A letter from Paul Friesen, Regional Liaison for Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
October 20, 2010
Floods, Baptism and Community
When I started this letter I intended to focus on the 376 baptisms conducted by pastors of the Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship (KPF) in Cambodia this past July and August. Then, this past week, I heard from Rous Sarourn, the leader of KPF that his house had flooded. His email reminded me of the ongoing struggles these leaders face every day. Sarourn, Vanara and Socheat are constantly bombarded with the pressing needs of their church members and yet they persevere, faithfully serving in the midst of great challenges.
Every year, during the fall monsoon season Sarourn’s house is vulnerable to flooding. Last year when this happened he was forced to evacuate his family. His wife, Molika, had to shut down the custom tailor business that functions out of their home, and as a result they lost their main source of family income during the busiest time of the year. How can leaders like Sarourn address the needs of those in their church and community when they are in the midst of their own personal crisis?
Ministry for Sarourn and Molika is spread over a number of villages, but the largest concentration of their work is in Kampong Spue Province. Through holistic evangelism and countless hours of personal involvement, a church was established among poor and illiterate farmers. On July 6 this church baptized 110 members. This was a first, and so they celebrated in style. They rented a place by a lake so that many could observe this public event bearing testimony to their faith in Christ. Now the church gathers weekly for worship and also for nightly prayer meetings with 15 to 20 members in attendance.
Funerals also provide an opportunity to share the gospel with non-Christians. Pastor Sarourn is aware of the cultural and religious difficulties of conducting a Christian funeral, and so he seeks to use this opportunity to share the Good News in a way that is appropriate to the context. Other evangelistic outreaches include preaching in a newly developed village for retired military and in another area close to the Vietnamese border. New confessions of faith were expressed at both locations.
Pray that Sarourn and Molika would find strength to endure in the midst of this crisis. Praise God for the many recent baptisms conducted by the pastors in Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship.
Serving together,
Paul Friesen
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 129
