Wat Opot Children's Community

Here is the update some of you have requested on our newest member Ann Marie. Born on the 23rd day of March, her mother died of AIDS related causes just 20 days later and because of that the Home Care team of Partners in Compassion /Cambodia was notified. There were no known relatives in the area and so my Partner Vandin San, who heads our Home Care teams, called to ask if I would accept her. I of course said yes, having been given a sign just a few days earlier that we would be getting a baby, when our good friend Mary Dunbar dropped off a bundle of used clothing in which there was a bag of very small baby clothes.

She wasn’t in very good shape when she came to us and needed some special infant care, which is not easy to find around here… however in what can only be described as a WOPCIE (Wat OPot CoIncidental Experience) the day after her arrival, Juergen Reichl, a male Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse from Switzerland just happened to find his way to our place and decided to stay for a few weeks.

Photo by Michael Scholten

Ann Marie is making good progress and is now at 1.8 kilograms, which is pretty good considering she was only 1.6 kilograms when she came to us a few days ago.

Thanks to all who have expressed concern for her and a big THANKS to all of you who make this possible through your support.

Wayne Dale Matthysse

Here is the latest report from Wat Opot regarding the ongoing projects at the community. http://partnersincompassioncambodia.com/index_files/ydaw.htm

A few months ago Mark Masingale found himself at the end of his rope, sitting in a small backpackers cafe in Phnom Penh, wondering where his Journey would take him next… if anywhere at all. He had been self employed most of his life doing what he needed to do to stay ahead of the game but lost it all after an accident. All he was wanting to do was to eat his sandwich in peace, but a sudden downpour and a leaky roof forced him to move to another table, and then another, and another, and another, until there was only one table left in the cafe that was dry. A young German girl was sitting there however and so he asked if he could join her until the rain stopped.

A few months ago I was desperate for someone who knew a little about a lot of things because after eight years of wear and tear our buildings and equipment where in need of repair. We get many volunteers but not many men and most of the men who do come are not handymen. Most of our volunteers are like Ramona, a young German girl, with teaching or nursing backgrounds.

Some might call their meeting Coincidence while others would call it Providence but whatever it was really doesn’t matter, because I have gotten more things done in the past few months then I could ever had hoped for and Mark… well he really doesn’t have much time to think about it:

Moving a house.

Digging out tree stumps.

Feeding the fish.

Removing a landmark.

Repairing the car.

Repairing a diesal engine

Joining the children for a day in the mountains.

Cutting off a toe and experiencing seven sutures without anesthesia.

Relaxing with the children at the end of the day.

Mark is not a religious person but considers himself a follower of Jesus. Where this will all lead him is anybodies guess but by putting his Faith in action, he is leaning that today is all that really matters.

Journeys have no destination,
There is no end or graduation,
Each new step the realization,
We all are part of One Creation.

You can send Mark a note of encouragement to: marktmasingale@gmail.com

We now have a new logo for the Wat Opot Children’s Community. I have been trying to design something on my own for several months but nothing ever seemed to work. I really wanted to impress the American Ambassador when she visited our place for THE BIG EVENT but with only three weeks to prepare, it seemed hopeless. And than, like an answer to Prayer, the Universe sent us Agathe Troussel, a graphic designer from France, and within a few days she accomplished what I had not been able to do. The Khmer letters spell “Sahacom” or Community in English.

T-Shirts were printed with the logo on the front and this quote from Gail’s article in the Kyoto Journal on the back. They drew a lot of attention from the guest and one of the shirts would even have been presented to the Ambassador… had she stayed around long enough to receive it.

We even have our own flag now and it flies right below the flag of the USA.

Thanks Agathe for sharing yourself and your talents with us. We wish you all the best as you continue your travels through South America. Hasta luego!

Wayne Dale Matthysse
http://wayne-matthysse.blogspot.com

6-8 March 2010

The very First Art of Living Workshop in Cambodia was held at the Wat Opot Children’s Community. Mr. Timothy Wong, who is an international coordinator and faculty member of the Art of Living Foundation, lead the workshop with several of our children.

The Art of Living Foundation is a multi-faceted, not-for-profit educational and humanitarian organization with a presence in 140 Countries. It was founded by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1982 and is today one of the largest voluntary organizations in the world.

The program was free of charge and our children enjoyed it so much that Mr. Timothy drove all the way out from Phnom Penh for two additional days of teaching.

The Art of Living Course gives participants the practical knowledge and techniques to unlock their deepest potential and brings about a fullness of Life.

We consider it an honor to a part of the ONE WORLD FAMILY in Cambodia and look forward to future workshops and opportunities of joining others in creating a violence-free, stress free Global Family.

For more information about this organization go to: www.artofliving.org