2014 Cambodia

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2014 Cambodia

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Sr Leeza John –Tuol Kork

“Christmas is more than a Celebration.
It is an Encounter with Christ and our poor brothers and sisters.”
Pope Francis

It all began in 2006 with one man and one vision: to share Christ’s love with the poor during the Advent Season. Little did Dr. John Lee and his family know that what began as a handful of volunteers would eventually grow into a flourishing organization.

ACTS - for A Call to Share, began at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Singapore and has grown to over 300 volunteers . The volunteers come from various backgrounds. Some are doctors, some are teachers and others work in finance. Some are teenagers; some are grandparents. They all have something special to offer, whether it’s giving vaccinations, teaching English, helping kids to get ready for employment, presenting on power points, Bookkeeping, painting murals or singing and dancing with the children. Not only did the volunteers teach, but they also contribute towards the construction of a secondary new school for the Salesian Sisters in Teuk Thla.

An insight into the full course of the ACTS Mission

ACTS Cambodia 2013 congregated 281 participants including Bishop Emeritus, two priests - Fr. Gino Henriques, Fr David Garcia and two seminarians with 28 Australians descending into Phnom Penh, Cambodia from the 14th - 21st of December last year. Another 120 doctors, dentists, medical and dental students were also part of this mission that ACTS helps to co-ordinate and support.

Participants ranged from 12 years to 70 years with 130 youths coming from nineteen different parishes spanning this little isle of Singapore; counting the church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Church of the Holy Cross, St Ignatius, St Vincent de Paul, Holy Spirit, Holy Family St Mary’s of the Angels, etc. We also had participants from the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faiths and Christians from other denominations. Eight different nationalities were represented and noteworthy, our new participants outnumbered the repeat participants two to one. It was a truly inclusive mission.

ACTS 2014 Registration - Battambang - CLOSED

Thank you for your interest in the ACTS 2014 Mission to Battambang.
Registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing your enrolment next year.

A school built with Faith, Hope and Charity

It is a vision that takes shape day-by-day for the children and parents of Don Bosco School in Phnom Penh, Tuek Thla each time they see the looming and progress of an impressive building in the annex of the existing current school campus. This massive and handsome complex will house more children, added classrooms and greater facilities for a complete education for the Cambodians. Imagine an academic village spanning kindergarten teachings to primary education to high school learning and vocational training.

As this grand building progressed in her construction and became a reality this year, many are still very thrilled at the possibility of it all. The inauguration ceremony and blessing of the Don Bosco High School is planned for the 14 December 2014 and will be attended by many VIPS, representatives of all sponsors and of course ACTS (committee and over 300 mission delegates).

On Life Lessons from Cambodia

For the past 10 days, Syl and I had gritted our teeth over English phonics. I can well imagine Syl’s frustration, having to tussle with a foreign language and a Singaporean teacher with zero knowledge of the Khmer language. Thank goodness for Google images and the ever-handy Cambodia-English Oxford Dictionary. And thank the Lord’s grace for Syl’s perseverance, for within the span of a week, Syl was able to master basic phonics, and simple conversations.

No mere vaccination

In June 2013, 2 doctors and a group of 10 medical students volunteered to help with the vaccination for the third dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. Knowing that these medical students are all from far provinces and staying in rent houses in Phnom Penh for their study, the Salesian sisters offered them a small allowance for their gasoline.

ACTS 2014 Registration - Phnom Penh - FULL

Thank you for your interest in the ACTS 2014 Mission to Phnom Penh.
Registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing your enrolment next year.

Click here to register MEDICAL/DENTAL Team
Click here to register DANCE Team

Mission 2014 Letter of Invitation

21 May 2014: ACTS Missions 2014

A Very Special Christmas

As a year ends and a new one begins many of my friends send out their year-end letters telling you all their news of the year. It’s mostly good stuff. In years gone by I used to put together something small as well but in recent times have not found much to write about.

This year is different because I have had one of the most quietly joyous Advent and Christmas seasons. I feel really blessed and while I have not exactly been bursting to tell everyone about it, enough people have asked me about it that I thought it would be worthwhile to arrange my thoughts into a coherent story, to explain in a little more detail why I say I had a really great Christmas.

An Advent Gesture from a 16 year old

Many of today’s youth knows only self-gratification and consumerism, it is therefore intrigueing that we received a little note from a special teen. She wishes to remain anonymous. Here is her small project for a big plan.

ACTS Battambang – A Personal Reflection by Kelvin Lim

I have a confession. I actually did not want to go on the ACTS Battambang mission trip. It was my wife who signed up and I got dragged along. I actually felt that I had better things to do with my time and energy. As the months passed and the mission trip drew nearer, I started feeling a greater sense of negativity – “Why am I doing this? What if I hate the experience? I don’t even really want to go!”

That’s when things started getting interesting. God really works in mysterious ways that we cannot begin understand. Due to unforeseen circumstances, various people had pulled out from the trip. As a result, my wife and I, together with other participants, were encouraged and propelled to step up and take over some of the planning and administrative preparation for the trip. Slowly, I felt my hardened heart softening. I do admit that while some fear and uncertainty still plagued me, I did not feel as helpless and alone, because I believed and felt that God was with us.