This is the second installment in a series that we hope helps convey some of the basics of life in Cambodia. If you missed the first one, it’s here.

Jenny: What’s something that your kids get to experience that they wouldn’t get to enjoy in Australia?

Sam: The thing I love most about living in our borey (housing complex) is that our children have the freedom to visit their friends whenever they want. Clare can go to meet her friends and buy a soft drink at the drink stand, and ride bikes around the streets (traffic is slow and usually resident vehicles). Hannah can walk to the corner store with her pocket money to buy candy, alone or with a friend. Joel gets on his scooter to go play with his friends at their house or at the playground. There is some grass, some run down swings, and the boys also love climbing trees and running around.

Jenny: What’s church like for your family?

Sam: When churches were given permission to meet in person in November 2021 (they were online for 80 weeks!), we joined the International Christian Fellowship (ICF). ICF meets in 2 locations, the closest to us meets at HOPE International School. This feels like a church plant, as we are small in number and are in the process of finding a Pastor (Sam is on the Pastor Search Committee). Sam helps with the kids ministry and roster, and Craig helps with preaching and the preaching roster, as well as with music and service leading. Craig has also joined the church council. Our children don’t usually join the kids program and are learning how to sit during the entire service. They enjoy kicking a soccer ball after the service or playing on the school playground. They also like eating morning tea, if there is any.

It has been a challenge to serve in a church without a pastor for a year now, and Craig has taken on a lot of the responsibilities with organizing a preaching roster and preaching regularly, and some pastoral responsibilities as well, on top of his other full-time job at the bible school.