Wednesday, July 8, 2020

July Update 2020

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

For those of you from America, Happy belated Independence Day! In Cambodia, we are at the beginning of a monsoon season. It rained hard every day, mostly in the late afternoons, causing landslides, erosions, and damaged roads making traveling difficult as we tried to do weekly village ministries.

We were confronted by damaged roads on our way to Rohaal village
Rains, Roads, and Floods...  

Earlier this week in an attempted to a weekly discipleship class at Rohaal village and after an hour of twists, turns, and bumpy pot-holed paths, we had to turn around due to severely washed up and damaged roads. And since we were stuck in a remote location with no cell phone connections available, by the time we got back home to Anlong Veng to let the expecting host family know, the villagers had been anxiously worried and waiting for us two hours with everyone wondering why we did not show at the expected time. Through a phone call, we learned that the villagers had been expecting us and had gone into much trouble to prepare a three-course meal ready for everyone to eat at lunch time. About 20 people were waiting for us including 2 new God-seeking ladies! These ladies were interested and hoping to hear what we had to share about Jesus. Our hope and prayer is that these two (and more) will remain interested when we go see them again next week this time by motorbikes. Please pray for spiritual protection upon these new believers as they continue to worship God on their own in a faraway location.

After two days of rains, floods water nearly reached floor of the Anlong Veng bridge.
Abundant Spiritual Harvests…

In our last update, we shared about four new village churches planted during Covid restrictions. At this writing, God added three more villages to the list! For the past few weeks, we had the joy of seeing so many people coming to Christ! On an average, about 3-5 people prayed to receive Christ every week! From all 17 Alliance village churches in the entire Anlong Veng Ministries, at least 50 plus people prayed to receive Jesus in the past 10 days! Every week during evening worship or during classes as believers saw God at work (people with demon possessed set free, people with chronic illnesses became healed, and a young man severely lame from birth got healed right in front of a large crowd), Christians and not-yet Christians were talking among each other about these miracles and wonders. As a result, at our discipleship and leadership classes, more and more people joined in the existing classes every week because, “We cannot wait any longer for you to start a new class! We want to study God’s word now." These were commonly expressed by new believers. Between the two of us in addition to Pastor Dy from Srae Nouy and his oldest son, Po, we have 11 discipleship and leadership classes going on every week. During evening times, every potential emerging church leader split into small groups with two or three “leaders” per group leading/teaching smaller groups in Bible studies and prayer meetings at every village church. Currently these potential emerging leaders are diligently studying with us 1-2 classes per week while they themselves are learning and practicing their spiritual gifts to lead and teach others during the evening small group services.

Believers were anxious to attend a weekly discipleship class
An 81 years old elderly lady prayed to receive Jesus in Sanchey village
Disciples Making Disciples…

During the early stages of Covid restrictions where large group gatherings were banned by local authorities villages classes cancelled. Still we encouraged our students to review and practice the lessons they learned and then to share the information with any interested believers in the areas.  Shortly upon resuming classes in early June, Syna gave a mid-term exam to 9 students in her Abundant Life class at Srae Nouy. Everyone not only passed the exam, but also did exceptionally well. Lang from Srae Nouy (please see Lang’s detailed story found in Feb 2020 update “From Slavery to Freedom”) received 100% mark! A week late, Lang surprisingly asked for copies of a new test exam. Syna gently explained that in order maintain the quality of the course, no student was allowed to keep any copy of the test sheets at home. Lang responded, “Oh, these tests are for my students. You told me that I could teach other people about God using the lessons I learned. During Covid, I taught people in my village about God. And now they are ready for the test.” When asked how many people he was teaching, Lang answered, “Oh, only about 30 people. But, some of them cannot read or write yet, but they were willing to sit in and participate in class discussions while I taught. So, can I have the test sheets?” Surprised and amazed about the wonderful news but trying hard not to reveal her inner excitement, Syna reluctantly gave the test copies to Lang in addition to a copy of a teacher guide booklet while encouraging him to strictly follow every instruction found in the teacher guide manual in order to protect and to preserve the quality of the course.

Seeing the opportune moment, Vanna from Popel village (See Vanna’s story in “The Well of the Living Water” in June 2020 update) found courage to ask for the same privilege. Like Lang, Vanna also led a group of 12 students in his village using the same Abundant Life materials to teach others in his village about Jesus. Then, Martha from Trapang Krasang village, one of the 28 students in Christian Family course, has been faithfully sharing every lesson she learned to all her brothers and sisters at home. Similar stories also happened to Noun, Kane, Savy, Pheap, and to Seng-- all of whom are from Toul Prich village. These people have been memorizing Biblical stories they learned from Firm Foundation class and then shared the stories with all their relatives and friends in the community and are winning souls into the kingdom of God.

Christian Family class at Andong Chan village
It has been an on-going prayer request for us, and we asked YOU to join us in prayers, that God would send us workers and that He would raise up emerging leaders from within to help us teaching new believers among the Anlong Veng growing church ministries. Because you prayed, God raised up godly leaders like Pastor Dy, Kong, Poss, Po, and few others to help teaching and guiding new believers in the truth of God’s word. Thank you for your prayers.  Please do not stop praying for more workers.  The spiritual fields are ripe for the harvest.

Toul Prich Youth Ministry…

Because schools remain closed due to Covid, local kids are feeling restless at home with nothing much to do. Since early June as the country is slowly reopening, especially in the countryside areas, Aide Rose (see Aide’s story found in “A New Teammate”, Dec. 2019) gradually resumed her kid ministries in Toul Prich and Toul Krous villages.

Aide in (black top) washing dishes with Toul Prich youth after a youth party
Instead of meeting in large groups, Aide went to meet and to teach small groups of kids at homes, visited 2-3 homes each day, spent an hour at each place from Monday to Friday, teaching them English (sometimes Math) and Bible studies. Some of these kids (ages 9-16) have not yet professed their faith in Jesus, but they were always eager to study with “Teacher I-D”. As Aide started and ended her classes with prayers, kids often shared their prayers requests. We encouraged and invited the kids to join in the Sunday services. Many of them came. Lately, Soeuth encouraged the kids to memorize Bible verses and to recite them during a church service. Seeing the kids excitedly recite Bible verses, the adults joined in with the challenges. Now, during church service at Toul Prich, we set a time for Bible verses recitation. To encourage on-going fellowship with youth ministry, for the past two months, we hosted youth events for all age groups with food and refreshment and games and fellowship. Please pray for these kids to have a personal relationship with the one true God.

Sunday worship service with adults and youth at Toul Prich house church
Aide teaching English to Toul Prich kids
Oppositions

As God is at work among believers, the enemy has been busy cunningly stirring conflicts, raising suspicions, and causing division among believers. Apparently, prosperity gospel and cultic groups had been slyly sneaking their ways to visit many of the Alliance village churches in remote places alluring unsuspecting young believers to join their groups. As rural believers are battling against on-gong poverty and desperate needs for water, these conniving prosperity gospel people deceitfully offered to build a well, dig a pond or build a house in the believers’ property, IF they (the believers) joined their groups. A few families who had left the Alliance church groups and joined these other groups, after months of unfulfilled promises, they left the cults but were too ashamed to come back to join the church fellowship. And sadly, instead of keeping up the faith, they not only abandoned their belief in Christ, but also willingly returned to their old belief of false gods. Pastor Dy from Srae Nouy, Mr. Kong from Andong Chan villages, and a few other emerging leaders, had been busy visiting believers in remote villages warning them of these false groups. A few weeks ago, Dy and some leaders had an opportunity to personally confront one of the false leaders. Please pray for spiritual protections for the church families. Pray for daily wisdom and discernment for leaders as they shepherd God’s flocks.

The enemy has also been cleverly and connivingly attacking families of key church leaders. Although no moral or adulterous sins took place that we knew of, members of key church leaders’ families have been unusually in conflicts with one another at an alarming rate. For the past few weeks, we have been called to counsel troubled couples going from one home to another. PLEASE join in prayers against spiritual warfare as we and the church families in Anlong Veng ministries are facing.  Pray for physical and emotional strength, for wisdom and discernment to help troubled families.

Anlong Veng Ministry Center and More…

As previously shared in the May update, God had graciously allowed us to purchase a piece of property at a very good price. Using the remaining money, with our Field Leader’s approval, we purchased two more plots of land having all three pieces land connected to each other and they located in a close proximate to two nearby public schools.  One piece of properties came with an already built stilted Khmer’s style house with an outdoor toilet. With some additional fixing and adding indoor plumbing, we hope to get the house ready for Heng and Moum and their two girls to move in by mid-September this year. For those of you who have been sacrificially and generously financially supporting the Anlong Veng Ministry Center (phase 1) project, we are proud to announce that this project is now fully funded! This makes Anlong Veng Ministry Center phase 1’s objective (to secure a piece of property) completed.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the abundant waters during a rainy season, using money from Work Fund, Syna had been employing and overseeing some local high school aged youth to plant trees and flower plants on to the property. We hope to use money from Work Fund money to help build simple fences around the property using cement posts and barbed wire in order to keep off neighbors’ domestic animals from gracing the nearby fields thus upsetting the newly planted trees. Please let us know if you are interested in financially supporting this project.

Also, during Covid restrictions, with money that some of you had generously donated toward our Work Special (also known as Work Fund), with the help from a few trustworthy key church leaders, we did a third round of food/rice distributions to needy families, built two deep wells (in Popel and Skaach Ampel villages), dug two ponds (in Andong Chan and in Srae Kandal villages), built three simple buildings for worship centers (Srae Nouy, Popel, and in Ksaach Ampel villages).

Because you trusted us with your financial support toward Alliance Mission and toward our Work Fund, we are working closely with a few trustworthy key church leaders helping them to be good stewardship with God’s money. More than words can describe, we are grateful for your on-going financial support.

Praises and dates & events needing your prayers…


1. July 1-3: Though we missed being with our fellow teammates during our traditional annual gathering, it was good to see smiling faces of our teammates through a Zoom field forum.

2. June 20: Even with Covid restrictions, a church family in Trampang Krasang village was able to obtain permission from local authorities for the first Christian wedding ever performed in the village. Next Christian wedding is to be officiated by Soeuth and is scheduled for July 18.

Martha and Vong  took the Christian wedding in their village

3. July 21: If all goes well with his student visa and other government required traveling documents from both Cambodia and Malaysia, Jonathan is hoping to fly to Kuala Lumpur on July 21, to complete a 14-day government required quarantine (in a dorm), and then be ready for school to start on August 5. Pray that God would make this possible.

4. Pray for spiritual protection on believers who are undergoing spiritual attack as mentioned above.  Pray for the spirit of forgiveness and for unity to be at work among church families

5. Regional church leaders and as well as members from National youth committees have been meeting monthly via Zoom meetings. We hope to have in-person meeting in early August.

6. Please share with us what God is doing in your areas. Thank you for your partnership with the Anlong Veng church ministries.
In midst of busyness, we took a few days if rest visiting the beach, a 14 hour drive away...

Enjoying beautiful sunset at the beach


Blessings,
Soeuth & Syna

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