Octobet updates

Dear Friends,

It’s “Bon Pjum Ben” time in Cambodia!  It’s a Buddhist religious holiday where the people here, from out of fear, celebrated their ancestral spirits by bringing food offerings to as many as seven (7) or more temples in order to please the spirits.  Even in the midst of extreme poverty, these people would save up, collect, and or even willing to borrow a large amount of money from their relatives and friends in order to have enough for the purchasing of these required food offerings!  The Khmer Buddhists believe that,  this is one of the few times when their ancestral spirits are released, from captivity, and are allowed  to come to roam around all the temple areas of their birthplace, looking for food offerings from their living relatives.   The actual holiday, according to the lunar calendar, will take place, this year, on October 13-15, but the preparations began as early as the last week of September!  To get the people up early and be ready to prepare for the food offerings, the Buddhist monks, priests, and nuns would, loudly and in a long, sad, and dirge monotones, chant their wake- up prayer songs, into microphones, every day, as early as 2 am!  And this can go on every hour, all day long, until 9 or 10 pm!  We looked forward to a few hours of quietness before it began again, at 2 pm! (These same tones of songs are also sung at a funeral service.)  The entire atmosphere can be very gloomy and oppressive.  In the day light times, however, to get rid these oppressive sounds, we often blast out with praise and worship songs.  But there is nothing much we can do when it is 2 in the morning!

To go to the Buddhist temples, the Khmer people would put on their best traditional clothing attires, the ladies with their colorful and finest silks and laces while the men with front button shirts and trousers.  According to the youth in Poipet, they not only go there to offer food to the spirits through the monks, but they go there to meet people and to social and to party!  The Buddhist temple is the “happening place” especially for the young at heart!   In a culture where dating is not allowed, the temple is The Place where “boys meet girls”.  It is no wonder that the wedding season (another loud but happier event) would soon begin, right after Bon Pjum Ben!

Bon Pjum Ben is a time for the testing of faith for the new believers.  Many new believers feel pressured by their relatives and even by their community; and they are obligated to bring food offering to the temples!  Many believers  would face a tough decision that, should they go forward with their Christian walks and risk being rejected by their relatives, or should they go back to the old ways….

One way to help prevent these back slackers is to plan fun activities around these holiday times, to offer alternatives, so that the Christians would have a place to hang out.  In respond to the needs, the northwest regional youth committees have been busy planning and scheduled for a youth rally at the Thmar Koul Center, in Battambang Province, for Monday, October 15.  Since it is a National holiday, the committees are expecting at least 200-250 youth will show up.  The committees had a guest speaker planned for the event; but due to urgent and personal matters, however, that plan has recently been changed.  As of this past Monday night’s meeting, Soeuth is now the official back up plan!  Oh well, flexibility and being ready are part of life here….Pray for Soeuth as he prepares the message for the youth event.  Pray for safe traveling for all and for a good outcome.  Pray that the true Light of Jesus would shine brightly during this dark time of this religious holiday season.

                             Despite of this dark season, however, we are delighted to share with you that the Light of Jesus is being brightly shine in a new site called Sophee Village, which has recently become a daughter church of Ondong Thmar Meas Church!  Through the outreach ministry of Mrs.Theary, (one of the key church leaders from this mother church), the village leader, the assistant village leader, and 10 women from this village-- all of them have recently gave their lives to Jesus!!!!  In respond to the need, Soeuth has been going there, (along with Mrs. Theary and some elders), every Saturday morning, for Bible studies.  For the past three weeks that Soeuth has been going there, this group of new believers was always ready and waiting for the “teacher” to come!  We have never seen any other group who is as hunger and thirst for the WORD as this group!  Their responses to the messages taught are overwhelming!  Even this village leader has insisted that the weekly meetings must take place in his house!

September and October have brought some heavy rains and floods to most parts in the northwest region.  A number of places in the Poipet and Svey Sisophon areas have been heavily flooded.  Many people are suffering from typhoid outbreak and dengue fevers!

Please pray for Pastor Samoeun (and his wife Channy) from the Sisophon areas who has been undergoing some testing times recently.  In an attempt to care for his chronically ill and elderly mother, Pastor Samoeun has recently felt and hurt his back severely.  He is also suffering from typhoid disease as well. This young couple who love their LORD so much is facing some financial needs as well.  It was encouraging to us this week, at the Poipet church leadership meeting, when Samoeun’s situations were mentioned, a number of the leaders took special collections to help out their brother in who is in need!

For those who have been responsive toward the needs for Mrs. Moum and her family through prayers and financial support, we thank you!  And Mrs. Moum and her family thank you! 

Family:  We were grateful that Syna was able to visit her sick brother for two weeks in September.  His physical condition is weak, but his attitudes toward life and death are admirable…  We appreciate your continual prayer for Synath and his family… There have been too many stressful events happening around here, one after the other; and we are in need of some quality R&R times.  And we are looking forward to visit Justin at Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the end of this month!  The Dalat soccer team is scheduled to play at the 5 Nations Cup on Oct. 23-27, where Justin is one of the players there!

Please continue to pray for wisdom and insights concerning National youth ministry.  Pray for the committees to have clear visions for youth ministry.  Soeuth has been busy making many long distant trips to various regions for regional youth meetings.  Pray for safe traveling.

Here are some other dates and events to pray for.

-Oct. 15: Northwest regional youth rally at Thmar Koul, as mentioned above.

-Oc.t 18-27, a visiting team from Seattle, WA, will come to Poipet and to Siem Reap to serve with the local KEC church.  Pray that God would touch the hearts of those who come.

-Nov. 7-11—Soeuth goes to Rattanakiri Province (northeast region, about 18-20 hour drive from Poipet) for a region meeting with the tribal groups.

We want to be blessing to you as well through prayers.  Please fill us in with what God is doing in your lives.  We are grateful for your continual partnership with the Poipet ministries.  Because you pray, the Light of Jesus is being shine forth to this dark part of the world!  Because you give to support the CGF, that is why we are here serving along with the Khmer people in bringing the messages of Hope ,Light, and Truth to the hopeless and the lost…

Be Light,

Soeuth & Syna Lao