#263 - Pics and Prayers

 Vol. #263

I am sending prayers out to those affected by Hurricane Fiona. 

I have been watching the devastation left behind and I pray for His Spirit of comfort and grace over all!

 
Pic #1: These wonderful Khmer women are a part of a cleaning company here in the city. I got connected with them when I needed a good cleaning outside and inside of my place, and they were really good. I have been teaching them how to clean more efficiently so that they can get the better paying jobs from expat individuals and companies.

Prayer Request:They are all non-Christians and I have been praying for God to open doors into their hearts so I can share about His love. The leader is Lee and right now she is a bit frustrated with the workload even though the pay is good. The down time between jobs is non-existent and they bring all the equipment like the vacuum and mops on the motorcycle in dry and rainy seasons! Lee will quit next week. She just needs a rest. Since she goes on all of the jobs, as she is the only one with high proficiency in English, she will take time off. Please pray as I will wait at home for her to come so I can pray with her and exchange contact info so we can keep in contact. I really do think she has the makings of a strong Khmer leader but right now she is too tired and discouraged to stay on. I will also be connecting with the expat owner of the cleaning company (his partner is Khmer) who has asked me for advice on how to take the company to that next level of success!

 
Pic #2: 5Ps staff meeting at Lokru Pheatra’s house. We all prepared the food together and then put the mats on the floor and ate together!

 

 

Pic #3 is of the soul care ministry that is comprised of School of Ministry and discipleship teams.

 

Prayer Request: There are still divisions in our group. The same people will sit and eat together. Please pray for unity and that each group will see beyond their ‘silo’ to see the big picture of being one in Christ!

 
Pic #4: Finally, the only Trini that I have met since I have been here got together! My sister Sita connected Seon with me when she found out he played football here. It turns out that Seon is not only from Trinidad, but also from my hometown of Arima! His partner is Thai/Dutch as he used to live in Thailand and played for the national soccer team there. When COVID struck, he came to Cambodia to help out the provincial teams. Now he has switched to the Phnom Penh football team so we finally got to meet after over 6 months of messaging! I had brought him some Trini curry and seasoning mixtures and he got me an official football (soccer) jersey!

Prayer Request: Seon‘s daughter, Mila, has child epilepsy and he was asking about child dedication and church. I just spoke to Lokru Samdy about child dedication and we decided that it was important to invite Seon with his wife and baby to church so that the elders can pray over this little one. Please pray for a deeper connection with Seon and his family!

 
Pic #5: Graduation and certificate ceremony for Skills Training Centre with 79 students from the Thai, Computer and Chinese classes! It was an honor to be part of the prep for the team and then to be present to pray over them. See if you can find me in the pic!

 

Prayer Request: Our English classes are open so students can come when they want to. The other classes are fixed so that attendance, doing the homework and coming on time are compulsory.Please pray for more funding for the STC as the classes provided are free for the students but we do provide a salary for the Khmer teachers.

Next year January, we will be celebrating the 100-year presence of Protestant Christianity in Cambodia! We have already rented out the venue and building booths for next year. I am on one of the prayer teams for this. We have invited the Honorable Prime Minister Hun Sen and other government dignitaries as well as the Christian NGOS. Lokru Mara, who is an elder from my church here, is spearheading the celebrations. 

 

Prayer Request: Please pray for unity over denominational lines so that the world can truly see the celebration of Jesus the Christ; that there will be no squabbling and ego power trips amongst those involved.

 
Thank you all for your continued sacrifice of time and resources as God continues to use me here in Cambodia. Please continue to send your prayer requests as well as your life stories so I can pray and rejoice along with you! 

 

 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#262 - Thank you for your prayers for Cell Group Leaders Retreat 2022!

Vol. #262 

From a very grateful heart, I want to say thank you for your prayers!

The Request: I asked for a safe ride, no rain. 
Praise: We got there safely, and it did not rain for the 2 days and one night we were there! It rained elsewhere but not in that location!

 
Request: I asked you to pray that I would not be claustrophobic so that I could enjoy the moments there.
Praise: At one o’clock, I awoke and did feel a bit claustrophobic, but I unzipped the tent and stepped out and just breathed the fresh air and looked at His handiwork around me. Then I went back to sleep. Thank you!

Request: I asked for God-moments.
Praise: I specifically prayed that HE would allow me to just sit next to someone, without the need to speak but to be silent and present with him or her. In the bus on the way, I sat next to a sister who was starting a new job after being a clothes seller in the market. I was quiet (!!!!!) while she shared her journey of where she was for the past 3 years, and where God had now brought her to work in administration at New Life School. This sister had been so faithful to Him, leading a cell group in the market where she sold the clothes! We just praised God to see His Hand at work!

 
Praise: I sat next to Hour (pronounced ou-ah) who was shy. I asked her how she was and then she opened up that she had seen me before at church and wanted to chat with me. I felt led to buy her a coconut water and she was so surprised by this that she got teary eyed. She needed a sign of His love that morning, and the gift of the coconut water and my being present with her in that time were in her words a Godsend! 

From the pics you can see the beautiful scenery and landscape, wide open with space to walk and just be! We stayed in the tents but there were other accommodations like bungalows and dome shaped structures and villas. You could rent sporting buggies, bikes or fishing rods. There were horses to ride if you could pay the $60US for an hour! I got to talk to the manager there and he got us the coconuts right off the trees at the camping site!

Well, most of you would know that with me there are ALWAYS some stories that I will not share here (but funny ones!). However, at the staff meeting yesterday they were asking for people to come up to share and the cameraman who is married to Nekru Chakriya just said he had fun especially with Bong Srey Vidya! Well, that apparently opened up the microphone to share ‘Vidya stories’!!! Three people came up and all are laughing so I HAD to go up to the microphone to share as well. I shared how so many of you had been praying for us, and also how God had answered those prayers! The aftermath of all of this was that after the staff meeting, the same pastor asked to speak with me privately. He wanted to share something in confidence and to ask for prayer. I know that the fun vulnerable time we all shared on the weekend was the door that opened up the door of confidence and trust! Sometimes God uses the ‘silly’ to open up the heart to deepening relationships, to talk about life and spiritual issues.

 
Enjoy the pics! Thank you all for your prayers! Please continue to send in your requests and sharing of your life as well! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#261 - Camping and Prayer Request!

 Vol. #261

Good morning from a very humid Phnom Penh!

I have some urgent prayer requests. 

I was invited on a camping trip on August 19-20th to accompany the leaders of the cell groups from my church, New Life Foundation Cambodia, as well as the leaders of the Soul Care team, a part of the 5P’s team at the church. It is an honor to be asked to go with them since it is the first time they are doing this kind of outing with the cell leaders and I am the only foreigner (one other, but he has been married to a Khmer and living here for a while, so most think of him as Khmer now as he is fluent in the language!). Did I mention this is a CAMPING trip?

Prayer Request: 

- Please pray for safety on the trip up. We have about 45 of us going and it has been raining heavily each day. Praying that it does not rain during the day so we can truly enjoy the outdoors.

Prayer Request:

- Please pray for meaningful connections, for God-inspired conversations or silence, as He would ordain! 

Prayer Request:

- As said above, this is camping. I am a bit claustrophobic, so the idea of being zipped up in a tent is NOT very exciting and already I have been having anxious moments thinking about it. They are the same feelings I experience before I board a plane and have to be in an enclosed space for 13 hours or so without an open window and space to walk! 

Prayer Request:

- Please pray that this time would truly be a connecting of hearts and minds even though there is a language barrier, but that His Spirit would be the bonding connector! 

Prayer Request:

- Please pray that there will be no injuries for anyone, and that we all will be in great health! 

Thank you so much! 

 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#260 - Retreat Highlights!

Vol.# 260

It has been a while but I wanted to thank you for praying for our staff retreat, the first we have had in over 2 years. Three buses and 3 cars, and six hours later we were finally at the hotel! We got there safely and I am sending a couple of pics for you to see. We were divided into groups and we competed in different games and events. One of the challenges we did was to look at a group of pictures and to try to mimic their poses. 

And, guess what?

My team won that challenge and the pictures of us on the beach are our prize-winning photos! Let me tell you, it was not as easy as it looks to stand up on someone’s back that is greased with suntan lotion and then hold on to get the right pose and pic! Our team got knapsacks as our first place prizes!

 
I had asked for prayer as another ex-pat and I were asked to help organize the prayer part of the retreat. As we both prayed we came up with the idea of everyone writing down on cards anything that would block them from fully participating in worshipping our Lord. We made a cross with the help of LED lights, and with baskets at the bottom, we had people place their burdens. We had certain Bible verses printed in Khmer and in English surrounding the cross and candles lit along the way. We then stuck the cards on the cross, symbolically giving Jesus our burdens, and after prayer time, Brittani (the other expat) and I turned the cards over to the blank side, so that no one could see what was written (all confidential, no signatures) so that all could see that when they took their burdens to the Cross, to Jesus, HE took them, so that the written burdens on the cards were no longer visible, a symbol of all going to Jesus.  It was our first time leading this with the worship team and we were blessed that it helped many to enter His Presence more fully after surrendering their earthly worries to our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Another surprise was that Lokru Samdy, who is the head of our church, came and asked if I would share what I did to draw near to Jesus, for 5 minutes on the morning of the last day of the church. Even though I was not prepared to speak to over one hundred people who sat in a huge circle facing me, I just spoke with my translator about spending time with God, reading His Word and I showed them by using His Word in a practical way how I approached my time with Him. This sharing time was totally unexpected but I am glad I was able to share about my love for His Word and for His Voice!

 
When I returned to the office, the ‘sharing’ continued but in the form of my Canadian sweatshirt! The air conditioner can be so cold at times, especially where I sit, that I have had to leave a sweatshirt that has become now communal in that anyone who is cold will go and put it on! So I prayed that anyone who puts it on would feel His Presence and comfort wrapped around them and that His love would just embrace them for however long they are wearing it! It is so much fun to see that the younger ones feel so comfortable to come and ask to borrow or to just borrow it if I am not there! 

One of my blessed times is when I get to spend time with 2 younger Oun Sreys (younger sisters) who were my students when I was at Rescue and are now interning at the church with a young man who is now running the cafe at the church.  We all met for breakfast, my treat for them, and just spent time laughing and eating, building up our relationships. I am so proud of these two young ladies as they are also not only a part of the Information Desk/Welcome Committee of which I am a volunteer member, but also the Co-Leaders of the Team!

The last pic I took was from my balcony and I just loved how in the midst of the darkness of the clouds the moonlight was coming through. I just had to capture it as for me, it represented when things look bleak to us, God is in the midst and His light will always shine through, that the breakthrough will come in the form of His light! Grateful that I was able to sit and spent time with Him as I gazed up at the sky!

Lastly, I had a bad allergy/cold and I got a call to go down to the gate of my place, and there on the gate were apples and oranges from my Sisters Liep and Seyha! They had come over on their motos to bring the fruit for me. I thank God for this gift of caring!

 

 

Can I ask your prayers for:

- wisdom and discernment as I meet with 3 leaders for prayer as well as to listen and be a bridge for them and one other leader!

 
- upcoming domestic missions to the countryside where we have church plants: to choose wisely which ones to participate in to give spiritual and practical support.

 

Thank you for all your prayers and continued sacrificial giving! 

 
Please continue to send in your stories and prayer requests as we dance together for His glory and honour!

 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#259 - A Pictorial Update of Ministry

 Vol.# 259

 

Good morning from a quiet office!

 

I came in early to get this update done and all I can hear is the singing of my Khmer sister who is cleaning the floors in the office, praising God! What a wonderful way to begin my day here! I thought I would send pics and write a bit about them as my way of updating you on life here. 

A pictorial update! 

The past few weeks have been quite busy in my role in ‘regional care’, which simply means looking after the pastoral care of the leaders from the different ministries. I was asked to join the Finance team for lunch and pray for them on my Sabbath day, which was a Monday. I usually do not break my routine on that day, but felt strongly in my spirit that I should honor that request as I was asked by them to come in when the office was at its quietest. Since most teams work on Sunday, they are usually off on Mondays. The head of the Finance Team is Oun Wichika (the only male on that team) and the Office Manager/Accountant is Jenny. The rest of the team comprise of the bookkeepers and cashiers. Five of the girls working on this particular team are from Rescue Orphanage (not all were present when I took the pic!), and were my former students. SO it was a pleasure to sit and pray and hear about their dreams!

 

Last week we got the news of the unexpected death of MaSakhon, who was one of the Directors /Founders of Rescue Orphanage. She was battling cancer. I had the opportunity to go to the funeral that was in the Buddhist tradition, and met with many former students from Rescue! As in the Khmer tradition, the boys sat at one table and the girls at another, wearing white and black. When I arrived, it was a ‘down time’, and they were about to serve an early lunch. At funerals, breakfast, lunch and dinner meals are served, depending on how long the funeral/wake time lasts. Thus it can be expensive for the bereaved family, so giving a donation when you go is expected and needed by the guests. MaSakhon, even though I did not speak any Khmer and she only spoke a little English, was always kind and helpful in my early years working at the orphanage.

As I am writing this, I was asked by one of the staff if I have the time to come and pray and get an update about her life!! A godly interruption by Oun Roma! I listened and then prayed with her, excited to see how God has been opening up new opportunities for her to learn about her giftings in video production and directing/editing videos! She has ingrained in her His DNA of excellence in her work ethic and she in turn invests this trait into the next generation!

 

Last week Wednesday one of the groups I am assigned to is called the 5Ps and we had an off site workshop meeting, where we analyzed the last 6 months of our work and then talked about the short term and long term goals for the upcoming year. It was a LONG day for me since it was all in Khmer, but a fruitful one, as each section heard in entirety what each one has been doing and then we got to pray with and over each other. We discussed the weaknesses and strengths and then the opportunities God was giving to us within the respective ministries of Prayer and Soul Care of Cell Leaders, Worship Service, Events (women’s ministry day, men’s retreat, next generation retreat etc.), Youth and Children’s Ministries.

 

Last pic is of Oun Ouddom, one of the teachers from the Skill Training Centre, and the head of the Centre, Oun Pheareak, both of whom I am helping in different ways in teaching and the administration of the Center.

 

Prayer Requests: 

Please pray for teachers who can teach English, not necessarily ex-pat but can be Khmer who can teach it as well. 

As we provide a free service for those who cannot afford to go to school, we are praying for financial aid for the Skills Teaching Centre.

Praise: 

Many of the students have been coming to the Youth Events and some of them said yes to Jesus the Christ!

 
Prayer Requests: 

Pray for His wisdom as I plan individual / small group time, especially as we will have our first staff retreat in 2 years on an outside location on the 23rd to 25th of this month. I am helping to plan a morning worship devotion time on the 24^th, and on the last evening we will have an open time of sharing, prayer and communion.

 
Thank you all for your sacrifice of time and finances and your prayers for me and His work here. Please continue to send your stories and YOUR prayer requests as well! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya 

#258 - GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT CAMBODIA and Mini Retreat

 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! 

AT CHURCH PLANT TOUL SAN KAYE

Prayer retreat: 

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 

 

#257 - Khmer New Year and Resurrection Day Celebrations!

 Vol.# 257

Blessed Belated Resurrection Day to all of you or as we say in the western world, Happy Easter! 

I love the way the Christian Khmer uses this term to celebrate the most important event for the believer in Jesus Christ! Here in Cambodia, Khmer New Year overlapped with Resurrection Day. For the past 2 years, due to the pandemic, the government had cancelled festivities and had a lockdown in effect where no one could leave the city to go to their hometowns/countryside for the week-long holiday, but this year all of the restrictions were lifted, so most people left the city to go there to celebrate with family and friends. Before the official date of the holiday, we at the church had our own celebrations with traditional games and dance! I thought it was significant that my church here took the unusual step of celebrating the Khmer New Year in a big way right outside the church so that the sellers and customers in the adjoining mall could see and even be participants! It is customary for the pagodas to be the central place of celebrations for the Khmer New Year. Many would flood the Buddhist temples and their courtyards to pay respect to the priests there, and to enjoy the vibrant celebrations and local food. Those who are skeptical of Christianity, with the idea that becoming a Christian means losing their culture and traditions, were pleasantly surprised to see us wearing the traditional clothing, and playing the games along with Khmer New Year decorations at the church. 

During the Passion Week, I was at home and was able to spend time with Him, and on Resurrection Sunday morning at church, God allowed me to ponder through these questions: 

1) What have I crucified in my life for You My Lord? 

2) In what ways or areas do I show that You, Jesus, are resurrected in my life? 

3) In what ways am I helping to ‘roll away the stone’ for others? 

These questions have allowed me to focus more fully on Him and have centred me more on being intentional for His glory.

Praise: Oun Pisey, is the Youth Leader for the Next Generation. She is the only Christian in her family. Her mom got very sick, and was brought into the city and taken to the hospital. Her joints were so swollen and painful that she could not walk. We were able to access a clinic here where the disabled themselves build wheel chairs specially for the user! Oun Pisey’s mom did not want to be measured for the wheelchair, and was feeling very depressed. However, after I connected with the clinic and the head of our 5P group at the church, we were able to get her a wheel chair! She thought that it would be too expensive and that is why she had refused to even entertain the notion of getting a wheelchair! This is what your sacrificial donation to my support has resulted in, not only a wheelchair, but also Pisey’s mom has said for the first time, thank you to your Jesus for this! Thank you to the church for this precious gift! I SAY thank you to all of you once more for your support of me here in my heart country!

Prayer Request: Please pray for healing of her mom’s legs and the continued opening of her heart to Jesus. Please pray for the rest of the family to come to know Our Saviour!

 
Praise: I was finally able to celebrate with Oun Lin and her fiancé PaNHa who became engaged while I was in Canada. Oun Lin and I worked on editing of the info booklet for the church last year and her fiancé is Oun Pisey’s right hand in leading the Next Generation. I was able to talk and be the ‘Bong Srey’ in listening to their hearts for Him and for the future!

 
Prayer Request: On April 27th to 30^th, there is taping of the new worship songs. Please pray for good health for the singers, for their voices; that their families will be also remain healthy. We have seen in the past when we have produced new worship songs that those involved usually feel a significant backlash, so I am praying for His wall of protection to be around them. Pray for the leader Oun Roma who is producing and leading the group on her own for the first time!

 
Prayer Request: Please pray that I would know how to be their support. I have blocked off those days to be at the church to pray and to be of assistance. The taping of the songs is between 10-12 am.

 
Prayer Request: On May 3rd to May 7^th, I will be travelling to Siem Reap with representatives from Global Leadership Summit Asia. It is a 6-hour car journey. Pray for safety on the road, and no car sickness for me! Please pray as we meet with leaders from Singapore and Malaysia as well as local leaders, that there will be a spirit of unity and joy! 

Prayer Request: Please pray for my mom and dad for their physical health. Pray for wise counsel from doctors as they go to different appointments.

Thank you for joining in with me. For the past 3 days I have been on the rooftop literally dancing and praising Him for all that He is doing. Please continue to send in your requests and life stories! 

Love, His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His Dance partner here in Cambodia, 

Your sister, Vedya