Arrived in Ratanakiri
Bounouey & Chantan Kes picked us up from the hotel in Phnom Penh and took us on an all-day drive to their home in Ratanakiri province. This was an amazing trip. We were pretty-much spellbound listening to the stories of their lives and of their ministry among the Jarai, which is one of the tribal groups in NE Cambodia. And the last 130 km of the trip were on a dirt road which was sometimes really good and sometimes made us wonder whether it would shake the truck apart. At the end of the journey was an amazing house that Bounouey designed and which they moved into in July. We're up in the mountains again, in a beautiful area. So far we're just in "record mode", trying to take all of this in. Many adventures await us over the next three days.
Back in Phnom Penh
On Monday we took a taxi from Siem Reap back to Phnom Penh. We're here for a few days before heading out to Ratanakiri (NE Cambodia) on Friday to be with the Kes family. While we're here, we've been able to meet with various CAMA workers based in Phnom Penh and get to know them and their ministry.
On Tuesday we met with Joe and Kay Kong. Their primary mission is to plant a church among the government and business class people in Phnom Penh. Before the Khmer Rouge took over, Joe was in a high government position, and he "happened" to be stationed outside of the country when the country fell to the Khmer Rouge, so he was spared what would have been certain death considering his position in the government. He has served the C&MA in various assignments to ethnic communities in the USA and is an ideal person for this ministry. He also works with national and local church leaders, and emerging youth leaders to help train them for the next level of ministry. Kay works with women in Bible studies and mentoring relationships.
We also met with Bin David, who is the pastor of the New Jerusalem church. This is the church for which CCC helped to purchase the land recently. Everyone is really pleased with this new church. It looks great, and is in a strategic location in a newly developing area of Phnom Penh. It is near the university and hospital, so it should be able to minister to students and professional people. Next week, leaders from the church are going to be doing a prayer walk around the areas near the church, as they anticipate reaching out into those areas with the Gospel.
Today Judy Johns took us to 3 of the New Hope schools so we could get an idea of what they were like. The first one was the most striking, as it is actually on a boat along the Mekong River. Again, it's a ministry to the Vietnamese, who can't own land. New Hope educates kids up through grade 5, in both Khmer and Vietnamese. Most of the Vietnamese are illiterate in their own language as well, so they are taught in both. In order to enter grade 6 in the public schools, the students need to be proficient and educated in Khmer and have birth certificates. Students finishing grade 5 are given Khmer names and birth certificates so they can go on.
A continual struggle here is with families who sell their daughters. It's a pretty commonly accepted way of life, in order to help make ends meet. Finding creative alternatives is an ongoing challenge and ministry opportunity.
We had lunch with Dave and Mi Rebok. Dave comes from Illinois, but Mi is a native Cambodian who survived the Khmer Rouge. It was very interesting talking with them. Dave is an administrative assistant in the CAMA office and Mi works with women's ministries.
Dave took us to see the Tum Nup Tek church, which is another new church building that CCC help financially. This church is amazingly beautiful. We happened to meet the pastor while we were there, and he expressed his gratitude to CCC for helping to pay for the building.
This leads me to a final point here. Everywhere we've been, every missionary and church leader we've talked with has expressed deep gratitude to CCC for coming alongside the CAMA in Cambodia. Back at CCC, we know we're sending money and supporting missionaries, and praying for specific needs of missionaries and ministries. But it's altogether a different thing to hear from them how grateful they are for CCC. When we started down this path a few years ago, it was sort of a step of faith because we didn't really know what we were getting into or what it might develop into. Now we can start to see some of the fruit of this, and rejoice over what God is doing through it.
On Tuesday we met with Joe and Kay Kong. Their primary mission is to plant a church among the government and business class people in Phnom Penh. Before the Khmer Rouge took over, Joe was in a high government position, and he "happened" to be stationed outside of the country when the country fell to the Khmer Rouge, so he was spared what would have been certain death considering his position in the government. He has served the C&MA in various assignments to ethnic communities in the USA and is an ideal person for this ministry. He also works with national and local church leaders, and emerging youth leaders to help train them for the next level of ministry. Kay works with women in Bible studies and mentoring relationships.
We also met with Bin David, who is the pastor of the New Jerusalem church. This is the church for which CCC helped to purchase the land recently. Everyone is really pleased with this new church. It looks great, and is in a strategic location in a newly developing area of Phnom Penh. It is near the university and hospital, so it should be able to minister to students and professional people. Next week, leaders from the church are going to be doing a prayer walk around the areas near the church, as they anticipate reaching out into those areas with the Gospel.
Today Judy Johns took us to 3 of the New Hope schools so we could get an idea of what they were like. The first one was the most striking, as it is actually on a boat along the Mekong River. Again, it's a ministry to the Vietnamese, who can't own land. New Hope educates kids up through grade 5, in both Khmer and Vietnamese. Most of the Vietnamese are illiterate in their own language as well, so they are taught in both. In order to enter grade 6 in the public schools, the students need to be proficient and educated in Khmer and have birth certificates. Students finishing grade 5 are given Khmer names and birth certificates so they can go on.
A continual struggle here is with families who sell their daughters. It's a pretty commonly accepted way of life, in order to help make ends meet. Finding creative alternatives is an ongoing challenge and ministry opportunity.
We had lunch with Dave and Mi Rebok. Dave comes from Illinois, but Mi is a native Cambodian who survived the Khmer Rouge. It was very interesting talking with them. Dave is an administrative assistant in the CAMA office and Mi works with women's ministries.
Dave took us to see the Tum Nup Tek church, which is another new church building that CCC help financially. This church is amazingly beautiful. We happened to meet the pastor while we were there, and he expressed his gratitude to CCC for helping to pay for the building.
This leads me to a final point here. Everywhere we've been, every missionary and church leader we've talked with has expressed deep gratitude to CCC for coming alongside the CAMA in Cambodia. Back at CCC, we know we're sending money and supporting missionaries, and praying for specific needs of missionaries and ministries. But it's altogether a different thing to hear from them how grateful they are for CCC. When we started down this path a few years ago, it was sort of a step of faith because we didn't really know what we were getting into or what it might develop into. Now we can start to see some of the fruit of this, and rejoice over what God is doing through it.
Floating church
Sorry to be so long since the last post. This one was started on Sunday Aug 8. Finally having a chance to finish it.
We made contact with missionary Kim Bui yesterday and made arrangements to go to church with her this morning. This was a Vietnamese congregation in a village that lives on lake Tonle Sap. In the States, when we say someone lives on the lake, that means one thing, but here it really means they live on the lake. Vietnamese aren't allowed to own land in Cambodia, so they live in boats on the water. Most Vietnamese end up fishing to make a living.
So we drove to the village. Lake Tonle Sap expands in the wet season to 4 times it's dry season size. It's early in the wet season (and actually this wet season isn't very wet), so much of the expansion hasn't happened yet. We were aware that the area we were driving through would be under water later in the year. All of the houses that are built on the land in villages along the way, are built way up in the air on stilts. Everything around them, including the road we drove on will be under water later on. When that happens, they live in the middle of the lake, and all transportation is by boat. We kept driving past that amazing sight to a point where we got into a boat, and headed out further into the lake. We came to a village where all of the buildings are boats. People live on the boats, go to school on the boats, go to church on the boats, etc. Boats are continually coming and going. If you've got stuff to sell, you sell it from your boat, going "door to door" among the village. Kind of like Schwann's, I suppose.
The church was in a boat. It's the same boat where the kids go to school during the week. Most of the Vietnamese here are illiterate, so getting the kids to school is huge. Much of the ministry Kim Bui is associated with here, is the school. But then on Sundays, she preaches. The church ministry here is only about 1 year old, and is going well. There were more than 60 kids in the church for Sunday School when we arrived. Some of the young people run boats up and down through the village to bring kids to SS and deliver them home afterwards. Then they have the church service, which includes adults, youth, and some kids. Again, more trips on the "church boat" to bring people who need rides. (If the whole family doesn't go to church, those who want to go need a ride if the family has only one boat).
For a few moments, you forget that you're on a boat. Then a boat goes by and the waves toss the church around a bit. So church was really rock'n' this morning. And the boats going by are noisy. It is amazing that no one stops teaching or preaching when that happens, since I can't imagine anyone can hear anything. But they just keep going. No doubt everyone is used to it, and maybe to them it is like "white noise". But we couldn't hear anything except the boats. Couldn't help thinking something like "We're about to enter a focused time of teaching. This would be a great time to power down your cell phones and your boats".
This was an amazing experience. The people live so differently than us. Words can't do it justice. Yet as amazing as that is, it's even more amazing how the church is taking root there. It is a long drive from Siem Reap. People ask Kim why she ministers here instead of someplace closer. The answer was simple -- this village had never heard the gospel. Now, a year later, there's a church and a school established. Most (thought not all) of the people in the church service are (new) Christians. Young people are stepping up to be leaders. There's seemingly no end to the opportunities ahead for evangelism and discipleship among this village. And Kim talks of being able to start ministering in the next village. God has given her a heart for the Vietnamese here. It was our privilege to be here with her and understand the ministry better.
We made contact with missionary Kim Bui yesterday and made arrangements to go to church with her this morning. This was a Vietnamese congregation in a village that lives on lake Tonle Sap. In the States, when we say someone lives on the lake, that means one thing, but here it really means they live on the lake. Vietnamese aren't allowed to own land in Cambodia, so they live in boats on the water. Most Vietnamese end up fishing to make a living.
So we drove to the village. Lake Tonle Sap expands in the wet season to 4 times it's dry season size. It's early in the wet season (and actually this wet season isn't very wet), so much of the expansion hasn't happened yet. We were aware that the area we were driving through would be under water later in the year. All of the houses that are built on the land in villages along the way, are built way up in the air on stilts. Everything around them, including the road we drove on will be under water later on. When that happens, they live in the middle of the lake, and all transportation is by boat. We kept driving past that amazing sight to a point where we got into a boat, and headed out further into the lake. We came to a village where all of the buildings are boats. People live on the boats, go to school on the boats, go to church on the boats, etc. Boats are continually coming and going. If you've got stuff to sell, you sell it from your boat, going "door to door" among the village. Kind of like Schwann's, I suppose.
The church was in a boat. It's the same boat where the kids go to school during the week. Most of the Vietnamese here are illiterate, so getting the kids to school is huge. Much of the ministry Kim Bui is associated with here, is the school. But then on Sundays, she preaches. The church ministry here is only about 1 year old, and is going well. There were more than 60 kids in the church for Sunday School when we arrived. Some of the young people run boats up and down through the village to bring kids to SS and deliver them home afterwards. Then they have the church service, which includes adults, youth, and some kids. Again, more trips on the "church boat" to bring people who need rides. (If the whole family doesn't go to church, those who want to go need a ride if the family has only one boat).
For a few moments, you forget that you're on a boat. Then a boat goes by and the waves toss the church around a bit. So church was really rock'n' this morning. And the boats going by are noisy. It is amazing that no one stops teaching or preaching when that happens, since I can't imagine anyone can hear anything. But they just keep going. No doubt everyone is used to it, and maybe to them it is like "white noise". But we couldn't hear anything except the boats. Couldn't help thinking something like "We're about to enter a focused time of teaching. This would be a great time to power down your cell phones and your boats".
This was an amazing experience. The people live so differently than us. Words can't do it justice. Yet as amazing as that is, it's even more amazing how the church is taking root there. It is a long drive from Siem Reap. People ask Kim why she ministers here instead of someplace closer. The answer was simple -- this village had never heard the gospel. Now, a year later, there's a church and a school established. Most (thought not all) of the people in the church service are (new) Christians. Young people are stepping up to be leaders. There's seemingly no end to the opportunities ahead for evangelism and discipleship among this village. And Kim talks of being able to start ministering in the next village. God has given her a heart for the Vietnamese here. It was our privilege to be here with her and understand the ministry better.
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