A missions group from an Australian church called Gymea Baptist is currently in Cambodia, helping with Samaritan's Purse projects. Jes Meacham, a member of the team, blogs about one day of the trip.

After breakfast the team went to a local village, Tukotlaor, to start making BioSand household water filters. We met up with some more of the Samaritans Purse team, who introduced us to some locals who had been volunteering on the project.

Along with the help of the volunteers, the team began the filter building process. To start off, molds were oiled and the bolts were fastened. Then came the mixing of the cement, the task that separated the boys from the men (and the tired girls). After all this was done, the cement was poured into the molds and left to set for tomorrow.

Jason, a Samaritan's Purse staff member, showed us one of the functioning filters already in use at one of the local houses. It was incredible to see the difference in the murky, muddy water compared to the clean, clear water.

We found out later in the day that Tukotlaor, the name of the village, actually means “Water No Good” in Khmer. It’s nice to know that after today (when we install and create some more filters) that they'll need another village name.

All the hard work gave the team some serious food cravings, and so we headed back to the community house for a homemade lunch. For the next couple of hours the team got some time to cool down and restore their energy. Some going for walks, some journaling, some playing crazy card games.

Once the energy levels were restored, the team headed to another village with the SP guys to see some of the work done by the project, Seeds of Hope. This is a project that seeks to help families with farming and agricultural skills so they can grow their income.

Some of the resources provided include FAITH gardens, fishponds, compost housing, fruit trees, chicken coops, pigpens, and cows.

The incredible thing about this project is that they don't just seek to give the families things and then leave them, or give the families the impression that SP is there to hand out “free stuff.” They do it in a way that makes the family get involved.

For example, SP doesn't just give them a cow and go on their way, but gives them a pregnant cow where they keep the calf. This way, the family learns to look after firstly the mother, and then the calf. They thus become self sufficient and not reliant on SP.

Our team was really encouraged about this way of working with Cambodians. It’s a really great way to give something more than an item, but an actual skill.

Samaritan's Purse , Water Made Good

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