Vol.# 258
Thank you all for your prayers.
The Global Leadership Summit Cambodia seminar in Siem Reap went well. The IT/Media Head of GLS, Bro. Chris, came in from the Philippines, and went up a couple of days earlier to train the young media staff there on how to run the seminar online. Then I went up with Lokru Mara and his wife Leah who are the Country Directors of GLS Cambodia, accompanied by GLS Director of GLS Asia, Bro. Raymond W and our own event coordinator Sister Kimlang.
You prayed that I would not be carsick and I was not on the 6-hour trip up! We just had time to drop our bags off at the hotel and went directly to the site which was the compound of International Christian Fellowship (ICF): 6 acres of land which has been transformed into a water park and a training facility with a school that provides free education and free food for all of the students there. ICF also provides free clean cold water for the surrounding area. It is amazing to see what they have accomplished up there! The GLS seminar was for their staff, the Khmer and foreigners also. There will always be glitches when running an online seminar for the first time, and the seminar was held in one of those huge corrugated steel containers that had been converted into a meeting/worship place! This can get quite hot even though they had 4 of the hugest fans I have ever seen in my life there. So the IT/Media staff did an incredible job with the sound system and clarity of pictures for the onscreen teaching seminars!
Feedback on the content:
Everyone was excited and said the leadership content was very good, and that having different speakers from all walks of life represented a balanced view of leadership at high, intermediate and low levels of influence! HOWEVER, if you did not have a high level of literacy in English, some of the content was difficult to understand even though we had subtitles at the bottom of the screen. The curriculum books that we handed out were both in Khmer and English. The MC was their own Khmer youth leader who did a fantastic job with icebreaker games in the morning and after lunch when all of us were sleepy!
We came back after another 6 hours of driving from 6:30 pm to midnight since one of the leaders had an early morning flight out from Phnom Penh. We are still debriefing but happy that other organizations like YWAM and World Vision want to collaborate with us to bring GLS to different provinces in Cambodia. The leaders out in the countryside are hungry for this while the interest is not as high for those in the city who have access to many programs and leadership seminars.
Praise:
On the trip up I got to hear from Lokru Mara, an elder and pastor from New Life Church, on how a couple of church plants were started. One started from a woman who had a family member who was very sick. She went to Lokru Mara asking for prayers of healing and the member was healed! From that tiny seed and also Lokru Mara going up once a week to encourage and have Bible studies there arose the planting of a church! After hearing so many of his stories, a decision was made for Sister Kimlang to transcribe those stories into a book! Sister Leah felt God was telling her to write a book some years ago but she kept saying about what? Then in the car in over 10 minutes, all of it came to fruition with the main players together! I love seeing how God puts His people together for His purpose in His timing!
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| AT CHURCH PLANT TOUL SAN KAYE |
After finally getting a hotel that would accept 3 adults in one room, the time set aside went well. My 2 Khmer leaders do not have air conditioning and TV at their respective homes, so we adjusted our times to talk and pray according to each of their needs. One slept in until 9, whilst the other one was up early so we could talk and pray. It was a 'heavy' time that first night listening to the ways they felt unsupported by their leaders and the burden of carrying the ministry on their shoulders. One of them was actually going to quit! I did not know the extent of the brokenness because it was hidden so well by both, but I thank God for all of you who pray that I would be led by His Spirit and that I would listen to His heart. Due to your prayers I knew that something was not right, so the decision was made to have this retreat! And I got the blessing of their respective leaders for these 2 to have an extra day off as well!
Prayer Request:
Please pray that I would know how to help and give counsel and not break the confidences of these women to the leaders affected. Changes have to be made but I need to know not only what words to speak and when within the Khmer context but also to balance grace with truth for all involved!
Prayer Request:
Pray against the backlash of envy that these 2 and I went on this mini retreat. I have been hearing “Bong Srey Vidya has blessed them, I wonder when we will also be blessed!” I pray that people will celebrate each other's blessings and not be resentful or jealous.
Prayer Request:
Please continue to pray for Mum and Dad. Mum has to have gall stones (gall bladder) removed so we are waiting for a surgery date. She was and has been in so much pain that we are praying for a surgery date sooner rather than later! Dad is continuing to take new medication and vitamins by the doctors for his own health. Thank you for praying for them both!
Prayer Request:
Please pray that those I encounter here would WANT to take up the Bible to read, to hear His voice, and not view the Bible as some historical document that does not have anything to do with life now. I am trying to encourage many to download the yearly Bible reading schedule and to set apart that special time to meet with Him!
Thank you so much for your sacrifice of time and financial resources. Please send in your prayer requests and tell me about your life as we all do life together!
Love, His Warrior and Disciple,
Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,
Your sister, Vedya
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