Surrogate Parents

Shattered Childhoods – Intro:

Hello. This is another UMTV Web Brief. I’m Reed Galin.

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations. Hundreds of orphanages there house many thousands of children, but they are not all parentless. Often you will find a child who may have one or both parents, but they are sent to an orphanage because their parents can’t afford to care for them. Thanks to a program of The United Methodist Church, many of these children have a place go … and spiritual guidance.

Shattered Childhoods – Story:

Set back off this country road in northern Cambodia, there is a refuge.

This is a place where almost everyone can tell you a story of pain and suffering.

Chanthy Yi, interpreter: “Her story is very sad.”

Like 12-year-old Ryna – her father died in the war and her mother was killed while harvesting rice when she stepped on a land mine. Or 10-year-old Pani – his parents dropped him off here while they went to look for work in neighboring Thailand. He’s still waiting for them to come back for him. It’s been five years.

Chanthy Yi, interpreter: “She’s very happy to be here. She has a lot of hope to have a long future and good ones.”

Ryna feels this way in part due to the efforts of United Methodist pastor, Kheng Pho. He knows suffering; he’s lived it.

Chanthy Yi, interpreter: “He went to fight on the battlefield and stepped on a mine and it exploded … and then chopped off his feet.”

No matter what the circumstance, children of all ages are welcome here. Parents on their way to Thailand often leave their children to be cared for while they seek employment.

Here, they are provided food, love, spiritual guidance and a refuge from despair.

Shattered Childhoods – Tag:

If you would like to donate to this orphanage, you can do so by sending your gift to Edwin Francisco with the Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. Be sure to tell him it is specifically for the Cambodian account.

Mail Bonding – Intro:

Now that the war in Iraq is officially over, daily life for U.S. troops is getting more routine. But for those far from home, there are still feelings of loneliness and isolation. One small United Methodist church continues to send care packages and letters through a program called “AdoptaPlatoon” and they’ve learned that helping others has helped them.

Mail Bonding – Story:

Letters from soldiers being read: “Hello, Schweitzer United Methodist. This is to thank the church for the care package.”

“It is great to know we have such strong support back home.”

“These are the words that describe my feelings at today’s mail call when I heard my name called, as I received the package and noticed that it was from someone I didn’t know.”

Members of this small Missouri church are busy getting mail ready for soldiers they have never met.

“How many do you have in the AdoptaPlatoon program?”

“Forty-four, plus our own.”

Everyone here has at least one relative serving overseas. And what started as a weekly support group changed when Janice Fugua shared a letter from her son-in-law.

Janice Fugua / supporter, AdoptaPlatoon program: “Some of them never get a package from home – never.”

Another member had heard of the AdoptaPlatoon program, and thought the two were a perfect fit, and it wasn’t long before they were sending letters and packages filled with everything from ketchup to toothpaste.

Janice Fugua: “And snacks, they don’t have anything but MREs. So, they’re thrilled.”

Letter from soldiers being read: “Thank you again for your kind package.”

Soon after the first mailings went out, letters started coming back from the troops – something no one expected.

Judy Folkins / supporter, AdoptaPlatoon program: “I was pleasantly surprised when we started getting letters back. It was evidence what we were doing meant a great deal to them.”

Milton Folkins / supporter, AdoptaPlatoon program: “However, Afghanistan is not over; Bosnia is not over; Korea is not over. We still have people deployed throughout the world.”

Judy Folkins: “To send these packages, in a way, it’s our therapy. So that’s why it’s really nice to get these letters. We know that someone out there is still OK, and we know that they appreciated what we had done.”

Mail Bonding – Tag:

Schweitzer United Methodist Church spends $350 to $400 a month on postage. That’s a financial challenge for the volunteers but they’re committed to writing to the soldiers as long as they can.

You can find more information on the AdoptaPlatoon program at adoptaplatoon.org.

We encourage you to catch the next UMTV Web Brief. See how some sick children are getting lots of cuddly comfort.

“I found a little friend wandering outside and he really needs a friend to take care of him. Can you do that for me?”

Thanks for watching. Make it a good week.