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Cambodia 2011 Report

Joom-reap-soor (Greetings) I had the great honor and privilege to serve our creator in Cambodia this June.   I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everybody for your prayers and support, my family and I really appreciated all of them.  I learned early on in the mission that it is a whole community that is involved in the mission even if it is only one person or a small group that leaves to serve in any mission and again thank you for all your support. I was part of the 21st mission trip in Cambodia that Pastor Chamron Phal has lead. I left Alaska planning to share the word of God with the people of Cambodia and trusting God knowing that he was with me where ever I followed him.  I was unaware of how much God would use me a person that couldn't speak the language in a foreign country or how much God would use this experience to transform me and give me a glimpse of how much love God truly has for everyone of us. Because I trusted God with this I flew to Cambodia flying without anyone I knew, landing in a country I did not know, and served him with an awesome group of people I didn't know or meet until I was in Cambodia. I served the Lord in ways in Cambodia that I have yet to serve at home.  I got to meet and interact with several great people in Cambodia. Everybody in Cambodia seemed overwhelmingly welcoming, kind, and wanted to promote peace.  Everyone I was able to meet and serve with had hearts filled with joy, love, and a willingness to serve the Lord.  While we were in Cambodia our team joined up with a group of leaders from Cambodia we served together for most of the mission.  Our team numbers fluctuated daily in some cases depending on the number of leaders that joined us for the day.

We traveled a rather large portion of Cambodia while serving with most of our time spent in the rural provinces. We ended up using all means of transportation to get to some of the churches that we visited. Our main source of transportation was by bus but some of the churches that we visited are beyond where the roads end. Some of the other modes of transportation that we used were back of pick up trucks, motos, and plowing tractors to reach our final destinations. We helped out in several different ways when traveling to the different provinces we held a service in the morning or mid afternoon depending on how smooth our drive was to the province. My role was primarily helping out with the children while we were at these churches. The story that we shared with the children was the creation story we also played several different games during our time with the children. There was 5 separate baptisms that we were apart of where 260 people were baptized. It seemed for the most part that the people being baptized were waiting for Pastor Chamron and his team to show up to be baptized. All the baptisms were public with song and praises being sung while the baptisms were taking place. There were 55 believers baptized behind prison walls in a prison in the Battambang province. It was a blessing to witness these baptisms. Several items were distributed to the poor and needy some of which was donated by our congregation. We distributed 98lbs of medicine, 200 pairs of eyeglasses, 50 blankets, 80 sets of clothes, lots of food, about 1700 crosses handed out, and 1260 gift packs distributed at the prison in the Battambang prison. We also held family/church retreats in the Battambang province this is something that we were able to provide simply because we had a bus that we could fit a lot of people into. It was nice to be apart of these retreats seeing the body of these churches being able to get out together and interact. We were also part of a women's conference that was held where they actually let the husbands attend as well. There were about 100 people that attended this conference and the theme for the conference was family happiness and my community.

It is almost hard for me to explain how much God grew my heart while serving in Cambodia.  I truly believe my heart has been transformed and is filled with even more love and joy for the Lord.  After serving so much with the children in the churches we visited I feel that God has not only drawn me closer to my children but to children in general.  Seeing how actively the Lord is praised and sought after in Cambodia is truly amazing.  To see so many people choosing to love, worship, and serve the Lord in a country where it would be easy to see that people could hold onto hate and judgment for what so many went through during the Khmer Rouge reign.  For what was experienced by the people in Cambodia during these times were far worse then what I could ever imagine. But to see that they can still say yes to the Jesus is truly amazing and only proves the great healing powers that our Lord has. Especially to serve with a group of people who survived the killing fields or were some how directly affected by the Khmer Rouge and to see that God has placed love in their hearts and that they choose to serve the Lord in Cambodia is amazing.  To serve the Lord and spread the word of God to people who have oppressed you also shows how great the power of forgiveness is.

One of the stories I want to make sure I share is about our time at a church in the Pailin Province. I believe there is so much power in hearing about this church and what the province used to be like. With this province being one of the Khmer Rouge strong holds having the land completely covered in land mines. Now you find a community worshipping and serving the Lord in a place where if you traveled down the road you were never seen again. This is also one of the newly planted churches that the Vision for Cambodia Partnership has planted. To see farm lands growing crops where at one point you could not walk far from the trail due to land mines. I got to be a part of sharing the Story of Creation to grandchildren of former Khmer Rouge participants. To be part of a rippling effect of Christ growing love in a place where many have given up on is a rich and rewarding experience with all glory going to God.

One thing that I feel great about though is that the work of the Lord is ongoing in Cambodia and doesn't end with US mission team coming home.  Knowing that there is a group of leaders dedicated to serving the Lord and spreading his love is awesome.  It was an honor and a great privilege to work along side these leaders and hear their testimonies.  With these leaders spreading the work from the rural country sides, to behind prison walls, and in the cities there is really no stone left unturned where they serve the Lord.  Seeing there dedication to the Lord is truly inspiring.  I still continually pray for Cambodia and the people there, as well as all of leaders serving there still. Going to Cambodia was a truly rich and rewarding experience I am so happy I followed the Lord there.  I pray to return to Cambodia to serve again as well as others to go and serve as well.  There are several other stories to share as well and I would be happy to sit down with anybody who would like to hear more and again thank you for all your support and prayers.

God Bless,

Robert Johnston

Community Covenant Church ~ Phone: 907.696.5229 ~ ask at communitycovenant.net