Two new interns have arrived in Cambodia and have joined our team! Prantosh Boidya came through the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and Lena Kauffman came through Eastern Mennonite Mission (EMM). Let’s get to know them!
Prantosh Boiyda traveled about 2,000km coming from…… Barishal, Bangladesh! He will be serving with Mission Dove until July, helping with computer classes, English classes, and hanging out with students. When asked why he chose this organization, he wrote, “Mission Dove is an organization that works with young people. And I also love to work in such an environment. I like to motivate young people and I am also interested in doing new things with them. In that regard, Mission Dove is the best organization for me. Besides, I love to learn new things and I think Dove can teach me that.”
Previously he was working as director of a small school in Bangladesh, where he used to participate in free education programs for children and in social work with youth. Apart from that, he used to work with his church and some other NGOs on the rights and rehabilitation of people with disabilities.
One of his life passions is helping youth. He is working to create an organization that would create job opportunities for youth. This organization would provide education for children and help meet their food needs. It would also be a safe accommodation for persons with disabilities.
Fun facts about Prantosh:
In his free time, he enjoys writing songs, poems, and stories.
He also loves mountains and would love to travel anywhere there are pretty mountains.
Lena Kauffman traveled almost 15,000km, all the way from…. Ohio, USA! She will be serving with Mission Dove until May by teaching level 6 English class, helping with social media, and hanging out with the students! When asked why she chose Mission Dove, she said, “I love interacting with youth. I find spending time with them, is very valuable. I loved Mission Dove’s heart to raise up leaders. Also, as a native English speaker, I feel a joy in being able to share my knowledge of the English language with the students.”
Recently, she graduated high school. She was working as a barista in her local coffee shop. Instead of going to university right away, she chose to take a gap year and enroll in EMM’s Advance Global Program. It is a 9-month program with 3 months of discipleship training and 5 months of outreach. She came to Cambodia to serve for her outreach.
One of her passions is empowering and loving children and youth. She says, “I want to show people there is something different about me; I am a Christian. I want people to see the way I love looks like Jesus.” She is still unsure about what her future plans are, but for now, she wants to continue serving Jesus in any way, shape, or form presented to her.
Fun facts about Lena:
In her spare time, she loves to get outside and explore especially hiking and hammock camping with her friends.
She would love to travel to the Netherlands in the spring for the Tulip Festival.