Dear Friends
and Family,
Now, Sat Laaht
(Cambodian village in Khampong Thom Province) doesn’t have a
newspaper, but if it did, in the classified add section, under
rentals, it would read: “For
Rent: One slightly used Wat.
(That’s a Buddhist temple)
A little beat up, but free of worshipers.” Ly Heng,
our Chief of Staff, went to help prepare for the new church
dedication. He noticed that, contrary to custom, the Buddhist
Temple was not all decked out with flags and banners for
Cambodian New Year. He asked Prachan Vishna (District
Supervisor) “Why is it so quiet at the Wat?”
Vishna hung his head and said, “It’s
a sad story, almost all the monks have run away because they
don’t have anything to eat.”
It seems that more than 200 families in the
community, of just over 300 families, have formally come to
Christ, and most of the rest would be called, “earnest seekers”.
The one remaining Buddhist monk complained that he was no longer
receiving his morning food offerings, and “mothballed” the
temple. The local pastor told him, “If you get hungry come to
the church. We’ll feed you.” They dedicated their new building
last Sunday (see pictures) and are very grateful to the partners
who made it possible. ICM (International Cooperating Ministries)
has now partnered in constructing 62 Church/homes in Cambodia.
We have received additional construction help from World
Orphans, Horizons Church, and others. Thanks!
The Sat
Laaht
Church was birthed in the miraculous. Meah
Huan, pastor at
Toule Dam Na went to evangelize in 2002. I know a lot of
people doubt the reality of such events but, as is our usual
technique, he prayed for the sick. A woman who had been bleeding
for ten years was healed, and a man eaten up with leprosy for
four years, was instantly healed along with others. That’s all
it took. They started meeting in homes and the pastor from
Toule Dam Na got one of the local
farmers (good people, those farmers!) involved in our training.
He now pastors the church, but refuses to take food down to
offer at the Buddhist Temple. The town’s people immediately
started clamoring for a facility but, there is no road, just a
rough trail that will “jar your teeth on a good day”. Well, the
church is up, but we still had no road. Saturday, Pastor
Ouint Pitts and Stan
Frum, of Horizons Church visited Sat
Laaht,
they saw the predicament and offered to help. Prachan Vishna
figured that, with church members furnishing labor, a 5
kilometer road could be built for $2,500. As is often the case,
first comes the church then, comes the road.
The Foursquare
medical fleet keeps growing. In addition to our ambulance, the
snorkel breathing, go anywhere, machine, we are about to unleash
the ‘Mobile Dental Clinic’. Thanks to Terri Lane and the NW
Medical Mission, especially Dr. Canfield and technician Darrell,
the clinic is about ready. The last phase of installing
hydraulic stabilizers, the equipment needs to be level, is in
process. The unit will have a two drill chair with x-ray and
sterilization equipment, complete with water sterilization,
air-conditioning, waste water treatment and rebuilt truck
chassis. Dr Canfield has undertaken the “unofficial” direction
of supply coordination. Our staff dentist, Dr. Nita, has been
busy operating with portable equipment. She lost an eye as a
child under the Khmer Rouge. One of the phenomena that all
visiting dentists marvel at is the uncomplaining gratitude of
the orphans who receive treatment. Since they have only one
appointment, most children have all four quadrants of their
mouths numbed and then will receive six or more fillings, maybe
an extraction or two, and sometimes even a root canal, hop out
of the chair, bow and say “Thank you!” and mean it. We found out
why. (Now just a second while I get my fingers crossed) Ok,
here’s why: As Nita is preparing them they look deeply into her
left eye, as the right eye is covered with a light and
magnification apparatus, they all say that because they see such
love an compassion in that eye, they become completely relaxed
and have no fear. After they thank her and explain why they were
so brave she simply says, “Oh, that’s my glass eye!” Spoken as
a true dentist! Just Kidding!!!! Really!! Hey, don’t get mad! We
love you guys!
Lest you
forget.
I don’t know if they are making a big deal of this in the
States, but in Cambodia the media has been promoting a big
commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
I ran into a set of statistics on genocides of the last century.
I will attach it. The figures are calculated in terms of
percentages of people killed in a county. (Interestingly they
misspelled the word as ‘democide’
actually, I think it is a better
word, as this action can only be inspired by the darkest of
demons) I was surprised to see that Cambodia tops the list by
more than 2 times any other location. Not much of a claim to
fame, but very sobering when it comes to realizing the
tremendous burden the rest of the world has, especially the US,
in seeing this country back on its feet. Thanks for helping.
Soap box time!
Allow me a moment to blast all well meaning NGO’s, mission’s
organizations, etc. who feel it is God’s directive for them to
minister material aid without mentioning the gospel. To me,
material aid without the gospel is worse than nothing! I ran
into this quote from John Wesley and he’s smarter than I, so
I’ll let him say it: “Wherever
riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in
the same proportion. Therefore I do not see how it is possible
in the nature of things for any revival of religion to continue
long. For religion must necessarily produce
both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce
riches. But as riches increase, so
will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches.
... John Wesley (1703-1791). The Good Thing, about the Bad
Thing, in Cambodia, is that Cambodia is ripe for the Gospel. In
Phnom Penh, where economic aid is seeping in, we already see
hearts hardening toward what really counts. Once again, Jesus is
right. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole
world, and looses his own soul?” ….Matt. 16:26. Flip it over
and it is still wrong! Those guys who believe that all a
missionary should do is preach are
just as wacked!
As is testified by Jesus in Matt. 25:31-46, ‘The sheep and the
goats’. It takes both!!! Duh???
Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t ask me, “Why are you
guys so successful?” And, they usually come from either a
“preach only” mission’s organization, where the ‘white guy’ does
all the preaching, or a “Pass out the goodies but don’t mention
Jesus” NGO. (That’s Non-Government-Organization). Or they do
both but don’t tie it together through the church. There is only
one ‘devil proof’ organization on earth and it isn’t the UN!
Sermon over!
Better
than the “Energizer Bunny” the church just keeps chugging along.
Last year we put our first Church in
Rattanakiri
Province, now we number over 13, and they don’t count small
groups. The funny thing is that they cover 6 ethnic groups. Over
on the West side of the country, new churches seem to start
every week. We keep trying to dedicate new facilities, but it is
difficult without a government. A week ago last Sunday we tried
to dedicate our new church/home in Khampong
Some, but it was in an area controlled by an opposition party
group, and they decided not to allow us a service, so with 300
people invited, we turned them away and dedicated it with the
staff and district leaders. Yesterday, since the whole town is
Christian, Sat Laaht was dedicated,
with great celebration. I didn’t go to either dedication as it
draws too much attention. We go to great pains to stay
“Cambodian” and keep the church from being seen as foreign. One
of our staff came in excited because they saw a wire service
press report that named another missions organization as
building the “first church” in a province, while we have had an
active church/home in that province for three years and now
number 14 churches plus numerous small groups. “That’s fine!” I
said, “Let them have all the attention. I’d just as soon that no
one knew we were there except for the people we want to reach!”
Publicity is usually trouble!
We had a rough
month health wise. One of our orphans, Ratha, died of what we
think was leukemia, no hospital, no autopsy. Then one of our
pastors died of AIDS, contracted before he came to know the
Lord, and finally a young mom who’d come to Jesus went to be
with him via AIDS (her husband died last year) and left us three
more orphans. It’s hot and dry (dusty) here, driest in ten years
according to the papers. That makes it uncomfortable, but great
for digging fish ponds, which we have been doing with great
fervor, 4 completed (where we hit water they make great
baptisteries), building roads, two done, filling low areas, 5
completed, and installing septic systems, 4 finished, all in
March. Construction continues on church buildings, although it
is more like fighting pirates than dealing in construction. Now,
with no government and no salary, the police have discovered
that contractors with big crews, waiting for steel supplies to
arrive, are willing to pay big for the product. They intercept
the shipments at the border, and basically take them over, the
result being that steel has gone from $250 per ton to $600+. The
problem being that once we get a government, the bad habits
learned will be hardly broken. As usual, plenty to rejoice
about, and plenty to pray about, please, keep doing both!
Have a great
month!
Blessings!
Ted, Sou and
Hannah,
Cambodia
