Preps before Phnom Penh English Camp...tension on the Poipet/Thai border...

Written by Em on July 21

Hello there,

Quick update- the six of us interns are getting settled back in Phnom Penh from our respective trips from Mondulkiri and Battambang. We're moving out of the student dorm to the C&MA guesthouse so we can clean up the place before STM teams arrive on Thursday. The girl interns (Jessica, Natalie, and I) will move back in to the dorms to stay w/ a total of 22 STMers during the week of English Camp. Phearum (and Moch) will stay at the C&MA guesthouse, and Jonathan, Stan, and Elijah will be at another guesthouse which will be all packed with STMers. We'll have about 60 STMers and 200 students at English Camp this time! More students will be non-Christians compared to the English Camp in Siem Reap, so that's a big prayer request! Pray for the students, pray for the interns, pray for the STMers, pray for divine opportunities to share about Christ, pray that seeds will be planted, pray that God's name will be glorified at this camp! Pray for the interns as we take the STMers around Phnom Penh the weekend before ECamp starts, which will be right around elections time. Pray for saftey as we travel around and that no one gets lost :-) Pray also for Bill and Ilana Lobbezzoo as they make arrangements for the camp and teams coming in. They have a big responsibility!

The next few days, we'll be having Khmai language study in the mornings and then cleaning out the dorms during the day. The first set of teams will arrive on Thursday and more will come throughout the weekend. Camp starts on Monday and runs till Saturday. The teams will still be here on Sunday and will start leaving on Monday and Tuesday. Jonathan and I are tentatively scheduled to help out with a VBS with a Vietnamnese missionary, Kim, right after the English Camp. You all can pray with us for God to give us energy and physical strength as the weeks gear up! Pray that I will not compare the English Camp in Siem Reap (which I love love love!) with the upcoming one in the city. It's so easy to be nonchalant and distant for this camp, because I don't see myself coming back to the Phnom Penh Camp again next year (and because I don't really enjoy the city life out here). But hey, no one knows where God will place me, so I got to keep my heart open and teachable!!!

I cannot express my gratitude for all your faithful prayers in the past 3 weeks. Jonathan and I are praying for y'all back in the states too! (I try not to call Los Angeles "home" now........ many times, I feel the Siem Reap church/Cambodia is like "home." But, our Home is in heaven, praise God!!!)

Smiling at God,
Em

P.S.- Below is part of the email update from our missionary in Poipet. Please please pray for them and the Poipet/Cambodia-Thai border situation!!! And for the upcoming elections!

1/ There some issues concerning border problems around the Poipet and> Preay Viheah areas. Both Thai nd Khmer people don't seem to agree to> stay on their side of the country. This causes great conflics and> tensions on both sides. Last week while we were at FF, there have> been some shooting along the border by Poipet areas resulting 2 Khmer> farmers died and at least 2 other severely wounded. At the same time,> there are strong tension at the Preay Viheah areas with similar> issues. Some people in Poipet have already moved away or evaccuated> from Poipet for fear of another fighting might take place.>> 2/ Cambodia is scheduled for a National Election day on July 27. Some> predicts that there might be trouple coming up. Already beginning> this early morning there are armed soldiers and police officials are> standing guard at every road in Poipet! And there have been a lot of> military activities going on in town, perhaps it has something to do> with border problems. Whatever the reason there are some concerns and> fear in the air!