“Here is the church. Here is
the steeple. Open the doors, Where are the people?
There is man with a
vision, a vision for a Christian church smack dab in the middle of a Buddhist
village… a Buddhist province… a Buddhist country…
Touch village,
Kampot Province, Cambodia is where it will all begin.
The people of this
village depend on rain, and they hope for a good rice harvest. However, it only
rains 6 months of the year. The other half of the year they wait. In the
drought, they wait for rain… six long, hard, and HOT months of doing nothing.
I will provide living water in the desert.
This is his vision: a
church that includes education in English, trade skills, and music. It will
provide an opportunity to know there is more to life than making a living. It will
give futures to those who never had a chance, to those born into difficult
situations. The people will know to listen and obey the will of God. They will no
longer rely on their own strength. They will finally do away with useless idols
and they will PRAISE GOD! Most importantly, they will want to tell everyone
about the hope they have in Jesus Christ.
He is but one man! How on earth is this possible?
He starts small. He
invites youth and children to his home to learn English. He provides textbooks
and pencils. Though his family is not Christian, they allow him to do this. He
sets a goal: 150 Christians in 5 years. People first.
Okay, Education is good and dreams are good but what about
passion, God? What about the church?
The man prays. Son, It is not time.
God answers.
Some volunteers come,
in the form of 5 Americans and 2 Canadians. They start small. They go
door-to-door telling about Jesus and they continue where the man left off in
English class. The team preaches, teaches, encourages, and prays for healing. One
Sunday, 13 students dedicate their life to Christ.
Is it time to build the church? Should I clear the land?
God answers again. Patience, my
children. Put down the shovel. It is not time.
The man continues to
pray like it depended on God, and continues to work like it depends on him. He
is persistent. God is providing more teams to come where each one left off. Each
team brings Jesus one family at a time.
But the man is
getting tired; he is lacking patience and he is alone for the long haul. The
man MUST have patience.
More teachers will
come and nurture and disciple. The forest WILL multiply. The people will flock
to his home to hear the good news. They will yearn for an education. They will
tire of waiting for rain. They will drink LIVING WATER.
That is when God will say,
“Vuthy… It is time. Build my church.”
“Here is the church. Here is
the steeple. Open the doors, look at all the people!”
