Teara and his "little brother"
We first met Teara and his siblings when their mother was dying. The last few months of her life were hard and they struggled to survive in a tiny shack that had a broken roof and walls.
Together with neighbors their home was rebuilt. Teara was so proud of the simple structure. Finally they had a home they could call their own.
But tragedy struck the first night they slept in their new home. A huge fire swept through the slum and they lost everything, including the only photos of their mother who had died a month before.
Eventually, Teara
and his siblings moved in with a Christian lady who opened her home to them and provided
guidance and love. They were matched up with mentors from Alongsiders Cambodia. Things finally were beginning to look up.
Over the years Teara became a keen member of the local church, eventually being entrusted with leadership amongst the youth.
Now, at 21 years old, Teara has officially become an mentor himself to an orphaned boy in the community, through the Alongsiders movement. He shared with us how he spent three months praying that God would show him which boy to choose out of his village.
When I visited Teara recently, I sat on the floor of his tiny home, eating rice and fish with Teara and his "little brother". They talked and laughed and I could see how much joy Teara's mentoring brought to this little boy.
Teara spoke of how he understood the challenges of beig orphaned, and how it was time to pass on some of the love he has received by being welcomed into the church family.