Starting Small

This month we are excited about the newest teacher from our Center: SreyOuen, one of our Father’s House kids! For many months now, staff member Aly has been visiting local children and teaching them Khmer literacy and basic English. Aly has been doing such a great job transitioning these children from completely unschooled to functionally literate! And sometimes she brings along some of our Father’s House children (including SreyOuen) to help.

Recently, SreyOuen noticed that there were several new children hanging around who seemed interested in learning but were not ready for the level of study that the children who had been attending for months were at.  She asked Aly if she could start her own little class teaching basic Khmer reading and writing to them. We were of course thrilled to say yes to this endeavor!

One of our biggest desires for Father’s House and Loaves and Fish children is that as they grow up and see how God has brought them out of brokenness into lives of blessing and abundance, that they would begin to sow back into the communities where they were once considered outcasts: that they would bring hope to those around them just as God has brought hope to them.

We are so thankful for faithful and encouraging staff like Aly, who are modeling service and helping our children find their callings. And we are excited to see the many ways that the kids in our programs are blossoming, maturing, and sharing what they have with others! Please join us in praying for SreyEun’s little literacy class, that as she teaches these young children, both she and they would be blessed!

- IHSI

Literacy for Little Ones

Early this year, our staff encountered a family in a nearby village that needed literacy training help for their children. Difficult life circumstances had left this family focused on survival, not education, yet the children wanted to learn to read and write. They were shy and nervous about leaving their home to come study at our Center, so staff member Aly began visiting them daily along with older kids from Father’s House. Soon Aly had started a small new literacy class in that village, with three of this family’s children plus four others from neighboring houses!

Literacy training builds communities!

After a little while, Aly also began introducing English phonics in addition to Khmer language. Each day she would carry a small whiteboard and some toys for the family’s baby to play with. A few youth from Gospel Community Church began volunteering each afternoon to help. Some outreach teams also visited the class, much to the interest of the neighbors!

Soon it was time to invite these children to come study at our Center, something that they had been quite fearful of before. But not anymore! They told Aly they were now so excited to come and to be able to learn more and make new friends. Just a few months of intentional kindness and teaching had helped them conquer their fear. The next day their little group of seven arrived at the Center all smiles and excitement, ready to study!

Now almost seven months after our staff first began visiting them, these children can read and write basic Khmer and are learning basic English as well. What a turnaround from where they were at the start of this year! Aly and our group of youth volunteers have done a great job sowing into these children. We pray this is the start of many good things to come for them and their families! 

- In His Steps