We arrived at our ministry site in Kampong Thom, Cambodia on February 3. Kampong Thom is about halfway between Siem Reap, location of Angkor Wat, and Phnom Penh, the capital. Our fabulous Squad Leaders scheduled our team to have February 2 as an off day in Siem Reap so that we could tour Angkor Wat. The other three teams are ministering in Siem Reap or about an hour west of the city.
This month Team Overcome is working with Evangelical Missions Organization for Development (EMOD). EMOD is lead by Pastor Sokhon who has a deep love and passion for his people. Pastor splits his time between Phnom Penh and Kampong Thom so our time working with him has been limited. However, we have several people to work with here in Kampong Thom. EMOD has several branches of ministry.
Hope Children’s Home
We are living in the children’s home. There are about thirty children ages 5-15 living here as well as some older teen girls, three men in their early twenties, and a young family. The children come from surrounding villages and are at Hope either because they are orphans or because their families can no longer care for them. There are a few sibling sets in the home so some of the kids have that family connection still intact. The older girls are students at the beauty salon who get to live at the home. The three men – Nehemiah, Sam and John – work for EMOD as English teachers and help care for the children and the home. They are amazing men and a source or protection and brotherly love for the kiddos. Nehemiah’s dream is to be the best ministry translator and to live his life as an example to his people of a godly man. Sam desires to remain in ministry and is marrying in March. John’s heart is in politics and desires to see more godly people in government so as to end the corruption in Cambodia. The young family and some of the neighborhood ladies cook for the kiddos.
Each child at Hope is sponsored. We learned recently that four of the kids have lost their sponsors and Pastor has lost one of his biggest supporters. Pastor will keep the kids at the home as long as he is able but if they do not find sponsors they will have to return to their villages. Please pray for this ministry and if God leads to to support please do so. However, remember we will be with 9 more ministries so there will be other opportunities. Contact info is at the bottom.
We are very blessed to be living with so many loving kiddos. We get up to lead devotions at 5:40am then help them with their chores before school. Then we have the morning to explore or got to village ministry while they are in school. They come home at 11am for lunch break so we play games, cuddle, do crafts, and just hang out with them. Then is afternoon school. In the evenings we go to teach English but after 7pm we get to hang out with the kids until bedtime. They are so loving and embraced us with open arms and open hearts from day one.
We have a small bedroom in the house where we store our packs, and we sleep in the main room. Our kitchen is small but sufficient. We have an LPG tank with a burner for a stove, an apartment refrigerator, and plenty of dishes and cookware. We have been enjoying going to market and cooking for ourselves. We have gotten to try new fruits and veggies and butcher the chickens we buy. They are plucked and mostly gutted, but we get to remove the heads, legs, and remove the heart, lungs, etc. I have butchered all five so far and cannot understand why my teammates are not jumping at the opportunity. So glad I brought my Gerber hunting knife, thanks Dad.
We are also living with millions (no exaggeration) of tiny fire ants. They don’t bother us too much, but they get into everything!! They eat into packaging and swarm any little piece of food or dead bug on the floor. When we arrived I thought there was a crack in the wall. Nope it was a line of ants.
Wing’s Home
Wing’s Home is a home for teenagers. We have only been to Wing’s a few times to play volleyball and to attend a party, so I do not know their stories as well. Wing’s is managed by a young couple who live there with the teens. These teens are so talented and loving. Two of them are on the Kampong Thom high school volleyball team and we got to watch them in the district championships. Their team came in second over all. I have actually gotten to play volleyball at Wing’s. They have been very kind to include me and let me play, and I actually got the ball over the net a couple times and successfully set up a teammate! Watch out Harvest I’m coming home with skills. Some of the teens help lead worship at church and went to Phnom Penh last week to perform during a huge Christian conference. These kids are Cambodia’s future and they have such a heart for God.
EMOD – English Classes
EMOD has offices in Kampong Thom where English classes are taught Monday through Friday to the Wing’s teens and local students. These students are all teens or early twenty-somethings. The Children’s home kiddos are taught English at the church next to the house. We have had the opportunity to teach at all these classes. This is my first time teaching English and it was very awkward at first. But over time it has gotten better and I’m actually looking forward to this week.
Village Ministry
EMOD has connections in several neighboring villages. We show up and the children flock to play games, sing songs and hear a Bible story. The idea is to pour God’s love into them and enforce what Nehemiah, Sam and John are teaching them. EMOD is spreading the Hope of Christ around Kampong Thom.
Beauty Salon
We have not learned much about the beauty salon. It is a training salon here in the city offering girls a chance to learn a skill. For Valentine’s Day Stephanie, team leader, and See Eun, squad leader, surprised us with manicures, pedicures, and hair styling by the four girls who live at the children’s home.
Church
We go to three services each weekend: Saturday and Sunday nights at EMOD and Sunday morning at the church near the Children’s Home. The services at EMOD are attended my mostly teenagers. They worship so freely. Sunday morning church is lead by Pastor. The church is attended by villagers. I can feel the spirit so strongly in that church!
If you would like to learn more about EMOD, how to support the work here or how to sponsor a child please visit their website www.emod-ema.org Email: [email protected]
