It has been about eight months since I last went out to Udong Village where Pastor Abraham has based his remarkable ministry. Kerry was very keen to connect with this fine leader so we made the trip last week. The change I witnessed in such a relatively short time was absolutely astounding.
This is a slum community who formerly lived in the city. As is the all-too-often case in Phnom Penh, the land they were squatting on was earmarked for development. The 800-1000 families were literally herded onto trucks one morning and driven to a location on the outskirts of the city, about 5km from the airport. They were dumped there - without water, sanitation or shelter.
Eight months ago, things were still pretty rough in the slum community that grew out of the soil. Garbage was piled high. Water pooled along the mud footpaths and inside the shanties. There was very little employment activity - mostly people sitting in their homes. Alcohol abuse was rife and many families were existing on one meal a day.
Pastor Abraham is a man of prayer and action. He is leading the village to help themselves. The transformation I witnessed made my heart sing. Every house now has a (non-leaking) tin roof. Garbage trucks are paid to come weekly. Abraham has initiated a drainage system, in which he leads the locals to build the concrete pipes ($20 each and strong versus $35 for inferior bought ones) and together with the locals, big drains have been hand-dug. Everywhere, there is industriousness. This is the first slum that I have ever walked through where the spirit of poverty has been displaced!
I do not have pics as other groups have gone thru' snapping away like a visit to the zoo. What I do have is a song in my heart, seeing what one God-raised local leader is capable of initiating in a few years. The school is about to double (from 200 to 400 children, all from the slum community) and much more is bubbling in the heart of this outstanding man.
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