Vacation Bible School with FREEDOM CHURCH

A team of 21 people from Freedom Church, Oklahoma organized a week long VBS for the children at Poipet recently. We saw more than 300 children from the neighborhood came to learn about Jesus. The team taught from Ephesians 4:32. Children enjoyed the games, art and crafts and the bible stories. Some of the team members also demonstrated the love of Jesus by helping to paint a school. Kids were happy to have their picture taken.

Learning new worship songs.

"Making Melody In My Heart" - Children enjoying themselves with the song

HUNDREDS of kids came everyday to play and learn and about Jesus!

Children learnt about sins and what Christ had done for them on the cross.

More bible stories.

Lesson on self hygiene.

Fun with games!

Kids @ art & crafts

"I'm a Father to the fatherless"

Everyone was waiting expectantly for his arrival. His journey back home is a miracle. He was found in a place where he doesn’t belong given his age and his nationality. He was exploited, taken away to a land that is not his but God the Father saw him and miraculously orchestrated his journey back home.

Everyone was excited as the black land cruiser pulled in to the Imparting Smiles Children Center at Poipet. Children and adults came forward wanting to have a look at him. Some were curious but most were rejoicing for what God had done.

Ti broke into smiles as he saw the playground. He had the best time in his life trying out the swings, slide, see-saw and making new friends. All the children love him and very quickly accepted him into the family.

Indeed God is a Father and He will take care and defend the weak and the fatherless as how He had did it for Ti.

Ti is learning to adjust to the new life and he is doing very well. He is very curious about everything and never stops asking “What’s this?” and “Who is that?” He loves cars and the first Khmer word he learned was “lan” which means “car”. He is learning to count now and making good progress in picking up more new words.

Without he realized Ti has touched so many of us especially for Christian Life Gospel Center, Malaysia (CLGC). So thankful to God for the perseverance of those who have been working hard and praying constantly for the return of Ti. My prayer for you is that God will continue to put in your heart the Father’s love so that you will be His hands and feet to look out for the little ones who are oppressed and bringing them to the place where God wants them to be.

The children helping Ti to learn

Ti likes to mimic. He's cute.

Power of the Cross

Since being back here I’ve been falling sick more often then before and interestingly I found myself always fell sick a few days before I’m to teach the bible. It has become a pattern that I knew that it is the works of the Enemy. This time around the same thing happen again. I drank some soup and I see no reason to be sick but I did and started to cough very badly each time I speak. I cancelled some of the classes because I’m beginning to feel pain in my chest when I cough.

During the morning devotion I felt I shouldn’t cancel the night classes. As I preprare for the class I felt God has something for the kids. In one of our English lessons we are learning about Easter and so I wanted to share with them from the Bible on the meaning of Easter and its significance in our Christian faith.

Evening came I was still coughing and feeling dizzy but felt I just need to hang on and rest the next day if needed. After the worship something happen. All of us were caught by surprise and I have to call off the class. See, the Enemy is not giving up. BUT God is good! Whatever had happened was dissolved and I could resume the class as planned.

During the class I could felt God was just capturing their attention. I’ve never seen them so attentive before. I know for some of them they began to understand their faith more clearly. At one point I felt sudden warmth flowing through my body. I thought that was strange for I’ve never experience God that way but didn’t give much thought to it because I was still sharing. Right after the class I realized that I haven’t coughed a single time during the session and even now!

Hey, I’m healed!

Praise God for the power of the Cross that not only gives us eternal life but also heal us from all sicknesses. Praise God that He has spoken to His children and has strengthen their faith.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” Proverbs 16:24

Diin. A name that I heard so much about even before returning to Cambodia. He’s a little cute cubby boy who is almost like Dennis from the comic Dennis the Menace. Diin came and stay at the center since December 2010. He used to steal, cheat, lie and fight before staying here. Now that he is here adjusting to a lifestyle which is new and totally alien to him was a great challenge. The children find it hard to befriend Diin because he hits and bullies them. He was also a great distraction in the class. Once I heard he was sent out of the class for being rude to the teacher. Even then he was not afraid and continues to make life difficult for the people around him.

Since knowing what kind of a boy he is I’m ALWAYS strict with him. He behaved but it was still difficult at times to control and get him complete his work.

One evening I saw him sitting by himself watching others playing and I asked him why isn’t he playing with them. He replied saying “they don’t like me”. I believe it must be a painful moment when he uttered those words. We talked a bit and finally I said, “Diin, you are not a bad boy.” He looked at me couldn’t believe what he just heard. Because of the many naughty acts he had done people always get angry with him. His mother scolds him whenever neighbors complain about him. People at the market hate him because he steals from them. For a child with a background like that hearing a kind word means a world to them. I made him wrote on a paper twice “Diin is a good boy” and since then there was a change in him. I too was surprised with the changed that’s happening in him.

Indeed pleasant words are the best medicine that brings life and healing to the soul. Now Diin is no longer a pain in the neck (at least to the adults). He stop all the fighting and bullying. He is the best in class. Never make any noises anymore and his favorite quote is “be quiet and listen”. He discovered the joy of being a good boy. In the days to come he’ll learn to befriend others and others will also learn to accept him as part of the family.

Diin working on his colouring. His works used to be monotone but now there are more colours. Life must be colourful for him after being a good boy.

"I see..."

One of the things I enjoyed doing was to helped the children discover their creativity. Recently we had fun playing with colours and getting them to share what they see in their painting. Here are some great works that I just want to share it here.

Sokkhan: " I see a monkey with painted face."

Riettrai: "This is a tree with green leaves and beautiful red flowers."

Meng Hong: "I don't really know what this look like...hmm...maybe an x-ray of my brain?"

Chomran: "I just like how the colours mixed with each other.
I can look at the colours for hours."

Chantla: "Lion!"

Lai Heng: "I think this one look like a cartoon character. Those with super power."

Chan Tee: "Hm...a bug?"

Our Not-So-Friendly-Neighbour

“Bong Christine!! Bong Christine!!!”

I was working on some work and a boy came by calling for me urgently. At the back of my mind I thought maybe one of the kids injured him/herself and needed medical aid urgently. Coming out from my room with the medical kit I saw a bunch of them standing at the porch with a snake!

“We just want you to take a picture of the snake,” said the kids. I laughed in my heart with relief. Look like what I need is not a medical kit but a camera! So introduce to you, our 56 inches long not-so-friendly-neighbour - dead.

“Do you also want to go away?”

Jesus came over to the Sea of Galilee after disputing with the Pharisees at Jerusalem. A Large crowd followed him because they saw the signs and wonders he performed on those who were sick. Seeing the multitude His heart was moved with compassion and He provided for them and that evening Jesus fed 5,000 of them.

By night fall Jesus and his disciples went away in a boat to Capernaum and the next the day when the people cannot find him at where he was the night before they went out all the way to search for him and came to Capernaum where they found him.

When Jesus saw them He begins to speak to them about Himself. He said “I am the bread of life…Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day…” (John 6:48-58)

The people responded by saying, “This is a hard saying, who can understand it?” (John 6:60)

Jesus knowing their thoughts said to them, “Does this offend you?”

* * * * * * * * * *
Throughout the journey the crowd was with Jesus and so is His twelve. They were there when He healed the sick. They were the ones partook of the fish and bread blessed by Him and saw how it miraculously fed 5,000 of them.

Yet when Jesus challenged their mindset they turned away from Him. (John 6:66)

As we journey with God more and more God will challenge us in our mindset. Living in this fallen world, our thinking pattern, thoughts and mindset will naturally lean towards the way of the world, but as we mature in Christ we’ll find conflicts between what we use to know and what is said in the word of God.

Coming from a typical Chinese family having security of life is the ultimate goal or reason for living and by definition as a Chinese “security of life” equals to having a good job which could generate consistent income that can give you what you need or want. (That’s why Chinese work so hard to make money). For someone who doesn’t have that will be seen as being irresponsible and will be look down. This experience has been very real in my personal walk with God.

Many times in perusing the purposes of God we will be challenge to let go of our “security” and stepped into the unknown. My logical mind tells me to earn enough first (when I’m young and energetic) then do whatever you wish but faith tells me “if you hear God today, OBEY”. You may have similar experience in different areas of challenge. At crossroad like this we have a choice to make. It will be a choice that affects not only our physical condition but most importantly our spiritual condition.

As the disciple (from the multitude) turned away and walked with Jesus no more (John 6:66), He turned around towards the twelve and asked “Do you also want to go away?” * ouch * A question that hit real hard. Questions that can only be answered with a “yes” or “no” always call for a strong stand on what one believe and “grey area” does not exist.

We are living at the end of the age and Jesus is looking for disciples. A disciple is someone who follows everything that was taught by his teacher and if we say Jesus is our teacher, let us also walk as a true disciple and not turning away from Him and from His truth.

*Reading from John 6*

Matthew 6:19-20

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Few hours before this 50 Ringgit note can buy you a pair of jean or a decent meal for five but now this it can buy you nothing. The owner of this 50 Ringgit note thought the money will be safe in the pocket but it was too late when the washing machine started spinning. The owner can't stop lamenting to me how sad it is to lose the money just like that. This piece of paper can be RM100 or even RM1,000 and all can be gone in just split of seconds. Nothing is stable especially in this present time. Economy can be properous now but crash in the next day. What use to be THE STRONG CURRENCY are not longer strong anymore.

The new year has just begun. Let's us consider our ways as we start the new year. Invest in things that have eternal value and not temporal.