam am so happy to God for giving each of you to all of us. Janne
