Hello and happy Easter week!

I like Easter, it reminding me of my humble place and purpose in this world, and the incredible gift of life that I have been given. ❤️

March was a busy month for us. In addition to our regular work with Warm Blankets Switzerland and The Water Project, we also hosted a visiting team from the USA and continue to monitor our home construction. I have so many cool things to tell you about!

English class: my Thursday evening English students completed their A2 book and we had a party, of course! I just love how much these young adults love to be together and cook and eat with each other. I contributed to the party by ordering a few pizzas.🤪 I’m proud of these student, they have worked hard to complete their book and improve their English.

Water filters: Lukas needed to build another batch of water filters. This usually takes a few days to a week, depending on how many he builds. Unfortunately the young Cambodian guy that used to come and help him moved away, so we’re back on our own.

Team: We had a team from Eugene Oregon, USA. They were with us from March 23 – 29th and in that one week we could do so many amazing projects! They were flexible, willing to work hard, willing to be spontaneous, and encouraging. They were basically a team of superheroes! 💪🏽  Here are a few of the many things we could accomplish together.

New filter installation: we installed a new filtration system at Kampot Jesus Life Church where YWAM has a sports and English class ministry for low income children. We had to run a water pipe from a tank in the back to the filter in the front, so manual labor was required. They jumped right in. We also installed a hand washing sink next to the filter, and in the evening we taught a hygiene class. We were expecting 20-30 children, but 50+ showed up! Every child received a toothbrush, soap, activity booklet, and a few other goodies.

New Life Church: We spent one day at New Life Hosanna Church were we sponsor the Lunch and Tutoring program. The team spend a few hours helping with small maintenance projects and doing some cleanup around the church. When the children arrived they switched gears and threw a fun party with games and crafts and of course, a small gift for everyone! In the evening they came back and did another kids “English” party for the younger students, and some conversational English with the teen classes.

Special day for Safe Place Children’s home: With the team’s support we could host a special day for Safe Place Children’s Home. This memorable day began with a boat trip to the beach with the older children, and conclude with an afternoon kayak adventure that everyone could join, and dinner with ice cream. The children from Safe Place have all of their physical and education needs met, but they don’t get to do fun things very often. This special day will be something that they will remember forever!

Filter dedication and hygiene training event: We returned to the last public school where we installed a filtration system. There was a short dedication, a snack and then a hygiene training. This was by far the largest hygiene training I’ve ever organized. There were 295 children + teachers. We split them into four groups, but it was still a lot of children. Again, the team members were absolute superheroes! They worked closely with their translators and presented the material in a fun, engaging way. Of course, we had some pretty awesome translators on board, too 😉. I really can’t express how fantastic the day was! The children loved it, the teachers felt encouraged, and the team was on cloud nine!

Family news and daily life: Gas prices and daily life costs are skyrocketing right now, due to the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz being closed. Lots of families are switching back to cooking over charcoal or wood because natural gas has more than tripled in price and is becoming difficult to find.

Our house contractor is stressed because of the rising costs. Thankfully we made a contract when we started building and he can’t break the contract without legal repercussions, but sadly he isn’t going to make as much profit as he expected.

Lukas and I celebrated our 11th anniversary! Wow, we’re getting old! 😂Building a home together is stressful, and I would be lying if I said that it was easy, but we keep working on it. We value our marriage, and even though we’re having to work a little harder to keep healthy in this season, we’re also incredibly grateful for our marriage and excited for the years to come. ❤️

Well, I think that is enough! If you are still reading, congratulations, this was a long one! Here’s the photo link if you want to see more photos from the month.

Have a great April,

Blessing,

Jenny, Lukas and Benjamin