Archive for July 2010
Dear Supporters,
Greeting from Cambodia!
On behalf of the two other Pastors and Fellowship of Hope Church we would like to thank you for your prayers and financial support. We have just wrapped up our first Fellowship of Hope Pastors Training Conference and it was good to see that the training was well attended by 65 people and 10 churches from across Cambodia: Phnom Penh Church, Koh Krobey Church, Koh Thom Church, Doung Church, Makak Church, Chaik Church, Koh Kong Church, Koh Sra Lau Church, Mondol Kiri Church and Chroy Brosh Church.
The conference was very successful and all those who attended were appreciative for the opportunity to learn more about God’s Word. They were all excited to go back to their provinces and share more of the Good News with others in their churches.
The conference ran from the 12th – 16th of July. The days consisted of prayer and quiet time, devotion and worship in the morning. Perth Bible College’s principal David ran two sessions per day, followed by team work and group discussion, question and answer time on the sessions. In the evening was a time for fellowship which included games and meals. The people enjoyed this time as it was an opportunity to get to know their other brothers and sisters in Christ from the other connecting churches.
We are planning to have another Pastors Conference next year due to good attendance and the overall encouragement of all the people and churches that attended. Please pray for us that the Lord will help in making this happen.
God bless,
Pastor San Sara
Chaik Village · Chroy Brosh · Koh Kong · Koh Krobey · Koh Sra Lau · Koh Thom · Makak Village · Mondol Kiri · Pastors Training Conference · Perth Bible College · Phnom Penh · Sara
At Fellowship of Hope Church, we are currently working on setting up a local NGO (Non Government Organisation) in Cambodia, to oversee the continually expanding ministry and aid work in a more formally structured way. Along with the workers we have been training up, we have developed the skills and abilities to run these projects independently.
Unfortunately setting up an NGO will cost money, and this is the reason for today’s post. We are currently praying that God would quickly provide the AUD$950 that we will need to pay to have the application for NGO status processed by the Government. As well as the benefit of a more stable governance structure for our projects, NGO status will pave the way for future donations to these projects being tax deductable.
This is a critical time in the ongoing development of Fellowship of Hope and these projects, and we would ask you to prayerfully consider assisting with this financial need if you are able. We also ask that you please pay a visit to our newly completed Current Needs page, which outlines how you can make a simple yet significant contribution to the lives of the people we minister to.
We really appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to this exciting new phase for Fellowship of Hope Church. Please pray for us, and encourage others to get involved too.
Many of you will be aware that we have been running a sewing project for the women of Happy Village for 4 years now. It all started back in the old village, when Sam (an Australian missionary who was living in Phnom Penh) bought sewing machines for 2 women who had expressed a desire to learn to sew and generate more income for their families. You can read about the project’s history here.
In the old village and also in the new Happy Village, the 10 ladies now participating in the sewing project had a less than ideal working environment. Due to a lack of dedicated sewing space, they spent a lot of their time setting up and packing up all of their sewing gear and materials.
But as you can see in these latest photos, they now have the perfect environment to work in. One of the rooms in Happy Village has had a makeover, transforming it into an ideal headquarters for the sewing project. The sewing room will enable the sewing ladies to work more efficiently - meaning they will be able to sew more products and earn more money for their families. And while they work, they will be encouraged by messages painted on the walls, praising God for blessing them with this opportunity.
But this is also good news for you! These products have been selling like hotcakes in Australia, both via emailed requests from our supporters and through a regular market stall in Perth. Now it will be easier to meet the demand!
Soon we will be adding a sewing product catalogue to the Products section of this website. But until then, we would love to hear from you at enquiries@fellowshipofhope.net where you can request a copy of the catalogue, order items, or find out more about our stall in Perth. Your support can transform the lives of our people, and create opportunities for them that they had never dreamed were possible.
We are very thankful to God that over the past 2 weeks we have been blessed with visitors from Perth Bible College. Over the years, PBC has sent many teams to help us. This latest team has sadly now returned home, but while they were here they helped us in many different ways.
Keith & Arlene, Isla, Adam & Clair (with their children Josiah, Lukis, Darcee and Mabel), Samuel, Diana, David and Charmaine all got involved in activites at TLC. They helped with taking height and weight measurements for our nutrition plan, leading Kindy classes, teaching English classes, performing dramas and running special activities for the kids.
They also went on a trip around the local area to visit the homes of TLC students. While some of the children attending TLC live in Happy Village, many come from local Bhuddist families living in the Koh Krobey area. Building relationships with these families is vital in our mission to impact the community with the love and good news of Jesus.
Our friends from PBC also paid a visit to the new slum community at Preak Pra, where they met the families, shared the gospel, and sang songs with the kids. Before they left, they also demonstrated God’s love by washing every child’s hair with special head lice shampoo.
They also went on a special excursion with the TLC children and their parents to a local wildlife resort. There were many different animals to see, and this was a rare treat for families who could never afford such a trip on their own. Meng (one of our young assistant pastors) even made a new friend while they were there.
Most exciting of all, the PBC team helped us to lead a huge outreach church service for the local Koh Krobey community. Some of the teenagers from Happy Village led the worship time, and Adam, David and Pastor Vuth shared the gospel. Many families and friends of TLC students attended this service (nearly 100 people), and a number of those gave their lives to Christ during and after the service. Praise God for the powerful work he is doing in our community – using local workers and overseas visitors alike!
Happy Village · Koh Krobey · Meng · New Slum Community · Perth Bible College · Preak Pra · TLC · Vuth
