PB& J

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

Psalm 37:23 (ESV)

PB&J
On my last trip here to Poipet I met and fell in love with the border kids.  There were about twelve of them who hung around the border area and in my opinion, these were the most "at risk" group of kids in the city.  There were six who I got to know very well.
I returned to find that the original six had grown to about twenty and that twenty seemed to grow to thirty before my eyes.  I had originally budgeted to feed them while I was here. Taking twelve out to lunch is a real challenge but do-able.  Taking thirty...impossible!
Part of the whole success of on the ground missions is to seek  creative strategies and solutions that will work in the culture you are trying to reach. As westerners, there is so much we take for granted. Take for instance the simplicity of a pb&j sandwich.  In the west, it is our go to, just grab it, simple solution for a meal.  Here in Cambodia, bread, at least the type you make a pb&j with is hard to find so my suggestion, "lets just keep it simple and make pb&j sandwiches" was met with great excitement.  Apparently, the type of bread used to make a simple PB&J is only eaten once a year during holiday here and is a pretty big deal.  That type of bread is not sold just anywhere, but we were committed to " project peanut butter and jelly"  so the hunt was on.
We finally found the bread but apparently, there is another thing that is not so easy to find here in Poipet, sandwich bags and lunch bags.  After driving to several markets and striking out on the plastic element our Cambodian team member announces to us that she thought she knew where there was a stash of baggies back at the old mission center.  The group here had recently moved their base to a different city and the building was being occupied by a church.  All supplies had been moved to the new location but as the team member said, when she was packing up she saw this bag  and left it thinking that it was needed here for some future outreach.  Of course it was!
We drove her to the building and sure enough she found the bag she had left,  which contained not only sandwich bags but little lunch bags just the perfect size for our sack lunches!  I love it when a plan comes together.   We created a makeshift assembly line in the lobby of the Ly Heng Chay hotel and made up forty eight lunches.  Did I mention that the thirty had now grown to forty?  We were all so excited to drive the truck full of sack lunches to the border area and "Operation peanut butter and Jelly" became the best tailgate party ever.  Forty must have grown into 48 because every lunch was given out.
Every time I am with the kids I learn a little  bit  more about them.  I believe it is impossible to  solve  a problem like caring for them unless you understand the ground level challenges they face every day. What are the cultural issues keeping them on the streets? What are the spiritual strongholds and lies they believe about themselves that prevent the expansion of their vision beyond the immediate?  What are the challenges their parents face everyday. Many of these questions were answered for me over a pb&j today and the plan for change  is becoming more clear.
Without this knowledge,  trying to tackle the problem with even tried an true solutions is a bit like offering the , " lets just keep it simple and do pb&j solution."  Sounds great in theory, might work in California,  but the practical application might not be feasible in the culture the kids are living in.  I am thankful for the time I have with the kids and already dreading the goodbyes.

Love from the road,

Julie