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

Dear Friends,

It seemed like a lot has happening since our last newsletter to you in August.  First of all, for the past 4-5 weeks, we have been going around from village to village to the sites where the remaining 9 house churches are located and we’d visited some of key leaders from each location.  What we’d learned from these visits is that there have been a pattern of rumors and lies have been spread by a former church leader who used to be part of the KEC (Khmer Evangelical Church—under the umbrella of the C&MA) who now has established his own organization.  We are not sure of his true motives, but it seemed like he has been going around, privately, to every location site and had stirred quite confusion among the believers there.  As the result, our focus has been to strengthening the weaker sites like Mak Hoeun, Malay, Beong Beng, and Osompore Villages, while the other leaders can focus on the remaining sites.  And to give the leaders a short break, Soeuth has been taking the role of preaching on “Spiritual Growth” at the Living Water Church (the mother church) for the next few months.  This has been strongly requested by the leaders as they all expressed, “We have not been well fed, spiritually, for a whole year”.   Please pray for strength and growth among the church families.  Pray against the spirits of opposition and lies.  Pray for wisdom and discernment as we go about overseeing the house churches in Poipet.

In late July and another in August, we were able to visit Mrs. Moum who is still locked up in prison for a crime she did not commit.  She looked well and seemed contented there.  A local C&MA church from that area has an outreach ministry, twice a week, to teach literacy to the children whose parents are in prison.  (In Cambodia, when one or two parents are in prison for a crime committed, their infant or small also come along for the ride, especially if they don’t have any other close relatives to look after them at home.  And these children pretty much grow up in these tight, filthy, congested prison cells, with their mothers, along with other inmates, who share the same room!  These kids would stay in this condition however long their parent’s sentences would be.  Many of them often get sick from living in such poor conditions and they are not well fed and had no chance schooling opportunity at all!)  In this prison where Mrs. Moum stays, however, there is a new prison warden, a very kind and well respected man, who has showed such kindness and compassion toward these kids.  When the leaders from a local church presented the ministry opportunity to him, he was altogether in favor and is very supportive of the group!  And when the leaders needed extra helping hands in the ministry, Mrs. Moum, who naturally loves children, became one of the volunteers!  Mrs. Moum continues to share the Good News to her cell mates, and has found a reason why God placed her there in the first place.  Her sentence status remains unchanged.  She will have at least 18 months to go before her release time is due, provides that the authorities there keep their words...

Meanwhile back in Mrs. Moum’s home in Malay, things are not going well.  Every Thursday we went there for Bible studies, we learned that the family is struggling greatly just to survive!  Savori, the oldest daughter, has been trying hard to keep the family together and feeding 9 mouths without any outside resources or income.  She had sold most of their family valuable goods and properties so she could have money to pay for food and other basic needs.  And the children (Moum’s kids and grandkids) have been stopping going to school because they did not have the extra money to pay for private lessons—(that’s another story of its own!  And not enough time to explain now).  So far, we have been supplying the family with bags of rice and food items every so often.  Please PRAY for wisdom and discernment on our part as to how best to help this family.

Perhaps it is due the facts that we have just recently come from United States, where we had a chance to rest and relax a bit (in spite of busy tours) and the fact that we are still getting used to the life style and routines in Poipet, whatever the reason may be, it seemed like as soon as we had landed in Poipet, there have been too many dramatic incidents and too emergencies happening here, one after another.  So far there have been a few deaths and funerals within the church families, and A LOT of sick people!  Many children have been severely sick with dengue fever (caused by mosquito bites) and typhoid outbreak and others!  The real frustration is that, with all these sickness going around, we don’t have a reliable trust worthy medical doctor nearby to call for help!  The local “doctors” seemed to diagnosis any sickness by guessing, and it that the IV fluid is the Number One choice of treatment for any kind of sickness! 

Soeuth is still learning about the National Youth Ministry.  Last week in Phnom Penh, Seouth met with the youth committees and they had a good and positive meeting.  Pray for youth leaders/ committees for clear visions and directions for the future of the entire youth ministry.  Next year will be their 20^th anniversary for the KEC youth ministry, and the committee planned to hold a Nation Youth Conference in August of 2013.  Pray for the financial need; we still short about $5,000 toward the conference budget.

Soeuth has been also working with the men ministry among the Poipet churches.  The men met once a month, and each man has been challenged to keep one another accountable in their daily walk with God.  Please pray that God would raise up these men of God to be good husbands and fathers to their families and to be godly leaders in their communities.

We praise God that the money raised for a vehicle has been completed.  We had placed an order, paid deposite, and now are waiting, hopefully by February or March we should get the vehicle.  THANK YOU so much for your financial support!

On a family side, Justin made it okay to Dalat School, since August 12, where he is now adjusting to the life and routines of being a dorm student.   He is so excited to be at Dalat School and being with all his friends again.  He’d tried out and has been accepted into the school soccer team where he plays as the goal keeper for the school team.  We miss having Justin at home with us (the house is quieter without him), but the frequent phone calls and the weekly updates from the dorm parents seemed to ease the longing a little…

I (Syna) was still at Dalat School helping Justin getting stared with his first day at school I when I received the shocking news about my brother’s health—his cancer has returned, and is growing and spreading rapidly!  Nothing like this has every happened our family before.  This news shook me to the core! Praise God for an “angel” by name of Ester, who was there that week for other reasons, but I felt strongly that God had purposely placed there just for me! In my darkest moment, she was there to lend me listening ears and shoulders so I could cry as I poured out my heart to her; we were complete strangers at first, but circumstances had changed that to friends…  So this Tuesday, Sept. 11, I will be traveling to the States to see my brother for two weeks.  Please pray that God would use me, in whatever way as He will direct, to help my brother and his family during this darkest time of their lives…  Soeuth and Jonathan will be in Poipet during this time.

 Please share with us about what God is doing in your life.  We are grateful for your prayers and support.  Thank you for partnering with Poipet ministries.  You faithful financial support to the GCF is what keep us serving to expand the Kingdom of God in this dark part of the world.  Thank you for living the call together.

In Him,

Soeuth and Syna Lao

Poipet, Cambodia

Dear Friends and Family,

It is that time of the year again; the last days of our home assignment year in the United States of America, a time to reflect what God had done throughout this past year, and a time to look back and recount all the blessings He has been giving us.  But it is also a sad time for us, as we’d say “Jume- Reap- Leah” (good bye) to all our friends and family as we are getting ready to head back to Poipet, Cambodia, in just a few more days (July 3).  If things are going well with traveling arrangements,  including 2 nights-staying in Bangkok, Thailand, and if the Lord is willing, we will arrive in Poipet (July 6).  Soon, we would be greeting and saying “ Jume- Reap- Sure”(hello) to all our friends and family there!  We all are excited about going back to Poipet and are very anxious to learn what God has in store for us for the coming years!

As we take the time to reflect on what God has done, we counted the many blessings that God has given us throughout the year!  We were blessed with a good reliable vehicle to drive to places without any worry or concern that the car might break down in the middle of the highway!  We are grateful for His un-ending generosity to let us live in such a beautiful furnished apartment, with a safe neighborhood and wonderful caring neighbors, including good friends and playmates for our sons!  And throughout the year, we’ve been traveling, as a family, to visit churches from within the Metropolitan District and to some other C&MA churches in out of New York areas, God gave us many meaningful opportunities to connect with old friends and making new friends along the way.  He gave us numerous opportunities to do fun things as the family that, if on our own, we could never afford for such opportunities, nor could we ever think of or imagine!  But our heavenly Father, in His caring and loving ways, has lavished His great love and abundant blessings upon us beyond measure!

We give praises to the Lord Jesus for protecting our sons, Justin and Jonathan, giving them a good school year, and allowing them to have such positive experiences in the Nyack public school!  We are grateful for opportunities for celebrations!  Justin made it through 10^th grade without any problem!  Jonathan, not only he’d survived his first time ever in a public school, he was having fun in school! Jonathan turned “double digits” on April 9^th as we’d celebrated his 10^th birthday!  And as for Soeuth and I, we celebrated our 20^th anniversary on May 30^th!

We have also witnessed the ways He protected and watched over us during those many long road trips. And we have seen the hands of God working miracles in the lives of our love ones, including how He healed my ear and restored to me my sense of hearing!

And now, we are all excited and ready to head back to Poipet!  Justin is looking forward to reconnect with his Khmer (Cambodian) buddies in Poipet, and is excited about returning to Dalat International School, on August 8, where he plans to finish his remaining high school years there at 11^th and 12^th grade.  He recently got a new pair of bright orange cleats and is looking forward to join the Dalat school soccer team again!  Though Jonathan is a bit sad saying good byes to his buddies in America, and he has mixed feelings about returning to homeschool this fall at 5^th grade, but he is anxious to be in Cambodia again!  He is looking forward to swim in the ponds in Poipet (now that he could swim well—thanks the many swimming lessons at the YMCA!).  And he anxious for a chance, once again, to have pets of his own!  As for Soeuth and me, we are also looking forward to work and partner with our Khmer brothers and sisters in Christ in the Poipet areas and with the church leaders from the Northwest region!

As we are heading back to Poipet next week, we anticipate for some new and exciting adventures that God has in store for us for the coming years.  At the same, however, we are more than aware and anticipate that there will be some old PLUS new challenges awaited for us as well.  BUT we are claiming and relying upon and demanding for the Presence of God to go before us and with us (Exodus 33:15)!

Here are some specific needs that you can pray for and with us.

1/ Pray for good health, protection and safe traveling this coming week and during the months of July as August; we’ll be traveling A LOT in and out of country!

2/ Pray for smooth transitions in Poipet—moving into our old house, and in Dalat School (Justin); pray also for safety and protection as we’ll be moving heavy boxes and barrels (storage stuff) back into the house, hopefully, by July 20, after we return from Field Forum;

3/ Pray for our team annual Field Forum at Sihanoukville Province (July 10-17);

4/ Pray for wisdom and discernment and for guidance and clear directions in areas of ministries.  This coming year, we are very shorthanded with the number of staffs.  This summer, for home assignments and other personal reasons, a total of 14 adult International Workers are leaving the Cambodian mission field, and only 5 are returning!   In addition to overseeing the 10 house churches in the Poipet areas,  this year, Soeuth has been asked and assigned to be the  Point Person for the Northwest region, covering  5 provinces with about 80 KEC churches—and with just two missionaries—that’s us!  Soeuth also has another new assignment to be a Youth facilitator for the entire country for the next two years!

Please keep us posted with what’s God is doing in your life.  We want to be encouragers and prayer supporters to you as well.  And we hope to see some of you coming to visit us in Poipet sometimes in the near future.  For contact information, please email at jjablaos@gmail.com or mail at C/o Alliance Guest Home, 28/2 Pradipat Road Soi 13, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand.

Thank you for your prayers and support in the Poipet ministries.  Your generous and faithful giving toward the GCF is what keeps us and other International Workers serving in Poipet and around the world.  Lost people still matter to God, and He wants them all found!  Thank you for partnering with us in bringing the Light of Jesus to lost people Here, There, and Everywhere.

Serving together,

Soeuth and Syna