Cambodia final day

Today was our last day at the build site. The students all showed up ready to give one last big push to complete as much as possible before we had to leave. We had a very hard working morning and continued to watch the efforts of our labour take shape into houses. After a very pleasant lunch with the families, we returned to the sites for the house dedications.

After the house dedications were finished, one of the homeowners invited us to sit in her home for a sharing of experiences among the group. Being my third HFH trip, I knew this would be a very emotional experience but I had no idea how moving it would be. As the homeowner spoke to us about the significance of the work we have done for her, there was not a dry eye in the house. Our translators, the skilled labourers and the HFH staff were also moved tremendously by our hard work and spoke to the perseverance and work ethic of the kids. They were very surprised with how much we were able to accomplish and even commented on the quality of our work. These kids sure have much to be proud of.

Personally, I continue to be impressed by the generosity of the homeowners we help. These people have so little yet still provide us with a gift to take home. One homeowner presented the group that worked on her house with fish frying grates that she made by hand using scrap metal that she had to collect herself. The other homeowners provided their group with scarves that we believe they purchased using the little money they have. We concluded with some games with the village children. It is always difficult to say goodbye and this trip was no different as several children walked with us to the road where our vans waited for us. We concluded our day with some well deserved R&R. Students were given the choice of a boat cruise on the Mekong or a city tour by cyclo.

Although we didn't finish the houses, we made a great deal of progress that will be of tremendous help to their speedy finish. As we explained to the kids today, every little bit helps and allows the skilled labour to complete their jobs more easily. We are coming away with many positive relationships both with this Cambodian community and within the CDNIS community. We hope that our students will continue to do what they can to make positive change where the opportunities present themselves.