Vol. #298
Good morning to my fellow dancers/prayer warriors on this journey with and in Him.
I previously sat down a few times in the past week to write this update, but then life intervened in the form of 3 unexpected funerals in the past 10 days! It started with Sister Hosana, who even in her wheel chair, lived life fully for and unto Him. She was a counsellor with the Addictions Ministry helping many to choose Jesus and life in Him by her own harrowing testimony. She was a member of our church and always came to the second service. Then followed Uncle Lye, who with his wife were begging on the streets but Sister Sophea, wife of the Head of the Healing Home, started to build a relationship with them, offering medical services from the Home but also bringing them to church. They both became Christians and had been attending church for the past year and a half. Sister Hosana and Uncle Lye both went into our Heavenly Father’s arms within 24 hours of each other. Lastly Sreymom, with whom I served at Global Leadership Summit Cambodia, also a member of our church and cell group leader/intercessory prayer warrior, also went to be with Her Saviour within 48 hours of them! So it has been a bittersweet time since they are not physically present with us yet we know they are rejoicing with Abba Father and we will see them in heaven!
At the funeral service of Sreymom, I met Pastor Theng Porly who is one of our provincial pastors from the countryside.
I had mentioned him before in one of my updates but I never got the chance to get a pic of him but there he was ministering to us at the pagoda in Phnom Penh. Pastor Porly saw the need of having a Christian burial service for our Christian brothers and sisters. However, the only cremation services offered are located in the Buddhist worship sites, the pagodas! So on his own, he would conduct the service there, with his own speakers and microphones, so that not only the family and friends would hear of the gospel and the hope of heaven but those in the surrounding areas! He was met with opposition, but in spite of this, he knew what God had put in his heart and persevered. One recipient of his legacy is his nephew Pheakdey, who is now part of the church planting team at New Life Foundation and a translator for visiting teams to the provinces! Pheakdey recounted that it was his uncle who led most of his family to Christ. I had to go up to talk with him to thank him for his example of faith and passion for Our Lord. I also felt led to contribute to his ‘gas money’ for travelling to other provinces where he was called upon to give comfort to the family within the Buddhist temples. He is now mentoring other young men in this ministry! (I thought of my Mom and Dad who started churches and mentored so many in Trinidad usually without any compensation but choosing to invest into His kingdom).
Praise: We began our English classes at Dangkao New Life Foundation. My first class begins at 3:30 to 4:30.
As I sat and prayed over this class not yet knowing the personalities of each individual, only knowing the test scores which showed very basic knowledge of English, the alphabet sounds and maybe some visual recognition of some of the letters, I began to pray over the empty class the words from Mark 7:34-35 where Jesus prayed over the deaf/mute man…”Be opened… his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly…! I started to touch each desk and prayed this and proclaimed it over each empty desk. Sreylin heads up the program and is my co-teacher for this class. As the Khmer language has to be spoken 95 percent of the time to clearly explain English grammar, she saw the change in the students that day, and began to cry at the end of the class because of the big changes that she saw from the previous day when she taught the same class on her own! She got to see the answer to that prayer in person as seen in the picture with me with that particular student in front of the board. He was speaking clearly and understanding the letters pointed out to him!
This student is not supposed to be in class since he is under the age of 15 (13), but his mom came and pleaded to Sreylin on his behalf to come to class since in the public school they were going to ask him to leave because of a learning disability. So Sreylin accepted him into the program and in our class that has fewer students than in the 5:30 class that teaches the same curriculum. In our class he gets the attention needed and is not as intimidated by other students.
Prayer: Please pray for Lin and myself as we teach, that we would always prepare the class spiritually as well as physically for them, asking Him how to be creative in our teaching so that the students can really learn.
Prayer: Please pray for the advanced class as we have 11 enrolled. It is a closed class, meaning that no more will be accepted. The students have to attend the class and participate, do the assignments and at the end of the semester they will receive a certificate. Please pray that I would be able to identify the specific learning needs and adapt the curriculum accordingly to meet these needs as fluency in speaking English and comprehension differs widely in this class. This class is at 5:30 to 6:30 in the evenings on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
You never know whom you might meet!
I was at a bookstore looking for exercise books with lines so I can teach penmanship to my beginner class, when this young woman came up to me and said ‘…you may not remember me but...’. I looked up and said immediately, ‘Rescue, the orphanage!’’ She smiled and said, ‘I know your last name and it is Ramcharan’! She used to write her name Esther with my surname as her name since she never knew her surname when she was my student over 8 years ago!
I looked at this young woman and I remember the prayer I had prayed over her using the attributes of leadership and servanthood from Esther from the Bible who came to know her true purpose to deliver her people the Jews. I asked her about her life and her friend who was with her said that Esther was independent, and feisty and a leader with a strong belief in Jesus! I thanked Esther for being bold to come up to say hello. I told her that on my first mission trip to Cambodia, we were asked to give a Biblical name to our team partner on the trip, and the Biblical name given to me back in 2011 was ‘Esther’! I was beaming as I left the bookstore knowing it was a God-encounter as I had decided at the last minute to make a quick stop to look for this material!
Lastly, here is a pic of my team at Dangkao! A young team, the tall male person is the one leading the team there, Lokru Virak (his wife is not in the pic.). We are all under the leadership of Lokru Samdy and Navy who head up New Life Foundation Church.
Thank you so much for your continued support on behalf of His kingdom! Please continue to share your requests and stories as we dance together in His rhythm and holding onto His hands, as He guides us!
Love, His Warrior and Disciple,
Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia,
Your sister, Vedya
