#219 - Bread and Watermelons... and Urgent Prayer Requests!

Vol.# 219

Psalm 132:15 (ASV), ”I will satisfy her poor with bread”. As I read this, I felt I should give bread to the staff at the church office. So on YOUR behalf, since you so sacrificially give to me, I made arrangements with the HR personnel and they decided which day we were going to do this to benefit most of the staff, since some were going on domestic missions to our other church plants in the provinces to give out blessing packages. My only suggestion was, “Could the bread be hot?!”

 

HOT BAGUETTES FOR BREAKFAST

So 3 mornings ago, Lokru Vichika, who lives close by to a Khmer bakery, was able to deliver the 50+ baguettes to the office as breakfast! I heard stories later on like, “Oh, I was so late this morning I did not have time to get breakfast, so am so happy to go in and see we had bread to eat with the sweet milk… to… how did you know that I asked God for a sign of His provision and there it was this morning in the form of the bread!” Sometimes we do not know why God prompts us to do something as little as buying bread, but we are not aware of the stories of other lives and what is going on in their own spiritual journey. So I am very thankful that I had prayed with the HR that the physical giving of the bread would lead to a spiritual encounter with the LIVING GOD! God uses the small things in life like the ‘rod’ in the hands of Moses to the donkey in 2 Peter 2:16 to bring about meaningful in-depth experiences with HIM.

Well, it all started with a gift of watermelon! 

The senior Pastor and his wife told me that they had watermelon for me in the church kitchen. They had gone to a watermelon farm and had picked many the day before and I was looking forward to this. So I put it in the church fridge in the morning so that by the afternoon it would be nice and cold when it is SO hot outside. Imagine my surprise later when I discovered it had disappeared! I think a different person (other than myself) would say okay and let the matter drop, but yeah, I did not! You see, I was in a quandary. When Pastor Samdy told me there was watermelon in a separate bag for me, I did not know if he meant one, or if he meant the 3 that were in the separate bag, and when I found out that the one had mysteriously gone missing, I did not want to take another one. I could not ask him since he was on an important Zoom call, and as I pointed out to the staff in the office, if I then took another one to replace the other one, that would be stealing! Yup, I went there. So, as I was asking ALL and sundry who took it, someone was saying, “Oh, just share, Vidya.” I responded, “Well, NOW that the watermelon is GONE, I CANNOT, can I? Furthermore, taking something that is not yours, well, what does the Bible say? Yeah, it is STEALING!! 

Well that is when the scene from the Garden of Eden began to be recreated. People were saying, “Well, we saw that person eating watermelon… no, it was the other person...” I commented, “Wow, you all know your Bible. Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent!” Then Pastor Samdy FINALLY ended his call and came out to say that the 3 watermelons were mine! And then one staff member piped up, “Oh then, that is ALL GOOD!” I just looked at him. (In hindsight I should have asked him, was the watermelon sweet?) I said, “You all seem to be missing the point, taking something that is NOT yours is______? Pastor Samdy then said, “You know, people take my milk meant for my coffee also from the fridge.” So then I decided to do a test. I wrote his name on another watermelon, put it in the fridge overnight to see if would be there in the morning! Well, in the morning when I got to my desk, there were 7 watermelons with a note attached, "Do not touch, this is Vidya’s", and the verse Proverbs 6:31, “yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold!” 

 

VIDYA'S 7 WATERMELONS -- DO NOT TOUCH!

As a lark, Pastors Jason and Angie, who did not take the first watermelon, decided to give seven watermelons! Everyone was laughing and talking about this, so I began the process of giving them out. God brought to mind two of the mall cleaners who I saw every morning as I came up the escalator. So I was able give to them as well as to other members of the staff.  

#1 MALL CLEANER 

#2 MALL CLEANER

And to answer the burning question in your minds, no one took the watermelon with Pastor Samdy’s name on it, and it was delicious and cold to eat the next day!

This brought back memories from RAC when I would put something in the fridge with my name on it and it would still disappear. So I learnt that if I did not want something to disappear, I should write Pastor Sunder’s name on it and it would NEVER disappear! Sorry, Pastor Sunder, for using your name in vain! The point of all of this, in the midst of the pandemic and not meeting together, and with everyone a bit stressed, it was a time of laughter and fun! People were saying, “Bong Srey Vidya, any other person would not have said anything except quietly to each other, but you stood up in the middle of the office to ask about the watermelon! That was so funny!” 

Don’t worry, my fellow RAC-ers, I did say to everyone here that my actions and words do not necessarily express the values and actions of those back in Canada! So you can breathe!

BLESSING PACKAGE DAY

GIVING 20 BLESSING PACKAGES TO NEW LIFE FOUNDATION SCHOOL

Prayer Requests: 

-       I am still slated to return on July 26^th. Instead of going through Hong Kong, which was my transit stop, I am now going through Seoul, Korea. Hong Kong has closed its airports but Korea never has, so with skillful handling by I and R, I am going through Korea, making a stop in Vancouver before coming into Toronto! Please pray that I would be able to get my COVID-19 clearance certificate in the time allotted (not more than 36 hours prior to leaving) here in Phnom Penh, and that I would have the right person to accompany me when I go to the Khmer hospital here to get the testing done.

- Please pray against the claustrophobic feelings of wearing a face mask for such a long flight, and the in-between times in Korea, and Vancouver transit times. Pray also for favor in the eyes of custom officials.

- Please pray for someone here to look after my place in Phnom Penh while I am away. I am still looking also for a responsible house cleaner.

- Please pray for a place in Toronto where I can self-isolate for the required 14 days before going home to my parents.

I am so grateful for your continued prayers, words of encouragement and financial support! I pray you all know how valued and precious you are! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

#218 - A Comedy of Errors! Mercy and Justice!

Vol.# 218

“Bong Srey Vidya, I have been looking at you, and I live with some of your former Rescue students at the dorm here in Phnom Penh, and I think that you are simple...”As I looked across at the earnest expression of my co-worker at the Skills Training Centre, I decided NOT to get offended because in my mind I am thinking that he is saying ‘simple-minded’! But with the nuances in translation of meaning from Khmer to English, I waited to hear more! However, he did refer to my mind...yup ... still not getting offended... and then he said, “You are simple of the mind!” 

I said to him, “Can you explain what you mean?” 

He said, “My roommates like you. You can be strict but yet they call you Holy Spirit Sister Mr. Bean! I want to know why are you different than the other foreigner teachers? I can come to you with a problem and you pray, I can come to you with a praise item and you sing and dance. You think like us, you do not think as if you are better than us!”  

I did not know what to say. Well, I was relieved he did not mean I was simple-minded and then I was humbled to hear what he had observed! It dawned on me that my ‘sphere of influence‘ was not only with those in my immediate circle, but that it also extended beyond to observers as well! My walk with God is 24/7 not just confined to the classroom, the office or with a group of people. I am so notperfect, that is why I NEED to spend time with Our Jesus in the mornings so that in spite of myself they see HIM always.

With 2 Pastoral Care Leaders at Church

Finally Communion with Khmer Church Family After 3 Months!

In my last update, I told you I was thankful to be able to wash my clothes and linen and to have the space to hang them. Well soon after that the machine stopped working again, along with other incidences!

Washing Machine Guy!

And thus began a ‘comedy of errors’ on the way to getting things fixed here.

I called the repair shop across the road and two guys came to take away the part, saying rather vaguely when it would be fixed. At the same time two ceiling bulbs blew, and since it was so high, I decided to ask my landlord/lady to help with the replacement, knowing by now that when they come to ‘fix’ one thing, usually two things get broken in the process, since they do it themselves!  Well, they got right on it, and one hour later, both of them came up accompanied by the grandchildren to replace the light fixtures. First they brought a ladder all the way up the 25 steps, set it up, but then decided nope.

Landlord With Ladder #1

They needed to get another ladder! So down went the first one and then up came the shiniest silver one ever! They proceeded to try and put it up but it kept sliding down! Then the wife decided to stand under it to brace herself against one side so that it would not slide down. I was looking on and decided to take a picture, when all of a sudden the hilarity of the moment seized me, and I started to giggle! 

With Ladder#2 Fixing Fixtures

My landlord and landlady who always seem so tired and overwhelmed by life looked at me, and for the first time ever I saw them begin to laugh as well! The two grandkids were laughing too! During this time, my landlady had asked me if I was going to church, and then I said, “Well, it was beginning to start now online!” So I thought if they were going to be here, they might as well join in! So I put it on the IPAD and put the volume on high and was singing along to the Khmer worship songs! I figured the Word could filter through to a ‘captive audience’! 

Then I had to go outside to meet some friends who were delivering some items for me and I saw the landlord come running down to go across the street to the breaker fuse box! He had forgotten to turn off the power before replacing the fixture! Since I was not there, he did not go into my bedroom where the fuse box is located, so he went to the public box. I could hear him shouting to his wife who then began shouting to the grand children to ask them if the fan in the room went off or was still on! They were trying to figure out the correct fuse to turn off. I got this vision of them turning off the wrong fuse box and the whole street would be without power! Eventually the fixtures were replaced and power was restored! 

In the midst of this I had to send a message to my former housemate to say how much I appreciated his trouble shooting and ways of fixing things around the house! Troubleshooting is definitely not a strong attribute of my landlord. Then the door lock in the upstairs bedroom was broken and anytime it was windy and rainy the door kept flying open! So they went to look at it and after 5 minutes of trying the key, they said to me, “Bong Srey it is ...BROKEN!” Yup! So they went out to buy a new one to replace the old one! 

Then, I could not attach the new hose that I bought to clean the rooftop to the laundry sink. So I asked the landlord for his advice! Well after talking with his wife who was giving him different ideas, he said to me, “no problem!” That very sentiment sent chills through me because I knew there would be a problem! He inserted a piece into the water pipe so that the hose can be attached, and then turned on the water! Immediately the spout flew across the floor! The water pressure broke it or as my landlord said, it was broken even though it was new and not used! At this point as the water is just pouring out all you can do is say, Oy Veyand laugh! We were all laughing! But through all this I have to say thank you to God that things eventually were fixed and that in the process I pray that my landlord and landlady were able to hear God‘s Word through the songs and message and hopefully via my reaction to the situations!

I thank God for your support for me because I was able to give not only financial support to those who are suffering financially during COVID-19 season, but also to pray and be there to listen to their stories, the most important of which were from 4 of my former Rescue students. Earlier on as I had prayed on my rooftop, certain pictures kept popping up in my mind. It was of 2 of them. So I texted them to find out if they needed help after first confirming from another source that I should do this. I did phone and for the first time the former student said yes. He was ashamed to say that he needed help before, but I reminded him that we are family, and of course as their ‘Bong Srey’, how can I go to bed at night knowing that they were hungry? So this former student said ‘yes please’to receiving the blessing package. 

Blessing Recipient: Former Rescue Student

Blessing Recipient: Former Rescue Student Married With 1 Baby

Then one blessing package turned into three blessing packages that afternoon. One blessing package was for my former translator from Rescue. He is a new father, who with his wife, baby and his mother and 2 siblings, made the choice to live in one room to save money to pay down on buying a house for all of them. When I called him, he said, “oh what timing” because he was about to order a bag of rice as they just had eaten the last cup! I was able to give another package to 2 former students from Rescue who decided to room together to pool their resources together. Then while I was talking to the first recipient on site at the church, I asked him if there were any other of ‘our boys’ who needed help. Yes, there was. So a quick call was made and 30 minutes later, another blessing package was given. 

Some of you were wondering what a package contained: 25kg of rice, a box (not carton) of instant noodles, 2 bottles of fish sauce, 2 bottles of soya sauce, 2 bottles of peanut sauce, one bottle of oil, 2 packages of salt and sugar, 4 tins of canned fish, all accompanied with our prayers that like the miracle that Jesus did with the 5 loaves and 2 fish, that the groceries given would be multiplied for weeks to come!

Justice. A small word but this is what we are fighting for here, equality for education amongst the sexes, equality for the non-abled bodies, equality for those with no income/social status so that they too can have access to education and quality health care. The person we look to is Jesus the Christ, who by His life showed compassion and respect to man and woman alike, to those afflicted mentally/physically, unafraid to touch them or to speak up for them. He spoke against the religious powerful leaders who only wanted power and prestige for themselves and who forgot about the everyday person. 

I look to Him now as I try to explain what has happened with the murder of George Floyd in the USA. Only two Khmer have mentioned or talked about this tragedy with me. One was my former housemate who was watching the discussion between Pastor Steven Furtick and Pastor John Gray and sent me his thoughts. The other was my former head of the Skills Training Centre who wanted to know more about George Floyd. For those of you who have not seen the discussion, can I encourage you to go to the link [Be The Bridge with Steven Furtick and John Gray] so that discussions can begin. 

Changes have to be made beginning with me spiritually and then you as well! Yes, I am fighting against injustice here, but I also mourn and get angry at injustice in other parts of the world as well! THAT IS WHO MY JESUS IS. HE CARES for you and for me. Didn’t Ravi Zacharias not remind us of our GOD who cared for us so much that HE gave His own precious beloved Son in the person of Jesus the Christ to die for us SO THAT we would not only have eternal life but also life that is valued and esteemed! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

#217 - Gratitude in Pictures!

Vol.# 217

I love the early mornings here. Life has not yet come alive on the street below, the air is still cool, the birds are singing, the cocks are crowing. The muffled sounds of the same 5 people walking every morning for exercise tells me that I am on time here for my morning date with Jesus. Around me the sky, though dark, is just beginning to come alive with the sun filtering in through slowly. 

My Morning View

The construction sounds in the nearby building has not yet begun. I noticed that the workmen there begin at 6:30, so it is true bliss for that one and half hours from 5 till then! I thought in the midst of this God-ordained season of partial lockdown and total lockdown all over the world, I would talk about those things I am truly grateful for through pictures!

I am using pictures because I am thinking of Ravi Zacharias who is now in heaven with His Saviour and who has used the power of words to simply express whom the Lord Jesus Christ is. I am aware of many who have written about the impact of his life on their walk with Jesus. For me, it was through his books that I learnt how to explain and communicate about my faith, his way of answering those deep questions in love and with respect, never in an antagonistic or condescending manner. May I encourage you to read our own Shyamala Krishnan’s words about her brother Ravi in her blog, shyamalapgz.wordpress.com.

Bro. Ravi you taught us much, you imparted much wisdom, and my prayers go out to not only his wife and grownup children, but also to his siblings and their families as well! As my own sister Sita remarked on one of her postings, we all need to carry on his legacy of talking about our faith, through whichever media we are gifted in, art, music, spoken or rhythmic word etc. As part of my thank you to Jesus, I now will use pictures!


- I am so thankful for my IPad! 

Ah, I can feel the disappointment from some of you thinking, “Really Vidya, how materialistic!’  Ah, but for the IPad, I would not have seen the kindness and creativity of others! I am not sure if you can see the crack at the bottom of the IPad on the photo shown, but a couple of weeks before l returned to Toronto on my last visit, the magnetic ‘ting’ which held the screen to the keyboard pad was no longer holding the IPad together, and it fell out of the case and cracked! It was frustrating trying to use it, as I would have to prop it up and make sure that the IPAD itself was secure before using it. Well, Ian and Ramona L. saw this, and Ian, being the MacGyver that he is, promptly put double-sided tape to keep the IPAD in place, and put a screen saver on the part of the screen that was cracked so that it was safeguarded and would not crack anymore! On my return here to Phnom Penh, anytime I used this, many Khmer would comment on the creativity and the low cost of repairing the cracked glass, which by the way is Jesus showing His love to me, because the location of the cracks are at the bottom of the screen, so I can still see clearly to do my work on this! 

After 3 months back in the extremely hot conditions here, the double-sided tape began to lose its effect and the top part of the apparatus that holds the IPAD in place began to break off! This is where others here came in to help. When Teacher Pov saw how difficult it was becoming to work on this, he immediately said he had special tape, but we had to get rid of the old one which ironically was so glued to the back of the IPAD but not strong enough to keep it stuck to the key board holder. He was trying to peel it off when Sister Chhoung Sary came in, saw what we were trying to do, and immediately went and got a rag and just took the IPAD and gently began to try to remove the tape! 

Pastoral Team with Sister Sary on Far Right

Two Maintenance Workers From Church

Sister Sary is one of the two maintenance workers here at the church, the hardest hit economically by the pandemic since now we only use a part of the building (school area and church sanctuary are not being used). There is no school for her children who are usually fed 2 meals at the school, so now she has to prepare three meals for them on a reduced salary. She is one of those who received a blessing package of groceries from YOU, since you all contribute to me financially being here. For thirty minutes she slowly and methodically and carefully removed the sticky backing. Then Pov took me down to the market area and someone else there put a protective plastic on the back of the IPAD for only $2.50 before we repasted the double sided tape. The seller and the customers there were commenting on the creativity of the screen saver and asking about the costs of the keyboard (each of the three customers hazarding the costs of it!). Then we went to another seller in the market who sold phones and accessories and he took a look at the broken part of the keyboard holder and proceeded to glue it so that my IPAD would stand in place when I was using it. He worked on it for 5 -10 minutes, then gave it back to us. When I asked how much the cost was, he said, “No charge!” I am overwhelmed by the generosity of all who gave their time and efforts over this tool. So humbling to me! God provided the help I needed here through others that I am so thankful for! 

- I thank God that I have the space to wash and hang my clothes and sheets! I know that many like my parents are closeted in an apartment with no such ‘luxury’! 

Hanging Clothes

- My role has been changing here from teaching in front of the class to helping in the background doing the prep and voice-overs on the educational videos. I am helping with the prep but my Khmer teachers are the faces on the video teaching and being creative with different forms of social media to reach out to the students.It has been exciting to see my fellow Khmer teachers rise up and use social media to communicate the English lessons. Since there is no immediate interaction with the students in the classroom, the hours spent in trying to construct sentences that would accurately but simply reflect the meaning of the words has been challenging and gratifying!

Recording English Lessons

My Co-Teachers

After Almost 2 hours of Prep!

- I get to meet with other ministry leaders now. Pastoral care ministry has grown and since we are now looking after those in immediate financial need, I get to see the generosity of others. I get to help transcribe the blessing experiences of the Khmer recipients for the English speaking ex-pat donors, and I am blessed to get to know those in charge with whom I ordinarily would not have spent so much time!

First Dinner Out

First Staff Prayer Meeting After 2 ½ Months!

- I am humbled to be reminded that my ‘presence’ is sometimes all that is needed here to encourage others! I was told that my energy and cheerfulness always brings a smile! In actuality after being in self-isolation I am SO READY to be in contact with ANYONE that it is easy to radiate such joy! LOL!

- I am thankful for YOU all for your calling in on FT to surprise me. Thank you Meech in Colorado, and to Ian and Ramona who came up with the idea of us watching a TV series together on FT! For the past three Saturday mornings I got to watch with them, coffee and popcorn handy in Phnom Penh as they watched it in Toronto, and yes, on my IPAD!!!!!

- I thank God for the deepening of relationships. Since I cannot go out to meet with many, I can do one on one or invite one or two to my house and spend quality time with them.

- Thankful for Chloe whose picture I will not show since she is only one year old, but her parents Lauren and David have been my online life lines here and to see this little one grow, though social distancing, has made me smile and laugh with her purity and innocence. Thankful to Mel who is in Singapore and cannot return but whose insights and love for her Khmer family here is awe inspiring through her ministry BRAVE!

- Grateful to my own family, Mom and Dad with whom I get to WhatsApp and to my siblings who keep me laughing during this time when I am on my own!

Just before I sign off, I had been having trouble her with the Wi-Fi, as in NO Wi-Fi. The company tech and I were becoming fast friends, since I have been calling every morning for the past 4 days! After the third visit by a technician (each one being sprayed with sanitizer on arrival here much to their surprise!), which happened to be on a Sunday, I decided to watch the worship service on my IPAD (yes!) using the hotspot off my 4G, and figured if the technician was going to stay long as the others, I would play the worship service loudly so that he could hear it as well and go to church with me! So I did! THE WORD was being presented in rhythmic form as well as SPOKEN, and as role-modeled by my parents when we had workers come to our house in Trinidad, this tech was given refreshment as he sat and worked on the Wi-Fi!

Wi-Fi Guys Listening To Sermon

God has a purpose for you this season. Reach out to one person by phone, or email or text. Your presence in their life is precious! 

Thank you for your continuing support and dancing with me here in my heart country! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

#216 - Adjusting to life amid Covid-19 in Cambodia

Vol.# 216

Okay, I am prepared! 

I have all the necessary things I need and here I go! 

Am I preparing for a trip? No! To cook? No!

I am preparing to take a ...shower! It is SO HOT here that the water turns from cool to BOILING HOT within a matter of 2-3 minutes. Thus, if I am going to wash my hair, I have to carefully lay out the route from one shower in one room to another, in the hope that I can lather up under one shower before sprinting to the other one to wash off the shampoo! Well, it gets my heart pumping, but does nothing to cool me down since it is a sprint! And I NEVER run! 

But that is life here. The water tank on the rooftop gets pretty heated up, so you learn never to take a shower in the midday. Early in the morning and late at night are your best options. As I ponder the different ways I have to adjust to the hottest month and season of the year, I look at the ways I have had to adjust to COVID 19.
I still get up early to meet with Jesus, but instead of 5:30a.m., I now have to do it at 5:00a.m. since the day gets hotter earlier and I like the coolness of the morning as I watch the sun begin to rise. I still have to ‘get dressed’ and be ready for impromptu video calls from my Khmer co-teachers and the head of the school. It is not usually a set time and I have learnt to be prepared, because for the first few times I would answer, and they, being at the office and not self isolating, would be prepped whereas I was not. Invariably one of them would take a picture to post on the staff link of us talking and yes, that pic of me was never flattering!

As of yesterday, we have had no new COVID infections for the past 15 days from the random testing, no deaths and 70 percent recovery rate. These statistics are given by the Cambodian government, whereas Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, the surrounding countries near Cambodia, have had higher rates of infection and deaths. However, large gatherings are still banned. No school or church. Weddings and funerals are still happening but on a smaller scale. Flights to and from Cambodia are restricted and in some cases not allowed, but it is business as usual on the streets and in the malls. The big difference is that when you go to a bank, your temperature is taken, and in some malls, especially if you are a foreigner, your temperature is taken and hand sanitizer is sprayed on your hands. There is no community distancing here except in most groceries, there are signs on the floor where you should stand to wait at the cashiers. I have been at the office for three days a week since the protocols of temperature taking and hand sanitizing has been put in place. It has been good to be with everyone, taping lessons and being creative together in reaching out to our students. 

TEMPERATURE TESTING WHEN I GO IN AND YES, I ALSO ASKED FOR TESTING WHEN LEAVING MUCH TO THE SURPRISE OF THE RECEPTIONIST!

Praise and Pray: 

It is a simple task. I put my sheets and other laundry in the washing machine. When it is finished, I hang them up to dry. I am grateful. In Toronto, I think of my parents who have not stepped out of their apartment for over a month now. They do not have an ensuite washing machine and dryer, and cannot go down to the basement there to wash bigger items and put them in the dryer, because they are at high risk. My mom has to wash smaller items and put them to dry in the apartment, but the bigger things like sheets and towels they cannot do. My sister, bless her heart, goes to pick up those things and then takes it back for them. I take this task for granted and I pray for those of you who do not have access to laundry facilities and many other things for His grace and creative ways to get the simple things done.

Prayer Request: 

In this season the expectation that is often mentioned is that we become more like ‘Mary’ who sat at Jesus’ feet, listening and praying, versus ‘Martha’ who was all activity and getting things done. As I look at those around me and at myself, I pray that I do not become a Martha to be like a Mary! What does that mean? Perhaps that I am trying to fit in this allotted time to pray, to study the Word, to do a spiritual activity so I can show others and also reassure myself that I am using this allotted season to stay at Jesus’ feet! 

Praise: 

Many of you had prayed for creativity in how to reach out to others in this time of need. In my conversations with the leaders at the church, they have identified those in dire need, as well as the ‘sellers’ of certain goods within the congregation, and have linked buying those staple items from these sellers, who would not have business because of the closing of many shops, so that we can then give those items to those who have been identified as in need! A win-win situation!

BAGS OF 20 KILO RICE, OIL, INSTANT NOODLES, SUGAR, SOYA SAUCE AND FISH SAUCE BEING ASSEMBLED. WE DID 23 SETS YESTERDAY!

HONOURED TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER 1 FOOD PACKAGE TO TWO MEMBERS IN THE MARKET. JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE ONE ON THE RIGHT THEN GAVE FROM HER PACKAGE TO OTHERS!

THIS PRECIOUS ONE STOPPED COMING TO CHURCH AND HAD JUST SOLD HER PHONE TO GET MONEY FOR FOOD WHEN A CHURCH LEADER FELT GOD SAYING TO GIVE HER ONE OF THE BLESSING BASKETS. SHE CRIED AND SAID, "GOD IS ON TIME!"

ONE OF THE OLDEST AND POOREST MEMBERS CAME INTO THE OFFICE TO OFFER HER TITHE. SHE WANTED TO BLESS OTHERS. BROUGHT TEARS AND SMILES AT THE SAME TIME.

I have never been this much ‘churched’! Before COVID 19 I went to church twice on a Sunday, one to serve at, and the second to join! Now I go to church 4 times online! We encourage our students to join and just be there for online prayer requests. So at 8am, 10am, 3pm and 5:30pm, I am at church! 

Prayer for Nova Scotia:

My heart went out to Nova Scotians as I read about the killing spree. I pray for all of those grieving and in pain over lost ones. I pray for His grace and mercy for those directly affected. 

You are not forgotten. Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support in the midst of this difficult season. Please continue to send your prayer requests and stories of your lives as we dance together for Jesus! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya 

#215 - Tribute to Lisa Zoia Mossop

Vol.# 215

Tribute to Lisa Zoia Mossop

November 14, 1964 – April 5, 2020



It is early, around 5:10 in the morning, still dark as I make my up to the rooftop. I can hear a cock crowing in the distance, and the birds are already up. There is an older couple doing their customary walk on the street below for their exercise, followed by 2 other couples who are chattering away, normal everyday routine here. In the coolness of the morning as I sit and listen to “The Blessing” cover by Amanda Malela in five languages, I think of my sister Lisa Zoia Mossop who is now face to face with her Abba Father receiving that blessing at His feet! 

One of the main things you miss out on when you are an International Worker is the joining in of meaningful events, birth/birthdays, marriages, graduations, anniversaries, and, of course, celebration of life as we mourn the passing of a loved one here on earth. For all of the four first occasions that I mentioned, I can always see the person after the event and celebrate, but for the last one, death’s closure is very different. I think for most of us this year, the COVID-19 has made closure different, for many could not or cannot go to a ceremony or even visit at the hospice to show our love and care. For the past two days I have been reading from Joshua 16-20 where Moses is handing out the inheritance to the different tribes of Israel. As I tried to pronounce all the names dutifully, and mechanically read through this, it suddenly hits me: inheritance...legacy! Lisa’s legacy is my inheritance! 

                           Lisa: (meaning) God’s promise: God is my Oath: God’s satisfaction.
                           Zoia: (Greek) means alive!

Let me tell you how Lisa was God’s promise to me, and how she showed her faith when she was alive, and yet remains alive in my memories! 

I first met Lisa at Rexdale Alliance Church where she was spearheading the Plan to Protect rules to safeguard our babies, children and youth from potential abuse. She was there to train and implement this, ensuring that the church, our church, took the lead to protect the less vulnerable amongst us in society. She had a passion and energy that lit up a room, and a deep laugh that always made me ‘crack up’! 

I am not sure how she became friends with Ruby and myself. The three of us started to meet for brunch at her place, where she would have the table all set out with various dishes, in her bright kitchen full of light with the backdrop of the garden and flowers! Ruby would pick me up and by the time we had our coffee, we would be chatting and laughing about the everyday things that happen in our lives. It was her spirit of hospitality and warmth that made our times there so precious.  Immediately after eating and clearing the table, we moved to the sofa and big chairs where I would always grab a blanket, and then we would share about the more serious aspects of our lives, listening, encouraging each other, sometimes crying. Well, all the time tears were shed at some point, because then we sat and held each other’s hands and prayed! This went on for a couple of years and when I came to my heart country here in Cambodia, Ruby and Lisa made sure our brunch times still continued when I returned home for my visits! 

Lisa thought it was hilarious that Kevin and I started to call each other “Shorts’ and ‘Stretch”. Kevin is so much taller than my 5’ 2 ½” inches (do not forget the half!). Just to clarify, he called me Stretch and I called him Shorts, the opposite of our real heights! During those times that we three would meet, Lisa always suggested that we get pedicures/manicures done as well! Each time she would grab the bill and when Ruby and I started to protest, she would say, “No I am not paying for this, Shorts (Kevin) is! So all good… “.

It was Lisa who drove all the way from her place to Scarborough, where my parents just moved, to bring a round kitchen table with chairs in the family car. That girl was stronger than she looked! She was lifting that wooden table from the car to carry it to the elevator even before I could help! That was the fundamental Lisa, not just saying that she would help, but also taking the words into action when she found out that my parents needed furniture for their new place! 

It was Lisa over one year ago, when everyone else’s schedule was busy with life, who insisted on driving way over to Scarborough to pick me up to go for breakfast, to go shopping for things for my trip back to Cambodia! She instinctively knew that I liked to travel by subway and bus whenever I first return home because I missed the experience, but then she grasped that I would be tired from my ‘travelling’ here (Cambodia) by tuk tuk, and would insist on coming to pick me up at my parents’ place! 

I remember one time when I needed to get cleaning supplies and make-up, she took me to her basement where she had TONS of supplies. Ruby reminded me of that as we reminisced over the phone! We were laughing as I ‘shopped’ in her basement!

The last time I came home, and the last time I saw Lisa, was at church when she came to tell me that the cancer was back. We looked into each other’s eyes, tears beginning to flow, and hugged. No words. We knew that the only words after this would be in prayer to our Heavenly Father! Over the past four months we have chatted on WhatsApp and I know that ‘Shorts’ has shown Lisa my messages and pictures when she had been too weak to respond. Thank you, my brother! 

To Aiden, your mom was my soul sister. We always ‘hooted in laughter’ and yes, she, because of her social work background, accepted me with all of my apparent eccentricities! But that was how she was with everyone! No matter the culture, or background, she had ‘open arms’ for us all. That is why I was listening to the above song which Amanda M sang in 5 languages. Your mom blessed us, and her legacy is still blessing us. 

Ruby and I wanted to continue that blessing. So, in honor of  Lisa Zoia Mossop who was practical and saw the real needs of so many of us, we donated money to buy rice, canned food, oil and other needed grocery supplies for two specific families, who in the midst of this virus, lost their jobs and income. These two represent one of the church plants out of the city, where 50 percent of church tithing has fallen and so many are in need. This is in honor of Lisa. 

Saveit and Savuth

The next picture is in honor of Lisa, the zany woman who knew and understood that manicures/pedicures are just as important to uplift one’s self esteem and to just have a fun time! Since neither I nor Ruby could go and get a manicure and pedicure at this time, I went to my salon here, and in Lisa’s honor, I gave a case of Coca Cola and assorted cakes. 

My Salon Girls (Note the dog is the only one social distancing!)

Lisa, you are missed, but we have been blessed to have been a part of your life. We have inherited an incredible legacy of your love, not only for people, reflected in your absolute adoration of your husband and son, but also for your love for your Saviour, Jesus Christ. You were “Jesus’ in the skin for many of us. 

May we continue your legacy of prayer and action in His name!

So with tears and laughter, I will sign off with a Khmer saying: Lisa, I will see you when I see you...and we know that is in heaven! You, my girl, are now dancing with Jesus! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vidya