Dear Faithful Prayer Supporters,
Happy New Year! We trust you had a blessed Christmas season and a joyful New year. We can hardly believe that 2023 is already here! It feels like yesterday when we were dealing with all the issues accompanied with 2022. So, before another month slips by, we want to share with you some updates and a few highlights of what took place in December 2022…
Christmas at Boeng Beng Church…
Dec. 20: We joined a small group of believers to celebrate Christmas at Boeng Beng church in Malay district, about an hour drive from Poipet. Led by Lalin and Pheap’s leadership, a Khmer national couple from Poipet, the number of attendees grew to about 25 adults and many children. Lalin, a National Children ministry coordinator, has a special ministry reaching school-aged kids in the community. She and her husband, Pheap, travel from Poipet every week to teach and preach. On this special occasion, the children and their parents were invited. About 70 people participated-- 40 plus of them were children! Many of those who attended said that this was “My first Christmas celebration!” When Soeuth gave an altar called, four ladies responded and prayed to receive Jesus. From past experiences, we always asked people if they had any spirit strings after leading them to Christ. And if so, would they be willing to cut them off? One lady, Sokry, was willing to cut off a total of six spirit strings! She kept adding one string at a time whenever she discovered that her husband was cheating. When asked why she decided to receive Jesus, “I am tired of being rejected and betrayed and unwanted, over and over. If what Lok Kru (meaning teacher- referring to Soeuth) said is true, that Preah Yea-sue came down to earth to seek lowly people like me, well then, I believe! I want Jesus in my heart”.
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| 40 plus children joyfully participated in a Christmas celebration at Beong Beng for the first time! |
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| A lady, cutting off 6 spirit strings (her old life) to follow Jesus! |
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| Children paid close attention to the Christmas message! |
A Surprised Christmas Visit at Kabin Phlaov 3…
Dec. 22: As if it was previously planned, 11 key church leaders and their wives from the northwest region decided, individually, to pay a surprise visit to a Christmas celebration at Kabin Phlaov 3, (literal translation meaning the “merging of three roads”). Among the surprised visitors were Rev. Sok Sophon, a former KEC president, and his wife, Maram, and some of Tongsy’s dear friends—other elderly widows from northwest region. It was such a wonderful surprise to us all. Auntie Tongsy, the 83- year- old widow, the main hostess for this special event, had no clue that all these key leaders would show up at her doorstep! Her joy was so overwhelming that it moved to tears…
During the early 1980s, Tongsy and her six small children were living in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodia border with her drunken husband, then. It was inside the refugee camps that Tongsy and her children found true peace, happiness, contentment, and refuge through her genuine faith in Jesus Christ the Rock. Shortly after she received Jesus, Tongsy was mistreated harshly by her own husband. Whatever the reason, Tongsy’s husband seemed to take pleasure in beating up his wife and children, especially whenever he was drunk, which was almost every day. Sometimes, the beating was so severe that Tongsy was found unconscious for days at a time and with her body completely covered with cuts and bruises. He was constant demanding Tongsy to deny her faith. But no matter how severe the verbal and the physical abuses she endured, Tongsy remained faithful to God. In late September 1993, after the refugee camps closed, Tongsy and her family returned to settle their lives in Kabin Phlaov 3 where she became the founder of an Alliance church there. Even as Tongsy was a leader of this small church, her husband, then, would always look for opportunities to mock and humiliate her in front of people. In spite of the constant abuses, Tongsy was faithfully determined to practice forgiveness over retaliation to his evil deeds! Her unshakeable faith in Jesus and her willingness to remain living with a very difficult husband were an inspiration to all her six adult children, that they also became faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Sadly, in October 1999, her husband drank himself to death without having a relationship with Jesus.
Presently, Tongsy remains a faithful, vibrant, and fearless spiritual leader for this small remote Alliance church. As for distance, Kabin Phlaov 3 is far removed and remotely located from any Christian community. To visit this church, we drove almost 6 hours from Anlong Veng, (a 315- kilometer one-way trip), mostly on bumpy and dirt roads.
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| Auntie Tongsy sharing her joy and gratitude upon seeing many surprised visitors at her village. |
Because of the distance, we visited Kabin Phlaov 3 only a few times in the past few years, but we had always seen Tongsy or some of her adult children attending conferences or seminars in one of the central locations throughout the northwest region. Many times, she invited us to visit her place, but time would not allow us, until this Christmas season. On this appointed date, to see so many visitors from distant places surprised at her humble village, Tongsy was speechless and flooded with tears of joy beyond description. At the end of his messages, Soeuth offered another alter call where seven (7) ladies responded. And all seven of them cut off spirit strings.
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| Seven ladies prayed to receive Jesus at Kabin Phlaov! |
A Christmas Celebration on a Floating Village…
Dec. 24: Early morning on Christmas’s Eve, we took a truck-load of church members from Anlong Veng to join a celebration at Kampong Klang floating village. Similar situations as in Kabin Phlaov 3, families who live remotely on various floating villages found themselves lonely and isolated from other Christian community. They rarely received any visitor from the mainland. So, upon our recent visit, the hosting families rejoiced exceedingly upon receiving 20 visitors who packed into two boats full to join their Christmas celebration. We brought individual wrapped gift bags filled with school supplies, coloring pages, crayons, small toys, and some goodies as gifts for 68 children! While it was fun visiting the floating village, some of the visitors found the trip to be challenging due to the lack of adequate bathroom facilities. They were glad that it was only a short visit and everyone was glad to step on land again…
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| Visiting a floating village |
Christmas Celebrations at Poipet…
Dec. 29: Even though our original plan was to join the Living Water Alliance church for an evening Christmas celebration on Dec. 31- Jan.1, we decided to arrive a few days early just to visit with some church families. Shortly after arrival, we learned that another church nearby, Santepheap Alliance Church, was also doing their evening celebration on the 29th. We showed up unannounced at the appointed time, and what a wonderful surprise it was to everyone there. The beautiful thing about this celebration was the entire program was carefully planned, organized, decorated, and prepared activities and including meals—all were done by mostly youth and a few young adults! Our hearts soared beyond measure to see young people stepped up to serve and to get involve in various ministry capacities. Two families from that church who raise goats for a living. Months before Christmas, each of these two families decided to dedicate their first-born goat and to raise it for the Christmas celebration. When Christmas arrived, each family brought their fatten goat (s) to prepared for the Christmas feast. There was plenty of food to feed 150 people!
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| Christmas celebration at Poipet |
Dec. 31-Jan.1: When we arrived a few minutes before 4 pm (as was mentioned in the program), there was hardly anyone at the Living Water Church! Someone jokingly commended that they were following a “Khmer time." But as the evening approached, church people from various villages began to show up at a rapid pace. The leaders had 400 plastic chairs set up. Late in the evening, people were still standing to worship, because there were no seats. Every year, this church spent, on the average, at least $500-$800.00 for Christmas meal. This year, however, the families decided to contribute home cooked meals from their own personal expenses! There was plenty of food, 15 plus course meals larvishly displayed on two longs tables serving as buffet style, feeding nearly 500 people! Every expense was covered by each family’s personal expenses, and not a penny was taken from the church offering account. It was a beautiful site to see church families generously and joyfully gave, some families gave out of poverty. They all gave in various ways—through finances, times, and or services. The evening program ended at 10 pm, but many people lingering on around a bon fire roasting hotdogs, corns, and sweet potatoes. They stayed on to welcome the New Year and then slept in the hammocks, tents, and mosquito nets that each family brought from home. We joined the camping group and stayed up until 2 am then checked into our favorite and comfortable portable “hotel," our hammocks…
Dates and events needing your prayers…
- We have A LOT more highlights and stories still need to be shared, but not this time… Meanwhile, please continue praying for the well building situation that we have been trying to get done in villages where people are crying for cleaning drinking waters. As shared last month, even after three tries, we had failed attempts in Andong Chan. The same company went on to drill three more attempts at Srae Nouy but with meager results. For the first and third sites, after drilling passed 130 and 140 meters deep, were completely failures. The second site, after reaching 136 meters, produced about 1000 liters of water per day. We put pumps and kept it going. With extra fund added to their request, by mid- January, the same well company drill on the second site, again, hoping to go deeper for a chance reaching clean water level… We will also plan to build a well on the property of the Anlong Veng Ministry Center. Hopefully and prayerfully, they will not face similar problems in Anlong Veng...
- Currently, three different building companies are working closely with church leaders to discuss plans and strategies for three building projects: a library and a soccer field in Anlong Veng, and a church building at Srae Nouy. Our desire is to see the groundbreakings established (hopefully by mid- January or early February) and the foundations laid (by early March at the latest) while we are still in the dry season. Rainy season begins in early May. Pray that the church building committees and the construction companies would reach an agreement so the they can go on with building plans… Pray for the integrity of the workers (who are not yet believers) and the foremen (believers) who overseeing each of the building projects. And please, pray for safety and for protection for everyone, especially the workers… The believers all over Cambodia are bursting with excitement as they waiting with expectation for the 100th year celebration, January 26-28. Pray for workers, the organizers or overseers at every level—pray for strength and energies and unity. May the light of Jesus shine ever brighter at this celebration…
- 7 members of Field Leadership Team (FLT) met every two weeks via zoom for 9 minutes at each meeting to discuss plans and strategies for the field. On January 12, FLT is invited for a full day meeting with the National Church Committees (NCC) to discuss plans and strategies for overall Cambodian Alliance church. Pray for discerning hearts and unity for all as we seek to work for God’s kingdom purpose…
THANK YOU so much for your continual partnership in the overall Cambodian ministries in the effort to share the message of Hope in Jesus Christ to lost people in the country and around the world. Your generous donations to support Alliance Mission enables us to remain serving in the Cambodia. We greatly appreciate your partnership, your prayers, and your support.
It has been one year since we launched the fundraising for the Anlong Veng Ministry Center approved project. And supporters like you have been sending their generous financial support. The total amount needed to complete this project is $350,000. As of date, we’d received $176,393.74! Praise God for this amazing provision in such a short time. Lord willing, our heart desire is to see this project complete funded during the next few months or by early next year so we can carryon with the building plans during this three- year term serving in Anlong Veng. Our next home assignment is June 2025.
Won’t you join us to see this dream become a reality. To support this project, please send your donation, make it payable to the C&MA and write the word “Anlong Veng Ministry Center” on the memo line, then mail the check to The C&MA, 6421 E Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068.
To give online, please visit the C&MA website then scroll down to click on “find a project” then type in “Anlong Veng Ministry Center”. For detailed information about this project please refer to an attached file below…We are so grateful to God for you. May 2023 bring abundant blessings and true happiness to you and your family and ministry. With a grateful heart.
Blessings,
Soeuth & Syna Lao
