Wednesday, 19 January 2011

WOODHAVEN: Twin Oaks Christian Church reaching out to help Cambodians


via CAAI

Published: Tuesday, January 18, 2011

By Jackie Harrison-Martin

WOODHAVEN — They might be thousands of miles away, but members of Twin Oaks Christian Church, 22333 King Road, are reaching out to help heal children rescued out of slavery in Cambodia.

In support of that cause, 13 church members will travel to Cambodia to visit two Rapha House locations.

Rapha House strives to rescue and heal children who have been taken out of slavery and sexually exploitive situations.

Several fundraisers will take place Saturday in an effort to help finance some of the support programs for the mission trip.

A basketball clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for children ages 7 to 9. The clinic will continue from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. for those ages 10 to 12.

Participants are asked to bring white and dark T-shirts for scrimmages.

The suggested donation is $20.

Scrapbookers can enjoy their craft, bringing quilts or any unfinished projects, and meet in the scrapbooking room.

Visitors can come in between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the event. A general donation is requested. Baby-sitting will be provided at a suggested donation of $5 an hour.

In another fundraising event, Bailey Buchbinder, an award-winning musician and composer, will assist children with instruction on several instruments, including the flute, clarinet, snare drum, violin and piano.

The musical invitation is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for children of all ages. The donation is $10 for a 30-minute lesson.

Also on the agenda are several classes. At 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., a former homeschooled student will talk about her experiences with that process and its advantages.

A general donation is requested.

On deck from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. is a menu-planning workshop. Participants are asked to bring their recipe box and favorite cookbooks. They will leave with a month’s worth of inexpensive and healthy meals.

Kim Watt, a homeschooling mother, will discuss biblical parenting from noon to 4:30 p.m. and will be available to answer questions.

A general donation is requested.

The Rev. Randy Wheeler said the missionaries will be in Cambodia from Feb. 21 to March 3. The money raised will help support the missions while they are there.

The church sponsors 54 Cambodian children, and part of its goal is to assist in educating families and schooling children in an effort to break the cycle of poverty.

Wheeler said he read a magazine article about the trafficking of children for sex and investigated the issue to see what the church could do to help the children.

Wheeler and his wife, Chris, have since visited Cambodia a couple of times. He said the support of Rapha House has become their mission.

Rapha House provides safe houses and aftercare programs for girls taken out of exploitative situations.

All Rapha House facilities are in Southeast Asia. Wheeler said there are plans to expand globally.

The cost of the trip for each missionary is more than $2,100.

For more information about the fundraiser, call the church at 1-734-671-8300.

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