Cambodia Bible Education Centre

So my last week in Cambodia was very different to the rest of my time there, and as such I thought it would be an interesting story to share. My last week in Cambodia just happened to fall on a week-long public holiday. This isn’t that out of the ordinary… the Khmer love a good public holiday or two and some months it feels like the days off outnumber the working days! However, it was ideal timing and a break very much welcomed by myself and the other fieldworkers after a hectic few weeks of teaching. The holiday was for the Buddhist festival ‘Pchum Ben’, or Ancestors Day, a festival during which all the Khmer go back to their provinces to spend time with their families. This meant that all of us fieldworkers had to come up with a plan of our own as there would be no students, BEC staff or dormers left in Phnom Pehn to keep us entertained for a week. I personally had two options- go to the province with my students or go spend a week at the beach with the other fieldwork...

The internet password for the BEC in Sihanoukville contains the word “jewel”, and in many ways, this is an apt description of Sihanoukville. Picture a small town situated on the south Cambodian coastline, with good swimming beaches and beautiful unspoilt islands just offshore, as well as lovely weather. (MOSTLY, although at the time of writing it has been an extremely rainy week). There is a limitless supply of restaurants and coffee shops to dine at, handy supermarkets and all are within walking distance. A little way up the hill from the beach, down a rather potholed road, next to some village houses is another  “jewel”…the Christadelphian Bible Education Centre. This is our lightstand in the south of Cambodia, and is known as BEC 2…BEC 1 being in Phnom Penh, and BEC 3 in Siem Reap. It is here that I have had the very fulfilling task of teaching many eager young bible students for almost a month, whilst living at the BEC with Bro Savy, Sis Theong, and little Salee. ...

 If you have been contemplating spiritually ­minded fieldwork in an exotic  location, then consider offering your time, energy and gifts in this intriguing  area of Cambodia. From the moment we arrived in Siem Reap, we experienced a warm welcome  from the small group of brothers and sisters living here.  Sister Loy met us at the  bus station and immediately made us feel like we belonged.  In the two weeks  that we have been here, it has become apparent that the BEC3 has a great deal of  potential but needs the consistent presence...

Before enter the water  Lalin baptized After Baptized-Group photo Sis Thany Long I had been studying at the BEC for about five months. I found out about the BEC through my friend, she is my schoolmate. I felt really thankful that she introduced to me. Why am I felling like that? Because It is really wonderful for me to knowing God and heard about the truth that I never knew before. It is the “truth from God”. Exactly, before I studied at the BEC, I used to know and heard a little bite about Christianity but until I came to study at the BEC I found the truth. since I came to study at the Bible, all people around me always say bad things about God and make me not like this religion but the Bible does not teach like what they say. From day to day the more I spend time with the Bible my thinking is starting to change. All words in the Bible are opening my mind to accept Him to be my God, because everything are reasonable for amazing proofs. In fact, in the fir...

When I decided to come to Cambodia I planned to stay here for three months. I did not want to book a return flight, however, just in case I found the work too difficult and wanted to come home earlier. I mentioned this to someone who had been here and they told me that it would be much more likely that once I was here I wouldn’t want to leave. I couldn’t believe how quickly this was proved to be right. I have now been living at the Phnom Penh BEC for almost two months and have already extended my stay to a total of five months. If it were not for other commitments back home I would easily stay even longer, Cambodia is a truly incredible place. So far, my experience has been dramatically more amazing than I ever expected and it is difficult to fully explain the effect this country and the work here has had on me. There is always so much happening here at the BEC. We have been running a baptism class with a group of boys from the dorms and we are confident that some of those bo...

Jacqui  and I have been recently posted to the beautiful beach city of Sihanoukville to work at the thriving BEC 2. One month in, and we are in love with the ecclesia, the students, the sunday  schoolers (And by Sunday   I mean Tuesday -Friday , AND Sunday ), the beautiful ocean and beaches, the friendly locals and definitely the food.  Down a bumpy and in need of repair street, with its very own local coconut sellers, traditional Iced coffee cart, sugar cane juicers and two dirt cheap and extremely delicious restaurants sits the Bible education centre.  Run by the lovely family of three, Theung, Savy, and one year old Salee and with an ecclesia of four baptized it is a slightly quieter centre than the Phnom Penh one, but still has a great vibe about it.  Regular students are in and out throughout the week, as it is a good little free wifi, comfy sofa hang out spot when the lessons aren't running so is quite a little hub of activity o...

In a quiet treelined street in Siem Reap is a solidly built wooden house with 2 bedrooms a single tiled floor in the lower level the simplicity cannot hide the intense interest in the Word of God that is unmatched in my experience. The house is a rental property for seminars and Bibe teaching able to sleep over 10 people that had traveled up to 4 hours over the bumpy Cambodia rural roads to hear the Gospel. The afternoon was hot and the slight breeze from the fan in the roof helps to take but a few degrees as this is the hottest month in the province.   Figure 1 Seminar attendees - Siem Reap June 2015 Amongts the audience was a person disable in both legs and brought to the house by his friends, accompanying the disable teacher were 5 of his teenage female student all eager to hear from the Bible. The disabled person name is Mr Chamroun,(Second row left of centre in above) a wheel chair bound English teacher from a local community group whose desire to know more abo...