So for the past few weeks we've been working with underprivileged youth. (The organization we work with asked us to keep all details of the youth confidential; so sorry there isn't more on the teens in particular). One of the things I have gotten to do is teach them how to cook! A couple of weeks ago our contacts suggested doing a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser at their international church (lots of Americans). They hope to potentially replicate the meal on a bi-monthly basis - so this was a trial run.

We worked out the necessary logistics and Jon and I took on the task of teaching the teens how to make a spaghetti sauce - and actually making the meal (for 100 people). The girls will also be serving the meal so Bri and Eric used their experience in waiting (tables) to teach them how to serve. We spent two weeks preparing and teaching about 30 girls (side note: Cambodians do not care for spaghetti sauce). And today it all goes down!

Yesterday five of the girls came to our apartment and the cooking commenced! Onions flew, chopped tomatoes piled up, and the smells wafting into the hallway were heavenly! Though, I think, the highlight was the elevator and roof. Some of the girls, because of their situations had never even been in an elevator. Neither had they been on the seventh story of a building able to see miles out over the whole city. We had a blast!

The meal is today and as I write this Jon and I are boiling up batch upon batch of noodles - we're storing them in our bathtub and its really filling up! (JK, JK).

Side note: we purchased about 20 kilos of tomatoes from the local market - 13 of the kilos were completely green and hard as apples. So, when this blog was first concocted I was frantically trying to hyper-ripen them. We ended up exchanging them in the market and all is now well.

Please pray for the meal today (11:30pm EST).  Please pray it's a raving success and that the people are blessed.  And that everyone likes the sauce!:)