Unstoppable Hope!

Wow its been ages since I wrote on this blog. But tonight despite the late hour, there are thoughts percolating in my brain so its time to write:-). Last night I had the joy of attending an event at Koh Pich Theater here in Phnom Penh where the famed Christian motivational speaker Nick Vujicic was speaking. At 30 years old, he speaks all over the world inspiring people to live a life without limits. Given the fact that Nick has no limbs (no legs, no arms) , His life is a living testimony  about the power of God to use the weak to shame the strong, to use the disable to demonstrate that God is able, to show to the world that one's past, one's brokenness, one's handicaps do not limit one's ability to accomplish great things because our Lord is in the business of doing the impossible if we offer ourselves to Him.

Nick Vujicic

It was great that several of our young women from RAP went. They had already heard about Nick through our partner church and were excited to go and see him in person. The theme of his message was ''Unstoppable Hope'' ----truly when we have hope there is nothing, no obstacle, no challenge, no difficulty, no persecution can get in the way of enabling us to rise above our circumstances because Jesus represents that true source of that Unstoppable Hope----His resurrection was the epitome of Hope that reminds us that we can be more than conquers through Him who loves us (Romans 8:37)

Reaksmey - 2nd year university student studying pediatrics

So last night, I heard someone calling my name as I was taking my seat at the theatre. It was a young Khmer sister Reaksmey whom I haven't seen in years. She was a young orphan at Place of Rescue run by our friend Marie Ens. I remember seeing Reaksmey leading the worship at Place of Rescue, filled with the Spirit and so it was a joy to reconnect. Here at this event, she was one of the volunteer ushers. But her life too is a testimony of the unstoppable and incredible hope we have in Jesus. For today, Reaksmey lives in the Place of Rescue dorm called House of Dreams and at 20 years old, she is so fluent in English but more remarkable than that is that she is a second year university student studying pediatrics. She shared with me in one of her hospital rounds how she had prayed for a patient who had no hope and whose health was failing. A day later, the person's health was restored and her colleagues wanted to know what she did the night before as they had heard she had spent time with this patient. Her response, ''I just prayed for him in Jesus name that God would heal him.'' That discussion led to her colleagues who wanted to know this Jesus!

For me Reaksmey is a shining light here in Cambodia. She is an example of the new generation of Christians that God is raising up in this land. Her life and her story inspires and encourages me and gives me fresh hope to dream about the God size possibilities that is available to this new generation of Khmer young people regardless of their past. Reaksmey is another one of these examples, that God does not forget the fatherless, nor the orphan, nor the poor nor the oppressed. He is always for them for they have been engraved in the palm of His hands. In the years to come, I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses Reaksmey to influence her generation with kingdom values as she reflects the love of Christ to those whom He brings into her midst. It is evident that Reaksmey knows that she has been blessed to be a blessing as she has experienced the love of Christ in her own life through the ministry of our friends at Place of Rescue. This is what we too hope for for the young women who live at RAP. That they despite their backgrounds, despite the challenges they have faced and the trauma they have endured, as we plant God seeds of love in them, we pray that they too in the years to come will discover the unstoppable hope they have in Christ and the blessing they can become to their generation in this land!