Koh Ksachtunlea, Cambodia...Pastor Gideon (pictured to the right) leads a couple Free Methodist churches in Cambodia. He preaches in the morning at the Light and Life FM Church East and in the afternoon at the Light and Life FM Church West. He travels from home and between churches many kilometers by motorcycle on roads that resemble driving on dry riverbeds more than they do any road we'd be familiar with. He has to take a couple ferry rides on what is no more than two canoe-like boats bound together with planks of wood that believe it or not can carry and transport one car and as many motorcycles and walk-on passengers that can uncomfortably be crammed onto the conveyance as possible.
We wanted you to meet Gideon because we promised him when we were with him last week that we would introduce him to you and share his prayer requests. We will be doing this for several ministers we met in Cambodia last week during the upcoming months. They were asked to share their top three or four prayer requests.
Gideon's first request was the most compelling, especially coming from a parent's perspective. It came more as a story as the translator spoke rather than as a prayer request. The translator conveyed how God had called Gideon into ministry and shared the tremendous sense of blessing it has been for him to serve the Lord. Gideon spoke of his children and then transitioned to share how providing for them was a challenge. Pastor Gideon shared how his youngest could no longer attend school as public school, which is supposed to be free, wasn't. His daughter wants to finish high school but there isn't the $15 a week needed for travel expenses, food, supplies, and school uniforms. Gideon's other prayer requests paled in comparison but to him were important to share. A toilet beside the church, an outhouse sort-of-affair, needs to be moved and replaced as well a fence erected around the property's perimeter to help delineate and ensure no one encroaches claiming land belonging to the congregation.
When the translator passed along how Pastor Gideon's children expressed they wished their father didn't have to give so much of himself and his time to the church, which paid him so little, and seemingly caused all their financial woes, the words broke my heart. The hope the Lord has given us over the years as parents, providing pressed down and overflowing, when there just didn't seem to be a way to pay for a college education for our children, was exploding in our hearts. God's grace and provision for us was the comfort and encouragement we were compelled to share with Gideon. We also committed to pray and invite others who faithfully pray for us to join us in believing God would somehow make it possible for his youngest to finish high school. I said we would pray boldly believing the Lord to provide the $15 a week needed to make this possible. Sure there's a toilet and a fence that needs built but we couldn't stop thinking about a life under construction and the incredible opportunities afforded a young person in Cambodia who graduates from high school.
Thanks for reading this week's update and even more for praying for Gideon's daughter and her desire to complete high school.
Gratefully,
Don and Kathy
Your M's Living and Serving in Asia
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