Oh! The Places You’ll Go!: We Found Love in a Hopeless Place

Saving the Best for Last

The first day at Steung Meanchey was awesome. We had the chance to save a young girl from a shortened life by TB, we got to meet some great people and be a small change in the world. But the best part of Steung Meanchey was a 4-year-old beautiful girl, Liza.

The first day, Josh picked her up and swung her around. The whole time we were there, he held her as she laughed and laughed.

The second day was awesome. As Josh walked past her shack and she saw him, she took off running towards him. She jumped and Josh caught her and swung her around (good thing for her because if he had missed, she would have bit it hard). He walked her around for several minutes. He finally put her down and she immediately came to me! We walked around hand in hand all day. It was an awesome day!

We decided to sponsor her to go to school. Her dad is a cook and makes about a buck a day. After paying rent and providing some food, there is no money to send her to school. It was an awesome opportunity to get her in school. We enrolled her in a private school nearby. She learns Khmer, English, math, art, and a couple of other subjects. We have seen what a difference going to school can make in these kids lives, and for her to be able to start at age 4 gives her a greater chance for a better life.

One of the best days in Cambodia was when we went to pick Liza up from her first day of school. Josh was called into the office (nothing new there, huh?) to pay for textbooks. While in there, he looked outside the window to see if Liza was there. He didn’t see her so he told the office lady that he would wait with the rest of the parents. A minute later, the office lady brought Liza out, away from the crowd of kids and other parents and straight to Josh. He picked her up and hugged her so tight! We took her home and hung out with the family. It was an awesome day.