Dear Friends,
Greetings from the land of Mangoes! March not only marks the onset of the hot season (an average temperature is in the mid or high 90’s), it also brings forth abundantly many varieties of sweet, juicy, and delicious tropical fruits. And, mangoes are at the best right now! So, if you are a fruit lover and if you don’t mind a little heat, now is the perfect time for a visit!
With so many things that have been taking place lately, it seemed like ancient ago since our last newsletter was sent out to you. Here are some updates of what is going on around Poipet.
Some of you may or may not have already aware about the dreadful rabies incident that took place during that long unforgettable weekends of February 5 and 6, Chinese New Year, where 11 people including our Jonathan (1missionary, 3 MKs, and 7 Khmer youth)-- all were bitten by one rabid dog! In the whirlwind of fear and panic, we raced into different directions (to Aranyaprathet, Bangkok, Thailand, and to Phnom Penh, Cambodia) in a desperate search for places of treatments. Immediately, we rushed out urgent prayer requests. And in good timing, many thanks to our favorite Dr, Kent Copeland, each of the 11 people received a series of five shots of the verorab vaccines. And then, the long waiting began as that first month slowly passed by; it was almost unbearable. But you prayed. We all prayed. And God answered. Now, all 11 people still alive and kicking, and Lord willing, healed!

And just when we thought we could finally put a smile on our face again, three weeks later, another little girl, age 8, was wondering around onto the property of the new church building where she was brutally attacked by, yet, another dog! Immediately, we cleaned and cared for her many wounds, sent out the dog’s brain out to be tested in PHN, and then waited, once again, for the dreaded test result. Praise God, the result was negative!
The good things about these whole ordeals are that, this precious little girl, Sinoun, though very small, but very brave, and was often scolded at and forbidden by her family not to come to church, and yet somehow, she’d managed to show up at church and stayed throughout the entire service! Every Sunday! As for the other 7 youth, though they all went through a very frightful event, they had patiently endured many longs trips back and forth to and from PHN, missed out many school days, yet all of them had genuinely expressed a grateful attitude and a thankful heart for the fact that their lives were spared! As one youth had boldly declared that, “We are blessed because someone is paying for our treatment. There are some other people who are in the same situation as we, yet they could not afford for the medicine”.
I guess from his whole incident, it is a good remind for us to keep on counting our many blessing, daily, and to enjoy and appreciate the gift of life, be thankful for, and to live a life meaningful for His purpose. So, have you counted your blessings, lately?
There have been so many sad and hurtful things taking place among the church families, so constantly that it nearly breaks our heart.
- A few weeks ago, at Santepheap village, a little named “R”, age 10, was repeatedly raped by a 60 years old man! This little girl, whom we all thought had no family, all the sudden, an aunt showed up (after the incident) and removed her from the church community, and to this day, we still have no clue where this little is now. The authorities kept the man locked in a local prison.
- Three sisters whose first names all begin with “S” are being severely persecuted by their older brothers. Last week, one brother had brutally beaten up an older girl. The girls, ages 17-21, are being pressured by the family to quit church, quit school, and to find works in Thailand. But the girls are madly in love with the Lord are still coming to church every week! Not only that they continue to come to church, they also have been voluntary serving as Sunday school teachers. The two older girls are studying in TEE Book 1, and the younger one is in another discipleship class.
-Two other girls “S” and “L”, ages 16 and 18, are also being persecuted by their bongs (older siblings) and parents--- all because of their commitment and decision to follow Christ!
-These are just a few names of those who are being persecuted, some almost daily, because of their faith. The list of their names and their stories go on and on. Some other youth are having difficulties in life dealing with poverty, broken families, crimes, and violence. Some have boldly shared with us their many struggles against sexual sins, pornography, and other related sins. They all seemed to long for good role models at home but found none. Many of them have discovered and are sharing among their peer that only in Christ can they truly begin to find hope for their future. Despite of their difficulties, struggles, and hardship, however, they all keep on coming to church every week! The evidence of their zeal and passions for God is so real as many of them signed up for any kind of discipleship classes.

The quarterly regional youth rally was scheduled on Tuesday, March 8th, a National holiday. All the youth from four provinces of the northwest region came for a full day of fun and fellowship among their peer. The unexpected rains were pouring down hard that morning! This was very unusual for this time of the year, and the rains made traveling very difficult. Those who rode on the back of the trucks or on trailers or bicycles or motor-- all were soaked. And because of the heavy rains, a number of groups from far away villages did not show up for the meeting. But, in spite of the rains, those that came were many- over 250 of them came! It was full house and every space in the building was occupied!

Soeuth spoke a message from the book of Judges challenging all the “Gideons” (youth) to get rid of their many “idols” in preparing themselves for the mighty works of God. After the message, there was a great time for testimonies and sharing. The respond was phenomenal! We’d never seen anything like that before. More than 20 young people, guys and girls, courageously went up to the front, and openly shared their personal stories of struggles and challenges. As they’d shared, (some feeling nervous) began with a laugh and tried to make small jokes, but most of them cried as they poured out their hearts and souls to their peer and to God. The sharing time last more than an hour! We had to call it a stop as some younger youth were getting restless and hungry. Though rains had stopped much early on, the damage was already done as the newly filled dirt at the outside fields was too muddy and sticky for any planned outdoor activities. It was a good thing that we had brought along many cards and board games, and other supplies for indoor entertainments.
Looking back, we can now see some of the reasons why so many youth are being persecuted these few weeks. It is because these guys were and are actually getting rid of their “idols” as they’d made a public stand for Jesus, thus making themselves a target for Satan’s attack. Won’t you please lift these young people in prayers? Pray that they may remain steadfast, no matter what, in their walks with the Lord Jesus.

Our family is EXCITED and looking forward to March 26- that’s when Justin will come home for a week of spring break! His dorm parents have been thoughtfully and lovingly sending us some exciting pictures of him playing a goalie position in the last week tournament where his whole team won goal metals for being in first place! Home school wise, with all the emotional turbulences (related to the rabies situations and others) and lots of traveling that followed during these past few weeks and months, Jonathan is making a slow progress at catching with his school works.
Please pray also for the following requests:

-Sunday, March 27, the Poipet church will set a time child dedication- this will be the first one in Poipet!

-May 22- three churches from Popet (Poipet, Santepheap, and Andongthmormeas) will become official organized churches. We’ll have a day dedication and celebration.

-April 6-9, National Youth conference at Thmar Koul. Every year about 600 or more youth attended, and this year, the same amount is expected, if not more. Pray for the good out come with guest speakers, teachers preparing for seminars, protection from injuries and other sickness during sports and activities, and along with safe traveling for all.

-All churches in Poipet are beginning to teach baptismal classes (4-6 weeks) for new believers in preparation for a joined baptismal service in May.

-Our prayer request is boosting up from poisonous snakes to rabid dogs! Pray for safety and protection for all. Lately, we’ve been feeling petrified every time a strayed dog is wondering nearby. It’s a dog mating season, and our houses are without fences.

-Pray for wisdom and strength as we’d begin transitions, packing, storing, getting medical check-ups, and juggling around with other added stresses.

-Pray for unity among church leaders, and that God would raise more leaders.

Obviously, God is the One who sent us here for the purpose of building his kingdom in this part of the world. But your faithful and continual supports: both, finance to the GCF and prayers, enable us to touch and make a difference in the lives the Khmer people.

In Him,



Soeuth, Syna, Justin and Jonathan Lao

January prayer 2011

Dear Friends,


Can you believe it that it’s nearly the end of January 2011 already! Where had the time gone? We hope that you and your family had a blessed Christmas holiday together.

The month of December was packed with Christmas activities! The biggest event this past year was on the evening of December 24th that was held at the new church building where over 600 people attended! It was a wonderful celebration as church families from Poipet and Malay-- all joyfully came together for a joined Christmas celebration! The evening was filled excitements as various planned activities/ programs were performed beautifully, one after another, on a large outdoor- opened stage underneath the starry night! It was very meaningful to sing many Christmas songs at night! And to top it all, Rev. David Manfred, our Field Director, with his strong voice, spoke a very powerful message of the true meaning of Christmas that, as a result, at the altar call, more than 30 people came forward to Twia Kloun- giving their lives to Jesus! Although it was a challenge trying to keep track of these new believers, but those who are from the Poipet areas, about 20 of them are still coming to worship with us every Sunday!

Though the invitations were many, we’d only attended 11 Christmas activities (from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31) throughout the Northwest region, and of these, Soeuth spoke in 9 services! In some distant villages, an over- night stay was often required. Though not always but sometimes, both, Justin and Jonathan, considered this part of the trip as an adventure as they both like outdoor activities in addition to riding in the back of a pick-up truck, and would get to sleep under mosquito nets or in hammocks. It is also our family tradition that to every new place we visit, we often take along some young people (anywhere from 2-10 or more) with us, in hope that, they would have some opportunities for ministry observation, learning new experiences, and meeting new friends as the result. And of course, these easy-going and highly energetic young people are often a great source of encouragement and fun traveling companions for our sons.

Justin’s time at home (Dec. 17-Jan.16) was never long enough. But we did make the best of our time together. As soon as these “roller coaster” of Christmas activities had somewhat calmed down, we took a week vacation, left Poipet, traveling across Cambodia, sightseeing and visiting places where we used to live since 1995. It was a good time to reflect, as a family, of what God’s faithfulness to us, and of what He has been doing and will be doing in our lives. Even after long road trips, we all came back home to Poipet feeling recharged and refreshed! Amazing!

January brought us some bitter-sweet feelings as we, once again, said good-bye to Justin, sending him back to Dalat International School for his second semester of his 9th grade year. Justin is now settling into his dorm life and is happily reunited with his dorm family as we are back to our weekly routine in this small but busy town of Poipet. And Jonathan is also back into his home school routine (3rd. grade), and even though after all these times, he still says, “I don’t like school!”

This New Year brought us some exciting events in the church ministries. As new believers kept on coming to church every week, altogether there will be 6 new classes started this month! And though not yet official, there are 2 new groups that are already in, and 2 or 3 other groups are ready and waiting to officially join the C&MA/KEC family circle! This is a very exciting time for the church ministry. And yet, as always that when God is at work, the enemy is also busy stirring up troubles among God’s family. Please PRAY with us for our key church leaders for clear directions, wisdom, and discernment as they continue to work with the growing churches in Poipet.

And just this past Sunday January 23, the believers from Poipet and Malay areas came together for a joined service as the Poipet church had officially moved into the new building! Altogether more than 200 people attended the service, and of these were representative from 10 different villages/ house churches- all came for a full day of joyous celebration and fellowship with a potluck meal afterward. The big crowds drew many attentions to the local community children that more than 100 EXTRA kids also came!

Please also pray for:

-Feb. 7-10, CEC National Conference in Phnom Penh,

-March 8, Northwest region youth rally.

-April 6-9, Annual national youth conference;

-Struggled house churches that are in distant places such Boeng Beng, O Sampore, O Lahong, and Malay areas.

Please share with us your praises and prayer requests. We would love to hear what God is doing in your life! And always, we thank you for your partnership, faithful prayers, and support for our family and ministries in Poipet. Your generous and faithful gift to the GCF is huge blessing as it enables us to continue serving God in this part of the world.



Serving together,

Soeuth, Syna, Justin and Jonathan Lao

November Updates

 

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for praying for the flood situation in Poipet.  After three full days of heavy rains, and while most parts of the Poipet town were covered with flood, we left Poipet to vist Justin for a week, knowing full well that the damage would be very severe once we'd come back.  When we got back from Malaysia, a week later, the roads in Poipet were still muddy and filled with puddles.  And as predicted, all vegetations and thousands of hectares of rice fields (in the northwest regions) were destroyed!  Normally, the rice farmers started to prepare fields for transplanting at the beginning of the rainy season (June to August); once the fields are prepared and the rice is transplanted, the farmers would wait, with much anticipation, hoping and praying for the good crops at the harvest time (November and December).  But this year, however, the recent flood had brought nothing but devastating and despair. 

In some areas, in respond to the needs, rice donations from local Red Cross have been (supposedly equally) distributed to the villagers affected by the flood.  But because of a corrupted system, already, some village leaders and local town officials are fearful for their lives.  (This requires some explanations).  Often, in respond emergency needs, local NGOs (non-government organizations) or local Red Cross would send out donations (mostly rice) to the affected victims.  There should be a set amount of rations to be given out, equally, to each needy family, according with the numbers of family members.  Yet, in reality, this method only appears in paper/ record.  Local community leaders are supposed to sent list of family names and request for certain amount of donation.  Once this request is agreed, donors would send out truck loads of rice bags to designated areas.  But, as we've seen and heard of repeatedly, however, that once the trucks left the towns or villages, those same bags of rice are immediately sold in local markets.  To get the much needed rice, the poor will still have to buy it, at a cheaper price (than regular price for rice), from the market!  This unjust practice took place so often enough, especially at remote villages, that the angry villagers are driven to take laws into their own hands!  And if the donation is actually given out at all, it often took place at the local Buddhist temples or at the villager leaders' houses where Christians are often neglected or not included at all. 

This past Sunday, we had a privilege to visit the Ang Salaa house church where the church families came together for a joyous celebration with a potluck meal following the church service.  During the service there were many opportunities for people to offer their prayer requests and praises.  One lady was very thankful to God, that last week flood, during the time of need when she and her family had no money left to buys food for the next meal, God allowed her son to find a few extra fat frogs so she could prepare a tasty meal for her hungry family! 

Immediately following the service, while the ladies we busy getting the meal ready, we were invited to lead a couple, Ang and Chin, to Thmai Kloun - (give their lives to Jesus).  This couple had heard about Jesus through beleivers in Ang Salaa (like Pholly and Moul- owners of the house where the church meets) and had been wanted to come to Christ for a long time, but were hesitant due to fear.  Finally, on Sunday (Oct. 31-- Halloween’s Day) they'd decided to give their lives completely to Jesus allowing Him to be their Lord and Savior!  With their permission, we cut off two spirit strings from around their waists, helped the couple removed fetishes, shrines, and other worship articles from high places, and had those worshipped articles were burned to the ground-- in front of their friends and neighbors!  It was a joyous moment for the couple, as the wife, Naat, had stated in her own words that, "I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders!"  Please pray for this couple as they would soon face persecutions (because of the decision), no doubts, from their unbelieving relatives and neighbors.

Back at the house church, everyone was busy spreading plastic tarps and mats on the ground and putting food on dishes.  A number of families had brought many different kinds of desserts and dishes of simple yet very delicious home cooked food including curry stuffing grilled frogs!   It is a great and humble experience for us to dine with local villagers, a great reminder for us to appreciate and be thankful for the many blessings that God has generously given us, daily.  The true is, we were sad by the devastating results of the recent flood.  Without warning, the flood came and did much damage, but our home was spared!  And yet, hundreds of families out there did not share the same blessing as we.  This is a very hard and testing time for all of us, and we may not have all the answers, but we can only trust in the ONE who knows the plans He has for us...  As you are celebrating Thanksgiving at the end of this month, please take a moment to count many blessing He has done in you life.  What are you thankful for this year?

As mentioned earlier, we did go and visit Justin for a week (Oct. 18-25) at Dalat School where Justin had a 4-day break from school.  We had a good time catching up with Justin, had opportunities to talk with some of his teachers, and heard good reports about him which made our hearts glad.  As there were some flu bugs were spreading around the campus before we got there, during our visit, Jonathan got really sick with high fever for a few days where he had to stay in bed during that time.  And even when we got back to Poipet, a week after, all three of us got the flu bugs as well, one after another.  While at Penang, we had the chance to join the dorm family overnight trip to Highland Genting.  It was good experience for us to get to know each dorm family, watching how dorm kids and dorm parents interacted with one another.  Our observations only increases the need to pray, even more, for each of these gifted, devoted, and committed dorm parents, who willingly answered the call to serve God in caring for and loving each of the dorm children, and our son- Justin is included.  As you think of our family in prayers, will you also say a prayer for Lilian and Harold Chan as well along with their two small sons, Elim and Reuben?  Thanks.

Please pray also for the house churches along the roads to Malay areas.  Due to bad road conditions, the regular discipleship classes that meet there weekly had been postponed, one week after another.  Though the flood water is no more, the damages to most roads are great.  Pray that the new believers there would remain firm in their faith.

As always, we appreciate your prayers and support, and you partnering with us in bringing the Gospel to this part of the world.  Your faithful giving to the GCF allows us to continue serving here in Poipet.  Please share with us what God is doing in your life.

Serving Him together,

Soeuth, Syna, Justin and Jonathan Loa