A letter to Victor

On Wednesday, March 9, we found out that Victor, one of our long-time English students, died unexpectedly.

Here is a letter that Rachel wrote him in an effort to process the loss of his death.


18 March 2016

Dear Victor,
It grieves me so much to be writing you this letter.  I never imagined that I would have to say goodbye to you in this way.

You were a healthy boy--what could cause you to die so quickly?

Did you experience any pain in your death?  I hope not.

I want you to know that 13 year-old boys aren't supposed to die.  It is not the way things should be!

Jesus wept for Lazarus when he died and I want you to know that we weep for you.  You are worth crying over!  Even though you weren't such a good student, you were a son of God--you were valued and loved by Him.  I hope you knew that through the time that you spent at RHS.  We, the staff of the school, loved you very well.  Sometimes we didn't find it easy to love you, but we still tried very hard to love as Christ would have us to love.

You should have been able to live into adulthood, to study further, to have your own family, but that wasn't meant to be.  So the only thing that I can do is say that it is not the way things should be.  We wait with your family for the Second Order of things; we wait for the time of no more tears, no more sadness--that is the hope that we cling to!

As we say goodbye to you, we release you back to God.  You were always His and so we give you to Him with great difficulty and pain in our hearts.

Much love,
Rachel

Saying Goodbye

At the end of February, the English classes at Rahab's House School closed.  For more information about that, please read our latest update here.

Below are a few pictures from those final days.  

The whole staff went for a boat ride on the Mekong and together we witnessed a beautiful sunset

The remaining staff prepared a sweet song for the goodbye ceremony

All the English teachers after the graduation ceremony

Kim and the vice principal passing out gifts to the students

Eating lunch together before the goodbye ceremony

Bonus picture: 4th grade artwork about the water cycle

Walking together

A reflection by Becki

This week we visited the site where some dear Cambodian friends and co-workers are building their first home. Their eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation as they described the house - where the kitchen will stand, how big the bedroom will be and so much more. They are putting down roots in a community and trusting the Lord to meet them in that place. It was a sacred moment to stand with them amid the stacks of bricks, pipes and cement and pray for what is to come.

As I reflect on this time with our friends, I am filled with such wonder. I am amazed at how the Lord has given me the privilege of sharing life with the staff of Rahab's House School. Over the last five years, I have witnessed countless marriages, births, deaths, illnesses, new houses, homes burned to the ground and more beauty and pain than I can begin to describe.  I have walked with friends and they have walked with me. And life has been better and richer for these relationships.

"Friends love through all kinds of weather,

    and families stick together in all kinds of trouble." 

Proverbs 17:17

This house is just the next chapter in their beautiful story.

August Update

We're in the middle of a busy season as we prepare for the beginning of the new school year. Check out our August Update for more details and for ways to be praying for us.

Van video

The new school van was purchased a few months ago with the generous donations of many individuals.  Above is a thank you video.  You can read all about it on AIM's website.

June Update - Love Anyway

Here is the link to our most recent update. You can also view it over at Chris Sick's blog - Tangible Theology.

New building design

Throughout our most recent newsletters and blog posts, we keep mentioning the new school building. We are so excited to finally unveil the designs.  We worked with TPC, an architecture firm in Roseville, CA.  They even came to visit Cambodia in October to help finalize the designs.  It's been fun to see the designs come to life!

The bird's eye view of how the new building will be situated on the land

The view from the front of the school

The view from the east corner of the property

Looking from the south corner

The view from the west corner

Looking from the north corner

What the courtyard will look like

The view upon entering the property from the main road

The backside of the building

What the property currently looks like!

February Update

 We are so excited about the groundbreaking for the new school that happened in January!  Read all about it here.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

On January 16th the community of Svay Pak gathered to celebrate and pray for the beginning of construction of our new school. It was a wonderful event! Here's a video and some photos from this special day.

See the video here: https://vimeo.com/118218664

Greeters welcome the guests.

Cambodian flags were placed along the entrance route.

Everyone was greeted as an honored guest.

Teachers stand ready to show their classroom exhibition boards.

Our two MC's for the event, an English teacher and an elementary teacher.

The mayor (pictured right) of Lowell, Massachusetts was in Phnom Penh and stopped by the ceremony. Lowell has the second largest population of Cambodians in the US. 

Two of RHS's wonderful staff ready for the event to start.

More teachers ready to present their work, along with one of our mentor-teachers, Sophie. 

The English school manager, IT coordinator, and social work coordinator. 

The deputy governor of our city district giving his speech.

Presenting the dignitaries with gifts. 

Pastor Gregory leading a closing prayer.

Starting the ribbon cutting to reveal the design of the new school. 

Clayton Butler continuing the ribbon cutting. 

The unveiling!

Part of the construction team posing in front of the new design.

Land blessing prayer ceremony.

Dignitaries posing for a picture after the ceremony.

Beautiful ladies relieved it's over!

Becki and the school receptionist. 

Kimberly and the MC's.

Kimberly and the school finance officer.

One more group shot!

A wider view of the land blessing prayer ceremony.

Ground Breaking Exhibition

The ground breaking for the new school building was a very big day for Rahab's House School (RHS). Much preparation went into making sure everything ran smoothly. We pray that the Lord was glorified in all of it!

The elementary and English teachers created exhibition boards to display information, pictures and educational resources used in their various classes. These boards were viewed by parents, dignitaries and government officials at the conclusion of the ceremony. The boards were all quite beautiful and accurately represented each of the classes RHS offers and the teachers' dedication to their students. We are so proud of the teachers and their desire to provide quality education and demonstrate the love of Jesus to their students and the Svay Pak community.

Here are a few shots of the exhibition boards:

Sakhena and Nitta proudly show-off their kindergarten board.

Pheara shares her beautiful board.

Punlue excitedly presents his Let's Go 4 display board. 

Our excellent 1st grade teachers detail all that the students learn in 1st grade with their board.

Chetra and Tevy teach our most precious students in ABC English class. 

December Update

Merry Christmas!

This update is our year-end review.  By God's grace, it's been a good year of ministry.

Click here to read about it.

A Trip to the National Museum

In November, our entire 3rd grade visited the Phnom Penh National Museum. In preparation for the trip, the students learned about ancient Cambodian history and culture. As they boarded the vans for the adventure, they were eager to see what treasures the museum held.

One of our teachers answers questions about the architecture of the National Museum.

The children and teachers view statues that date back to the 12th century.

Using a large map to explain to the students how Cambodia used to be much bigger than it is currently.

Learning more about the ancient kings who ruled Cambodia.

After touring the museum and enjoying a snack at a local park, the students returned to Svay Pak with a greater appreciation of their country and culture.