It's a long way around Ton Le Sap

Made it to Battambang after 8 hours of driving including a detour to visit the Kambour village. We called ahead and authorized extra feedings because we heard the kids come and hang out at our barn everyday wanting to be fed. We are unable to feed the children every day because we do not have sponsors for all of the kids. The food shortage is worse due to the floods and the kids are hungry. It is so sad. We had to go by canoe out the the site where we have about 100 hectares of rice fields. The land is completely flooded about 4-5 feet deep from the typhoon. It took about an hour to paddle out through the rice fields to see where we are planning to dig a canal and dike around our land to allow the river water to flow into the land during the dry season. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place until you come back to the village and it’s abject poverty and hunger. The new canal will also allow the neighboring farms to have access to water which will allow this village to be more prosperous. This farm helps us to support our ministry and we also minister to the local village children and their families there.

There is such a difference between the children at Kambour and our children at the David Center Orphanage. Our kids are happy and are constantly talking playing and hanging around, just goofing off like regular kids. These kids just stand around and have no smiles and watch us. You can get them going if you engage with them, but there is just something missing. It is a lack of a loving family and hunger. Many of the kids have been abandoned by their parents who have left the village to find work and are cared for by family members who struggle to feed themselves much less extra mouths. We saw people hunting for field rats that have been forced to leave the fields because of the flooding. If they catch a rat it would be their only source of protein and there isn't much meat on a rat.

Check out Setan's You Tube video about the kids at Kambour. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH4vDa0WZXM

We have added 4 new kids at the orphanage. Three siblings, 10, 8 and 3 years old whose mother left for another man and their father is in the military. The father was ordered to the front line in the war with Thailand. He left the children alone at their house so one of our pastors brought them to the David Center. The 3 year old cried all the time so Rhonda has had him with her as she is traveling around. He isn't potty trained so they have had some interesting times. Yesterday an old grandmother brought her 8 year old grandson to the orphanage. His stepfather would beat him and make him go out and beg everyday. We hope there is no permanent brain damage. We now have 54 kids. I went with Setan to pick up the older kids from school. He treated them to egg embryos, one of their favorite snacks at a roadside stand. I ate the grossest looking thing that I have ever eaten. If you didn't look it was quite tasty. Basically it is a chicken or duck egg that has matured to the point that the bird has started to form. You can see feathers, feet, head, the whole thing with a yolk. You crack open the top of the egg and scoop out the insides. I will never eat one of those things again! We have a young women that lives permanently at the Woman's Center. She was repeatedly raped and beaten by her drunk stepfather and thrown off the porch of their house. She has permanent brain stem damage that has affected her vision and hearing. She is cross-eyed and essentially deaf. Her jaw has been broken and her face is somewhat deformed as a result. Alison Comfort is her sponsor and she bought her a hearing aid that is about 10 months old now. It has been damaged by sweat and finally totally stopped working. Yesterday we went and bought her a new one for $50. She was so happy to be able to hear again. Rhonda bought her some glasses so she has begun to learn to read. She is self taught through reading the Bible. She looked so cute yesterday with her glasses and new clothes that Rhonda brought her. She is a joyful, happy young lady that has a positive influence on the other girls at the Woman's center