Some of My New Friends

I have been making a lot of new friends here in Cambodia. Many are from Australia and are associated with the She (Shaping Her Earth, Shaping Her Eternity) NGO where I will have the honor of visiting next week. www.sherescuehome.org She seems to have a mission that is well-aligned with that of Daughters of Cambodia. Their approach is a little different in that they provide safe rescue homes for the girls, ages 5-15, who are or are at risk of being sexually trafficked, victims of rape, or prostituted. Last night was my first night to stay up past 9:00 and a group of us (all the others from She) went to the River Side part of Phnom Penh for dinner. I will post some pictures of the group and also from a walk that we took along the river - past the King's Palace. King Norodum Sihanouk's pictures are posted all over the city. He passed away on October 15, 2012 and the country remains in mourning for him. February 1 - 4, 2013 is a national holiday and from what I have been told no one is allowed to laugh, play, or smile during that time. Children cannot be outside playing. Adjacent to the Palace a giant mausoleum is being constructed to host the King's remains. It is a huge, expensive project that is keeping construction workers up night and day to finish before February.

Yesterday I completed preparations for my first workshop, which will be held twice this morning. I met with Heather yesterday afternoon to review it and we met at the Sugar and Spice café that is run by Daughters. This is the most remarkable place I have been to in Phnom Penh. It is the kind of place where as soon as you approach and enter it you feel the peace and presence of God all around and through you. Behind the café there is a huge, beautiful courtyard with a high ceiling and skylights. Tropical plants enclose the perimeter, and they danced in the gentle wind that blew into the courtyards from the open sides. Above the café is a Prayer and Worship Center - an amazing place where, when I visited, I saw dozens of young children and their mothers participating in a children's worship time.

I am still trying to find my right sleep pattern here - I got up at 3:15 this morning. Good thing that there are really good coffee shops here!