Journey with God: August 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014

#41 - Two more days till the students moving in! We need your support for the operation!!

Five Things to be thankful for this week:

1. Thank you for many brothers and sisters from around the world supporting us in prayers and financial needs.
2. Rainy days in the past week that keeps the temperature down when we were cleaning and many renovation work.
3. Safety during the installation of lights, wall fans, exhaust fan on roof and changed all the light bulbs at the ceiling (about 25 ft tall)
4. We finished meeting with each student individually to discuss about their lives and struggles.
5. There are a few Christian students show interests in moving into our center after learning about our program. We current have 17 students.

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Please consider becoming our ministry partner by pledging a monthly support. It will help us tremendously in our operation of the Discipleship and Dormitory Ministry.

One of the students is changing light bulbs at the 25 ft tall ceiling

Getting the lamps and wall fans ready

Installing the exhaust fan on the roof to release hot air

Putting up a canvas on the ceiling of the top floor bedroom

Canvas has been put up to trap the hot air to allow the exhaust fan to remove the hot air.

All the students getting ready to clean up!

Thomas is teaching the students to to use the cleaning detergents

Joelle is listening what to do

Mopping the floors

Gryphon and Joelle are cleaning the windows with the students

Checking out the newly built wall (a new room)

Scrapping off the sticky tapes from the wall

Thomas dealing with the trash behind the kitchen

More cleaning needed for this floor. (2 students are standing outside of the mezzanine floor)

Putting up more lights

Setting up the newly purchased bunk beds

We got some used cement bag for US$0.4 a piece and use them to cover the open view from the neighbor

More scraping -- previous tenant had lots of sticky double tape on walls

*** How to Support Our Ministry ***

Any gift large or small will be very helpful to the students and the Discipleship program. We pray and trust God that His work can be done through many of your prayers and support!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

#40 - Praise the Lord! New location has been found!

Praise the Lord! God has opened doors and helped us to find the new location of the student center, and a landlord that is willing to rent to a group of students to live and worship. The new location is much closer to the major universities and most of the students' work places.

Although we found the new location and pay the deposits, it is not ready for move-in yet. The house still need some "fix-up" and repair. And we are still praying for the financial needs from the setup expense to the operation cost. Please continue to pray with us and consider become one of our ministry partner.

We wanted to share with you some of our progress:

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Setup #1:
Need to build a wall and door (to close the area to become an extra room)
Reason:Need more rooms for the students to live (each room will be shared by 3 to 4 people)
Cost: US$170 (HK$1,300) for a wall with a door -- IN PROGRESS
US$200 (HK$1,600) for a closed ceiling for heat insulation -- LACK OF FUNDING

Thomas and the dorm leader are looking at the open space at the top floor of the building
(to be "closed up" to become a room)

We need an extra room for the students to live.
We will need to remodel to add a wall and a door,
so this space can become a room.

Worker just built the medal frame and the dry walls

Thomas and the dorm leader is examining the dry walls
and door (very small!)

Praise God that the wall is finally completed!

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Setup#2:
Need to build a door to the open space (living room) on the 2nd floor to allow the girls to lock their new bedroom.
Reason: Need more rooms for the students to live and an entry door to allow basic security and privacy.
Cost: US$60 (HK$480)

Open space on the same 2nd floor needs to be closed up.

The metal door flame just build and waiting
to build the dry walls, and attached the door.

Thomas is testing the "new door".

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Setup#3:
Need to add a new layer of metal on the gate
Reason: Need to provide higher security for the motorcycle parking.
Cost: US$0 (after negotiation with the owner)

The current gate can be easily "see-through"
by other people hence it is very vulnerable for theft
as our students will park their motorcycles in there.

Original gate

The blue metal sheets are being installed to block direct view from outside.
The security for the students' motorcycles is very important as it is their most valuable assets.

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to be repaired.....

Although this toilet has no water tank (no flush toilet),
and no sink, the boys will need to use this for now.
LACK FUNDING TO INSTALL A FLUSH TOILET AND A SINK

Broken toilet seat and no water tank to flash

Broken light switch needs to be fixed

Broken tray above sink

Broken cabinet door locks

Broken door connectors

Holes on the wall need to be patched.

many items needs to be purchased in the next few days but funding is insufficient ......

1. Desks and chairs for study areas
2. Wall-mounted fans for worship hall / common area
3. Fluorescent lights
4. Cooking stove and gas tank
5. Bunk beds for the girls living in the 2nd floor living room.
6. Whiteboard
7. Trash cans, bookshelves from each room

our wish lists....

1. Laptops to allow students to learn computer (10 computers)
2. Projector for both worship and classes
3. Mattresses for each students to use on the floor
4. Scholarship funds for new students
5. Small lockable cabinet for each students
6. Build a small library with both English and Khmer books

*** How to Support Our Ministry ***

In the USA, please send cheques:
Payable to: "Chinese Baptist Church of Northwest Suburbs"
Memo Line: "Thomas & Amy CAMBODIA"
Mail to: 4242 Kirchoff Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

In Hong Kong, please send cheques:
Payable to "Clearwater Bay International Baptist Church"
Memo Line: "Thomas & Amy CAMBODIA"
Mail to: P.O. Box 65414, Tseung Kwan O Post Office, Hong Kong

Any gift large or small will be very helpful to the students and the Discipleship program. We pray and trust God that His work can be done through many of your prayers and support!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

#39 - Discipleship and Dormitory Ministry - Your Help and Support is needed!

After months of prayers, planning, visiting other Christian ministries and discussions with our youth leader, Abednego, and other missionaries, it is finally time to roll-out our plan --- Discipleship and Dormitory Ministry.

At the end of August, the students will be moving to a new location and starting the new Discipleship program. We are responsible for nurturing and training this group of 20 students to be better prepared in life as a disciple of Christ. We are also taking the financial responsibility of the operating budget including rent, utilities, training and outreach expenses.

We certainly need your prayers and financial support!

Although we have not raise 100% of our family basic budget, God has burden us with the new initiative and we trust that God will provide our financial needs. Please prayerfully consider supporting the Discipleship & Dormitory Ministry and become our regular partners.

1) Program Fund

Each of our students will pay US$15/month as their share of the rental cost, which is about 1/3 of total operating budget.

We still need approximate US$625 per month to support the dormitory, training program and outreach expenses, and a small salary for our dorm leader.

Your support will help to train these next generation Christians in our program. It will also help to reach the people in the villages through our monthly outreach program.

Discipleship program includes Bible study, fellowship, skills training, Sunday worship and outreach program

2) Scholarship Fund
In addition, please consider supporting a student from a poverty stricken family to attend university. Without a scholarship, many of these high-school graduates will be forced to work in factory and forego the chances of higher education. Some families maybe able to sell part of their land in order to support part of the education cost, but many of them cannot afford to do so.

Please prayerfully consider supporting the Scholarship Program to help the students in need.

(1) Full scholarship US$200/month – covers the student’s tuition and education expenses, all living expenses (food, gasoline, parking at school, dormitory program) and a small amount of emergency expenses.
* Student need to join our extra training program during non-school hours and cannot work a part/full-time job.

(2) Half scholarship US$110/month – covers the student’s tuition and education expenses, dormitory program and $1 per day for food. Student will probably work a part/full-time job to support his/her other living expenses (food, gasoline, parking at school) and he/she will still be required to join the discipleship training.

All students in our program are required to join our regular discipleship training program, and fulfill our education requirement (school grade and attendance).

HOW TO SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY: