Sar Tin

Be sure you read all the way to the end! 

It has been a big week.  

Been busy. 

The Japanese students came and left. It was a very good time for all. The kids at the house loved having them around. Started with lunch at Chinda's Aunt's restaurant. That is the third time in two weeks I have taken a big group there. She loves it when we come and of course keeps it all in the the family. Chinda or Chan are related to someone everywhere we go. Always a big help.    

Pic is of Sam Pong playing the guitar he made for the Japanese students.
Three are music majors.
They were very impressed.

lunch 

After lunch we went to Chinda's home with the students.  Chinda's home is one block off the main street but a world away. In the rainy season you have to take a boat. No toilets. I have never asked about that and don't want to know. Some things are just better off not to ask about. You may not like what you hear! 

The Japanese students played with kids in the area. All had a great time and stayed for four hours. Then Chinda took them in pairs to five different houses for home stays. They had a great time and Andy got a break. Taking care of ten people would be a handful. 

Enjoying time together

The next morning we took a boat to the kids village to meet their parents. Their father is doing the tile work along with two other men from the village. They ride their bikes one hour each way and are very thankful for the work. I am more thankful than some. I am one that has an interest in this and is involved.  We are paying the two men five dollars a day, but the kids father won't take any money. So when the kids went home today I sent them with forty dollars worth of food. Some they can sell in the village for money. Chinda said that was best way to do it. Don't want him to work for nothing. He already has nothing. And the work is getting done for less than I would have to pay a builder. So good for all! 

Kids village along the river. 

We would be standing in four feet of water if it was the rainy season. 

That's why the kid live in this house. 

They can't get to and from high school in the rainy season.  

I don't want to end this post without sharing a story about Sar Tin. She was brought to the house so I could pray for her. Like I am someone special. They treat you that way. Hard to take sometimes. 

Sar Tin is the sister-in-law of a girl that goes to pastor's church and she is also a friend with Chinda. During Chinese New Year Sar Tin goes to some party with her family to celebrate the New Year. Two days later she starts acting funny. Talking to herself. Won't take care of kids which of which she has five. At twenty eight years old. She sells vegies with her husband in the market. 

She and her husband are not Christians but know all about Jesus. They live in the same house as Tra Nin. The next day she is running around the village talking crazy so they brought her here. We had to keep the gate locked or she would run away. We prayed over her for hours. Till late at night. Then everybody went to bed. She and her husband stayed the night. It's not like we don't have room. So for two days this goes on. She seems to be getting better but not sure. 

Then on the third night as we are praying, she speaks out real loud, "You can't have me I belong to Jesus." Everybody just looks at each other and thanks the Lord all at the same time. 

Yesterday she brought me mangoes and pineapple. Today they are going to church with us. 

They both, she and her husband, gave their lives to Jesus! 

What more can you ask for! Thank you Lord! 

Well have gone on long enough. 

To say the least it has gone from nothing to everything!    

All of the Japanese students walked through the village and asked the villagers questions. Mainly about school and what was needed. The villagers all answered "a way to get kids to High School."  So they want to help with that. It just so happens that Chinda and I have been working on a way to help a few of them. It would involve others supporting it for two years at a time before we even get it all worked out. God needs to send some others to support the first two years of the first house.    

Oh, we purchased equipment for the meat shop. Will be here from Malaysia in four to eight weeks. Lots to do until then. God Bless.

What a awesome God we serve!

 Mark

marktmasingale@gmail.com

Waistlets and healing

What a week!  

This week has been in the making for over a year.      

A group from Norway was here and supported a five day concert in five different villages.  It was 16 of work for six days. Crazy! But sometimes God does crazy things to get His Word out. And it did. Over 7000 people attended and more than 500 gave their life to Jesus.  People were healed. Sometimes I wonder if people back home can really believe what happens here. 

The lame walk! The blind see!  And not just one, but many! 

It says if we just have faith as a child, just believe, then it will happen. I myself have many things that get in the way of just believing sometimes. But it seems the people here sure don't. I have a lot to learn from them! 

It is so beautiful how they have kept there traditional custom in their search for the Lord. They are such a beautiful people.  So kind. 

In the hat are waistlets. The women wear them around their waist. They are string or chain. They are suppose to keep evil spirits away. When a women cuts one off it is a big deal!  By the end of the five days there was a five gallon bucket of them!

There is yet more about last week!

This first pics says it all to me. This girl prayed over this girl for over and hour for her to trust Jesus enough to cut her waist band off. She did! 

Amazing!  

That is like cutting off everything you have ever trusted in. Not just you but your parents and their parents.

Wow ! 

Every village we went to we cleaned in the morning. It was great. 

This last pic of a lady giving her testimony about her changed life with Jesus. She shared how her husband doesn't drink any more. Her life is better. She wants every one to know the one true God who loves her and them. This is a big deal because she is older. 49 years old.

Mark

marktmasingale@gmail.com

Chief Monk lives in Jesus!!

Last week was one of those weeks that make everything worth while.

There are many lonely days with nothing to do but then the Lord fills your week with more blessing than you deserve. 

First, Aubry and Rafael left after spending the day with Chinda and myself.  Didn't really know what to do with them so Chinda said we would just take them around to meet the people we have been helping. That is a two way street. Want them to see the real Cambodia but don't want the people to feel we are showing them off like in a zoo. Not sure how to handle that one.

Aubry told me afterwards just how much it meant to them. That they got to see village life up front and personal. That they could have never learned what they did just vacationing. That is a fact. I forget that it has taken me almost eight months to do what has been done. We ended up at Tree Of Life Church at lunch time. They fed us a great meal. There were quite a few pastors so that Aubry and Rafael got to talk to many others about what they were doing.

  
Then that night they took us to dinner. The whole family. All eight of us. The kids really were blessed by it. It was the first since they could remember that they ate at a nice place. We take so much for granted. A big dinner. The kids are still talking about how blessed they were. God is so good. He put me in their life. I am the one being blessed.

It says in Acts 2:12 that he who leaves home, family, children, and land will be blessed beyond measure. Well that is me. I have a nicer home than I have ever had. Bigger family and need nothing for myself. The Lord truly provides.

Then went to Vietnamese church in the morning. Was very good. The age of the the people the same as every church I have fellowshipped at here.  5% 35 an up. 25% 35 to 15. 70% 15 and younger.  The only hope I see for Cambodia is to raise the young ones up in Christ so they can change their country.  Older people are ingrained in Buddisim. They are afraid to make the spirits angry. It is okay with most for their children to go to church because they see how it changes them but it is not okay for them as the parents. If they do come most still go to the Wat just in case.

At church yesterday an old Monk came to speak to us. I say old for two reasons. He was old and is not a Monk anymore. Two months ago they were getting ready to burn the remains of the chief Monk at his Wat, but as his wife was saying goodbye for the last time his hand moved then he opened his eyes. He had been dead three days. She scearmed and ran. So did many others. They say he smelled bad. He was dead that many days. After he got out of the coffin he started to speak about what had happened to him. Said he went to hell. Saw all the Buddhist were there including his old chief Monk. Then asked the keeper of the gate why all the Buddhist were there. They are good people the keeper said but they didn't believe in Jesus.

The keeper looked in his book and said your name is not in here so then he went to heaven and met St. Peter at the gate. Asked him to come in but said you don't believe in Jesus. You can't come in here and your name is not in the book of life. Then he is laying in a box and he sees all these angels come up and down from heaven. He asked what they are doing. He is told they are taking new names to heaven. Someone that just gave their life to Jesus. Then he woke up and saw his wife. He told everyone around and there were about 500 as he was the chief Monk. So his cremation was a big deal. He told everyone that he believed in Jesus that all the Buddhist were in hell. None in heaven. He told them what had happen to him while he was asleep. Many people and twenty-five Monks gave there life to Jesus right there. But there were others who were angry with him so the police took him away to jail.  While in jail he told everybody what happened. All in there, including the police, gave their life to Jesus. Since this has happened they say over 500 monks have received the Lord. 

He does still do miracles. The man that was telling the story was an eyewitness to all this. Now his life is dedicated to telling this story wherever he can.   

Telling everyone that Jesus is the only way. 

The One and only true God.  

Well, that was my week!  

Would enjoy knowing how yours was!  

Mark

marktmasingale@gmail.com

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Visitors!

So what's been happening?    

Yesterday John told me all the money was there to do the bacon. Couldn't get much better than that. God is so good!  Half coming from the church the other half from individuals. Now have a plan can go to work.

  

Oh, it dose get better than that.  Aubry and Rafael arrived yesterday.  Larry Johnson's daughter and son-in-law.     Was a great time! They  played with the kids here.

 They are 20 years younger than I am.  Sometimes that's really apparent.  They ate dinner with us. Meeting them today at 9:30.  Chinda and Chan are going to take them around.  Ending the evening with Bible study.

    God Bless!  

Thank you all for making this happen.