janicetay23 – Page 4 – Love-A-Village

Touching base with our supporters

Once again, we rounded off the year with an eventful trip to Siem Reap with our friends and families. Besides meeting up with and serving alongside our partners, we made new connections with the staff of Mustard Seed School.

Please read on to find out more about what we did!

Thansure School (aka Paradise School)

With her team of teachers, Teacher Yoo held a Christmas celebration with and for all of her beloved 235 students. We were honoured to be invited to join them.

Teacher Yoo (extreme left) with some of her young and spirited team of performers

Students collecting small gift packs before going home

Pagna Cambodian Education Fund (PCEF)

Besides conducting lesson observations and a mini workshop at PCEF, we spruced up the school library and kitted out the classrooms with story books.

We also visited Mr Soven’s classroom at the floating village of Kampong Phluk.

Yee Jong observing a lesson conducted by a PCEF teacher

Pierre and Parry sorting and dusting the library books

Stocking up the classrooms with story books for the children

Children playing soccer at Kampong Phluk

Mr Soven’s classroom. The tables and benches have to be moved upstairs when the kampong is flooded.

Mr Pagna telling us more about the school

Lovea Primary School

A Christmas celebration was held at Lovea Primary School. This time, what made the celebration special was that it was organised by the teachers. They did a wonderful job and and everyone had an enjoyable time!

A traditional dance performed by the students. Can you spot Mr Vana in the background, watching his students with pride?

Laura and Hui Kwang singing “Joy to the world”

Mr Vana, the principal of Lovea Primary School, and Hui Kwang hitting pots filled with sweets and talcum powder while being blindfolded!

The lovely flower bed where flag-raising is held at the school

Mustard Seed School

It was a privilege for us to get to spend two afternoons with the teachers of MSS, during which we shared ways of learning with and teaching our students in our classrooms.

Nina and Janice conducting an activity during our workshop

Learning together in a conducive environment

Getting in touch with our students’ feelings

Rest and relax

As we all know, all work and no play makes Jane/Jack a dull girl/boy. Here are some snapshots of our recreational activities during the trip!

Here’s Laura applying pigment onto her T shirt!

Archie the resident dog, a Canadian retriever, decided to steal the show!

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Intentional Outreach

Stories / janicetay23

During this trip, I was more intentional about outreach.

The reason why? Studying at bible college has made me more aware of the need to share my faith with others. As Paul says in Romans 10:14, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”

We witness with our lives but we still need to share the good news with nonbelievers.

Thus, this trip, I took the time to have spiritual conversations about Jesus with Mr Vichea and Mr Pagna.

With Mr Pagna, I shared with him Mark 1:21-34. I wanted to show him that Jesus is greater than spirits, and he had power to heal. Mr Pagna has health issues and believes in animal spirits. Thus, I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me to tell him about Jesus’ power. I am praying that Mr Pagna continues to remain open to learning about the Bible and Jesus.

With Mr Vichea, we spoke about family pressures and the dominant religion in Cambodia being Buddhism. Thus, it is very hard for him to open up to his family about wanting to learn more about Christianity and even becoming a Christian. I am praying for him as he continues to learn more about Jesus and come to a decision for himself about his beliefs.

I am aware that what I am doing is just sowing seeds. However, we never know when these seeds will grow! Thus, I am urging you to be intentional in sowing seeds around you. People need to hear the good news presented to them!

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Train The Teachers @ PCEF By Vivian

Go with Us / janicetay23

Yes! Our team of 4 ladies, Yee Jong, San San, Janice and myself set off for a teachers’ training at PCEF from 3 to 5 September 2018. I started off with great anticipation, with me as the observer and designated photographer. The training was conducted for 6 PCEF local teachers with Pagna, the principal and another local teacher Sina who was invited to join us.

Family and Friends curriculum which teachers were to be trained in

Landing at Siem Reap airport on Sunday on a hot sunny afternoon, the weather turned to drizzling next two days during our stay there. Wow, cool climate for a change in Siem Reap for me.

On Monday, our first day at PCEF, San San began with ice breakers which brought much spontaneity and fun to the group. The class later broke into groups to draw up and present the goals they set to achieve by end of the 3 days’ training. This was indeed a good start to pave the way into the training proper.

Thanks to Yee Jong who conducted a demo lesson with clarity and in light-hearted spirit. Helpful tips and teaching techniques to engage children such as warm up songs, flashcards, audio recordings, role-plays and chanting were introduced. Lots of enthusiasm I observed and felt!

For the next one and half days, the local teachers discussed their own lesson plan in two groups and taught a lesson using the techniques learnt. We are blessed with the keen learning attitude of the local teachers.

As such, we hope the local teachers have benefited from the training. We hope to continue building friendship bonds and comradeship with the Cambodian teachers as we journey with them into the very heart of teaching and perhaps, one day, into the heart of our loving Lord Jesus Christ.

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Jesus Came to Call Sinners

Lovea Village, Stories / janicetay23

Last month, I encountered a man living in Lovea Village who was known by the villagers as a drunk and good for nothing. He would spend all his time gambling and drinking. Even his wife (one of the two Christian ladies) had given up on him.

Mr Pichet and Mr Pai, members of New Living Hope Centre, engaged him in conversation to find out more about him. Next, they went on to pray for him.

Mr Pichet and Mr Pai talking with the man

New Living Hope Centre members praying for the man

After this encounter, I asked myself:

Do I give up on my loved ones? Isn’t giving up on them un-Christlike? How can I show the love of Jesus to them when they don’t deserve the loving-kindness of Jesus? How can I be a good witness for Jesus?

It brought to my mind this verse:

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

My reflection: I am as much of a sinner as the man in the village and in need of grace. His sins are out there for everyone to see but I am just better at covering up my sins. I am in no place to judge others. The grace of God is for everyone and all are deserving of this gift.

My prayer: Dear God, I pray that I will be reminded everyday that I am a sinner and that Jesus came to call me. Let me show the same mercy and loving-kindness to others who are in need too. In Jesus’ name, amen!

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Haikus from NTU volunteers

Go with Us / janicetay23

Cheng Boon

Faith, Hope, Love, Action.

Each brushstroke tells a story.

Serve with Love and Heart.

Nigel

Siem Reap School We Paint.

Children Happy We All Gained.

Sun, Sweat, No Regret!

Stewart

History came alive

Ancient and present combined

Future hope: school thrives!

Kim Yin

Angkor to Pol Pot,

Killing Fields to Paradise

School with Hope, Love, Joy and Peace

Marilyn

Blue, salmon, yellow…

Stand, squat, soak, sweat, stain, support…

Mission accomplished!

Hui Kwang

To Siem Reap again

To paint the walls of the school

To make Miss Yoo smile

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Easter Celebration at Paradise School By Pearl

Lovea Village / janicetay23

Blessed Good Friday to you all readers! It’s been so long since I made a trip up to Siem Reap. When I finally had the chance to visit Siem Reap this time from 17th to 20th March, I realized that many things have changed. The city got more developed as compared to the last time I visited, which was in December last year.

When we visited Siem Reap this time, we had dinner with Pastor Chhay to catch up.

Then, on the second day, we spent our day preparing for the Easter celebration that was going to take place on the 19th! I felt that it was a good thing that we had the help of the students from Paradise School as the students could learn more as they helped.

On the third day, we had the Easter Celebration. The church members actually helped to put up a play related to Easter and it was really pleasant to see the smiles of the children. I felt satisfied and happy that the children enjoyed the celebration.

During the last two days, we also met up with Mr Pagna to give him a printer that will assist him in his school’s operation and we also had a short meeting with the teachers from PCEF.

Overall I felt that this trip was something new for me and I really enjoyed myself! Not to forget that things are changing in Siem Reap and I certainly hope to be there more often before it becomes too urbanized!

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The Floating Village

Lovea Village / janicetay23

On 10 March 2018, my parents and I paid a visit to one of the 4 floating villages in Siem Reap – Kampong Pluk. We saw houses on stilts and were informed that the water rises to 8m high during the wet season.

Mr Pagna opened his first English school here and it is currently still operational. The house which the English classes are held at belongs to him. During the dry season (which is now), classes are held on the land. When the wet season comes, the classroom shifts upwards!

When we were there, an English class was being conducted by Mr Soven. He is the only English teacher at the school. The children were all very attentive and studiously writing down what was written on the whiteboard.

Look at the girl’s neat handwriting! How many of us still write with such care and dedication?

Lastly, this trip made me realise that there are always new things to discover wherever we go – it was my first time visiting a floating village. And, there are so many needs in Cambodia, thus, no matter what we do, we cannot help everyone. I pray that God will show us who and how to help His people.

Despite having a full schedule this trip, I had a good time of fellowship and sharing with my parents. Thank you for your time, support, advice and love.

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My Second Visit to Pagna English School, Lovea Village By Peter

Lovea Village / janicetay23

This was my second visit to the school. The first was over a weekend meeting with Mr Pagna that was quiet and business-like. This was different; the classroom was packed with students, children were loitering around waiting for their classes to start and the voice of the children reciting English statements rang aloud in unison. The enthusiasm was overwhelming.

There are two beginners’ classes in the morning. The first is simply called ‘ABC’. It focuses on word recognition and pronunciation. In this class, the teacher drew pictures on the whiteboard for children to take turns to identify them and to write the first alphabet of the word. The second class is called ‘SPELL’, which as the name suggests, focuses on learning to spell words correctly. Here, we enjoyed watching competitions between pairs of students dashing up to the whiteboard to point at words read out by the teacher. What came next was a pleasant surprise; those statements were sang into melodies. I cannot but appreciate the variety in the manner the lessons were delivered despite of the absence of teaching materials.

In between the classes, we talked with the teachers and the top two needs raised were

1. Student textbooks and workbooks

2. Improving the level of English competency among the teachers

Since there are no street lights in the village, I was expecting the six night classes to have fewer students. But I was wrong! In fact, the night classes were more packed.

As I observed one of the classes, I smiled to myself because I noticed two teachers who taught in the afternoon’s pre-school level seated among the students. The teachers want to improve their own level of English competency so that they can be better teachers! A song came to my mind, ‘And the Gift goes….. on and on and on’.

The 2 ladies in red (middle of picture) were teaching the afternoon classes.

After this visit, I feel very heartened by the dedication and passion of the teachers to teach and learn English. It is our prayer that their good work will continue so that they can benefit Lovea Village.

My Second Visit to Pagna English School, Lovea Village By Peter Read More »

Fruit of the Spirit

Lovea Village, Stories / janicetay23

As Christians, we should be producing the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives. Through this trip, I saw the nine attributes displayed!

How the Fruit of the Spirit was evident this trip:

At Paradise School, Teacher Yoo showered all of us, her students and the parents with the love of God. She reached out to every single one and touched our hearts and lives with the love of God.

Every smiling face of a child showed such great joy – whether it was when playing games, receiving gifts or giving a performance. It was a joyful time for all the children! The 3 events we held – Christmas at Paradise School, Christmas at Lovea Primary School and the Friendship Soccer Event – were filled with joyful faces.

For me, it was an afternoon walk in Lovea Village that brought me peace. The quietness and stillness I experienced as I walked along the dusty road is indescribable. My heart filled with the peace of God and I knew that this ministry is blessed by God.

Communication wasn’t easy! The teachers couldn’t understand us and we couldn’t understand them! But we were patient and learnt how to communicate with each other and work together despite the language barrier. Many times, we used hand signs to try to communicate and laughed when we didn’t understand each other!

On 16 December, we had lunch with Mr Sophanny and Claudine, a missionary couple serving in Siem Reap. They have been extremely kind to us throughout the whole trip. They were instrumental in ensuring that the Christmas Party at Paradise and the Friendship Soccer Event ran smoothly. Claudine also acted as our translator many times with Teacher Yoo! Their kindness went a step further as they gifted us with ‘kromas’ (scarfs). THANK YOU for the wonderful gifts!

From the picture, you can see my parents looking at Teacher Yoo. To me, my parents displayed goodness this trip as they embraced and welcomed the volunteers and Cambodians alike. They showed me what it meant to be followers of Christ and be Christ-like. Without my parents’ support in Love A Village, I couldn’t have come this far. Words cannot express how much my parents mean to me. Although I don’t show or say it often, I love you both very much!

During our stay at Bread of Life Bed and Breakfast, I had the opportunity to see God at work in the lives of Chhoy and Cham Nam, two of the staff working there. Every day they would have morning devotion and read their bible without fail. They serve Jesus faithfully and with such dedication!

Cambodians are generally gentle people. Singaporeans, on the other hand, can sometimes be too quick with a harsh word. During this trip, I witnessed how uplifting kind and gentle words can be and how damaging harsh words can be. The tongue is really the hardest part of our body to tame! Let us all remember to be gentle like Jesus is!

How can I balance being and doing? How can I stop myself from doing things too fast? How can I control my tongue? There were many lessons on self-control I have learnt, still am learning and need to learn! With each trip, my worldview opens up and God gives me just that bit more of wisdom.

To God be the Glory!

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