(Written 1/1/11)
So it’s a new year! Last night we had a Christmas program and New
Year’s party with 100 or so Cambodians to welcome us into 2011. This month we
are staying in village outside of Phnom Penh called Takeo at Teen Challenge (http://www.teenchallengecambodia.org/).
We are working with 26 male students, age range 12-46, teaching English,
computers, sports, and music. The most important part of our ministry will be
showing the love of Christ to these guys and teaching them the word of God. The
students here are from both wealthy and poor backgrounds but all have abused
drugs/alcohol in the past (many of the poor sniffing glue, other guys using Crystal
Meth).
Teen Challenge is a well-established global organization, although the
center in Cambodia is only two years old. During the past two years they have
seen miraculous growth with both the local center and the lives of the guys
that have attended. The students here are filled with joy and love to worship. It
is through these transformed lives that the center has seen great development.
This type of growth in a Buddhist country is amazing. 94% of Cambodians are
Buddhist, 2% Christian, and about 4% Muslim. The people of Cambodia are not
hostile (typically) to visiting Christians, but there is a history of violence
and division for Cambodian Christians.
Despite this, these guys enjoy heading
down the road for church throughout the week, but especially on Sundays. We had
a Christmas celebration on New Years Eve where the students played music,
enacted skits, and danced for hours.
(Written 1/6/11)
I’ve been working with the younger
group teaching Bible and English classes everyday. Many of the students never
really went to school, since they were preoccupied with drugs and the street
life. Their brains have been affected by the drugs and we’re pretty sure that
many of the younger ones are lying about their age (they look about 8 years
old-not 16). Despite these setbacks, overall they stay pretty attentive and
receptive to the teaching. We have been working on greetings, body parts, and
animals. This week we went over, “How are you?” and “I am fine” over and over
again. Some of the students are still struggling through English, but they’ll
do it with a big smile on their faces. The students stay in the program for one
year, after being released back into the “real world” there is a discipleship
program in place to try and make sure that they don’t slip back into drugs and alcohol.
