Volunteer opportunity to make kits
It is a blessing for me to have the opportunity to work in Cambodia. There are so many compassionate folks who are interested in helping with the work here. We are sustained by the prayers of many people around the world. And the financial support is what allows us to continue to serve folks. I have also come to appreciate the provocative questions that folks ask me. Especially when they challenge the approach we take. This kind of dialogue really helps me to analyze how we engage in this ministry and how we could do better.
Lots of folks have asked how they can be in partnership with us here. There are lots of ways, especially the prayers, financial support, and questions. However, sometimes folks would like a project they can do in their home congregation. Projects are great because they can be used as an activity to engage a group of folks in your congregation and serve as a learning experience for how and why we are in mission. For this reason, my colleagues and I here in Cambodia have started thinking about some different kinds of projects that could be carried out in US local churches that would both be beneficial to Cambodians and also be helpful to US congregations as a tool for learning about mission.
What we are thinking about basically is making "kits." There are significant limitations to these projects. The cost of shipping things from the US to Cambodia is prohibitively expensive. Therefore, while there are certain kinds of kits that we can use and things that you can put together, you need to take into consideration shipping costs of whatever you have put together. We have a variety of mission volunteer teams that come to Cambodia. Therefore, it is only cost effective if you can coordinate with someone coming over to use some of their airline allowance to bring the items. Please consider packaging the items in containers (e.g., suitcases) of not more than 50 lbs that are ready for checking on the airline. Please do not begin a kit-making project until you have a plan of how your kits will get here. In addition, my colleagues and I here would be happy at an opportunity to discuss with you in advance a kit-making project -- so that anything undertaken would be the most useful.
We can't always use a great quantity of these things, but these are items that have been requested by our pastors and partners as things they could use:
Cell phones
(Used) clothing for resale business startup
Kits for prison ministry
Refurbished laptop computers
Digital cameras
Credit and savings group record keeping kits
Reading glasses
Home health kits for volunteers at medical mission or for pastors
Lots of folks have asked how they can be in partnership with us here. There are lots of ways, especially the prayers, financial support, and questions. However, sometimes folks would like a project they can do in their home congregation. Projects are great because they can be used as an activity to engage a group of folks in your congregation and serve as a learning experience for how and why we are in mission. For this reason, my colleagues and I here in Cambodia have started thinking about some different kinds of projects that could be carried out in US local churches that would both be beneficial to Cambodians and also be helpful to US congregations as a tool for learning about mission.
What we are thinking about basically is making "kits." There are significant limitations to these projects. The cost of shipping things from the US to Cambodia is prohibitively expensive. Therefore, while there are certain kinds of kits that we can use and things that you can put together, you need to take into consideration shipping costs of whatever you have put together. We have a variety of mission volunteer teams that come to Cambodia. Therefore, it is only cost effective if you can coordinate with someone coming over to use some of their airline allowance to bring the items. Please consider packaging the items in containers (e.g., suitcases) of not more than 50 lbs that are ready for checking on the airline. Please do not begin a kit-making project until you have a plan of how your kits will get here. In addition, my colleagues and I here would be happy at an opportunity to discuss with you in advance a kit-making project -- so that anything undertaken would be the most useful.
We can't always use a great quantity of these things, but these are items that have been requested by our pastors and partners as things they could use:
Cell phones
(Used) clothing for resale business startup
Kits for prison ministry
Refurbished laptop computers
Digital cameras
Credit and savings group record keeping kits
Reading glasses
Home health kits for volunteers at medical mission or for pastors
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