Cambodia Update (September 2005)

September 2005

Dear Family & Friends

It has been almost a month since I returned from my 'vacation with a purpose' trip to South East Asia. Thank you for all your prayers as we certainly saw the fruits of your partnership. In returning home after a rather hectic time in which my 'extroverted personality' was stretched to its limits, I have been a bit of a recluse preferring to be a "Mary" sitting still if you will, at the feet of Jesus. This process will be ongoing but for now I am grateful for what God has shown me and now the challenge is always how to respond. Henry Blackaby the author of Experiencing God once said 'I am convinced more and more that every solitary encounter with God is a moment of judgment. Whenever God speaks, whatever you do next reveals what you believe about God. And so when God speaks I always assume that I am standing in a moment of judgment because whatever I do next will receive either the blessing or the condemnation of God. These are strong words but we do well to heed them.

In reflecting on this 4th visit to Cambodia, the pace of economic development has noticeably increased. More roads are paved and the presence of traffic lights have made for a somewhat orderly flow. There are more cars (actually many Lexus SUVs and even Mercedes Benz would you believe) and a new air conditioned shopping mall reminiscent of those we see in North America with western type eateries. But in the midst of this change, the effects of the Khmer Rouge era still permeate the landscape. The contrast between rich and poor continues to widen, the ongoing corruption within the ranks of government remains, the sexual exploitation of children persists and the AIDS epidemic continues to leave its marks with many AIDS orphans. The list is endless as one thinks of the darkness that haunts the Cambodian people as a result of their past. Yet despite all of this, the Lord in His graciousness fixed my eyes upon what He was doing and chose to show me many places where His light is penetrating that darkness and giving hope to the lives of Cambodians through those who labor for Him in these challenging circumstances. One verse that God kept impressing upon my mind was from Isaiah 43:18-19, 18"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

While 90% of the Christian church was wiped out during the Khmer Rouge era, today the Cambodian church is growing at an astonishing rate of 30% annually. Indeed a whole new generation is being raised up in this impoverished land to worship the Lord. This was no more evident than at the New Life Foundation church in Phnom Penh which has about 300+ Cambodians and the Unacas Orphanage church which includes orphans and locals from the near by village in Biek Chen. Seeing a young 17 year old orphan Polla leading over 200 enthusiastic worshippers both young and old in a song called 'Walking In the Light" brought tears to my eyes as I thought of the passage from Revelations 7:9 -109After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. The Lord had not forgotten the seed He had planted so many years ago in this dry land and in the midst of the desert and barrenness, He is continuing to do a new thing. What Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge attempted to destroy, God had protected and a new and vibrant shoot was sprouting up in the desert.

In returning to visit Place of Rescue AIDS Centre & Orphanage it was another opportunity to see God's light shinning brightly as the 10 new orphan homes were completed and filled with young and old children. The play ground last year was just a figment of my imagination but now, it was fully operational with the kids laughing as they enjoyed the slides and swings. The vegetable garden which supplies food for all the orphans and AIDS families at the centre had grown and expanded. But perhaps the greatest joy was simply playing and spending time with the orphans and kids at the AIDS centre. Language is no barrier to having fun with children. They love to sing and dance and are not shy in performing the Christian songs they know or reciting the scriptures verses that they have been taught. With the tireless efforts and help of an OMF worker Cathy De La Cruz who has been serving at Place of Rescue, we handed out loot bags of an assortment of Canadian and Cambodian goodies for 240 orphans and AIDS kids that attend the monthly birthday celebration at the centre. What a privilege it was to pray a blessing over these precious ones and to ask our Heavenly Father to continue to pour His love over them daily so that they would be rooted and established in Him. One special treat was meeting my AIDS 'daughter' Theary, her brothers and her mum and being able to pray with and for them on a few occasions. Currently there is no known cure for AIDS, yet earlier this year the Rescue AIDS centre witnessed a miraculous healing of one of their residents from AIDS. We pray with faith and hope that God in His mercy would perform more miracles like this in the lives of these who live here so that they too will one day testify that Jesus has set them completely free from this disease.

Another place we visited was New Hope Ministries. You may recall in my August newsletter that New Hope ministries seeks to minister to displaced Vietnamese refugees who live along the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers in Cambodia. If one wanted to encounter a place of 'hopeless' and oppressiveness this was it. These Vietnamese refugees along with their kids have lived in squalor conditions for almost 4 generations in these colonies along the river. They have no rights under Cambodian law so they are unable to work or own any property. Their kids are unable to attend school and therefore, they have no opportunity to learn Cambodian or be fully integrated into Cambodian society. They are not wanted by their own native country of Vietnam and for all intent and purposes live in no-man's land. Living with uncertainty is a part of their daily routine for in any given day, they may be ordered to leave their shanty homes long the banks of the river for another unknown destination that the Cambodian government has for them. Yet in the midst of this 'captivity', God once again revealed to me that He has not forgotten those whom He has created. There is no darkness that Jesus' light cannot penetrate. He will do whatever it takes to reach out to His creation. Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15 With the help of a Canadian Vietnamese Physiotherapist and evangelist Khang Nguyen from the C&MA, and his two 'evangelist assistants', one of whom actually grew up in this very environment, the fragrance and aroma of Christ is touching the lives of these children through a weekly Kids bible club and school. The kids have an opportunity to receive a basic education and learn Christian songs as well as Christian values. As I reflected on their situation, I was reminded of a book I had read earlier this year entitled: Second Choice: Embracing Life As It Is by Viv Thomas. The author examines how the prophet Daniel learned not only to survive but also thrive in a place that was not his choosing, what Thomas calls "a second-choice world. Daniel's story is a profound testament to God's sovereignty and provision. Yet Thomas reminds us that "the world in which we live is itself a second choice. Things are not as they should be," and like Daniel, "we live our lives in the context of this dislocation. Daniel insists that second-choice worlds are not dumping grounds for failures; they are rather arenas in which to demonstrate the reality of God." As we live in our second-choice world, the knowledge that whatever or whoever has been the cause of our entering it does not possess the final authority over us, is transformational. Sickness does not rule: God does. Poverty does not rule: God does." The Lord alone is the One who has the power to "change times and seasons," and yes, even who we are; "for he is the Living God.

In closing, one of my prayer requests on this trip was that the Lord would continue to develop a 'Nehemiah' type vision in my heart and in so doing, I would have the opportunity to mobilize others to be involved in building His kingdom in Cambodia. Last year a documentary was put together to promote the orphanage ministry and a similar one is expected to be completed from this trip. God has already used this medium to touch one of my colleagues at work who earlier this year began supporting 10 orphans at Place of Rescue AIDS Centre & Orphanage. Recently he approached me again and asked if his wife could come with me next year in my annual pilgrimage to Cambodia. His reasons: she would like to be involved in promoting and fundraising for this orphanage. Praise God for this connection. Pray that I would continue to have favor with my work colleague Steve and that God will anoint this second documentary and use it as a tool to bring others to participate in rebuilding the broken gates and walls of Cambodia.

Secondly, in July of this year I had the opportunity to connect with the Ratanak Foundation in Vancouver (www.ratanak.ca). Under the leadership of Brian McConaghy, Ratanak is dedicated to bringing spiritual hope to the Khmer people by assisting Cambodia in rebuilding the social and medical services and equipping her people. I have been asked to consider being a representative for Ratanak here in Toronto and to possibly be involved with assessing and evaluating potential ministry projects in Cambodia through my yearly visits. Please pray with me that the Lord will clarify and confirm the extent of my involvement with the Ratanak Foundation.


Thank you again for your continuous support and encouragement and for taking the time to read these tidbits from my travels in Cambodia. Do keep in touch and let me know how I can pray for you.

For His Glory
Lisa