The Journey Home | Words by Aaryan

Aaryan

Today was the day we started our journey back to Melbourne, which gives us time to reflect on this trip. I came on this trip to have fun and enjoy my time in Cambodia, but this trip is much more than that.

Hanging out with the kids and seeing how happy they are, even with the limited resources they have, makes me grateful for what I have back at home. Teaching was a great experience. I was nervous at the start, but then my nervousness slowly eased into confidence through my teaching, which helped me to connect and build relationships with the students.

We don’t realise how much we have until we see the other side of the world, which is something every human being with luxuries should experience. We are also considering returning to Light of Hope after Year 12 by ourselves, but this has not been confirmed yet. As happy as I am to be returning home, I will continue to reflect on this trip and remain forever grateful.

26 hours and many flight delays later, we arrived back in Melbourne and got to go home.

Exploring Siem Reap | Words by Lucy & Zalman

Lucy

Today was our second last day of the trip. We got up bright and early at 4 am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat Temple. When we got up, it was still raining a little, so we didn’t think there would be much of a sunrise.

We also visited Bayon Temple and Ta Prohm Temple, which were apparently used to film the movie Tomb Raider (although most of us hadn’t seen it). Even though there were some clouds and it was very wet from the previous night’s rain, the sunrise was still very beautiful.

After lunch, we got the opportunity to go to Apopo Mine Action, where we were able to learn about bomb rats, which are African giant pouched rats that are trained to sniff out explosives and land mines that are still in large areas of Cambodia from the war.

We then ventured to the markets and had some very relaxing pool time. After dinner, we went to the riverside night market to do some more shopping for a little bit before heading back to the hotel for worship and to begin packing for our flight home.

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Zalman

Today was our last full day for the trip before going home. It started with everyone having to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to go watch the sunrise at one of Cambodia's many temples called Angkor Wat. After seeing the sunrise, we had the opportunity to walk through the temple. We also went to two other temples and were able to do the same for both.

After returning to the hotel at 10:00 for a short rest, we then set out again to eat lunch and go to our next activity, Hero Rats. Hero Rats are rats that are specially trained to find explosive devices such as landmines and TNT in the rural areas of Cambodia. After learning the purpose and significance of the rats, we were able to go to the market and buy anything that caught our eye. We then went to our last dinner in Cambodia, and had some more time in a night market.

Some of my personal highlights for the day were being able to see and learn about the great history of Cambodia from the temples and the Hero Rat tour. Another thing that I enjoyed was being able to connect with friends and getting to know people that I usually don’t interact with during the school term.

Some of the things that this trip has taught me is the importance of friendship and being able to have positive interactions with other around us who are not family and how good taking a break is, because it is so easy for us to get caught up in all the negatives that are around us we start to forget about the positives such as our friends and family and also our relationship with God.

Road Trips and Thunderstorms | Words by Claire & Marco

Claire

We started off the day mixed with bittersweet feelings, missing the kids from Light of Hope. The teachers treated us to free drinks before we headed onto the bus heading towards Siem Reap.

As we arrived at our fancy hotel, we were greeted with cold towels and green juice to finally refresh after our drive. After we settled in, we made our way to lunch across our hotel and ate a delicious meal while my friends and I were watching the semifinals for the NRL. 

With a full stomach, most of us went to the markets to start buying different gifts and get some of the ‘real’ luxury items. Once we finished bargaining, we went back to the hotel to dive into the pool and have swimming races to cool down. 

We finished with a delicious dinner that ended with a thunderstorm, soaking in the last few moments of this mission trip. 

Arriving in Siem Reap allowed me to understand the situation of the kids living at Light of Hope. The contrast of the two places really stuck out to me, though the hotel had very nice amenities and access to almost everything… nothing could beat the smiles the kids in Light of Hope had. Seeing the kids at Light of Hope be so happy all the time really touched me and helped me to change my way of personal reaction to my own situations. 

Marco

Today was the day we left from Darasai Guest House for Siem Reap. We arrived at our hotel, where we were greeted by welcoming and friendly staff who made us feel at home right away. After checking in, we went across the road for lunch. Later in the afternoon, we walked from the hotel to the local Old Markets. There were lots of things to see, like clothes, jewellery, and bags.

It was interesting to walk around and see all the colourful and handmade local items. In the evening, we took a tuk-tuk to dinner. It started raining heavily with lightning and thunder while we ate. We rode back to the hotel on the tuk-tuks in the rain and ended the day with worship and reflection between mini blackouts.

My favourite part of the day was when we went to the market, as I was able to buy clothes I liked and haggle to get good prices. I was grateful that our new hotel was really nice, and I was able to reflect on how living a simple life can make you happy. 

Worship, Fellowship, and the Journey Upward | Words by Gabrielle & Nathaniel

Gabby

Today was our last day at Light of Hope; it was a beautiful sabbath filled with sunshine and rain. We started our morning with the church service run by NCC. Everything ran smoothly, from songs to testimonies.

My highlight from the church service was being a part of the praise and worship band. The children only knew one of the songs that was sung, which was ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ I find this so encouraging, knowing that such a song is so universally known.

After the successful church service, we headed out to the Phnom Santuk Temple in Kampong Thom, which was like the Cambodian version of 1000 steps. If I am being honest, I was complaining a lot on the way to the 1000 Steps Temple, as it was raining. When we arrived, I was astonished to see water flowing down the steps, not just a drizzle, but it could have been a waterfall if the stairs had not disrupted the natural flow.

After seeing this, I was even more reluctant to start the journey up the stairs. Almost all of us started our climb up the stairs with a negative attitude, but when walking with Khushi, I started to enjoy the sights. The rain added to the forest atmosphere and I really enjoyed the walk. I enjoyed getting to see a bunch of monkeys and heading back down the stairs with Khushi and Nate.

The last activity of the day was a cultural night hosted for us by the Light of Hope children. We watched incredible cultural dances and heard beautiful songs. When the dances were done, we celebrated a few of the children’s birthdays as well as Marcos’ birthday. We celebrated this by sharing cake with everyone. After everyone received their cake, a food fight broke loose, and everyone was throwing cake at each other.

My highlight of the day was seeing the children’s faces as they squished cake onto my face. The experience helped me to understand that it is possible to find joy even in the little things when you are surrounded by the right people. 

Nate

Today was a full and unforgettable day at Light of Hope. After breakfast, we helped run the church service, where I worked on crafts with Zalman, Marco, Justin, and Aaryan. We helped the kids make craft sheep by gluing the pieces together. It was simple, but it was full of laughter and connection.

In the afternoon, we climbed the Temple of 1000 Steps in the rain. This made the experience even more memorable and a little more meaningful. After dinner, the Light of Hope students put on a beautiful cultural show. We also celebrated Marco’s birthday with cake. Some of that cake ended up on people’s faces, adding to the fun of the evening. The night ended on a peaceful and symbolic note as we released lanterns into the sky.

One highlight was when my sponsor child kept chasing after me, attacking me with handfuls of cake. Another was standing at the top of the rainy temple steps, taking in the view. Today reminded me of the joy in simple acts. I also learned how powerful shared laughter and celebration can be in bringing people together across language and cultural barriers.

Last Day of Work | Words by Ava & Samuel

Ava

Today was our second and last day of teaching; we all had assigned partners and classes to teach English to. My teaching partner was unwell, so I had to take initiative and lead the class on my own. I was nervous at first, as I had worked well as a team with my partner yesterday, but it was easy once I had started. It was great to be able to see firsthand the impact we older kids can have on the younger ones. They were so excited to be taught by us, very grateful, and even demonstrated their learning after class.

It was also our last day of painting. It was rewarding to finally complete our four-day projects and see how much nicer it made the school look. There wasn’t much painting left to be done, so we had free time to play with the kids after. The children are always super excited to see us and always happy to play, so I happily joined in with their games and reunited with the little friends I had made.

It warms my heart to see how joyful they all are despite whatever situation they are in and how grateful for everything they have and are given. The kids don’t have much, so being able to give gifts and make friends with such pure souls is such an amazing opportunity.

I love to share joy and positivity with others, so being able to teach and play with these kids really makes me happy. After I had taught their class, they offered gifts of gratitude and even hugged me to thank me for being their teacher even for just two days. It is so amazing to me that even through language barriers and age gaps, connections can be made with such ease and be so rewarding.

From just playing with a little girl on the first day, I have already made a friend that I will remember for the rest of my life, and I will remember these experiences forever. I am so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be on this trip and see firsthand the impact kindness can have on not only a community, but on individuals with their own stories and personalities. 

Samuel

Today we finally finished the painting! After three or four days of painting walls, we were able to take a break, and looking back at the buildings we had painted was definitely one of the best moments of the day.

We also taught our class for the last time, and it was really great to see the students' faces as we taught them. Even though we taught simple lessons and activities, they thoroughly enjoyed learning English with us, and I think that the experience will stay with me.

After the painting and work were done, several of us went with a few Light of Hope students and teachers to see their goats and other animals, which was good and gave us a moment to relax and have a fun time without working. I think that apart from finishing the painting and work, the thing that I really enjoyed was seeing the students we taught and seeing that they remembered us and greeted us. (Even if they did only call us ‘Teacher’)

Another thing that I have enjoyed is seeing the Light of Hope culture. The school’s culture is really cool to see, as the whole school is like one massive family, which makes it really nice to interact with the kids there as we work.

First Day Teaching | Words by Alex & Lunno

Alex

Today was our first day of teaching at Light of Hope, and we had an early start, leaving at 7:30 in the morning. I was placed in Grade 2, and teaching kids was such a fun and rewarding experience.

At first, I was a little nervous about teaching, but a highlight for me was definitely my class and seeing how excited the students were to learn English, as well as laughing and playing with them later in the day.

After lunch, we began painting the library, adding the grey paint to the bottom of where we had painted previously before moving to the second layer, and later we spent time playing with the children in the playground.

In the evening, it started raining, which was funny for everyone and made things a bit of a challenge, but we still had a great time celebrating a birthday with cake, ice cream and icy poles.

From today, I learnt how much joy the kids find in simple activities, and it reminded me to be more grateful for small things in my own life. I also realised how powerful teamwork is, whether it was in painting the library or supporting each other in teaching. We ended the day with a really nice time of worship, which was led by Genevi and Khushi, and it was a great way to finish off such a special day

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Lunno

Running through what felt like trenches, and feet drenched with muddy water, is what today was about.

The morning started with English classes spread out between grades Year 1 to 7, taught by 2-3 people. Lucy, Khushi and I were assigned to Year 5 students, which, not gonna lie was pretty nerve-wracking. It felt intimidating as eyes were set on us, waiting to say something oddly clever about rectangles and the colour yellow. But as time went on, confidence grew and a rhythm was found, although we improvised in a few parts. 

Later on Marco, Genevi, Claire, Justin, Zalman and I worked on painting games for the kids. It was definitely a process… measurements were most definitely off and cleaning up was a struggle. But through mini arguments and a bit of trial and error, we pulled it together. 

As the evening came, we all played with the kids but suddenly rain was pouring heavily. Instead of seeking for shelter, the kids and I embraced it by jumping in puddles and getting soaked.

To top it off, a few students prepared spaghetti bolognese for all the kids of Light of Hope and each of the schools followed with ice cream. The day ended with soaked shoes and loud singing on the way home.

Today, we saw the messy and the simple. Though we came to teach and help, we found joy in both the unexpected and the beauty on the children’s faces. We left with fullness, memories and community

Racing to Work | Words by Justin & Genevi

Genevi

Today, our third day at Light of Hope, we had the Amazing Race Challenge, and it was extremely fun as I could bond with my fellow teammates, Sanvi, John, and Jordan. We had tasks from solving a riddle to taking pictures with stinky pig heads from the markets. 

Afterwards, we worked on painting at the school. Although it was hot, we worked through it as we are passionate about creating a fun learning environment for the children of Light of Hope. I worked on marking, measuring, taping, and painting the games in the primary school area with Justin, Marco, Lunno, Claire, and Zalman. We fought now and then about the measurements and whether the lines were straight or not. In the end, we battled through both the heat and squashed the beef with a positive attitude.

The day consisted of a heavy rainstorm and mosquitoes all over me and my friends, but seeing the children play around with bright smiles on their faces, despite all of the challenges, was very encouraging and motivating.

This day has taught me many things, like keeping a positive attitude even when things get a little rough and tough. I keep on being persistent with my work like painting and whatnot, because in the end, this isn’t for me, it’s for the experience of making an impact in someone else’s life.

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Justin

Today, others and I began work on some games for the kids. We had to mark out the sizes of the games on the concrete, create border lines for each of the games with masking tape then we could paint them.

It took a long time and we have still only got through about one fourth of the things we need to do, but despite that, it is still a great experience and I really enjoyed the process.

It was nice to see a large group up of people from our school community working together on one task for someone else. The children here are so happy and are always smiling. They love to play and run around and never seem to use up all their energy.

I saw a glimpse of Melbourne here in Cambodia. It was (or felt like it was) 40 degrees but then in a matter of minutes, the sky became dark and not long after that the rain began to pour, creating a light bit of flooding on the ground and the cold set in. After about ten minutes, the rainstorm was over.

Later in the evening, we made our way back to our accommodation for a devotion led today by Marco, Zalman and me, and a good shower after a long day of hard, hot and tiring work.

Meeting the Children | Words by Sanvi & Jett

Sanvi

Today was our second day at Light of Hope, and we all started our day fresh after a good night’s rest. We fuelled ourselves with a good breakfast at the school and started our day of hard work.

We all worked together as a team and split up to start painting the outside of the library and bathrooms. Today we completed the top half of the building, which took a few hours of hard work, but we eventually completed the first coat. We then had a great lunch to reenergise ourselves before meeting our sponsor child. 

Everyone was a bit nervous but totally hyped for the moment we were all waiting for. We started with a small, funny icebreaker where we and the children did the chicken dance. Smiles and laughter filled the room. We then had the moment we were all waiting for and we sat down nervously as we waited for our sponsor child’s name to be called out. 

I personally was quite excited to meet mine, and I instantly felt a connection when we met. All the children were smiling and happy to meet their sponsors and it was a truly wholesome experience. We then each gave the gifts that we bought specifically for the children and the smiles on their faces with just the simple gift truly put things into perspective. 

It shows how grateful they are for the little they get, and we overlook the small things that we are truly privileged to have. 

We then went out and played lots of active games and the true happiness and joy of playing and making someone else’s day really warmed my heart. 

We finished the day with a great dinner and an awesome closing worship that was run by some of the Nunawading boys. Tomorrow, we are excited to go back to complete more of the painting, see the children again and participate in a whole new set of activities 

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Jett

Although we spent today painting and spending time with the children at Light of Hope, my highlight was walking past a fan whilst holding a bowl of cereal. (No children were painted, only walls.)

I enjoyed meeting my sponsor child in person for the first time and building Legos with him. Although through this experience, I learnt that I am horrible at following picture instructions. Another thing I learnt from my experiences is how truly joyful a place can be, regardless of the amount of physical “stuff“ that it has.

Getting to spend time with the children playing games was a lot of fun. The children’s smiles and laughter transported me to a whole new place, making me forget where I was and what I was doing.

It is truly the people who make something special.

Why We're Here | Words by Isabella

Today we took the bus to go to Light Of Hope. It was a bit of an early start to get organised and get everyone onto the bus in the rain. After praying, we set off for the long journey. It was NCC, along with the other group from WA. 

After we made a couple of stops, the first one being a place where people could for some reason, hold and eat giant spiders and insects. We then dropped off our bags at the hotel before continuing on in the bus to Light Of Hope.

Upon arrival, we saw all of the little kids smiling and waving at us. We had a tour of the Light of Hope Village before playing games with the kids.

A personal highlight for me was the games we played with the kids, which includes a variation of duck duck goose and a dodgeball/poison ball style game. Everyone was getting along so well that the heat didn’t matter, and time flew. 

Being at Light Of Hope highlighted the significance that one small gesture can make. Without us doing anything too special, all we did was turn up and play games with the kids and yet everyone got along instantly and could not stop smiling and laughing. Everyone was connected and spreading kindness. 

An experience that has impacted me was seeing some of the impacts that NCC has made, including the tiling in a few areas and the bathrooms. It is one thing to know that you are helping, but seeing it in person makes the whole trip feel so impactful. Overall, seeing how we have helped these young kids is a feeling that I can’t explain. 

Overall, there was a significant change in the environment and facilities. We went from being in the city with many buildings and more upgraded appliances to a countryside area. There are no big fancy buildings or even toilets like what we are used to. 

Seeing the lives of people here compared to what I see back home makes me feel really grateful and fortunate. I also get to see how NCC can continue to help make positive impacts on lives and that itself will change me as a person. 

The main thing I want to get out of this trip is knowing that these experiences has made me grow as an individual. 

Final Day in Phnom Penh | Words by Khushi

Today was a very memorable day. We started with a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Centre, which was really emotional and confronting. Seeing the faces and stories of the victims made the history feel very real and human, and it left a strong impact on me.

Visiting each room and getting to witness each story of individuals who didn’t deserve to be brutally killed, and we only got to know a few people’s stories from a total of approx. 2,400,000 different stories as a way to honour them and hopefully to stop this from ever happening again.

After lunch, we went to the Central Markets, where my friends and I bought matching “I Love Cambodia” shirts and bargained with shopkeepers, which was so fun and made us bond even more. The tuk-tuk rides were also a highlight because they gave us such a lively feel of the city. In the evening, we celebrated Nate’s 16th birthday with dinner and cake.

From today, I learnt that it is important to remember the past and to enjoy happy moments with friends. I have also made many new friends on this trip from the other school who are on this trip with us. It’s amazing getting to know a whole other culture, and I’m very grateful I can be here with my peers and teachers and I also hope to make a change to someone’s life in Light Of Hope.

From SHE Rescue to Riverside Reflections | Words by Benjamin

Today we went to visit a charity called SHE Rescue Home that helps girls who are in a tough spot in life or are in trouble and helps them integrate back into their communities and society.

One of the highlights of the day was going to a temple in the middle city and seeing some birds that looked like toucans and a squirrel. Another highlight is playing card games in our room, especially late at night, as it gets very funny because we get more and more tired as the night goes on.

I have learnt that the people here are very good drivers, going in and out of lines and dodging cars. Another thing I have learnt is that the food in Cambodia is very good, especially the sandwiches we had today.

We also went on a night tour/dinner boat with another school, and we had a pizza dinner. Before the tour/dinner, Bella, Lucy, Ava and Mrs James were talking about the future, which we joined in. 

The other school sat on one side at dinner, and NCC sat on the other side, and we played a speed friending icebreaker game. We started to do some karaoke, and Jett abandoned me mid-song. Thanks, Jett.

Once we got back to land, we walked around a market and then a palace and stayed there for a little bit.

The First Day | Words by Madeleine

Today was an incredible day. So many things to see and explore, especially as it was our first day here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

We began our day feeling somewhat refreshed (as we had travelled for many hours the day before) and had our breakfast at the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. Seeing Phnom Penh in the daylight for the first time was spectacular, especially with the views.

After our breakfast, we went on our first adventure with our Light of Hope Tuk Tuk drivers. The sheer number of things to see as we drove through the city was amazing. Arriving at our first stop for the trip, we were powerfully impacted by the Killing Fields, where we learnt about the torturous horrors of Pol Pot’s regime. After going on an audio-guided tour through the Killing Fields, Bryan did a short reflection with us, reading from Corinthians and Psalms.

After lunch, we were given a challenge to purchase stationery products for our sponsor children at Light of Hope. Choosing what we think our sponsor children would like was a heartwarming moment for me.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to our first markets. The hustle and bustle was quite overwhelming, but we found some things to purchase, mementos of our trip, clothes and more.

Dinner was very nice, as we were in an outdoor eating area with much greenery around. I was especially surprised when a birthday cake with my name and birthday written on it was brought out, and everyone (including the other school with us) sang Happy Birthday to me. This was sure a birthday to remember.

To end the night, we decided to go for a swim, enjoying the views from the rooftop. 

One thing I learnt today was how disastrous and destructive the Pol Pot regime was, and how many millions of Cambodians were murdered. Although Bryan reminded us that in Psalm 42, we are reminded that even when others mock believers and ask "but where is your God?" that he is still there.