Day #1 What a Day

So much happened today, it's hard to keep track. Moments of utter solemnity and moments of pure joy.

We started the day by visiting a former school. This place became notorious as a torture camp during the days of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. The closest thing I can even compare it to would be visiting one of the concentration camps of WW II. But this all happened only about 35 years ago. I still can't wrap my head around how something like this could happen in the first place, let alone
somehow slip under the radar, as it were in much of the world's conscious.



Photos of prisoners - all were killed

Later in the day we went to the mass gravesite of thousands. Something like 129 different mass graves were identified. The government has excavated a number of them, I believe the number was 86, and in just those alone, they found the remains of over 8,000 people. This is just ONE location, of many. So sobering to be walking along the path and if you look down, you can see shards of bone and clothing still poking up out of the dirt. When the rains come, they wash more of the remains to the surface. It's not something I'll soon forget.

We were with a number of young Cambodians who are a part of various Transform Asia ministries. This was the first time they had ever seen this too. It was powerful to share that experience.

That was the heavy part of the day.

The lighter side of the day was visiting the Joy Day Care. This is another one of Transform Asia's projects. It's almost like a preschool for these kids who live in the dump. No, it's not some ratty part of town. They literally live at the garbage dump. For the most part, they aren't orphans. Their families survive by digging through the trash for recyclables, which they sell for money.

These kids are picked up by staff in the morning and brought to the day care facility. They are given a shower (being taught hygiene) and a 'uniform' to wear during the day. The staff washes their clothes while the kids are learning/playing/napping/etc and are given the newly clean clothes back at the end of the day. I'm so proud that some rice from our project goes to help feed these kids. To see them all pray right before getting a snack was heart-wrenching in a


Joy Day Care children with mission volunteers Cheryl and Lee

good way. I was told normally these kids only have an expected lifespan of about 10 years. But the kids who are in this project have that extended considerably.

The day care is so aptly named. Even with the conditions that these kids live in, the joy in their faces as they were playing games and chasing bubbles was so infectious. The project is staffed with a number of volunteers from all over the world. We met a pair of people from British Columbia and a girl from Finland who got involved through various aid organizations. After seeing these kids, it's not hard to see why they can get volunteer help.

Tomorrow we will begin the rice distributions, but first we'll be meeting with a government official who I understand will be thanking us (you) for all of the rice support. It's getting close to midnight here, so I better get some sleep. It might be hard though with everything running through my head.