At the beginning of the Ecclesial Bible weekend we had the delight of four baptisms. The ecclesia met for dinner at Lucky Star Hotel and then came back to BEC and all trooped right up to the rooftop and gathered round the big baptism pool to witness the baptisms.
The four all come to join us via quite different routes:
- Ratana, who is a next door neighbour of the BEC... literally - we can see straight into her house from our balcony. She has been studying at the BEC since June 2010, and she was so excited to be baptised and full of smiles.
- Daran, who is Loy's younger brother and who has been staying at the dorm since September 2010. He is a lovely boy with a wicked smile just like Loy's.
- Bros, originally a classmate of Bro Rottana's, who has been at the the dorm since June 2010 too. He is a sharp and enthusiastic student, and is now champing at the bit to start spreading the gospel in the countryside.
- Leakkana, who has been around the BEC since not long after the BEC first opened more than 5 years ago. Raju originally met Leakkana at the Riverside, where she was hawking boiled eggs. The relationship has grown with her over the years and she has been coming to Sunday School at the BEC for some years.
It is great to welcome these four new members into the ecclesia. After the baptisms we sang 'this is the day' in English and then Khmer. It really was a lovely evening.
The Phnom Penh Ecclesia has really grown in the time that David and I have been around the BEC. When we first came here past two years ago, there were just over twenty brothers and sisters, and when we left in late 2010, there were around 35. When we arrived this time there were about 45 and now we have around 55 members in the ecclesia. Not all these brothers and sisters live here still: some live out in the provinces, some now live in Australia, one in New Zealand, and one in America, but it is so encouraging to see the growth of the ecclesia and the enthusiasm they have.
Anna
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