An eyes-opener ~ the Cambodian trip

My wife & I went to Cambodia 19-24/12/2009, and it was eyes-opening!

We had a lot of "first times" there:

1. it's the very first time we went to Cambodia;

2. it's the first time we met so many (90+) children suffering from AIDS;

3. it's the first time we came to meet so many missionary couples/families in one trip;

4. it's the first time we got to know a bit more about being "missionaries";

5. it's the first time I found coping with a new language rather challenging (compared to a number of previous STM trips).

Even though it's only 6-day inclusive, we found it very meaningful. We met Jamson and Kitty who are ministering through the Jabez Ministry reaching university students from the countryside who study in Phnom Penh. They open up their house as a dorm for the students who don't have family in Phnom Penh. They care for them and nurture them spiritually almost every day through daily devotion and special gathering in the evening.

We got to know Thomas and Sarah who are leading the Living Water Church. Their church building is actually used as a dorm which is pretty much like the Jabez Ministry, but they have regular fellowship on Saturday and Sunday worship service.

I also got to catch up with my high school friend Stephen Lui Man Tung (pictured left). Stephen and Jenny are ministering at the Phnom Penh Chinese Christian Church which is associated with a kindergarten. Jenny also teaches at the Phnom Penh Bible School.

At the Bible school, we met another Andrew (Dr Kwong) who's studied at UWA for medicine and his wife Josephine who have been in Cambodia for some 15 years, and currently ministering in the Phnom Penh Bible School training up new breed of pastors and leaders for the Cambodian churches.

It's good to get to know each of them and to find out a bit more what it means to be a Chinese missionary in Cambodia. They minister to Chinese as well as the Khmer people. It's not easy in terms of learning another culture and language, but we can testify the flourishing of the ministry because of the Lord.