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First of all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The end of the year goes by quickly, right? My parents came to visit us once again, and it is always such a blessing to have them here. While they were here, they got to attend their first Khmer wedding. Sdam’s little sister got married on Christmas Eve. They are both Christian, and they had a Christian ceremony but in a very Khmer way. I love to see how couples honor both God and their home culture in this way. We also took some time to travel to Mondulkiri and see some elephants in the wild. My parents trip was over too quickly.
We just returned from a staff retreat with Iris Cambodia last week. We had lovely times of prayer and worship, and lots of time by the pool. It is such a blessing when both of our organizations make time for the staff to retreat and hang out as a family. I feel like more of a part of what Sdam is doing.
In other news, we are getting very close to the end of Sdam’s visa journey. The US visa center has approved all of our paperwork and has sent our case on to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh. We are just waiting to schedule the final interview! We earnestly pray and hope that we will finally be able to visit the US later this year!
Anna Update:
The start of the new year is always a busy time as we have team time to kick of the new year, new staff arriving, and new projects starting up. But this year, we made it extra busy by also moving the EMI Cambodia office to a new location. Just about a block away, but in a much bigger space. We are now all together and rejoicing in the knowledge that our little organization here in Cambodia is growing!
Sdam Update:
It Takes a Village: a story from Sdam
About a year ago, while working in the community, Sdam and his team met one young boy named Phala. He was homeless and using drugs. The team began meeting him regularly and sharing Jesus with him. After a time, he put his faith in Jesus and agreed to be sent to a Christian drug rehab center. They kept in touch with Phala, through phone calls and zoom, and continued to encourage him in his faith. At the center, he got clean and grew more and more in his faith. Just a few weeks ago he graduated from the rehab center and was transferred to a Christian boys dormitory. Sdam and his team traveled out to to the rehab center to visit and facilitate the move back to Phnom Penh. While they were with him, they encouraged him and prayed for him. He already has plans to be apprenticed as a motorcycle mechanic with a fellow laborer who runs a small repair shop while also discipling the young men he employs.
This story reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”