Church then Beach Sihanoukville - Sunday 21 March 2010

Morning was for church at Kompong Som Bible School

One of the students led the service

The congregation sang

Sunday School children performed

and Brian Harper through an interpreter gave the message.

The afternoon was for relaxing by the sea.

There were slides and climbing walls in the sea for children, boat trips, water skis to enjoy but for us oldies it was more relaxing spending the late afternoon and evening laying on a beach lounge watching the sunset then eating at one of the many seaside restaurants and bars.

Sunset at Ocheteaul Beach

Sihanoukville - Saturday 20 March 2010

Orchidee Guest House

Had dinner with Brian and Louise McConaghy and 2 sons Ian and Andrew as well as some Ratanak Foundation Representatives, 4 from Canada, 1 from Cambodia and Brian Harper from Melbourne Australia. Brian McConaghy founded the Ratanak Foundation about 20 years ago. The two Brian’s and I met afterward to discuss Ratanak’s potential. For more on Ratanak go to http://www.ratanak.org/

Down to Sihanoukville

Friday afternoon 19th March, I travelled from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the Mekong Express bus. It took 4 hours. I was met by Brian H and he escorted me to the Ponleu Phkay Guest House where I was booked in for 3 nights.

We went to go to a great restaurant where I have eaten in the past. It has been closed and replaced with a bar. Sihanoukville is changing too.

Changes

There was very little noticeable change in this area between my first visit (2005) and third visit (2008). By 2009 tourists had discovered this area and now Golden Street has more bars and spas. The Internet Cafe is now a bar and delightful Khmer Cafe had gone and the Internet Cafe moved into their old premises. Six months later it has been replaced by a women's fashion shop. New bars and coffee shops have opened in the once quiet surrounding streets. There is also a number of new apartment buildings replacing houses in nearby streets.

Terrorist look alike

I must look awfully suspicious. Nearly every time I go through an airport I get searched or scanned for drugs or explosives. It happened again at Sydney International Airport last Thursday 18 March where I was scanned and then body tapped down for explosives.

I arrived in Phnom Penh about 5.15 pm and was kindly met at the airport by Kimsoeun and Katherine. They drove me to me to the hotel through nightmarish traffic. It was great to meet with them and chat while driving and over a meal.

I went to Sihanoukville the next day. There wasn't any computer connections at the guest house and no opportunity go to an Internet cafe while there so no postings.

In the Beginning ...

In Cambodia on Thursday night July 14, 2005 my life was changed forever

A few weeks earlier, I received a brochure about a July 2005 study tour of Angkor and Cambodia being run by the University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education. Cambodia wasn’t even a speck on my horizon. I had never given Cambodia a thought. The brochure twigged my interest and the more I read the more I wanted to go so I booked and went. It was well worthwhile.

I planned spending another 10 days touring but God had other ideas. On the last Saturday, at one of the historical sites, I came down heavily and injured my heel and could hardly walk and needed to keep off it. So on the Tuesday while the others were sightseeing and I was resting my foot, I was going to take the opportunity to make a courtesy phone call to David Ooi of CNEC Cambodia. It was suggested back in Sydney before I left that I should ring him. It was going to be one of those: “Hello, how are you? You are doing a great job. Everyone in Sydney is praying for you. God Bless. Goodbye.” I could report back that I had done my duty. Only I ran out of time. God’s hand at work again. I didn’t phone David until after I had farewelled my fellow travellers as they left Cambodia to fly home on Thursday 14^th July. He told me he had only arrived back in Cambodia the previous day, Wednesday. If I had rung on the Tuesday and found out he was not in the country, I probably would have not tried again.

David invited me to Crossroads Church Thursday Night Fellowship and then to eat afterwards. The last thing I wanted to do was go to a fellowship meeting. Everyone I knew had left, I knew no one, I was injured and the thought of food was enticing so I accepted.

That night I looked at those young faces, a few looked uncomfortable, some impassive, but in others I saw joy, real joy, as they sang praises to our God, accompanied by a guitar and drum. In a Buddhist country where there is immense family and peer pressure to follow the old religion and traditions, here were young lives changed by Christ and in whom the love of Jesus shone brightly. That was my first encounter of God at work in Cambodia. God spoke to me that night.

To me one particular face stood out. It was mischievous, yet beaming and God told me that night that He brought me there for a reality check, to see that face, to see the joy and a life changed when someone lets Christ into their life. What God did for that young person He wants do for others. A young Buddhist now a Christian, Christ filled and His love shining brightly in that young life. That young person’s testimony is amazing. I was told about it and heard it first hand in detail some 18 months later when I travelled over 8 hours to one of the provinces to catch up on what God was doing in that life. Space does not permit me to tell it here.

Another young person now living elsewhere said to me: “I don’t know why me, but I know in my heart Jesus loves me, and I love Him.” Here is a photo of this young man in a temple sitting in a circle of intently listening Buddhist monks as he tells them about Jesus.

Back to 14^th July 2005. Crossroads Church also has provision for accommodation for David Ooi and family, a member of staff, guests’ quarters and dormitories for university students, boys on site and the girls a few doors down the road. Later that night David invited me to move into the guest’s quarters but I was hesitant. This would interfere with my travel plans but then again would my injury affect my travel? Should I risk aggravating the injury? What should I do?

My Bible reading next day was Psalm 92 (ESV). “1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, 3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre…” . While reading I was reflecting on the previous evening and read verses 2 and 3 as “to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness at night to the music of the guitar and drum, to the melody sung in Khmer." I wanted to hear more praise and declaration of His faithfulness sung in Khmer to those instruments. Was God telling me something? I re-read those words and listened to His voice. I moved into Crossroads and God tore up my travel itinerary.

I was very conscious of God’s presence in Crossroads. This place was like a beacon of light in the midst of darkness. God clearly spoke to me there. “I brought you to Cambodia and to Crossroads for my purpose. Back home you wouldn’t listen to me, you were stubborn and stiff necked you were going in a different direction, a direction you wanted to go, in the opposite direction I want you to go. I had to bring you here. You saw the change in those young lives. That change can take place in other lives. I want you to see and experience a little of what I have in store for you”. I argued and fought against any change to my lifestyle but God countered my arguments from Psalm 92 and other passages. I later thought of a strong argument, “I’m too old, no way can you use me, I’ve only got a few years to go to retirement. God laughed and said read psalm 92:14 “They shall bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green" (NIV), He told me life doesn’t end with retirement; it is just the beginning.

The reality of Christ’s presence in that Thursday night fellowship, and spending the next 8 days getting to know those young people, learning to love again, talking and sharing with them words from God, answering simple and complex theological questions was far more rewarding than touring. God confirmed I was in the right place. The morning after I moved into Crossroads I went to rebind my foot after showering and realised I was walking around the room as if the injury had never occurred. I was healed. A recent X-ray and CT scan confirmed there had been a bone fracture and tendon injury.

That July night in 2005 God started to turn my life around and the love for Cambodia was born.

I have reminder on my desk of the time spent at Crossroads. I look at it every time I sit down. The young person mentioned above, S., whose beaming face God drew to my attention so He could speak to me, gave me handmade thankyou gift which includes a personal word and a verse from the Bible typed in Khmer and English. It is also a reminder that God spoke to me there and that He has a planned ministry for the rest of my life.