Vol.# 246
Safe!
That is the one-word message that was being transmitted between all of us from the different ministries at New Life Church Foundation! Three of the staff who worked in one area in the office had tested positive for COVID-19. They all lived at the Girls’ Dorm (comprised of 99 percent of ex-students from Rescue Orphanage). 10 out of the 15 girls had contracted the Delta Variant and were transferred to the care facility especially for the COVID-19 cases in order to stop the transmission going any further. The city officials had already cordoned off their house with the yellow and black ‘do not cross’ tape. I had gone in to do the rapid COVID test along with others. The leadership here have bought the tests so we can go in to be tested. So I was ‘safe’ meaning I tested negative! I would have to do it again 12 days later!
COVID19 TEST: SAFE!
As I write this, all of the girls are still at the care centre and the remaining 5 are in quarantine. They have to wait until the government officials go in and do the tests again. I just got a message that it is 21 days for the Delta variant here so one more week for the girls! Now it is the Phchum Bunh (Buddhist holiday for making offerings to the monks for the ancestors).
Prayer Request:
Please pray against discouragement for these girls. I praise God that they were all vaccinated so the symptoms are mild to moderate. No one has had problems with breathing, only a high fever and tiredness for all! There are a couple who are HIV positive and have not been vaccinated, so I ask for prayer especially for them. Their immune systems are already compromised but they have been doing well on their HIV medicine from an early age at Rescue.
SO, I am in a new season here at New Life Fellowship. I have switched from the Skills Training Centre since they are online for 3 classes, and now I am part of what is called the 5P’s. This is made up of the soul care/prayer team, the worship team, the youth team, the School of Ministry team (teaching the Bible), and the Life Guideline (youth are being trained on evangelism and becoming disciples of God). Sounds like a mouthful, eh?
My role: I have begun meeting one on two (as opposed to one on one) with the Worship team, one meaning myself, and two meaning with the Worship Leader and one other person. This came at their request. I meet to listen and then to pray, asking each about their personal vision statement and just waiting on the Lord as I pray with each one. Then the head of the 5P’s, who is Lokru Pheaktra, asked me if I could meet with the heads of the above ministries to get a summary of what they do so we can then put it in a booklet form. So after the holidays here (I am still doing some work at home), I will meet with Oun Sreylin from the HR department to work with her on a format. She will be doing the Khmer translation and I will work on the English translation.
Prayer Request:
Wednesdays are the days when I meet to hear the heart and often when I get home I am very tired. I do pray a cleansing prayer but it is usually a long day since I am up by 5:15am and at work by 7:45am. I leave around 3:30pm, so I am home by 4:00pm! I will be meeting with more people now on a Wednesday and a Tuesday since I am onsite at the office, so pray for discernment and wisdom as I first listen to His heart and then to those I am meeting. One of my spiritual mentors sent me a message he had been listening to and the words comfort and refuge resonated with me, as those were the words God gave to me for those I meet! We are in a building up phase so I pray for His creativity as I approach each individual!
I also have the privilege to continue to do a Bible study with Oun Muylen. We just finished the book of Esther online together and I asked her what was her big ‘takeaway’ from our study together. I thought it would be how we saw the concept of beauty being changed from the outward appearance of Esther in chapter 2 (her beauty, her treatments, the best clothes being given to her) to the inner beauty of the process of her finding the courage to be brave and to advocate for her people in the later chapters! However, Oun Muylen said the main lesson for her was HOW Esther solved problems and how she became independent through the prayer and fasting and then waiting on God’s timing to solve the problems! In Khmer culture it is truly a man’s world in leadership. Therefore, to see how Esther wisely chose a banquet and the request for help to pray for the words and timing of her requests to those in authority over her were most helpful to Oun Muylen here and now! I love how God truly showed Himself to her as the I AM in this cultural context of her Cambodian experience! She had excitedly asked for us to still meet and I suggested the book of Ruth and she started to laugh! She said, “Bong Srey (older sister), I was just about to ask you if we can study Ruth’s life!” Don’t you just love how God fuses the same idea together in our minds? Truly I am excited to dive into the book of Esther with her on a Friday morning!
One of the things I am specifically doing with the Soul Care Team is to translate the testimonial story of individuals they reach out to. As I listened to the halting Khmer/English words of one of its leaders trying to communicate the story of one person receiving a blessing package, I was a bit frustrated because I was not capturing the essence of the story. So, sensing this, the leader said, “Bong Srey, I will show you a picture!” This picture is what I now show to you! It is one of a woman who has two kids, who worked cleaning and preparing the rooms for the KTV (Karaoke Television business). However, with COVID, the government has closed down all of the entertainment industry. The foreigners have ceased coming in with the travel restrictions, so there are no jobs. The plight of this woman was told to a cell group leader from the church who went to visit to give the package of food supplies, and was able to share a bit of Jesus’s heart with her and others living at the garbage dump! I just looked at the picture and was able to write out this story!
Prayer Request:
Please pray that I would be able to communicate each person’s story authentically, and not dramatically modified, so that those who are listening will be able to invest not only financially but spiritually and emotionally for these individuals!
As I continue to peel off the layers from the mission/vision statements of these teams, I will be able to write and let you know about each of the specific ministries at New Life Foundation Church! I am excited about this new project, so I ask for prayer as I collaborate with Oun Sreylin and those that I meet. I pray that they get reenergized when they go back to the reason they joined each of these ministries, and that His fresh breath will be upon not only them but also myself!
ONLINE SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY WITH THE INFORMATION MINISTRY
Praise:
I got the opportunity to go to pray over and with Oun Pov who used to be the director of the Skills Training Center where I was teaching. It was free and a supplementary form of education for those Grade 8 and up. Now he is the Principal of New Life School that is under the auspices of New Life Foundation. This school is for all ages from JK to Grade 12. It is a ‘paying’ school founded on Christian principles. All staff members are Christians here but the students come from various backgrounds. They just moved into a new building that was donated to them and just this past 2 weeks, it was one of only 13 private schools that was allowed to be opened by the government! The government officials went in to check for COVID-19 precautions and were pleased by all the safety protocol that had been established by the school. All the teachers were tested at a government facility (not the at-home rapid COVID testing kits), and the students themselves have been vaccinated, down to the youngest one! So there I was on the rooftop of the school praying with Oun Pov. Later on I was able to invite both him and his wife to dinner to celebrate the news of her pregnancy! We had not met for one year since COVID but had remained in contact through social media! What a blessed couple and I am honoured to be part of their prayer/mentoring team from the time I had started to teach at Skills Training Center over 2 years ago!
PRAYING ON SCHOOL ROOFTOP WITH OUN POV 
DINNER WITH OUN POV AND HIS WIFE, OUN SREYLEAK
Thank you for your continued sacrifice of finances and prayer encouragement for His purpose here in my heart country of Cambodia! Please continue to share your life journey with me so I can have the awesome honor of going to my Father on my knees for you and also to dance with you as well!
Love, His Warrior and Disciple,
Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,
Your sister, Vidya
