United Baptist Church in the Spartanburg County Baptist Network sponsors Cambodian Ministry, the only Cambodian language church in the state of South Carolina. Member Docnga Sap had a vision to go back to Cambodia after 30 years in the United States to take the gospel to his home village. Pastor Sam Duong organized a mission trip to carry out Mr. Sap’s vision.
The mission team consisted of Pastor Sam Duong, Mary Hensley (Coordinator of Cambodian Ministry at United), Docnga and Vanny Sap, and Chenda Mroek from Greensboro, NC. The team was on mission to Cambodia July 8-24.
God is indeed at work in Cambodia. Three weeks before our team left the U. S., Docnga’s son accepted Christ through the ministry of New Hope in Christ Church in Siem Reap Cambodia. Our team worked with that church to find existing churches in poor communities that needed assistance. Docnga’s son organized efforts for our team to share Christ in remote Pong Tuk near the Thai border where we reached over 100 persons for Christ. After a drunk named Phal received salvation, a noticed change was evident in his life and appearance. The light of Christ shined through many by the end of our mission. Pastor Sam, with assistance from seven pastors in the Siem Reap association of Christian churches, baptized 103 but many others had no transportation to the baptismal site at Baray Lake. Some of these pastors will follow up by training leaders for the Pong Tuk church.
Property was donated for a church site, and we paid for a pond to be dug on the property to provide water to the church and community. Bibles and hymnals were purchased for the new church plant, and pigs and chickens were bought for the Pong Tuk community. We assisted a house church in a poor community by providing three large bags of rice to feed hungry families and bought blocks to raise the foundation of the shed where the church holds services. Gate City Baptist in Greensboro purchased a farm tractor for that church.
The wMu of United Baptist had collected over the counter medicines and vitamins for the team to give to those who have difficulty obtaining such medicines. Packets of vitamins and medicines were given to approximately 300 people.
There are so many needs in churches and communities across Cambodia. Tuola Sala Church near Phnom Penh was started by Pastor Sam in 2002. This church is growing but needs financial assistance. A church in Prey Veng has no money to pay off the $20,000 loan on their building and may lose their church building. An association of churches in Siem Reap has formed to encourage each other and assist each other in training. They hope to purchase 5 acres of land at a cost of $27,000 to start a cemetery for Christian burials.
Pray for needs in Cambodia and pray about how you might be used by God to meet these needs. The team plans to return to Cambodia in November 2011 with additional team members to reach more people for Christ.