Moat Folks

Last week, 23 Christian families in five different villages had received blessings as one ton of rice was provided by HeartCry. Each family also received bottles of soy sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce, and cooking oil, and what joy in God’s provision has filled His church in these villages.

And then, just four days ago, God sent the rain! We, God’s people, have been crying out to God for rain and multiplying the fish again. We were given hope to know that brothers and sisters in HeartCry and around the world have been praying for these things. God has answered our prayers! Hallelujah! God hears the voice of those who love Him and serve Him!

The Lord Jesus has been working in this part of Cambodia in the fishing villages on the Tonle Sap lake. Some months are not encouraging at all, but this month of July, we are supported in the Lord!

By the grace of God, we have seen four new souls come to faith in Jesus Christ! Scripture reminds us to give all praise to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He knows His people’s needs and works in the heart of His people to do His will.

The fishermen in the floating villages on the lake have had a tough time this year, as there has been an extended drought, and the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, almost dried up completely. Our village is usually 1 ½ hour away from the river port of Kampong Khleang. We are only accessible by boat. This year, however, there has been no rain in the rainy season, so much so that motorcycles can drive on dry land the entire way!

Fishers need fish to survive, but the fish have been completely gone. Everyone’s nets were coming back empty, and then there has not even been enough water to go fishing! We feared that all of the fish are gone.

Eye Surgery

All of us Christians on the lake thank God for the eye surgery that HeartCry paid for so that Kret has hope now. He is one of the new leaders of the church in this area. Kret lost one eye in a boating accident years ago. He was having a lot of trouble with his remaining eye, and we feared that he would lose that eye too. Being blind would mean that he could not be a fisherman anymore. If that happened, his family would be devastated. But now, after the surgery, his only remaining eye will be able to work properly for him. What a huge blessing for this brother, who has become the leader of the church in his village.

We had an opportunity to study together with the guys in our discipleship group at Dara’s house. Dara is also one of the leaders in our discipleship group, and his home is an orphanage for 26 children who are true orphans.

This was a unique meeting because each of our wives and our youngest children was all able to meet each other for the first time. Now our wives have started a Facebook group so that they can talk to each other every day. This is so good because many of the wives live in remote areas and don’t have many Christian friends, but now they do!

This was a special blessing at this meeting because three youths in Dara’s orphanage graduated their first year in college for Agriculture. They have become the teachers, teaching us how to make poultry and fish feed that is much more affordable than the bagged feed they sell. We learned that helping us to be successful in raising chickens, ducks, and fish for food and small business in each of our villages.

It was good to learn how raising chickens help Kon each month. He is a faithful pastor in our discipleship group. I loved the meeting because it helps each one of us to do well in our projects. The training will give us a chance to work on our land to make sure that our families have enough food while serving the Lord. As we are getting good at this, we now have a chance to teach our church members to do the same for their own families.

We want to give thanks to HeartCry, who makes our lives much more comfortable with the monthly support. May God bless you. We keep all of you in our prayers as you keep us in yours.

Sincerely, Kien