Cambodia Mission Trip Report (3-8 June 2008)
1st Kuala Lumpur Girls’ Brigade decided to take up the mission trip to Cambodia this year as Girls’ Brigade Malaysia is not able to send any team over due to the busy schedule of the 70th Anniversary celebration. 3 officers and 2 girls together with one of our church members formed the team. The members are as follows:-
The focus of our mission trip is on children’s ministry. Therefore we had made arrangements with Girls’ Brigade Singapore to contact a few children’s centres in Phnom Penh for our ministry. Besides that, we had also taken this opportunity to visit our World Vision sponsored child in Bati too. It was a good experience visiting our child and spending some time together with her and her family members. We are so glad that the day we visited her was her birthday, so we had an opportunity to celebrate her birthday with her and also with the workers of World Vision. World Vision brought us around to visit their project in Bati ADP like the silk making place, youth drawing club and also the canal started by them for the farmers.
We visited 6 centres in our 6-day trip:-
a. Work Evangelism For Christ (WEC) – Bridge of Hope (www.timpaton.info/) We followed Timothee Paton, an English evangelism person who is in charge of the centre, and his team to Bonte Sleuk, one of the poorest slum communities in Phnom Penh. Upon our arrival, a few of us went into the slum area together with the staff of Bridge of Hope to call the children out for activities while the others set up mats and welcome the arrival of the children. Activities that we carried out for children were praise and worship, bible story, aeroplane making (origami) and games. There were about 80 children attending the session.
b. T-House in Dump Site (One Chance Project by Girls’ Brigade Singapore) The T-House is set up in a dump site with the objectives of ministering to children who live in the dump site to help them earn a living. Girls’ Brigade Singapore offers English Learning programme, fun activities, etc. for children who live in the area. Besides that they also minister to the women in the slum area. We conducted a 2-hour programme for the children in T-House. Programme included praise and worship, bible story, balloon art and games and there were about 20 children during our visit as some of them were not back from school yet.
c. Morning Star Centre A drop-in centre started by an Indonesian Missionary, Ms. Ay Ling with the help of 2 short term missionaries and a few local Khmer staff ministering to children living in the slum. She encourages parents to bring their children to her centre to learn reading, English Language, art & craft and etc. She would then reach out to the children by sharing bible stories and also does regular home visitation and share the gospel to their parents too. She also conducts parties or some special events for children occasionally like Easter and Christmas Party, Children’s Day Outing and etc. We conducted our 2-hour program for about 30 children followed by a visitation to the slum area so as to understand better the living condition of the children and their families.
d. Our Children Home Community Centre Another children’s home run by an Indonesian Missionary, Pastor Hisar, who is sent by his church in Singapore. He hired 4 part time local staff to help him in the centre. Children go to the local school in the morning and they come back to his home for extra activities. It is compulsory for all the children in his centre to join school as it is important for them to pursue knowledge at their age rather than working and earning a living for their families. There are about 40 children in his centre during our visit. We did our 2-hour programme and also had a time of fellowship and prayer with him and his staff.
e. Methodist School It was a great pleasure to visit Methodist School again this year and see that the ministry of Girls’ Brigade and Boys’ Brigade blooming this year after our recruitment drive in this school last year. The principal, Mr. Stephen Yeo was a retiree principal in Sibu when he responded to God’s call to serve in this school for the children in Cambodia. There were about 40 girls during our visit and it was great that our 2 GB girls had an opportunity to share their testimony about GB Malaysia, and also a few of the girls in Methodist School, Cambodia shared their testimony about Girls’ Brigade Ministry in their school. We conducted the 2-hour programme and have a group photo with them before we depart.
f. Local Khmer Youth Hostel A local hostel run by a university teacher, Pastor Chye (people used to call him this name) as a ministry to youth. He offered meals and accommodation at very minimal charge for those students who came out from their home in different provinces to study in Phnom Penh. He spends time with youth by ministering to them about the work of God and also counsel them as and when needed. Pastor Chye shared his testimony on how God called him into this special ministry and how God has blessed him and the students. We were not able to have a time of worship as they had just shifted to a new place and they are not familiar with their neighbours yet. So, it was advised that we avoided any activities that may cause dissatisfaction to the neighbourhood.
God had made this mission trip a success and He has been our source of strength and hope in this trip. He is also our Jehovah Jireh who has provided us with a lot of gifts for children from generous donors. Besides that, He had healed me from a high fever just a few days before the trip. I personally have experienced how real and how powerful our God is in turning every obstacle into a smooth path throughout all the mission trips that I went on and I deeply understand how the Psalmist feel as he wrote Psalm 121, “ I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth…..The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; …….”
Reported by,
Michelle Ong
1st Kuala Lumpur Girls’ Brigade