Dear praying friends and family,
We trust you are doing well by the grace of God. The rainy season in Cambodia continues at full speed, making everything wet and muddy. It also brings refreshment, cooling the heat and lowering the humidity, and making everything green and lush… A lot has happened since we last sent you a newsletter. Below are some of the events that took place because of your prayers…
Roads to Hope in
Cambodia…
August 26-Sept 4, we had the privilege of hosting a trauma
counseling team called Roads to Hope (RTH) from Hawaii, who came to Anlong Veng
for the fourth time to minister with us among the church families in the
northwest region. Using their trauma-counseling expertise, we planned workshops
for children and adults in various regions. We had multiple workshops for
children and students, helping them to deal with fear, nightmares, and other
traumas caused by the recent war. The workshops included role-plays, skits, and
fun, relatable activities designed to help children understand what happened
and support their overall physical and emotional well-being. With permission
from school teachers, we addressed the root causes of their situations and
pointed them to God for ultimate solutions. In Poipet, at Hope School,
sponsored by a local Christian NGO and staffed mostly by Christ followers, students
learned Bible verses and could recite the Lord’s Prayer! Overall, we had
opportunities to conduct five different workshops for children, where a total
of 390 kids participated…
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| Students at Hope school find creative ways for entertainment as their playground as covered by rain water |
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| Soeuth guided students in fun activities during workshops at Hope school |
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| Children received animal shaped balloons after workshops |
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| Students lined up to welcome the Roads to Hope team |
Workshops for
Adults and Families…
Leveraging their specialties, we also held three different workshops
for church leaders and school teachers. For church families, the team focused
on the two requested topics (“The House of Marriage” and “Biblical Parenting”)
in Popel village for 140 people, and discussed the same topics at Living Water
Alliance church in Poipet, where 84 people participated. During an afternoon
workshop in Popel village, a heavy rainstorm abruptly interrupted us. Overall,
despite the interruptions, everyone seemed to enjoy the fellowship. These
workshops were the first large gatherings for many of our church families since
the December 2025’s war. Because of the constant fear related to last year's
wars, many large gatherings among the church families were either canceled or
postponed. These recent workshops offered opportunities for people to step out
of their routine farming life and meet other believers with similar life
circumstances.
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| 140 people participated in Family workshop at Popel village |
Workshop for
School Teachers…
Although most of the Along Veng’s school teachers are not
yet believers in Jesus, they were quite interested in participating in the
workshop, which was held at the Firm Foundation Alliance church. The RTH team
conducted a half-day workshop for 35 teachers, helping them understand the
differences between boys and girls and identify effective methods to teach and
nurture each child. All teachers who participated in the workshop expressed
deep appreciation for the Roads to Hope team for helping them better understand
their students. They even invited the RTH team, “Please come back again soon.”
Visiting the
Floating Village…
On Sept 3, we took the Road to Hope team to Kampong Khlang
Floating Village, their first time visiting a floating village. Over the past
year, while we were away on home assignment, the families in this church suffered
much of their own. Being isolated from other church groups and having endured
many hardships, they felt discouraged and abandoned. Our timely visit
encouraged the few faithful families who chose to remain loyal to God and
steadfast in their faith journey…
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| Visiting the floating village |
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| Boat ride to the floating village |
Envision Team
Ministries…
On the same day we dropped off the Roads to Hope team at Siem
Reap International Airport, we also picked up an Envision couple, Shaun and
Richard Standford, who came from upstate New York to join us for two months. With
a willing heart to serve and a genuine love for children, the Standfords seemed
to fit in well with the established ministries in Anlong Veng. Every day, while
Shaun rides her bicycle to teach two English classes at a local school, an
English class at Toul Prich village, and a beginning guitar lesson at the Firm
Foundation Library, Dick also rides his bicycle to work on the church grounds,
doing various odd jobs at the library. We are so grateful for their YES in
answering the Call to serve whatever and however God allows them to do…
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| English class at Toul Prich |
Dates & Events needing your prayers…
- Last month, we asked you to pray for the youth
rally scheduled for Sept. 5 at Siem Reap church. The event went well. 98
participants from seven different locations came together for a half-day
fellowship. Because many young people suffered from low self-esteem and a lack
of confidence, Soeuth shared an encouraging message on “Identity in Christ,”
based on Jeremiah 29:11, and challenged them to seek approval from God.
98 youths participated in a rally in Siem Reap church 
Young people visited Angkor Wat after youth rally in Siem Reap - Many of you have been asking about and
faithfully praying for Syna’s family, who live on the West Coast. On Sept. 5th,
Syna’s mother celebrated her 95th birthday with family and friends.
Recently, Mom went through a few scary episodes where she was rushed to the
Emergency Room repeatedly for heart-related issues. By God's grace, Mom remains
steady and strong at her age. Happy Birthday, Mom!
Syna's mother celebrating her 95th birthday - Praise God that all nine young people from Toul Prich Village successfully passed their 12th-grade exam! On our way to the youth rally in Siem Reap, one girl shared, “During the exam, I was so scared, but I remembered what Teacher Syna told me: the many positive characteristics that God sees in me; so, I just repeated to myself these words: I’m smart. I’m beautiful, I’m a child of God. I can.’” September 16-17, we took four girls form Anlong Veng to visit colleges and Bible schools at the capital city.
- Sept. 12, we had a work day for school-aged kids
at the Firm Foundation church grounds. Because it was a volunteer effort, we
didn't think many would show up on a Saturday during their summer break. But on
the appointed day, 35 people- kids and adults came.
Young people participated in a working day at FF church - Taking advantage of a long school break, we tried to plan fun opportunities for kids to enjoy one another. Many of the children came from very dysfunctional families who hardly had the opportunities to enjoy themselves as children. We hoped these fun moments would give them a chance to enjoy their childhood and let them know they are loved, cared for, and cherished by us and by God.
- Sunday afternoon of September 13: We scheduled a
cooking contest day for kids ages 11 and up. The kids were divided into two
groups and received a small budget for purchasing food supplies and preparing a
two-course meal for their team. While Soeuth took them to the wet market for
shopping, Syna gathered supplies and ingredients including pots and pans and
charcoal ovens. After two hours of shopping, intense preparing, and cooking,
the two groups presented a fest of four-course meal (two dishes of soup and two
dishes of stirred fry) to share with everyone. Everyone had a great time and
asked if we could do this event more often. We desire to help the children learn
responsibilities in meal planning, budgeting, and have fun while doing it.
Overall, it was a successful first attempt…
140 people participated in family workshop at Popel 
FF Church kids learning to budget and prepare meals - September 19 is another youth rally event at Koakspean village when young people from three different locations come together for an all-day fun and fellowship. We are anticipating about 100 participants. So far, about 25 youth have already signed up to go from Anlong Veng church.
- Please continue to pray for the TEE workshop in Svey Sisophon.
- Sept 26: the National KEC Youth Committees will have a Zoom meeting to plan and set up goals and activities related to the overall KEC National youth ministry.
As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support.
Your generous financial support toward the Alliance Mission Great Commission
Funds enables us to remain serving in this part of the world sharing the
message of hope in Jesus to people who are without hope.
With a grateful heart,
Soeuth & Syna
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| Rains brough beauty to plants |
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