Recently, we had some visitors here and I was very happy to meet a brother in the Lord who came from the States and stayed in my home for 3 days. We visited some of our ministries in the city and the villages. However, one of the most impressive visits was to an organization taking care of children who have AIDS. I know a Christian who works in this organization, and he gave us a tour to explain the services in the hospital. It was the first time I visited there, and I never will forget the scenes that were burned into my mind.

The children look almost like ordinary kids, except those who have skin infections. When we arrived, there were about 9 children in a room where a teacher was teaching them to color pictures. They were so happy to see and greet us with big smiles. However, two skinny children were lying on the floor to rest because they easily get tired most of the time. Afterwards, we visited another room where younger children are taken care of in children' s beds. There was a little girl who looked desperately weak and lay quietly on the bed. Rebecca held her hand and my friend from the States whispered the song "Jesus loves me" to her too. Unexpectedly, this little girl died later that same afternoon.

Those children came from different channels, some having been referred by other organizations, some just picked up from the street, and some were brought by parent(s) who usually have AIDS too. During the visit, I felt sad about their sufferings and I also cried out to God 'Why do those innocent children need to bear the heavy burden that even adults could not handle? It' s not their fault!' My friend who works there told me it seems they can not do much because, sooner or later, most of the children either die from infections or their health deteriorates. Nevertheless, they can live in love and dignity because someone cares for them. Miraculously, some children after treatment and diagnosis over a period of time have found that their immune system recovered and they are HIV negative.

I admire my friend that he has the courage to do this high risk ministry and also has a mission to let those children hear about the love of Jesus while they still have a chance. He regularly tells them Bible stories during free time and works with his staff laboriously to care for them. May God continue to grant His grace to the children and the workers.

Most of the time, we take for granted God' s grace in such areas as our health, our time and even our salvation. May we treasure what God has given us so that we can be contented and share with those in need.

Prayer points

• Praise the Lord that we have enough funding to build the covered playground at the Phnom Penh Thmei property. May God guide us to find a reliable contractor
• Pray about the preparations to start another animal raising scheme in Kampot village
• Pray about an agreement the Cambodian government will make with the Chinese government to build a dam on the upper Mekong river that may severely impact fishermen and farmers along the river
• Pray for the VBSs to be held in August - may God grant wisdom to our local VBS teachers in different villages