Return to Cambodia 2012

4 Sept 2012 Loyang

After nine years, God gave me the opportunity and the courage to travel to Phnom Penh for a third time. It was the first mission trip of our Oikos Small Group. SY had an important meeting he couldn't miss so Brian came in his place together with Joseph and Jannie Sin, Noreen and Peter Barrett, Richard and Siew Ying Tan. I was sorry that Julia and Tom Miller-Wong and Wai Keong and Ida Kwok couldn't join us.

We travelled by van to Kampong Thom about four hours' drive north-west from the capital to the Shelter of Love orphanage started by Sue Singleton in about 2005 after my second trip in 2003. Lucy Leow had invited me to visit with her several times but I couldn't. I felt led to visit after she was called home by the Lord earlier this year to meet the youth at the orphanage that she told me about include Pou, a gifted artist. I also purchased bead and crochet handiwork that she had taught the girls to make. We also benefited from a recent teaching session by an American lady who spent a month showing the girls how to machine-quilt and make patchwork bookmarks, cushion covers and table runners as well as more ambitious quilts.

Back in Phnom Penh on 1 Sept we visited Mercy Medical Centre which has asked for help from strategic partners like IBC in the form of doctors to help run the hospital and see the patients while their expat staff members travel to Thailand for their annual medical, nursing and dental updates as part of their continuing education like our CME in Singapore. Brian was very impressed by the American-style hospital and is praying to return as a medical student or as an intern if God opens a door for him into Duke-NUS postgraduate medicine. His MCAT results are expected tomorrow, 5 Sept. Pray God's mercy for a score of 33 in order for him to be able to submit his application this year and not have to re-take it again in Jan 2013.

We didn't have the time for Brian to visit Toul Sleng prison but Richard shared Cambodia's dark history with him and I bought him a book on the Khmer Rouge Regime of Pol Pot at the airport.

Neither was there time to look for another bunny quilt for Melissa which I think we bought from Habitat in 2003.