Lydia Project and Khmer Krafts

Campers and Camp Counselors

2010-05-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Lydia and Bob and Kay

Greeting to you and your family! I’m sorry that reply to you very late, I was very busy with many things after Camping with the kids, the last day of camping we had 68 of kids it was so wonderful time with the kids some of kids are from the village near the orpahanage. I just came from Phnom Penh yesterday. Thank you so much for the April support to feed the kids and other need and Navy’s medicine, she thanks you so much for the medicine it works good to help her.

The Camping Training. Because our building has a good side to put people so the camp project man asked me for a place that can do the training to the counselors so we allowed them. 2 men in the picture from Canada and one lady from Battambang they work together for Camp project, and they have another 5 more people from Phnom Penh they all are trainer to those 220 counselors and the camp project had 5 cookers from the town to cook for them, so we do not need to cook for all the counselors we had just cook for the kids only. The camp project paid for foods to counselors, all the counselors some there were 60, 30, 5, and 20 of kilometers from their place to our place.

the camp project rented the tent type building in our village it was good tent. At night time the girls and ladies slept on the floor of one side of the building and the boys and men slept on the floor by other side of building and some of them they go back to slept at their home.

God bless you

Vanny and

2010-03-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

3-13-2010

Dear Bob, Kay and Lydia project

Thank you so much for your monthly supports to our orphanage. And thank you so much for donations of rice to help the house church that in need, many greeting from the people and pastor at the church to all of you and they thanked you so much for blessing them.

With $ 450 we bought 22 bags of rice and gave to 17 families by 1bag for one family that in need and other 5 bags the pastor there will to continue to help to the need later, and other $ 50 we used for transportion. On 11-03-2010 the pastor at house church gave rice to the need and he invited us to speak at that time so we brought 12 kids and my parents and my sister went with us to the house church to see what we can do for them we rented a taxi to go and came back by the same day. So please see the picture for what was going on over there at house church.

-Our 12 orphans had many songs with acting and many worship songs, so everyone there were very happy and joy in the LORD.

-Our orphans had drama 2 stories which talked about “THE LOVE OF CHRIST” and “THE POWER OF PRAYER” all of them did very good drama on that day, and we all praise for his GLORY and all the people said their hearts were very touched.

-My father prayed for one man that wants to accept God after he hears the word of God.

-My Sister cuts hair for the woman who need hair cut for free.

-Our orphans’ Job to cut nail and washing hands to many kids in the village, playing Games with them teaching songs, gave cakes, candies, and pencil to the kids in the village.

We all so happy to in that day it was a blessing day for very one. Bob, Kay and Lydia project please continue to pray for us as we also pray for you and your work. And please remember that we need a pickup truck for our ministry over here.

God bless you

Vanny and Som Nang

Flooding at Orphanage

2009-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Greeting from Cambodia! It was very good to hear your voice on the phone. Hope you all are well today. Over here for this morning we all are fine. Thank you so much with all of our hearts for your help and monthly support to give us daily food.
Please you open the attachment to see the pictures over here at the orphanage had lot of rain in this month because the weather is not good to cause it flood, and because our land it very low so make the water stays in a place from side of the main road to the church and side of walk way, and another place in the orphanage have muddy and slide so it difficult for the kids. And when they go out or go to school they have to walk along the water from the side of the church to the main road so last week we bought 3 truck of red soil to spread on the way walk out to the main road as you can see in the picture this spread just let everyone can walk for this time but if have more rain the water will be get over the road, so we need more red soil to put it , and also red soil to spread another place , and we need to dig to put many pipes by using sand brick cement that water can go through to the river. Because every year it always flood in the orphanage. in the Cambodia today the weather still not good for us and the people are worry about the end of this month because it may have storm again, we have only prayer to our father for that. Thank you for your prayer. The Love of Christ Jesus never ends in us.
God bless you all
Vanny and Som Nang

Pastor Lav Hoen Sept. Report

2009-10-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pastor Lav Hoeun September Report:
• Activities:
– Preach and lead the worship and prayer team in main church:
• Friday night Pray – Prayer team
• Saturday Bible School – Men and Women team
• Sunday School and Worship Service
– Monthly Prayer day with elder in community – Sen Sok Community – Phnom Penh
• Pray together for the church, Family, ministries, and Cambodia
• Study bible
• Share the testimony
– Cell Group
• Arey Ksat Commun – Kandal Province - Regular Bible study with 6 people – the leader of other cell group
• Phnom Penh Thmey – Bible study for cell group member
Above Left: Activities in Church – Pray for the kids that have heart disease.

Sex Trade in Cambodia Now Billion Dollar Business!

2009-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

U.S. Pedophiles Nabbed in Cambodia Sex-Tourist Sting
Monday, August 31, 2009 By William Lajeunesse - Fox News
LOS ANGELES — EXCLUSIVE: Three Americans "tourists" are on their way home from Cambodia Monday after being arrested in an on-going federal sex tourism investigation.
The arrests are part of “Operation Twisted Traveler,” an effort by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and prosecute sex tourists to Cambodia.
The suspects — whose names will be released by ICE officials at an L.A. news conference Monday — are all convicted child sex offenders who served time in U.S. prisons. After their release investigators say they all headed to the most destitute neighborhoods in Cambodia, one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia, where it is believed that they once again sexually assaulted young boys and girls.
FOX News was given exclusive access to the suspects and video of their arrest.
One of the men allegedly bought a 13-year-old Cambodian boy for $2 and a bag of rice, and raped him five times.
“Cambodia in particular has been known for some time as a pedophile haven because there’s been a broken justice, no rule of law, and actually no laws on the books that would have been enforceable against these types of activities until recently,” said Jeff Blom, an investigator with International Justice Mission.
“We need to change the fear equation, make pedophiles fear going to jail.”
Cambodian police say other victims were believed to be given $5 or $10 after each sexual act and the children were photographed naked. Mothers of two of the abused boys lived on the street and sold their boys for $100 because, they said, “they needed the money.”
Investigators say the men are part of a thriving billion-dollar sex tourism business. After a crackdown in Thailand on child sex, the industry has moved primarily to Cambodia where pedophiles molest Vietnamese girls and Cambodian boys with little risk of being caught.
ICE hopes the arrest, done in conjunction with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, Cambodian Police and two anti-child trafficking organizations, International Justice Mission and the human rights organization Action Por Les Enfants, will send a message that police are watching. Since 2003, ICE has arrested 70 international sex offenders under the Child Protect Act.

Kid's teach us!

2009-08-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Rob,

Tia and I received your Lydia, Inc. letter. We love what you are doing to help these women and so we wanted to help out. But instead of just helping out we decided to use this as a teaching lesson for our two boys: Briley, age 5, and Keller, age 3. We called the guys into my office and told them to bring their piggy banks. As we sat down and explained to them that "Mom and Dad have decided to give some money to help these women out, and you are welcome too as well" We told them that they did not have to. This is a decision that our kids needed to make on their own. What's interesting though, is that they WANTED to give, they were excited to give, they had no hesitation! Keller said "I want to give $2 Briley said "I want to give $20". We then said "Keller, are you sure you want to give $2" and "Briley, are you sure you want to give $20" We tried to explain how much money each of them were committing to and what it could buy if they kept it for themselves. This wasn't us trying to change their minds, we just wanted them to know what they were sacrificing. (We also did this because one time Briley came running into the living room and said "Keller gave me his money!" We then asked Keller "Buddy, did you give Briley your money?" and he said "Yup". We had actually take the money fom Briley and give it back to Keller and explain to him that he needs to take care of his own money!)

I wanted to thank you for doing what you are doing. You are not only helping these women and their families but you are helping the people who give money and pray for your organization. Tia and I talk often about how children go through life and don't really "get it". Sure, they learn their math, attend gym class, and play sports but do they know how to care? How to give? How to love? Tia and my prayer, as parents, is that, through these acts, our children grow into men that love the Lord with all their hearts and love others more than themselves.

As stated above, we were looking to use this as a teaching lesson for our sons, but what we have found is they taught us (I'm finding, early on in this whole parenting thing, that this is often the case) You see, we gave, while calculating what we can give and what we thought we "should" give, while Briley and Keller just GAVE from their hearts. They aren't at the age to fully understand the true value of money or what giving means, but they are old enough to know that their money is theirs (they save every penny of it) and they are old enough to know that they have the ablility to help other, even though they're not even big enough to take care of themselves! My hope for you and your organization is that, as people give, that they will allow their hearts to be opened up, to see these people with God's eyes and heart, and to help raise a generation of kids who will see the people of this world the way that Our Father sees them.

God Bless you and your team.
Thomas, Tia, Briley, and Keller Hixson

Sewing Girls at Work 2009

2009-08-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Cambodian women at work. This is our new facility located in Battanbang, Cambodia. Chhavan Yos director.

On the Lighter side - older post, but things are still the same!

2008-03-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

You know we have been working hard…how about something on the lighter side of things. We are traveling with about 14 suitcases, Mom, Dad, Husband, Wife…you get the idea. We are headed back to the Jungle.

Here are some things we have noticed along the way.

• Everyone has a cell phone.
• It is not unusual to see a Lexus SUV passing a cart pulled by oxen or 5 people on a motorcycle.
• Be careful what you ask for, you probably won’t get it anyway.
• Vienna Sausage really is sausage, because when I ordered a sausage pizza that was on it…and in my sausage omelet. I was scared to order a hot dog because I don’t think they make Vienna Sausage that big.
• I saw the biggest bug I have ever seen… I was going to jump on the table or hide behind my wife…not to worry an even BIGGER spider took care of it for me. I had plenty of time to finish my dinner while the spider was having his.
• Nobody is reading our blog or leaving comments.
• Asking for direction is difficult, especially when you don’t even know where you are going.
• Don’t look in the kitchen at a restaurant…ever!
• Use the bathroom before you leave the hotel. Take your own toilet paper with you just in case.
• You can sweat out about 4 water bottles every 6 hours without ever having to pee.
• Everyone is working hard but nothing is getting done.
• Pot holes…you haven’t seen pot holes! Anything less than a foot deep is just a bumpy spot on the road.
• Cows don’t look both directions before they cross the road.
• Snakes…I thought they ate all of the snakes. We have seen three and haven’t even been looking for them.
• Nature walk…try going to the ice machine in the hotel…you can see birds, spiders, geckos, hear some really strange sounds and then you find out they don’t have an ice machine.
• Everybody gets cranky (except me)
• Rodger would be the tallest person for 1,000 miles in any direction.
• You can’t plug your curling iron into the wall in a foreign country…it makes a funny sound, starts smoking and quits working. So much for the converters.
• A $15 dollar a night hotel can actually be very nice.
• Rice with honey is good for breakfast.
• People aren’t afraid to “double dip” and it stops bothering you after about a week or if you are REALLY hungry.
• A big white guy in the back of a pickup gets a lot of attention.
• The local weather forecast is hot today, hot tomorrow and hot the next day. 100 today.

Ryan