Day Three

Today is a day of celebration...our orphanage director's wife just had her baby tonight! I am so excited to meet the newest little addition to our Asian Vista family, especially since he was not supposed to be born until I was already in the states. How fun that the entire team will get to meet him! In Khmer culture, it's customary to give gifts after the baby is born instead of before. The team brought gifts for the baby, so it's perfect timing!

The story of Pisey's labor is worth telling, though. It provides a great picture of Khmer culture. This morning, we went to church at the school with all of the kids. We were sitting in the van getting ready to leave and Savong calmly tells me, "Pisey may need to go to hospital today to have baby." I asked him to repeat himself two more times to make sure that I understood him....because here he was ready drive at least an hour to and from the city to take us back while his wife is in labor. In the meantime, she is posing for pictures with us and smiling and waving goodbye like nothing is happening. Had Savong not said anything to me, we would have never known! I told him to stay with her and we would find other transportation. And true to his giving spirit and the nature of the Khmer people to want to serve, he insisted that he take us back.

We told him not to worry about us for the rest of the day, but I got a text telling me that the baby had not come yet, so he would pick us up in the afternoon to take us to the orphanage. All the while, I am still wondering if I really understood that she was in labor today!

So, this evening, we were doing a craft with the kids and leisurely hanging out with them. One of the team members mentioned to me that it looked like Pisey was ready to go to the hospital. So I asked Savong if she needed to go, and he calmly said, "Yes, we go now." The whole time we were there, Pisey was on the floor doing the craft with the kids and helping to clean things up. I have never had a baby, but I'm pretty sure that I would have been in a bed somewhere screaming for drugs at that point.

We took the 30 minute drive back to the city, and Savong dropped us off at the hotel. We said goodbye, and I asked Savong to text me when the baby was born. This was about 7:30pm. At 9:00pm, I got that text. Incredible! Their willingness to give and serve is truly humbling.

One team member has said several times this week that she does not like to use the word orphanage when talking about our kids, because it's not really an orphanage. It's a home. That was clearly seen tonight as the kids were all excited about their new brother coming today. They truly are a loving family with devoted parents. It's beautiful to see.

So, back to the events of the day. We started out early this morning at the school for the church service with all the kids together. It's a packed house in the little room:)

The team was introduced, and Morgan shared a verse about our love for them.

The older Vista kids sang a song. It was beautiful as always:) But then, I might just be a little biased.

The Vista kids, Savong, and Pisey. Don't you love their Sunday best?! And yes, Pisey was in labor in this picture!

This afternoon, the team got a chance to visit a state-run orphanage. There are about 100 kids living in this facility, and it's a very different situation than the one that our kids are in. There is little joy or hope in this place. This is the fourth time I have been there, and each time I feel overwhelmed with the sadness that I wish these children could experience the daily love and care that our kids do.

Adam got to share a little about God's love for the kids. Then Justin led us in a couple of songs.

We also brought along a bag of goodies for each child. It contained both hygiene items and snacks. This truly was a blessing to the kids. They appreciate anything that they are given.

This is one of the dormitories on the property.

From there, we went to see our kids. The team brought lots of fun stuff to do with the kids. Today, they got to decorate foam visors and bookmarks with foam stickers. Our kids absolutely love crafts! And this was perfect for all age groups. The little ones tried to stick as many stickers on as they could. While the older kids took their time with their designs. It was one of those moments that, again, I wish everyone could have seen. They shared. They helped one another out. They were genuinely excited to work. And would have continued working had not Pisey needed to go to the hospital. I have a lot of shots of the tops of heads tonight, because they were so intent on their projects that they did not want to look up for the camera:)

At one point, they started attaching the bookmarks to the visor:)

The littler kids tried to use as many stickers as possible.

Yohan really was happy here...I caught him while he was eating Skittles:)

Please keep praying for Savong, Pisey, the new baby, and all the kids. Hopefully we'll be able to get pictures of him soon. Tomorrow, the team will be visiting the genocide museum, the Russian market, the school, and the kids. Please also continue to pray for health and stamina. During short term trips, we try to pack in as much as possible. Pray for good rest!