#283 - Christmas Colours!

 Vol.# 283

As I sit on my rooftop this early morning, the breeze is cool, the birds are chirping and neither the sounds of the traffic nor the sounds of construction have yet begun. So it is with a grateful heart as I listened to my Christmas hymns in the background, that I write this final update for the Year 2023!

 
At the beginning of December, the call went out from the Creative team here at New Life Fellowship church for people to wear certain colours to herald in the season! The first Sunday was red, the second Sunday we wore green, and last Sunday was white/gold. This Christmas Eve, it will be any combinations of the above colours! It is amazing how many people in the congregation joined in the festive spirit and it was a bit overwhelming to sit at the far corner of the church just before the doors open to see a mass of people, all ages, wearing the specific colours for that Sunday, come walking into the church!

GREEN SUNDAY

PHOTOBOMBING LOKRU PISIT AND HIS WIFE ON WHITE SUNDAY!

 

It has been an unusually tough year all around the world, economically and financially, and within our own church salaries were decreased by ten percent. Many NGOs closed due to current economic situation, so that many within our own congregation had lost their jobs and are facing an unknown season. Yet here they all were getting into the community spirit to celebrate the greatest gift of Hope that is Jesus Our Christ! By the way, can either of you guess which colour I loved the best and which colour I will be wearing on this Christmas Eve?

YOUNG GIRLS CAME FROM MALL ASKING FOR FOOD

Last Sunday I was asked if I could stay to pray over the 60 students who were graduating from the first level from School of Ministry, a course that is given to teach many about the Bible, and setting up their discipline of reading and studying the Word. Along with the School of Ministry was the Life Guidelines (LG) class that introduces the new believers to baptism, cell group discipleship groups, and teaches how to practically introduce their new beliefs into a lifestyle that glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ. As I sat and listened teary-eyed to 2 testimonies given in Khmer  (understood 70 percent), and watched how many had chosen to take these courses on a Sunday morning and afternoon at the church, giving up their time to attend, I was thankful for the freedom we still have here in Cambodia to practise our Christian beliefs!

PRAYING OVER SCHOOL OF MINISTRY AND LG GRADS

Last Sunday Lokru (male teacher name in Khmer) Pisit, who is not only the head of Bible Society in Cambodia, but also an elder from our church and a worship leader on one of the teams, preached on the birth of Jesus and the 3 wise men. He played a short video at the end depicting the shepherds in the field looking up into the sky, seeing the bright star, and also the 3 wise men following the bright star. God brought certain questions to my mind: Which star do I follow? Is it Jesus or an earthly role model? The star was shining so brightly that I wondered, AM I a star for others leading them to Him, and what is making my star not shine so brightly? What is coming between me and my God? What do I need to do to make sure that the STAR, which is Jesus Christ for me, stays shining? Reading His Word, prayer, accountability to my spiritual leaders… Who is your STAR? What are you doing, my fellow dance partners, to ensure that the Star is not tarnished but shines ever so brightly for others to follow?

 
Thank you again for coming along with me on 2023! I look forward to dancing into 2024 with you being led by Jesus the Christ! 
For those who have lost loved ones this year, the Star may not be shining so brightly amidst the bitter sweetness of your loss, so I pray for His peace and gentleness to be over you like a warm blanket. 

 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#282 - Divine Appointments and Sticks!

Vol.# 282

Here I sit watching the fireworks from the rooftop of a hotel. It is the celebration for the Water Festival, and I am having a bit of a rest from the construction and heavy traffic from around my area! I am taking the time to ‘breathe’ and spend time in prayer in the midst of a busy time here.

 

We have moved our office space from the upstairs part of the church building to the lower floor. They are trying to minimize operating costs by occupying a smaller space for each ministry as utilities and air conditioning cost more in a larger space. So my group ‘Soul care’ with Youth Ministries, and Worship Team (part of the 5Ps) are all in the same shared space whilst other ministries are in other self-contained rooms. 

 

It was because of this move that when I was seated in the cafe waiting for the maintenance to put my cubicle in place, God put together 4 divine appointments. The first was with Oun Pisey, who works in the Finance Department, and also sings on the Worship Team. She came downstairs to buy an iced tea, and when she saw me, she came to sit with me. I got an opportunity to hear what has been happening in her life and then to pray with her.

 

This was then followed by Oun Sombath who was coming in to see Media personnel that is now located in the downstairs area. He saw me and came to talk and told me of his upcoming driving test and English test interview for possible admission to a South Korean-run university right here in Phnom Penh that specializes in the Arts. If he is successful in the latter, he can then apply for a scholarship to further his studies in Music. Again it was another opportunity to pray and also for him to practise his English with me! Since that day, he did pass his driving test and his interview was postponed until after the Water Festival holiday.

 

Still while there, I was sitting with Sister Meychen who is part of my team. She is in charge of teaching Bible courses and baptism and discipleship classes for those who have accepted Jesus and are new Christians. She also teaches one course in speaking English. She is a beautiful and gracious Khmer sister who is about to have her second child in late February. She offered to go with me to buy gifts for a baby shower for another sister in Christ here, and during our buying time we were able to have a conversation on life and His amazing grace over our lives.

 

Finally, Oun Sam, who volunteers and rarely comes in during the day, came in as the University students were having a special last day party for the year. I call him ‘Communion Sam’ to differentiate from Youth Leader Sam. Sam and I had to prepare communion for over 100 youth last year, hence the nickname! I had not seen him since my return, and he just came in and knelt down and put his head my shoulder (he is way taller than I am) and just stayed like that for a moment! I prayed a birthday blessing over him, and yes, I bought him his coffee as a treat! Oun Sam’s mom is a member of the Women’s Leadership team and also a single mom who has brought up her son to be kind and generous with a soft spirit! What a bonus to pray with and over him! 

 

As I look back on that Friday, I had thought that I did not have to come in that morning as they are still putting in the finishing touches to our office space, but felt led to go on in and I am very thankful that I did! It brought back memories of when I was the Coordinator of the Drop-In Centre at RAC and I had to change from being in the big room, where all the kids congregated, to upstairs at the entrance where they came in. I thought that I would be missing out on all of the action, but God in His grace made that space the ‘liming space’ for those who were coming in. They stopped and listened to my stating the rules of the Drop-In (I am sure not really listening, but more anxious to get in to play games and connect with their friends,) but then it became that space where they stopped to share something about their lives. I usually asked permission to pray with and for them, and it became the spot to be before going in where my Bro. Joe was supervising them downstairs!

Sometimes we think that God has us in a minor role but when we surrender that position to Him, He surprises us on how to use that for His glory! 

Then two days ago I attended an all-day seminar led by a Dutch evangelist who has been a partner with New Life Fellowship church for many years. The main focus of this seminar was to gather all of the church plants from the provinces in one room, and have a discussion on revising mission and vision plans for each of the churches. It was humbling to sit and see all of the leaders, men and women alike, discuss and then stand up and reveal on big sheets of paper what they envisioned for their church for the present time and upcoming years. As the representatives from each province stood up to declare their vision, the rest of us, comprised of the main campus and the other provinces, surrounded them and clapped and prayed over them. 

 

At the final session there were bamboo sticks on each table (I thought at first it was sugar cane and actually bit into one of them!). The speaker talked about the importance of Moses and his staff/stick, and how God used Moses’ obedience and a stick to accomplish His work and then asked each of us about what we each had to lay down in order to pick up His staff to do His work. We got a chance to individually write on a chosen bamboo stick (representing our staff) what we felt God was saying to us personally (after a period of silence and reflection), and then when we were ready, we put our sticks at the foot of the Cross, surrendering that particular dream/desire/vision. If that was not moving enough, suddenly one group picked up a larger and longer stick and put it on their shoulders lengthways. Then they began to slowly walk in unison to place that at the foot of the Cross! That necessitated team work with the same pace and rhythm, each one having had to put down the Moses’ staff they had individually envisioned and carried, to pick up the group staff, and then also trusting God with that particular vision, surrendering it to Christ for His timing and His way of accomplishing that vision! 

 

I am still debriefing in my mind all that God has said and will have individual conversations with those who attended it this week. What a blessing that seminar was, and also to see those expat organizations speak in Khmer to lead and bless those who attended.

I thank God for you who have been dancing with me at different rhythms and pace over the past years, and I am so grateful for your sacrifice of resources and time as you pray for and with me! Please keep sending your requests, as we are dancing together with Jesus as our Dance Leader and Partner in life! 

 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya  

#281- Flight, Champion Martial Arts Fighter, and Arrival!

 Vol.# 281

Thank you to all who prayed for me as I left on the 31st.

 

Both flights were smooth. God gave me the gift of having an empty seat between myself and my window seatmate, and another plus, she only got up once in the near 14-hour flight to go to the washroom! Boarding was also smooth and there was someone there to help me put my carry-on in the overhead compartment. 

The second flight was FULL and as we were slightly delayed in Toronto, by the time I cleared Customs again in Seoul, and walked that long walk to the boarding gate, I had about 25 minutes to chill. I met an older Khmer couple who now resides in the USA and we had fun just chatting. The boarding flight next to us was so loud that we thought that they were calling our flight to line up, and I went to line up thinking ‘hmmm this flight is not so full’, only to be told by the Korean Air attendant that we were not boarding as yet! LOL! 

 

On the second flight, I was amused when some older Khmer men were asking for selfies with my seat companion and his wife. When it happened a third time and the guy was so gracious in taking the photos, I turned to him and apologized and said, “I am sorry, but you seem to be known by everyone here, but I do not know who you are”! It turns out that he is a famous martial arts fighter coming in for a special event on Nov.5th and would be meeting with the Cambodian P.M. today! His name is Dave Leduc, he is from Montreal but has been travelling with his young family for his sports profession. Apparently he and his wife also won The Amazing Race Canada three years ago! 

We chatted a bit and it turns out that they just found out that day that they are having a baby boy (already have one son) and they were discussing baby names! They asked me what my name was and thought that Vidya was an original name with its meaning (wisdom, education…Hindi origin…vida means life in Spanish). They wanted to know if it is a boy or girl’s name. And in India it could be both! Then later on they both said, we got a name, and it was a brand name starting with As… and they were thinking of how to shorten the name into a nickname. I, of course, pointed out the obvious, that little kids playing in the playground would shorten the name to a not-so-nice word. (You all can figure it out as I have given you the beginning of the name!). Both Dave and his wife were laughing and thanked me for pointing out how the nickname might NOT be good for the kid! I blessed his wife with a healthy safe pregnancy and a no-injury tournament for Dave, as he will be fighting later on in the week.

 
So I got in, walked straight on to Customs, as I already had my visa. I was waiting on my luggage thinking that it might take a long time since we came in when it was raining, but I only waited for 10 minutes, and as I was struggling to get my suitcases off the baggage carousel, this Khmer woman came to help me take them off and put them on the trolley! I was met by Lokru Samdy and his wife Navy, and Bro. Krong and his wife, Liep. He is the head of church planting team ministry. Waiting for me at the house were Julia and her husband Chetra who were there to help me bring the suitcases up the 32 steps! Julia had the A/C on for me, and had milk, bread etc. in the fridge and yes, Ferrero chocolate with a welcome note. They said a prayer of blessing and covering over me!

I want to thank God for His gems for me. For my last Sunday at RAC, I had prayed and asked God for a blessing sign from Him, and guess what? HE GAVE IT TO ME! I had prayed and asked God for 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord O My Soul) to be sung and it was the last song sung! The previous week one of the seniors just randomly came up to me and said, ‘Vidya anytime I hear that song, I think of you but we have not sang it for a long time at church!’ I was so moved that I had to go down to the altar to praise our Jesus who would do this for me. HE KNOWS your heart and I just want to encourage my faithful dance partners, to seek Him and yes, to share with HIM each detail of your life, no matter how small you think it is! 

The other gem was that I was having brunch with my friend N, and as we talked, she said, ‘Vidya you are like an influencer’, (like the Tik Tok ones, not influenza, spreading bad germs!) in your setting’. Ramona, who had prayed over me on the phone, also mentioned the word ‘influence’ as being part of my mission here. Also when Pastor T.J. spoke on Eccl. 9.and 10 he talked about influence and seeking wisdom! I am overwhelmed of how God just drops these affirmations of mission and clarification of His plan for me in the last week. Even this morning as I woke early (I got in around 12:30, but fell asleep around 1:30 and woke up at 3) to have my coffee with Jesus, I read from Heb.3 these words, ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul…’ and I smiled thinking of my sending song so many years ago. The chapter talked about the greatness of God and I began to thank Him for the many things He had done for my parents while I was in Toronto, and I began to thank Him to start my day! As usual I cannot wait to hear the message on Sunday, as God always weaves a theme in His mission statement for me in my last week in Toronto and my first week back here!

 
Please continue to send me snippets of your life and your prayer requests. I am really humbled that you allow me to go to Our Father on your behalf! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#280 - Thank you and Prayer Requests

 Vol. #280

Thank you all for you welcoming words, gifts of time and resources, short chats in person, on the phone or via social media! 

My departure date is next Tuesday, Oct.31^st. The three months flew by quickly but I am grateful to spend the time focussing on my parents and with my siblings helping to get them the aid needed in this season. I know I will be having video calls with many of you when I return to my heart country. I am looking forward to continuing our life journey together with Jesus the Christ being our leader, and yes, the only Dance Partner who is the best leader at all times, because He knows the rhythms of the seasons of our lives down to the second, and is always there to guide when you and I spend time with Him!

 

Prayer Request: please pray for His presence to reign on Mum and Dad as I leave. It is a bittersweet time and I am very grateful to have parents who pray for and over me. Please pray that I would be able to release them back to Jesus unconditionally as I leave!

 
Prayer Request: please pray for travelling mercies; for on-time flight connections and my luggage arriving at the same time as I do back in PP.

Prayer Request: please pray for wisdom for me to ‘rest’ and not jump back into life there. Pray that the a/c repair team, the water filter guy and the cleaning crew all come when they say that they will and that I do NOT have to wait around for hours, BUT that if I do have to wait, that I would do so with His grace and humour!

 
Prayer Request: please pray that I would have good travelling seatmates (or NONE so I can spread out! LOL), and that I turn WOULD BE a good travelling seat mate worthy of Jesus!

 
Please feel free to send me your prayer requests as WE do this life together, albeit at a distance! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

 

#279 - Meet and Greet

 Vol. #279

Thank you all for your patience, as I have not written an update for a long time!

 

I have been blessed to have this time with my parents up in Scarborough, with my eldest brother visiting from Florida, and hanging out with my other brother and sister who live here. 

It is Thanksgiving weekend coming up and I just want to say how grateful and thankful I am to have what we Trinis refer to as “da bone country“, which is Trinidad and Tobago; my adopted country, Canada, which has allowed me to identify my skills and giftings and allowed me to grow; and my heart country of Cambodia where I am privileged to serve with and under my Khmer brothers and sisters for His Kingdom!

 

I was especially honored to have been invited to share at my brother Joe Raineri’s Celebration of Life on September 23rd a couple of weeks ago by my sister Ann, Joe’s wife.

 

I am grateful to my parents who showed me how to love and serve God in different areas, and to a community here, which is YOU who have walked the long road with me, sacrificing your resources and time investing into me so that I can serve and dance with Him now!

I would like to invite you to a Meet and Greet on Sunday, October 22nd at Rexdale Alliance Church after the church service at the Fireside Chapel. Here I will give you an update on His Ministry in Cambodia! I look forward to seeing you! 

 

Forever grateful to Jesus to be allowed to serve Him! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#278 - Quick update on ankle

Vol.# 278

 

Thank you all for your continued prayers. 

I just wanted to give you an update on my ankle.
I got an appointment at the Fracture Clinic on August 28th, and, yes, I received confirmation that the bone at the top near the toe is broken, but the good news is that it is being healed on its own. It will just take time. 

The doctor said, ‘what did you do?’ He said the bones are all aligned and there is nothing that he can do (put a cast on etc.). I should be careful not to put the full weight on it, no running, and to wear footwear with a solid foundation.

 

So, thank you that God has already done the healing from within the bones. I just have to be patient! 

It has been so good to see many of you at RAC and to visit with old friends! I am with my parents in Scarborough. Thank you for your prayers on their behalf.

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya  

#277 - A Fracture!

Vol.# 277

Thank you for all your welcome notes!

 

I just wanted to give you a quick update on why you have not seen me up and around. Back in June, when I went on missionary trip to the province in Phnom Penh, I fell. Since then my ankle has not healed properly, so I went to a Walk-In Clinic here and was given a requisition to get my ankle and lower leg X-rayed. Thankfully I was able to get this done within 2 days and last week Thursday the results came back that I do have a fracture. So now I am awaiting an appointment at the Fracture Clinic at Centenary Hospital to see what is the next step in care for my ankle. 

I do ask for your prayers for:
- an appointment sooner rather that later.
- the correct diagnosis and then correct treatment for my ankle/foot.

 
Thank you all, and I cannot wait to see you either at Rexdale Alliance Church or for chats elsewhere! Meanwhile, please continue to send me your prayer requests and stories of your summer time. 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya  

#276 - In Toronto! Prayers Answered!

 Vol. #276

 

Thank you for your prayers and because you prayed…

- I thought I was leaving on the 23^rd, Sunday night, but in reality I was leaving early on Sunday morning, 15 minutes after midnight on the 23rd! So I had to be at the airport on Saturday night, not on Sunday! Thankfully Ian and Ramona reminded me; otherwise I would have been there at the wrong time! So I am thankful I sent out specific prayer requests to you all.

 
- Due to the Elections many of the taxis, the tuk tuk drivers, and friends here were away at their hometown to vote, so it would have been a bit difficult to get to the airport. But, because of YOU, I got a message from Sister Chakriya and her husband Lokru Darith, whose hometown is Phnom Penh, that they were thinking of me and wondered how I was getting to the airport, and offered to drive me there! My usual drive, David and Lauren, had just left for the USA the previous week.

COMMUNITY AT PP

- As I was on my way to the airport, I got a text from my friend Julia who had come with her husband to my place to help take my suitcases down the 32 steps, and who were going to lock up and check on my place and all she said was, ‘Vidya’, and I thought, ‘oh no, where is my carry-on?’ I had forgotten my carry-on at my place! Well bless them, they both got on their moto and sped through the streets with my carry-on to bring it to the airport for me!

JULIA (front), CHETRA (in blue on R) BROUGHT MY CARRY-ON BY MOTO!

 

- I had not seen my former student Oun Kim-Ly from Rescue for over 2 years and yet he came to see me with his sister. What touched me was that he also has not attended church for 3 years, and yet there he was praying over my travels in public at the airport! This is an answer to prayers made for him in unity with Oun Sreyleak, so I hope this is an encouragement for many of YOU who have prayed for loved ones who have stepped away from the Lord.

OUN KIM-LY,  FORMER RESCUE STUDENT

PRAYING OVER ME AT AIRPORT

- I had asked that I would be a good seatmate, and I got a chance to help the older folks sitting around me. The one man who sat in the window seat kept getting ‘lost’ from finding his seat each time he got up to go to the washroom on the plane so I had to be alert to wave to him after he kept walking by our row!

 
- My suitcases were right there as soon as I got to the carousel. Each one was just coming by as I got there so I did not have to wait.  My sister Sita was there to pick me up at the airport! Thank you Sita!

 
Again, thank you for your prayers! I am here in Toronto.

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#275 - Prayer Requests for Travel July 23rd.

Vol.# 275 

Good Saturday morning to all! 

Thank you for always praying for and with me. I would covet your prayers as I travel on the 23rd back to Toronto please! 

- The day that I am travelling is Election Day here. By 3-ish all polls are closed and people have begun to travel to their hometown where they are registered in order to vote (reminds me of Joseph and Mary travelling re: census time back to their hometown!). Please pray that all workers will be at the airport so that there are no delays.

 
- Pray for favor at Customs at Phnom Penh as well as at S. Korean airport.

 
- Pray for no delays at Phnom Penh since my layover is about 2 1/2 hours at Incheon International airport. There have been delays of up to 2 hours at PP in the past few weeks!

 
- One of my friends who was travelling from Incheon had a 4-hour delay on the tarmac there! They had to stay on the plane for the entire time. I would ask that there is no delay, but if it happens, that HE would give me HIS SUPERNATURAL GRACE. I find it claustrophobic to be within the confines of the plane for so long.

 
- Pray for good seatmates and that I WOULD BE a good seatmate as well!

 
- Pray for safety and that my luggage will arrive when I do.

 
- Pray that I would have the time to visit those with whom HE wants me to spend time before I leave and not be too tired. 

 

- Construction is ongoing beginning at 6:30 in the morning here and it is all week including Sunday. Pray for rest in spite of the loud sounds!

 
I look forward to reconnecting with you, my fellow dancers! 

This is the first time in a long time that I am returning during the summer! I am usually there in the winter. I pray that with no delays I can be on site on the 24th for my Mum’s birthday! 

Thank you for your prayers. I rest assured because I know you intercede with and for me. Please send me your requests as well. 

See you when I see you (a Khmer saying here)! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#274 - Proveng Province Trip in Photos

 Vol.# 274

Whew! 

It has been a whirlwind of events since I last wrote and asked for your prayers for the mission trip to the province of Preveng! There are so many pictures and images to sort through, but I also needed time to process our time there at our sister/plant churches. So through a series of pictures I hope I can capture the answers to the prayer requests that I gave in my last update!

 

Thank you again for faithfully partnering with me in prayer!

- Photo#1: Our group comprised of the Support Team from my Friday morning devotions plus one other person from the 5P group meeting at 6:30 to board the small bus to Preveng. We held hands and prayed in a circle (much to the bemusement of those walking by on the street and the tuk tuk drivers awaiting their passengers!) for His safety before we boarded the bus.

 

- Photo #2: On the bus! Missing 3 of the crew because they were sitting up front and could not be in the picture.

 

- Photo#3/4: In Scripture the killing of the fatted calf symbolized the feelings of welcome and celebration! The first thing I noticed as we got off the bus and walked into the yard was the pastor of the main church at Prey Kuy, Lokru Eang Samoeurn, tending to the roasting of a calf in preparation of our meal that evening! Each household in this part of the countryside has chickens, cows and, if it is possible, a fish pond to be self-sustainable in providing for their household as well as to sell in the local market to have money to pay for their day to day needs. I saw the man-made pond that they had dug out a few weeks previously and was beginning to put fish into them to harvest.

 

- Photo#5/6:  Davann, Lokru Samoeurn’s helper, Sister You Im (Lokru S’s wife) and his sister-in-law were there to greet us and show us where we were to sleep. You can see the inside of the church where we put our sleeping bags and where we would be painting a second coat of paint on those walls.

- Photo#7: Blank wall before the word “welcome’ in Khmer would be written.

 

- Photo#8-12: One of the objectives of this mission was to physically get the church ready for its opening in the new building, by not only painting the logos and the building itself, but also by planting flowers and trees in the front and back yards. When we went to buy the flowers to be planted, I just felt I had to contribute by buying 3 fruit trees as well! Those of you from Trinidad are familiar with the fruits ‘pommecythere’ or golden apple and pommerac. When I asked which fruit trees would be helpful in providing a sustainable resource to be sold in the market for their personal income, these 2 were chosen! The third one is milk fruit plant that is also a popular fruit here in Cambodia. I was able to plant these and pray over the fruit for years to come as well as to pray over the spiritual fruit that would be yielded from this church plant Prey Kuy in Preveng province!

 

- Photo#13: Another objective on this trip was to go and visit and pray for different households. So we separated into smaller groups and this is my group on the Saturday morning!

- Photo#14: This is Nekru Eang Phoung. She has been labouring in her community for many years! This dedicated servant of God met us and we had to walk/moto to the place where kids and older people were waiting for us. She is in her mid-thirties and has such a passion not only for God but also for those in her community!

 

- Photos 15-19 show some of the kids and elders from her community. They had been waiting for us to arrive to do some games, give out treats and exercise books, share His gospel and then pray. I was asked if I had a message (impromptu) and all I sensed God saying was to say ‘thank you’ to those who were older and had worked so hard for their families, most of them women from the village.

 

- Other photos: Praying over a young kid who had a problem with his leg. Praying for a young woman who felt sick all the time, and depressed. She had the red string around her wrist as she had prayed to different idols in order to be well. As we prayed, Oun Makara and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to come and be over her, to be the One who prompted her to ask if she should cut off the string as a sign that now she trusts in Jesus Christ and wanted to be free from other spirits! Well, as we prayed, she herself asked that the string be cut off her hand! So many prayers were asked for physical, emotional and spiritual healing!

 
I want to thank you for your prayers not only for myself but also for the team. I sprained my ankle, and that Saturday morning as I got up early and watched the pastor feed the chickens and prepare the breakfast with his wife and others for us, I could hear the doubts in my mind such as ‘Vidya, you sprained your ankle, how can you go to pray for others who need healing? Will you be a distraction to your team as attention will be on you and not on those you are serving?’ Then as I prayed, God said, just obey and go and I will give you what you need as you go along! So I went and am so grateful that Our God is the provider not only of strength but also of His discernment as we prayed and gave encouragement to those we met.

- My team: They came to my house to pray for my ankle WHICH IS SO MUCH BETTER! Thanks to Lauren who has been helping me as well! 
God uses us when we obey Him. We may think it is a small thing but nothing is ever too small in His kingdom purpose!

 

Thank you again for your partnership with me here in my heart country! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya