Growth in Changing Times

Although it’s only March, this year is already bringing much change to us here at In His Steps! We are growing, and with growth come new responsibilities, new strategies and new steps along the way as we work to accomplish the goals God has given us as a ministry.

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Change can be uncomfortable, but we believe that God has good things in store as we journey through this time of transition. As we move forward, one of the things that God has provided for is a project that we have been hoping to begin for some time: the construction of a new multi-purpose building on our Foundation Center land!

Due to the volume of people attending our English classes, church services, children’s programs and other activities, we frequently end up holding these events outdoors for lack of space. That works great during more temperate months of the year, but is a challenge during Cambodia’s long rainy season and scorching hot season. That’s why we’re so excited about this new building, which should be completed this summer just as rainy season makes its entrance!

We’re thankful to be able to partner with Pearl Alliance in this new project, and are prayerfully looking forward to using this building to bless many more members of the Saang community.

Please pray with us for:

•  Safety and peace at the construction site
•  Salvation for the laborers involved
•  Good fruit in the lives of all that we reach through the use of this new building

Stay tuned for photo updates in the coming months!

The Gift of Children

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3

These last few months have been exciting times for Gospel Community Church Saang! We’ve been seeing a lot of new faces in our services, had several salvations, were able to do some outreaches with other local pastors, and are seeing great growth in our youth-aged members as they help with different areas of church ministry. Since we also recently had two more births among church member’s families, we have even more reasons to celebrate!

Last year, we held our first baby dedication where families and guardians publicly committed to raise their children in God’s ways. Considering the recent additions to our church body, it seemed right to have another dedication service this past week! Before beginning our dedication, we shared with our congregation the significance of this event, and for those who have only recently begun attending we know that this was a message they had never heard before.

Here in Cambodia, children are often seen either as a burden or a source of income. Consequently, family structure has been molded by patterns of dysfunction and exploitation. As Christians we agree with God that children are gifts to be treasured, loved, and raised according to biblical principles. Baby dedications give us a chance to reaffirm this.

As each parent publicly committed to raise their children to love and know God, church members stood and promised they would do their part to help bring this goal to fruition. It was a special time, and we hope to have many more such dedications as Gospel Community Church Saang continues to grow! 

Merry Christmas 2011!

This year's Christmas Program in Saang was a beautiful display of God's love and the message of Christmas, highlighting the talent of local children and youth. After beginning our preparations several months ago, the drastic flooding through our region made us wonder whether we would be able to carry on with the program at all! Thankfully, our Center land dried up in time. All the performers threw themselves into daily practices as our staff hurried to finish final plans and cram what would usually have been two month’s work into one! We’re so glad that God made a way where there seemed to be none, so that the message of Jesus’ birth and salvation could be brought yet again to many who have not yet heard it.

After the Flood

At 86 years old, Yay Phait (“Grandmother Phait” in the Khmer language) is the oldest member of our church. She is a sweet and joyful person with one of the most beautiful smiles you’ll ever see. Yay has survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, poverty, and abuse at the hands of relatives, and yet there is not a trace of bitterness or victimhood in the way she presents herself.

At our weekly women’s group meetings, Yay is often the first to exhort others to trust God and pray when times are difficult. She has the credibility to say these things because she lives them out and never complains. Even her stories of hardship and family difficulties are interspersed with thanks to God for his faithfulness and examples of his answers to her prayers.

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​When our staff saw that Yay Phait's house was growing dilapidated and offered little protection from the recent bad weather and flooding, we decided to help her by building a brand new house. Once the floods had receded and her land was dry, we moved forward as quickly as possible to construct a Khmer-style stilted house for Yay. It’s one of two houses that we have been able to rebuild this past month. Below are some pictures of the construction process and Yay enjoying her new home!

Pray for Yay Phait and her family, as her grandson recently passed away due to struggles with alcohol addiction. And keep the other elderly members of Gospel Community Church Saang in your prayers too, that they would be blessed with health and provision for everything they need. 

Working Together

​As a ministry, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to bless and mutually strengthen those in church leadership in Saang and neighboring regions. That often takes the form of training seminars and church visitation, as well as benevolent giving to meet needs in various congregations in Kandal province. By working together with other area churches, In His Steps can bless a much larger group of people than simply those in our own congregation!

We recently received a donation of 200 Khmer-language copies of the book “Bait of Satan” through Messenger International. Having already partnered with John and Lisa Bevere for other projects, we were excited to have an opportunity to bring this resource to Cambodians in their own language. After meeting with their Asia contact in Phnom Penh, we loaded up a tuk-tuk full of books and brought them out to Saang for distribution.

Even in Phnom Penh (Cambodia’s capital city), there are not a lot of quality Christian resources available in the Khmer-language. In rural areas like Kandal province, many pastors have little or no access to Christian books and teaching materials. When we arrived with “Bait of Satan” in hand, these pastors were quick to open their copy and begin reading, hungry to learn more.

As we made our rounds delivering the books, we heard many stories of how devastating flooding in the region has challenged pastors and their congregations dealing with the aftermath. Although things are getting better, many families still have a lot of work ahead repairing homes, cutting down waterlogged crops, and trying to resume life as normal. Eric and Pheaktra were able to offer some advice, but more importantly, listened as pastors shared their concerns and struggles.

The following week, we continued with our next initiative: giving away eyeglasses that had been donated from a family in New York. Re-visiting each pastor and again spending time to encourage and advise them, we also distributed glasses to them, their families, and congregation members with vision problems. It was perfect timing, since many of them had their books on hand to test out the new eyeglasses!

Whether visiting pastors in their homes or meeting with them each month at our pastors’ fellowship, we want each church leader in our area to know that we love and care about them. Being in ministry can be a lonely calling, which is why we emphasize listening to and encouraging each other, not just giving resources or dealing with ministry business. We want each pastor in Kandal province to know that their service to God is not for nothing, and they are not alone! Today, please join us in taking the time to pray for the Body of Christ in Cambodia. 

- In His Steps

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