Rock Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization registered in the United States. We focus on assisting and teaching more than 100 families of squatters in 4 separate villages who have no proper housing, no land, no electricity, and no running water. Our mission is to meet the mental, physical, and spiritual needs of the local Khmer people through relationships that are developed through poverty assistance and community outreach.
Last year a group of us visited one of the villages that the rock foundation works with. I remember my initial thoughts of the village when I pulled up. I thought about how beautiful and peaceful it was. There was a pond beside the village, covered with lilly pads and a beautiful green in color. The village of approximately 30 families was at the foot of a very cool looking rock face. The families all worked together collecting rocks, breaking rocks and selling rocks to the city (Phnom Penh).
We got out of our vehicles and started making balloon animals for the kids. When we started there were only about 10 kids or so, then after the balloons came out the rest of the children came out too. Before we knew it we were surrounded by kids, they were coming out of the bushes like clowns out of a VW beetle in the circus, they just kept on coming. Some of us continued making balloon animals while the rest of us walked around and took pictures of the beauty of this village.
Then, like a punch in the face we learned about the condition of these beautiful people. That pretty green lilly pad covered pond I talked about before, well that was their drinking water. It was also the water their animals drank from, they bathed in and they washed their clothes in. It was not life giving water, yet they needed it for life.
The peaceful job of breaking rocks that they did, well that was a 70 hour a week job that involved women, men and kids, kids who should be in school getting an education. The families worked to fill trucks the city sends in. It takes the families approximately a month to fill a truck and they get paid on average $20 a truck load.
I remember meeting the lady to the left. She had just given birth to her 5th child and found out that she couldn’t nurse him as her body couldn’t produce any milk. She also only makes $20 a month so buying formula is out of the question, plus when she does get formula she has to mix it with the pond water. It seemed like a pretty grim situation for these families.
It was then that I heard about Brett and the rock foundation. Brett came to Cambodia to be a full time missionary, someone who brings the gospel of Jesus Christ and hope for life to people, both spiritually and physically. Brett has been working with these communities and helping to develop them. He has been bringing food out each week, building shelter so that they don’t have to break rocks in the blazing sun, installing water filtration systems, providing formula for the mom we talked about above and building homes for the families to live in.
Something beautiful and life giving is happening to these villages, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Steps of Justice we have the privilege of working with Brett and the Rock Foundation this summer. We will be hanging out with these amazing people and serving where there is need. We have two trips this summer, one in June and one in August. Please pray about if you are to join us this summer. If you are not sure you can read more about the trip below as well as the details of dates and cost. We are only bringing 25 people each trip, so please let us know soon.
Check out the following links
The Rock Foundation Steps of Justice Cambodia Page Mission Adventures NZ Steps Info Page
