While typing this, my friends at the
Pizza House restaurant that I've come to know so well are preparing
the same meal we had a few days after I first arrived in Cambodia. I
now know that it means “cow walking up a mountain.” There are
still so many things I don't know about Cambodia though, and two
months here could hardly suffice to learn an entirely different group
of people, way of life, language, and culture. I really feel like my
time here in Kampong Chhnang was more of a blessing to me than the
people I came in contact with while here. There is already an
established church, although small, in many of the cities of
Cambodia. Believers are able to worship freely with no persecution
from the government now, which is a tremendous blessing and answer to
prayer. A large amount of the population of Cambodia however lives in
the countryside and rural areas. The fact remains that about 98% of
Cambodia does not believe in Jesus, and there are many who have not
even heard His name.
I was able to visit a few of the house
churches that meet in these rural settings with my friend Sina and
see how God has been moving through this movement. There are some
powerful things happening here in the name of Jesus Christ that are
bringing people to faith in Him. I heard some of the most powerful
and miraculous testimonies in these settings, and this is how the
Church in Cambodia needs to grow. The churches that have been
established in these city settings need to focus their support and
efforts on village missionaries like Sina, that will live like the
people, talk the same language, and be the most effective at bringing
the Gospel to a nation that is so dark and trapped in spiritual
bondage to the enemy. As American believers who grew up in an
entirely different setting, we can still come alongside and encourage
and train these believers to fulfill this work, and I would love to
come back and do just that sometime in the future.
My favorite thing about Cambodia at the
beginning of my trip was the people, and that has not changed at all
throughout my time here. The overall friendliness of just about
everyone I came in contact with was overwhelming, and the
relationships that I've been able to start have been a huge blessing
to me. The amount of love I felt at a church I have only visited
three times here and the prayers they spoke for me I feel could not
be matched at churches I have spent years at in the States. I really
am going to miss the people I've met here terribly. The question I've
heard more than any other from them is when I will come back. I tell
them all that I will as soon as I can, and it is my hope that God has
the same plan in mind.
Please pray for the business that Mark
has begun here, without whom I never would have come to Cambodia in
the first place. His vision and heart for these people is just as
strong as it was over a year ago when he left America. God has been
blessing the Pizza House financially, and the meat packaging is set
to begin very soon after I leave. Pray for Ellis and Rachel as they
seek to help out in any way they can and have been learning the
language and culture at a rapid rate. Pray for the Cambodian Church,
that God would raise up national believers and leaders to go to those
who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ in Cambodia and plant
churches that will grow and multiply. May the name of Jesus be lifted
high in this nation! Thank you for keeping up with all of my posts,
see you all very soon.
-Brother (Baby) Mark signing off
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| Last time teaching in Cambodia |
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| Party with the youth group at Pastor Vuthy's church |
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| My best friend in Cambodia - Chan |
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Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteI am sure that the people there have been blessed as well to meet you. It was God's plan to put you in their path so that you can all learn from each other and love one another. We will continue to pray that the people there will hear of Jesus and come to love and follow Him and spread the word.
Safe travels!
Love you,
Mums