CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP REPORT
7 – 11 July 2006
Project Khmer Hope Centre
By Dara Chee

The mission objective for this Cambodia mission trip was to hold a 3-day youth camp for the youths at the Project Khmer Hope (PKH) Centre and the Seeds of Hope (SOH) Orphanage. The mission team came together under the leadership of Pastor Joyce for mission preparation days before the trip. We felt that much intercession was needed for this trip. However, it was not until the week just before the mission trip, that all the details and administration were finalized and completed.

There were many obstacles facing us even right before the trip that left some of us discouraged. Aunty Janet’s daughter Isabel was down with a high fever right up till the day before we left and other bad news of another friend’s illness also left us discouraged and unmotivated to make the trip. However, we knew that these were attacks of the enemy that were made in an attempt to make us feel discouraged about the trip. This made us feel even more determined and excited because we knew that if Satan was trying to stop us; God must be doing or will do something powerful during the trip for Satan to make such an effort! Praise God!

We left for Cambodia on the 7 July 2006 on an early morning flight. The flight was pretty uneventful except for a transit stopover in Siam Reap. All in the mission team were rather eager to reach Cambodia. For some of us, it would be seeing familiar faces again whereas for Huiting and myself, it would be our very first mission experience in Cambodia.

When we reached Phnom Penh International Airport, we were held up at the Customs for a bag check and some of the medicines and vitamins that we had packed in our luggage for the doctors in Cambodia were confiscated. Although this was the first setback we experienced when we arrived in Cambodia, it did not diminish the excitement we felt about doing God’s work with the PKH youths.

When we arrived at the Centre, we visited with the volunteer teachers at the PKH centre and later proceeded to visit with the children and youths at the orphanage next to the centre. They were elated to see their dear aunty Joyce and matt again. Later we played basketball with some of the youths and got to know them a little better. The dinner bell rang a short time later and we got a chance to have dinner with the youths at the PKH Centre for the first time that night. Their usual dinner prayers begin with a student reading their memory verse of the week, first in Khmer then in English. Then, he will proceed with saying grace in both Khmer and English. I was really struck with the sincerity and simplicity expressed through their prayer and language.

Later, we found out that the camp registrations would not start that night, but would start the next day as some of the students had not arrived from the village yet. This proved to be alarming for us as we planned it in such a way that they would watch a movie, “Finding Nemo” on the first night and sermons after that would be based on the movie and theme, “My Father’s Love”. This later proved to be a real lesson from God about how we should depend on only Him and His word and how we do not need any other gimmicks to touch people’s lives with the simple yet powerful truth of His love. We only need His Word and that is a powerful tool in itself, to show how much He loves us.

The first day of the camp began with registration in the morning. Huiting and I were initially surprised by the number of male students signing up for the camp. This led us to be a little hesitant in approaching these students to get to know them better. However, as the camp progressed, we found ourselves touched by their earnest sincerity to get to know us and so opened up to them in return. During the sermons, we found that the students were really earnest and attentive to hear God’s Word and message. This could be seen during a little exercise where we gave them coloured paper to write their personal letters to God about all the sins they’ve committed and how they would surrender it to God. Every one of these students portrayed such enthusiasm in doing this simple task that we ourselves were touched by this simple picture of sincerity.

On the last day of the camp, during her last message, Pastor Joyce invited Aunty Susan, a volunteer teacher there, and a student, Horn Ley, to share their testimonies. Aunty Susan’s testimony so moved the youths, that even one of the local bible students, who acted as our interpreter, while interpreting for her, broke down and had to be replaced by another bible student. God was moving among the youths during these testimonies and it was certainly awesome to watch as the youths surrendered their lives to God during the altar call. Some of these students, though already saved, continued to rededicate their entire lives to God in a simple touching act of surrender. This was certainly a breakthrough among the students at the PKH Centre as some of these youths would be leaving the Centre to find jobs by the end of the term.

On Sunday morning, the mission team also led the morning service at the Seeds of Hope Orphanage. Most of the youths in the orphanage were already Christians and we could truly see them really on fire and worshipping God with their whole heart. Their honesty and passion in worshipping God really touched us. Even the small little ones, with their hands lifted up in worship, knew the love of God and one can really see the fire they have in their spirits.

Throughout this mission trip, God has been teaching and speaking to each one of us. We’ve learnt how to depend on Him in times of need. Even when we felt upset when our way was somehow thwarted, God reminded us that His ways were infinitely higher than our ways. He has also opened our eyes to see the sincerity in worshipping Him with simplicity; that we do not need any man-made gimmicks to portray or show His love. God has also brought us through the initial obstacles that were present during the trip and has taught us the lesson of faith through the overcoming of these obstacles. We pray and hope that the precious seed and gift of salvation will remain with the youths in PKH Centre and they will mature and grow in their walk with God.
All glory and praise to Him!