DECEMBER TWENTY TWENTY TWO

Hello friends and family,

Hope you are all well and feeling excited for a holiday break for those of you who can take some time out. Christmas time is an awesome chance to bless people and spend time with those you love. So I hope you can do both!

It’s the end of the year and my heart is full.

My heart has also been stretched and stressed and broken over this year but it is still full of faith and trust, that what we do together matters, that we can continue to make a difference in a small way in the little space of the world I am in. As we wrap up the year I’d like to take a moment to look at the gifts of 2022 and what I’m grateful for. So here’s some of my annual gratitude list.

We have money (it may not be a lot but we have some) this year I have been able to continue supporting the boys in the project and many around them.

We continue to give the students and those we are supporting in various ways a hope for a good future.

I am grateful for the kindness I have received, and the acts of kindness that still happen every single day.

Faith is one of the most inspiring force in my life, for those of us who are faith-minded, I urge you to have gratitude for faith’s influence and inspiration in your life too.

I am grateful for the happy moments I have had with people, supporters and the friends and family that make what I do possible.  Cherish the happy moments.
 
I am grateful I was able to travel back to New Zealand after I had the moto accident…and that I’ve healed well!

I am grateful the project is making progress and I can still see that it is getting us all a little closer to where I want the project to be in the future. 

I am grateful for my freedom. While some of us might have it more than others, just to be able to make some choices to bless and care for others is something that should give us all gratitude.
 
I am grateful this year we could save some lives with provision of finances for emergency surgeries - twice, and we could also  financially provide for two funerals.
 
I am grateful we can continue providing scholarships and finances for extra classes for 6 high school students with 6 extra classes each per week for the last 6 months. 
 
I am grateful this year we have gifted more than 300 backpacks of school supplies for underprivileged children. 
 
I am grateful for our Women’s Business Mentor Group initiative we commenced in May. 
 
I am grateful I can teach English Classes twice a week with 8 students and it is so fun.
 
I am grateful for our little shoe shop Small Business Enterprise. The shop has been slow but its picking up now. We made enough each month to cover expenses and give the boys some wages. Seeing them have capacity to earn money, and buy what they need has made the effort so worthwhile.

I am grateful we could align with other organisations in Cambodia and Australia.
 
I am grateful for the decision to join the Global Development Group.
 
I am grateful for family. The people we live for make our lives worth living.

What are you grateful for in your life?
 
So, a little challenge is to maybe take a few minutes and start to scribble down your own list? It’s quite a fun exercise.

Those that know me well know my passion for Cambodian people comes from the depth of wanting to live generously to affect generational change – that for me every day is valuable, everyone is valuable, and I have found in a small way we can give them a chance. I believe that giving one person a chance can change a country’s destiny, that young people making a difference in their own country step by step, piece by piece will effect change on a large scale.

I would like to take this time to say a huge thank you. Thank you for the love, care, trust and kindness you have given both to me and to my Cambodian family. I know I ask a lot over the year but giving everybody a chance to make a difference is one of my driving forces. 

So as the year closes I’m wishing you all a Happy and blessed Christmas. Moments of love and generosity over the holiday period. Memories made that you will always treasure and hearts and lives changed through your giving this season ❤️❤️

From my family to yours. Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed start to 2023…
       
We’ll become in our lives what we do with our love.