Day Five

Day five hit the ground running with breakfast together at 6:00am. We had a long way to travel for today’s adventure and we needed to get going early so that we could fit everything in.

The initial energy of the trip was starting to wear off as we sat down together to a breakfast of chicken, eggs and either rice or noodles. Despite being on time to breakfast, some team members didn’t finish eating until right before 7:00am which was a stretch because we had a long journey ahead of us on our way to visit two schools in rural Cambodia.

We split the team into two groups and left just after 7. Luckily we did because the trip took over 2.5 hours, driving all the way through Sisaphon, through smaller villages along main roads before turning onto a dirt road. The unsealed surface was one major obstacle for the buses for a few reasons, the first being the uneven nature of the road. In addition to this, the dirt had turned into mud in the recent rain and there were large puddles of water and slippery ground, making it difficult for the bus to get a firm grip on the road. There were also lots of other cars, tractors and bicycles to navigate around, and there were a plethora of bumps in the road which, on occasion, sent some team members up out of their seats.

Driving past many rice fields and rivers we were able to see the beautiful countryside of Cambodia and see many Cambodian people hard at work. After over an hour on the dirt road, we arrived at the respective schools we would be working with. We were warmly greeted by school teachers and students; the students had made leis for us and small bouquets of flowers to welcome us. Their generosity, joy and hospitality was overwhelming.

After walking through the two lines of students greeting us, we went into one of the three classrooms on site. It was a small wooden room, packed with desks and a blackboard out the front. We sat in the small desks to learn about the history of the school, and the dreams they have for expanding in order to provide a better learning environment for their students. During this preparation, we were kindly given coconut water to drink, which was very refreshing on the hot day.

 

While at the school, we split into small groups and ran a range of rotation activities for the students to learn. Some of the activities included: AFL, Soccer, paper plane building and classic children’s games (duck-duck-goose). The shining star of team A was Cameron Chalmers who ran a modified version of chuck the chicken. The local children got incredibly involved and loved playing with our Rouse Hill students. It also brought our team a lot of joy seeing their enthusiasm and being able to connect with them.

Before handing out the Operation Christmas Child boxes we sang songs with the children and played a few all-in games. We were all just waiting in anticipation for the time that we could gift these beautiful children with their boxes.

Finally the time had come to gift the boxes. We handed them to each child, and everyone was forced to wait until all children had a box before they could open their own. It was the most suspenseful few minutes but, it was worth it. The children opened their boxes and their joy, pride and excitement were hard to miss.

Many children were so excited by the contents that they didn’t want to ruin their new belongings or change the packing of the box. Others put on their new clothes and bags straight away, showing everyone around. The whole experience was overwhelming and heart warming. It put into perspective the affluence of our own lives and many of the team members began to cry at this demonstration of love.

After all the boxes had been opened, the students left the school and we quickly followed. After eating lunch, we traveled in our teams to another school. This one, however, had been worked on by Samaritan’s Purse and the local community for 4 years. Here we saw a completed building, heard about how Samaritan’s Purse empowers communities to take initiatives into their own hands, saw their water tank and waters systems for the village and viewed some singing and dancing from the students in the school. It was incredible being able to witness, first-hand, the difference that Samaritan’s Purse were able to have, through the help of everyday people back home.

On Team A’s way to visit the water system, we were presented with a small obstacle: a narrow road full of mud. The team worked together, with the help and laughter of the locals, and eventually made it to the well and filtration system. Nobody fell over completely, but some shoes were sacrificed in the process, along with some of our dignity.

After looking at the system and speaking with some members of the community, we traveled home in the rain. We arrived back at the hotel just after 5:00pm and were given some free time to relax and shower before heading out to dinner where we had a mix of Western and Cambodian food.

The team was exhausted and emotionally drained from the day by the time we got to devotions. We all, however, seem to have a renewed excitement for the service trip and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.