Hello,

I spent an afternoon at the CDCC house that is part of the CCH. As I arrived at the gates by tuk tuk, I was greeted by many young children as they ran up to us from all directions. Again, in true CCH form, there were many hugs. I spent the afternoon playing with many of the children. There are a few extra special kids here that I really wanted to visit again.

There are currently two girls that stay at the CDCC house, that are sponsored from Winnipeg. Srey Pich is a beautiful little girl that is sponsored by my niece Hannah. Her sister, Srey Muoy is a super hugger that is sponsored by the Grade One Class of Ecole St. Avila School. Srey Pich, always carries my backpack. Again this day, she immediately pulled it off my back and carried it around. Srey Muoy hung over me the entire afternoon. She is an angel. We put a Khmer music CD in the stereo and the next thing I knew was that we had a dance party with more than 40 of the children. It was tons of fun for all of us. the kids wouldn’t leave me alone the whole time. They would bring me glasses of water without me asking. They would rush up to hold my hand, when another child would let go of me.

It took me a long time to say goodbye to everyone at CDCC. All the children wanted to hug me and personally say goodbye. They came running with homemade gifts and letters in hand. Many of the letters said “I love you” on them. Like I’ve said many times, this place is full of love. For many of these children, this is their only family. This is their life.

When I got back in the tuk tuk, the children swarmed around us. It was so hard to watch them grab at my hand as the driver moved forward and the kids ran with us. I felt very sad to leave them. At least I knew in my heart that I would definitely be back here soon.

When I look at this picture I already get lonely and sometimes get upset. These children have so much love to give and yet no Mom or Dad to personally tuck them in at night. CCH is amazing for giving these children a chance to have a “real” family and good childhood memories. I hope and pray that I have added something to them and maybe created some memories to last. I hope they know that I don’t just “leave” here. I will be back soon.

As we drive away, I catch the eyes of the children. The little girl with the big brown eyes in the middle of the picture is Srey Muoy. Thank you to Hannah and the Ecole St. Avila School for supporting the two children here at CDCC. Tomorrow, I will tell you about CCH and another beautiful child sponsored from Winnipeg, Virack.

Love Gerry