After family worship, we had a quick breakfast in the kitchen and the children left for school and Po Po, Mi Mi and I made the rounds visiting everyone. The picture on the left shows Po Po and Mi Mi as they crossed the river on the suspension bridge.

Pastor had come back the night before and invited me to eat at his house for lunch and wanted me to stay at his home that night. He had curtained off the same area I had used last time I was there and it would be fun to see everyone at his house. We hiked around talking with people, delivering letters from sponsors and just enjoying being in the camp. I asked Mi Mi to distribute the food and clothing I had brought in after I left the next day.

I was expected at Pastor's home for lunch and the home of Sylvia Khin at 4 pm for dinner. After visiting around camp, we headed back to Mi Mi's home and she insisted I rest a while. I laid down for about 20 minutes, then got up and finished organizing the cards for section 7A . We had been invited over to my dear friend, Mu Kreet's home for breakfast the following morning and would have a chance there to take pictures of sponsored children and disburse money due them. I also needed to finish all the cards for Mae La Oo camp because our driver was taking me there when I left camp the next day.

When word got out that I was not resting, children and parents started drifting in to sit and visit. It was so good to see all those who I have worried about the past 3 years. The children have all grown so much, I didn't recognize some of them. When all the money was disbursed to sponsored children, I gave each child who had lost their sponsor over the past 3 years a small amount from a fund set up specifically for that purpose after a large donation was received. It was a lot to them, small amount to us. I told them I would work very hard to find them new sponsors. I had also reserved some money to be given out for families with special needs.

One such family is pictured here on the left. The father was a soldier and had lost both eyes and both hands to a land mine explosion. He has twin girls who lead him around by holding onto his pants, or shirt tail. Ruby told me the father can feel the difference in the paper money by rubbing it between the stumps of what was his hands. I am happy to say that this particular family now has a generous sponsor to help with their support.

Another sad story was a family where the father has both legs amputated at the groin. He has 5 children and can’t do any kind of odd jobs to make a little spending money.

People kept coming and I kept taking pictures and listening to their stories until I was exhausted. Po Po and Mi Mi suddenly got up and announced "Pee Pee has to ah lah tee, ah mee and obwee" (bathe, eat and rest) "she will see you tomorrow."
Everyone got up, shook my hand and filed out. It broke my heart to see some of them go away empty handed. I pray always that the Lord will provide enough money so each child can receive some when I am there. There are over 18,000 people in this particular camp and a great number of them are children, so I know without divine intervention, that will never happen.

During my bath with cold dippers of water, Mi Mi saw me gasp as the cold water ran down my back and offered to heat water for me to bathe in, but I knew that would entail hauling buckets of water and heating it over open fire and carrying it down to bath house and there was no way I was going to ask her to do all that just so I could be more comfortable. I don’t want to be a burden, I want my visit to be a time of fun and praise, not just work for everyone to make me comfortable. I smiled as I thought of my 6 sisters and what they would think if they could see me in this humble jungle home. They had all been worried about my coming to the camps alone, but I know I’m right in the center of God’s will for me.

Po Po, Mi Mi, and I went over to Pastor’s home and had lunch, then we went to work on cards and taking more pictures.

The photo on the left shows Pastor giving out small amounts of money to some of the children that were gathered there.

I had not been back at Mi Mi's long when Sylvia came for me at 4pm. When we got to her home, her children were all waiting for me.

I had sent money for them to buy a used keyboard the year before and they very proudly showed it off to me. Sylvia's son, Pedro, gives keyboard lessons. In this picture, one of the kids sponsored by IAG, Christine, plays the keyboard for me. I was asked to name her when she was born and I chose the name "Christine" which is my granddaughter's middle name. It's been wonderful to watch her grow up over the years.

They all looked with interest at my ukulele and asked me to play. Sylvia and I sat side by side and she followed along with the songs and sang the ones she knew. When people walking by outside heard us, they started crowding into the house.

We had a great time of singing, visiting and of course, eating! The photo to the left shows Sylvia and I sharing a table.

I was due back to Pastor's home to meet more people about 6, so I said my good byes, took some family pictures with me and then Sylvia walked me back to Pastor's home. I settled on the floor with some of the children and visited with those who came by to see me and ask for help for their children. Pastor has generator lights until 10pm, so we were able to visit quite a while.

He told me we would be leaving at 6am for Mu Kreet's home and it was about an hour walk. I took a quick dipper bath by candle light in the bath house behind the main house and gratefully slipped under the blanket spread for me under my mosquito net. I never have any trouble falling asleep in the camps - my days are so busy, and it is so hot, I usually zonk right out and tonight was no exception.

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