Raven's Leadership Spotlight

 Last week marks the 3rd annual year to launch our Raven's Hope International Team to the USA. Every year as I am mentoring the girls in preparation for their journey, I don't always know how to describe what they will feel when they arrive. Every Raven experiences those first few days differently. Imagine the first time you left your home state and experienced a new culture of people, a new environment, and new foods. Or, imagine for a moment the first time you left the USA and entered a foreign country. However, there is one thing I do know. The Raven's come back with changed lives from their experience at RHI. Changed Lives! That is what I love the most. Seeing them go and return to Cambodia with a clear vision and a dream on how they can individually impact their country for Christ.

Raven's Hope International 2015 Team

I would like to take a moment to "Leadership Spotlight" one particular Raven from our 2013 team. Her name is Chantrea Chap. She is currently a program coordinator at an organization called Nummanna Auxillary for Community Enrichment located in the Samnong 12 area of Phnom Penh. After returning from RHI, Chantrea took her vision and dream into action and started a new program at NaCE called My Home.

My Home provides English language education

 "My Home teaches underprivileged children both, the Khmer and English languages. In Cambodia, poor children getting the opportunity to learn English language is rare. They will be offered more and better jobs if they are able to speak English well. This helps them break the cycle of poverty and gives them the chance to help their families and this nation", Chantrea shares.

Chantrea (left) and My Home team

The purpose of My Home is to empower disadvantaged children by teaching them Khmer and English languages, life skills, and caring for them holistically. This will afford them greater opportunities in life and lead them and their families to Christ. Chantrea shares that "My Home has a strong relationship with the Celebrating Church where I worship. With their prayer and support we are able to hold on Sundays a separate meeting, through which we present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the children and their families. As Cambodia is a Buddhist nation, most of the children’s families are either Buddhist or they follow religions like the ancestral spirits".

 “AT MY HOME, NOT ONLY DO WE TEACH THEM ENGLISH, BUT WE PRESENT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO THESE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.”

To learn more about My Home please email Chantrea at myhomeministries@yahoo.com.  Or visit them on FaceBook at My Home Ministries.

                                                 Blessings, Tricia

Your gift makes the work of the Hester family in Cambodia possible, and we work hard to maximize each dollar entrusted to us. We are grateful for the generous support of many individuals and organizations that share our commitment to informed, responsible and effective service in Cambodia. To partner with us in 2015   Please Click Here

How Clean Water Facilitates Church Empowerment

I have always taken for granted being able to turn on the water faucet and have a fresh flow of clean, safe water for drinking, cleaning and bathing, until I moved to Cambodia that is. Like many small communities throughout Cambodia, the community of Khadai Ron in the Takeo Province had only one source of consistent drinking water. The 1,137 residents of the community had to walk from their homes to the local Pagoda to fill their water buckets from a community pond. As you might expect a community pond would often become contaminated. While the long walk to obtain water made life difficult enough, the sickness that often came from drinking contaminated water made life unbearable. If you became a Christian in Khadai Ron there was an even greater challenge.

Christians are a very small minority in Cambodia. They are often discriminated against. Because they are a religious minority they do not have a voice in the community government system. In most communities the Pagoda leaders hold a great deal of influence within the community and in some cases they use the influence to persecute Christians. In Khadai Ron if a person became a Christian the local Pagoda leader would deny them access to the community pond.

On a recent visit to Khadai Ron Pastor Mai, the pastor of one of Samaritan’s Purse’s many partner churches, told me the story of how the Samaritan’s Purse Seeds of Hope program has changed lives in the village. www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/sowing_seeds_of_hope/ Samaritan’s Purse chose the church, where Pastor Mai serves, as  a partner church in the village. Together with Pastor Mai, Samaritan’s Purse staff went to community leaders and asked for the names of villagers who would most benefit from the Seeds of Hope program and be good stewards. Samaritan’s Purse then went to these community families and supplied them with agriculture projects and clean water access. Wells were drilled for community members and handpumps were installed. Clean water means healthier lives and no more spending hours each day carrying water from the community pond.

Agriculture programs provide long-term 
food production for families and provide a 
source of income. 

While clean water access was important in improving people's health, it was the rest of the story that amazed me. After village leaders saw the love of Christ being shown to both Buddhists and Christians alike in the village by Samaritan's Purse and Pastor Mai, they no longer discriminated against Christians in the community.

Pastor Mai, a community member and one
 of many wells drilled by Samaritan's Purse

They began to listen to Christian leaders and include them in the local decision making process. Water wells, vegetable gardens, and livestock were a practical display of God’s love that broke down barriers and empowered the Church. Many believers open the use of their wells to other community members. They are now able to share the Living Water as these wells become a focal point for relationships and evangelism. Pastor Mai now has a healthy thriving church with approximately 75members. As a part of the Ministry Team, I now travel with staff to communities like this and visit homes with pastors like Mai proclaiming the Good News and encouraging believers!