End of August Update 2020

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

So many AMAZING things happened recently related in the Anlong Veng church ministries that if we left them until next month, they would become old news or even forgotten. For the past few weeks, God has been stirring hearts of believers at an overwhelming rate! Every time we allowed for a “Share & Prayer” time during weekly classes, people jumped at the opportunity to share about what God was doing in their midst. Here are just a few of the highlights…

Tell Us More About Jesus…

Toward the end of July, feeling exhausted physically and emotionally, we made a quick decision to cancel all classes and went out of town for a few days to rest. Knowing that she needed rest as well, we invited along our teammate, Aide Rose fernandez, sent by Star Of Bethlehem organization.  We drove five hours each way to Pusat Province to visit a few interesting sites and had a grand time of rest and relaxation. As we were driving back home on August 3rd, Savy from Toul Prich village called, “You must come to my daughter’s house immediately! She and her husband are ready to receive Jesus tonight!” Weary from a long road trips but excited about the news, we accepted the invitation. Upon arrival at the house, Rottana, Savy’s oldest daughter, had already prepared a three-course meal for us! Having directed us on where to sit, Rottana excitedly exclaimed, “Let’s eat first before the food get cold. We can talk business later”." As we sat down to enjoy a meal, Rattana, with her husband (Kem)’s encouragement, explained their reasons for wanting Jesus in their lives. 

Soeuth leading Rattana and Kem to Jesus

“I have been observing the changes in my father’s life. Before believing in Jesus, a year ago, my father was known in the community as a drunken and quarrel troublesome man. He was not kind to my mother. But now, he is a changed man! And he has such tremendous inner peace and is gentle and so kind to my mother. We want to experience that peace and that love as well. Can you tell us more about Jesus? We want to know Him, too." After Soeuth explained the salvation plan, the couple willingly prayed to Jesus along with their two little girls. At their requests, we helped the young couple to remove three sack full of shrines and worship items while some of their neighbors watched the whole thing! 

Savy removing shrines and worship items at his daughter's house

Before leaving the house, Syna gave the couple New Testament Bibles with instructions on where to begin reading and how to pray. A few days later, Savy called with a report, “They are so in love with Jesus! And they are reading the Bible nonstop!” The couple not only received Jesus into their lives with joy, they are sharing the good news very boldly to many of their neighbors and relatives. Since their conversion, they attended the Toul Prich Firm Foundation Alliance church twice already… The spiritual field is ripe for the harvest. Wish we have more workers to join us soon. If we have an extra helper, we could easily start a Bible study group at their house this week.

Answered Prayers… 

A young married couple, R&K, who study in Soeuth’s weekly TEE class has been praying for a baby of their own. They already had three miscarriages this year. Recently visiting a doctor's office, they were told that K had 3 large cysts in her uterus. Aware of their dire situations, the class prayed earnestly for the couple with anointing oil. A week later, this couple visited the clinic again for more tests to be done. To the doctors’ utterly amazement, no sign of cysts remained! One of the doctors could not believe his eyes and shouted, “What had happened?” The young couple explained, “The Jesus people had prayed for us. And Preah yea-sue (the Lord Jesus) made the cysts go away, that's what happened!” Now, R & K are trusting God for another miracle, that K could conceive again. Please join them in this prayer request.

Pheap’s Conviction…

Recently, understanding the full meaning behind a discussion topic on “The Call of Levi” (a biblical story found in Mark 2:13-17) in the Firm Foundation class, Pheap from Toul Prich village was deeply convicted and remorseful of her sins.  Up until this time, one of the ways that Pheap and her husband (who is not yet a believer) had made a living was through giving out micro-loans to poor unsuspected ignorant villagers in the community while charging the villagers with high monthly interest rates! Realizing that what she and her husband did was wrong, Pheap repeatedly pleaded with her husband to stop this business but to look for other ways to generate their family incomes. Furious at Pheap’s sudden and firm decision, her husband threatened to beat up her and even to divorce her! But no matter the threat, Pheap was determined to honor God with her decision. After learning about Pheap’s dire situation, the entire class prayed earnestly for her. Now, her husband not only remains married to her, he seemed to have such high respect for her; he was heard boasting to his unbelieving friends about Pheap’s courageous faith in Jesus and about her integrity. Pheap is asking for prayer for salvation of her husband and her three teenage sons.

Pheap, in orange top with two daughters, praying at a Firm Foundation class.

An Abundant Season of Spiritual Harvest

Because of a strong desire to know God, most of our students who are from poor families have been faithfully taking a day off from their busy farming works in order to attend weekly discipleship classes. But when we called to cancel classes recently, some of them were quite disappointed and began to wonder what to do with their “spare” time. Instead of coming to class at the appointed time, many of them went out to visit and to encourage church families who live in remote villages where Alliance house church exist among the Anlong Veng ministries. Opportunities allowed for them to share the Good News, and collectively, they led 36 people to the Lord in less than two weeks! When we finally resumed classes the week after in Andong Chan and in Srae Nouy villages, attendants were doubled in all four classes! And even with Covid restrictions, Sunday church services in Srae Nouy and in other villagers were packed with new and old believers! 

Syna's Abundant Life class attendants doubled since Covid!

At this writing, 6 families, in another a new village church, prayed to receive Jesus through Pastor Dy and the Srae Nouy group! Although the number keeps changing as the week goes by, at a most recently ministry report that Pastor Dy shared: Between March 15 to August 19, 2020: 636 people (299 youth & adults, 327 kids) prayed to received Jesus, 8 new village house churches planted! All praises to KING JESUS!!! Now, we face another on-going problem—an URGENT NEED for Khmer speaking Bible teachers to come along side us to teach these new believers in the Word.

The 8th new Alliance house church birth on August 19, 2020. 6 families received Jesus!

Between March 15 to August 19, 327 kids prayed to receive Jesus!

Soeuth's TEE class at Andong Chan village

Disciples Are Making Disciples to the 4th and 5th Generation and Beyond...

It gives us a tremendous joy to see young believers (who have less than two years in their faith journeys—most of whom enrolled in our weekly discipleship classes) who are inspired by the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to their unbelieving relatives and friends. Many of these new converts are unstoppable! They are very bold and fearless when it comes to sharing Christ with others! Every week, they are leading new converts into the kingdom of God! We can hardly keep up with them! It is such a great privilege to witness disciples of Jesus Christ making more disciples to the 4th, 5th and 6th generations…  

Please pray for the following requests…

1. Please continue praying that Jonathan, our son, will be able to return to his school in Penang, Malaysia, soon. Following government required protocols related to Covid restrictions, Dalat International school had opened its campus to students since August 5th, but for the many students who were out of the country (like Jonathan) during the early Covid, they now have to study online from abroad, which is an extra challenge for us who are deal with poor internet accesses and constant power shortages.

2. Although there were few heavy rains since our last update, the water level is still not high enough for thousands of village people who live in floating villages along the Tonle Sap Lake. Their livelihood depends entirely on the abundance of fresh water for fishery. Some of our church families are severely affected because of this. Please continue praying for rain for the floating villagers.

3. But for us some of us who are on land, we do not need the extra water! Many of the roads to our weekly village ministries have been severely washed up or were damaged due too much rains waters.

One of the detoured roads to Rohaal village was completely flooded.

4. With abundant of and frequent rains, many people have been sick with mosquito transmitted diseases like dengue fever, malaria, and recently a strange viral sickness that plagued local people throughout the entire country. Please refer to this link. So far, at least 15 families from our areas had been hospitalized for this sickness. Please for healing.

5. Please continue praying for spiritual and physical protection for church leaders and praying against on-going spiritual attacks on many of church leaders and their families. Even with just simple and minor issues, suddenly, family members of some key church leaders were strangely at odds with one another causing needless tensions and family conflicts! Pastor Dy and Po and some other leaders have been busy helping to resolve family conflicts. Please for wisdom on these leaders.

6. Like the church leaders of our areas, we too have been experiencing significant attacks emotionally. Soeuth and I have elderly mothers (both of whom love Jesus dearly) who are in need minor nursing care. Recently, due to some family conflicts, Syna’s mother (aged 89 from Tacoma, WA) moved to live with Jenda (Syna’s younger sister). And this week (August 19-21), Soeuth went to Battambang province trying to work things out with his unbelieving siblings in their relationship with mom, aged 80. Pray for wisdom as Syna is trying to gap some family conflicts from a distance while Soeuth is helping his family in the country...  Clearly God is doing amazing works in the Anlong Veng ministries, but Satan is trying to rob our joy…

7. August 29: Some key church families will come together to pray over the Anlong Veng Ministry Center’s property in Toul Prich village, and to pray over the house where Heng’s family will be living.

Please share with us what God is doing in your midst. Thank you for partnering with us in the Anlong Veng Ministries through your prayers and financial support to the Alliance Mission.  We appreciate you!

The Joy of the Lord is still our strength…

Soeuth & Syna