The other day, I was reflecting on this year. For me, 2020 has been a year of forced rest and waiting. My feeling is that it’s been the same for a lot of you. Even though it’s fall up in the northern hemisphere, in my life it feels more like spring. Seeds that were planted earlier this year, that were forced to hibernate and rest during the bleak winter that this year has felt like, are slowly beginning to peek out from the ground.
One example of this is in some new skills I have been learning this year. What began as a simple idea to help promote EMI during the COVID time, quickly grew into a whole new skill set. I’ve been doing a lot more with video editing and social media. Here’s just a little of what I’ve been working on.
I created a series of videos highlighting the various services we offer as EMI Cambodia (Petram is our business name.) This is the one focused on our survey team.
Sdam Update
Over the next few months, we want to introduce you to Sdam’s ministry here in Cambodia. Since 2016, Sdam has been an elder at the Khmer church that he’s been attending for over 10 year. In that time he has learned a lot, and seen the church go through a lot of ups and downs. Just last month, the two other elders at the church have decided to step down or take a break from their roles, leaving Sdam as the sole elder for the time being. Like my own spring time, we believe these changes, though not easy, will allow for the next generation at the church the opportunities to begin to step into more roles in the church.
In other exciting news, churches were recently given the okay to start meeting in person. Last week was our first time back together as a church. We are still following government regulations which, for now, includes no children in the service. Therefore, we are continuing to provide Zoom church as well.
Other moments of rest the last few moths included the chance to visit Sdam’s hometown in Kampong Cham. Life in the village is very slow, and with little internet, it provides a time to rest and enjoy family. Personally, I’ve been enjoying these times of getting to know Sdam’s family better, and learning more about Khmer culture.
So, as we continue in 2020 and beyond. Stop and consider with me a moment, what seeds in our lives God might be germinating.
Mark 4:26-29
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Finally, this is just a fun video some friends and I made back in April when things were very quite.