The Team

Mission Report by Brina Chua
The team on this mission trip to PKH Cambodia from the 1st - 10th of November 2022 consists of Joyce (Team Leader), Pat, Cheryl, Brina, Lilian, Doris, Andy, Veron and Megan. Our preparation for the trip started months in advance and even before we stepped foot onto Cambodian soil, we had already begun seeing things come together.

2 of our team members, Joyce and Lilian tested positive for Covid one after another in the weeks leading up to our trip but Lilian tested completely negative the day before our flight and that's something we rejoice about.

We started with spending time with the children in PKH English School. We had icebreakers, games and songs and it was amazing seeing them sing so enthusiastically to such foreign songs they were learning for the first time.

The next day was a time of water games, to allow them to let loose and enjoy. Led by Lilian and Andy, the team worked as a whole to engage the children, especially the slightly older teens in participating.

When distributing food, drinks and snacks to the children, we saw firsthand how appreciative and grateful they were as they all said thank you without any sort of prompting from anyone, from the smallest to the oldest.

It was a stark contrast to children back in Singapore as commented by some of the members of the team.

Flagdance workshop at Chbarmon

Christmas songs workshop at Chbarmon

Following this, we spent 2 days with the PKH Chbar Mon students where different workshops were held for them. They had the option of learning the ukulele, christmas songs or flag dancing.

Within 2 hours, the students took to it like they had been learning all their lives and they could even put on a performance during the campfire night we had.

Many ex-students had returned to take part in the camp as well and they taught the current batch what they used to do during these campfires and it was a treat to see them pass down their traditions to the younger ones.

Hearing the ex-students’ stories and seeing their hearts of gratitude for how PKH has helped them and their families is a true testament to the work that has been done and continues to be carried out. It was a good reminder of how fortunate and blessed we are in Singapore with the abundance and quality of life we enjoy.

Outdoor games at Chbarmon

More outdoor games at Chbarmon

On the 2nd day we had a series of water games for the students that was followed by some ice-cream. Seeing the students enjoy the morning with their friends and ex-students was a joy. It heartened the team that we were able to provide them with an experience like this before some of the students went for their interviews at the various hotels and resorts the following week.

Sadly, not our whole team was present for the rest of the trip. Cheryl and Andy had to fly home as Andy had been bitten by an insect causing his foot to swell. It did not seem to be getting better and doctor friends in Singapore suggested flying back home and heading straight to the A&E. During this time we saw the church coming together with people praying and asking after us. One staff member even dropped all her appointments that day to pick them up and send them to the A&E. As a team, we really felt the support and love from the community around us, another thing we add to our list of thanksgiving.

With PKH Chbarmon Staff

Games for Aoral boys

After 4 days at PKH Chbar Mon, we headed for PKH Aoral. We reached sometime in the afternoon and had the boys of the ISC course play a game of soccer and captain’s ball.

After the game, we had 2 group prizes that we distributed to them. We realised the boys initially didn’t really know what to do with all the prizes they had been presented with as Souvuth (the staff at PKH Aoral) told us they had never been given something like this before so it was a fresh experience for them.

We also had an afternoon of water games in the sun and we were blessed to be able to let them have a memorable time of fun and bonding with their friends. According to the staff, they had never played such team games before and we could really see the joy on their faces.

In PKH Trang, we had games with the children and gave them gift packs consisting of a custom t-shirt and Crocs. We heard that they had been anticcipating these gifts for months on end and it was good to finally be able to put it into their hands.

Trang students with t-shirt and ‘Crocs’

One of the big events in this whole trip also took place in PKH Trang where we had invited the local villagers from 2 different villages to come and enjoy a night of food and performance. This turned out to be a huge success with the village chief and his deputy turning up as well. The outdoor hall was packed with parents and relatives of many of the children and we served them all dinner which was followed by an impromptu Ukulele performance consisting of many songs, which the guests greatly enjoyed.

Visit to villagers at Trang

The next day, it was a morning of house visits to the villagers. Many things didn’t go as planned and we spent much of the morning in confusion and uncertainty, but even through this situation, we had the opportunity to talk to 2 mothers/families who had lost their young boys in two separate accidents. We still appreciate and thank the staff for bringing us around to visit and see the families of the children at PKH Trang.

That evening, we had a fellowship dinner with the PKH Trang staff and spending time with the local staff there was also a blessing, hearing from them and learning about their own stories and journeys were precious moments.

Staff Fellowship Dinner at PKH Trang

We also had an abundance of food and we were glad to see the staff enjoy the Singaporean food we had brought over, like otah, gado gado sauce and keropok. It was nice to be able to serve them delicious food after all the effort they went through to feed our team and on our last day, Souvuth (PKH Staff) and his wife invited us to have breakfast at their place and they made us a sumptuous meal, greatly blessing us.

All in all, we felt it was a very successful trip and it is probably not too far-fetched to say that we would all love to be back again soon. Although there were plans that had to be changed and situations where we had to adapt, there were many things we took away as a team and as individuals and we were greatly blessed to have had this opportunity.