April's newsletter

Dear Family and Friends,

In the last month’s newsletter we’d asked you to pray for a number of requests, and here is proof of what God is doing…

The “baby” dedication on March 27 turned to be a “family” dedication as young single mothers, single fathers, couples, uncles and aunts, and even older siblings (teenagers) brought up their little ones to be dedicated to the Lord! It was a heart moving and powerful experience watching these young believers stood up and made a public commitment promising to God that they would pray and care for, raise, their little ones in the way of the Lord, guiding and teaching them to know, love, and be obedient to the only true GOD!

The youth conference on April 6-9 was quite an interesting one! About 80 youth from Poipet and from the Malay District went there as well. Altogether, there were over 700 youth attended the conference! It was an overwhelming experience especially on that first evening of the conference, as the youth committees didn’t quite know how to handle such a big group! They were short on food, drinking water, and sleeping facilities, just to name a few. And to make the matter worse, there was a violent and totally unexpected rain storm that poured down hard. The strong winds literally uprooted a number of rented tents-- upsetting many tables filled with prepared and much needed food! Praise God, things got a lot better the next day. Toward the end of the conference, however, everyone seemed to have such a good time there that the “little” experiences from the first day were completely forgotten, (well, not by everyone). Thank you for praying.

The unexpected April rains really took everyone by surprise! It’s very unusual weather for this time of the year (especially for Cambodia); but the rains came off and on, causing much confusions and difficulties for travelers and farmers just the same. The early rains bring back many creepy crawling creatures, including snakes. Yes, THE SNAKES ARE BACK! Nearly every day we killed at least one snake! The other night, with the help of some youth, we killed the biggest and longest snake so far, right on the steps of our back doors! It was 68 inches long! It had a head and tail of a cobra but with a strange striped body! Very unusual! And even as I took a short break from writing you now, we’d just killed another 45- inch green snake! On our upstairs porch and it’s in a braord day light! Jonathan, who was following me around, had nearly stepped on it! So PLEASE keep on praying against the poisonous snakes and rabid dogs…

The much anticipated joined services for Good Friday and Easter Sunday went really well. The heavy rains that came (just hours before the Good Friday service and the rains continued all day long until late Saturday night) made distant traveling a very challenge experience for all! Because of the weather, many people could not make it to the services (as most had come riding motorbike, bicycles, and open wagons); and for those that made it, some of them were soaked to the core! BUT circumstances and even bad weather COULD NOT stop God’s people from coming to together to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection! About 70 people came for the Good Friday service and over 200 on Sunday! Short clips from the translated film, JESUS, were shown on both services, and the people were given opportunity to share with the group of what Jesus has meant in their lives. Many youth courageously stood up and shared about their many hardships and persecutions that they constantly received for just being believers of Jesus Christ. But as one youth had boldly said that, “Our little sufferings are nothing comparing to what Jesus had endured on the Cross!” We rejoice that three ladies, a mother and two grown daughters, gave their lives to Jesus following the Easter Sunday service!

Justin did spend a week of spring break with us, but our time together was really short with all the activities involving church ministries at that time. BUT we can hardly to spend a week with him this coming May 2-9, at Penang, Malaysia. We look forward to a good time R&R in a nice cool A/C room with hot showers! However, with all of that traveling (and more to come), we’re a bit behind schedule when it comes to home schooling time, and we may not finish the course when it’s time for us to pack up the house and leave. Please pray for strength, extra love and patience, and understanding for the teacher (Mom) and for a sense of focus and motivation for the student (Jon).

Meanwhile, please remember to keep praying for the border situations between Thailand and Cambodia. It seems like a never ending conflict between the neighboring countries. Though the actual fighting took place about 300 km away from here, and some people have already evacuated from the other bordering villages, things remained calm and steady here in Poipet, and there seems to be no alarm from military activity around here, either. Nevertheless, we are on a constant lookout and be prepared to leave Poipet when it’s time. And our Field Director even gave us the permission to use our best judgment whether or not to evacuate from the area. So far, nothing much is going. And we are still here. Keep on praying.
Here are more prayer requests for you to share:

1. This Saturday, tomorrow morning actually, 14 students from TEE Book 6, will take their final exams. And 11 students from the TEE Book 1 cycle will also take their finals in a week to come. Many of these students are already serving in various parts of church ministries, while some of them are training to be the future leaders in their local communities. Please that God would raise more church leaders.

2. Some of you have already aware of the few difficulties we had during the past couple months, and among these challenges is that two of the six church leaders had recently stepped down from ministry positions. Please pray for unity and that God would strength the remaining four leadership men who will continue working closely with Kandi Lay (missionary) during the time of our home assignment year in the States.
3. Pray for those preparing to get baptize in May and as well the preparation for the joined celebration when the three main churches in Poipet will officially become organized church on May 22.
4. Pray that we’ll have strength and energy for packing and finding place for storage, along with many other transitions to be made as the weeks are coming closer and closer.

5. And we ask that you would pray, specifically, for friends for our boys (Justin will be 15 in July, Jonathan is 9) as we are getting ready go to America on June 21. Being third culture kids (CTKs) as they are, it’s hard to know where “home” is for them. Both sons will attend the Nyack public schools. Pray that they would have a good year in America, and that God would, even now, raise up prepare friends for each of them when we’ll get there. We praise God, so far, for graciously providing us a three-bedroom, furnished apartment right on the beautiful campus of Nyack College, and maybe a car is waiting for us to be used for that year. God is good!

Please share with us about what God is doing in your life. Thank you for your partnership with us in this part of the world. Your continual and faithful financial support to the GCF enables us to keep on doing what God has in plan for us here, sharing the Good News, touching lives, and winning souls for Christ.

Serving together,

 Soeuth, Syna, Justin, and Jonathan Lao

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