Community Uplift

Dear Friends, what follows is the update as promised on my return from Cambodia. If you want the short update, read the 2 bullets below and then scroll down and see the pictures! If you want to read the more detailed version, keep reading!
*We will be able to continue ministry in Cambodia but will need to be more careful in the future.
* For several years now, as I have been visiting rural military villages, I have been developing a heart to help these communities grow holistically. We have already been involved with providing medical care, clean drinking water sources, and sports training but feel like it is just the beginning. How can we teach about love from God’s word and not follow that up with, “here is a way that we can show you that love”?… the cup of cold water. We found an organization to work with who will help us develop an economically sustainable, healthy community in the northern camps in Cambodia!

(more details…)
As you will remember from the last email I sent, the Cambodian government has issued a warning to Christians across the country restricting their activities. I went this month to get a first hand feel for just what this will mean practically as we hope to continue ministering to our Cambodian military families.

Here is what I discovered from our Cambodian staff:
1. The warnings issued are not idle threats.
2. Several years ago a similar decree was issued to religious groups at large (this one is focused on Christians alone)
3. This recent decree seems to be a reaction to an organization who recently came from the U.S. and put on a large outreach event in the capitol city that was shut down by the police.
4. Our staff told us that in a nut shell (the details are lengthy) this organization did an extremely poor job at assessing the sensitive political and spiritual climate in Cambodia by throwing a lot money around and making a big noise.
5. While this event has not shut us down or out completely, we are now forced to be ever more careful and will be limited in what we can do with larger groups.

Community Uplift

What we are talking about here is a “hand up” not a “hand out”.

We are now in dialogue with two organizations that can provide different elements of what we are hoping for. The first is a Cambodian foundation that focuses on helping poor villages by training them how to build a sustainable, economically and relationally, healthy communities. I had a chance to visit one of these project locations (pictures seen below) and was excited about how much progress this village had made over just 5 years. They have taught these folks how to raise cattle, chickens, ducks, fish, and pigs. They are have taught them how to plant fruits and vegetables enough to put the outside vendors out of business. They also have a community counsel that handles conflicts and manages the community assets. (They have eradicated a, once terrible, spousal abuse problem)

The second organizations provides books for children so when they heard that we wanted to build a community center with a place for children to learn they all but guaranteed to provide books for a library.

I will be sharing more soon as things progress. For now I am hoping that you will join me in praying for this emerging partnership and ministry expansion. We have in mind that the first organization will provide the lion’s share of leadership over this and Sareth and I will be an active liaisons for Cadence.

PS. Many of you are hearing news about the protests against the government in Myanmar these days. Please take a moment and pray for our brothers there as well.