Photos taken in Vietnam

Here are some pics from Vietnam where I spent most of my time while I was overseas. The photos have been taken at an orphanage, a deaf school, a tempel and at the Cu Chi Tunnels. There is also a pic of me ready to get on a motorbike.

Cambodia Photos

Here are some photos taken while i was in Cambodia. 2 of the photos were taken at the killing fields just outside of the capital, Phnom Penh. There is one photo taken from a tuk tuk ( like a trishaw ) and the other photo is of one of my friends whom I hadn't seen in 10 years

I'm finally home

I am back in Sydney now and it has been great seeing my family again especially my brother as he has just celebrated his 16th Birthday. It feels a little strange being back in Australia as my time away was so valuable and worthwhile and I didn't want to leave.On the 8/1/2 hour plane trip back to Australia I was able to think about all the good things that happened while I was away, and also a number of things which I need to pray about.

Below are some points as a result of visiting Vietnam and Cambodia.


Thank and Praise the Father for:

• Keeping me safe and well for most of my trip.




• Being a blessing to others during my time volunteering.




• The opportunity to talk about our Heavenly Father to Mr S, a taxi driver and another volunteer..




• The Aussies I met and the encouragement they were to me.
  

Ask the Father for:

• The many people I had contact with (locals, kids at orphanages etc) who are still living in darkness; that they will repent of their sins.




• The many cross cultural workers and other locals wanting to reach out; that they will be bold and courageous, even if they are persecuted for their faith.




• More workers to want to go out into the harvest, to leave their comfort zones and reach the unreached of Asia.. Pray that they can use their skills and profession to teach others especially in areas of teaching and medical care which is much needed.

Trip to Cambodia and Vietnam- Part 2

I have been in Vietnam for a few days now and God has been so good to me. The population of Saigon is 5 times the population of Phnom Penh so the traffic is a lot more crazier!! The weather in Vietnam is very similar to Cambodia, hot and sticky for most of the day, but a lot better than the cold weather in Australia ! The other day it rained for an hour or so and my friends and I were soaked as we raced back to our guesthouse. The joy of running in the rain!

It has been an intersting few days here in Saigon. Apart from riding on a motorbike, i have been helping out along with other people at a number of organisations. Lots of the orphanages here are rather large with many street kids. It is so good that someone is willing to help these disadvantaged kids, otherwise they will be begging on the streets and not earning much money at all. We enjoyed taking some of the kids to a rollarskating rink as they had so much fun; it was clear from their smiles. ( The kids were heaps better than me on rollarskates, I hadn't rollarskated in 10 years!! )

There have been some challenges along the way, mainly with communication. I am not talking about communicating in English or Vietnamese, but it was hard connecting at times with the deaf school we visited. They taught us some sign language ( I have forgotten most of it now though-what a pity! ) and communicating back to them was difficult although it was a good experience for me to come and see them.

There has been time on the weekends to explore this exciting city of Saigon. On Saturday i went and visited the Cu Chi Tunnels which is 1/1/2 hours out of Saigon. This is where some of the fighting in the Vietnam War took place. The tunnels underground were so small; I couldn't imagine having to live down there while there was fighting above the ground. Our tour guide was actually shot during the Vietnam War and his story was a chilling reminder of the dangers of war and how it can be a matter of life and death. God has been good to us; we live in a free country.

I would write more, but the internet is very slow here and I must go!

Trip to Cambodia and Vietnam-Part 1

This post is a few days overdue as i have been quite busy.

I am at the moment having a good 2 weeks away from from my friends and family in Sydney, Australia. I am now in Vietnam, but have just been to the Kingdom of Cambodia where i have experienced quite a lot in the few days i had there. I had gone last year to Cambodia but the trip was rushed so this time i took my time visiting a number of places in Phnom Penh the capital. The capital was as hot as ever and most days were 35 degrees or more.

Visiting the Killing Fields was a sombering experience. There were so many people were brutally killed here as the Khmer Rouge took control of the country in the late 70s, and the question of ' why '( why so many people had to die) kept on coming up as i was there. I was able to meet a school friend whom i hadn't seen in nearly 10 years; we had lots to catch up on! I was also able to meet some other Aussies and that was an amazing encouragement to me. It is good that our God is working through his messengers around the world to show others who Jesus is despite the many challenges they face. God is doing great work through the church in Cambodia but still Christians are very much the minority.

One experience which i won't forget will be on my last day in Cambodia. I caught a taxi and the driver asked me what my religion was and I mentioned I was a Christian. In simple English i explained briefly what that meant. I am not sure if he understood me at all, but then he started asking some other questions,mainly about me . I am not sure if he really wanted to know me better ( he was rather young! ) or if he was genuinely interetested in Christianity, but i said that i will pray for him. Again, God is working in peoples hearts.

To conclude this post, life in Cambodia is quite different to life in Australia. In Australia we take so much for granted, a roof over our heads, enough food to eat etc. Even though there are a number of NGOs ( Non-Government Organisations) doing good work there, there are people still struggling on a daily basis. With half the population 15 years and under there are kids there who still don't go to school. We have so much to be thankful for and need to count our blessings everyday as God is so good to us.

I am in Vietnam now so will write again shortly and hopefully add some photos in the next week or so.