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FCOP Update -- May 2005

Dear Friends and Family,

I am slooow this month! The reason? Water! Lack of it, in it, full of it, and the arrival of it. First, the most exciting: “In it.” The “Great Commission” trip put together by Warm Blankets Orphan Care (WB) brought guests from Australia, China, Switzerland, and the USA, including six Foursquare District Supervisors from the US, for the baptism of 1232 orphan children.

http://www.missionreports.com/baptismal_2005/index.html

We thought putting together the Pastor’s Conference fro 1500 preachers was a big deal, but 1232 kids from 40 church homes was a bigger stretch than we had imagined. It kept growing! We started out with 700, then 800, then 1000 and actually got 1232. What happened? All these are new kids during the past year, and the 12 new homes opened this year produced a huge batch of un-baptized kids. Actually, many of them were baptized in their church/homes, but who can resist a trip to the ocean? They were all new though. This is the third year Warm Blankets has funded this event, so most kids want to wait for the anticipated event. I think mybe we’ve built in a little dependency here?? Virtually none of these kids had ever been to Phnom Penh, even fewer to the Royal palace and, except for the hosts, zero had made it to the ocean.

Kids bounced in the back of pick-up taxis for up to two 10 hour days just to get here. The good news was we were in the Cambodian New Year break, so, no school, the kids arrived a day early to rest and get to know their brothers and sisters. Sleeping mats and mosquito nets were spread all over two acres, the cooks served in three shifts, our staff had a full day of interactive games, and by the end of the first day, they were one big family. The second day featured a trip to the Royal Palace. Kids from grass roofed villages saw the silver floored pagoda, gold embossed throne room, manicured gardens, and must have thought they’d arrived in heaven. Most wandered around in their groups of 50 with their eyes wide open and mouths dropped in awe. The second night ended in a tent rally, with songs, dancing and skits performed by different kids from homes around the country. Pastor Peter ended the evening with a teaching on the meaning of baptism. They had a BLAST! If we had stopped then it would have been enough, but the best was yet to come.

At 5:00 am the busses arrived, 1232 carsick pills were administered, and off they went on a five hour trip to the beach. Singing songs at the top of their lungs until the carsick pills kicked in and managed to mute a few of them, that is until it was time to done the sun screen. They could tell the beach was close, and excitement reached a pinnacle when the busses crested a hill and the ocean could be seen in the distance. It was a great beach day, but the kids were well trained, first came lunch, then line up by homes as teams of pastors and guests waded into the water for baptism. After the teams were in place came the children, one at a time, giving their profession of faith, as they were laid back under the surf. The whole process took less than an hour and then it was “party time”! 1232 kids at a beach party under the watchful eyes of staff members forming a human chain around the perimeter. They swam, frolicked, and played games until 3:00pm, then back on the buses, more pills, and a joyful but subdued trip back to the Training Center. They slept well that night.

At 6:00 am taxis full of happy children started back on their long trek home. All went well to that point with only one child taken to the hospital with dengue fever. That is until, to the horror of one pastor en route to Anlong Veng, at a mid morning check, a child was discovered missing. They had seen the Down’s syndrome boy when the taxi was loaded, but he was no where to be found. Panic ensued. Every home was called by cell phone. No one had seen the boy. There was a frantic call to prayer. Hours passed and finally, a phone call from Poipet. The boy was found sleeping under a seat, completely un-noticed, he fell asleep under the influence of the car-sick medication and was not found until they unloaded. There was mass rejoicing. He was 200 miles from home, but safe! PTL!

The WB guests then set out on a 4 day trip around Cambodia. Peter and I had to leave the group in Battambang as a Divisional Supervisor called and said that after being inspired by the sea trip he spoke at the churches about baptism and more than 200 adults wanted to be baptized immediately, in the river. We got there at 8:00am and already more than 180 were gathered, by the time we walked down to the river close to 300 had come to be baptized. Wet again!

Water? How much can you drink in a 12 hour day working in a tin rice mill in 41 degree (108F) heat? Not enough!! I found out, that 8 liters still left me dehydrated, as the water was running down my nose at a steady stream and my clothes could not have been wetter had I just crawled out of a river. I left Phnom Penh before the WB guests left the airport, on my way to Balang, Cambodia to finish off the rice mill and church where construction had stalled due to a lack of cash, thanks to the inflation pressure of a red-hot Chinese economy and tsunami demand sucking up construction material. Bolstered by a gift from Pastor Lankhorst’s church for the rice mill and World Orphans for the churches, I was anxious to get things moving. I spent the next 8 days as a millwright, but am happy to say that today the mill spewed out more than 10 tons of beautiful, number one quality, milled rice. See: http://www.missionreports.com/rice_mill_update (note the new houses next paragraph)

Ever wonder how a town gets started? In the case of Balang, it isn’t water! You can’t dig a well there, unless you’ve got a rig that can go 300 feet deep. But we built a church there, because it was a location between several home groups, then we built the rice mill. Since then more than 15 new homes have gone up, three new stores have opened and the government is building a new 10 room school just 100 meters from the mill. The church was they key. I wonder if that was true in a lot of US towns?

Hey! Pastor Peter, our national church president, got his visa to the US. No water involved, but a lot of pressure. No less than four US Senators and two US Representatives contacted the US Embassy on his behalf. When he showed up for his second interview, after the first rejection, you’d have thought the Secretary of State had walked in. He was immediately granted the visa, and then spent the next 30 minutes explaining how he had so much influence. They had never experienced anything like it in the history of the Embassy. I didn’t have any idea as to the work that had been done, but a big, “Thank You!” to all involved; especially, Jeff Grisamore, Congressman Manzullo, The Las Vegas Foursquare Church, and Sonny Weimer. You guy’s know how to “Kick Butt!” They are still trying to figure out who I am. We plan to leave for convention on May 19th.

Hallelujah! It looks like the rains have started and a thirsty land it is. Pray for a good harvest this year. As an old “pig farmer”, droughts depress me! The land was parched and my spirit was beginning to crack. On the first Sunday of April I was informed that a long term donor was not going to continue to sponsor after the end of the year. That was the equivalent of six homes. I am not upset with the donor, they have been faithful, but as Lincoln said when he lost the congressional election, “I’m too big to cry and it hurts too much to laugh!” Then rains started, all six supervisors, pledged to sponsor homes, I received help from World Orphans, The Hong Kong E. Free Church has come through again in a big way, and a lot of wonderful people are pitching in. Last night thunder and lightning and an extend drenching rain fell. The drought is being quenched, physically and spiritually, my spirit and the land are being refreshed.

Anna Blake is with a construction team from Oregon in Mongolborie, and Ryan Taggart with a medical team from Northwest Medical Missions in Poipet. More on that next month. Good things are happening.

Have a great month. I will! May God bless you all!

Ted, Sou and Hannah Olbrich,

Anna Blake and Ryan Taggart

Cambodia

Archive:

See April 2005 update

See March 2005 update

See February 2005 update

See January 2005 Update

See December 2004 Update

See November 2004 Update

See October 2004 Update

See September 2004 Update

See August 2004 Update

See March 2004 Update

See July 2004 Update