BUILDING A PLAYGROUND:)

At the end of November a team from Memphis, Tennessee came to build a playground at
the Poipet Imparting Smiles children’ s center. This was all possible because Steve and
Ellie Marcum at Bellevue Baptist Church were inspired to help the kids. They rallied
their church’ s VBS program this summer to help and the kids raised the money to build a
playground.

Building a playground in Cambodia is not like building one in the USA. They had to
bring many of their tools from the States, including chains, and rustproof screws and
bolts. We had to pre-order the timber to build the playground which entailed having a
wood-cutter go into the jungle and find the trees we requested. Then they had to cut the
tree down and cut each individual plank with a chain saw. After that they had to haul it
by ox cart to the center. To finish the wood we had to hire a table plainer to plain it down
so it was not so rough. It took months of preparation just to get the wood ready.

When the team arrived they spent a whole week building the large playground. Thanks
to them the kids at the center and the kids in the community now have an exciting place
to spend after school hours.