Life Around Cambodia

Home Sweet Home!

2007-01-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

We have made it home safely! Thanks again for all your prayers and support while we were serving in Cambodia.

We will be sharing our experiences with the whole NorthPoint family on Sunday morning, February 4th!

Hope to see you then!!!!

Day 9

2007-01-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today is departure day!!! It's hard to believe that our time here is over. We are hoping to return next year(Ruth & Susan we'll talk about this when we get home)...will you come with us?!? :) Our prayer is that others from NorthPoint will make the trek with us to fall in love with Cambodia like we have.

Please pray that we will have safe travels! We look forward to seeing all of you very soon...back on American soil!

See you soon from Cambodia...where God's Kingdom is growing!!!!

2007-01-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

Terry and Pat handing out cookies at the New Life primary school.

Here at New Life the kids come from rural villages to learn English and more about Jesus. The educational system here is an incredible opportunity to shape the future of Cambodia.

Is Terry in Iowa or Cambodia?

These are pictures from the agricultural farm in southeastern Cambodia.

Photos from Day 7!!!

2007-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

This is Mr. Mao our favorite tuk-tuk driver. He wanted to hang out with us today! Keep praying that he would come to know Jesus. He is holding the Bible that we bought him yesterday!!!

Terry teaching the girls at Remember Nhu a song

Pat adjusting his oversized glasses

Pat teaching a story about Jesus

Terry teaching English

The girls from Remember Nhu

Terry sharing in FEBC chapel

FEBC Director and her husband

Day 7 - Afternoon

2007-01-16T02:27:00.000-08:00

Remember Nhu

Jesus continues to amaze us with opportunities to be His presence. This afternoon is hard to put into words, but we will do our best. There will be pictures of Day 7 to follow soon.

This afternoon was an open afternoon to follow-up on ministries of interest. Terry and I visited a ministry here in Phnom Penh called Remember Nhu. This ministry is a school for girls who are at risk of being sold into the sex trade industry. We were able to meet Nhu, who is now a young woman who had been rescued out of the sex trade industry.

The girls are referred to the school by pastors who have been notified that their parents intend to sell them to the sex trade industry.

We spent the afternoon helping them learn English, teaching Bible stories, and singing songs. Terry brought a Polaroid camera (thanks to his ever thoughtful wife Susan) which was the craze of the afternoon! We also provided them with afternoon snacks...OREO cookies!!!

There was so much excitement that kids from down the street flocked to the school to see what was going on. These kids wanted to learn English worship songs really bad (so bad they were willing to endure Terry and I singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children"). Unfortunately the video of this worship service was lost forever...:)

Please pray for this school where girls are not only learning English, but most importantly, learning about Jesus. We told them the story of Jesus leaving the 99 to go after the one lost sheep. I described how we are all sheep who wander off, but Jesus comes to rescue us from danger. Given these girls background, this story took on all new significance for us. One girl commented that she was like the sheep that ran away, but Jesus found her and brought her back to safety!

Not a bad day for Jesus!!! Blessings from Cambodia...where God's Kingdom is growing!

Day 7 - Morning

2007-01-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

Far East Broadcasting Company Cambodia (FEBC)

This morning we went to the FEBC for a chapel service at 10am. We then toured the broadcasting center. FEBC distributes radios throughout rural Cambodia to villages that have no electricity. They are pre-programmed for Christian radio to help the local pastors teach God's Word. They come equipped with a bright light so that house churches can read the Bible at night as they listen to the programming.

The staff of FEBC shared with us how encouraged they were to know we are praying for them, supporting them financially, and willing to travel halfway around the world to visit!

Sameoun, the FEBC Director, wanted us to pass along her gratefulness for our monthly financial assistance to NorthPoint. It has been an incredible blessing and enabled them to offer more broadcasting across Cambodia.

They were gracious enough to prepare a luncheon for us with lots of Cambodian style food!!During lunch, the staff had the opportunity to pour out their hearts with both their dreams and struggles. We had the opportunity to just pray with them and encourage them to keep going!

The presence of Jesus offered by all of you at NP is being felt here in Cambodia!! Thank you from everyone at FEBC!

2007-01-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more photos from our trip to the AIDS house with World Relief...

Day 6 - Afternoon

2007-01-15T02:05:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we visited the headquarters of World Relief Cambodia. There mission is to work with the Church to alleviate human suffering in Cambodia in the name of Jesus Christ.

They build the local church and mobilize children and youth to practice a biblical response to HIV/AIDS prevention. They also offer compassionate support and care to families affected by AIDS.

They took us to an AIDS house in the slums where patients are cared for physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. The women shared with us their stories and testimonies to how they came to Christ.

One woman shared with us how she had died for at least eight hours. While she was dead, she dreamed that someone appeared and said that she had to choose between Jesus and Buddha. That is when she chose Jesus! Today she is alive and doing well!

Another women shared how she began to vomit blood because of being so sick with AIDS. She began to pray day and night that if God was Almighty He would help her. She has never thrown up blood since and is now living fairly well with AIDS.

From a Western mindset, these stories almost seem unbelievable. We would all say that we believe in the Bible but do we believe in the Living God who is still active and present by His Spirit? Do we still believe that God is a powerful healer and transformer in the lives of those who desperately need Him?

We shared with them that if Jesus were to come to Phnom Penh, this is where He would choose to be! They wanted to pray for us that we would have a safe trip home...their joy and hope even in the most difficult of circumstances moved us beyond what words could express.

Photos to follow soon!!!! It's time for a Cambodian dinner!!

Day 6 - Morning

2007-01-15T01:54:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a long post, but you MUST read it! Terry and Pat take to the streets!!!

This morning Terry and I broke from the rest of the group because we felt led to do our “own thing.” Both of us felt compelled by the Holy Spirit that we had to leave the group because God had another agenda for us.

God’s agenda had been on our hearts for a few days. We decided that we wanted to go out in the city and find Bibles written in the Khmer language to pass out. We had developed several good relationships with our tuk-tuk driver (basically a moped pulling a cart with seats) and several vendors at the market.

Mr. Mao, one of our favorite tuk-tuk drivers, saw us come out of the hotel and flagged us down. We asked him to take us to the house/church of a Cambodian pastor to buy Bibles in Khmer language.

The house/church was highly gated and protected for security reasons. This did not increase our “comfort level” in what we felt God leading us to do. While we were checking on Bibles the guard at the gate began sharing Jesus with Mr. Mao.

The pastor only had two Bibles so he gave us directions to the Cambodian Bible Society (CBS). Before we took off, we stood and talked with Mr. Mao for awhile. He comes from a long line of Buddhist, but was very intrigued by Jesus, though he’d never heard of Him before.

After we arrived at the CBS, much to our surprise, Mr. Mao followed us in to see what was inside. While Terry was busy buying out half of the store’s resources I began talking more with Mr. Mao. He had never read about Creation or Jesus. I began to explain to him and show him in the Khmer Bible where these stories were found. He was very receptive to me sharing the gospel, which in Cambodia, is a miracle in itself.

With bright yellow bags full of Khmer Bibles, we set off for the Central Market. YIKES!!! The Central Market is a place where you can buy anything from apples to iPods. This was NOT our first visit to the market! In the process of fine tuning our bartering skills, we had made several friends over the past week. We returned this time not to buy, but to give!

As soon as we got out of our tuk-tuk we needed to pray for safety, for the words, and that the Holy Spirit would translate for us. We prayed that God would go before us and prepare their hearts. We couldn't’t feel the ground beneath our feet as we got close to the counters! We were a little nervous to say the least!

As it turned out, the hearts of these three Cambodian women were receptive. We shared the gospel with all three of them and gave them Bibles in the Khmer language. We also gave them the address to a local Cambodian church.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, we had to basically beg Mr. Mao to let us pay him for driving us around the city all morning. It was clearly God’s plan for him to watch, listen, and be a part of God’s alternative agenda for us this morning.

We scurried back to our hotel room (locked the door!!) and began to pray for our four friends who we just shared Jesus with. God’s providence in orchestrating all of this is just incredible! What a privilege to be used by God to love these Cambodian people.

Blessings for now, but more to follow soon!

Day 4-5 Evening

2007-01-14T05:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight our group met for a time of prayer and sharing in our hotel room. Here is a devotional that really impacted our group.

Isaiah 6:8

"I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard - "The voice of the Lord" and then in perfect freedom we too will say "Here am I! Send me."

Day 4-5

2007-01-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Well we are still plugging along here in the heart of Cambodia. Yesterday we traveled out of the city to a small village to spend time with a group called RDI (Resource Development International - Cambodia). These men and women are amazing! They are a group of cutting edge scientists who look for ways to improve clean water, sanitation, etc. There's too much to list...and truth be told, a lot I don't understand! Basically they are reshaping Cambodia!

They do research partnerships with MIT, Stanford, University of North Carolina and several other universities. In addition to research and development they are sharing the gospel in incredibly creative ways. One of their ministries is a karaoke ministry!! I know I know...it's huge in Cambodia! Perhaps a new ministry for Pastor Matt? :)

We also spent some time floating down the Mekong River...we were in a boat! We traveled to a small village. You'll see pictures from one of the silk factories we visited.

We were told that Cambodians don't believe in forgiveness. They think the gods toy with human beings. The gods don't care, certainly don't love, and for the most part torment humans. Can you think of a better place for the gospel of Jesus to take root and spread? Pray that as we plant seeds, God would water them, and in years to come we would see Cambodia transformed by God's grace and love.

It's Sunday now, so we rest for a big week of ministry ahead of us! Please keep us in your prayers. We ask that you would pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual protection. The enemy is powerful, but greater still is the Spirit of God working through the lives and prayers of His people.

Blessings from Cambodia

2007-01-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

We have met so many incredible followers of Jesus who are already here doing amazing things for the people of Cambodia.

It has been such an encouragement to us to meet them and a great blessing to them to know there are so many people who share their passion to reach Cambodia for Jesus.

Here are a few websites of what Christians are already doing here in Cambodia...

www.echonet.org
www.christiansvc.org
www.remembernhu.org

Blessings!

2007-01-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

Day 3

2007-01-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Hello again from Cambodia!

Well, we are starting to get adjusted to life half way around the world. As I write, it's 9pm here in Cambodia...9am back home...very strange!

We spent most of today trying to understand the depth of brokenness among the Cambodian people. There is a long history here of pain and suffering.

Most recently, in the late 1970's, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime brutally killed nearly 2 million Cambodians. Another 2-3 million Cambodians fled the country. The people and country are still trying to recover from the massive blow of that kind of evil.

We toured a school that Pol Pot had converted into a prison to interrogate and torture Cambodians. We also visited the genocide museum and killing fields. As you walk along the dirt paths between mass graves, clothing is still coming up through the ground from the victims. It's was an emotionally troubling day, but it gave us a much better understanding of the people here in Cambodia.

We've posted just a couple pictures of what we experienced today. There is so much pain here, yet so much opportunity for the love and grace we have in Jesus. Pray that as we interact with the Cambodian people they would sense and understand the great hope we have in the crucified and resurrected Jesus. The Church here is growing and we know God has great things in store for the Cambodian people.

Blessings from Cambodia!

We've Arrived (Days 1-2)

2007-01-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Cambodia!!! We FINALLY arrived after 36 hours of travel...

We left Detroit on Tuesday, January 9th and flew to Osaka, Japan. From Osaka we flew to Taipei, Taiwan....and then finally we flew into Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Thursday, January 11th.

All is well...

We are so thankful for your prayers and notes of encouragement! We cannot express enough how they have been a source of comfort and joy to us. We have felt the power of your prayers as they have sustained us and even protected us during the trip so far.

PLEASE continue to pray for us and our families at home. We look forward to what God is going to do through ALL of us in the days ahead. Our mission is to be the presence of Jesus to those who don't know Him here in Cambodia!

Goodnight from southeast Asia!!!

Discover North Point In Cambodia!

2007-01-09T06:18:00.000-08:00

Terry Gerken and Pastor Pat leave for Cambodia on January 9th. If you picked up a prayer card, don't forget to bring it back to the church by Sunday January 7th. They will be taking these with them on their trip.Please drop it in the basket in the hallway. Thanks again for prayerfully supporting them on their mission trip to Cambodia!