Deja Vu! Well Somewhat!

Yesterday afternoon when I returned to Phnom Penh from my mini retreat I got a call from Pastor Chantha inviting me to come to Sihanoukville with him, Bunthan and his 30 plus disciples so that I could help in baptizing 6 new disciples.   For those of you who were following my journey last year, you would recall that I had the incredible privilege of baptizing 28 disciples. These were the first young believers in Svay Pak --- the first fruits,as they were an answered to a prayer that I had made in 2009 when I asked the Lord for Svay Pak as my inheritance. So here again, God in His faithfulness was creating an opportunity again for me to reap where I had not sown. It was another gift to receive from Him. How could I refuse such a privilege of baptizing these new believers? So this morning at 3:45am, three of the disciples came to pick me up in their tuk tuk and whisk me off to Svay Pak as we were leaving at 4:30am to spend the next 3 days enjoying the beach in Sihanoukville courtesy of our partners at AIM who seek to bless their staff with a mini vacation each year.

At that hour of the day, it was quite cool...yes I think I am adjusting to the weather here as I am starting to wear long sleeves in the evening. Its interesting being up at such an hour and observing what is going on in the streets at that time. While most places were closed, we passed a few 'open' stores and I asked why would they be open at such a time. The response was they are open 24 hours and as I took a closer look, I realized what I was actually steering at were brothels. Sex for sale here is truly a commodity just like pumping gas at a 24 hour gas station.

Anyway we arrived after our 4 hour trip and I took off with Bunthan and a couple of the other disciples to the local market. We were in the hunt for our lunch which consisted of  crab, shrimp and squid with steam rice. All the seafood is purchased fresh and then taken to another area of the market where the food is cooked on the spot. This is a seafood lover's delight as the crab and shrimp are steamed and the squid/calamari is sauteed.

Following lunch it was back to swimming. Because the temperatures are a bit cooler --- probably around the 24 degree mark and the skies were overcast, many of Chantha's disciples were feeling quite cold. I love watching what the Khmer wear to swim. A couple of the girls had their fleece hoodies on as they were swimming. Its a new type of bathing suit attire although am not sure how that helps in keeping one warm if you are being soaked all over. But its just neat to observe different cultural norms.

Some of Pastor Chantha's disciples

One of the joys of hanging out in this casual setting is just the chance to have some one on one conversations with whoever is around. One of the youngest disciples is Kunthea (not her real name). She is only 14 years old but looks like 9 years old. I first met Kunthea three years ago when a group of us did a VBS in Svay Pak. She is small but has such depth in her relationship with Christ. When I think of Kunthea, I am reminded of Gideon in the bible when the Lord called him 'a mighty warrior.' Kunthea loves the scriptures and she refuses to eat any food that has been given as an offering to idols in the Buddhist temples or in her own home. Moreover,she refuses to go to the temple with her mother. This is quite remarkable considering that she is Vietnamese and lives in an environment in which kids often feel pressured or obligated to their parents. She is one of the few stories of hope that I see in this  community who seems to have been speared from any abuse that is so prevalent in this brothel village. God is clearly setting her apart for His purposes and as small as she is, she is not intimidated by anyone! She is standing firm in what she believes in.

One of the other joys today was watching 'Theary' (see blog posting on Sept. 23) and Rebecca who is the 6 year old adopted daughter of Pastor Chantha and Bunthan. It was a joy watching Theary be a big sister to Rebecca helping her and playing with her in the swimming pool. Here they are, two former outcasts, unwanted and displaced by their families, but here in this family of God, they are not only welcomed but they are part of the redeemed, discovering God's love through His community and displaying His love and affection towards each other. Indeed the Lord is rebuilding and repaying the years the locusts have eaten from their lives one day at a time!

Tomorrow we will do the baptisms in the late morning. So as you think of the 6 young people who are literally entering into the waters of baptism, pray that the Spirit of God will fall upon them in such a way that their lives will bear and manifest the fruit of the Spirit at all times.