Thoughts on Cambodia church

Someone sent me a series of questions about Cambodian church for his graduate study. Big questions. Here are my brief answers and I thought it's worth sharing with whoever maybe interested.

1. How has the church grown and changed since the most oppressive days of the Khmer Rouge?
In 1979 when the Khmer Rough regime was toppled, only handful Christians survived in country. Some had escaped to other countries through refugee camps. Some returned and established churches and ministries. The church growth has been rapid. Especially during 1990s, an influx of missionaries and Christian NGOs contributed to such a rapid growth. Last several years, the church growth has been slow down (some worry it's plateaued). Incidentally many of those who were initially attracted to church/Christians for physical needs gradually dropped out. Lack of discipleship and leadership contributes to that.

2. What does the church (domestic church and international church body) do to address the poverty that exists within the country?
In Cambodia, there are many Christian NGOs (Non Government Organizations) tackling the poverty issues, primarily through community development, job training, and some advocacy. Some of the NGOs are church related. Some denominations established their own agencies for relief and development. Used to be a lot of hand-out types of ministries to the poor, creating dependency and false expectation issues, but nowadays most agencies focus on education/training for self-supporting/sustainable development. For they recognize the value and importance of developing capacity and ownership of people in the community for their own poverty eradication. Local churches, mostly small rural house churches, are seen as strategic partners who have direct access and impact on communities. So much efforts are being put (by NGOs and denominational agencies) to train and empower church leaders and members to become almost like community organizers who will facilitate village meetings and discussions how to improve their lives.

3. What are some of the biggest strengths that the church currently has?
Cambodian church is still young and small with huge potential for growth and greater impact on society. Many local churches are house churches led by farming lay pastors and leaders. So they are closely connected to surrounding communities. They are dynamically organized and not institutionalized. Can grow and reach out easily without bureaucratic structure.
Church is attracting young population (over 50% of Cambodians is under 20) by providing educational/vocational opportunities.

4. What are some of the biggest challenges that the church currently faces?
Lack of qualified leaders to lead young generation. Older generation of leaders is gradually fasing out. Transition is not smooth.
Church leaders are poorly equipped to lead churches move forward. Not enough access to resources for discipleship and personal growth. Some cases of persecutions in largely animistic Buddhist communities and growing suspicion and hostility toward Christians by nationalistic Buddhist leaders. Also growing forces of modernization, materialism and secularism choking the dynamic spirit of the church members

5. What do you see as the future of the church within Cambodia?
Like most other developing countries, urbanization is rapidly changing the landscape of Cambodia society and the church. Young people move to cities for education and jobs and many stay on. The churches targeting this population and provide relevant ministries are growing. I see this trend will continue. In rural areas, the church will continue remain small and poor, since most members are poor farmers whose worldviews and lifestyles will likely unchanged. However, through its fluid and contextualized structure, the gospel can spread like wild fire by the prompting work of the Spirit throughout Cambodia. It's homogenious society with one language, culture and vocation (rice farming). It's a small and flat country with decent roads that can reach everywhere within a day. There is a movement among some Cambodian Christian leaders to network and promote the gospel movement to every village by year 2021, called Mission Kampuchea 2021. Who knows? This can spark the fire of the Spirit.

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

Some of you may have heard of the tragedy that occurred earlier this week in Phnom Penh where close to 400 people were killed and many others injured in a crowd stampede on a small bridge on the Mekong River. The whole country is in shock and we ask you to pray for those who lost loved ones and for the nation as a whole. Our family is fine and so far we don’t personally know any one involved.

The incident happened around the time of Water Festival, one of the main national holidays. The festival marks the return to normal flow of the Tonle Sap River which is reversed when the Mekong River is at peak flow during the rainy season. The holiday also coincides with the rice harvest. People come from all the corners of the country to Phnom Penh to celebrate.

Our family went down to watch the boat races Monday morning. We were impressed by how the hundreds of boats were coordinated and the teamwork on the boats. It was colorful and beautiful. We said to each other, “this is something Cambodia can be proud of.”



Then we heard the news next morning. We are in shock too and still processing. There are so many wonderful gifts that God has given to Cambodia and her people. Yet people seem vulnerable in so many ways and seem to be victimized more easily than other places. People are “at risk”—malnutrition, human trafficking, drug-resistant malaria, TB etc. We see young people (not just children and women) vulnerable too—even in the everyday decisions they face as they grow up.

We don’t know what makes Cambodians so vulnerable. We don’t know why evil seems to win the day in the presence of so much that is good. We do believe and hang our hope on Jesus. The Bible promises that he “will bring justice to the nations” and in the process, “a bruised reed he will not break.” Jesus’ salvation doesn’t do any collateral damage.

Please pray for Christ’s redemption to take hold of Cambodia and for him to bring justice and salvation to his people here quickly.

Summer update

At last, rainy season is here (late this year). It's pouring outside of my window right now, and I'm enjoying the coolness it brings. We are also glad that the moving is over and our new house feels more like home. The last few weeks we've been busy fixing things and settling in. The major remaining issue is the bat guano in the ceiling which sifts down through the tiles. We passed by our old house the other day, and it was already demolished for a new building. We know why the landlord wanted us to be out. There is a construction boom in Cambodia making people busy building and rebuilding.
One of the ministry highlights has been the follow-up visit to those who responded to the gospel presentation at the dental clinic a few weeks ago. see the clinic:



I along with Ly and GCT staff visited their village homes. They were happy to see us and welcome us, and we were happy to encourage them and pray for them. One of them was "Sok" a mute lady. She was extremely shy and reluctant (probably due to many years of isolation and being ostracized), but when we finished praying for her, I saw her tears which seem to speak of God's work in her. Most of the villagers are illiterate, so there needs creative way to introduce them to the Bible.
So I'm beginning to use portable MP3 speakers that can play Khmer New Testament. These MP3 speakers can be purchased locally and relatively cheap. I'm field-testing so to speak. If goes well, I may use them more widely. Technology can definitely contribute to the gospel work if used wisely.



There is outbreak of Cholera in Cambodia. Many have died, including 3 men in the village. Villagers are afraid, believing evil spirits cause the sickness and death. So they place scarecrows in front of their houses. O only Christ can deliver them from the life of fear. I plan to continue helping the follow-up and possibly a church planting effort as the Lord opens the door.

Joyce continues volunteering at EFC Women Commission through advising and teaching. She is preparing and will be leading a session at the annual conference for women leaders in July 5-9. This time a focus will be to create regional networks. Rural women leaders are isolated and need encouragement from each other. A Bible study on discipleship is being developed for the semi-literate women so that they can get together and minister to each other centered around the Word. Please say a prayer for this effort.
It's school holidays for kids, but they are taking summer school in the mornings. Thanks to Logos school for providing this.
And of course they are growing daily.

Singapore Trip

We just returned from Singapore trip. It was second time trip for Joyce and Mary and the first time for the rest of us. Our purpose of trip was two fold: (1) medical check-up for Mary and me (Gil); (2) family vacation during this school break--Khmer New Year.

First of all Mary needed to have a progress check up for her possible "precocious puberty." She has grown so fast over the last year that made us concerned and take her to see a specialist in Singapore in Nov. last year. Doctor said she's in "early stage of early normal puberty" in terms of her development and wanted to monitor her growth to determine if she needed a hormone treatment. Mary is not ill or anything, but a concern is if she grew too fast now, she may stop growing too soon and become a short adult. Also psychological and emotional stress related to early puberty is another concern. Thankfully, according to doctor's visit this time her growth has slowed down a bit so at this time we don't need to make a tough decision whether to treat her or not. We pray her growth would not accelerate but normalize.

For me, I needed to have a check-up on two lumps under my arm pit. I discovered these lumps a few months ago. A preliminary scanning in Cambodia showed no evidence of lymph nodes but not conclusive about sarcoma--cancer. A recommendation was to see a specialist in Singapore and have a MRI. The doctor in Singapore casually recommended a biopsy rather. Then at the lab, radiologist said there is no visible "target" to do a biopsy which she said is a rare case and recommended MRI. Interestingly that was the SOS doctor's recommendation in Cambodia. I took and showed her report to the Singapore doctor. He apparently ignored it or didn't take it seriously. (Later a taxi driver told me if it was a Singaporean patient, the doctor could have been in trouble--possibly being sued). Anyway I went ahead with MRI. Result was the lumps were 6 cm long each but most likely benign (lipoma). But the doctor recommended a surgery to remove the lumps completely in a month or two. I need to make a decision soon and feel stress about it although thankful for being spared from worse situations.

We had a nice family time in Singapore. A lot of things are quite contrary to Cambodia. Spotless and orderly. Upscale and controlled. But I didn't want to stay any longer than a week. Well, we couldn't afford it anyway; things are so expensive. Materialism was at work. I don't think there is any other city in the world that has so many clusters of shopping centers. And restaurants everywhere you turn to.

We stayed at YMCA International Guesthouse. Highly recommend. Basic but adequate. Perfect location. Everything is nearby: Bus station. Food court. Shopping centers. Cinema. Museum, and Orchard Road Presbyterian church was right next so we worshipped there on Sunday. Very nice service. Kids really liked the zoo and Science center. Joyce's favorite was Botanical garden. I enjoyed food courts.

We are happy to be back to Cambodia though. Humble modest Phnom Penh airport was so welcoming and I felt home hearing people speaking Khmer. Riding Tuk-tuk on the way home, my senses were again stimulated and came to life. All the sights, sounds, smell and sticky air blowing my face. Yes, this is Cambodia. I'm home.

One thing I was reminded of in Singapore was the importance of leadership for any group or society. Singapore became independent in 1965 and faced many challenges as a diverse society with high unemployment rate and lacking natural resources. How did it become so stable and developed in relatively short period of time? A key was effective leadership of the first prime minister who set solid foundation for the entire society--current prime minister is his son who seems highly effective and respected as well. I'm sure it's not perfect but in my mind it's a contrast to Cambodian history which is filled with tragedies due to leadership failures in my judgment. But Cambodia survived, and its people spared. Now busy rebuilding the society. Please join me praying that many leaders with the Kingdom vision will be raised up and write up new history for Cambodia.

Here are some pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/suhmission/SingaporeTripApril2010#

Long time No blog!

Our blog hasn't been updated for awhile. Sorry! A lot of things happened. It's impossible to mention them all. I will post some pictures that highlight our last few months. Thanks.


Many visitors in Jan-Feb. including the students from Calvin college and Handong University




Calvin college students took over our living room. They were really good guests and eager to learn and engage. It was a delight to interact with although brief.




A short-term team from Michigan and a local Cambodian church helped building a new house for widow and her blind son. The hut on the right is the old one.




New Life Church of Phnom Penh Thmey mostly for young people. On a Wednesday service there was an altar call for many visiting students from the area. The pastor Sem is one of Timothy Leadership trainee.




Our family joined EFC staff going to visit Vietnam over New Year. At one of the stops.

Snapshots of highlight

Our kids in Christmas t-shirts sent from a missionary friend's family in Canada




Grandma Dorothy visited us and had many unforgettable experiences including visiting Angkor Wat





And conversing with a Buddhist monk





Joyce continues to be involved with EFC Women Commission through teaching and consulting






Annual meeting of Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia. Gil led a session on mission movement in Cambodia

more snapshots of highlights

Mary's 2nd grad class leading chapel of Logos school at their new campus

















Our friend Ly Chhay sharing his life-timeline at Refocusing Leaders seminar in which Gil also attended.














Church leaders training at a village in Svay Rieng province, one of the poorest areas.















Pastors praying for their ministry plans at Timothy Leadership Training















Delicious Khmer food!!!

Regional Training in Battambang

Last week, I (Joyce ) went to Battambang, a city in Cambodia near the Thai border. I was assisting the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia’s Women’s Commission in their Family Management training for church leaders. There were about 32 male and female church leaders in attendance for a 3-day workshop.

We received feedback that the training was greatly appreciated—that it addressed needs and concerns that these leaders face every day. This is the third run on the manual that I worked so hard on with the staff of EFC-WC. We were encouraged to hear that many participants plan to use the materials and what they learned in their churches and women’s groups. I can only thank God for he opportunity and the strength to carry through.

On my side, I was blown away by the faith of Cambodian Christians. The more I get to see the faith of people at a grass-roots level and hear people’s stories and testimonies, I am simply in awe. Although there may be a lack of training and Biblical foundation, there is a very deep and real faith. There is maturity that grows out of persecution, through exile from family and through living their faith in spite of hardships every day. Seeing these leaders in prayer for each other and for various issues in Cambodia and the world, I felt honored to be in the same room, privileged to take part in the expressions of faithfulness here. I thank God for bringing us to this place in this time.



One evening the staff of the Women’s commission said that they thought that since I came all the way to Battambang (5 1/2 hrs from Phnom Penh by bus), I should see some of the city. So after the program ended, we all climbed into a tuk-tuk to go “daerleeng”—this is a term which means to go out, to hang-out Cambodian style.
There needn’t be a fixed purpose as I understand it. So we drove around town, seeing some points of interest and came to spot where they thought we should get out. There were various food stalls and roadside restaurants.


They started joke around and ask me how many “bong diya” I was going to eat. We and just eaten a nice meal at the church, so I said that I wasn’t so hungry. I know that bong diya here aren’t simply duck eggs, but eggs with embryonic baby ducks (like balut in the Philippines). We sat down and started with fish cakes wrapped in vegetables, another local treat. The next thing I knew, there was a duck egg in front of me and I was being shown where it dip it and what to wrap around it. I have to say that it was better than boiled chicken eggs (which I don’t eat). I did have trouble actually finishing it, not because of the taste or even the texture (which wasn’t as rubbery as I thought it would be), but by the thought. Next time, I am sure that I can eat it all and even possibly enjoy it.



The next evening, we sat down for our meal at the church and one of the volunteers said that I should eat very slowly. She was going to bring some very good “triy aing”--roasted fish. I have to mention that the food at the training was excellent, always a soup and at least two other dishes, well-prepared, tasty, fresh. It’s not that we weren’t eating well. About 15 minutes later, the volunteer came with something wrapped in newspaper.
The experience led me to reflect on meals that I’ve had in various places over the years. And made me think about a top-ten list of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Most of them are meals that I remember individually in vivid detail. There are a couple that made the list for overall consistent excellence.

1. Red stew with chicken made by the wife of our former student Obadiya Pandiwa in the Eastern Kambari area, Nigeria. Obadiya was our student at Smith Bible College and he had gone to work as a missionary in this remote place where the CRC was working. Gil also still talks about this meal when the subject of good food comes up. Although this list was meant to be in no particular order, this may be my favorite, even in the top 10.
2. Mom’s turkey dinner. What can I say? Will we be able to have it in the next two months while “Grandma” is visiting us in Cambodia?
3. Roasted lamb, Beijing, China. In the short 6 weeks in China where every meal was a treat this stop at a Uyghur restaurant is unforgettable. I don’t even normally eat lamb.
4. Kimchi Chigae, Charlie Kang’s, Lansing, Michigan. Gil was working at a church in Flint at the end of seminary. We were engaged and I usually went with him. Often we would swing by for this comfort food of Kimchi soup on the way back to Grand Rapids. How much of the memorability of this meal was its actual taste? How much was flavored by romance? It is hard to know.

I realize that it is hard to separate out the taste of a meal from the surroundings and atmosphere. As I look at the list that is developing, I have to recognize a certain “terroire” to many of these meals. How much of the greatness of Blessing’s red stew was the joy of eating it with a person who we had helped train and was now doing the Lord’s work cross-culturally? How much was just the red dirt, the sunlight, the expanse of the African countryside? How much of Mom’s turkey dinner is being in a warm house with family in the cooling days of Autumn or the chill of Winter in Canada?

5. Rice, beans and red stew, Jalingo Road, Nigeria. We were on the way to Gandole and needed to stop for lunch. Kathy Vanderkloet, a fellow missionary, suggested this hole-in-the-wall kind of place and I can not forget this humble meal that we had there. We often think of meals in Nigeria as being humble. But clearly that doesn’t mean not good. When I think of it, I can remember many individual meals made by each of the staff wives at Veenstra seminary and the peanut kunu made by my friend Charity and served steaming hot out of a thermos for breakfast from time-to-time.
6. Chinese feast, Beijing. One of our short-term mission team made friends with a girl whose mother owned a restaurant. Our team was invited for a meal and it felt like everything on the menu was on the table. Steamed, roasted, fried--every type of meat and vegetable cooked in every way imaginable. When I think of the banquet in the presence of the Lord in heaven, this is the meal I think of.. What does it tell you about food in China that, although I was only there for 6 weeks, two of my top 10 meals are there?
7. Korean barbecue. Well, this is another classic that seems to be good anywhere. Korean spicy tofu soup is at the same level in my mind and was a favorite in San Jose. Good Korean food is readily available in Phnom Penh and we get our share of it. But I am still waiting for the ultimate Korean dining experience when my dear husband of 12+ years takes me to Korea for the first time.
8. Omelet with deep-fried sweet potato chips, under the Mango tree, Wukari, Nigeria. I can make an omelet, have eaten omelets in fancy hotels even, but none have ever matched the perfect combination of onion, tomato and hot pepper. Maybe it is the generous oil, maybe it is the open fire. Maybe it is being able to rest in the shade of the mango tree. Maybe it was the feeling of being on the way. Something makes this experience--which became a habit when we traveled through Wukari—absolutely unforgettable.
9. Everything I’ve ever eaten in Thailand. Our vacation last week reminded me of this truism. We went for seafood—not normally my favorite. Particularly recommended was the crab curry. It didn’t sound good to me. Well, I was wrong. Thai food seems to capture the right combination of everything.
And now, a new addition to round out the top 10:
10. Grilled Red Snapper, Battambang Cambodia. As for others, the taste can’t be separated from the experience--eating outside, in front of the Methodist church, with staff and volunteers from EFC-WC, fish fresh from the fire, out of newspaper package, rushed over on the back of a motorcycle.


I can’t see changing this list, but given my experience in Cambodia so far, I am expecting the list to develop to a top-20 list in no time. People may wonder how missionaries can “eat the food” in the places where they are living. Well, the opposite is true. The question is how can we “not eat the food”? My list tells me to value the humble, roadside kind of places, and treasure the joy of sharing a meal with old and new friends.

Family Vacation in Chiang Mai Thailand

Last week our family took a whirlwind 6-day vacation in Thailand. It was a national holiday—the water festival—in Cambodia and we felt we needed to get away. Thank you to Air Asia budget fares, we were able to make a “once in a lifetime” trip. Thank you also to budget fares, we were on two separate flights which meant getting our baggage, checking in and running through the Bangkok airport. Imagine a family of five losing all dignity. Thankfully we did make the flights both ways.

Once in Chiang Mai we were able to meet up with JJ and Junya Hwang missionaries. Both Gil and Joyce did short term mission trips to their hostel and discipling ministry, Jasper Kids, in Wiang Pa Pao. We were also reunited with Frank Kim our friend and member of San Jose New Hope CRC, who is serving there for 1 year.
We weren’t expecting it, but they truly hosted us. JJ arranged tours and accompanied us here and there, picking us up and dropping us off. Junya arranged and accompanied a medical consultation. Their recommendations, translations and company were amazing. Frank was fun and encouraging company the whole time.
What didwe do?: Elephant Camp adventure including show, elephant ride, oxcart ride through Lisu village, and bamboo raft trip down a small stream. Petting a baby tiger at tiger kingdom. Chiang Mai zoo—the highlight of which was the panda and animal show. We strolled the night bazaar and the Sunday night handicraft market.




We went visit the Jasper kids ministry and stayed over night. The highlights for the kids there were the cutting down of a mango tree, fishing and firecrackers. They made friends with Ethan and Abby, the Hwang kids. It was good for us to see a few familiar faces and see the progress of the ministry. Also, the trip to Wiang Pa Pao through the hills and forests seemed very refreshing
after being in Phnom Penh city for so long. Back in Chiang Mai, we went on the night Safari and the kids had their picture taken with a white tiger. On Sunday we worshiped and took communion in a Thai church pastored by Junya’s uncle. We strolled in the Queen’s garden and took in a festival the night before leaving. Check our Picasa album for more pics.


Given our itinerary, obviously, it was not a lay-around-and-relax kind of vacation. We succeeded in our purpose of getting away and having a real break. How does it feel back in Cambodia? It feels like home. Many times, we noticed and remarked how developed and advanced Thailand is in comparison to Cambodia. But that has not made us feel bad about being here. We see how a country in this part of the world might move forward—in its own way of course. And we long for the day when some of the harshest edges in Cambodian life will be smoothed out. Spiritually speaking we continue to be hopeful for God reaching out to this nation. And we are glad we are here to be part of that.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to have this kind of a break and especially thank JJ, Junya, Ethan, Abby and Frank for their hospitality and companionship. What a blessing to have friends with such giving hearts and hands.

Focus On the Family in Cambodia?

We came to realize “family” as one of the most important ministry needs in Cambodia. For so many families are deeply scarred, broken and dysfunctional. We began to see the great needs in families and the need to address this issue in our ministry present and future. Recently we had opportunity to train leaders on this topic in two different occasions (Please see "Our Recent Newsletter" under "Our Personal Site" in this page).


Related to that, our househelper’s situation is quite common here. Smey is originally from a province and now living in Phnom Penh with her family. She has 3 grown up unmarried children. She and her daughter are only Christians and bread winners for family by working at expats’ home. Her husband is motorcycle taxi driver making a meager income. Two sons are not that helpful without any job. Smey also takes care of 3 young children of her deceased sister who died of sickness last year. Their father remarried and don’t care much about these children’s welfare. Smey is paying for their education and providing their needs. And recently one of Smey’s sons got into motorcycle accident and severely broke his leg. He’s receiving medical care which costs a lot for Smey. We feel for Smey. She lives a difficult life. Where does she find joy and comfort? Thankfully she has faith in Christ. We try to encourage her as best as we can. We visited her son both at hospital and her tiny house. We prayed for his recovery and new relationship with the Lord and with Smey (he has been a rebellious one). I was worried that he would be angry and bitter about his situation (he will be bed-bound for months). Later Smey told me his attitude is surprisingly different. He said “Sorry…Ma. Sorry…” That’s big. She said she’s been praying for him years. Maybe a prodigal son is returning or at least coming to senses. May God continue to restore many more families in Cambodia as a foundation for both church and society!

Gil's mom visited us in Sep