Lovea Village

Jan 2022

Lovea Sunday School, Peam English School, Updates from Sreisros /

Dear Supporters

I am happy to be writing my first letter for the new year. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas holiday. My family and I had a good time during Christmas, and we are all doing well. 

I am grateful and appreciative of your support for the past year, and look forward to your continued support in the years ahead.

Preparation for English School

As you know, Love-A-Village team and I have been preparing the school. 

Let me summarize what we have done thus far: 

  • We had applied for the school renewal license, and have received verbal approval from the authorities
  • The Peam Primary School principal had identified 64 students for enrolment into our school
  • The textbooks for pupils and Teachers’ Instruction books have been printed
  • The classroom is now set up for classes to start
  • We have hired a teacher and an assistant teacher

There are a few things we need to get done before our school opens on 7 February:  

  • Final touches to the classroom, e.g. decorations to the walls
  • Printing of Safe Management guide and School Rules and Regulations
  • Training the teachers to use the Teachers’ Instruction book
  • Meeting with students and their parents 

All students, and their parents too, are very excited to attend our school.

Peam Sunday School Ministry

We had a great meeting with all Sunday School teachers from Peam village and Lovea village. We discussed and planned what we hope to do in 2022. We prayed together for sustained motivation to do God’s work.

The teachers have started using the new curriculum. Because of the Covid situation, our Sunday School has separated the children into 8 groups with each group having 16 to 20 children. The students come only on alternate weeks:

  • Groups 1 – 4 study in week 1 and 3
  • Groups 5 – 8 study in week 2 and 4

For both the English School and the Sunday School, I am so blessed to have wonderful people working with me. I pray that God will bring even more people to join us in our work to glorify His name.

Thanksgiving for:

  • Wonderful lunch retreat with all teachers
  • My daughter being in secondary school
  • All parents allowing their children to study in our English School
  • Wonderful team work for English School
  • Good health

Prayer Request:

  • Official renewal of school license
  • School opening on 7 February
  • All teachers to have wisdom and strength to serve the Lord

Thank You and Happy New Year! 

Jan 2022 Read More »

Back to Where It All Started

Lovea Sunday School, Stories /

7 years ago, Eugene and Li Ting got to know each other while on a community service-learning project organized by their school. They started dating after the trip and have stayed together since.

In July 2019, Eugene found Love A Village online by googling Lovea Village (surprising right! I never thought our website would be effective in reaching out to the general public!). He contacted me through WhatsApp, we met up and came together to plan for the proposal.

Take a look at the photos below which tell the complete story!

Eugene sourced all the decorations from Singapore. He kept it simple so it would be easy for Mr Vichea and myself to set it up.

We got 80 students from the school to welcome the couple and join the festivities. One of the students was a boy who Li Ting remembered from 7 years back!

After Li Ting said “yes”, the couple cut a cake and shared it with the students and teachers of Lovea Primary School. Interesting fact: This kitchen was built by Eugene and Li Ting 7 years ago!

Back to the old school way of driving off in style! Eugene and Li Ting boarded the motorized ox cart as they left the school engaged!

The students sending them off!

Both Eugene and Li Ting have a big heart and wanted to give back to the school. Along with the proposal, Eugene also asked if they could contribute anything. The school requested for the old toilets to be repaired, thus, Eugene and Li Ting sponsored a new roof, doors and a fresh coat of paint! A big thank you from Lovea Primary School!

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Jesus Came to Call Sinners

Lovea Village, Stories /

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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Easter Celebration at Paradise School By Pearl

Lovea Village /

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 /

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 /

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 /

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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