Hi!
Can you believe that it is August already??? For it being such a strange year it seems like it’s suddenly going by quite quickly! This year has come with all kinds of new things for me; a new house in a neighborhood that I love, a new golden retriever puppy who keeps my days busy and keeps me on my feet and lots of new opportunities for saying goodbye as many non-Cambodian friends have found themselves leaving Cambodia, as well as meeting lots of new people (Valor, my puppy, has opened up an entire new community of dog lovers for me to be part of!)
By far the biggest new thing this year is the beginning of Carrying Companions! It’s hard for me to grasp the reality that I have really, truly started a brand new ministry project and that it has been active for 6 months already- God’s grace and favor during this has been absolutely incredible and I love, love, love every minute that I get to be with a Cambodian who has a disability or their family members
Currently we have 2 full time staff and one part time and we are working with 7 clients ranging in age from 2 years to 28 years. There are 2 things that I have discovered I enjoy the most; the first is being part of “firsts” with people like when a few of our clients rode alone on Cambodian public transportation for the first time or when our 26 year old friend was able to write the first 5 letters of the Cambodian alphabet for the first time! The second thing I enjoy the most is when family members experience a sense of hope or relief like when we sit with and listen to a mom whose 12 year old son has cerebral palsy and she has kept him with her his whole life (despite urging from everyone around her to send him to an institution for unwanted children) as she tells us how alone she has felt and is able to release some of her burden through tears because she can see that now she is not alone anymore!
On a personal note, I have been completely overcome with gratitude and humility (so many times) as I realize again and again the immense privilege I grew up with. It’s true that my family situation was rough and I’m not denying that but, as far as being a child and young woman with a disability I was given a chance at everything and anything I could have ever dreamed! New York City public school system gave me free access to mobility training from the time I was 5 until 16 so that I could get around the city independently. I had a paraprofessional in the classroom with me until 6th grade to help make learning accommodations. Medicaid gave me eye exams and glasses. At school I had adaptive physical education classes where I learned sports with other visually impaired students and we learned volleyball and tennis with balloons, hockey and basketball with equipment that had beepers and we ran track with sighted friends as our guides.
There was absolutely nothing that was off limits.
And, learning about the situations of people with disabilities here and in other less developed countries both completely breaks my heart and moves me with intense passion to help them access the BEST of what is available.
We are going to need LOTS of companions to carry us as we continue to move forward! Right now, our working monthly budget is $900 and we have $700 in monthly sponsorship. In order to continue growing we will need monthly sponsorship of $2,500 by the end of this year.
I would be honored and grateful if you feel led to invest on a monthly basis from your finances into what God is doing through Carrying Companions!
Another way you can partner with us is by becoming an advocate… We need to grow our network of people who know our name and YOU can help us do that! I’m asking for 7 people who can commit to share about Carrying Companions through your social media platforms and with your friends and relatives in person. This would mean that you would be available for me to send emails to you with photos, facts and stories that you can share with your own communities and that you would be willing to make our needs known along with me.
