Celebrating Children

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In case you didn’t know, June 1st was International Children’s Day. To celebrate, In His Steps held a two-hour Children’s Day program at our Center in Saang and invited all the neighborhood kids to come and join us in a time of fun and learning. Teacher Solomon did a great job preparing children from our Saturday children’s classes for various roles as MCs, dancers, and actors. They were all very dedicated, faithfully attending practices and helping to decorate the grounds and “stage” beforehand! The whole event was truly a group effort, with church members and In His Steps staff pitching in as well.

Over 400 people attended, and for some it was standing room only! We were glad to see not only children but also some parents and local government leaders come and watch the performances. At In His Steps, we believe that building relationships with leaders and families is a key to community transformation.

During the program, Loaves and Fish director Vouen gave a short presentation on children’s rights. For some, the idea that they have to right to be protected from child labor and abuse is a foreign concept that runs contrary to what they see at home every day. Hopefully, hearts and behavior will start to change as people recognize the worth of children as blessings from God.

Despite some backstage jitters, the kids all did a wonderful job in every aspect of the program. Many in the audience stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed as their peers performed fun dances, a comedic drama, and more. What a great opportunity to showcase the talent and enthusiasm of children in Saang! Most importantly, the message that children are valuable and have rights was communicated in a fun and memorable way. Please pray with us that God confirms in each child's heart how much he values and cares about them. 

A Strong Foundation

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IHSC National Director Theavy and Loaves and Fish Director Vouen sign the contract for safehouse construction

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Today was an exciting day in Saang as concrete was poured for the foundation of our safehouse for children! We have been looking forward to this moment and wanted to commemorate it in a special way. Since our ministry and this project is founded on the principles of the Word of God, we felt it was appropriate to literally place the Word in the foundation of the building. Sometimes pictures tell a story better than words can, so here are some shots of building preparations and what has been going on at the construction site!

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​Preparing the ground

Vouen places the Word of God in the foundation of the safehouse... literally

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"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11

Known by Name

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"...I have called you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1b

Imagine never knowing your birthday or being sure how old you are. It's hard to picture if you've grown up in a society that usually celebrates with parties, cakes, and gifts. Yet in Cambodia, many people have only a vague idea of when they were born.  To put it mildly, birthdays are not important here. 

Cambodians often feel unimportant or insignificant. They have never been told that they are cherished creations of God. We believe that all people should know how precious they are in God's eyes, starting with the people that we work with every day!  That's why we celebrate each IHSI staff member's birthday by spending time affirming and encouraging them: recognizing that they have dignity and value not just because of what they do, but because of who God made them. 

Before working at In His Steps, some of our staff never even had a birthday card or cake! For many, it seems strange that we would recognize the day of their birth as an important day. They are used to paying homage to the the Cambodian king (whose birthday is a national holiday), but we want them to know their worth as children of the King of Kings. He knows them each by name and calls them his own.

We love all of our staff and know that it is not by accident that they work at In His Steps. As God pours his love into each of them, he is preparing them to give that same love to others who have not yet received it! 

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A Special Announcement...An Answered Prayer

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​ “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

Isaiah 65: 24

For some time now, we at In His Steps have felt God calling us to build a safehouse for children in Saang district on our Foundation Center property. Our plan is go beyond caring solely for orphans, by providing a safe place for any child considered to be at a high-risk for abuse and human trafficking. The local government has recognized the need for such a place, and approves of our plans. The only missing piece in the puzzle was the money needed to construct the building itself.

Since last year, we have been praying and working to raise the finances for this project. Amazingly, last week God answered our prayers by providing partners who are donating the entire amount needed to build a safehouse in Saang! This is a miraculous demonstration of God's heart for children, and we are so excited to see the vision that he gave us coming into fruition!

The safehouse is not just a means of providing for the children within its walls: it will serve as model in the community for the development of healthy families and the protection of all children. We pray that our example of loving and caring for at-risk children will be one that challenges others to do the same.

Thank you to everyone who was faithful to pray for and give towards the building of the safehouse; you are an integral part of God's work in the Kingdom of Cambodia. We give him the glory for the amazing things he is doing here and ways that he is providing for "the least of these". 

-In His Steps

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Merry Christmas 2009!

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Merry Christmas! We hope you have a great holiday with family and loved ones. Here in Cambodia, we celebrate a little differently than in the West, since most Cambodians do not even know the meaning of Christmas. We feel that this time of year is a great opportunity to bless the communities we are in and teach the true significance of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ.

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This past Sunday, we held a Christmas program at our Saang Foundation Center. The program began in prayer by Pastor Pheaktra, and was MC’d by Solomon (one of our staff teachers) and a young woman from our youth group. It was an almost 4-hour program, including dance, worship, drama, and the message of Christmas.

  • Sak Saum, our program for at-risk and trafficked women, performed a beautiful skit, song, and dance telling of how God has brought them out of dark and difficult situations into a place of hope and new life.

  • Our intern Daniel and some of the young men in his breakdance class debuted their new dance group, “Souljuz Crew”. It was exciting for their friends and family to see them use their talent and new skills to glorify God. Interest in his class is growing and now many more youth in the area are signing up!

  • Solomon and a group of youth led a time of worship, and the youth also performed a dance.
  • Children sponsored by our Loaves and Fish program danced, and some also participated with other youth in a drama telling the story of Jesus’ birth.
  • Following the drama, Eric and Pastor Pheaktra spoke, sharing the significance of Jesus’ birth and the meaning of Christmas.
  • Through a free prize draw, we gave away 2 bicycles, 5 moto helmets, 22 cases of noodles, 2 electric fans, 3 small gas stoves, 5 water filters, 2 rice pots, 50 tee shirts, 20 sarongs, Sak Saum bags, and more! This was a great blessing to the community. Many of the prizes went to children, which very exciting!
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Although we have done other Christmas events in the past, this year’s outreach was by far the largest event In His Steps has ever hosted. We invited 2,000 people, and over 1,800 attended! People in Saang have never seen such a large event, and are still talking about all that happened. We invited local government leaders, and were excited that many of them came. They seemed very impressed with the program and what we are doing in the community.

Our staff and volunteers all did a great job making sure that things ran smoothly. Many members of our youth group volunteered as ushers, parking attendants, and security guards. We know that our efforts were blessed: throughout the day there were no disturbances, thefts, or injuries! This is incredible, considering the number of people who attended. We were amazed by the success of the program and God’s faithfulness to the people of Cambodia as he uses us to minister to them. Please pray that the message of hope they heard will touch their hearts and lead to more salvations and transformed lives in the community!

Happy Holidays,

In His Steps