July Update 2022

Dear Friend and Family,

Greetings from Cambodia! We trust that everyone is doing well. We arrived safely to Cambodia! The 23-hour flight which left the JFK airport on July 4th went as smoothly as a typical long international flight could be. All our suitcases were delivered in good condition! Our plane landed at 11:40 pm on July 5. The very next day we traveled by taxi for 8 hours north toward Siem Reap province to join our team for an annual Field Forum. The forum was SO GOOD, but it was so hard to stay awake with jetlag. It is great to be back home in Cambodia again.

On July 11, immediately after Field Forum, we went to Anlong Veng (another 3- hour further north by a taxi) to drop off our suitcases with friends. After a brief reunion with few church families, we began the search for a potential house to rent. Even before arrival, we had asked friends to keep an eye on potential places that we can rent. That first day back in Anlong Veng, we looked at four houses, but none of them were in livable condition. The next day, we returned to the capital city, a trip in which we had thought would take 8 or 9 hours by bus, but it was 11 hours! Soeuth spent the next three days riding in a tuk-tuk visiting one car dealer shop after another to look for the right vehicle. On July 16, we came to an agreement with a vehicle and Soeuth signed a deposit contract for a 2022 Toyota pickup truck. We were told that the truck would not be ready until the end of July. 

Our mode of transportation in the big city

Our new truck!

After a weekend of fellowship and worshipping God at one of the C&MA churches in the city, we left early morning on Monday July 18 going toward Anlong Veng. We were about a half-way through the trip when we received a call from the car dealer saying that the truck was available for pick on July 20! Because we already made plans, we continued on with the bus ride to Anlong Veng. For the next few days, we went around town in a tuk-tuk to every road in Anlong Veng looking for the potential houses. There were few potential homes available but their asking price was much more than we had budgeted for. All of the houses we looked at needed much repair before they could be a livable place. Finally, after seeing 14 houses all referred by friends, we agreed to one house! This house also needs A LOT of works to be done before we can move in. But it has some potential for future ministries, AND it fits our budget! We are very excited about this place. On the 23rd, we signed a one-year contract in front of a local village leader! At this writing, they are working on putting screens onto windows and doors, repairing broken sinks and other minor fixings. We hope the house would be ready for us to move in by August 1. In a desperate search for a house, our friends accidentally found a very lovely and newly built guest home which has now become our “home” for the next few weeks...

After three days of heavy rains, flood water almost reached the edge of the Anlong Veng bridge!

Our new home!

While we were in the city looking for a car, we reached out to some young families whom we had known since their teenage years while they were living with us in Poipet. During our early years of Poipet ministries, we had a vibrant youth and young adult ministry. Many of these young people were teenagers when we first met them wandering around in the wild-wild west sin-city of Poipet. Many of them were living in an unsafe environment. Seeing the shady-conditions they were living in then, we reached out to them and established youth and young adult ministries. We had the privilege of leading some of them to Christ. All of them had sat in our weekly discipleship and leadership classes. In their times of struggle and difficulties, God put us in their paths, and they became our spiritual children. Eventually, when they met and fell in love with their future spouses, we walked them through many sessions of premarital counseling. Soeuth even married and dedicated their babies. Some of these young families had recently moved to live in the capital cities where they found works in various places. On July 22nd, we invited 4 families to join us for a fellowship of meal of a Khmer tradition of “Banh chev”--yellow stuffed-pancake dipped with coconut sauce. It gave us great joy to see some of them are still walking in their faith, two of these four families are involved in various ministries in the city!

Reuniting with our spiritual children and their families in the capital city

We are in the middle of a rainy season. Heavy rainstorms took place every day. Sometimes it rained heavily 2-3 times each day. There are always muds and floods everywhere. It is a daily challenge just to keep clothes dry and clean, which it will eventually become part of our routine lifestyle as well.

Navigating through heavy traffic in the big city

Rains and traffic in Phnom Penh

On July 24th, our first Sunday back in Anlong Veng, we attempted to go to Srae Kandal church. We were 40 minutes into the trip when the skies turned dark and hard rains began to pour down heavily with flashing lightning! We had some youth from Toul Prich village sat in the back of our truck (due to severe motion sickness, they preferred to ride outside). After putting their backpacks inside the truck, the youth excited shouted that it was okay for us keep going. But about 10 minutes later, we got a phone call from the village church saying, “Don’t come. One of the bridges is broken!” Disappointedly, we returned to drop off the kids at Toul Prich, all four of them soaked to the core. The rained continued heavily, but we managed to join the Toul Prich Firm Foundation Alliance church for their 1:30pm church service. We were so thankful for the opportunity to join God’s people for a church service. Seeing our friends again brought joy to our heart. Even during our one-year absence, many of them remained strong in their decision to follow Christ. AND we had A LOT more youth and children! Our team mate, Aide Rose and her friend did an amazing job teaching local school aged kids in English literacy as well as afterschool programs helping them with math lessons. Tuesdays to Saturdays they study English, and Sunday they learn Bible stories with their favorite “Teacher ID”.

Toul Prich village kids waiting for our arrival!

Sharing our first meal back in Anlong Veng with friends

Village kids hanging at Toul Prich Firm Foundation church

School aged kids learning English at Toul Prich FF church

Kids receiving homework instructions from "Teacher ID"

Village kids hanging out at our church ground

After school program at Toul Prich Firm Foundation Alliance church

For the next few weeks or months, we plan to visit village churches to hear their perspectives of what took place during our one-year away in the States. Please pray for a discerning heart as we will be listening to different sides of the stories from each of the church leaders.

Other dates and prayer request for your consideration…

• Praise God for His provision over our car and a house! The landlord family seemed pleasant. We hope to make a better connection with the family and with our new neighbors and community. 
• Not by choice but with a willing spirit, Syna was elected as one of the 7 Field Leadership Team (FLT) members to serve in a one-year term. The FLT meets weekly for an hour via zoom to discuss plans and strategies for the overall health and focus the Cambodian mission field. Pray for wisdom and discerning hearts and unity among FLT members. 
• August 7-11, we will be in Bangkok, Thailand, for a medical check-up and hope to see a pulmonologist to follow up with Soeuth’s asthma. So far, Soeuth is doing very well, but we want to follow up care with a lung specialist, just to make sure.
• As God is meeting our needs in Cambodia, we are trusting for the same provision for our youngest son, Jonathan, who is living with friends in central New York. We are also trusting for the same provision be extended to our oldest son and his family who are serving in the Middle East...
• As soon as the rains begin to slow down (around September), the Srae Nouy church families are anxious to see their church building getting started. Pray for Pastor Dy and the church leaders as they are planning for the building as well as searching for the right honest workers. We will be working with a very tight budget. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We appreciate your partnership in the Northern Cambodian ministry. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for us during the next three-year missionary term in Cambodia. If you need to reach us, please contact through jjsblaos@gmail.com  

Please come and visit us in Anlong Veng! Our new home has a lot of space to host people. And if you come in the spring time, there will be plenty of mangoes for you. This house has 7 mango trees in the yards! We are so grateful God beyond measure at the ways He answers prayers and meeting our needs much more than we could ever hope or imagine. Please share with us what God is doing in your life.

With a grateful heart,

Soeuth & Syna Lao

June/July 2022 Update

 Dear Praying Friend and Family,

We hope you are enjoying the warm summer weather. It has been a while since we wrote you. At this writing, we are finishing up the home assignment year from New Jersey and are getting ready to return to Cambodia on July 4! Yes, while you are celebrating Independence Day, we will be up in a 14.5-hour flight from New York City to Korea! After a 2-hour lay over in Korea, we’ll take another 5.5 hours flight to Cambodia. So, we will watch fireworks from above...

It has been an emotion time for our family. Although we had done it many times before, saying goodbye to friends and family has never been an easy thing to do. This week, parting from our youngest son, Jonathan, was the hardest thing we had ever done. Jonathan is settling down with our friends in South Glens Falls, New York, for the next few years while we will be in Cambodia. There are still a few loose ends related to his adjustment and transition to a new location, but we are trusting the Lord to meet every detail of his needs. We are grateful to God for sending us kind people to help us in every aspect of need. So, during the next couple weeks ahead, when you think of our family, please consider praying for the needs below…

1. May 10-June 2: While visiting and speaking at three Alliance churches in Hawaii, we also celebrated our 30th anniversary on May 30th! We were grateful for the wonderful host families who let us stay in their homes, one home after another, while another family lent us their car to drive the whole time we were there! Hawaii was a beautiful island, a paradise, but three weeks on the island was a bit too long for us, especially when “stuff” kept happening at home. During our first week in this beautiful island, Jonathan, home alone in New Jersey, was very sick with Covid and had to miss school for 8 days. Some neighbors from the Cedar Lane Mission Homes looked after him while we were away; the second week, Syna’s younger sister who is in Washington State had a few health crisis and was hospitalized for a few days; the third week, our oldest son Justin (in the Middle East) torn his ACL while playing soccer! Praise God, everyone recovered well in a timely manner. Justin had a knee surgery done and is encouraged to walk an hour and half every day. In all these difficulties, God is still good.

Our last Sunday with Jonathan

Celebrating our 30th anniversary in Hawaii

2. After a full year of intense hands-on training, Jonathan had successfully completed the HVAC training and is now searching for a job. Although there are plenty HVAC positions needed in every town, these positions are mostly offered to those of experienced workers. Pray that Jon find an apprenticeship job in the HVAC position, hopefully closer to his home location soon.

3. On July 4, we will need to have a NEGATIVE Covid test result done, 72 hours before departure. Please PRAY! If all goes well, our flight will arrive in the capitol city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, by 11:30 pm on July 5. The next day, July 6, we will travel an 8- hour up north by road to Siem Reap province, to join our team of International Workers, for an annual field forum, July 6-10. Then, on Monday July 11, we will travel another two hours further north to Anlong Veng—the location where we will be based for the next three years. While in Anlong Veng reuniting with our friends, we will look for a house to rent. Please pray that God would lead us to the right house and that we will have a nice, kind, and helpful landlord. Sometime in July, we will need to head back (a 9- hour drive) to Phnom Penh to look for a vehicle. We are trusting God to pave the ways ahead of us leading us to the right house and finding the right truck.

Duffle bags of supplies to Cambodia

4. At the beginning of our home assignment year (June 2021), in addition to the Great Commission Fund needed to keep us serving in Cambodia, we also shared with you about the three Approved Special projects that we were responsible to raise fund for. We are pleased to announce that two of the projects (“Srae Nouy Church Building” & “S& S Lao’s Vehicle”) are fully funded! For the third approved special project, the “Anlong Veng Ministry Center (AVMC)”, as of date, we received about 1/3 of the total funding needed! Thank you so much for your support! Our hope and desire is to see the AVMC get started and established during the next few years while we're still on the ground. Please join us in prayer that the total funding will come through.  Pray also for the next few months ahead as we will look into ideas and plans for the construction of the AVMC and look for construction workers for this project. Pray that God would lead us to the right people, the right company with honest workers, and on so...

We are very grateful to God for ministry partner like you who is standing in the gap with and for us through your prayers and financial support to the Alliance Great Commission Fund (GCF). When you generously give to the GCF, you put us and 800+ other Alliance International Workers in the front lines to serve in Cambodia and around the world sharing the message of Hope in Jesus Christ to lost people. THANK YOU! During the next couple years, if God allows, please come and visit us in Cambodia. We would love to show you around. Please contact us at jjsblaos@gmail.com. Please let us know also, if you want to remove your name from our contact list.

Blessings,

Soeuth & Syna Lao

April 2022 Update

 Dear Praying Warriors, 

Spring greetings to you! We trust you had a wonderful Easter celebration. As I begin this note, I was reminded of the beautiful lyrics of my favorite songs that goes something like this, “… Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, he holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives…” 

A few stressful and heartache situations happened since our last note to you. I was trying to delay writing the note hoping to hear some good news before I send out this update. And we do have some good news to share… 

Since early February, Soeuth has been battling health issues that brought him to a family doctor’s office many times and to the Emergency Room, twice in March! All visits to the doctor’s office was related to breathing issues. After two months of waiting, Soeuth was finally able to see a lung specialist to confirmed what was suspected all along that he was having onset asthma. With new prescriptions ordered followed by so much more tests, Soeuth’s health is slowly improving and hopefully on the road to recovery. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers!

After months of waiting (we began the process since early August of 2021!) and having to navigate with local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), on March 24, our youngest son, Jonathan, proudly passed his written exam for a driver license! His persistent attempts finally paid off, and he was excited to begin learning how to drive at last! Sadly, that moment of joy was cut short, because the next day, “Dad”—his designated driving instructor, was rushed to the Emergency Room for breathing complications. We had another ER visit, a week later. With our current busy schedule and with Soeuth’s health still uncertain, Jonathan did not have a chance to sit behind a steering wheel as of yet. But he still has time to learn how to drive. His road test’s appointment is September 26. Originally, we had hoped that he would be able to drive and hold a driver license identification of his own before we return to Cambodia this summer. But as it turned out, that hope and dream would have to wait for now. God knows what He is doing, and He must have a much better purpose and plan for our son…

Soeuth & Jon enjoying a father-son moment

Some of you have heard of the tragic motor accident that took place on April 4th in Cambodia that suddenly claimed the life of our dearly beloved friend and ministry partner, Mr. Kong. From his first encounter with the living God (November 2016) to his death, God had used Kong in such amazing ways that hundreds if not thousands of people were greatly impacted by the life and testimony of Mr. Kong. Throughout our home assignment this year, we have been sharing Kong’s story with you and will continue to proudly share it with other, how God had effectively used Kong to expand His kingdom in northern Cambodia. Kong’s testimony was featured in this short video.

We grief at the loss of a great man. But we hang to the promising hope found in John 12:24 that says, “…Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produced many needs” Therefore, we wait in hope and with great expectation that God would surely raise up hundreds of more “seeds” like Mr. Kong to carry on the mission of spreading the Good News of Jesus to lost people in Cambodia and around the world.

Kong was always sharing about Jesus with everyone he met

Kong, on a boat ride to visit his hometown floating village

In March and in early April, we had opportunities to visit family in Florida, Washington state, and Virginia.  It was a bitter-sweet moment knowing that unless God has other plans, we will not see any of them again until summer 2026. On April 9, we celebrated Jonathan’s 20th birthday! Throughout the years of ups and downs, we are very grateful to God for the gift this precious life, our miracle child, and for the honor and the privilege that He entrusted us to raise this amazing young man, knowing full well that no matter how much we love and cherish him, God loves our some more than we can ever do. And God is not done with him yet but has a special plan for his life and future…

Syna with her 91 year old mother

Additional praises and prayer requests for you to consider…

1. Praise God that Soeuth was able to see a specialist and is able to receive update of what to expect and follow. Please continue praying for a complete healing before our return trip to Cambodia.
2. At this writing, we still have 8 more churches to visit and to share. While we are grateful for opportunities to share with our supporters about the works in Cambodia,  our departure date is approaching (we already bought the plane tickets!). We are anxious to get back to the mission field. Pray that we would finish well.
3.  In preparation to move Jonathan to his new home in South Glens Falls, NY, there is a lot of detailed arrangements that need to be done. It will be many “first times” for him beginning this summer. Pray for quick adjustments and smooth transitions.
4. And don’t forget to pray that God would prepare a “home” for us in Anlong Veng as well. 

Thank you so much, dear friend and supporter. You have been an amazing ministry partner to the Cambodian mission field through your faithful financial support and your endless and prayers. We especially grateful to your sacrificial support to Alliance Great Commission Fund which enables us to keep serving at the front line sharing the message of Hope in Jesus to lost people in that part of the world. And if you are able to give more, please consider supporting these approved special projects that we are raising fund for. 

Church families praying over the land where future the Anlong Veng Ministry Center will be

To give online, please visit this website. Scroll down to click on “find a project” and type the name of the projects: “Anlong Veng Ministry Center”, “Northern Church Plant Cambodia”, and “Lao’s Vehicle”.  In His perfect timing and His will, we hope to see these projects getting funded and started at a timely manner. For any questions or concerns about the works and projects, please feel free to reach out to us via this email or WhatsApp. We look forward to share with you more about the works and ministries in Cambodia…

Because He lives,

Soeuth & Syna

Lao family

March Update 2022

Dear Praying Friend and Family, 

It has been a bitter, cold winter. We look forward to welcome spring for a change. With spring is approaching, we have less than 4 months to get things ready for our return to Cambodia this summer! Yet, a lot is still to be done in such a short time. While we enjoy visiting churches in the US, we actually look forward to returning to Cambodia. Through weekly connections with some key church leaders, we were able to follow up with what was going on amongst our dear friends in Cambodia. 

Recently, after nearly two years of Covid related isolation, the northwest regional Cambodian churches welcomed an opportunity to fellowship with other believers in-person! On March 8th, church families joyfully participated in the men, women,  youth conference—all three events in one day!

Men's conference

Women's conference

Women's conference in northeast Cambodia

Northwest regional youth conference

Lately, it feels like we've been trotting on some rough paths since the beginning of this year with family and health issues. In late January, we had a few scary moments with our mothers (Soeuth’s mom, aged 83, lives with family in Cambodia; Syna’s mom, 90, in Tacoma, WA). Both moms had medical complications and were hospitalized for 3-4 nights each happening only days apart. We were concerned that if something happened, we would not be able to travel and see either of them because of the snow storms we had. Praise God, both moms are doing okay and are back in their familiar environments… 

Then in early February, Soeuth had a cold that seemed to linger on just a bit longer than usual. Finally, after a few visits to the doctor’s offices, he was diagnosed with onset seasonal allergy, a condition that left him with dry persistent coughs for quite a while… Then earlier this month, we had another scary moment with our one-year old granddaughter’s health… In the midst of it all, God was and still is with us. We were lovingly surrounded by the Body of Christ through their prayers and support. As we waded through these moments of personal challenges, we cannot help but wonder what God has in store for us in the near future, especially as we prepare to return to Anlong Veng, Cambodia.

Jesse (three) and Maya (one) watching a cartoon show

Lately, God has been sending us help, one by one, in preparation for Jonathan’s future home/living arrangement. At this writing, a used vehicle (2004 Mitsubishi Lance) was donated for Jonathan! The car needs 4 new tires, a new battery, and some minor repairments. After completing his HVAC training, Jonathan be living with friends at South Glens Falls, NY.  God still has great plans for our son.

Jonathan's "new" car

Events & other prayer requests…

1. As you are reading this note (March 15-22), we are enjoying some R&R time in Florida visiting old friends and Soeuth’s relatives.
2. We have a return ticket to Cambodia, departing July 4! However, there is still much to be done until our departure. Pray that we will finish the tour well. After the Florida trip, we still have 13 more churches to visit. As we continue visiting and sharing about the works in Cambodia, pray God would raise up awareness to support the Cambodian ministry. In our last update, we shared with you about an approved project—the “Anlong Veng Ministry Center” that we fundraised. At this writing, we received $81,000! We still have a long way to go before reaching our goal, but we are grateful for the funds received thus far. Shortly after our return, with this amount received, we hope to see the construction of a community bathroom and a soccer field getting started on to the property where the future ministry center will be. As more fund comes, we are trusting God to see a library, a computer lap, a dormitory, and the ministry center getting started, as well. If God is leading you to support this project, please consider giving online, scroll down to click on “a project you love” and type in “Anlong Veng Ministry Center." You can also send your donation by check. Make it payable to “The C&MA," write the project name on the memo line, then mail to: The C&MA, 8595 Explore Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. 
3. As we prepare for our return, please pray that God prepare the right house to rent in northern Cambodia. This will be our home for the next four years. Pray also for opportunity to connect with our new neighbors and community. We desire to build good relationships and have a meaningful impact presence in the community where God places us. Pray that we find favor with local authority…
4. Our youngest son, Jonathan, will finish his HVAC training by early June. Then we will move to his future address in late June. We hope to find an available job related to his training. He will be living with some dear friends of ours. Yet, because of his overseas upbringing, they may still be strangers to him at first. Pray for a smooth transition and adjustment to his new home and family. Pray for a community of believers and peers who he can connect with. 
5. Please continue praying for our oldest son and his wife, Justin and Katie, in their language studies and for the health of their children.
6. April 6-13: we will be visiting and saying goodbyes to Syna’s family in Tacoma, WA.

We are very grateful to you dear friend and faith supporter. Thank you for your partnership in the northern Cambodian ministry through your prayers and financial support. Your sacrificial giving to the Alliance Great Commission Funds enables us to remain serving God in Cambodia sharing the message of HOPE in Jesus to lost people in Cambodia and around the world. We appreciate you so much. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the ministry and the work there. You can reach us at this email address: jjsblaos@gmail.com  And if God allows, we hope to see some of you visiting us in Cambodia in the near future. You are invited! Come and see what God is doing in Cambodia! Please share with us what God is doing in your life.

Blessings,

Soeuth & Syna Lao

Enjoying some R&R time in Florida

January Update 2022

Dear Supporting Friend and Family,

Happy New Year! We trust that all is well with you and your family.

We sent out an urgent prayer request email earlier this month to some of you concerning situations below, but in case you are not aware, here is the latest update from our family…

As appropriately described by a dear friend, “You started 2022 with a bang!” We had big plans for Monday January 3, 2022. After months of waiting, Jonathan finally had an appointment on that day for a written test for a New Jersey driver license’s permit at a local Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV). However, on that appointed day, South Jersey received its first snow storm of the winter season with about 6-14 inches of snow throughout the region. 

First snow storm in New Jersey of the winter season

With much snow on the ground, everything closed including the DMV. The next few days, we kept showing up early at the local DMV hoping to get in. Finally, on January 6, after three hours of waiting, Jonathan was allowed inside, but he did not pass the written test. We have a few appointments lined up in February and March at different DMVs. Please pray that Jonathan will get a driver's license soon… 

Jonathan patiently standing on a long line at the local DMV

While we were frustrated with the New Jersey DMV’s situations, at Fridley, MN, Justin and Katie and their two children were all excited and ready for the big day—their long awaited overseas trip was to depart at 9pm from Minneapolis on January 3. But their Covid-19 rapid test (a requirement for all International travelers) came back positive for both Justin and Katie! After a week of waiting, they repeated the test, but one of them was still positive! After another round of tests, on Monday afternoon of January 17, all results came back negative! After a long period of waiting, things were moving along again at full speed! They got new flights, left the next day, and 19 hours later, they arrived at their designated country. Their trip went well. All the suitcases arrived. Justin and family are now settled down in their new furnished apartment (thanks to the hard works of their supporting teammates to set up their new home).

They will have a few extra days of rest before language school begins on January 24…

The younger Lao family

Our spring tour officially began on January 7, but because of severe weather conditions, one church had to cancel their weekend events, but was able to reschedule to later date. Then, we were concerned about our recently trip to the southern California, with all the surges related to Covid-19 and Omicron and the many flight cancellations. But feeling at peace about it, we went anyways. Due to the pandemic, the attendance was low in one of the four service events. But only God knew who He wanted His message to be delivered to.

Here are some additional praises and prayer requests…

1. Dec. 13-21: We were grateful for a brief but meaningful visit with Justin and Katie in Fridley, MN. It warmed our hearts deeply to see our one-year old granddaughter, Maya, taking her first few steps and to then hear our almost three-year old grandson, Jesse, learning a few Khmer words. He said them with such precision and clarity! On a Sunday evening service before we left, at a small church gathering attended by close friends and relatives, we were blessed to be part of a special commission service, a send-off prayer service for Justin and Katie participated by both sets of parents and grandparents. And the evening service was concluded with a baby dedication for Maya!  We treasure these precious moments in our heart knowing that it would be a while before we see them all again. It is the right thing to let them go and follow where the Father is leading, but this does not minimize the pains of separation which can be deep and raw…
2. Recently, we reached out to a few trusted families who would be willing to let Jonathan live with them for a while shortly after we return to Cambodia. God answered prayers with a few responses. Please pray for clear directions, especially for Jonathan, as he will soon decide where he will be living for the next few years. This decision relies heavily on an HVAC job availability and a good community church family. There are a lot to be done in the next few months in order to help Jonathan settle in the States so we can return to Cambodia with peace and sound mind.
3. Continue praying for safe traveling on long road trips and for good health as we travel every weekend to a new church for speaking at mission conferences. Pray that God would raise awareness in the church families to support Alliance Mission in Cambodia and around the world.
4. In addition to our monthly living expenses, we have two other Approved Special Projects that we are required to raise funds for during the next 4-5 months as we visit churches to share about the needs. Some of you have donated to the needs. Thank you! The projects are “Anlong Veng Ministry Center Project” and “Soeuth & Syna Lao’s Vehicle Project." To support one or both of the project, please send in your tax-deductible donation to the Christian and Missionary Alliance (The C&MA), 8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. You can also give online. Scroll down and click “find a project” and type in “Anlong Veng Ministry Center” or “Syna & Soeuth Lao’s Vehicle”.

Thank you so much for your faithful partnership with the northern Cambodian ministry through your prayers and financial support to Alliance Mission. Because you give, we are able to remain serving in Cambodia sharing the message of true Hope found only in Jesus to the lost people in Cambodia and around the world. Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. Please share with us what God is doing in your life. We want to be a blessing to your through prayers as well. 

Blessings,  

Soeuth & Syna

December Update 2021

Dear Supporting Friends and Family

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

John 3:16

Because of His great love for all people, over two thousand years ago, God used two reluctant teenagers to partner with His salvation plan for all human race. And because of this, we have reason to celebrate Christmas even to this day…

During the fall mission tour while visiting and speaking at Alliance churches about what God is doing among the northern Cambodian churches, we also had opportunities to speak at some youth group events and to a few children groups. It was a joy to see true excitement and interest in the young people. They not only wanted to learn about the Cambodian ministries, some of them also showed genuine interest and curiosity wanting to know about children from around the world! 

We rejoice to see these young people from North American cultures who are so blessed to have opportunities to go to school, play in various sport activities, be involved in extracurricular events, and just grow and have fun as children— without any care in the world or any concern about what their next meal would be. Whether they realize it or not, in our humble opinion, these children are beyond blessed. 

Unfortunately, because of poverty, we cannot say the same for children in other parts of the world, especially the poor children of northern Cambodia. Some of them we have come to love and have had opportunities to care for and cherish as if they were our own children…

Imagine a 13-year old leaving home, never to be heard of again. In the remote areas of Cambodia, this is not an uncommon occurrence. With education beyond 5th grade only being offered in the city, many families can’t afford to send their child to school. Instead, the children stay at home and work the farm and in many cases, eventually cross the border into Thailand to follow the rumors of better work opportunities.

A little girl giving her sister, Sarah, a big goodbye hug as Sarah leaves for school in the city. 

Sadly, those work opportunities are usually drug smuggling and sex trafficking, trapping children in illegal activity that is harmful, but also shameful. It keeps them from returning home to their families or even speaking to them ever again.

Yet, there is hope. Because of your generosity, we have been able to purchase the property for the future home of the Anlong Veng Ministry Center. On the property between a primary school and middle school and a 20-minute bike ride to a high school, God has given us a vision of building a ministry center that will have a library, computer lab, dormitories for up to 30 children, a multipurpose room for 500+ people, vocational training center, and soccer field!

This means free housing for the remote village families to send their children to continue their education. This mean free vocational training to secure employment in country, investing back into their community. This means families are staying together and we are breaking the vicious cycle of poverty! And do you know what else it means? It means that by owning our own building, we have the freedom to share the good news of Christ to everyone who enters.

To see this dream become a reality, we are raising $350,000 over the next 6 months. We are looking for individuals and or churches to give generously to this project that builds upon the Alliance’s vision of All of Jesus for All the World and to our own vision of All of the World in All of Cambodia. 

Would you prayerfully consider investing in the Northern Cambodian church today? 

To support this project, please send in your tax-deductible donation to The Christian and Missionary Alliance (The C&MA), 8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Or to give online, go to: https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/ 

Scroll down to click on “find a project” and type in “Anlong Veng Ministry

Toul Prich kids enjoyed a game of soccer. 

Soeuth and village kids in Toul Prich village. 

Village children having a fun time riding on the back of our truck. 

Soeuth teaching kids English class

It had been a very busy fall since August 14 to December 19, where we visited many Alliance and some non-Alliance partner churches and shared about the Cambodian ministries. Although it was a busy tour, we were especially thankful for the opportunities to travel together. At this writing, we’ve enjoyed a few weeks of rest and relaxation at home, before the spring tour begins on January.

December 13-21, we visited Justin and his family in Fridley, MN. It took some adjusting coming from high 40s to low 50s degrees weather in South Jersey to the low-teens/freezing temperature of Minnesota with 17 inches of snow the day before we arrived! Despite the cold, we made the best of our visit enjoying every precious moment with our grandkids: Jesse who will be 3 in March and Maya who turned 1 year old on December 11. No matter how prepared we were, saying goodbyes was never easy…

Playing corn hole in the snow. 

The Lao Family

Below are additional praises and prayer requests for your consideration…

1. Throughout the busy weeks of traveling and speaking, God kept us healthy and strong, but at the last day of fall tour, Soeuth caught a bad cold which last more than weeks. He is slowly recovering, hopefully he will be back to normal again when spring tour begins. 

2. We rejoice to announce that the approve special Srae Nouy Church Building Project was fully funded during the Thanksgiving week! Thank you for your support!

3. In addition to the Srae Nouy project, our heart desire is to see the Anlong Veng Ministry Center (mentioned above) getting started shortly after we return in July 2022.

4. We appreciate your prayers for our children, Justin and Katie and their two small children, who will depart for their International Worker service with the Alliance in the Middle East starting this January 3. Pray for safe traveling and transition into a new culture— learning and adjusting to a new language and lifestyle.

5. Please continue praying for our youngest son, Jonathan, for his future needs for a housing arrangement, an HVAC-R related job, and a reliable used vehicle for him to drive.

6. The churches in Cambodia are still busy celebrating Christmas service almost every day throughout the entire month of December. Speaking to Hout  Soheng (our Cambodian National ministry partner for the Anlong Veng region) recently, even though he already participated in 14 Christmas events, their last Christmas celebration is on January 2!

Thank you so much for your faithful partnership with the northern Cambodian ministries through your prayers and sacrificial financial donation to support the Alliance Mission. Because you gave, we are able to remaining serving in Cambodia sharing the message of Hope in Jesus to lost people in Cambodia and around the world. Please share with us what God is doing in your life. We want to be a blessing to your through prayers.

 

For God so loved the world…

Soeuth and Syna

 

 

November Update 2021

Dear Supporting Friends and Family,

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever” 1 Chronicles 16:34.

We have so many reasons to be thankful for this year. We are grateful to God for the gift of life, family, good health, protection, daily provisions, and opportunities to join God at work in the Cambodian ministries. During the past four years of the northern church planting ministries in the Anlong Veng and in the Srae Nouy regions, we were beyond blessed to see many fruitful ministries taking place in such a short time. We are thankful to God for YOU, our dear ministry partners, for your countless prayers for our family and for ministries. We are thankful also for the financial support you gave to support the Alliance Mission. Because of your involvement, we were able to remain serving in Cambodia sharing the message of Hope in Jesus to lost people in that part of the world. THANK YOU! At the same time, all the works in Cambodia was not done by just the two of us—we are blessed to work alongside some AMAZING, Godly Cambodian National Ministry partners such as Mr. Kong, Pastor Dy, Po, Heng, and Mrs. Rate, and so many others. We wish we could tell you all, but for now, we will just share briefly about Pastor Dy…

Pastor Dy (left) on a boat.

Although we knew of Pastor Dy (pronounce Dee) many years ago from our previous interactions among the Alliance gatherings, our friendship deepened July 2017 when we began church ministries in Anlong Veng and in Srae Nouy areas. Pastor Dy, a 54 year old loving father of three adult children, devoted husband, and very humble servant of God is also a great man of prayer. Originally from the southern part of Cambodia in Kampong Cham province, as young believer, Dy uprooted his entire family and settled down in Srae Nouy around 2008 due to family and financially related crisis. To survive, Dy and his two young sons learned a trade of carpentry and earned a meager income through selling wooden furniture that Dy and his sons made. Because of debts, Dy literally ran away from his hometown to hide in Srae Nouy! But God found Dy in his hiding place and gave him a sense of purpose, a new direction in life. Living out his faith wherever he was, Dy became a spiritual leader to a small group of believers who had heard the Gospel of Jesus through Dy. 

As the number of believers grew, The Srae Nouy Alliance church was shortly established under the leadership of Pastor Dy. Having very little education but with daily devotions to the studying of God’s words, Dy led a group of vibrant believers to the next level. Initially, every night, Dy and the Srae Nouy believers and their families willingly came together in prayers. Their persistent request was, “God, reveal Yourself to us. Please come and show us your ways.” Twice a month, the leaders faithfully fasted and prayed with the same petition. As a result, God showed up. He met them in powerful and amazing ways. 

Every week during Sunday church service, Dy and the Srae Nouy Church families witnessed miraculous healings on those who came to church desperately seeking prayers for healing. When the believers united together in faith and through prayers as they laid hands over a sick person, God responded. When people with mental and or physical illnesses and their families came to seek God in faith asking him for healing, He simply showed up in their midst. Believers of various journeys of faith had seen miracles and wonders. Some had personally experienced miraculous healings. As a result, the fame of Jesus spread near and far within the Anlong Veng and the Srae Nouy regions drawing curious seekers to come near to His kingdom. 

For all these young believers, God put Pastor Dy, a timid and humble man as their spiritual leader. When we had finally met Pastor Dy face to face in the summer of 2017, we told him and the other leaders who were standing beside him, “We are here to work alongside you for the next four years. How do you want us to help?" All at once, they began to cry with tears of joy falling freely down their cheeks. As their leader, Dy went on to explain, “For the past two years, all of us here have been faithfully praying to God, begging Him to send us teachers who would teach us His words. Now, you are here! Thank you for answering the Call. Jesus heard our prayers and sent you to us!” 

Both Soeuth and I count it as a privilege to be able to work alongside such a Godly leader and ministry partner such as Pastor Dy. When we first met Dy, in addition to the already existing Srae Nouy Alliance Church, there were four other small house churches scattering over the northern part of Cambodia. These small groups were very young in their faith—about 4 months old Christians at that time. During the next four years of ministry, through the efforts of discipleship and leadership training, the groups grew from 5 into 21 village house churches! We were grateful that God allowed us to join Him at work in the Anlong Veng and in the Srae Nouy regions, at just the right time, to see Him moving and stirring hearts toward His kingdom.

Pastor Dy preparing his Sunday message

In mid-October, by faith, we mailed out a bunch fundraising letters to some of you concerning the Srae Nouy Church Building Project that we hope to raise funds for especially while we are still on home assignment this year. And many of you have generously responded! At this writing, we received about 95% of the total funds needed for this particular project! THANK YOU, LORD JESUS! And thanks to you, our dear supporters.

Greetings from the Srae Nouy Church families

In addition to the Srae Nouy project, we also have other additional Approved Special Projects: "Anlong Veng Ministry Center", “Northern Church Plant",  and “Soeuth & Syna Lao’s Vehicle Project” that we hope to raise funds for while we are still on home assignment. Would you prayerfully consider going a step further by supporting any of these Approve Special projects?

Concerning our immediate family, this Thanksgiving week was a bitter-sweet time for us. We welcome our children and grandchildren—all seven members of us were under one roof for a whole week! BUT this was also our last time together as a family, at least in a long while, because both Justin and Katie and their two children will soon depart for the Middle East early January 2022, Lord willing. They will serve as Alliance International Workers in that region for the next four years. We will be sad sending our precious loved ones away for a long period of time, but we are so PROUD that they say “YES” to the Call. Please consider extending your love and support and prayers to this dear young family as well.  Pray for their adjustment to the new culture and learning the new language and so on...

Some of you have been praying ever so faithfully for our youngest son, Jonathan. Thank you! He is doing well and thriving in a trade school located about 3 miles drive from our current home. He is half way through the HVAC-R one-year training program! Lord willing, Jonathan will complete his training by June 6. Meanwhile, we are looking and praying for a place with a family of mature Christians in the New Jersey areas, where Jonathan would be welcomed to live with, at least for the first year or two. We also pray for an HVAC-R related job for him to work after we both return to Cambodia in early July 2022. Although things look uncertain now, our God has always been very faithful to us and to our family in the past. We are trusting that HE is not going to fail us now, especially with the requests for the upcoming future concerning our children. We appreciate you joining us in these prayer requests…

Additional praises and prayer requests…

1. It has been a challenge effort trying to get any appointment with a local New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicle, because everything is still closed due to Covid restrictions! A few times already, we tried online registrations for an appointment. We even had to do it after a midnight hour! Even at these attempts, the earliest appointment we could get for a written driving test for Jon is not until January 3! By this rate, Jonathan may earn his HVAC-R degree before he can get a New Jersey driver license! Frustrated? Yes! But God knows what He is doing. Next prayer request is to look for a reliable but affordable vehicle for Jonathan to drive before July 2022. When we are not home to give him a ride, Jon walks 45 minutes to and from school!
2. It has been a very full, busy, but enjoyable fall mission tour. We have two more weeks of speaking after Thanksgiving. The spring tour is also a full schedule. It will begin on January 7. So far, we had opportunities to share with Alliance and with partner non-Alliance churches about what our God is doing in Cambodia. Thank you for your support and responses to the mission fields in Cambodia and around the World. 
3. Through frequent communications with some key church leaders, we learned that, as of today,  all 21 house churches in the Srae Nouy and in the Anlong Veng regions are still going strong! Pastor Dy recently shared that since we left, about 60+ new people had prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior! The small group leaders are busy preparing for the next baptismal service around Christmas time. It is encouraging to hear that new believers are looking up to God and relying on Him for all their needs instead of looking to their human-spiritual leaders for any help.
4. As of early November, the country of Cambodia loosened their restrictions. People are now free to travel across the country and with church activities are now back to “normal” again.

“Give thanks to the LORD for He is good. His love endures forever…” 

Do you have reasons to be thankful for this year? We are thankful for you! We appreciate your partnership in the Cambodian growing ministries. Some of you have been very faithful with your financial support giving to the Alliance Mission. Thank you! 

For some of you who have not been able to so do but are considering, please visit the CMA website, click “A Worker You Love” and type our names to give. Or you can also choose “A Project You Love" then type the name of the project and give. 

Your sacrificial donation to the Alliance Mission enables us to keep on serving God in Cambodia sharing the message of Hope in Jesus to Lost people in this part of the world. Thank you for your partnering with us in the Cambodian ministries.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Soeuth & Syna