Bophal Travels with the Ministry of Social Affairs

  Center of Peace March 2017 News

Greetings Friends,

I just returned from a grueling weeklong trip to visit most of the home villages of the COP children and teens to meet with their single parents or extended relatives.  Last Monday I left with a driver in a ‘M'lup Russey’ vehicle, and an official from the ministry of Social Affairs. M’lup Russey is a Christian Non-Government Organization that has been helping the government with dismantling the existing orphanage system and helping those organization re-integrate children into the families of extended relatives (https://www.facebook.com/Mluprussey.NGO/). They train orphanage directors to do this, and help train children and teens to prepare for re-integration.  In each village we met with the village chief, a district official, and a provincial official to assess the situation together.

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We traveled to Svay Rieng first thing the Monday morning, and then drove to Memot to meet with Mr. Vitu’s (16) mother who will not take him back. Tuesday around noon we left for K.Cham where we stayed the night. The next day we drove to the outskirts of Kompong Thom City and met with the mother of Srey Oun (17) and her sister Yari (15), who had land in K.Thom but who was very poor, and in not so good mental health. In addition, she had a lot of other children to care for.  Thursday we went deep into K.Thom, near Sandan District where the bulk of relatives of COP teens and children live. We travelled over horrendous back roads to reach these villages. It was an exhausting trip all over eastern and central Cambodia and rained very hard on Thursday night.  I made it back to Phnom Penh by Friday noon.

It has been determined that the living situation of these 4 COP children above has improved enough whereas they can be reintegrated with their single mothers or extended families. Other COP teens who lived for a long time in an institutional situation are difficult to re-integrate and can be turned back over to COP to finish high school college.

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Next week I will travel again with M’lup Russei and the official from the ministry, this time to Pailin, a Cambodian City on the Thai border to find the mother of Mr. Kosal (12) and Miss Malis (10) who is working in a Thai garment factory.   

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     Traveling Upcountry in backwater K.Thom              Meeting with Provincial Officials

After all the assessments are done, and according to the government regulations, I will have to do the trip again to personally deliver every COP child or teen back to their relatives, and those that the committee has decreed may return to COP will come back with me. COP is in the process of becoming a Home Stay for those who need to finish high school and college rather than an orphanage, although we will still care orphans or kids in extremely difficult circumstances like Srey Noich, Kosal, Malis, Siomai, Chanta, and Thy, who have no parent or stable relatives to return to.

Center of Peace is one of first of eleven orphanages to work with government toward re-integration.  I, as the director of COP, will be part of a task force that will use our experiences as a case study for creating strategy that can be applied to best practices of re-integration, assessment, and the operation of existing orphanages. This puts COP in an excellent position for capacity building training, current information, and longevity.

To comply legally with the government mandate COP will have to spend $1500 out pocket, funds that COP desperately needs for operating expenses. Assessments by M’Lup Russei, PP government, and provincial government officials, by their decision to send most children and teens back to COP, affirm that COP is indeed a good ministry and safe place for children and teens.

Brian and I are moving into COP where Brian will be contributing to rent and utilities costs and we will serve as house parents.  This is a sacrifice for both of us, but the children and teens really do need COP.

We are asking you to make a sacrifice in terms of a donation/monthly pledge to enable us to continue to provide a home for children and teens that don’t have one.  Please pledge $50-$100/month to keep COP going, or make a one time donation.

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If COP closes to due to lack of funding, COP kids will be sent other to institutions that will not be Christian and that will not provide the holistic care that COP gives.

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To donate:

§ (http://www.breakthroughpartners.org/donate.aspx)

§ Go to “Donate.” Find Brian Maher. Put in $  

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§ Designate for COP if you want to help COP

If you read this far, thanks so much.  See my whirlwind trip below from last Monday to Friday!

Love and Blessings, Bophal

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Center of Peace "Homestay"

Dear Friends of the Center of Peace,

Greetings from me, Bophal!

We are still having fun at COP, learning and growing as usual. Recently we have been making cards and crafts for 26 political prisoners who have been jailed on trumped up charges.Their situation is very tenuous, as they are not allowed to have anything that reminds them of life or hope. They are not even seen by doctors unless Human Rights organizations brings them along on their visits. So, we make cards and crafts to encourage them, and brighten up their day. We want to do this as a result of our study of Matthew 25:31-40 (whatever you do for the least of these). Here is a case of the least doing good to the least. Below is the card factory 

The Center of Peace will become a personal home for 12-15 teenagers finishing high school and college with Brian and Bophal as house 

Since our funding is down to $500/month, which mainly comes in from Seattle friends, we will close the Daycare ministry and send the COP children from ages 5-14 years old back to their villages and extended families. This has nothing to do with government mandate, just a shortage of funding. That will leave us with 12-15 older students trying to finish high school and college. Brian and I will move into COP’s residence ($850/month) to offset the rent, and become house parents. COP will become a “Homestay” by May. 

Bophal, a Mentor for Onyx Women, Presents Sitha with her ONYX Diploma last week

We still need consistent donors to help with food and rent for the “Homestay” but meanwhile we are going to try to run a food business by selling rice and chicken to school children on their way back and forth to school. We also want to buy a special cart to sell gyro meet on pita bread along road which are very popular with students these days. 

"I am trying hard to sell my personal pepper farm to finance our small business initiatives and to get the COP pepper farm going."  

We are now entering harvest time at my farm.  We already have locals stealing our pepper, but we will still expect to have an acceptable harvest. Unfortunately, since Vietnam is angry at Cambodia, they are refusing to buy our pepper and have forced the price down per kilo.

Srey Leak and Hockey below exchanging Valentine Day Crafts

Ms. Chhorven (20) and Mr. Chantha (22) are studying in the ONYX Program this year at DOVE. Ms. Srey Leak is hoping to finish high school and study with Matthew Fairfax in his Salon training program for teens at risk.  Prey Long Reforestation camp is coming up in July, and we plan on having COP “Homestay” teens participate.  Two of our young men continue to join the Men's group Brian leads every week, so there is still a lot going on at the Center.

Cop Church Service below that often includes neighborhood kids or visiting friends

Pray for our business plans to bring in income. We cannot become totally self-sustainable right away, so we still need your help.

Professor Kosal closing in prayer

Thank you for your prayers and friendship,

Bophal Yos-Maher

To donate:

§ (http://www.breakthroughpartners.org/donate.aspx)

§ Go to “Donate.” Find Brian Maher. Put in $  

§ Designate for COP if you want to help COP

Children Mandated to be Sent Back to Their Villages

Many Changes at the Center Peace!

 

Big changes are affecting COP in that government is mandating that all the younger children (5-14) to be sent back to relatives. They will be returning to less than harmonious situations and where we know for sure that they will not be sent to school, used as child labor around the house, for farming or collecting recyclables, COP can keep them. Assessing all the COP kids, we decided that we cannot send 2 children back, a brother and sister who just have nowhere safe to go. The local government authority in their community will sign off on receiving them and will monitor how they are doing with their relatives and keep COP informed. If there are serious issues, they will send them back to COP.

Back to the Villlage

" One of the reasons we want to keep our support level up is to help sponsor our children who will be sent back to their poor villages with school supplies, shoes, clothes, or bicycles to get to school which is often far away." 
 
Please consider this when you decide to donate or not.
Our young people from ages 15-20 can stay at COP, but it will now be a "Home-Stay," more like a dorm situation. Fifteen teens will continue to live at COP, along with 3 children ages 9-12 who literally have no place to go.

Successes
 

Mr. Vichet (19) enrolled in training with the Katie Korpi Salon last year and is doing very well. One of our girls, Ms. Srey Neang (17) will be applying this month and hopefully she will get accepted into the program. This could be a start of a great career for both as Michael Fairfax offers top of line training cosmetics and hair styling. We also have two young adults studying at YWAM DTS for six months, sponsored by Pastor Jenny Oh.


Day Care Ministry- COP kids help teach toddlers (below right)

Last January, we began a day care service at COP for the working poor, the vendors who bring their kids along in tow to collect recyclables and sell street food. We have 18 children, 2-5 years old and on a daily basis do exercises, learn Khmer and English, play with toys, color, draw, sing fun songs, and learn manners and how to get along. Their parents are amazed to watch their kids show daily improvement and positive development in their lives emotionally and academically. Neighborhood poor want to send their children as well, but we are full now. We need toys, books, games, etc., if you are planning to visit the kingdom.

Srey Saophaun, below, teaching Pre-School for Vendor's Children

Stalled Pepper Farm

With a loan from an Australian church, we were able to purchase some land to begin a pepper farm with the hopes of making COP more self-sustainable. We were hoping to get some more loans or donations to buy equipment and begin planting by this June but loans did not materialize. Please consider helping us here. We have 3 weeks to find a loan of $15 to begin planting. If you are interested, please contact us for details. We now have land, but that’s it.


COP Soccer Team Ready to Play at DOVE's  Ball Field


Ready for Action 

Ramon, a college student at COP began a soccer team a few months back for COP teens and young people in the neighborhood. The neighborhood people warned us that these kids were bad, but we found them to be great kids. Now they have something positive to do with their time and energy, and some attend our Sunday gathering regularly, others just come to fun activities, and some just hang out at COP when they feel like it. The team has both lost and won some tough games. Brian’s friend Mr. Kimlieng (coach/player) broke his leg playing, but seems to be in good spirits (see photo below) So far, it is been fun and a learning experience.

Poor Mr. Kimlieng with broken leg, left. 
 
Mr. Johnnathan and Ms. Yorean (Pich) 

The children I have been taking care of since a young age are almost mine. Soon Brian and I will be the official parents, in the eyes of the Cambodian government, of Johnnathan (12) and Yorean (9). Thanks to the two individuals who helped with donations for lawyer fees. We expect all the documents to be signed with a month.

A Request to You from COP: Please do not skip.

COP will be losing a major donation of $1000/month ending in July. Unless we can replace that, it will be very difficult to continue to provide care and education to youth from impoverished and extremely difficult backgrounds, and the children of vendors in our Care Day Center, and the youth in our neighborhood. If you really care about COP, please commit to a monthly donation of $50 or $100 to keep our community operating. See donation info below. Please help us. 

How to donate:

Go to http://www.breakthroughpartners.org/donate.aspx
Go to “Donate and find Brian Maher.
Scroll down to recurring donations. Put in $ where asked and designate to COP. 

Or, if in Cambodia, call Bophal Yos-Maher 012-923-181
Bophal@coporphanage.com 

God Bless you, Bophal

Hell No, We Won't Go!

"Adventure Retreat," a phrase that could mean so many different things to so many different people. For me it meant a sore back from sleeping on the hard ground, or bamboo slats, using a squatty potty, and no guarantee I would have hot water for the packets of instant coffee I brought along. All of that came true, by the way. Gone are the days of wanting to sleep on the mountain peaks in the depth of winter or anything similar.

The ONXY Adventure Camp took place at a place called Yowk, 30 kilometers off a National Highway in the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Yowk is part of a national park system and we camped at the base of a series of seven water falls that stretched upward for about two kilometers. The swift coursing water ran clear, cold and clean. It was impressive. Vysal did a good job in selecting the site, which is a popular picnic spot on holidays. No one ever proposed the idea of camping in tents there, and we were the first. Some of us slept in tents, others on the wooden raised platforms for picnicking. A few students were disappointed because they didn’t get to sleep in a tent as that would be a first, and badge of honor for them.

To my delight, there was no cell phone service available. The 50 or students from DOVE’s 4 Leadership Training satellites, along with retreat leaders could only use their phones to take photos and for flashlight use. 

We arrived at noon, and after a brief rest and orientation to surviving in the wilderness, DOVE coordinators led team building games, some of which were rather challenging and involved being tied together, and carrying a member of their team up the mountain trail and back in competition with the other satellites. The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing up the lower section of the falls, swimming in the frigid pools, basking in the sun on large smooth rocks, and taking many photos. All were continually impressed with the beauty of the descending river and the falls. 

 
At the campfire that evening Seila told the story of Seang Ang, a Cambodian pastor/Evangelist who risked his life during the Vietnam War and with the underground church to share the gospel post Khmer Rouge. Seila emphasized that real leadership is more about scars than stars, and that this generation of youth have yet to be tested like their forefathers.  

Next morning students from each satellite went on a separate Emmaus Walk, and then shared their own personal life stories with the members of their group until lunch. Many broke down as they shared about their emotional pain. In our last 3 ONYX cohorts, rarely have we found a student  who had not been touched by some sort of emotional trauma, mostly family related.

That afternoon, all the students climbed all the way up to the 7th level of the falls- the very top. They had to cross the strong coursing waters a number times, negotiate slippery rocks, scale massive boulders and steep inclines. None had done this before, and the women were touched and impressed that the men tested slippery rocks and the depth of the water before helping them across, as well as helping pull them up the steep, slippery algae-covered rocks. That morning, only a few feet from our campsite, I slipped on wet rock at the edge of a gentle pool and banged up my arm and leg pretty good –thanks to my over-sized and soaked Birkenstocks. Seila forbid me to go to the top for fear of a repeat performance on a slippery precipice. 

At the last minute, a number of students called saying they were too busy to come, so we had about 75% of the ONYX students in attendance (about 50 students). This was discouraging but we working with what we had was a blast. That night at the campfire, many testified that they too, wanted to cancel as everything else seemed more appealing than living through adventure retreat and leaving their comfort zone, but they were overwhelmed by their experience over the weekend, and testified that they really made the right decision, that being pushed out of their comfort zone produced all kinds of fruit they didn’t expect. The provincial women felt awkward being around so many people they didn’t know, but were so glad to make new friends through the ice-breakers and team building exercises. These normally shy provincial girls were transformed into comedians as soon a microphone hit their hand, and told us how they had tried everything to convince themselves they shouldn’t come. The ONXY students chirped with laughter as they enjoyed listening to their own peers. 

The following morning, I gave a short devotion about the Celtic Tradition of “Thin Places,” where life crises and nature come together causing the membrane between earth and the spiritual realm to become very thin (speaking in metaphorical language). Moses, Elijah, and Jacob and others in the Bible were able experience the presence of God at thin places. I sent them out by twos to find a secluded and beautiful spot, maybe a thin place, and settle in for 30 minutes. They were to say only one short prayer to invite God to be present with them. I asked them not pray anymore, not to think, but to listen, smell, feel, taste, and observe all aspects of nature around them. Today you are going to read the first Bible, the illustrated one – God’s creation. They came back for debriefing and some had written poems, some had sketched pictures, and others heard from God in different ways and were deeply touched. We continued to listen to students share their personal stories in a very candid and transparent ways, assuring them that what shared stayed in the group. 

I, myself was not looking forward to this retreat for another reason, and that was that I had bonded very closely to last year’s cohort and felt I could not drum up the emotional energy to disengage with them and begin the process with a new group. The retreat broke down all such barriers for me, and for others who had different barriers. Before I went, I said; “God, I am not expecting much, only to get through this and back to the comfort of good coffee, a soft bed, a fan, and a sit down toilet as soon as I can. But I really hope you surprise me.” And He did.

Peace from Brian, post-Adventure Camp in Cambodia.

The Road That Should Be Less Traveled

NOVEMBER (2015) GECKO TALES 

Judy arrived with the Calvin Presbyterian gang last Thursday at noon……but Eva Air misplaced their luggage and it failed to arrive. The 5 had to spend 3 days in the same clothes, which was not unusual for people from the PNW, and each had the stains to prove it, stains that proudly represented every meal and beverage consumed over those 3 days. One fellow needed his meds as well, and the group had time-bound commitments in Kompong Thom with our ONYX students, Scholarship English Students, and local churches. Then they were scheduled to travel on to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, so they left first thing Friday morning for Kompong Thom with only what they wore on their sweaty backs. EVA Air said the bags would be coming in on flights from Bangkok at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. that Friday afternoon. Vysal and I commandeered Seila’s blue Toyota Pick up (forgetting to ask if he needed it) and went to the airport to fetch the luggage at 3 p.m that afternoon. A few bags came in at 3 p.m., but 4 were still unaccounted for. Vysal and I drove out of the airport and chilled at a nearby restaurant that had nasty coffee, (typical Cambodian coffee served at Khmer Coffee Shops are a mixture of burned soybeans, burned corn, and real coffee) until 7 p.m., and rifled through the ‘suspect’ luggage on the conveyor as rotated. It was quite the ordeal trying to find any labeled names as EVA baggage staff had tightly wound the stickers with names of the bags owners many times around the handle. It was just impossible to snatch them off the conveyor like we planned, so we had to wait until airport staff collected them. Then we began the process of peeling back layer after layer of sticker to get to the names. After all that, one bag still hadn’t arrived but luckily it was a bag they could manage to do without for a few days and Vysal and I left, in the rain and dark, at 8 p.m. We figured we had about a 3 1/2 hour drive until we hit a 40 kilometer-section of road that was just a muddy washboard. We often had to stop to wipe the mud off of our headlights to see. Many times, Vysal almost came to a full stop after being seriously blinded by container trucks with airplane strength headlights. As we pulled into the hotel parking lot 1:20 a.m., with 6 of the 7 pieces of luggage in tow, Seila’s truck abruptly gave up the ghost and died.

We were up at 6:30 a.m. trying to diagnose the problem. Judy’s van driver and I suspected the generator, as during the last mile of travel, the windows would not go up or down, and speedometer stopped working. After breakfast with the Calvin gang, we snagged some local talent to push and jump-start the truck. It fired up, and since Vysal wanted to get it back to Phnom Penh before dark, we left the city of Kompong Thom at 10 a.m. About 30 kilometers down the road, the electrical system began go totally haywire and the brakes and the power steering froze up. As we rolled noiselessly along, the road, Vysal struggled with steering wheel to get off to the side of the road. We landed only a few hundred meters from a very good mechanic. He began his diagnosis at 10 am, decided it was the generator, and he left for a long while to find one. The first one was a dud, and second one did the trick, but it was 6 pm by then and the mechanic wanted a break. Vysal was a few shades darker, and I was a few lbs. lighter after waiting 8 hours in the heat. Luckily, there was a run down guesthouse nearby, and Vysal and I rented a room there. The one perk was a wedding ceremony next door with an elderly monk chanting through a blown speaker at maxed out decibels. But, we had good air-conditioning, and even a faint Wi-Fi connection. We hit the sack at 8 pm.

Back to the garage at 8 a.m. We supervised and he was done at 10 a.m., so and we hit the road again, with our fingers crossed. The mechanic gave us a better route to take home, and he fixed Seila’s broken air-conditioner as well. We were very grateful to find an honest and competent mechanic. Got back to PP in record time, fetched the last bag at the airport, and was able to attend Dove’s English School and Leadership graduation ceremony. Home at 7 p.m. All in a days work.

Meanwhile Back in Phnom While We Were Gone……

While we were gone, Bophal led Phnom ONYX program, which tied up the ‘Missional Church’ Block and introduced the ‘Khmer Church History’ Block. She took them to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. None of the students has been to the High School turned Torture Center where 20,000 Cambodians were tortured and murdered, nor were they aware it even existed. They were appalled and one male student was extremely angry that such a thing was done to his countrymen.

After the tour, Bophal took them back to our house to debrief, and then showed them a video clip about how Pastor Christopher Lapel (Cambodian pastor from LA), had led comrade Duch, the Murder of Toul Sleng to Christ. The video followed Duch’s giving himself up, his trial at the International Tribunal, his confession of Christ at the trial and taking responsibility for his actions, and his subsequent imprisonment and life in prison. It was a very powerful time for the ONYX students. They were moved and Bophal couldn’t have been a better one to handle that session.


Over the last year, most of the 16 Center of Peace college-aged students left COP to go out on their own. Some left with typical resentments, chaffing at a lack of freedom to do their own thing at their age, but most return every Sunday for services at COP. During Sunday worship time, Bophal showed a video about the commitment of a Thai female High School teacher to keep her charges from shipwrecking their lives, and the cost she paid to do it. It was a very well done video, and Bophal very deftly facilitated a discussion about the various story lines in the video among COP people from ages of 5-24. During the discussion, teens talked about what bothered them, some confessed, they forgave each other and there was reconciliation, and some thanked Bophal for her efforts to nurture them and keep them from straying off the straight and narrow.



There are times when I wonder why I am here doing what I do, and there are other times when there is immense joy and satisfaction.


Peace for the journey,

Brian