September 1, 2004

Connecting with Cambodia

Dear Friends,

In our last prayer letter we wrote about Cambodia and introduced you to Pastor Yauk Khunthia Sambo and the newly emerging Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship. In this letter we will focus on Phnom Phen, the capital of Cambodia. The city was first founded as a monastery by the Khmers in the mid 14th century. Over the next hundred year it outgrew Angkor Thom. Situated where three major rivers join ( the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac), it soon became a thriving city of political and commercial significance. In 1975, Pol Pot ordered the evacuation of the city. Within hours, most of Phnom Phen’s residence were forced out into the countryside, and the city was deserted. until 1979. Historic places of interest for tourists include the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, and Toul Sleng, a museum documenting the genocide that took place under Pol Pot.

In 1965 there was an estimated 700 baptized Protestant believers in all of Cambodia. Several small churches existed in Phnom Phen by 1970. As the Khmer Rouge gained control of the rural areas, large numbers of people moved into the city. Outreach efforts by Christians to these new refugees resulted in unprecedented growth of the church. From 1970 to 1975 the three major churches in the city exploded into more than thirty places of worship, with numerous cell groups and home fellowships. By 1975 it became almost impossible to total the number of churches and house groups that sprang up across the city and in the nearby squatter towns and refugee centers. Once the Khmer Rouge gained control of the countryside their focus shifted to Phnom Phen. By mid-April of 1975 they had overrun the city and everyone, including an estimated 4000 Christians, were forced to evacuate immediately.

Now, 30 years later, the church in Phnom Phen is growing again. Every Sunday about 50 or 60 of the 100 members gather for worship at the Presbyterian church. Throughout the week, about 150 children attend classes on the Christian faith. Small groups meet for prayer and Bible study and the youth gather for fellowship. Almost every day the neighborhood children use the church grounds to play sports and hang out. Also vital to the life of the church is ministry to women. This ministry is lead by Mrs. Vann Molika.

Mrs. Vann Molika’s story

I first met Mrs Vann Molika at Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship of Cambodia in Phnom Penh in March of 2003. She and her husband lead the worship service, which includes both translated Western hymns and Khmer ethnic Christian music. Unlike most Khmer she grew up in a Christian family and learned about the Christian faith from her parents and the church where she attended.

While attending middle school she received training as a seamstress. After that she developed her skills by attending a six-month vocational training program sponsored by Kampuchea for Christ International. She opened her own business in 1996 and married in 1997. She continued to operate her own business until she became a teacher in 1999 at the vocational school where she first received her training. In 2002 she was hired to be an instructor at Kampuchea for Christ International in their vocational training school. She continued in this position until the school burned down. She now operates a small business from her home doing custom tailoring.

In addition to her present ministry, Mrs. Molika would like to start a Christian vocational training center in Phnom Phen, where she lives with her husband and daughter. This would add a holistic component to her outreach efforts. Her vision is to teach women how to sew and open a small business that will generate income for their families. Her plan is to offer two six-month training courses a year. Her first course offering will be for 10 students and from these ten she will choose several to be staff members. The staff will be Christians, and they will share their faith with the students.

Family events and developments

The end of May our second daughter Jessica graduated from Dalat International High School. The last two weeks leading up to all the closing ceremonies and the week following commencement are emotionally intense times for graduating seniors. To help her transition into American life we enrolled her in a two-week reentry retreat held at Biola. She is now a freshman at Wheaton College. We also planned our family vacation time around Hannah’s transition from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Washington University in St Louis Missouri. She has finished her third year in their occupational therapy program and will work towards the completion of her master’s degree at WU.

For Josh, the highlight of the summer was working on his uncle’s farm. He also attended Honey Rock, a two-week camp in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. The two of us (Paul and Josh) are now back in Penang, where Josh is enrolled as an eighth grader at Dalat school. Carol is with Hannah in St Louis helping her move into her new apartment. She will return to Penang after a brief visit with her parents in Needham Massachusetts.

Paul and Carol Friesen