Bro. James Willie's Visit to Cambodia
June 10-20, 2019

Report compiled by Bro. Israel Ngome & Bro. James Willie

It was decided that Brother James Willie, who is based in Germany, will visit Singapore from the 5th of June to the 24th of June 2019. It was suggested to Bro. James by Bro. Gan to visit Brother Israel in addition, who is a missionary based in Cambodia. Brother James agreed and included Cambodia in his itinerary. He visited Cambodia from the 10th to the 20th of June. During his visit he was introduced to the work being done by Brother Israel, namely, maintaining and running the office in Phnom Penh, printing and translation and distribution of Christian books and an outreach to the various provinces to spread the gospel and the message of the hour. During the visit we were able to visit three provinces where meetings were held with the local fellowship. The local believers were given the opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions on how the outreach to them can be improved. In the following, a background information to the work we are doing in Cambodia is provided and this is followed by a summary of the visits to the three provinces. After this, a prayer request lists is presented and finally, the conclusion is presented.

We certainly need believers to visit us time and again to help us with the work in Cambodia. It was a pleasure to receive Bro James Willie on the 10th June 2019. I did not have to wait long for him at the airport because his flight with SilkAir from Singapore was on time.

Time has traveled so fast and I can hardly believe that I have been here in Cambodia for more than 10 years. The Country too has developed very rapidly within these years and Christianity has not been left behind. I remember that it was in August 2008 that I came to Cambodia. My first thought was to find a local church and work with the Pastor to establish believers in the knowledge of the scriptures.After working with a local Pastor for one year, the Lord opened a door for me to start a church at a Christian Centre which already had a church building. Bro. Gan came to support us and he encouraged other ministers to visit Cambodia and help in the work.

I have also had the opportunity to travel to all the 24 Provinces in Cambodia sponsored by Voice of God Recording (VGR).This helped us to locate many independent churches in the country and increased our contacts for outreach. The VGR office was opened officially on the 1st of October 2012. The opening of the Library gave the impetus for spreading the Message in the country. Translators were hired and sermon books were translated to Khmer and audio messages were also recorded. Distributions have been done to all the 24 Provinces. But distribution of the books alone is not sufficient as the message is still uncertain to many in the country. Romans 10:17 says: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” How shall they hear without a preacher? The laborers have been very few in Cambodia and without the proper understanding of the foundation of Scripture many have not believed or claimed to believe the Message. However, I am sure there are many potential message believers we can count because of the awakening. Every nation on Earth has its own set of obstacles, and the country of Cambodia is no exception. Buddhism is the dominant religion in the region; it is a difficult task to break down those long-standing walls of tradition including denominationalism. To make matters worse the people I met and who claimed to believe the message disappeared from radar within a short period after I got to know them and we had to sow in our own field reaching out to new people and praying and hoping that some seeds would fall on good ground like in the parable of the sower. I am happy some message believing ministers have been to Cambodia to help in the sowing.

Brother James visit was timely and we used it as opportunity to examine the situation on the field and to share our gains and challenges with him. The first province we visited was the Kampong Chhang Province. We had a meeting with the leaders on the 14th of June. The messages were fundamental as we were trying to see if the people understood their ABC and not to just assume that they did. At the end of the Bible study we had a session for questions and answers.

Brother James sharing a message on the topic: God wrote your life story

The church also asked some questions, one of which was about how they should react in case they are persecuted for sharing the gospel. Brother James answered using examples from the Bible to highlight that we only become true believers in Jesus when we are prepared to die for what we believe in. And Stephen, John the beloved, etc., were used as examples to explain to them that it is possible for believers to be persecuted for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. They were told that no one can take away their lives unless the Lord allows it. The people were happy and encouraged. We concluded that the leaders are not devoid of basic scriptural knowledge and could grow more with a proper discipleship training put in place. We had a talk with Pastor Sok Chomreoun, who is like the overseer. He told us of the financial difficulties he faces to bring the leaders together every month for a Bible training and by his estimation an amount of $100/month would do. As a possible model, we agreed that a training program would be put together for him in Phnom Penh that will last for a specified period-say 3 or 6 months, after which he will draw up a program to pass on the knowledge to the rest of the leadership within a year at a cost of 100 USD/month, with the meeting being held once a month.

The next Province we visited was Kampong Speu Province and it took place on the 16th of June 2019. The name of the village is Trengtroyeung. This is where I started a small fellowship several years back. The believers were growing in the knowledge of the scriptures. We were not many attending regular church services but we were blessed by the word and we did feet washing and partook of the Lord's Supper. The church has travailed but I believe the time has come for the dry bones to come to life. I preached on the Power of Love & Bro James concluded with exhortations. When the worship service was over, we had a meeting with the leaders to share the difficulties they face and what we need to do for the church to grow. Bro. Kim Eang and Bro. Kea all said it has been long since Bro Gan visited us in Cambodia and they would like him to visit. We all want Bro. Gan to visit again but I have been telling them that Bro Gan does not have much time for social visits.

Brother James giving exhortation during the fellowship

If they want him to visit Cambodia they have to be more committed in the church. Itis common in Cambodia for many people to come to church if they hear that a minister is visiting from abroad but when he is gone the seats are empty. True worshippers must worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. On the positive side, I can testify of some changes in the behavior of the people as a result of the washing they have received by the water of the word.

My goal as a leader is to make this Church a strong pillar of truth. The property where the church building stands is about 7 hectares of land. It is a quiet place and good for worshipping and praising and waiting on the Lord. Many people were baptized in this village that we have to follow up with to encourage them to come back and more evangelism is needed. I wish to make the following request that we can pray on:

1) It will be wonderful to get a better means of transportation for the Church. The Tuktuk is not very efficient and the motorbike is not very good. We bought it since 2010 and it was second hand. It was in for repairs last Sunday and could not be used to carry some believers to Church. There are some old people who could come to church if we had a better means of transportation. Also, during the rainy season, it is difficult for the Tuktuk to travel on the muddy, pond roads.

2) Baptismal Pool: There is a pond in front of the church and it will be great to turn it in to a baptismal pool. There is no nearby stream for baptism in the area. All we need to do is to concrete the pond with cement to avoid weeds and muddy water.

3) Computer and a projector screen to view praise and worship songs. Currently, the church does not have a computer and a projector and each time I have to bring one from the office in Phnom Penh.

Pictures showing some views of the property including the church building

where services are held

When the meeting with the elders was over we visited the Centre of Trengtroyeung Village. I wanted Bro James to see the Pastor I lived with for about a year when I came to Cambodia. I was in Bangkok-Thailand for three months and at the middle of the third month I had a dream seeing a Brother telling me to come over and help him in the ministry.

Picture showing our visit

to pastor Chuch Mon



 

When I arrived in Cambodia, I did not know anybody. I visited one Church and the Pastor invited me to a conference. It was here I met Pastor Chuch Mon. He carried me on his motorbike to my guest house. It was like he had known me for years. He told me that he will like me to come and help him in his ministry. The following morning he sent a van to come and get me from my quest house and I lived with him for one year. The church used to be in a simple building where he lived with his family. The Lord blessed him and the old house was later demolished and replaced with the three storey building you see in the picture above. My prayer for him now is for him to completely receive the message and be established in the Word.

The Last Province we visited was Takeo Province on the 18th of June 2019. I have visited many churches in this province but I decided for us to visit the Ampork Church in Kirivong district to encourage the pastor and his members. Pastor Man Yan was the Pastor of KIrivong New Song Church which is a denominational church run by a Korean missionary. He was asked to step down because he does not have a Bible school diploma but he is a man filled with the Holy Spirit and understands the Bible. Most of the members left the church to follow him. He started his church worshipping in a tent. It turns out that he has more members than all of the other churches in the district.

Although our visit was on a Tuesday and Sunday is the day the villagers always gather for worship a considerable number still showed-up. Bro James preached about Heavenly Blessings when we walk in obedience with the Lord. He quoted Joshua 1:8 and part Deuteronomy 24 and other scriptures. It was a very rich message and a blessing to the church. I saw the Pastor nodding his head each time during the preaching. Bro James suggested that each time we visit a place it is good if we can discern the condition of the people by God’s help and preached to help the situation. When one is sent by God it is usually to address the issues troubling the people you are sent to. Most of the villagers are very poor farmers but God’s word brings blessings to all those who can understand and obey. It has taken the group 5 years to build a place of worship and it still needs a little finishing touches like flooring and the ceiling. Bro James gave the Pastor an offering to assist the Pastor with the project.

Bro James sharing a message during our visit to the 3rd province

The visit to all the provinces cost more than I had expected but the cost was augmented by Bro James. Bro James could not sleep at night for the first few days because of excessive heat and had to pay for the installation of an air-conditioner in the room. With this, other ministers who visit now will have an air-conditioned room. It was a wonderful time we had with Bro James Willie.

After the Church visits, it was now time for a little recreation. Bro James wanted to see the Killing Field. The site gives sorrow than recreation because of what was done at the Killing Field. Many people have heard of the genocide that happened in Cambodia during the Poi Pot regime. The Khmer Rouge was the name popularly given to the communist party. The Killing Field is a tourist’s site and many foreigners who visit Cambodia choose to see for themselves what happened there. Bro James has visited the concentration camp in near Munich and he narrated to me that what he saw was very pathetic. Where is the power of love? We must preach the gospel since this is the only remedy to the atrocities that were suffered by the people of Cambodia. The message that came to mind after visiting the killing field is that this world is not our home.The 20th of June soon came and it was time for Bro James to travel back to Singapore and then to Germany. We pray for more visitors to come to Cambodia.

Prayer requests:

The following is a list of the items Bro. Israel would like brothers and sisters to help him pray about. The first and the foremost need is a spiritual one. The request is prayer for God to grant strength to our brother as he takes on the need of spreading the good news of Jesus in this part of this world. Some of the prayer needs are listed below:

• The work in Cambodia is God’s work and for this reason, His direction and guidance would be needed. Unless the Lord builds His house we would do but labor in vain.

• There is a need to constantly keep in touch with the believers in the various provinces in order to keep them motivated. Please pray that the Lord will give bro. Israel more inspiration on how to present the Message to the leaders in the provinces.

• Please pray that the Lord will touch other ministers in the message to be led to visit and encourage the believers in Cambodia.

• There are many needs in Cambodia, the key amongst them being that God should stir up the hearts of the people, especially the leadership, to study and hunger for His word. Please pray that God would cause such a revival.

• Please pray for the financial needs of the work in Cambodia

Conclusion

This report summarizes the visit of our Bro. James Willie to see our brother, Israel, who is a missionary in Cambodia. The overall impression was positive with the work that has been done in Cambodia, given the circumstances under which Bro. Israel is working. It presents the visits to the various provinces and the interactions with the members of the body of Christ in these regions in Cambodia and presents some of the challenges that are to be overcome in order to effectively spread the good news in this part of the world. The authors believe that this vision of spreading God’s Word is in line with the plan of God for our time since His second return is dependent on the good news reaching the four corners of the earth, according to Matthew 24:14. And the spread of the gospel around the world started in Europe in line with the vision of Paul in the Book of Acts 16 when a man was seen asking him to come west when Paul had intended to continue east. And ever since, the gospel has spread westwards and today the final stop is Asia, before the gospel returns to Jerusalem, where it started on the day of Pentecost with the Apostles gathered in the upper room.