My experience visiting the wonderful people of TransformAsia in Cambodia
Hello, my name is Elizbeth Bowser. My husband and I were blessed to get to visit the wonderful people of TransformAsia in Cambodia early in 2025. We had a wonderful time. I want to share about our experience.
I grew up in the Philippines and my husband has lived in other SE Asian countries but this was our first time to experience Cambodia. We were excited to experience the country and especially the ministry of TransformAsia. Our flight had a long delay and then we were re-routed, making for a long flight. We were so happy that Setan came to the airport personally to pick us up. The next day he gave us a wonderful tour of Phnom Penh and showed us around the headquarters along with the TV and Radio studio.
We left in the morning for the long drive to the David Center. It is located close to the border. We first visited the national park on the site of the last Khmer Rouge stronghold. It was amazing to get to see that and have Setan serve as our guide since he personally survived the killing fields and later lead many of the Khmer Rouge leaders as well as soldiers into a relationship with the God of the Universe.
The days we had with the children, staff, and other volunteers at the David Center were memorable and wonderful. Setan arranged for us to get to join in a service at the church service. One older lady there had been the nurse who cared for Pol Pot in his final days. Now she and other former Khmer Rouge are active in the church. The singing was beautiful, especially with so many children there.
After several days we left for a long journey to Battambang Dormitory. We passed by Angkor Wat and other famous places. Hopefully we can visit them in the future but on this trip our time and energy were limited and we wanted to focus on the TransformAsia projects. Our time at Battambang was so wonderful. Another American couple was visiting when we arrived. The wife was born in Cambodia and spoke the language and so was a great help. The students are from very poor farm families and had come to the city to attend university. We got to know many of them and hear their stories. It was such a wonderful time.
While we were there we got to experience the Battambang Street Children Outreach. Children living on the streets are brought in, given a shower, given a hot meal, and provided with educational and social activities. They are also taught about the God of the Universe. They, like the University students at the dorm, have no other opportunity to hear the Good News of the Gospel. The children were very cute and fun. It was wonderful to have that time with them.
A TransformAsia driver from that area then drove us far out into the countryside to visit the Kambour Village Outreach. It was great to see the countryside along the way and so wonderful to have time at this outreach. The children were gathered for a class. They sang a song for us and then went to the dining hall. At the end of the day they all climbed into the ‘bus’ to be delivered to their homes around the village. My husband and I climbed the nearby hill on steps leading to a shrine. From there we had a great view of the surrounding countryside.
We then went back for one last night at the guesthouse by the Battambang Dorm. We had a wonderful last meal together with the students. It was hard to leave them like with all the projects.
The next day our driver took us on a long drive to the New Development Center. It was the middle of their day and so most were in school. Some came back for a mid-day lunch break so we got to meet them. It was wonderful to have time with them. We couldn’t stay long though since we still had a long drive on to the headquarters in Phnom Penh.
After we returned to Phnom Penh we had the wonderful experience of visiting Joy Day Care. There were many children and several volunteers from other countries helping out. The children were full of energy, joy and love. It was so wonderful to have time with them. They were in class when we arrived. Soon after we joined them in a play time and then they gathered for a meal. It was very loud with so many happy children running and playing. What a memorable time! After we left there we drove by the dump site where they live. It was like a large mountain but it was made of trash. We are so glad they have the chance at a different life when they go to Joy Day Care.
In the morning we left on another long drive to visit Grandma Anna’s dorm. We had a wonderful time with the students and with the pastor and his family who oversee the dorm. They had built a very nice church building there so we got to see that. They prepared a wonderful evening meal for us. It was great to get to know them even though it was a short visit. We then went to a nearby hotel for our last night in Cambodia.
In the morning our driver brought us all the way back to the airport in the capitol. From there we flew to the next country on our outreach trip spanning over two months and several SE Asian countries. We are so grateful for the people we met and for getting to see the beautiful work God is doing through TransformAsia in Cambodia. We wish we could have stayed longer and hope we can in the future.
Elizabeth Bowser