Foundation Christian College Cambodia Mission Trip Team returned home safely and are enjoying the success of their trip, with many of the team vowing to return to the country in the future.
The team of 19, consisting of four teachers and 15 students, travelled to Cambodia during the October school holidays to spend time working at local orphanages and learn about the history and culture of the country.
Team leader and College Head of Middle School Mel Richardson said the experience was “life-changing” for the entire team.
“Every member of the team has been impacted by this trip in such a positive way,” she said.
“Seeing the gratitude the children of the orphanage expressed when they received their gifts really touched our hearts.”
“As a team we have returned with a greater sense of gratitude for our own lives; one student in particular, shared at an assembly that she realised that by serving others, her own hurts became so much less, which is a great lesson for a teenager to receive.
“Furthermore, it gave us all the opportunity to reflect on how blessed we are to live in Australia and cherish the great life we have here.”
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The team visited Awareness Cambodia’s Sunshine House orphanage and CCDO orphanage, and following their visit, Year 10 student Caleb Woodward said he could see the impact their visit had on the children.
“I was able to spend time with a very shy five-year-old boy who hid from everyone, but in the end I was able to be like a big brother to him,” he said.
“I taught him some English words and got him playing games with the other kids. This trip has made me think about what is important in life and what I can do to make a positive difference in peoples lives.”
Caleb’s older sister Bethanie also attended the trip and said she felt inspired following her visit to the orphanages.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew it would be a life-changing experience,” she said.
“By far the best experience of all was spending time with the children at the orphanages. The joy and happiness that these children had was so inspirational. They had lost so much but were fully content with what they had left.”
Bethanie was impacted as a result of visiting the Cambodian places of historical interest, which taught them about the country’s graphic and devastating history.
“It was so eye-opening seeing some awful - as well as beautiful – sides of Cambodia,” she said.
