Oh my goodness what stories there are to tell even before we got to Stronghold! Our 2020 Mission Team Rocks!
Last night we went to dinner, and after returning to the van we had no trouble detecting the smell from the Durian that Julie left there. She was planning to show it to her classroom during their evening video chat. As a result, poor Anna had her head stuck out the window of the van all the way back to the hotel!
As if that were not enough, at breakfast Lindy and Anna told us of their adventures when they saw a gecko lizard on the wall of their hotel room. They asked the man at the front desk if he could remove it. Mr. lizard remained at large. Fortunately the rest of the night was uneventful. In the morning the team toured some neighborhoods of the Stronghold families and then visited the nearby salt farm. Water buffalo abound in the rural scenery.
Today was day three at Stronghold, and we continued with much the same activities as the past two days. Once again, Julie was painting on the mural (almost done) and the meal prayer was painted on the wall by the lunch service. Also fluoride treatments were (almost) completed and we spent much time playing and interacting with the children. Above all, I am so thankful to the staff and people of Zion Lutheran for sending Julie and MaryAnn to be a part of the team! The 2020 Mission Team totally rocks, including our surrogate member Lindy Brown who traveled from Korea just to participate with us for the week.
Christianity in 2020 Cambodia
Later it was a privilege for Pastor Kempin to have lunch with the president of the local church association. Certainly hHe is a man with a heart for the Gospel. The association helps congregations to coordinate with each other and comply with government reporting. There are more Christian churches in the area than originally thought. Many of them are struggling with the same things churches struggle with in the USA–retaining the young, social media, stewardship and organization.
Traditional Cambodian food was served at a restaurant on the river where we ate dinner. Our main entree was a fish served with the head still on! Jesse said we could eat as many peanuts as we wanted, but only if we did so with our chopsticks. So proud of our 2020 mission team and thankful to God for allowing us to come here!
Submitted by Pastor Dan Kempin on Wednesday, January 15, 2019
You must be logged in to post a comment.