Monthly Archives: April 2009

Goodbyes

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goodbyes1
There are a lot of visitors and volunteers who come through our gates and we are so very grateful for each one of them. They bring with them new ideas and perspectives on life and when it is time to say goodbye… most leave a good part of themselves with us. Goodbyes are always hard but many of the volunteers from the past are now returning to us and so we can look forward to seeing them again further into our journeys.

nymoWe also said an unexpected goodbye to one of our own this week. Nymo and his sister have lived with us off and on for the past four years but this last time Nymo came alone and was here for nearly 14 months. His mother had tried to take care of both of them but the man she was living with would beat Nymo so badly that she was afraid he might kill him … so she brought him to us. Nymo’s sister died from neglect a few months ago. She was a year older then he was. I didn’t tell him at the time because he was doing so well in school and I didn’t want to upset him.

A few days ago Nymo’s mother showed up again and said she now has a new husband and so she wanted to take Nymo back. She promised Nymo that this man would not beat him like the other man did. He wasn’t to happy about leaving us but finally gave in and with tears rolling down his cheeks… climbed on to the motorcycle and rode away, without looking back.

Wayne
tsoham.info

Markers of an Evil Empire

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electric-poleIt has followed me most of my life and even though I have tried to get away from it, I find there is no escape… it always finds me wherever I go. Everyone else is excited about it and they try to convince me of it goodness, but that is only because they don’t know the evil that always accompanies it.

I captured it here in this picture, coming down the dirt road on the right. Our new dorm is sitting to the Left and in a week or so they will hand over the keys. When they do I will give you a photo tour of place but for now this will have to do.

I am sure when it comes in its fullness, I will again indulge in it’s pleasurable comforts. A simple fan will be the first of these, to help sleep on those long-hot-muggy nights, next maybe a refrigerated box, then a night light, and before very long The Television.

The electric poles you see in this picture look so natural that you may have missed them at first… but for those of us who have tried to escape them, they are markers of a conquering Evil Empire that will, in a very short time, destroy yet another Culture that has lived by the hours of the Sun.

Wayne Dale Matthysse
tsoham.info

The Banyan Tree

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The Banyan Tree
The Banyan Tree

The Banyan tree grows in many parts of the World and wherever they are found there is usually a lot of folklore surrounding them. Here in Cambodia they are mostly found on the grounds of the Buddhist Wats. The Buddha found Enlightenment under one of these trees and so I guess it makes sense to have them growing there. Awhile ago I found some seedlings under the Banyan Tree and transplanted them in some plastic bags just to see how they would do. They developed rather rapidly into sturdy young trees and so I decided to plant some of them around the older boys dorm. They were not any to happy about this but I didn’t think much about it at the time. The trees started growing quite well… however, one day when I went to check on them, I found that they had all been removed. When I asked for an explanation, I was told that the trees are the homes of Spirits and that is why the boys did not want them growing by their dorm.

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The Banyan Project

Alfred Banze and Christine Falk, who are pictured here, came to our community for three days awhile back and produced a video with our children, entitled GHOST IN A TREE. Alfred had been here two years earlier while on a World tour with the Banyan Project. You can read about their interesting work by following this link.
Banyan Project

And here is the video they produced:

WatOpotIAN Progress 2

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REWARDS

The reward of those who fast,
Knowing a feast awaits them,
Is emptiness,

While those who fast,
Knowing not when they shall eat again,
Find fulfillment.

In my search for the Truth, I have found that most of those people, who occupy high places in society and can speak with great intellect about Spiritual matters, really have nothing to offer. Their words, although eloquent, lack substance and their actions, while virtuous in appearance, benefit only themselves.

How much greater is the Wisdom of those who have suffered a lifetime and yet manage to smile… and more beautiful the laughter of an orphaned child.

Give me the Widow’s mite Lord, and I will build a Tower with its Love.

Wayne Dale Matthysse

WatOpotIAN Progress – 27 March 2009

image14931 chimes

The new study Gazebo is finished and already used as a study center and music rehearsal hall, even though the furniture has not yet been purchased. It makes a great place for sleeping on hot nights as well.

dorm

The new dormitory is close to completion and they say it should be done in only a couple of more weeks. One of the men in charge was out yesterday talking about beds and storage cabinets for the children. This is going to be a beautiful building and we are so grateful to the Taiwanese Lion’s Club for the quality of material being put into constructing it.

merry merry2

Young volunteers from Japan and Germany worked  all day with our young people sanding down the rusty old Merry-Go-Round so that it could be converted into this beautiful Yellow Carousal for the children.

rocket

In the past couple of months we have had many volunteers here from Germany, France, Canada, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Japan . All of them come with new ideas, crafts, and activities, and some of them are really really neat… like this Bottle Rocket Launcher.

calligraphy

Others activities are more difficult and challenging to learn, like Japanese Calligraphy. Here the boys are learning from a Master how to draw the Chinese Symbol  for Eternity.

pond1 garden

Other new improvements to the grounds include our new fishpond with a fence to stop the volleyball. This should reduce the agitation level of both players and fish. The covered garden has also just been completed and soon we hope will start producing vegetables for our kitchen.

facesfaces2faces3

Face painting is always fun and anyone can participate.

kites2kites1
And everybody gets entertained when the kites are in the sky.

Well, there you have it folks, another Progress report from Watopotia.

Thanks so much for dropping in.
And if you are ever find yourself in Cambodia,
Make sure to put us on you’re itinerary.

SOHAM…

Wayne Dale Matthysse