The Sisters of Providence have a residence and programs for children with disabilities near the Church of the Child Jesus in Boeung Tum Pun. In the really heavy rains in November, their aquaponics project was severely damaged. Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising aquatic animals like prawns, snails, or fish in tanks) with hydroponics (raising plants in water) in a setting where both environments support each other.
The sisters teach the children a valuable form of organic farming while producing healthy food for their center. The heavy rains caused the fish tanks and other structures to collapse so the sisters asked for help to rebuild, putting down a concrete pad that would support the heavy weight of tanks and troughs in future storms.
During Advent our English community had a Giving Tree from which we invited parishioners to take an empty envelope and insert a donation and then drop it in the collection. In the four Sundays of Advent we collected $1,475. Thank you very much! The sisters and children thank you for getting them set up again and we thank you for your support for the work of the gospel.
Today was a busy day with Holy Family Sunday masses this morning in two places and then dealing with St. Vincent de Paul Society cases in the afternoon. Then this evening the Maryknoll Cambodia community got together for a new year mass and dinner together. It was a quiet and enjoyable evening and everyone was gone by 7:00 PM. Here Ann Sherman and Russ Brine talk with a visitor, Beau Blank, who works with Maryknoll in Thailand and has spent the last four or five days with us.
