Vol. # 295
Blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I thought I would send you photos of how we prepared to celebrate the reason for the season!
At first sight, when you walked into the lobby area of the church, you would see this very tall Christmas tree and perhaps think, what is the difference between this tree in a church and one you would see in the big malls in Phnom Penh?
On closer inspection, however, what you would note is that the Christmas tree’s most prominent decor is made up of photos: photos of each member of our congregation and families! We wanted to point out the importance of relationships and people by having our members send in photos, and then we use them as the primary decor on the tree. This was done leading up to the Christmas week, and then on the final Sunday, our lead Pastor Samdy talked about the primary and most important relationship in our lives, that of Jesus the Christ, and the reason HE chose to come on earth! It was so much fun to see the members come in to try and find their photos and then take photos of it!
Also from the beginning of December, we did a fun shoot of pictures that we then put out on the church's social media highlighting different colours that the people can choose to wear to enter into the fun spirit of the season! See if you can find me in the photos on the poster!
I was surprised that I was invited to be on it as the only expat. I was there at rehearsals where they were doing the Cambodian version of Joseph and Mary with the traditional Khmer dance and song intertwined within the story. It was so beautifully presented with the involvement of the little kids doing their parts as the animals in the stable.
Like the rest of the world, the economy has been on a downward slide here in Cambodia, with finances being tight. So when the idea of having a booth and asking the members to donate towards gifts that would be won at the 3 Christmas services on the 22nd, I thought that we would not get much in way of donations. I was so proven wrong! From the youth to the older generations, we were blown away by the generosity of the people and I was told everyone was so excited to happy for each other when a gift was won! From those who had little, much was given, not only in resources but also in volunteer time to prepare for the programme as well as the physical preparations within the church.
As we enter 2025, I can look back and thank God for the lessons learned through the ups and downs. I cannot thank you enough for being my dance partners in His incredible time here in Phnom Penh! I know that this can be a bittersweet time. Many have lost loved ones this year; many have received unexpected negative health news, loss of jobs/income. I want to pray with you as Our Comforter and Prince of Peace comes in to literally ‘be with you’, His intimate Presence surrounding you in those moments when you are alone. May you know that HE came for YOU, that you are the ornament on our Father’s heart, the most precious gift. As the new year unfolds, and we step into 2025, I pray that you step in step with the Father, allowing Him to be the ONLY dance partner and leader, following His steps through the reading of His Word and spending time in prayer at His feet.
Prayer request: Please continue to pray for my aging parents and my big bro in Florida as we seek His miracle of healing and wisdom in next step of care.
Prayer request: As we launch our new church plant in Dangkeo in Phnom Penh, please pray for unity amongst the launching team of which I am a small part as I help in the establishment of a Skills Training programme in the new location.
Please send in your prayer requests as we continue together in this journey!
Love, His Warrior and Disciple,
Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,
Your sister, Vedya
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