The Man on the Right ~
The man on the right you met in an earlier post. Samuel hopped into our van today as we traveled out to Kranluh District near Siem Reap. Actually we were close to the Thai border at our target site when we arrived. We were out to evaluate the area for a church plant for Daniel. For us it was a plus as we pray for and encourage him there, realizing our rolls in this as well for the future. (And for a student teacher for them.)
Again I’m walking down a red dirt road in a village while the men talk in the house after our Christmas meal. As I turn around there is Samuel slowly walking behind me. I chuckle as I recall this is how we first met. I was walking down a red dirt road in a village, somewhere. He followed me then too.
“You know you will always be my teacher.” He says. I nod.
I ask him what he thinks about this new plan I know only a little about as yet. “I think it is a great plan” he says with a smile. I expect no other response from him. These people roll with whatever is dealt.
While I would adore taking credit for what I will say next, I totally understand that I had nothing to do with it. It was Him working out the details again. You see, Samuel did not have a personal relationship with Vannarith. Sure he had gone thru LISA training a while back and realized how much he embraced and agreed upon the theology he was taught beyond his bible school training, which was not Lutheran. But somehow he was out there doing God’s work alone.
If we had not returned to Cambodia I’m thinking in my small mind that Samuel would still be out there ministering in Snor as he has been. Over two years have passed since we last met up. A lot has happened in this country and the church. Maybe someone else may have come along to encourage and pray for Samuel, but that I’ll never know.
One thing is for sure though. God has been working on this since the beginning. Pastor Samuel will be ordained in March. Now we are hearing that Samuel and Daniel will partner church plants together in Siem Reap area, Samuel remaining in Snor, Daniel nearby in Kranluh District. Samuel will now have a brotherhood of church leaders with him to grow the local church into eternity too.
As I walked down this red dusty dirt road, behind me come pockets of bicycling children on their way home from school. I saw two high schools on the main road as we drove thru the district as well. There are so many children everywhere. Samuel said that before the Khmer Rouge families usually had 8-11 children each, but now with the economy 5-8 is more the norm. Wow! That’s a lot of children.
With so much of this going on in this country, it’s no wonder why the church shouldn’t be targeting children’s’ ministry across the board to share the gospel back to their families and communities right now. Remember our December newsletter with the multitude of people trucks on the way to work in the garment factory. These were the kids born and raised one or two generations after the Khmer Rouge. There’s a lot of sharing Jesus to be done here for sure.
2016 is close by. There’s a lot on the agenda for the new year too.
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