Old Friends

July 29, 2009

We're in the middle of English Camp now and it has been a blast! The only problem that I have is that there are too many people that I want to talk to but I have to choose to hang out and talk with one person at a time. Nonetheless I have been able to have some really good conversations so I'll summarize them here.

Sambo is an evangelist who lives here in Siem Reap and attends the Psah Luhr church. He has a heart to reach out to the rural areas of Cambodia. He takes his moto down muddy dirt roads to remote areas to share the gospel with people. Next week he will be moving to the Preah Vehea province which is along the northern boarder where Cambodia meets Thailand.

Dara and Sopheak are two young men who have been good friends of mine since my first trip to Cambodia in '07. They are trying to finish high school which can be quite difficult here due to the corruption in the education system and so by American high school standards they are a few years behind. Because they were taking their exams they could not attend the first few days of EC, but now they are done and it is very good to see them and hang out with them. The results of this exam will determine if they move on to the next grade.

Akphirun is another good friend from my first trip to Cambodia. He speaks excellent English and has served as a translator for the camp for the past three years. Last year I was able to visit the private English school that he and some friends started. The government allowed him to open the school under the condition that he does not teach about Christ there. Despite this limitation some of his students have begun attending his church and he brought five of them to EC this year. They have not trusted Christ as their savior yet but it is so encouraging to see them here.

I should get back to hanging out with the students, I will have more stories later.

Prayer Requests:

• For God's hand to be protecting Sambo, his wife, and his young daughter as they move and bring the gospel to the villages.
• That Dara's and Sopheak's would receive exam scores based on their merit and not on the lack of bribe money paid to the proctor.
• For the salvation of Akphirun's students and more opportunities for him to share Christ despite government regulations.