Once you have passed through passport control and arrive in the baggage claim area - have one of the leaders come out (bring your boarding pass) to meet our pick up team. This is to let them know you are here and if everything is okay or if you need help with anything. The rest of the team can wait for the luggage to come out. You will be allowed to go back in to get your luggage and meet back up with the team. We will NOT be able to go in with you. (The reason we ask leaders to come out is that sometimes teams have lost or damaged luggage and it can take hours to sort out and we never know if a team is here or what is going on! :-)

If for some reason you have not been able to go out and meet our airport pickup staff, after your team has collected all your luggage, look for the arrival door, go through the customs check and exit outside. When you walk out to where all of the people are standing just look for the University of the Nations, Cambodia sign and that will be us! Or if you have been successful to come out ahead of time, just go to the prearranged meeting location. The whole process of going through passport control, waiting for your luggage, and then through customs, usually takes about an hour or so if there are no hassles along the way. Make sure you bring Chris’ phone number (855-12-965-035) along with you to the airport in case of any emergencies or problems. We are available to serve and bless you 24/7!

Make sure you have American dollars with you that are in $20 denominations or smaller. Since you are able to pay for things in US$, you don’t need to exchange for Cambodian Riel right away. The airport has an exchange place if you desire, but you are able to receive better exchange rates in town. The exchange rate is typically 4100 riel for US$1.

We will most likely use an air conditioned van (US$15, 15 seats) to pick up your team. Depending on the size of your team, we may also hire a specialized pick up truck to help with luggage. You can pay the pick up person directly once you get back to where your team will be staying.

Once you get to your housing, we will help you guys get settled into your rooms...complete with showers and western bathrooms. The perfect way to relax after a long flight! We will also then make arrangements for you guys to be at our office for your orientation at 9:30 am. If your team does get in at an earlier hour, feel free to walk down to the corner mini-mart or to Lucky Supermarket near the Olympic Stadium to buy some bread, peanut butter, jam, fruit etc, for your breakfast.

As well, don't worry too much about being hungry as we will be having a big yummy Cambodian lunch together after the orientation is finished around noon. Following lunch, we will be sending your team out on a fun "get to know the area/meet some Khmer" scavenger hunt from 2-4PM. While they are doing that, we will be meeting with the leaders to go over last minute details, squaring up with finances, answer any questions you may have etc.

The day after your orientation, we usually take teams on our Phnom Penh City Tour/Prayer Walk day. This is a great introduction for teams who have never been to Asia, Cambodia or the 10/40 Window before. It is also a great introduction to Buddhism and allows your team a great opportunity to actually see and experience the city and the things you have heard about in the orientation. (9-4PM).

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Lastly, we would encourage you to please make sure that you carefully go over the info on "clothing - what to bring, what to wear" one more time with your team, as we have been having a few problems lately with teams coming with inappropriate clothing for ministry here in Cambodia! Here is the basic list again below:

CLOTHING & DRESS

REMEMBER, how you look and how you dress is very important here in Cambodia. Khmer culture does not respond well to those who are sloppily dressed or dressed inappropriately. Please bring clothes that are modest and neat. For example, NO tank tops, sleeveless tops, short skirts or short shorts. You can bring one pair of shorts to wear inside your rooms, but shorts cannot be worn in public.

(Note: Many clothing items are also cheaply and easily available in Cambodia.)

For WOMEN and MEN: Long pants and slacks - cotton pants and slacks are preferred for comfort in this climate - must be dressy, nice and neat. Nice shirts and blouses - short sleeves are fine - such as button up or polo style, and other tops, etc. are permissible.

For WOMEN: Again, dressy, neat, and clean are the important guidelines. In addition to pants and slacks, modest dresses and skirts are fine, as long as they at least reach the knee and have sleeves. Capri pants (a cross between shorts and pants) that reach down to at least mid-calf can be worn anywhere EXCEPT when teaching/preaching/visiting schools.

If doing ministry at a school or business, it is most important to dress properly. The nicer you look, the more effective your ministry will be. You should wear nice shoes (or girls can wear pumps) when teaching or preaching. Nice t-shirts of any type are fine. Nice jeans are fine also. (leave the Van Halen and Mettalica T-shirts at home please!) If you are in the villages it is better for the guys to wear either polo shirts or a button up shirt when not doing practical work but nice t-shirts will be OK for many things. In the villages the girls will need to move more towards skirts (longer than the knees).

SHOES & FOOTWEAR
1 pair hiking or trekking (if going to hill-tribes), 1 pair walking, 1 pair nice for church.

* sandals/flip flops - extremely useful for entering houses or using for showers (must remove shoes whenever entering a house in Asia). Sandals with a back strap will also be necessary to enter any/all temples here in Thailand. Please pay close attention to where others have taken off their shoes and follow their lead. If your shoes are expensive, you may want to carry them in with you and store them inside.

* if you are going to be doing extensive trekking in the hills, please contact your host for specifics on clothing and footwear etc.

Gods richest blessings upon you and if there is anything further we can do for you, please feel free to let us know! We are here to serve and bless you and consider it an honor to do so.


Have a great day!

Chris

To request an application form
via e-mail write to us at:
uofn.teams@gmail.com