Red Shield Appeal

I love the Salvos.

This weekend (May 25-26) is the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal and even though I won't miss the feeling of my fingers freezing around the collection 'can', the blank stares or convenient need to turn the other way when approached by a fluro collector at the traffic lights OR the dirty hands after counting all of the grubby coins at the end of the day...I will absolutely miss being a part of something so worthwhile and important in our community.

So, when I had the chance to meet with the new Salvation Army officers here in Phnom Penh - I was pretty excited! For the last few months, I'd been trying to get in contact with the two Korean officers that had recently started the first Cambodian Corps here. Finally (through the help of the wonderful Ian Lingard back home), I was able to meet with the officers last week at the Russian Market. They speak no English (and I, no Korean) so luckily they brought with them a Korean friend who was able to translate for me. We discussed their vision here and I shared with them the connections I'd made through Chab Dai. Captain Jin-Kyun Shin and his wife Captain Hyang Lim have been busily setting up programs to assist single mothers and their children in a slum just 20 minutes from the city. They told me that they have more than 250 children attend a church service they run on Sundays where the children also receive lunch, and I was invited along.

I took with me my gorgeous friend Amanda Liddell who has been volunteering here in Phnom Penh for the last 3 months and was keen to see more of what the salvos were getting up to.

It was an incredible experience, meeting all of these children and 6 young men recently enrolled as soldiers. The Corps building is in the middle of a slum and the back door remains open at all times, inviting families across the field into the building where they join in the fellowship. The Army is still in the first stages of planting the corps here, but after just 5 months - an attendance of 300 ain't bad right?

This little guy fell asleep 20 minutes in

With the Captains

Felt like I was at commissioning doing this!

The Corps is built just beside this slum

'Dream Happy'

Good luck to everyone back home collecting this weekend - and if you're keen to get out and join a collecting team, it's not too late! Hop onto www.salvos.org.au to find out more. A special shout out to my wonderful ladies for their help last year at our intersection in Kew; Prue, Emma, Nicola and Jemma...you're welcome to man the post again without me! 

xx