Cambodian Christian Arts Ministry Tour

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: When is your troupe arriving and departing the LA area?

A: Arriving LAX 15:50 September 1 aboard BR-012 (EVA Air), and depart LAX 09:10 September 11-15 aboard CO-1006. The departing flight is open (until tickets are actually purchased), so if other performances or opportunities present themselves, the group can possibly adjust their departure. The group needs to be in Houston for the Astrodome performance no later than the 18th, and we should probably arrive a day or so beforehand in time to organize and prepare for the performance.

Q2: What should the coordinator at each church be prepared to provide?

A: In general, if local coordinators do the following it makes our visits much smoother and easier:

• Make arrangements for room, board, and local transportation.
• Arrange access to performance area, dressing rooms, and bathrooms before performance for set up and rehearsal.
• Arrange availability of sound, lighting, or other requested equipment, plus technicians to operate them, during rehearsal and performance.
• Arrange use of a long table for ministry display in lobby.
• Arrange the presence of a representative of the church or organization to introduce CCAM at the beginning of the performance and open with prayer--then, to handle any closing appeal given on our behalf, the taking of a special offering, and a closing prayer.
• Be available for communication with leaders on our behalf concerning questions or problems that come up along the way.

And additionally if team stays a whole day or more:

• Arrange use of any large room with the middle of the floor free of furniture for daily team exercises and informal rehearsal.
• Arrange use of a classroom for daily team classes.

Q3: What do you need for a concert performance of 1-2 hours?

A: A good reference is the CAAM Preliminary Performance Request form that requests the following accommodations for a major performance:

• A performance area (at least 10'x15'), with all podiums and other furniture and equipment removed
• Two private dressing rooms near performance area (1 for boys, 1 for girls)
• Two bathrooms near performance area (1 for boys, 1 for girls);

• If the rehearsal and performance time includes a mealtime, then a cooking and eating area where the team can prepare and eat their own special foods
• A sound system with cassette tape deck and/or CD player
• No special lighting is required, but any special effects can be discussed with technician at rehearsal
• A small podium and two microphones on stands (positioned to one side so as not to obstruct view of performance);
• An overhead transparency projector plus screen and/or video projector plus screen placed so as not to obstruct view of performance
• For choral singing, group microphones and music stand for director.

If the team stays a whole day or more there are a few additional needs:

• Any large room with the middle of the floor free of furniture for daily team exercises and informal rehearsal.
• Any classroom (but preferably one with white board) for daily team classes.

Q4: What sort of food items and utensils will the team need when preparing your own food?

A: Whenever we need to prepare our own food, we might need an electric rice steamer, a pan and a skillet, dishes, cups/glasses, utensils, paper towels, Asian rice, packets of dried Asian noodles, French bread, fresh chicken thighs, canned sardines in tomato sauce, canned tuna, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, limes, garlic, onions, green pepper, condiments (parsley, basil, mint), eggs, soy sauce, chili sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, jasmine tea, instant coffee, sweetened condensed milk or creamer. If hosts would like to do shopping for us, that would be great to save our time.

Q5: What sort of snacks would the group appreciate?

A: Our kids love soft drinks, soy bean milk, and fruit juices. They have never had many western snacks, but would probably like to try things like chips and dip, Little Debbie snack cakes, or others. All kinds of fresh or dried fruit make good nutritious snacks.

Q6: How about church members bringing food to where your team is staying instead of the group having to prepare its own food?

A: It would be fine for folks to bring food in to where we are staying, either to drop it off, or to prepare it there – even to stay and eat with us.

Q7: What time does your group need to itself?

A: We will need some private time between meals each day for just our team to rest and meet together for briefings, prayer, Bible study, etc. We do not plan to hold regular school classes while we are in LA, since the schedule is already so busy with performances and activities, but we will need to have classes during some portion of our time in the United States.

Q8: What do you need for a spot performance of 5-15 minutes?

A: The same as described above, depending on whether the presentation is dancing, singing, speaking, or using some form of audio/visual .

Q9: How many performances would you like for us to arrange?

A: Please try to schedule only one full-length (preferably 2-hour) concert a day. Several shorter spots here and there could probably work out on days we don't have a full concert. Whenever we give a full concert, we ideally need to have access to the facility and equipment 5-6 hours ahead of time for preparation and rehearsal.

Q10: How many days a week or hours per day would like to spend in practice and in academic classes, as opposed to seeing the local sights and attractions?

A: Usually, mornings are used for rehearsals and afternoons for academic classes.  However, on days that outings are offered by our sponsors to see local sights and attractions, we can adjust our schedule accordingly.  Just confer with us ahead of time about how much would be comfortable and profitable.

Q11: When we are arranging overnight accommodations, do you prefer to stay together in a church room, or would you rather be hosted at families’ homes? Or would you like a mixture of church rooms and family homes?

A: Staying all at one place (like at a church) makes it easier to gather the team together quickly and transport them somewhere to arrive together all at the same time.  It also makes it easier to prepare for performances, especially if those performances are held in the same building where we are staying.  But staying in homes also has different advantages, like the opportunity to learn different lifestyles and get to know people better.  A mixture could also be good--actually staying at the church building and being invited over for meals at homes, or having church members bring in food to share together at the church.  We are open to any of the above.

Q12: If your group is staying at homes, would you rather go in pairs or is it ok to arrange for just one student alone at a home?

A: We prefer to send two or three together.

Q13: If your group is staying at parishioners homes, about what time would you like to get "home" in the evening, and about when would you like to get back together in the morning (for touring, practice, classes, etc)?

A: This would depend on what time evening performances or outings are finished, but generally it would be good to be home by or before 10 p.m.  We like to have our own private devotions early in the morning and then join together as soon as possible for team worship before beginning our day of work and play.  But the exact time for this could be arranged to fit each circumstance.

Q14: If your group is staying overnight in a church room, what do we need to provide to make your stay comfortable?

A: Sleeping bags, mattresses, or cots, with pillows and sheets (or blankets if chilly).  We would also need access to bathrooms with showers.  If we are to stay more than one night at the same church, it would be good to be able to lock the room where our luggage stays while we are about our daily activities.

Here at CCAM where the weather is very warm, all the students sleep on the floor on straw mats or on thin padded cotton mats (sort of like open sleeping bags).  The adults sleep on cots or wooden platforms with some sort of mat on top.  Most people like pillows if they are available.

Q15: What are the names, genders, ages, and second language skills of each of your touring troupe?

A: Our performing team is made up of three girls and three boys between the ages of 17 and 25, all single.  Their English skills range from beginning level to intermediate/advanced level.

Girls Names:  Sraws, Reaksmey, Nimoal

Boys Names:  Sophun, Rin, Len

Q16: What about the meal when you have a performance near a mealtime? Can you perform at dinners or other mealtimes?

A: Even when we do our rehearsal and set up the day before a performance, we still need to start getting ready for a costumed performance at least two hours ahead of time, so please plan to provide meals for the team AFTER the performance.  Anytime you want to have a dinner event for the audience, that is fine, but we will not be able to eat with you, because we will be busy getting ready.  Light, non-messy snacks (like bananas, apples, grapes, individual cans or bottles of fruit juice) can be provided backstage for sustenance as we work.

To do spots in full costume, we would also need to start getting ready two hours ahead.  However, if spots or demonstration performances are done in our dance practice uniforms (also very attractive), they can be put on before leaving the place we stay and worn until we return.  If we eat in them, we need to be careful not to stain them, or we could bring a change of clothes with us.  In any case, it is better to eat after a performance, so we don't dance on a full stomach!

Q17: How can I get more information about CCAM and maybe some photos?

A: A good start is the new web site at http://www.lbfc.org/ccam.html where there is a lot of information and about 60 photos on line. You may also email Gioia at ccam.arts@bigpond.com.kh with any specific requests.

Q18: What’s this I hear about sponsorships of your kids?

A: Well, this is a new program and the details aren’t worked out yet, but the general plan is to offer the opportunity for people or organizations to sponsor our kids for about $28 per month, or less than a dollar a day. We expect to be offering the sponsorships at the ministry display table in the lobby before and after each performance.

Q18: How do we make tax-deductible donations to CCAM?

A: Our Mission Service Organization, ACI International, can accept donations designated for CCAM. They will provide the documentation that the IRS needs to honor the donation as a tax-deductible charitable contribution. Make your checks payable to ACI International (not to CCAM):

ACI International
P.O Box 1769
Ontario, CA 91762-1769
USA

Email: KenMeeks2@cs.com
Phone: (909) 986-0677

If donations do not need to be tax-deductible they can be sent to CCAM through one of our stateside financial coordinators.

Gioia Michelotti's supporters can send checks designated as love gifts and made out to her (not to CCAM) to:

Martha Crabbe

411 Megan Drive

Cantonment, FL  32533

Noren Vann Kim's supporters can send checks designated as love gifts and made out to her (not to CCAM) to:

Ellen Lindsey

1310 W. Albion Avenue

Chicago, IL  60626

Correspondence, but not checks, may be sent to Gioia Michelotti and/or Noren Vann Kim at:

CCAM
P.O. Box 2104
Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia

Email: ccam.arts@bigpond.com.kh
Phone: 855-23-365-053