As we embark on the journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, we had a 6 hour car ride to explore the country. The day before, the team went on a walk throughout the surrounding neighborhood from which many of our students came from. Passing by from the main road, the homes didn't seem to be as bad as expected, but we stepped deeper into the village and there we saw worn down shacks, torn rags and clothing, and dung everywhere. Little boys from our school were urinating on a building because there was a lack of indoor plumbing. In one of these homes, we saw Sang again, the bubbliest 6 year old boy we were blessed to meet this year who we earlier found out had HIV. Yet, as we drove about 5 minutes away from the shacks, we came upon a wealthy neighborhood. Bright white walls with glass windows and large wooden doors were accompanied with fancy gates and cars in the front. There was even a golf course. Not more than a 5 minute car ride away. It was such a large wealth gap but so close in distance. For most of the ride, conditions weren't much better. We went to Pastor Hung's second school he helped out in a village along a river and we saw a child defecating in the river and a toddler came to the school without any pants on. None at all. This past week, we were mostly confined in the walls of the church and did not fully understand the hardship that the students we've been teaching faced. We now are coming into the second half of missions among a village along the river. For many of us this will wake us up to how other parts of the world really live.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
Off to Siem Reap
Heathy blessings,
Jeremiah
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Prayer Requests
Hey prayer warriors and supporters,
I haven't made time to upload or post any specific prayer requests for the past couple of days. Our journey in Phnom Penh has brought fruit and glory to God. At the same time, we are in desperation for God's will and presence as we seek him during the mission trip. We are all growing too attached to the kids, to the culture, and especially the stories God has presented to us through the life of Pastor Hung and Co Trang. Simply blessed! All given through scripture and biblically based.
Prayer requests:
- Pray for our sister Lucy who's undergoing illness today. Pray for a Godspeed recovery, health-wise. Furthermore, please pray for the whole team to be protected and not have to endure any cause of sickness for the rest of the trip (approximately 10-11 days left). We need every single individual alive and well. (If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. - 1 Corinthians 12:26-27) #TLCRIDEANDDIE
- Pray for our love be genuine. Abhor what is evil by holding fast onto what is good. Continue to love one another with brotherly/sisterly affection and one another in showing honor! (Romans 12:9-10)
- Pray for the uncertainty ahead with Siem Reap. The trip is a scouting. We are still trusting God to provide a clear answer for the second week. We are unsure because we haven't received any reply back from Pastor Hoang for the past 3-4 days. Please pray for a quick reply and for his protection because he is currently in a remote village working with a specific group. We are leaving on Saturday morning with Pastor Hung to venture to Siem Reap to adjust the climate, atmosphere, and challenges.
We appreciate your prayers and we all love y'all. I'll do my best to update! We are limited with data and Internet during the trip.
Healthy blessings,
Jeremiah
I haven't made time to upload or post any specific prayer requests for the past couple of days. Our journey in Phnom Penh has brought fruit and glory to God. At the same time, we are in desperation for God's will and presence as we seek him during the mission trip. We are all growing too attached to the kids, to the culture, and especially the stories God has presented to us through the life of Pastor Hung and Co Trang. Simply blessed! All given through scripture and biblically based.
Prayer requests:
- Pray for our sister Lucy who's undergoing illness today. Pray for a Godspeed recovery, health-wise. Furthermore, please pray for the whole team to be protected and not have to endure any cause of sickness for the rest of the trip (approximately 10-11 days left). We need every single individual alive and well. (If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. - 1 Corinthians 12:26-27) #TLCRIDEANDDIE
- Pray for our love be genuine. Abhor what is evil by holding fast onto what is good. Continue to love one another with brotherly/sisterly affection and one another in showing honor! (Romans 12:9-10)
- Pray for the uncertainty ahead with Siem Reap. The trip is a scouting. We are still trusting God to provide a clear answer for the second week. We are unsure because we haven't received any reply back from Pastor Hoang for the past 3-4 days. Please pray for a quick reply and for his protection because he is currently in a remote village working with a specific group. We are leaving on Saturday morning with Pastor Hung to venture to Siem Reap to adjust the climate, atmosphere, and challenges.
We appreciate your prayers and we all love y'all. I'll do my best to update! We are limited with data and Internet during the trip.
Healthy blessings,
Jeremiah
Monday, July 25, 2016
The Prison Experience 7/24
It was the most casual display of historical torture I've seen, placed in the corner of the street with hardly any fancy renovations dictating it as a museum. Yet, the barred windows of the building stood tall and loomed over the walls that contained it so no one could question the purpose of this place. I've visited many museums before from the Holocaust Museum in D.C. and the Torture Museum in San Diego but nothing made my heart drop more than this simple display of what happened just nearly 40 years prior at the previous S-21 prison active during the Khmer Rouge retime. There were rooms with a couple of "beds" that really was just woven pieces of leather and iron cuffs and chains used for containing the victims. A splotched and blurred black and white photo what you could barely make out as a man body accompanied the bed on the wall. The bed and the photo, that was all that was in the room, as if they were never moved and just nearly 40 years prior, a victim was tortured and killed at the very spot you were standing. This was the first thing I saw in this prison, but it was not the last and most definitely not the most impactful.
There were about 3 things that set this apart from any other displays of torture I've seen.
1. The giant board of rules
Translated into English, this was a huge board that stood in the middle of the field facing the building full of written rules mostly about obeying the regime, answering interrogation quickly, and one that did not allow you to cry when receiving electric lashes. A simple display, but it made me shudder as I imagined these prisoners seeing this board every day. You can see several images of torture, but these rules showed what led to it, and it really isn't much.
2. The gallows
The gallows was a giant wooden structure that resembled the structure I which people were hanged for execution back in the somewhat old days. There were three large clay plots underneath the beam of the structure and a clay sculpture of a terrified man with his hands tied behind his back next to it. These gallows were in the middle of the prison in the fields where it could be visible from all areas. It had metal hoops underneath the beam for rope to be pulled through. This structure was originally used during PE for the high school. It was turned into a torture device that consisted of hanging victims upside down until they lose consciousness and dumping them into the pots full of dirty water and fecal matter. In broad daylight, everything was clear and I was able to visualize a little too well the torturing of an unfortunate victim right before my eyes every time I saw the structure while walking through the buildings.
3. The individual cells
Absolutely the most chilling thing I've experienced. There were rooms in a building encased in barbed wire that showed the individual cells prisoners were kept in. It was used to prevent desperate prisoners from committing suicide. They were small, no longer than maybe 5ft long and 2 or 3 feet wide, and made up of brick or wood. There were no lights and I'm barely able to squeeze through the entrance of each cell. In some, I saw red markings on the floor or walls that seemed like it could've been dried blood. I walked through the small rooms with maybe 10 cells cramped in each room and I imagined the prisoner sitting there in shackles just nearly 40 years ago. Most of the things were untouched. I walked upstairs to the wooden cells and I found myself alone and scared to even walk through the wooden cells. These were more cramped than the brick and doors were open for me to enter through but all it seems to lead to after a short while was a door to another prison. Something about the way that the display of the cells was placed made it seem like it was endless. I got so many chills I didn't even know I could received as I walked through them alone.
My experience here made my heart grow for the people of the land and their genocide unknown to many across the world. My conversation with a bank teller showed that some people do not know where Cambodia is located or how to spell it. I might even go as far to say that he did not know that it was s country. Nearly 40 years ago was what ran constant through my mind as I came to the understanding of the raise that history merely repeats itself. There is truly nothing new under the sun. It's a shame that this prison doesn't get as nearly as many visitors as it should. Instead, people go to Cambodia to visit a grand temple. This was a chilling and powerful experience that makes me question whether or not humanity as a whole is actually able to grow toward peace.
Nicole
There were about 3 things that set this apart from any other displays of torture I've seen.
1. The giant board of rules
Translated into English, this was a huge board that stood in the middle of the field facing the building full of written rules mostly about obeying the regime, answering interrogation quickly, and one that did not allow you to cry when receiving electric lashes. A simple display, but it made me shudder as I imagined these prisoners seeing this board every day. You can see several images of torture, but these rules showed what led to it, and it really isn't much.
2. The gallows
The gallows was a giant wooden structure that resembled the structure I which people were hanged for execution back in the somewhat old days. There were three large clay plots underneath the beam of the structure and a clay sculpture of a terrified man with his hands tied behind his back next to it. These gallows were in the middle of the prison in the fields where it could be visible from all areas. It had metal hoops underneath the beam for rope to be pulled through. This structure was originally used during PE for the high school. It was turned into a torture device that consisted of hanging victims upside down until they lose consciousness and dumping them into the pots full of dirty water and fecal matter. In broad daylight, everything was clear and I was able to visualize a little too well the torturing of an unfortunate victim right before my eyes every time I saw the structure while walking through the buildings.
3. The individual cells
Absolutely the most chilling thing I've experienced. There were rooms in a building encased in barbed wire that showed the individual cells prisoners were kept in. It was used to prevent desperate prisoners from committing suicide. They were small, no longer than maybe 5ft long and 2 or 3 feet wide, and made up of brick or wood. There were no lights and I'm barely able to squeeze through the entrance of each cell. In some, I saw red markings on the floor or walls that seemed like it could've been dried blood. I walked through the small rooms with maybe 10 cells cramped in each room and I imagined the prisoner sitting there in shackles just nearly 40 years ago. Most of the things were untouched. I walked upstairs to the wooden cells and I found myself alone and scared to even walk through the wooden cells. These were more cramped than the brick and doors were open for me to enter through but all it seems to lead to after a short while was a door to another prison. Something about the way that the display of the cells was placed made it seem like it was endless. I got so many chills I didn't even know I could received as I walked through them alone.
My experience here made my heart grow for the people of the land and their genocide unknown to many across the world. My conversation with a bank teller showed that some people do not know where Cambodia is located or how to spell it. I might even go as far to say that he did not know that it was s country. Nearly 40 years ago was what ran constant through my mind as I came to the understanding of the raise that history merely repeats itself. There is truly nothing new under the sun. It's a shame that this prison doesn't get as nearly as many visitors as it should. Instead, people go to Cambodia to visit a grand temple. This was a chilling and powerful experience that makes me question whether or not humanity as a whole is actually able to grow toward peace.
Nicole
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Sensok - July 24th, 2016
Hey everybody,
Just wanted to update y'all, we've safely landed in Phnom Penh and we're currently staying with Pastor Hung in Sensok. Today we attended Sunday service and supported the ministry through much prayer. By God's grace, two women were invited to receive Christ today. Although they had some doubts as to why Christ died for their sins, nonetheless, they decided by faith to believe. At the end of the service, we helped facilitate the distribution of over a hundred bags of rice to numerous families that inhabited near the church. There was much joy in the faces of the people here as they carried off free bags of rice back to their homes.
Afterwards, we visited the S-21 torture camp (a notorious landmark of the Khmer Rouge regime) where we toured and learned of the history of the genocide that occurred in Cambodia. Though this was my 2nd time visiting the camp, I still experienced great feelings of sorrow and despair as I viewed the pictures of the innocent lives lost to such an inhumane regime. I was reminded just how sinful men can be. As mentioned in Romans 3:10-12, "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Its very tragic that Cambodia's cultural identity has been eviscerated by the Pol Pot regime.
If you can lift a couple prayers for our team, please pray for our hearts to remain focused on Christ. He is the source of our joy, may we not be disheartened from the things we saw and experienced today. Pray that this would motivate us to love on those around us with desperation!
Thanks,
Jerry
Day 1 - 7/24/16
Hey everyone, we all made to Cambodia safe and sound around 11p on Saturday 23, 2016. Pastor Hung, his son Daniel, and a brother Da came to pick us up yesterday. Well the travel started from LAX to Seoul to Cambodia went smooth. Though we are exhausted, we praise the Lord for the safe travels. But thank you for the prayers for the journey ahead.
Thus far we have enjoy understanding the ministry in Phnom Penh as a whole picture that God alone uses people as a vessel to draw closer to Him. The story of Pastor Hung and Co Trang (his wife) has cultivated our thoughts on how to view mission but also realized that God has place TLC to invest into the vision God has provided. Their ministry focus the people and the future building of the children. I have come to realize that mission is to GO into places to magnify God’s name. The singular purpose is sending God’s people into a place of brokenness and hardship to transform lives through the Gospel. Going on mission is about being a blessing to a blessing towards people who are willing to give up their rights and who are willing to lose things to bless people. The meaning to get out by risking everything for the sake of others and to knowingly that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who has been called according to his purpose. To attempt great things for God, which shows God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Today’s high points
Through the message from Pastor Hung and Co Trang (Spoke in Khmer and Vietnamese) about the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 2
- Thus, we aren’t better than one another (the first shall be last and the last shall be first)
Thus far we have enjoy understanding the ministry in Phnom Penh as a whole picture that God alone uses people as a vessel to draw closer to Him. The story of Pastor Hung and Co Trang (his wife) has cultivated our thoughts on how to view mission but also realized that God has place TLC to invest into the vision God has provided. Their ministry focus the people and the future building of the children. I have come to realize that mission is to GO into places to magnify God’s name. The singular purpose is sending God’s people into a place of brokenness and hardship to transform lives through the Gospel. Going on mission is about being a blessing to a blessing towards people who are willing to give up their rights and who are willing to lose things to bless people. The meaning to get out by risking everything for the sake of others and to knowingly that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who has been called according to his purpose. To attempt great things for God, which shows God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Today’s high points
Through the message from Pastor Hung and Co Trang (Spoke in Khmer and Vietnamese) about the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 2
- Thus, we aren’t better than one another (the first shall be last and the last shall be first)
- We don’t receive what we think we deserve (through our own effort or works) but Christ has given us generously through his grace and love
Praise God for the message and those who heard during the message, that two local ladies including a young boy invited Christ into their lives even though they still struggle to understand about being redeem and what Christ died on the cross
- Through your financial support over 100 bags of rice were given to 100 families in Sensok 1
- Allows the concept of being a blessing to another blessing towards the family
Visitation to S21 (Khmer Rouge Concentration Camp)
- We explore the journey of the historic Khmer Rouge.
- Understand the Cambodian people lose their identity and culture through the massacre.
- We all learned how to appreciate the lives with hearts of compassion and empathy
Healthy blessings,
Jeremiah
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Friday, July 22, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Cambodia Mission Sendoff 2016
Soli deo gloria! We are gracious for the journey ahead in Cambodia as God has provided our team the opportunity to GO! What lies ahead of the two-week short-term mission trip? God's name will be HALLOWED, His kingdom will COME, His will be DONE on earth as it is in heaven. We officially have one day left from Thursday before our departure to Cambodia. If you noticed our faces, we are all joyous and thrilled for what lies ahead by trusting God's sovereignty and the uncertain surprises!
To everyone who attended the mission sendoff, we thank you you for supporting all of us. Whether the gift of finances or the power of prayer, we know God has cultivated a heart to invest each individual to GO! As Paul said in Philippians 1:3-5, "I THANK my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your PARTNERSHIP in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he (God) who began a good work in you will bring it to COMPLETION at the day of Jesus Christ." Without you, Cambodia wouldn't happen! So thank you!
Prayer request:
- Pray for our team to be faithful by obeying God's will like Moses prayed for the Israelites as we are prayerful for the people of Cambodia.
- Pray for endurance and steadfastness when we get distracted, tired, and overwhelmed, that we seek God for strength in order to illuminate Christ. Whatever happens, conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
- Pray for our team to give up our rights (pride and selfish ambitions) for lost souls and lives in Cambodia because it is His kingdom work we're doing in love. Hallowed be His name, His kingdom come, His will be done, not ours.
Healthy blessings,
Jeremiah
Photo credit: Yen Dahl
Sunday, July 10, 2016
CAMBODIA 2016
Approximately 12 days until liftoff to Cambodia. Our official blog to keep you (our supporters and prayer warriors) updated with the mission. Keep us in your prayers for our team to Cambodia!
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." - Matthew 6:9-10
Healthy blessings,
Jeremiah
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