#33 - Putting God First

We shared in our last blog that we are spending more time to serve a group of christian university students.  As we mentioned, these young Christian students came from the same village hometown and are studying at different universities in Phnom Penh.  We visited their hometown a few months ago and see some of their homes.  They all come from very humble farming families and most of them are the first or the only one in their families goes to a university.  The students are currently working full-time to pay for their tuition fees and living expenses.

Financial Need
In recent months, the dormitory is facing a financial deficit as a few students have to move back to the village or move closer to school due to financial reason. Hence our 1st goal is to help them develop a business plan to earn a small income by teaching English.    The revenue will be used to pay a stipend for the university student who teaches and relief the financial needs of the dorm.

SO, WHAT DID WE DO?  1) created a simple business plan with the dorm leader; 2)cleaned and setup 1 room as classroom (see the “BEFORE” vs “AFTER” photos below); 3) purchased some new tables, florescent light and fan (remember no air-con); 4) decorated the room with Gryphon and Joelle’s English homework & bible stories; 5) designed and printed banners and flyers to advertise the English class; 6) trained two of the university students on the English curriculum; 7) promoted the class -- flyers, registration table.   

Although, as of today, there are only a few parents came by to make inquire, and no student register yet, we praise God that it gives the leader and the university students a valuable experience to learn how to make a plan and follow the plan in starting a business/project.   We are very skeptical on whether starting an English class is the answer but it is really a valuable training experience and also the classroom is now being used for the students' piano class (by Amy), English classes, fellowship and even Sunday worship.  

As next week will be the Khmer New Year holiday, most people are going to their hometown for celebration, we will need to wait for more people to come to register after the holiday.

"BEFORE" - This room was used as a bedroom for the students to sleep.
There is no bedding and only one very dim ceiling light.

"BEFORE" - Only a few portable closets for the students to store their belongings
and clothes, no study tables nor chairs.

"AFTER" - Newly set up classroom with 4 tables and some blue plastic chairs.
1 fan and 1 florescent light on the wall on the left.

"AFTER" - Thomas is discussing the classroom decoration with the dormitory leader.

This wall is decorated with Bible story color pages,
which were colored by the university Christian students who live there.
It took a few times to get the Bible story pictures' order correctly!
(we wonder in our mind whether they have heard the story before) 

"AFTER" - Newly designed banner of the center and the class information

  

Spiritual Needs

God has to be our first priority in lives and we wanted to make sure these young believers learn His words so that they can live out Christ in their lives.   Our main goal is to find ways to nurture these young Christian and equip them with solid bible knowledge while they are working and studying in the big city.  But many are discouraged by the dorm's financial shortfall and their friends whom have to return to their hometown.  

As Paul said in Ephesians 4:13-14:

“until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

As a parent, we worry about our children growth, especially spiritually, and how they decide what is right and what is wrong.  We know the only way for anyone who would able to do so, is to follow God’s Words.  For the university Christian students who come to the “big city” of Phnom Penh, there are many temptation and many new friends around them.  But how can they really follow Christ and live it out?  We found that they have Bible class every Saturday and worship on Sunday, but they are still very much lack of the knowledge of the Bible. 

Last week, Jeanne has a team from Australia who came to serve at the village school and the English center in Phnom Penh.  The evening before they return home, we brought the team to spend an evening with the university students and shared how we should use our body as a living sacrifice and our lives to glorify God daily, and not to sin.  Part of the discussion was about boy and girl relationships from Roman 1:18-32.  This is an especially hard discussion in the Cambodian culture.   We pray that there will be more Bible study time with them, not only on the easy topics, but on these “sensitive’ topics that they are longed to learn God's word and apply in daily lives.

Before the sharing, the team play music and violin, and sang worship songs together.
Many of the university students have not seen a violin before,
so the team did a brief introduction of violin!

Gryphon and Joelle were introducing themselves along with the team from Australia
and the university Christian students before the sharing.

Sharing time

It is about 9 o'clock at night, which all the university students
finally came back to the center from their all day of school and work.
Most of them have not even had dinner, but they are all eager
to hear the sharing and get the know the team.

Tired and hungry but smiling and engaging in the discussion.

Reading Roman 1:18-32

Although the students are reading the Bible in Khmer language,
the team share God's Words vividly with translation.

Our Weekly Meetings

We also continue with the weekly piano and worship music class, and also had an opportunity to share God's Words and lead the worship on one of the Sunday's mornings at this dorm (they have their own Sunday worship at the dorm).  We are also meeting two of the students at our house once a  week for an extra English class.  Praise God for all these opportunities to build a stronger relationship with them and share what we know with them.

We began to teach basic music theory of rhythm,
how to count beats and how music composes together.  

The university students learning attitude is very encouraging,
and it is such a blessing to see them understand how to read the rhythm.

Sunday Worship:  Amy is helping on the keyboard while others lead the songs.
They are singing "How Great Thou Art" as a new song
(they do not have chance to hear many hymns yet).

Gryphon and Joelle are singing and worshiping with the university students.

Thomas shared 1John Ch2 with the group on that Sunday.

Prayer Request

*Please continue to pray for guidance on how best to help this small Christian dormitory and how can we nurture these young believers who come to the big city to work and study.  We will be putting together a plan with this young leader for a dormitory that would glorify God and disciple young believers.

*Please pray for our hearts as it is very easy to focus on the students' practical needs (lack of English, life and work skills and money) and forget to put the students' relationship with God as the priority.  We do not want to lead another humanitarian project but we want our work to bring God into people's lives while helping to break the poverty cycle.

John 7:17-18 to remind us “ If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”