I’m back.

I took a few days off from blogging – I even left my camera in its bag. I wanted to enjoy my family’s last few days in Asia without having to worry about documenting the journey. 

Kori, Chien, Pak and Xiu Dan left late, late on the first. Thanks to layovers and delays, it took them more than 40 hours to get home. They’re exhausted, but they’re glad to be back in Ohio. After a very short period of intense sadness -- followed by periodic twinges of melancholy that will probably linger until I rejoin them in five weeks – I jumped back into my job with renewed enthusiasm.

Within hours of my family’s departure, I was driving around town with Canadian board member John Dewit and his family, trying to help them wring the most out of their two days in Phnom Penh. They’ve now headed to Battambang, where they will spend most of their two week trip.

Board member John Dewit at the Asia's Hope Christian School

Now I’m spending nearly all of my time with my pastor and best friend, Jeff Cannell, and his son Ian. It’s Jeff’s second visit to Cambodia and Ian’s first. What an amazing blessing to have them here. I’ve missed my church  so much over the past few months, so I’m especially glad to have these guys traveling with me.

I concede that I am one who is often given to hyperbole. It is, however, no exaggeration to describe yesterday as a visit to both Heaven and Hell.

After breakfast, we drove to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum. I don’t really have the emotional energy to describe the impact this place has on me – it’s really awful. Tens of thousands of photos line the walls: men, women, children, babies -- all of them tortured and exterminated by the Khmer Rouge regime. Just a drop in the bloody bucket when you consider the millions who died during the brutal reign of terror that was known euphemistically as “Democratic Kampuchea.”

A few of the 20,000 people tortured at Tuol Sleng in the mid 70s. All but 7 were killed.

Classrooms at a local high school were converted into holding cells.

Waterboarding to extract "confessions."

People considered enemies of the state were mutilated and tortured in the most cruel, degrading ways imaginable.

Jeff and Ian

In contrast, our time at the Prek Eng 2 children’s home was like a visit to Heaven. The kids have been eagerly anticipating Jeff’s arrival for months. In fact, all of the older kids stayed up way past their bedtimes and came with Narun and Sophal to welcome Jeff and Ian at the airport at 11pm the night before. They were so excited, they simply couldn’t sleep.

We drove from Phnom Penh to Prek Eng through a hot, heavy rain that flooded the road and made me thankful for our car’s 4-wheel drive. When we arrived at 3:45 most of the kids were still at school. A handful of our older kids were at home, so we were able to spend about a half hour just hanging out and chatting with them. When the rest of the kids arrived home, they squealed in excitement when they saw our car, and rushed into the house to give us hugs. It was the first time many of them had seen Jeff since 2007.

The kids quickly changed out of their school uniforms and came back into the living room with puzzles, Uno cards and Twister. Jeff and I wisely opted out of the latter. After about an hour, the rains subsided and Narun swept as much water as he could off of the tiled area that serves as a front yard. The kids pulled out the takraw nets, and I joined Soktoun and Narun on a team that -- despite my presence – won five matches in a row as we listened to Beastie Boys on a pair of old computer speakers.

Narun and the kids arrive home from school

Around six o’clock we joined the kids and staff for dinner. We sat at the adults’ table and enjoyed a really nice home-cooked meal. Jeff asked Narun and Sophal about their life stories, and heard about Sophal’s childhood as an orphan. Her parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge, and she spent much of her childhood in an orphanage. She truly understands what her kids have gone through.

At about seven, an English tutor arrived and all of the older kids began their evening lessons. Jeff, Ian and I said good-bye and left for Phnom Penh exhilarated, but exhausted. It was an emotionally complex day. So much to see. So much to think about. Reminds me of a song by Rich Mullins:

Sometimes the night was beautiful

Sometimes the sky was so far away

Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close

You could touch it but your heart would break

Sometimes the morning came too soon

Sometimes the day could be so hot

There was so much work left to do

But so much You'd already done

Tonight, our church is throwing the kids a party. There will be cake, ice cream, dinner and – I hope – dancing.

Well, we’re back in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My family will remain with me for three more days and then head home. Looking at my schedule, I don’t think I’ll have a single day to relax until some time in the middle of September, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to miss them quite a bit.

I thought I’d post quickly about our last day in Thailand before jumping back into Cambodia updates.

We got up, had breakfast and headed out with Tutu’s son David to the San Kamphaeng Hot Springs, the natural wonder from which our Hot Springs children’s home gets its name. The Hot Springs themselves were, well, I was going to say “cool,” but that’s not accurate. They were very, very hot.

There are a number of such springs – geysers and bubbling pools of mineral water reaching temperatures above 220F – all over Northern Thailand, but San Kampheang’s are the most famous. We spent the morning at a park/spa/campground where we boiled eggs in the geyser pool, soaked our feet in the slightly cooler stream, had a wonderful Thai massage and swam in a very, very warm pool. I can’t say that I experienced any of the much-touted health benefits, but I did have a good time.

In the afternoon, we headed out to our Hot Springs children’s home, and enjoyed a few vigorous games of takraw which, when played well, resembles a mix between soccer, volleyball and kung-fu. Pastor Suradet and a few of the older kids played very, very well. I spent most of my time apologizing to my teammates. I’m not very good, but I had a great time.

It’s always such a joy spending recreational time with the staff and kids. Often, we teach the kids things we know – they really enjoy learning new games and unfamiliar sports. But it’s especially fun doing things that they’re great at – like takraw and soccer. It gives us a chance to really just be competitive and even a little silly. I like us when we can be peers – just friends – not sponsors or benefactors or tourists or whatever other role we sometimes find ourselves playing.

After an hour or two of games, we sat with Suradet and shared a snack, and then joined the kids in a short time of songs and encouragement. We left tired and sweaty, but happy to have spent the day enjoying not only the beautiful natural surroundings but also a bunch of beautiful people we’re privileged to call our friends.

Beautiful scenery at the Hot Springs home

Suradet performing a bicycle kick spike

It’s hard to believe that our time in Thailand is almost over. I’ve written embarrassingly little for this here journal. I’ve taken lots of pictures, but I haven’t kept up with writing.

I’ve had lots of things to say, but have found myself thwarted trying to align time, energy and technology. When I’ve had the time to write, I haven’t had the energy. And when I’ve had the energy and time, I haven’t had access to my computer. Or the internet. And when I’ve had time and technology, well, you know.

I’ve also had a ton of other stuff flooding my mind – preparations for the next legs of our journey, for one. It’s back to Cambodia for me, then India. Just the emotional and spiritual weight of tackling another country is enough to keep me awake when I should be sleeping and make want to take a nap when I should be doing other things. Like writing.

At any rate, my time in Thailand is quickly ending. Which means my family is going home and I’m not. It’s not like I’ll be alone – I will have friends and colleagues joining me from the beginning of August until the close of my trip in the middle of September – but I’m not quite ready to let them go. In fact, I’m not quite sure I’ve scheduled this thing correctly, and I’m considering other ways of doing this next year so I don’t have to make my wife a single mom for so long.

So, tonight it was nice to have a relaxing and rewarding evening fishing with a group of sweet, sweet kids from Doi Saket 2. We went old-school, with Huck-Finn-style stickpoles. I’m not a great fisherman, so it was fortunate to have an extremely well stocked pond at our disposal. It was only slightly more difficult (and way less disturbing) than shooting the proverbial puppy in a box.

We grilled the fish over a charcoal fire, and ate it with mountain rice and generic Thai cola. Delicious, relaxing and a great way to spend my second-to-last day in the country.

This weekend, the Buddhists in Thailand observed their Lenten season, and all the schools across the nation were closed for a four-day weekend. That gave us the opportunity to take the kids from Doi Saket 3 and 4 out to the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium. I’m at the point of the trip where I’m conserving my cash pretty carefully, so Pastor Mike Flinchum, one of our ministry advisors, generously kicked in some of his own money to help make the trip possible.

The kids were thrilled when they heard about the field trip, and apparently woke up very, very early clamoring for the day to begin. When we arrived at the zoo at the agreed-upon time, all of the kids and staff were already there, waiting for who-knows-how-long for us to arrive and pay the entrance fee.

The Chiang Mai Zoo is built into the side of a mountain. Unless you’re fit like Lance Armstrong and don’t mind drowning in your own sweat, the best way to get around is via tram. After we paid for the tickets, we jumped aboard a couple of these open-sided buses and headed up the mountain, around the bend to the aquarium.

It’s a good aquarium. It’s not as good as Chicago’s Shedd, but it’s good. But for a bunch of hilltribe kids who, until a year or so ago had never seen the outside of their village, it was absolutely mindblowing. In my everyday American life, I’m really pretty jaded, inured by my ready access to entertainment and amusement. But being here with these kids, I really get to rediscover my sense of wonder.

After the kids finally tired of walking through the glass tunnel and gawking at the scuba diver feeding the stingrays, we decided to see the rest of the zoo. Only we didn’t really get out of the tram until the last stop before the exit. As we passed the exhibits, the kids would squeal in Thai, “Ostrich!” or “Ooooh! Elephant!” As we headed through a densely forested portion of the zoo, I yelled, “Dinosaur!” and let out a loud roar. I think that at least two of the kids soiled themselves.

At the last stop, we got up close and personal with some hippos and posed for pictures with some pathetic costumed actors, who were probably crying sweltering tears inside their hot, hot foam-rubber sarcophagi.

It was a fantastic day. It was more than just a trip to the zoo, it was another chance to help rebuild the childhood which was stolen from these kids by death, disease and despair. The laughter, the hugs, the pointing and screeching all seemed, well, holy. 

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Thailand for almost a week, and I haven’t updated the blog once. Well, it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Some days, I have no time alone. Others, I’ve had no internet access. On the days in which I’ve had a little time, I’ve had to deal with unexpected issues that took away my attention.

Now that I have a few moments to myself, it’s hard to think about what I should tell you. Maybe I’ll just give sort of jumbled update and see if anything comes of it. 

We arrived in Thailand with my sister Julie, her husband Sam and their two kids, Anna and Ethan. Their family has generously supported Asia’s Hope from the very beginning, and Sam is now a member of the American board. This is their first trip to visit Asia’s Hope in person, and it was wonderful to spend time with them, enjoying the kids at the various homes and ‘talking shop’ throughout the day. When they left earlier this week, my kids were, admittedly, a little sad.

We were also joined by Glenn and Chantal Kelly and their three kids, Kaitlyn, Cassidy and Jeremy. Glenn and Chantal are members of the Canadian board, and Glenn also sits on the Executive Board. Glenn and Chantal’s church, Westview Bible in Montreal, sponsors our Battambang 1 home in Cambodia, so they were excited to be able to take their kids to see the children they hear about at home so often. 

Glenn and Chantal have for years worked tirelessly to support our Doi Saket 1 Thailand homes. In fact, this is the only home that we still have that sits outside of our normal church sponsorship model. We receive a portion of the total support from Chet’s Creek Church in Jacksonville, Florida, and the rest comes through the generous support of more than 100 sponsors — many of whom were Glenn’s friends and clients. Glenn and Chantal correspond with these Canadian sponsors, preparing updates and coordinating the collection and recording of the funds. This is a Herculean task, especially for busy people volunteering their time. A million thanks to Glenn and Chantal. We would have never gotten started in Thailand without their vision and dedication.

Anyway, Sam and Julie, Glenn and Chantal and all their kids have now left, and for a while anyway, it’s just our family. Since our arrival in Thailand, we’ve now visited 8 of our 9 Thai homes, and I’m pleased to say that the kids and staff appear to be doing great. We drove up last week to Wiang Pa Pow, our large campus about 2 hours north of Chiang Mai and killed a pig, feasted with the kids and staff and then distributed the meat to our other homes. The sow was probably 400 pounds, and died slowly, but deliciously.

We played soccer and were serendaded by the kids at Doi Saket 3 and 4, and toured the soon-to-be completed new home being built for DS4 by their sponsoring church, Grace Community in Fremont, Ohio. We spent a morning at the DS1 homes, and watched as the kids had their portraits drawn by local artists Glenn hired from the Chiang Mai night market. We played more soccer, and ran around playing silly games with the Doi Saket 2 kids, and worshipped on Sunday morning with all the kids and staff. The trip has been full, but rewarding. Today, we’ll be charting out the rest of our plans for our remaining two weeks in Thailand.

In Cambodia, I have a car to drive, and I can pretty much get around by myself. Not so in Thailand, so I find myself in the hands of others on a daily basis. Challenging for me, but the staff here is so accommodating it is really nothing more than an inconvenience.

I’ve also been unusually busy with correspondence – emails and phone calls and skype meetings often collide with each other, leaving me without much mental energy. But I’d better snap out of it and make the very best of my time in Thailand. I want to spend as much time with the kids as possible. I’m looking forward to the weekend, as the kids are out of school and available to play during the day.

I’ll try to update more frequently. Things here are busy, but pretty easy overall. It’ll get really complicated when I get back to Cambodia, and downright insane when I get to India.

More later…

Doi Saket 2 kids and staff

Doi Saket 3 kids and staffEvening soccer with the Doi Saket 3 and 4 boysMy daughter, Xiu Dan, and her friends from Doi Saket 3"Timothy," a former shaman from a Lahu villageLahu houses in a village similar to ones most of our kids come fromThe Wiang Pa Pow children's homeStaff and kids from Wiang Pa PowWaiting for pork at Wiang Pa PowPracticing guitar at Wiang Pa PowThis little boy is tired.Wiang Pa Pow children's homeGlenn Kelly and his daughter, CassidyThe entrance to our Doi Saket 1 children's homes

Portrait sessions at Doi Saket 1

Learning to make wax molds for silver rings

It’s about 4:00 in the morning, and I really should try to get back to sleep, but my heart and mind are so full, I’m not sure that’s going to be possible.

The last few days have been a whirlwhind. We met my sister, her husband and their two children in Siem Reap, spent two days with them there, drove to Battambang, spent two days here, and now in about 4 hours we’re driving back to Siem Reap where we’ll catch a plane to Chiang Mai, where we will spend 4 very busy days seeing all of Asia’s Hope Thailand before they head off to Koh Samui and then back home to Florida.

They’re on the last legs of a two month round-the-world trip. They’re visiting some of the many charity organizations they’ve supported over the years, including Asia’s Hope. Their blog is very entertaining. At least I think so.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to host Julie, Sam, Ethan and Anna in Cambodia and Thailand. They have supported Asia’s Hope logistically, strategically, prayerfully and financially since the very beginning. Now they get to see firsthand what it’s all about. And boy, that firsthand view is important. As Sam said last night, “All you need to do is to get a pastor over here and his church will support Asia’s Hope.”

The staff and kids at Asia’s Hope are also thrilled to have my family visit, and have been very welcoming. Upon arrival at our hotel in Battambang, we were met by a large group of kids, our national director and his wife, and all of the directors of the Battambang homes. They had flowers and a banner with Sam, Julie, Anna and Ethan’s names. And, as they are with all honored guests, they’ve showered the family with affection every moment they’ve been together.

For those of you who don’t know my brother-in-law Sam, he’s an entrepreneur par excellence with a shrewd, aggressive mind. It’s been great to have him over here. I can almost see the gears behind his eyes spinning as he talks strategy and finance with Savorn, our national director. Even better, though, is watching Sam play with the kids. He’s got a mean game of steal the bacon, and despite his shiny head and devil’s beard, the kids seem to think he’s a big teddy bear. They also love Julie – they cling to her and call her mom. And of course they like Ethan, who they think looks just like Justin Bieber. Some of the older boys were disappointed to find out that, yes, Anna’s too young for them. Back off, Bunheng. 

So, as hard as it is to leave Cambodia, I’m excited about showing off Asia’s Hope Thailand to these guys. I really do hope I can convince Sam to kill the pig at Wiang Pa Pow. Ethan fed a live duck to a crocodile in Siem Reap, how difficult can it really big to spear a sow through the heart?

I guess we’ll find out. Stay tuned.

The Van Voorhis family in Siem ReapSam at the Battambang 5 homeJulie at Battambang 4Anna at Battambang 1Ethan just before the July 4 dance party

Much of my time in Cambodia is spent doing “special” things with the kids – taking them to a water park, celebrating at a church service, boogying at a dance party. Last night, however, we enjoyed some nice, relaxed family time.

At both homes we visited last night – Battambang 3 and Battambang 6 – we got to enjoy a couple hours of games. We played Skip Bo, Uno, chess, Monopoly*, pickup sticks, cornhole, monkey-in-the-middle and a bunch of Cambodian games you’ve never heard of. We laughed, we lounged, we loved every minute of it.

It’s amazing, by the way, how many games can be played with a couple of sticks, some rubber bands, a few sets of hands and a half-dozen flip-flops. These kids know countless variations of rock-scissors-paper, hot potato and duck-duck-goose; they could teach all of our spoiled Western kids (and adults) a thing or two about getting by with less.

Last night provided yet another confirmation that we can create families, rather than institutions. The kids here are truly at home, and they know how to live together as brothers and sisters with their aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents.

Sure, the mountain-top experiences – youth conferences, water parks, beach outings – are a big part of rebuilding these kids’ childhoods. But the real progress happens every day as the kids brush teeth, eat breakfast, walk to school, help with chores and play simple games as a family.

Thanks for helping Asia’s Hope provide for these families. Please help me find more people who can make opportunities like this happen for more orphaned kids all across Asia.

Peace.

*Sort of. A pox on whoever thought Disneyopoly was worth creating. Explaining the rules and reasons for Monopoly to a bunch of Cambodian kids is hard enough. Replace Park Place and Broadway with Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast and the whole thing goes to nonsense pretty quickly.

BB3 kids play one of the many games that involve chanting and slapping hands. Our national director carried a real machine gun when he was not much older than these boys. I'll take legos over an AK-47 any day.Turns out Chien actually does remember how to play chess.The kids at BB6 play something like cornhole, but without the corn. And the hole.BB6's mom was a shark, but I beat her. Narrowly.

What a difference a year makes.

Almost exactly one year ago, Asia’s Hope grew by 21 kids and five full-time staff. We had the privilege of joining a team from the newly formed Battambang 6 children’s home’s sponsoring church, and together we welcomed a group of scared, confused and painfully shy kids into their new family. 

As I wrote then, “Soon, the photos from BB6 will look like the photos from all of our other orphan homes. The kids will be laughing, playing and singing. Not yet, but soon.”

What a joy it’s been to return and see the proof that what we’re doing is working — to see in dramatic fashion the transforming power of hope. Last year, these kids were  refugees. This year, they’re normal kids, attending school, studying, doing chores and loving each other as brothers and sisters. The kids are blooming!

Last night, we played together for a couple of hours and then shared a delicious meal — an anniversary feast of sorts. I told the kids just how much they’d grown and changed in one short year. I also encouraged them to be on the front line of welcome for the new kids who will be coming to Battambang 7 in a few short weeks.

Now all I want to do is more of the same. In more places, for more kids, with more churches, individuals and businesses. Join me in praying that God will give us this same experience over and over and over again for the sake of his kids and the sake of his kingdom.

Vihea, one year ago.

Vihea, today.

Soriya, one year ago.Soriya, today.One year ago.Today