Sanctuary

Today, Thursday, we spent the day participating in the multi-faceted mission of Dr. and Mrs. Castro. We toured the hospital with Mrs. Castro, whose given name, aptly is Joy. The hospital has a pharmacy, operating rooms for major and minor surgery, and residence rooms for visiting medical staff. A nurse from Hong Kong has been commissioned by her church to serve with the Castros, and they’re anticipating a medical mission team coming in August when some community members can receive the medical care they need. Mrs. Castro showed us where they hope to expand the facility in order to begin a training program for nurses.

Dr. Castro has developed a positive relationship with the public high school in the community, and as a result, staff from his school have the opportunity to teach English lessons there, as well as lessons about Christianity. This morning we visited two classes at the school. Each visit began with Tara sharing her testimony, and then our 4 students and the Cambodian students asked each other questions about life in their respective countries. Then Pastor Matt presented a message about who Jesus is and that He came to earth to redeem us from our sins, enabling us to have a loving, personal relationship with God, our Creator.

After lunch, we returned to the Castros’ school, called Solid Rock, and taught two classes. This time, Madeline presented her testimony,  the team introduced themselves and our students had a question and answer session again. They sang the “Father Abraham” song with the Cambodian students who knew the song and actions in Khmer, Kiana sang a solo, and then the team performed our rendition of the Zacchaeus story. Afterward, Matt presented the gospel story again. During the second afternoon class, the monsoon rains came pouring down, so we stayed in the classroom with the sixth graders, playing games in small groups with Uno and blocks, while other students enjoyed coloring.

Most of the students went home at 5:00, but some live on campus. The rain had stopped and the adults on the team went inside to converse with the Castros and our students played outdoor games with the remaining students. We listened to the Castros’ testimony, inspired by their faithfulness and passion to live and share the gospel with the community in which God has placed them. When asked how we could pray for them, Dr. Castro expressed his hope for the health and strength to serve, teach, and train God’s children in Cambodia for another 20 years.

We spent the end of the day in the dining hall with the students who are part of the orphanage and those who board on campus because their homes are too far away from the Solid Rock school to commute daily.  Matt presented an encouraging message from Isaiah 43 that God calls us by name, He knows our unique personalities, and He cares for us deeply. Then three small groups of students sang songs about Jesus for us.  Our translator for the day was a 28-year old woman named Kim who grew up in the Castros’ orphanage and was educated in the school. In addition to translating, she works in the hospital. She is an example of how the Castros’ are pouring the love and life of Jesus into the next generation.

Tomorrow we have the privilege of returning to the Castros’ ministry and spending time with two more classes. Then we will participate in an outreach ministry in the community, before undertaking the 3-hour drive to Phnom Penh for the return flight home.

Carla Sethna

Good morning from Cambodia! On Sunday we had the opportunity to go to a different church than the other half of our team. After the service, we participated with our local partners to bathe 20+ children who live at a nearby dump. While it was a blessing to be present for one Sunday, it was evident that God was pouring through the teenagers who work with Paster Paul, and come back each week to look after and care for these children. Afterward, a few of us got to braid the kid’s hair, and we could see the joy beaming from the girls and women from their desire for physical touch and love.

On Monday, we met with Pastor Sihok to visit a church and school that he established at a local dump site. The people who live near the dump sort recycling for money. We arrived at a small building filled with kids and a few adults. Pastor Sihok began with a few interactive songs and a short message. The kids enjoyed watching us Americans squat down and spin around while we lip sang through the Khumai lyrics. Finally, our drama skills were tested with our “multimedia” production of Zaccheus. Most of the audience cackled with laughter as Zaccheus leaped onto our human tree. Later we split into three groups for VBS: coloring, games, and snacks. I’ve never seen so many pure smiles as we did while we were here. The presence of God filled this place.

Later that afternoon we joined Pastor Sihok to visit his other church in the countryside. It’s located about 45 minutes outside of Phnom Penh. Here we had an additional showing of our Zaccheus skit, and again we split up into three groups for VBS. Although there is a difficult language barrier, we had fun communicating through animal drawings and noises. The kids played soccer, jump rope, and Bible verse Jenga. Finally, we came together where the kids learned that God calls each of them by name.

In the evening, we met Pov, a friend of past trips to Cambodia, for dinner, where we engaged in fellowship over traditional Cambodian food. Pov is currently in his second year of medical school and he was eager to share his excitement to cut open a Cadaver. We were able to pray over Pov and he would appreciate continuous prayers while he is studying to become a doctor.

God continues to move in and through our team. Please continue to pray that God would protect and guide us as we seek to glorify Him!

Jadyn & Kiana Sethna