In Cambodia our main ministry focus is supporting Christian Education, but from the beginning we’ve always tried to be alert to when God points out “other duties as assigned.” The need Cambodia presents is greater than any missionary couple can meet, so we are sensitive to when God says, “that one.” Ou was one of those. We saw him riding his bike on the street and he immediately caught Kirsten’s photographer eye, because of his face with the chiseled lines of age. I asked him how old he was, and when he said 98, I doubted that I heard him right, as my Khmer wasn’t strong back then. We said goodbye at that time and he rode off, but he stuck in our hearts, so later we went back to find him. To make a long story short, Kirsten took a portrait of him and asked him about his experiences during the Khmer Rouge genocide. This led to developing a relationship with not only him, but his wife, and then his children, then the neighborhood, and an ongoing opportunity for service. Ou passed away at the age of 102, but not before declaring that because of our relationship with him he came to believe in God. His wife is now attending a Christian church. We visit whenever we are in Phnom Penh.

Now as we launch the next phase of our ministry, God is still showing us our part in His work. It just happens to be bigger and more expansive than what we thought it was going to be!

We are currently in the planning stages with three different ministries - VDP, Salaa Hope Battambang, and the Dream Center. VDP - Village Development Program - operates six “catch-up” schools for poor children. Salaa Hope is a pre-K / 12 Christian school for Cambodian students. And the Dream Center provides the opportunity for children living in the floating village near Siem Reap to attend secondary school and receive enrichment instruction in English, Computer and Bible.

When we go again in late May, we also hope to bring a team of five or six teachers with us from America. They will join in as we provide professional development, individual coaching, and small group mentoring support. The vision God is laying out, as so often is the case, will require more than what Kirsten and I can do alone, so we are eager to partner with those He leads our way.

Duties as assigned