…Thus, my journey began. (Part two of Vuthy’s story)
In August 2009, I returned home ready to serve my savior.
I started by inviting children from my home village of Kampot to come and I would teach them English on the weekends. I would teach from Monday to Friday, then return back to my job in Phnom Penh with Youth with a mission (YWAM).
I struggled during this time because I had no transportation of my own and little to no finances to fund my travel back and forth from Kampot to Phnom Penh. There were no Christians to support me in the village, and my family and friends couldn't understand why I was doing this. I survived mostly on rice and little else during this time to stay faithful to what The Lord had asked of me by saving all my money for transportation.
Although it was a season of testing, God continued to be faithful.
During one of my weeks in the city, I encountered a Canadian missionary couple- and after hearing my vision, they blessed the school by purchasing a table for the classroom!
Although I had nothing, God continued to provide and demonstrate His faithfulness. My parents, siblings, and many other neighbors and villagers began to follow Jesus and came behind what I was doing.
During the year 2010, The Lord provided me with a small building to hold classes and the resources to build Light of Hope church here on the property.
At this time I had moved back to the village full time to teach English and share the Gospel with the community. I also began to ask God for a home for those who had no means or finances to study, but desired an education. This would be a place where they could come live to study English and learn about Jesus.
As of January 2012, Mercy Home now stands on property, and is home to teenagers and young people who are studying and rising up as Christian leaders in this community. God has also been providing means to send many of these young people to University of the Nations in the next few months. Most are planning to return and be a part of the ministry here.
During this past year, our English school has also been growing. About 200 students from Pre-K and up come from Tuesday to Saturday to learn English and about the love of Jesus in 12 different classes. We have also found favor in the public school system, and have been able to send missionary teams in to teach English and bring the light of Christ into a place where the Gospel is forbidden.
In addition, we have been taking missionary teams to surrounding villages to build relationships with families and teach English to the children there.
On Sundays, we have started a kids program for the village children where we share Bible stories, sing songs, and play games. Afterwards, we hold a church service for the community in our building, Light of Hope Church.
The vision of Mercy Homes is continuing to grow. Our prayer is that Mercy Home will raise up and provide a home for many more children and young people- including orphans- who will have a chance to come study and have their life transformed by encountering the living God.
We also want to provide a place to teach people in the community training skills to provide for their children and families, as well as continue to provide language training for those who cannot afford the public school system or never received a chance to attend.
We also desire to build a clinic where people who cannot afford healthcare will have their physical and spiritual needs attended to. We have already seen many miracles of healing in this community, and know there is even more to come. God has also given us a dream to open a Christian University here in Kampot so we can educate, train, and send out disciples across the nation of Cambodia.
Thank you for reading more about my vision and heart for this center here in Kampot, Cambodia. Despite adversity, we believe and have seen God do the impossible. I know He is not done with this place or these people yet.
God Bless
(We are looking for a church community to partner with Vuthy and his growing vision)
Contact us at [email protected]
