Monday 22 February 2021

#232 - Time to Return: Praises and Prayers!

Vol.# 232 

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! 

I wanted to let you know that on March 1st I will be returning to Cambodia! Life there has not been at a standstill, but rather God has allowed church services and discipleship classes to resume on site. Schools are open and we just had an amazing Global Leadership Summit Cambodia conference on 17/18! We prayed and God did the impossible. In the midst of COVID-19 we had a big turnout for the conference with attendees who are leaders of influence from the government, education and corporate world, and from a non-Christian background! 

GLS CAMBODIA 2021!

God knew that I would not have been able to meet many of you face to face, but I have had opportunities to ZOOM and chat and messaged with many of you and I am grateful for your prayers for Mom and Dad! 

I remember when I was returning in 2011 and Pastor Chris had helped me to rewrite my personal mission statement: in the visible reality that I would be a teacher, mentor and servant, and in the invisible reality I would be an intercessory prayer warrior for Cambodia specifically for those God would bring across my path! In 2021 this has been adjusted. One of my main visible roles is as an ‘intercessory prayer warrior’ for the leadership of my church there, New Life Fellowship church, and its church plants. The leadership has graciously allowed me to partner with them in prayer meetings with the different leaders as well as with the Youth leaders at the church. I also have partnered and become a prayer mentor to the Director of Prison Fellowship Cambodia, Oun Muylen, and prayer partner to Director of BRAVE NGO, Sister Mel. 

Praise
My dad just celebrated being 94 years ‘young’ on the 18th February and I am glad I was able to be on site to be here with him and Mom! I say ‘young’ because the GREAT I AM is the AGELESS ONE so my Dad is a ‘young’ one! 


    CELEBRATING DAD'S 94TH!

Prayer Request
Please continue to pray for them to find a place with an ensuite laundry that is affordable and also for their continued good health. 

Praise
With the advice and support of siblings, we were able together to get important steps in place for my parents. I am blessed to have amazing siblings who have allowed me to monopolize my parents’ time while being here! 

Praise
God placed certain individuals to help me get my COVID-19 test for International travel. This test is on February 27th SO… 

Prayer Request
…I ask for your prayers that the test will be easy (the swabbing can sometimes be uncomfortable) and that it will be NEGATIVE and that I will be able to receive the results within the 24 hour time period. 

Prayer Request
With the COVID-19 precautions, my expenses have increased. I have to quarantine for 14 days in a government appointed hotel, since in the past week, two individuals who were in quarantine bribed a security guard and escaped and since then, there has been a community transmission and 32 people were affected! Usually I would have been allowed to self isolate at home since I live alone, and therefore no expenses, but now with this incident, I have to stay at a hotel! Please pray that the hotel chosen for me will be a good one. We all have to pay the same price but are not given the luxury of choosing which government hotel to quarantine in! Not all hotels are the same. PLEASE PRAY THAT COVID-19 TEST ON ARRIVAL WILL BE NEGATIVE AND THE COVID-19 TEST AFTER QUARANTINE WILL BE NEGATIVE!

Praise
In the past month there was a leak in my old washing machine that is on the rooftop. This affected the tiles so that the tile flooring on the rooftop had to be replaced. Why is this a praise item? God allowed this to happen while I was away so I would not have to deal with the noise of construction, the disruption of life with strangers coming in and out (and in this COVID-19 environment, not safe). As many of you know, this is my prayer room, on the rooftop, so I praise my God for allowing me to not be there. I want to thank God for Channak, Julia, Chetra, Lauren and David and Krong and Liep who have been checking in and looking after my place!

Prayer Request
Please pray for wisdom for Channak as he seeks to get a good deal for a new washing machine and a fridge for me. YES, my fridge (bought second-hand and my washing machine a third-hand bought in 2015) also died! Praying that both of these appliances will be in place by the time I get there, and for His providence over them! 

Thank you, my dance partners, for your continued waltz, salsa, hip hop (whichever style you prefer!) with me as I put my hand in His hand as HE leads me in this dance in the country chosen by Him for me! My continued request is TO BE ABLE TO LEARN TO SPEAK IN KHMER so that I CAN COMMUNICATE HIS HEART to those there in their heart language and to be able to PRAY IN KHMER! “So Father, please attune my ears and my voice to Khmer!” 

Please continue to send me your prayer requests and your stories so I can in turn go to the Heavenly Father on your behalf. It is an honor to join with you on my knees as we approach Him who sees you and hears you and listens to you, O precious ones! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

Monday 1 February 2021

#231 - Praise and Prayer: Blessing Packages and Discipleship

 Vol.# 231

 

It has been a while since I have written, so here is a quick update! 

 

My Dad has been progressively getting stronger and my Mom as well. We are so blessed to have the nurse and physiotherapist still come twice a week. Now Mom joins in with Dad as the therapist puts him through the paces! With the stricter lockdown rules, I am blessed to be here on site with them, and so I am able to do laundry and groceries, since my brother and sister cannot leave their homes. It is not a coincidence that GOD brought me here at this time!

 
Praise God

Blessing packages are still being delivered to church plants in the countryside back in Cambodia. There is still freedom of movement, and as of a couple of weeks ago, churches were reopened with the new COVID precautions! There have been no deaths due to COVID-19!

SHARING BLESSING PACKAGES AS WELL AS THE WORD IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Prayer Request

Economically, however, the country has suffered with factories having to close due to overseas contracts being cancelled. The garment factories employed a high percentage of Khmer, so with the unemployment, the need to provide for families has grown much higher. Pray that many would NOT turn to illegitimate ways of earning money.


Praise God

Two NGOs with whom I partner in prayer, Prison Fellowship Cambodia and BRAVE Ministry, have been instrumental in getting medical care and blessing packages of groceries out to those in the prisons and in the poorer areas in the countryside. I am honored to be prayer partnered with the Executive Director of PFC, Oun Muylen, the first Khmer female director of PFC, and Mel, who is the female director of BRAVE ministry!

 
Praise God

At New Life Foundation church, discipleship courses have been reinstated on Sundays after being online, and it is a joy to see the next generation teaching their younger counterparts about the Bible and having a relationship with Jesus!

DISCIPLESHIP CLASS

Praise and Pray

Global Leadership Cambodia, which will have the conference on Feb 17-18th, has had the highest pre-enrolment for the conference ever and this is during COVID-19 time! We have those represented from the government, corporate, and education sectors. It has been amazing to have those in high leadership positions pay to attend and to listen to top speakers who have spiritual influences within their own spheres! Many who will attend do not have a relationship with Jesus so they get to hear through these speakers of how to be servant leaders as role-modeled by Jesus the Christ! Please pray that the logistics to setting up the translation, the IT needed (because it is live online) will be accomplished without any snags!

 
I am enjoying listening to our own Pastor TJ online, and I am praying for the creativity as we adjust to sharing about our faith in Jesus!

 

Thank you for continuing to be my dance partners as I minister to those He has given to me! 


Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya