May Update 2020

Dear Supporting Friend and Family,

In our previous update, we shared about an overwhelming need as church families in rural areas were desperately crying out for help as the result of Covid crisis. Some of YOU took immediate actions with your generous financial donations to support our Work Special fund. With this fund available, we bought three tons of rice, dried and canned food goods, medical supplies, and other basic needed items to distribute to many needy families. Working closely with some key church leaders, all distributions were done in a low-key setting in villages where each unit of recipients was personally contacted ahead of time by the designated leaders of the areas. The recipients were asked to come at a designated time and location to receive their donated portions, one unit at a time. On behalf of the church families in Anlong Veng areas, thank you!

Rice distribution at Ksach Ampel village

Home “Surprise” Visits

Because of Covid restrictions, large group gatherings were reinforced by local authorities, especially for those who live in big city areas. But for many people who live in rural regions, life is being carried on as “normal." People are encouraged to wear facial masks and to practice social distancing when they go to wet markets or participate in public gatherings.

In relation to church ministries, for the past few weeks, we’ve been doing “surprise” visits 2-3 times each week to check up on church families always bringing along bags of rice and food/medical supplies on each visit. We surprised them because if aware about our coming ahead of time, the church families might be tempted to gather in large groups just for a chance to see us. Lately, during those unannounced visits, we were amazed at the way God ordained his perfect plans in allowing for us to be in the right place at just the right time.

Last week, upon arriving into Srae Kandal village, we noticed three couples/families sat together under a mango tree, heads bowed and teary eyes in prayers. After a brief time of greetings, we learned that all three families had run out of rice. Desperate for answers, the families comforted each other in a time of prayers asking God for help. And God sent us. Our timing of the unannounced visit bearing loads of food supplies turned their worries into a time of celebration with joyful tears...

Rice distribution at Srae Kandal village

Soeuth giving cookies to village kids during a home visit

Kids entertaining themselves during Covid restrictions

A little girl trying to cool herself during a heat wave

At another surprise visit to Ksach Ampel village in April, our timely visit allowed us opportunity to help a troubled young couple work out their disagreements. Because of on-going unresolved marital conflicts, the young wife had already decided to leave her husband. Just minutes before we arrived, the angry frustrated young wife and her small child were packed and ready to leave her husband giving up their seven years of marriage! But God was not finishing with them yet. He sent us there at just the right time to give them some sound advice. We ended up spending an afternoon with the couple counseling and praying for them. A week later when we called to check in on them, the young couple were still living together. This couple were heard laughing joyfully together. God saw their needs; He sent us...

Love in Actions…

Aware of the overwhelming needs among believers in other villages, church families from Toul Prich village generously donated rice, live chickens and ducks, dried salted fish, fish sauce, canned food, cooking ingredients, including homegrown fruits and vegetables with other basic but necessarily household items. A few people even gave money for us to buy supplies. The amazing part was how these donors were poor peasant farmers who gave out of their own poverty! They were poor and did not have much to offer, but they were rich in love. Knowing that someone else was in need, these farmers took immediate actions and responded generously and sacrificially. It was a privilege and a true joy for us to see believers sharing their possessions with other families in need, just like the early church people did in a story found in Acts 4:32-36!

From Restrictions to Opportunities...

Despite Covid restrictions in city places, church people in remote villages not only were out and about carrying on daily life as peasant farmers, but also becoming bold in sharing the Good News of Jesus to others. Before Covid restrictions, some Christian villagers took a day off from their busy and much needed farming works in order to study God’s words in a weekly discipleship class. Since Covid restrictions, however, each student continued taking a day off from classes and instead visited and evangelized to family and neighbors in small group settings. As a result, the report of those who came to Christ recently was overwhelming. As of mid-March, four more Alliance village-house churches were planted! At one village, after a sweet time of worshipping God and sharing, 32 people prayed to receive Jesus! Still at three other villages, 19, then 14, and then 9 people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Four Alliance village-house churches started during Covid restrictions

14 people prayed to receive Jesus after an evangelism outreach in Popel village

After Mr. Kong explained the salvation plan, 9 people invited Jesus into their lives

Now, all these new believers are pleading for someone to teach them God’s word! Because of lack of personnel, some potential key emerging leaders were being assigned and instructed to lead and teach small groups at these new villages. To help lessen their financial burden, we used our Work Special money to pay for motorbike fuel and some travel expenses for each visiting leader. Because of the increasing number of those who came to Christ recently, believers are praying for the Corona pandemic restriction to be lifted soon, so we could have another joined baptism…

Soeuth shared an evangelism message at Rohal village

Lost & Found…

Two weeks ago, upon accepting an invitation to do an evangelism outreach in a new village, we got lost along the dirt roads in the middle of tall, thick cashew, cassava, and rubber plantations. There were no road maps, no post signs, or a GPS to tell us where to go. We stopped a few times at houses located by isolated roadsides to ask for directions. After two hours of attempts, we decided to quit. But before turning around, we stopped at another house only to discover that this was a believing family that we knew of from Ksach Ampel! Due to economic reasons, a young believing couple with two small children recently uprooted their family from Ksach Ampel hoping to find jobs as labor workers in the cashew plantations. For the past for 4 months, they were the only Christians and were desperately hoping to meet other believers in this new place. So, while we were lost in middle of nowhere, God had other plans in mind. He amazingly directed us out of the path so we could find this seeking family. As for the village that we were originally hoping to visit, we finally found it a week later where got to share with many people and afterward, 9 people prayed to receive Jesus (same 9 people as mentioned above)!

Dates and events needing your prayers…

1. While we are grateful to have our son, Jonathan, home with us during this Covid pandemic, he longs to return to Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia, so he can finish his junior semester by early June. But Malaysia still has its borders closed. The original plan was that Jon would fly out from Penang to Minneapolis to spend a summer with his brother in St. Paul, MN. This plan now depends on Malaysia’s Movement Control Order will be lifted, hopefully soon.
2. Pray for daily wisdom and discernment as we constantly respond to requests for help from every village. Rural villagers are struggling to find works and to feed their hungry families. Unless God steps up and does something soon, we are not sure how long we can keep up with the overwhelming needs all around.
3. Please join the desperate farmers in prayers for rains. Crops and plants are drying out and livestock animals are sick dying from lack of adequate water supplies.
4. Next week, it will be a fourth attempt for the well people to drill/build a deep well at Popel village. The people in this village are desperately crying to God for clean drinking water. In past failed attempts, the well people kept on hitting hard rocks underneath.

Believers in Popel village prayed for rains

5. It feels like the hot season is unusually hotter and is lasting longer this year than ever before, with average temperature in the mid 90’s to low 100’s. In addition to the extreme heatwaves, we also experienced frequent and daily electrical power shortage! It was a constant challenge for our Jonathan and other local Cambodian students trying to do online schooling.

Thank you so much for your partnership with us in the Anlong Veng church ministries. We appreciate your on-going prayers and financial support to the Alliance Mission which enables us to keep on serving in this part of the world sharing the message of Hope in Jesus Christ to the Cambodian people.  Please share with us what God is doing in your midst.

Blessings,
Soeuth & Syna