Download - Cambodia
TIC’s Mission Effort in Cambodia
Opportunity to be in the
Mission Field.
TIC is full of many different opportunities to meet and
serve people both here locally and throughout Asia.
One of my favorite annual events is the annual Cambodia Mission Trip. What
started off as a youth trip evolved into a church wide trip. Friends, family, and
acquaintances are all invited to join us
when we go to Cambodia to experience ministry at the ground level.
This booklet is an quick overview of what
we have done in the past. This years projects will similar. No special skills are
needed, just a big heart and a willingness
to move outside your comfort zone to reach out to children who need a little bit of attention.
May God direct you in your thoughts and decisions as you consider joining us.
New Hope
Children’s
Homes
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In the summer of 2004, Taipei International
Church (TIC) youth went to Cambodia to for a
mission trip. While there, we helped construct
homes for families in need and spent some time at
two different orphanages. God blessed us with two
days of doing ministry and being ministered to by the
orphans and by introducing us to Pastor Sinai and
Somalay. The experience at the orphanages
prompted us to want to go back to Cambodia again to
work with New Hope for Orphans, Pastor Sinai and
Somalay. The team went to Cambodia with the
purpose to build housing for those in need, little did we know God had a greater purpose.
After much prayer, and a
exploratory trip by former TIC members
from the USA, Mike & Beverly Gilliam.
After hearing the report on their
exploratory trip, everyone agreed God
wanted TIC to partner with Pastor Sinai
in Cambodia. TIC’s Paradyme Youth
Ministry decided to return to Cambodia
in 2005 to work with Pastor Sinai and
New Hope for Orphans.
Mike Gilliam (center with cap on), Pastor Sinai, Somalay
(both to the right of Mike), Beverly Gilliam (far right)
History: 2005
History: The Beginnings
In March of 2005, former TIC members from South
Africa, Hennie & Madelein Prinsloo and Pastor Doug went
for a planning trip. In a one week whirlwind trip we
traveled all over Cambodia with Pastor Sinai visiting people,
churches and orphanages.
A few days into the trip we arrived at a village in
Northwest Cambodia near the Thailand border. In this
orphanage we found that the boys needed to sleep outside
in the former chicken coup which stood over a fish pond
(see pictures next page). Pastor Sinai shared with us his Hennie & his new friend
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Left: Kwanele and Sam who spent a
month in Cambodia in 2005.
Below: Chicken coup were boys in the
orphanage slept.
To this day the contractor we worked with wants us to bring more youth to work. Not only is the labor free, but they are hard workers. (Left - foreground: tying off rebar, background: digging the
foundation; Right - digging ditch for drainage pipe)
Above: New dorm building (turned out so nice the
girls moved into it)
Right: Plaque recognizing what God provided through TIC.
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Team members found themselves
challenged as they usually spend several
nights sleeping on the floor of the
orphanages.
wish to have a simple building for
the boys. Conversations helped us
discover his long term vision for the
orphanage, we found his true desire
was for a two story concrete
building, with a dorm on top, room
for house parents, and an open
community space below.
For 2005, we decided to take on the task of building the
fore mentioned building and several other small projects in
the area, including replacing a grass hut with a building for a
village church about ten kilometers away. God provided funds
and a building was raised which is now used as a girls
dormitory. Additional funds raised went to the purchase
generators, school clothing, land, and other smaller buildings,
sponsorships for seventeen children and other needs of the
New Hope For Orphans. Two separate teams went for ten day
trips, three youth spent seventeen days and three spent a
month in Cambodia.
The work and the living conditions where hard. There was not electricity, running water or
showers and it was hot and humid day and night. We slept either on the floor of the church
building or outside under mosquito nets and in close proximity. However, the youth and adults (and
one child) mustarded strength from God and not only survived but thrived. Within a week the first
team had laid the foundation an by the time the second team left construction had began on the
second floor. The building was finished and dedicated a few months later.
Before and After
Read about God’s amazing provision for the projects in The Work, Question , Need & God's Provision at the end.
Heat, humidity, hard floors didn’t add up
to good sleep, however all felt the
sacrifices was worth it because they
enjoyed the interaction and that
developed by staying at the orphanages.
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The stories continue, but by now I think you have a good foundation of TIC involvement in
Cambodia, so I will just give a short overview of each year since 2006.
In 2006, we went to Kampong Chnang.
Funds were raised for land, and the construction
of a church building, along with sponsorships.
While on location the youth worked on an
completed the foundation. A second smaller
team went to the Koh Kong orphanage to build a
kitchen.
In previous years one of the best parts of
the mission trip were the connections made with
the children and adults in the orphanages and
surrounding villages. Therefore, in 2007 we
changed the focus of our mission trip from construction to the orphans themselves. Time was spent
traveling to several different orphanages. While at the orphanage mission team members played
games, preformed skits, taught a Bible lesson and crafts, spent time with, and shared a meal with
the orphans and staff. We helped for a few days doing construction.
History: 2006 & 2007
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2008 marked the first year of the family mission trip.
In previous years the trips had been limited to teenagers
and adult sponsors. In 2008 the trip was open to all TIC
members, attendees and friends. A total of 48 people
divided into three teams undertaking projects at four
different orphanages. The projects ranged from light
construction, painting, installation of water filtration and
outreach.
In 2009 the main projects were a fence,
installation of two playgrounds, water filtration,
outreach and the building of a care takers house
for an orphanage farm. Forty-six people divided
into three teams and visited several locations.
The fence was a large project and was headed up
by Ray Heberer a TIC youth, who decided to build
it for his Eagle Scout Project.
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Ministry by
happenstance:?
In 2007, we
spent one day
traveling to a village
on an island on the
Tonle Sap river. This
was at the request of a
house church pastor.
When we got to the
village, a group was moving a house. A few of the boys
jumped in and helped carry the structure. Later we learned
that by participating in this it showed the people of the
village we cared for them and was a loud witness for God.
How Ministry Happens
Perhaps the greatest ministry is giving
God’s love and feeling God’s love by
the children. They (and we) love the
extra attention they get when we stay
with them. This is why we always try
to spend at least a few days and nights
at the orphanages. It will change your
life.
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In 2010 we continued the family
mission trip. Team members were
divided into three teams, each with
its specific goals or tasks. As in
previous years teams stayed in the
children’s’ home when possible and
spent time with the children.
Chicken Farm Team: This team
consisted of nine members and
spent the week in Kampong Cham.
The primary task of this team was
to start the building of a chicken
coop designed for 2,000 chickens.
The chickens will be raised by the
children’s’ home for food and to sell
for income. This is part of long
term vision to help each children’s’
home become self sufficient. The
long range goal is for each
children’s’ home to be able to raise
pigs, fish, chickens, fruits,
vegetables, and rice. These items
will be used in the orphanage or
sold to meet the needs of the
children.
Playground Team: This ten
member team traveled to two
different children’s’ home (Rong Kor
& Kampong Chhnang). The primary
task of this team was to complete
the installation of playground
equipment and bunk beds. The
bunk beds became a top priority
after one child broke a leg when
she fell off the top bunk after it had
given out from under her.
Outreach Team: This team of
seven men visited eight different
locations in four days with a
History: 2010
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In 2011 we continued the family mission trip.
Most of the group spent the week in
Battambang. One team visited many
children’s homes and small churches to
encourage and share a program. The other
team spent the week working at a New Hope
Children’s Home and started building a fence
around the property. The highlight of both
teams was the relationships developed with
people and especially the children in the
home.
Kampong Cham Team: This special small
team consisted of three members who spent
the week teaching both children and adults
English lesions. The highlight of the trip was
taking the entire children’s’ home to Siem
Reep for a road trip. This was the first time
many of the children have ever seen Angkor
Wat.
program of singing, skits, testimony and
preaching by Lum Lim. Lum Lim is the
director of Word of Life Fellowship
Churches, New Hope for Orphans’ sister
organization. The goal of this team was
represent New Hope for Orphans and
Fellowship Word of Life churches in a
positive way and to encourage village
pastors/churches. At the end of each
outreach event, gift bags of toothbrushes,
tooth paste, candy, shampoo, pencils, etc.
were handed out. Around 950 bags were
given away.
December 2010, Nicholas Wiest led a team of 9 volunteers to Cambodia to install a water filtration system at one of the Orphanages for his project for his Eagle Scout Badge.
April 2-9, 2011
Interested in sponsoring a child? Contact TIC missions Committee
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Our involvement in New Hope for Orphans has five
main purposes.
1. To follow up from previous mission trips to
encourage Pastor Sinai and Somalay (see
picture right) and their staff, and let them
know that TIC wants to continue to partner
with them on the ministry in Cambodia.
2. Raise funds for capital improvement projects.
3. Minister to the children of New Hope for
Orphans by spending time with them.
4. Develop vision and possible plan for a future
missions trips.
5. Deliver donated items from TIC members,
friends and community organizations.
Together we have raised funds to buy land for orphanages, rice fields to grow rice to feed the
orphans, multiple construction projects (from water wells to large buildings) and to sponsor
orphans. We have even had the opportunity to bring Pastor Sinai and Somalay to Taipei to share
about their work with TIC.
However TIC mission work in Cambodia is not about sending money. It is about involvement.
Going and spending time with the Orphans, staff and pastors can one of the best ways we can
encourage and support God’s work in Cambodia. It is about learning about another culture and
becoming friends.
New Hope for Orphans (NHO) is a
registered non-prophet agency in
Cambodia with eight orphanages and
growing with nearly three hundred
children. NHO together with
Fellowship Word of Life Churches are
led by Pastor Sinai and Somalay.
There vision is to bring to the
Cambodian people the hope they
have found in Christ. Visit NHO’s
website at
http://www.nhoasia.org
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The Work, Question , Need & God's Provision
After the Gilliams returned in the fall of 2004, TIC’s youth group and others went to
work to raise money for the Cambodia Mission trip. By March 2005, after six months of fund
raising, a little over US$7,000 had been raised. When combined with a TIC special offering a
we raised a total of near US$13,000. During Pastor Doug’s pre-trip visit Hennie, Madelein,
and Pastor Doug agreed that TIC was to raise the two story concrete dorm building in Rong
Kor and several additional smaller projects. Hennie then asked how much did more did we
need to raise? The answer was US$20,000 USD in six-eight weeks time. That evening the
decision and the problem was shared with Pastor Sinai and Somaly. We shared that we did
not know how we could raise US$20,000 in six weeks but did believe this is what God wanted
to do. We also were convicted the money needed to be raised first and that God would
provide.
Early the next morning before going to the airport Pastor Doug decided to send an
email ahead to Taipei to ask people to meet him that evening for the purpose of prayer and
strategizing fund raising. He wanted to do this because people in Taipei did not know about
the projects and the need for a lot more funds. Before he wrote the email he read incoming
email. The first email was in regards to a donation that had been promised several days
earlier. The amount of the donation: US$20,000. God was at work, not only did He ask TIC
to do something that seemed impossible, He provided the funds before He made the request.
Needless to say there was great joy and thanking of God as this news was shared with Pastor
Sinai and Somalay.
The best part of the story is that it didn’t stop there. In the following year (2006) TIC
set out to build a church building in the village of Kampong Chnang as the main project. When
the special offering was collected at TIC a person came forward and spoke to the chairman of
the mission committee. This person felt convicted by God to match whatever the special
offering for Cambodia mission was. The financial need was US$15,000 for the church
building. The mission offering: US$7500, the matching gift US$7500. God was at work again!
The story continues even to this day as God continues to pour out resources through
TIC to Cambodia, India and elsewhere. TIC members, attendees, friends and acquaintances
continue to give abundantly of their resources for projects, orphans and pastor support, and
to go on or send others on mission trips. It is good to be part of a community that freely gives
of their money, time, wisdom and prayer to others without hesitation. It just goes to show
that when we seek out what God wants to do and commit to do it, He will provide all that we
need.
It seems appropriate to end this with to be continued…