Love and Marriage...

Happy New Year! Sak Saum began 2012 with a wonderful celebration -- the wedding of one of our Sak Saum girls to a member of In His Steps' staff. On December 31, Sana and Sokura pledged before family and friends to love, serve and honor each other.

Sana was one of the first girls to be a part of Sak Saum several years ago. Though she is no longer in our program, she has her own sewing machine and continues to sew for us from her home. Her husband, Sokura, serves as a teacher and worship leader for In His Steps Cambodia in Saang. 

Before we share a few pictures from the big day, we want to share with you why a Christian marriage is so significant here in Cambodia. Unlike the West, marriage is often more of a financial negotiation than a pledge of love and commitment. Sadly it is not uncommon for parents to push their children to marry for monetary reasons and for children to agree simply to remove the pressure they feel from their family. Marriage is no small undertaking when started on the best of terms -- it is certainly not ideal in these circumstances. Many of these relationships quickly take a turn for the worse and are crippled by adultery and abandonment. We believe that healthy, loving marriage to the person of one's choosing is a key factor in stopping the destruction of families in Cambodia. Naturally we are excited to see two young people fall in love and marry for that reason.

Sana and Sokura also chose to have a Christian ceremony. A Cambodian wedding is typically steeped in Buddhist traditions and sacrifices. Many young Christian couples will simply go along with these rituals to appease their families and then try to "start fresh" with a Christian foundation after the ceremony is over. As you can probably imagine, it is difficult to celebrate your commitment to each other and your desire to model Christian marriage when that union is started under Buddhist rituals. Sana and Sokura kept the beautiful aspects of Cambodian tradition but started their life together under the banner of Christ. We are thankful!

Our hope is that God will continue to raise up young couples in our midst who desire to walk with God and teach their children to do likewise. It is not a quick fix to many of the problems we see daily but it is the type of change which will take root and spread over time. Please pray for Sana and Sokura as they navigate their first year of marriage. We hope you enjoy a few pictures of their special day below.

Early in the morning, close friends and family gather for the fruit walk. Here fruit waits to be carried to the bride's family.

The groom's family presents the bride's family with a blessing of fruit.

Beginning the ceremony...

Enjoying the ceremony...

The bride and groom wash each other's feet as well as their parents' feet.

Eric Hanson, co-director of In HIs Steps, teaches on marriage and prays over the couple.

Theavy, Sak Saum's national director, and her son.

Even the youngest came dressed in their best.

Eric and Ginny Hanson with Sana and Sokura

Happy to be married!

Flooding Update

A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about the flooding in Cambodia and how that has affected In His Steps International (our umbrella ministry), Sak Saum, and the entire country. We wanted to give you a brief update.

The good news is that the waters have not risen. In fact, they are starting to recede! We believe the prayers are working. We did discover some water in the vocational training center and Father's House (our ministry to at-risk and abused children). However, there was no permanent damage -- praise God! 

We are thankful for God's hand on the ministry and are grateful that the children and Sak Saum girls impacted by this are doing well. Sak Saum is busy with work and life in Phnom Penh. The Father's House children are also living in the city and commuting to Saang daily for school. 

Sadly, other members of our community have experienced greater difficulties. Several villages have been flooded with people losing their homes and livelihoods. Many of our outside sewers have also been affected. Sak Saum and In His Steps is doing what we can to work with the local government and bring flood relief to these individuals.

Please continue to pray for the ministries represented by Sak Saum and In His Steps. Pray for the waters to recede. Pray for wisdom for the government workers and the ability to make decisions for the best of their people, not influenced by corruption. Pray for Saang and the people who have lost everything. And keep the country of Cambodia and surrounding countries who are also experiencing flooding -- that God's hand of grace, protection and mercy would be clearly evident.

If you would like to help us administer flood relief to victims, you may do so by giving here. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Here are a few of the latest pictures...

The staff decided to build a sandbag bridge. This is the property beforehand.

Progress...

Almost complete.

Pheaktra, IHSI staff member and pastor of our church plant, waits for people to come across the bridge for church.

A flooded home in the surrounding area. IHSI is working with the government to bring flood relief.Thanks for your prayers and concern!

The Latest News at Sak Saum

We thought it might be nice to catch you up on what Sak Saum has been up to the last few weeks. Here's the latest news.

We are perhaps in the busiest production season we've had yet! Orders for fall/holiday parties seem to be arriving daily. So great! If you are interested in helping Sak Saum by hosting a fall party, simply email saksaum@ihsionline.org or fill out the advocate form on the right column of the blog to get started.

Hung preparing fabric for sewing.

Serai, one of our first girls in Sak Saum, cutting fabric for fall bags.

The girls have also been busy on the weekends taking care of their land. (If you didn't have a chance to read about Sak Saum's land purchase, check out our blog "Empowering Women Through Land.") So much fun! Clearing out old banana trees, planting fruit trees and vegetables and of course some picnicking and exploring!

The view of the river from the land...

A friendly visitor...

A local "road" leading to other islanders' homes.

Ginny, Sak Saum's International Director, and the girls with the details on how the land is divided.

We have also welcomed some new additions this fall. Sak Saum now has 10 girls participating in the program full-time along with two younger girls who are staying at Sak Saum until In His Steps International's safehouse opens this September/October. The girls were at high-risk for being trafficked and so we took them in with open arms. IHSI's safehouse is designed specifically for children who are high-risk for abuse or trafficking. 

Sak Saum's national director, Theavy, works with local government officials for the safe release of Soki and Giaway into In His Steps/Sak Saum's care.

Government officials, IHSI staff and others who helped make this rescue possible.

A picture of In His Steps' safehouse located in the Saang district. Situated on the same property as our Foundation Center, this building has room for twelve children to receive love, education, discipleship and healing in a safe place.

This leads us to our final bit of news. From Sak Saum's beginning in 2007, the focus has always been reaching the Saang district. Many of our girls are from Saang and it is an area with many vulnerable and exploited women in need of love, healing and freedom.

Recently God has opened the doors for us to start raising funds for a Sak Saum Vocational Training Center in Saang. We are so incredibly excited! The goal is to begin building in January 2011. Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for a full blog update on this new project.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers. We are so grateful for you!

Until next time... 

Empowering Women Through Land

How do you prepare for the future? Perhaps you save for a down payment on a house, open an investment portfolio, or give a certain amount of your paycheck to your retirement fund. If you aren't able to do those things now, you are likely planning how to get to a point where you can.

Here in Cambodia it is not quite that easy. Empowerment is not simply telling someone to get out there, make money and invest in their future. Young people bear the financial pressure of caring for the parents and, sometimes, the entire family. Girls are used by parents as financial bargaining chips to make money. And corruption within neighborhoods, families and the government can make it difficult to know what the future will hold. These are real struggles that our girls face on a regular basis.

Several months ago, director Ginny Hanson began thinking and praying -- "How can Sak Saum provide a future for the girls?" Yes, we are doing that through inner healing, education and vocational training. But we longed to do something more. Simply giving money didn't seem like the answer -- too much family pressure and temptation involved. We wanted a lasting investment that would gain in value and provide purpose, meaning and hope.

Land. 

And not just any land - a beautiful piece right along the river across from Saang (where IHSI does most of their work). It is absolutely incredible, lush and green with bananas trees and the occasional stray cow. Each girl will receive a piece that they will co-own with national director, Theavy Kong. The land is theirs to farm, build or live on. The only restriction is that they cannot sell it for the first five years to allow it to grow in value. Our hope is that they will eventually raise families there and make a difference for God's kingdom in that community. (More on that in next week's blog!) 

We are grateful to God and to you (as it is your support of Sak Saum and our work that helps make this possible) for opening doors in this way. Let us all continue to not only speak up for those who have no voice but to also act on behalf of those who have no hope.

Until next time...

Computer Drive!

The technological age is finally beginning to make its mark here in Cambodia and we are seeing more and more young people eager to learn the basics of typing, email and internet. For many of us, it may be difficult to fathom a world that still moves along without i-phones, macbooks and Facebook. Yet that is the norm for many Cambodians. Times are changing, though, and we are excited to see a growing interest in developing this knowledge and skill set.

In His Steps International and Sak Saum believe in working holistically. In simple terms, it means we want to bring hope and restoration to every part of a person's life. Who would have thought that computers were a part of holistic healing?! But it turns out that they are very much a part of building confidence and opening doors of opportunity for the future.

This is where you come in. We are starting a computer drive with the goal of acquiring 10 laptop computers for those who are a part of both In His Steps International and Sak Saum. Are you thinking about upgrading your computer? Know someone who is trying to sell a laptop but might be willing to take a tax write-off instead? We would love to take that computer off your hands and put it to work here in Cambodia! They don't have to be new, fancy or fast -- a basic system will do. All we ask is that they not be broken or laden with problems.

If you have a computer you would like to donate or know someone else who does, please email IHSI International staff member Jacob Goodlin at jacobg@ihsionline.org. He will give you the rest of the details on how to get a computer from your home to ours.

Most of us are so blessed with not just one computer but several. Consider this gift -- it will be a part of changing someone's life. To close, we want to leave you with a few pictures to help you visualize some of the people who will be helped as a result of your generosity. 

Orphans involved in IHSI's Loaves and Fish program studying and finding hope for their future. 

IHSI's Cambodian staff and many of the Sak Saum girls are eager to learn...

Gong Kia, an IHSI staff member, studying to improve his knowledge.

A couple of the girls in Sak Saum who have a strong desire to receive computer training...

Until next time...