Settling Into Ministry

Hi y’all hope everyone is doing well! This week I am going to share what ministry looks like here in Cambodia and what the team and I have been up. We are partnered with an awesome ministry here and we have already gotten to witness some of the fruits of their labors as we have come along side them to serve. The ministry we are with has been here serving the local villages for the past 6 years so it has been a joy to join them in sharing the gospel and supporting the work they are already full involved in.

Throughout the week we spend most of our time going into the local villages to do an assortment of things. Monday and Tuesday we venture out into to separate villages they have been working with for the past few years and on Wednesday/Thursday we get to go to their main ministry location where they have built some infrastructure to help facility their work. On Friday we do house chores and take care of the building we are staying in as well as prepare for the week to come. So what exactly do we do in the villages?

When we arrive to the villages we typically have 30-60 minutes to set up our supplies and prepare for kids to arrive at the location where teaching takes place. Due to the deeply rooted Buddhism in their culture the best way to win parents trust and get their kids to attend is to offer english lessons to the children. The US has a large influence on Cambodia to the point where the US dollar is accepted and almost preferred as well as most kids speaking english fairly well. So once the kids arrive we begin their lesson time which usually takes about 90 minutes. During their lesson they do learn some basic english but we also focus heavily on teaching their gospel in a variety of ways. Usually the lesson begins with review and the kids are asked to recite Bible verses from the previous week if they can remember. One of the activities the kids are most engaged in is singing Bible themed songs that teach about the character of God and stories from the Bible. They then get to hear a Bible lesson with pictures and coloring pages which also captivates their attention. This usually concludes their lesson and we move into lunch/break time before different kids come to join us for the afternoon session. The kids here go to school either in the morning or the afternoon so that dictates what lesson they come to.

Now that the ministry and lessons that have been taught to the kids have made their way into the homes of their families they also have an adult Bible study for any older folks in the village who may be a believer. Usually while the lesson is being taught to the kids any parents or adults that want to learn about the gospel also gather and we get to assist in those bible studies as well. At the end of the day we get to go through the villages and do house visits with the local families and parents of the kids that go to the lessons. These visits vary from home to home depending on what the ministries relationship is like with the family. Some families view our presence as very friendly and welcome and there we get to preach the gospel, answer questions, share testimonies and pray for them. In some of the other homes that are less familiar to the ministry we simply try to build relationships, show them God’s love and help to meet their material needs with things such as food, clothing and water. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the ministry has a home base location that provides clean filtered water to the local villages as well as hosts the Bible studies and lessons for the children. They also have a tub for baptisms and in our first week here we blessed with being able to watch and even participate in baptizing 4 their regular attendees. We got to pray for them and share stories and testimonies of what the Lord has done in our lives. It was a great gift to be able to see the harvest in our only first week here and we are excited for what the Lord is going to be doing I the coming weeks.

On Oct 14th-19th we will be traveling 9 hours south of our current location to help facilitate a young adults camp hosted by another one of our ministry partners. We are super excited for this week and what the Lord has planned for the kids and for the staff during this time. Most of the counselors have never had the chance to attend a “summer camp” event in their lives so it will be an exciting time for everyone involved. We are all very excited to see how the Lord shows up during this week and to witness the work the Holy Spirit wants to do during that time. Please keep my team in prayers during those days that we would have safe travel to and from camp and that He would be the supplication we need for what will certainly be a very busy week. Please also be praying for the counsellors and the hearts and minds of the campers that they would be open to receiving the Gospel and welcoming Jesus into their lives as their Lord and Savior. I will be anxiously waiting to share all the testimonies that I have from that week with you all!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, we are on the home stretch now. Crazy to think I will be back in the US in 6 short weeks. I can’t wait to see you all and hope you are all doing well!