March Update 2023

Dear faithful supporting friend and family,

A LOT of exciting things have happened since the last newsletter we sent you. Below are some of the highlights and events took place…

Resuming TEE Classes… 

February 17: 58 church leaders from northwest region came together for a full day of meeting and discussions concerning the slow pace and lack of interest in teaching Theological Education by Extension (TEE) courses. TEE course is based on the life and ministry of Jesus through the book of Matthew, a course designed to help and prepare believers to become leaders of their local churches. It is an 18- 24 months course, if studied consistently on a weekly basis. For a while, TEE has been and continues to be one of the main theological courses for training and equipping leaders especially those many leaders who oversee Alliance churches in rural areas. When Covid-19 arrived, classes were postponed indefinitely. But even when things are now back to “normal” again, leaders were slow at resuming classes. Seeing the needs, the church leaders decided to plan this workshop hoping to learn about the root course of it. We are still learning. However, a short time after this meeting, some pastors and church leaders were asking for and ordering discipleship and TEE books to teach small groups in their local region! We are excited to see what God will do among churches as His people are on fire to study His Word once again…

58 leaders participated at a TEE conference

                                                        Leadership Class in Srae Nouy…

February 18: Hout Soheng, our Khmer National ministry partner for the Anlong Veng region, is the main leader for teaching a weekly leadership class in Srae Nouy where 18 students faithfully participated. However, based on a unanimous request, Soeuth was asked to teach/preach in an in- depth message once every 4-6 weeks, depending on our availability at the time. It was good to be with our former students again and to see they are now teaching classes of their own while they remaining disciples of Jesus…

Soeuth teaching at Srae Nouy leadership class

Anlong Veng Team Retreat

February 23-25: The Anlong Veng spent a few days of retreat at Kampot province. We all worked hard in various ministries and thought we deserved some time for fun, rest, and relaxation. But it took us 14 hours to drive each way! To pass time and avoid “Are we there yet?” questions while on the long road trips, we played games (“license plates," or “I spy with my own eye”). Once we arrived, everyone had a great time and enjoyed eating ICE CREAM bought from a local Seven-11 store! This was an AMAZING discovery! Seven-11 stores in Cambodia! Our time at Kampot was cut short due to other planned activities and events awaited us in Anlong Veng…

Anlong Veng team retreat at Kampot province

Evangelism Outreach in Samrong…

February 26: We were invited to share an evangelism message in a village in Samrong, about 1.5 hours of driving from us. Upon arrival, we were surprised to see about 100 villagers already sat down and waited for us! Although some of them listened intensely to the message, no one came forward to receive Jesus. But from that event, five men showed interest in learning more of Jesus. As the result, we scheduled a weekly Living Water discipleship class with them…

Evangelism at Samrong

Spiritual Oppositions & Challenges…

As God was moving and stirring among the people in northern region, every member of the Anlong Veng team experienced oppositions in so many ways throughout the last weeks of February until March. The most attack was on Rithy, Kristie Ty, and their children—our newest teammates who moved to join the AV team mid-January. Since they arrived in Anlong Veng, their family encountered numerous spiritual attacks in forms of snakes (found inside and outside of their house), scary visions and images at nights, repeated accidents among other attacks. Praise God that in the midst of it all, the family was able to see God’s hand in their family. During our weekly life-on-life team meetings and devotions and fellowships, we were able to encourage one another that, “We must be doing something right in God’s kingdom, that is why the Enemy is targeting us!”

Resolving family conflicts

Anlong Veng team's weekly devotion

Then, there was another attack on church families. At least four church locations were facing potential church splits. Some of the issues arose from “sheep stealing” groups who went around behind the leaders’ back in a deceptive way, telling lies and slanders about the present church leaders, and inviting the families to join their group. As a result, there was great misunderstanding among church families, and while some issues resulted from poor communication of the leaders. In early March, we’d been traveling to remote locations trying to bring church families come to an agreement with one another. As of date, two villages are on the road to restoration and unity while we are still working closely with two other villages. We appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment on our parts and for unity among the church families…

Sunday School Teachers Conference…

March 11: Syna was invited to teach a workshop course at Phnom Penh for the Children Sunday School Teacher conference where about 130 plus people from around the country participated. This was their first conference in 4 years! Everyone was excited to be there and everyone was absorbing the messages like a sponge. Although our involvement in every meeting or conference a few hours of teaching, the travel time it took for us to get there and to return home is anywhere between 3-9 hours of driving each way! There is no short cut to it. Whenever an event like this takes place, we begin the trip as early as 5 am and return home as late as 9 pm or 10 pm or even later. The constantly prayer for safety on road trips is a daily request.

A New Discipleship Class Started…

March 13: After teaching a new class of Living Water in Samrong, one of the men, Vout, who attending that class asked if we would go his village, Toul Pongroe, to share an evangelism outreach, about a 30- minute drive away, saying he  had invited “a few people" coming. Upon arrival, we saw some emptied chairs and only a few village ladies and some school-aged children. As the appointed time drew near, about 80 plus people showed up! Soeuth began sharing the same evangelism message as shared on February 26. At the end of the service, 48 people prayed to received Jesus! Please pray for Vout, a shied quiet man, aged 50, a new believer, who is also a designated leader for this village, to have courage and ability to lead these young believers to know God’s word, even while he is a student learning God’s word with us on Wednesdays... 

48 people prayed to receive Jesus at Toul Pongroe village

A new discipleship class started at Samrong

Evangelism Workshop & Opportunities…

March 14-15: In response to the needs, the Firm Foundation Alliance church leaders organized a two-evening workshop on how to share faith to and witness to unbelievers. The first evening, 28 people attended followed 32 people on the next evening. The workshop was well received by attendees and they asked for more evening workshops in the near future. During our weekly small group classes, it was exciting to see believers whoo were on fire at sharing Christ with their unbelieving relatives and friends. As they prayed for and sought opportunities to share, God granted their requests a mighty way. Pheap, a member of our church, had two opportunities to share her faith among other parents at a local school during the recently parents-teachers conferences. Savy, another church member, boldly shared his faith and true hope he found in Jesus to hopeless people and to the grieving family while attending a Buddhist funeral recently! A few students shared about a “golden opportunity” to share their faith with their peers, and they event led some of their friends to begin a relationship with Jesus! And so many more stories like these are being shared and heard about and are happening almost every day. Even among the soccer kids, ages 4-14, who come to play at the church field EVERYDAY, they are inviting their friends to play soccer at the “Preah Yea-sue (Jesus) Field!” As more kids come to soccer and church consistently, we started the first monthly youth meeting on March 21 where 29 youth (grades 4-10) showed up! God is truly at work among the people in Anlong Veng and the regions beyond…

Church service at Toul Prich

29 youth attended the first youth meeting in Toul Prich

Evangelism workshop at Toul Prich

Other Dates and Events needing your prayers…

1. As you are reading this note (March 23-25), we should be in or traveling to Ratanakiri province, a 10-hour (at least) drive, each way, from Anlong Veng, for a regional youth conference. This is a time that regional local leaders will vote for their future youth workers for the Isaan region. Pray that God would raise godly leaders with deep passion to reach youth for Christ.
2. Based on the repeated and unanimous request, we resumed a monthly (or once every 4-6 weeks) leadership class at Poipet. Our first meeting was at Ang Salla village, on March 18, in Poipet where 32 people attended.

   

   Poipet monthly leadership class resumed

   
   
3. In early March, the well company was able to build two successful wells for two villages in Anlong Veng. The people in Srae Nouy and in other villages are crying out to God for rains. This drought last so long already. Most ponds are already dried up and we had a number of failed attempts to build deep wells. The same well company said they will try to dig a well at Srae Nouy one more time. 

   

   After many failed attempts, we finally had two successful wells built in Anlong Veng!

   
   
4. The construction building project for the Srae Nouy church is an on-going event, hoping to get it done by mid-April. Due to tight space on the property, the leachers had to tear down an old wooden house and rebuild on a different location to give enough space for the new church building. Most of the workers are NOT yet followers of Jesus, but they had opportunities to hear about Him. While the construction work is going on, some workers took time off to listen and participate in weekly church service and in their evening small groups. The seed had been planted. In God’s timing, we pray they will grow in the knowledge of knowing God and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. 

   

   Construction project for Srae Nouy church building

   
   
5. At this writing, another group of construction workers are traveling a 9 hour-road trips from Phnom Penh to Anlong Veng. 
6. Mid-April is Khmer New Year, and the students will be on a two weeks break. The leaders are planning sport or fun activities to cater toward these students which will include a friend trip on April 25 to visit Preah Vihear Province, one of the Cambodian historical sites. We are anticipating 20 youth, grade 6-10, will be going. Pray for safety and protections. 
7. Church leaders throughout the northwest regions are teaching and preparing their people for the Easter celebrations as well as preparing some new believers for baptismal service in the coming weeks. This is a big commitment and a HUGE decision for many who are the only followers of Jesus in their house or in their community. Pray that they would not be swayed away or changed their mind as the event is drawing near.

Thank you for your prayers and support. God is doing something amazing in Cambodia and around the world. Thank you for your partnership through your prayers and your generous giving to the Great Commission Fund with the Alliance Mission which enables us to remain serving and living among the Khmer people in the northern Cambodia. Please share with us what God is doing in your midst. Have a blessed and joyful Resurrection Day.

Because He lives,

Syna and Soeuth