Dear friends and partners,

It has been a rather hot few weeks – the weather patterns have changed yet again – for me, I have relief – I have air-conditioning and I have water – both very vital in providing some relief from the relentless heat. For so many of our families, neither option is available so life can be difficult. For others, water is a new resource. One of our strengths in Tabitha is that we are not constrained by conformity where everybody has to do exactly the same thing or have exactly the same type of well.

In Banteay Meanchaey the field wells are very different from our other project areas. In this project, water seeps up through the soil – there is lots of water – it’s how to channel the water. Banteay Meanchaey has a unique answer – they have an open well that is 2 meters square and lined with wood and bricks. The water is plentiful. The families are so excited to show me their crops. Their crops are unique. Unbelievably they grow Spanish onions. One young lad of 8 takes watering his family crops seriously – 2 times day he is in the fields watering – I do believe it’s his relief from the heat. Another farmer shows me his well – he has put tilapia fish in his well – I am amazed at their ingenuity and work.

This past week I had the privilege of witnessing another miracle. I went to Svay Rieng to see the opening of a 3 room school for early primary year’s children. The school itself was needed but it wasn’t the school so much as who raised the money for the school. Tabitha has been built by so many individuals, people who give generously – I don’t often pick out an individual donor because each donation is of equal value – yet in this case, this school was built by a young lady of 10. She decided with her parents, that this something she wanted to do. It is not an easy task to raise so much money but every weekend since school started last August, she has been baking and selling what she baked. At special events at school, she did extra tasks to raise more money. Last January she came with a team to house build. We talked – I told her about this school and showed her the pictures. Children who were going to school in a small thatched room – they needed a real school. She listened and said, this was the school she wanted to build -a three room school for the smallest children.

I asked her if she didn’t get tired of working every weekend – she nodded yes – then said – but my parents encouraged me and I didn’t mind. Now I can work even harder. An amazing young lady – I am humbled by her gift – by her strength.  I am humbled by so many others like her – young people who stand with us and with so many of our families we work with.

This month is also a month when many of our schools prepare to close for a summer break.  These are schools whose young people work hard to raise funds and then come and help finish building houses for so many of our families. These young people step out of their comfort zone to come to a country which is challenging yet wonderful – who come and work amongst the poorest of the poor. They come with respect and courtesy, they come with humor and strength – they leave with a sense of humility and gratefulness. In preparation for the next school year – could I ask all the teams to send me in their dates for their next year’s builds.

My life is so very full of privileges. One of those gifts is the gift of the young – a gift of curiosity and wonder, a gift of learning to serve – a gift of seeing life through their eyes. I thank my God for each and every one of them; I thank my God for each and every one of you. Tabitha’s strength is because of all of you.

Janne