Cambodia Trip: Post 3 - First Sunday

Sunday, we headed out to church at Liberty Baptist Church in Ta Khmao, Cambodia. This will be the church that Chad is working at in the future, and where he lives now. Thought you would enjoy hearing a classic Hymn in the Khmer language - can you guess the tune? Also, Here is a vid of our Tuk Tuk ride home. He lives just a few blocks from the church.

Cambodia Trip: Post 2 - My First Moto Ride

On Saturday, we just relaxed most of the day at the Phillips house. We did head out in the late afternoon for a “moto” ride through the town of Ta Khmao where Chad lives.

Cambodia Trip: Post 1 - I Have Finally Arrived

Well after over 20 hours on an airplane, I made it to Cambodia.

Thanks to Jason King and Travis Birge which dropped me off at the airport on Thursday morning. I landed in Cambodia last night around 11PM their time.

I was right by the wing on the plane trip leaving Atlanta, so here is a time-lapse vid of the takeoff. Also, Chad and Linda got some pics of the kids as they waited for me at the Phnom Penh airport. They were easy to find since they were the only group with Braves clothing. haha! The kids showed me how to do the Tomahawk chop on the van ride to their house.  You will have to get them to show you when the come to Georgia.

I am going to try to be putting up a post every few days, so Be sure to check back for more updates during the next couple weeks.

Also, I wanted to say thank you to the many friends and church family that helped me financially for this trip through donations, and purchasing my Cambodia packages. I truly appreciate it! If you would like to get a package, I still have plenty of them left and I will hook you up. You can order online Here, You can see my Mom at church or send me an email at vichuff@gmail.com. Thanks again!

The Young Family - Party of 6

As I mentioned in my last post, I am headed to Cambodia later this month. It turns out that I am not the only one going on a journey to the Far East!

One of the best things about my time Freelancing is the opportunities I have had to work on some very special projects. What seems like forever ago, a member of my church Crystal Young, asked me if I could help them create a family video. She explained to me that they had been doing the preliminary work for adopting a child overseas, and one of the things the agencies like to have is a video showing the family and home. I told her I would help as much as I could and to let me know if things worked out. Well, praise the Lord, earlier this year things finally worked out. In June, Mr. Jason and Mrs. Crystal let me know that everything was moving along with the adoption process and that they were ready to make a video. The next addition to the Young Family would be a little 4 year old girl named Sunny May!

We set aside a day to get some video which included some personal greetings and a tour of the house. I have known the Young family for quite some time, but being in their home I was able to see how special they really are. Jason and Crystal are great parents to an amazing group of kids already. Shelby, Malachi, and Cody each have their unique characteristics and it’s fun to see them interact. I can’t wait to see how it will be when SunnyMay joins the party!

Here are some shots of the vid:

In August I finished up editing “The Young Family” video and got them a DVD. This was my first time working on a project like that so I was unsure if I was satisfied with how it turned out. It accomplished the criteria that the adoption agency requested, but this being such a special event I really wanted it to be great. At the end of the month Mrs. Crystal forwarded me an email that made me feel like a million dollars. It was titled “Update on Sunny May”. Crystal included a message that said this:

Here is a Note from worker at Mothers Choice:

"I have shown the family video and album to SunnyMay today. Here’s some photos of her.

She keeps on waving her hand to the screen when the video is showing to her, and she kisses her daddy’s photo when we told her this is her dad. She is so lovely/"

Well the Young Family is on their way to Hong Kong now to pick up their newest addition, SunnyMay! Please be praying for their traveling safety and that their adoption procedures in Hong Kong go very smooth. I am looking forward to meeting SunnyMay in person and to seeing the growing Young family - Party of 6!

Going to Cambodia!

One of my best pals, Chad Phillips, is a missionary in Cambodia. He and his family have been working working at Good News Baptist Church in Phnom Penh for almost 2 years now, and it is amazing to see how the Lord has blessed their ministry. I have often thought about trying to go and visit, and Chad and I had even mentioned the idea a few times, but no serious plans were ever made. That is - until the past couple of months!

About 5 weeks ago, I got a call from Chad telling me about some adjustments they were making to their furlough plans. They had an exciting ministry opportunity that would be coming about next summer, so they were going to reschedule their trip home before that date. Chad also began telling me about a project he wanted to do before he came home, and he wanted me to help him out. He was wanting to make a short video to kind of show his life and ministry there in Cambodia during their first term. Somehow in a few minutes he had talked me into trying to get to Cambodia ASAP and get this done.

Well, we worked out the details. I got my Passport and Plane tickets (which include 20 hours in the air, ughh!), I cleared my calendar during Thanksgiving (Turkey diet), and very soon I will be heading to Cambodia.

I am very excited about this opportunity, and humbled as well. Six weeks ago I never would have imagined that this would be possible. Please pray that the Lord would help me and protect me on this trip and that He will bless the work we do.

Cambodia Packages!

As we began to see the details come together that I would be able to go to Cambodia, I decided that I wanted to do a fundraiser to help pay for my trip and project. Chad was already working on some new things including a new website. I thought what better way to do a Cambodia trip fundraiser than to create a promotional packet to help promote this. Over the past few weeks I have ordered and created a few items and put them together into a cool Cambodia packet. I got a Pray for Cambodia T-Shirt made complete with Chad’s new website on it. There is also a wristband with the new website on it. I made a vinyl decal that you can put on your car or mirror to help you remember Cambodia. And finally, I made a tag to go along with the package. It has a picture of the Phillips family and some other info. What’s awesome is that my family members put all of these items together for me in a cool looking bundle! Check it out. 

If you would like to see more pics or even order one of these Cambodia Packages, check out my website Here.

The Living Fields

Lastly today, I wanted to mention Chad’s new website. It is not complete yet, but you can check it out at www.living-fields.com.

The name he chose for his website is very significant. A quick Google search of Cambodia will show you why. Probably the most notable event in their recent history is the brutal Khmer Rouge regime which ruled from 1975 to 1979. Thousands were murdered and even more died of disease and starvation. There are several burial sites within Cambodia that are simply know as “The Killing Fields.” While this is just a history lesson to most people, it is still very real in the minds of most Cambodians, including Chad and Linda’s family members.

The things associated with “The Killing Fields” makes the name of Chad’s new website overwhelmingly powerful. The darkness and death that came in Cambodia’s past will give way to the light and life that the Gospel brings to the Cambodian people. With Christ and laborers like my pal Chad, the future of Cambodia is “The Living Fields”.