Heavy Flooding in Cambodia

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Joe and Viya Stoltenow (Serving in Cambodia):

September and October have been trying months here in Cambodia as we experienced particularly heavy monsoon season which has caused massive flooding all over the country. In Battambang the Stung Sanke River flooded and many villages were completely underwater. Fortunately most of the flooding is now gone but many of our students were affected by the flooding and had to leave their homes until the flooding receded. This also caused many families to lose their possessions and even a few to lose their jobs, crippling what little income they had.

We are incredibly grateful to our friends and supporters who helped our students and their families by sending with donations last month. With those funds we were able to provide extra food to the families who lost their jobs and/or possessions. The kids are very thankful to both their sponsors and to their Savior Jesus. We are happy to say that all the families are back in their homes and that the rainy season has come to an end.Our center continues to revert back to our more normal pre-Covid schedule despite our neighborhood being underwater (our building is fortunately raised up and only our yard was flooded). Our students love being back at school and are very happy to get to stay at our center longer into the afternoon.

Stoltenow Family Update

We’re coming to America! The US Embassy in Phnom Penh recently reopened its visa renewal services and we were able to get Viya’s visa renewed! So look out for Joe, Viya, and Ray coming on November 14th! This trip has multiple objectives for us such as attending Joe’s sister Anna’s wedding, meeting our new neice, and visiting as many of our sponsors and churches as possible.

Life has otherwise been more of the same for Viya, Ray, and I here in Battambang. Raymond continues to grow healthy and strong and has even begun making friends with the students at Ray of Hope.

Student Spotlight

Brerm Bprey (Khmer for “Happy Kid”)

Brem Bprey is nine years old and began his enrollment at Ray of Hope just over two years ago. He lives with his mother, father, and baby brother in a small house near in a slum just north of the public hospital here in Battambang.

At Ray of Hope, Brem is very popular thanks to his almost constant upbeat attitude and boyish charm. His favorite food is Khmer BBQ’d chicken, which is fortunate for him as it’s our go-to party food here at Ray of Hope. Brem is also enjoys painting, drawing, and watching super hero movies on Fridays. His favorite Bible story is Sampson. It has been an amazing experience to watch Brem grow and learn about his savior Jesus Christ.

Click here to read more details and the latest newsletter from the Stoltenow!