Here at Fellowship of Hope, we are excited to see new growth and more people coming to know the Lord all the time. Today we would like to share with you about our churches in the provinces. These rural congregations are growing rapidly but are also facing many challenges. This is true of both the congregations and their pastors too.

Being a pastor is a challenging job, no matter where you live in the world. Pastors give so much to their church. They give of their time and their energy as they preach, teach and encourage their people. This is true of all our pastors, but the pastors who live in the provinces have some additional challenges. Many of the people in the rural areas of Cambodia live difficult lives, working hard to farm the land. Many are working on rice fields and making a very small income. In many instances this amount is not enough to adequately feed their families. Pastors in these areas teach their congregations and work hard to help them. In many cases this is a big job which takes up much of their time, as the communities have many needs. This means pastors have limited time to work to earn their own income. They are selflessly following in the example of Paul the apostle who worked as a tent maker to support his ministry, so he wouldn’t be a burden to those he was preaching to.

In addition to this, our pastors take seriously the Lord’s command to share generously with those around them. This means that if a member of the community comes to the pastor in need, he will do all he can to meet that need, even if that affects him and his family. This is the way our pastors sacrifice for their people to show God’s love. So, as you can imagine, our pastors need our help and support.

As you have seen in previous posts, the pastors have had opportunities to meet together, to receive teaching, prayer and encouragement, and that will continue in the future. We are planning to grow the amount of training and support they receive from early next year. Also, we are exploring ways to help pastors make an income that can sustain their ministry, set a good example to their community, and provide for their families needs into the future. This means they are able to be supported, but can also be free and independant. And thanks to the support of our friends and partners we are in the process of equipping every congregation with a significant amount of Bibles and other teaching resources.

Please pray for our pastors, that God would give them energy and strength and wisdom for the work they are doing. Pray for wisdom and discernment for Fellowship of Hope, as we explore ways to support our congregations practically, in leadership training, and with Bible teaching resources. Praise God for the blessing that these pastors are in their communities. Praise God for rapid growth and expansion of these rural churches. Even though these people are materially poor, now they are rich in God’s love for them and for one another, and they have hope for this life and hope for the future. Praise God for vibrant, growing churches where more and more meet the Lord every day!

Bible teaching · Pastors Training Conference · Praise Point

Alongside the serious and life changing work that Serve Cambodia is involved in, there are also a lot of fun activities for everyone. We believe that getting to play and enjoy life while learning is a really important part of these projects. It is also important for the children to learn day to day life skills, that many people in more developed countries take for granted. So much knowledge about these things was lost due to the previous regime and so this new generation needs to learn many things together for the first time.

We are happy that Serve Cambodia can help to meet this need, and we are sure you will be excited to see some photos of their beautiful smiles as the children learn and play together. First of all is the Fire Safety training. Instructors visited TLC and HOH, and this gave the children a good chance to run around and practice their drills… including Stop, Drop and Roll!

Recently, the children at the TLC education centre have been able to enjoy some ‘Fun Friday’ activities. This is an opportunity for the children to learn practical skills like cooking, craft and sewing and also have some silent reading time. The children really enjoy this time of being creative together and as you can see, the results look very good and also very tasty!

Not to forget the hard working cooks - while they were taking a break from their usual work, they were presented with brand new uniforms.

While the TLC children have been learning cooking and sewing, children at the HOH centre are being taught about brushing and taking care of their teeth for the first time. They also recently received checkups and health care from two wonderful health workers, Amanda and Katrina. We really appreciate the time that they have given to help care for these children.

Sochea (Serve Cambodia’s Education and Finance Manager) asks all of you to please “keep praying for our children to be healthy and love God more and more. We’re really bless to have all of you to support us.” Thank you from all of us at Fellowship of Hope and Serve Cambodia for your prayers and support, and we hope you enjoy seeing the result of your generosity and God’s provision as the children learn and grow together.

HOH · Sochea · Sponsorships · TLC