Spring 2007: Asia
initiatives
April 2007
The Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship (KPF) is a group of about five
churches led by Sarourn Rous and his wife Molika, who live in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Two or three times a year I visit them and
travel out to the rural areas to meet with newly emerging groups
of Christians. Although life seems to be improving, the struggle
to survive is readily apparent almost everywhere you go. Church
leaders are expected to meet all the needs—physical, financial,
and spiritual, of those who come to their churches.
Paul Friesen with his fellow animator, Brian, a graduate student
from the Philippines studying in Malaysia.
On my last trip, February 20 to 24, I traveled with a Filipino,
Brian, who is a graduate student at an agricultural university
in Malaysia. Our desire was to encourage and empower the KPF leaders.
About 20 leaders, male and female, young and old, from Phnom Penh,
Kampong Spue, and Sambo Mies village gathered in Kampong Cham.
Since Brian and I don’t speak Khmer, we communicated with
the Cambodians through a translator.
As we shared from the Bible and worshiped God through singing,
it became apparent that the people carried deep pain and hurt
from their past. This hindered them in their walk with God and
in their ability to minister. Sitting in a circle, each one was
asked to share how they felt and what problems they were experiencing
in their life. Brian asked them if they felt like God didn’t
love or care for them. They all replied “yes.” And
so we invited them to pray for a revelation of God’s love.
Everyone desired to receive a revelation of God’s love.
When they responded to the invitation to receive the Father’s
love, the presence of the Spirit came. Our interpreter began to
weep and shake all over. He was so messed up he was unable to
translate for us. When we prayed, each person received a manifestation
of God’s love. Later they shared what they had experienced.
One of them saw a vision of the Father reaching His arms to His
children. During the retreat, they opened up to each other by
sharing their burdens with each other and praying for each another.
As the people prayed and shared, God’s love and comfort
was revealed.
After I left for Vietnam Brian continued to minister with Sarourn,
but this time in Kampong Spue village. Later, he described how
God’s love gave him boldness to accomplish great things
in the power of the risen Christ.
That Sunday, February 25, I shared about our relationship to
God as our Father and we as His sons and daughters, from the book
of John 1:1-12. We ended in prayer and worship. After the service,
while I was on my chair, I was wondering why the people were sitting
down on the floor and lined up as if waiting to eat. I asked Sarourn
what are they doing. He replied, “They want you to pray
for each one of them. Most of them are sick with a headache, stomachache,
chest pain, and other sicknesses in their body.” I said
OK. One of them even had HIV.
There were around 30 people sitting and waiting for me to pray
for them. When I prayed, they were instantly healed from their
diseases. Hallelujah! When I asked them if the pain was still
there, they said no and left for home feeling much better. I was
not able to interview the mother with HIV.
The next day I went back to Malaysia with a new experience in
the Lord. I’m very happy because I believe I’ve grown
in the Lord.
Serving together,
Paul Friesen
Regional Liaison for Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
105 |
