God is Always in the Details

On May 23, 2013 we traveled to Kampot Province to visit the community of Pastor Sopheap. Sothea Then was with us at that point and we were visiting various church communities to discuss the upcoming Angel Dormitory, which was in the final stages of preparation.

It comes to mind for me without even looking at the old contact report some very specifics that happened that day while we were there, looking back to the photo attached from then.

First off, it was during that initial visit that I noticed a large number of children in presence. They appeared to be engaged in any outside activity that could occupy their daytime hours. Mingling around were many senior community members which we gathered were probably their caregivers and family. Not apparent during this day were younger adults whom we may have surmised were their parents and extended family. Sothea investigated for me and was told that most of the young adults from this village will go to Thailand or a larger area to work because there is very little source of income for them in the village. They do not take their children but leave them in the care of the group of people we saw mingling about today. It takes a village here to raise a child.

Since George was off with Pastor Sopheap at the time of this discussion, I asked some further questions thru Sothea (with his cultural permission). You see, there were a fair few babies in the mix and probably these children were not from the older adults present either. Apparently the parents go together to work and from that more babies arrive on the doorstep to be raised.

Note in the background of the photo below. There is a small building that Pastor Sopheap had financial assistance given to build so that these children would have a place to go to school. There was no school in this village at that time. Pastor Sopheap’s wife is the lovely lady next to the lady in the purple top. She had taken on the leadership to teach these children in this little building with the help of some older assistants who are also there.

Fast forward to November 10, 2015 and we again visited this community again, this time with a group of American Christians who have come alongside the ELCC in partnership to provide a Garuna school to these children.

Pastor Sopheap’s wife recognizes me and comes running to greet me. After the Khmer bow she embraces me with her arms and gently takes me to the front of her home and asks me to sit down on a bench under the tree. We cannot verbally communicate but her expression and gratitude are very apparent. She knows why we had come. Honestly, until just before driving up in the van, I didn’t know this is where we were going. But it didn’t take us long to recall our previous visit either.

This community now has a school and teachers. It is a Garuna school financed by a group of generous people who are passionate about improving the village communities, and this is one of them. Thus far through scholarship commitments, there are 35 students in the morning and 10 in the afternoon. These students are being nurtured in the word of God along with their basic subjects to carry them out into the world. (We missed the students since they were home for lunch and it was locked up.)

Also noted here is that there are some beginning steps to provide agricultural initiatives to the folks in the village. This same group of people have brought forth some of those ideas as well and we were there to see those results first hand. Time will show if these efforts will pay off, but at this time it was only a first pilot project for them to increase the yield on their rice crop. I’m leaving that information to the experts at this point.

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A Farm and A Church Combined

In 2013, we had a chance to meet Pastor Hai when we traveled to Kampong Chhnang with Pastor Vannarith. Pastor Hai is a Christian pastor who supports himself by farming, so he is not located in a town, but out in the country, down a dirt road. His farm is not even on the road itself, but to get to it, you must walk through the fields to reach his house. This time the fields were growing rice, so they they were still filled with water and the green grass like rice plants. In 2013, the fields were filled with watermelons, and we arrived right after the melons had been harvested. This year, there was not enough rainfall until about the last week, so Pastor Hai is not going to have the amount of rice that he would like because he uses the sale of his crops to support his church. In 2013, there was too much rain and the watermelons were rotting before they could be sent to market.

But, Pastor Hai grows more than rice and watermelons. When you walk in the main gate, there is a very large building straight ahead of you. The building has only two walls and a roof over a large cement and tile slab. This is Pastor Hai’s church, right in the middle of his farm. He invites all of his neighbors to come to his farm to hear about Jesus Christ. As you walk towards the church from the gate, on your right side will be the farrowing house for the pigs that was built by Samaritan’s purse. You can just make out the words in the blue sign on the side of the farrowing pen. It was empty on this last visit, but has helped support the church in the past. Pastor Hai’s house is between the church and the farrowing pen and the covered area outside the house is used for entertaining guests and visitors such as ourselves.

On the left, coming in the gate is the poultry pen. On this visit, there were about a half dozen big turkeys which will be butchered between now now end of November. These are bought by American expatriates (expats) who want to celebrate the American Thanksgiving. Each of these turkeys will sell for about $30 a bird. There were a few chickens running loose in the ben, but the largest population were the ducks. While the ducks will not sell for as much as the turkeys, they will also contribute significantly to the farm’s income because the Khmer view them as a special dish just like the expats love turkey.

Beyond the poultry pen, is the fish farm and reservoir. Pastor uses the water from this reservoir to water his orchard and garden underneath the trees. The garden and the reservoir are both carefully fenced off from everything else to protect the young plants, especially during the dry season coming up.

After the baptism we attended in the church, I looked out the only window in the church (actually, it is just a hole in the wall that can be closed) and saw Pastor’s papaya tree. It was loaded with fruit and should begin to ripen shortly. Then it will be served by local restaurants as an end to a meal similar to the one we just came from. If you have never seen a papaya tree and how it bears fruit, here is a photo of one. It is a strange tree that has no branches and the fruit grows along the trunk, but so closely that it looks like a bunch of fruit rather than individual fruits.

Thanks for taking a tour of Pastor Hai’s farm with me, and please pray that God will bless him with bountiful harvests to support him, his family, and his church.

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KK December 2015

KK December 2015

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4 Wheels, 8 Feet x 3 Days

This week we have spent hours/days in a van going to and from Vietnam to get our yearly visas. While we waited for the work to be completed on our last jaunt this is a photo Daniel took of himself, realizing later that we were in the background doing the same thing. LOL !

Our newsletter will be out in a few days sharing more of that adventure (and learning curve). (See article 4 wheels, 8 feet x3 days there).

Please pray for our travels next week as the gospel and the Christmas story are shared and bibles are handed out at a military base in the northern province and then we move on to church villages to the north and east celebrating Christmas with them.

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Meeting Daniel

Hi there! We want you to meet Daniel, our co-worker in Siem Reap. When we asked Daniel where he learned English, he replied that it was in Bible College in Singapore. He was a classmate of Pastor Vannarith’s and has been recruited to establish a Garuna Christian School campus in the Siem Reap area in 2016. He has a wonderful singing voice.

Daniel has also been our driver on a recent trip to Kampong Spueu. When suddenly there was laughter coming from the front seat, Pastor Vannarith gave us the following dialog about what Daniel had done.

Vannarith: Daniel, why did you run through the red light?
Daniel: Because I thought the police might be hungry and I wanted to buy them breakfast.

Later in the day, as we were headed back to Phnom Penh, we were stopped by the police just outside the town of Kampong Spueu. Daniel left the car and walked over to the desk on the side of the road where three police sat. Pastor informed us that Daniel was slightly over the speed limit in town and had to pay a fine. He calmly walked over to the canopied table with three policemen.

With a smile on his face, Daniel stated, “Well, they did not accept my invitation for breakfast, but wanted lunch instead”. Love that sense of humor!

Oh, the fine was R10000 or about $2.50.

Daniel will be moving up to Siem Reap at the end of the month and will begin his church planting duties. Please pray for him to perfect his driving because we do not want to drive in this country.

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November 2015 Khmer Khronicle

KK November 2015

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Please Meet One of Our First Ordained Pastors

During our first tenure in Cambodia, we were privileged to be able to attend the ordination of the three Lutheran pastors, all local guys, into the realm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cambodia.

One of these men is Pastor Sarath, a young man, married to a khmer gal, and they have one son with a daughter due to arrive in mid December. As is the case with this new generation of pastors, most of them have some English background, making our direct communication with them much easier, and it speeds up our relationship building with them as well. Having known Sarat from before is also a plus for us now.

Pastor Sarath’s role these past four years has been focused in Ratanakiri, ministering to a minority group called the Jarai people. This is where the church has asked him to serve.

This ethnic group numbers at about 140,000 as I could find in my search, with most of them located in the Vietnam area and into Ratanakiri in Cambodia. Their bible looks more like the Vietnamese dialect than the khmer. However, when we talked with Sarat, he said that he is able to communicate with these people in the four villages where he is present.

To give you a sight glimpse into the terrain of Ratanakiri, George has previously mentioned it as ‘the ends of the earth.’ It is indeed a very diverse terrain, very rugged, and very isolated. We have been there three previous occasions, and each time it took hours to get just to the closest village to visit these lovely folk. Roads are almost nonexistent now we were told by Sarath. His travel will take him away from home for 2-3 days at a time and he will sleep in whatever village he is working with. Additionally, he said that he is not willing to travel at night due to the problems with robbers on the road in the dark.

Sarath’s responsibility is to teach Lutheran doctrine to the people in the four villages he travels to. In the villages they have formed a five member church council leadership with about 15 or so as a total church body at this time. He said that the faith of the Jarai people is stronger as time has passed till now. We remember Pastor Douk who was the local ‘barefoot’ pastor who was there before Sarath. He was called home to a higher job while we were there in 2013, so his sons who are still in the area offer some assistance for Sarath to continue God’s work there.

The Jarai people were initially quite transient (and had been split up during the Khmer Rouge) after the war, so that they could use the land effectively for their needs of survival. Sarath related that now because of higher land prices they are not moving so often and so are concentrating on what will be a source of income for their needs. He mentioned rubber trees, cashew nuts, palm sugar, and tapioca. The biggest issue in all of this is that their main prospect source are their neighbors, the Vietnamese, who have been undercutting their efforts to broaden their market, and yet do not often offer them a reasonable price for their products.

The church is also beginning work on sewing projects, but he was not aware of what that would look like. We will add here though that these people are beautiful weavers and we are privileged to have some of their bags from our previous visits. As we would walk around the community we could see women sitting on a mat on the ground with a strapped loom at the waist doing theirwork.

To share the gospel message Sarath is using the New Testament for the most part at this time. He has related that the complete bible has been translated into their heart language, but at this point maybe only 1-2 exist per each village due to the cost and availability to the people. We talked a bit about how that could be improved before we departed our ways and after praying with and for him.

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A Huge Celebration in Kampong Chhnang

Shary, Shary wake up! It quarter to 5 and you promised Pastor’s wife that you would be ready by quarter to 6. Yes, I know it’s still dark out, but we cannot be late to Kampong Chhnang. Yes, I know it is the first province west of Phnom Penh, but it is going to take two to three hours to get there, and we can’t be late, the Governor of the Province is going to be there as well as all the members of the community.

And that is the way our morning started. Needless to say, we did get up and make it on time for what would be a very eventful and wonderful day. Of course, it was also not without it’s challenges. The first challenge would be getting out of Phnom Penh with the traffic on Northbridge Street going toward Russian Boulevard. I gave a sigh of relief as we crossed Russian Boulevard and the traffic eased up a little bit and sat back to watch the new construction, rice fields, and fish farms go whizzing by. That is until we got to the new road construction. The road suddenly turned to gravel with mounds in the center of the lanes that could easily show the road workers displeasure with some drivers. Talk about road rage, it looked like they were burying passenger cars if you got mad at them. The road was bumpy and filled with chuck holes. Pastor, who was our unexpected chauffeur this morning (thought he had left earlier in the morning) weaved back and forth between paved and unpaved lanes. Of course in Cambodia, the idea of lanes is only a suggestion and there were a number of times that we found ourselves headed at another motorbike or car coming the opposite direction.

Finally, the road smoothed out, but Pastor continued to demonstrate his driving skills! We continued until Pastor asked me if I realized we were only about 15 miles from Kampong Chhnang City. “Do you mean miles or kilometers,” I asked? “Miles!,” he said. “Time to stop for breakfast.” And we pulled into an open restaurant just east of Kampong Chhnang City, next to the New Life Church.

Breakfast is interesting when you can’t read the menu, but Shary and I both had our favorite iced coffee with (sweetened and condensed) milk and bowls of pork noodle soup. Two pastors who had joined us had a fried chicken leg on a bed of steamed white rice. One of them went to get some deep fried bananas which he shared and at Pastor’s call, we were back in the car and on our way again.

By now, the roadway was quite reasonable and smooth as we passed through Kampong Chhnang City and headed toward Battambang. A couple of miles out of town there was a gate over a narrow dirt road that had a bright red banner. We picked our way down it looking at the coconut palms, the papaya, and banana trees. “over on the left is Pastor Hai’s farm,” said Pastor Vannarith as he turned right down another dirt road into the rice paddies, only to turn left on a dirt path that led to a building we quickly recognized as a brand new school. Next to the school was a bright pink tent that covered a table with cases and cases of bottled drinking water.

As we turned into the schoolyard, a pile of speakers started playing Khmer music very loudly. We were here for a celebration! As we drove into the yard further, I could see the provincial police and the snack sellers. There were a number of people there, but most were yet to come. Those that were there were bustling around, preparing a stage, and checking microphones and a lot of details. Work continued and the number of people started growing larger.

Finally it was time for the ribbon cutting. The reason were were there was to open a Garuna Christian School for the local children. Classes of school children were ushered inside and into seats. Their parents were also ushered to seats. Outside the door, three very pretty young ladies in traditional Khmer royal attire stretched a ribbon across the stairway for a ribbon cutting ceremony. As the ceremony was about to commence, a troupe of children dancers in masks came up the road, dancing their way into the compound and over to the tent. One especially had the mask of an old man and he was especially adept at making you believe he was a very small old man.Finally it was time for the ribbon cutting. The reason were were there was to open a Garuna Christian School for the local children. Classes of school children were ushered inside and into seats. Their parents were also ushered to seats. Outside the door, three very pretty young ladies in traditional Khmer royal attire stretched a ribbon across the stairway for a ribbon cutting ceremony. As the ceremony was about to commence, a troupe of children dancers in masks came up the road, dancing their way into the compound and over to the tent. One especially had the mask of an old man and he was especially adept at making you believe he was a very small old man.

The ribbon was cut and the stage filled with guests and provincial politicians including the governor. There were a number of speeches and award ribbons for major contributors. I was fortunate enough to be ushered to a front seat where I could take pictures quite easily and meet the officials when the ceremony ended. Everyone in the audience was given a 10000 riel note with which to buy lunch, but most just had bread and water. Some of us ate back in town to have a larger lunch with the officials (at their request). They were very hospitable and made sure we were well taken care of in the food category.

After lunch, the officials excused themselves to return to their offices or to Phnom Penh, but we went back to the school and Pastor Hai’s farm and church. This was the real celebration! At Pastor Hai’s church, next to his house and in the middle of his farm, were a group of children who had been instructed by Pastor Hai. Supposedly 15 of them were going to be baptized, but when Pastor asked if they wanted to be baptized, 24 came to the baptismal font, a plastic dish filled with water and three blossoms of a flower called fragrencia. These were young men and women who wanted to know Jesus Christ as their savior. For many of them, they were probably the first Christians in their family to be baptized.

After the baptism, we returned to the new school, where we prayed. There were thanks for the new school, thanks for the support of the local people and the government, but especially thanks for the young people who were baptized.

The return trip to Phnom Penh was just and long, and just as rough. But it didn’t matter! We had a chance to celebrate the baptism of 24 new Christians. We came home to where we live, tired but happy for eternal life, both for them and for ourselves. To our new brothers and sisters in Christ, we say, “Welcome to the family.”

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Meeting An Old Friend

Monday, we were working in the office and it was late in the afternoon. There were not many people around because we missed the notice that Monday was Cambodian Independence Day. They have a Fourth of July here, but what is more important is that Cambodia became a free country on November 9^th of 1953. Previously, they were a French protectorate from 1863 until 1949 when the transition to a constitutional monarchy began and was completed in 1953. So just like in the United States, when the government declares a holiday, most people do not work and enjoy the holiday instead. The same is true in Cambodia.

Either way, because we had landed in Cambodia only a week earlier and had not made plans to do anything on the holiday, we decided to make use of our office and write some e-mails to family, partners, and friends like you. Suddenly, the light went on in the next office. OK, there was nothing unusual in that, it happens on most work days when staff comes in. Moments later a face we recognized appeared in the window of the door between the offices.

“Mummy, Daddy!” was the cry of Pastor Stephen, a man we have known since January, 2012. Pastor Stephen was the first Khmer Pastor we met, and has been a good friend. He is a short man, very typical of some men in Cambodia and walks with a bit of a limp. We have never asked him why he limps and he has never volunteered or complained about his walk. From our previous stay, he was responsible for drilling water wells throughout the country and frequently would appear in the office just like this because it provided him a place to stay. Here he was again.

“Oh, Mummy, Daddy, I thought I would never see you again.” He was just about in tears as we asked him if he was well. It was a wonderful reunion to see Stephen and it put a smile on our faces. We pray that we will have a chance to tell you more about him and his church in the future.

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Opening the Door (As our youngest grandson said)

Today we worshipped together with the church body here in the office. It was quite a humbling experience from my point of view. It’s been very obvious to us that God wanted us to return to Cambodia. But my heart (Shary) has struggled many times over doing what He wanted of us. The pictures of our six grandchildren on our office wall with their parents speak loudly of those emotions. Just today I was looking at the photos from the airport and realized that our youngest grandson was trying so hard to be brave as his photo was taken, but his face showed his anguish of our departure. Enough said.

Yet, as we sat in this building where we had been for nearly two previous years, I began to understand God’s gentle nudging to us, or at least a glimpse at this point.

God is indeed in this house. His presence has embraced these folks who have chosen to follow Him. A total of 20 were in this service plus three children. One could imagine that the chorus of angels was also harmonizing the Khmer songs being sung above the torrential rains banging on the tin roofs outside the window. It was a Lutheran church service in source, but there is joy and life in this band of people worshipping together, some of whom were lifting their hands upward in praise to Him as they sang.

Our God is saying “Please pray for these people, my children, my servants. Stand with them, encourage them, and give them courage to share me with those who do not know me yet.”

In this little band of folk, 16 were men, four are studying to be pastors at this time, others are learning how they are to be strong Godly leaders. Pastor Vanarith’s message was simple, taken out of Matthew 12:38-44 and how we as Christians are sinners just like the people of Nineveh and Christ’s journey to earth saved us, just like Jonah’s journey to Nineveh, did for those people

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