Following the wedding of Brendan and Sithy
in Kampong Cham, thirteen of us decided to continue north to Preah Vihear. Our
plan was to meet up with brethren and sisters in isolation and also to renew
contact with people who have previously studied at the BEC.
Before we left Phnom Penh, Brother Vitou
rang the brethren and sisters who live in this northern province of Cambodia so
we could get as many as possible to meet with us on the Sunday evening or
Monday morning. Unfortunately, some were working or studying and unable to
travel, but happily we were able to catch up with Brother Savvy and Sister
Vichhem.
Savvy was one of the “original bikers” who
used to ride a bicycle from LCDI to study the Bible at the BEC during 2008. With
the help of Saroun we were able to renew contact with Savvy during 2011. He has
attended many Outreach weekends in Phnom Penh and was baptised in late 2011.
Vichhem was previously at the Bethezer
girls’ dormitory, where she studied the Bible and was also baptized in 2011.
Very early on, Vichhem exhibited a heart of kindness, volunteering to assist
the Sunday School at the BEC with cleaning, cooking and tidying up
afterwards. We are so happy to see God
so strong in her life, helping her to endure the difficulties of life in
Cambodia and remaining strong and faithful in isolation.
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| Vichra (3rd Right) with her family |
We need to remember that our Cambodian
brethren and sisters do not have the scaffold of family and friends with the
resources, spiritual depth and established faith that we enjoy in our homeland.
To see the almost childlike trust and devotion to their new life in such
difficult circumstances is humbling to say the least.
In addition to this we were able to catch
up with Vichea, an old friend of Savvy’s from LCDI who was also part of the
original group that rode bicycles for over an hour from their school, twice a
week, to study the Bible at BEC. Vichea has a strong desire to be baptized but
has been so busy (required to work seven days a week) with work that he is
unable to get to Outreach weekends at the BEC.
As an indication of Vichea’s commitment – he had a rare three days off
from work to travel seven hours by bus to see his mother, who he had not seen
for two years. He cut his visit short with his mother to travel back to Preah
Vihear, so that he could spend the last day of his three-day break with us. He
arrived back in time to join us all for a special dinner, which Savvy had
organized, and the following morning he had a Bible lesson with Vanny, Samrach
and Steve in the hotel room, before we left for Phnom Penh. Our prayers reach
out for the transcending power of God to support him and draw him to become a
brother of Christ.
Last, but not least, was our reconnection
to an ex-LCDI teacher, Sokchan (or Teacher Holy, as he is known to most of us).
He came to many lessons at the BEC during 2009, but has now moved back to live
with his parents in Preah Vihear. Both Vichea and Holy have agreed
wholeheartedly to receive correspondence lessons from a brother in Australia.
We will take their learning records home with us and report further progress to
Brother Luke, Sister Jess and Brother Vitou at the BEC in Phnom Penh. The long
and established relationship both Vichea
and Sokchan have with the BEC and an array of fieldworkers gives us
confidence that this will be fruitful. As always we pray that our Father’s love
is near to all concerned as we remember Paul’s words:
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| A visit with Chantry (2nd Right) to meet her parents. |
2
John 1:12
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
Vanny and Samrach will stay in contact
with Vichea and plan further outreach. Sokchan is a deep thinker and has
excellent English comprehension and knowledge. His challenging questions on the
necessity for baptism will require outreach visits from foreign fieldworkers to
reinforce the correspondence lessons.
Having said all that, we remain humble,
and in the hands of our all-powerful and loving Heavenly Father. May we find
the courage to respond to His will and bear fruit in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Lynne and Steve
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