A Fresh Challenge ...

Ministering in a foreign land with a different ministry setting will always pose a great challenge to a neophyte missionary. Such is the challenge I am facing right now as I start my volunteer work in Cambodia.

When I visited Cambodia last Jan 28-Feb 11 this year, I knew God will send me back that I may share the opportunity of an abundant life from God through Christ Jesus (John 10:10b).

I came back to Cambodia last April 29 with an expectant and excited heart. I thank God because before I left the Philippines, so many brethren in faith uplifted me and my entire family in prayer.  It gave me the confidence that Jesus will always be with us as He promised. He said, “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples... and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world” Matt. 28:18-20.

It is so wonderful to know that God had already prepared everything even before I made a decision to come. While the major hindrance in ministering in a foreign land is language and cultural barriers. In my case, God provided me with partners who are just as excited as I am in working together here in Cambodia. My partners helped me a lot to connect to people whom I can minister even if I still have the difficulty in both the language and cultural barriers. 

Nothing is Wasted

My engineering skills gave me the privilege to connect with people here and their communities. While I am called a “pastor” here, but I find myself initially connecting with people using my engineering skills.

I am presently staying with Rev. Samuel Pacha and family in their Hope Learning Center (HLC). Rev Pacha is also the founding pastor of Trinity Christian Fellowship (TCF). Rev. Pacha is a retired minister of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). He and his family are now based in Phnom Phen.

New Opportunities:

Here are few of the ministries I did since I arrived in Cambodia:

1. Help in the construction of the Children’s Home at Takeo Province. I helped to design this two storey building when I joined a team in January from Engineering Ministries International (EMI)  through the “Remember Nhu” organization prepare a master plan to help at risk children in the area. The Children’s Home will become a “home” of the children they rescued and a venue to train them become responsible leaders in the future. I was the Structural Engineer of Team. The construction started during the first week of May. Here is a video that I created when the project started.
2. Prepare a plan for a common toilet in a community where some members of the TCF live. Improve the rooftop of the HLC to make it become productive with vegetables. We bought clay pots and seeds  of “ampalaya” and “upo” to start Rev. Pacha’s dream project. We hope and pray that  this project would encourage the members of the church to start making their surroundings become productive by planting vegetables using pots and other media that are available in their community. We have observed that most of them are not fond of thinking other means to improve their conditions other than working very hard to earn from garbage collection. We intend to share them the produce of the project and encourage them to plant vegetables with the hope that people around their community will also do the same. 
   
3.  Pastor Sam and I have also started to make Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ). This solution is a good source for organic plant  fertilizer. I learned to make FPJ from my training-seminar in Natural Farming System through Mr. Andry Lim of the Tribal Missions Fellowship, Inc. in Davao City. We are also looking forward to make Oriental Herb Nutrients (OHN), an organic pest and disease control for plants. We desired to share to the community the Natural Farming System ways of raising vegetable garden.

Prayer Items:

1. Seed money for a small project to sell mango shake and other fruit shakes to school or centers near TCF. The long-term project here is to establish a marketing strategy for a 500-mango tree plantation of Sonny’s father-in-law. Sonny is one of the members of the TCF. We want to start with small but tangible ways of income generating projects for the TCF members to see and hopefully apply in their lives. 
   
2. Core people whom we can trust and train for this project.
3. Training needs on Basic hygiene and grooming for the TCF-HLC and the neighborhood.
4. For God to continue to supply all my needs according to His riches and glory.
5. Discerning and obedient heart to do the will of the One who sent me.
6. For God to make it possible for Gladys to join me here in Cambodia by July.
7. Good health of all family members. With Gladys and I in Cambodia, we will soon be happily scattered as Kim and JJ go back to Silliman to study and Nikka and Keanny will stay in Tacloban.