Hot Dogs for Jesus

It’s been a busy month for In His Steps: opening the Kairos Training Center, children in our programs starting the new school year, visitors passing through, and much more. With all the busyness, we thought it would be fun to have a party for local kids and share some hot dogs with them!

After sending word to the neighborhood that all children were invited for lunch on Wednesday, we wondered whether the recent holiday of Pchum Ben might negatively affect attendance. We needn’t have worried: an hour before the program started, our Center was already inundated with kids flocking in from the surrounding area!

Our staff and a great team of volunteers and Father’s House kids pitched in to prepare trays full of food and pass everything out. Over 220 children came, and after a short lesson from staff, received hot dogs, drinks, and snacks. The air was filled with a happy commotion as they and their friends enjoyed their hot dogs, a first for many!

We love kids: they are the future of Cambodia and a blessing from God. Please join us in praying for the children of Saang district, that they would grow to know Him through the small and seemingly simple acts of love that He has called us to.

- In His Steps

Gifts for Father's House

Have you ever met a child that didn’t like getting a present? We certainly haven’t! Amid the day-to-day work of caring for the many individuals in our programs, we’re thankful for the generosity of believers worldwide who lend a hand by sending gifts, donating to our community-building projects, or even coming to visit in person through outreach teams. (Learn more ways to get involved by clicking here.)

A creative donor from the U.S. recently sent handmade blankets for Father’s House children, and each one was special and unique, just like our children. It was fun to watch their expressions as the children caught sight of the lively patterns and bold colors of their new blankets. We hope that their smiles will help brighten your day!

Growth in Changing Times

Although it’s only March, this year is already bringing much change to us here at In His Steps! We are growing, and with growth come new responsibilities, new strategies and new steps along the way as we work to accomplish the goals God has given us as a ministry.

Change can be uncomfortable, but we believe that God has good things in store as we journey through this time of transition. As we move forward, one of the things that God has provided for is a project that we have been hoping to begin for some time: the construction of a new multi-purpose building on our Foundation Center land!

Due to the volume of people attending our English classes, church services, children’s programs and other activities, we frequently end up holding these events outdoors for lack of space. That works great during more temperate months of the year, but is a challenge during Cambodia’s long rainy season and scorching hot season. That’s why we’re so excited about this new building, which should be completed this summer just as rainy season makes its entrance!

We’re thankful to be able to partner with Pearl Alliance in this new project, and are prayerfully looking forward to using this building to bless many more members of the Saang community.

Please pray with us for:

•  Safety and peace at the construction site
•  Salvation for the laborers involved
•  Good fruit in the lives of all that we reach through the use of this new building

Stay tuned for photo updates in the coming months!

Safehouse Update Part 2 - Meet With MOSA

Yesterday was an important day for In His Steps: ministry leaders met with officials from the Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) to discuss the building project and the future of our safehouse. Although our plans have already been approved, it's required to have the actual site and progress observed by MOSA workers. It's great to see the local government holding organizations to accountability! Corruption is a big problem even among many NGO's, and we want the community to know that we keep our word.

Meeting with MOSA allowed us to share with them our vision for the safehouse in greater clarity and explain the heart behind what we are doing in Saang. You could tell that many of those who attended the meeting were surprised by our views on how to break the cycle of trafficking. A common approach to dealing with at-risk children is to segregate them from the community in orphanages, but at In His Steps we believe it is important to work with whole families whenever possible. 

The safehouse will not just be a home for orphans, but a place of refuge for any at-risk child. While nurturing and caring for each one, we will also work to break the cycle of abuse within the home through building relationships with their families and modeling ways to change. Education alone is not enough: hearts and minds need healing to bring this about. Advocating for healthy families is both intervention and prevention!

As we explained more about our vision for the safehouse, the MOSA workers shared that what we were saying closely mirrors many of the underlying goals of the Ministry of Social Affairs! It's encouraging to hear that we are on the right track and have the blessing of local authorities. By collaborating with MOSA, we have an excellent opportunity to model change and raise standards within Cambodia.

Children are the key to influencing culture, and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to reach this and future generations with the love of God. Please pray with us that the safehouse would be place where his presence is felt and healing can begin. 

News in August

Greetings everyone! These past few weeks have marked some important steps forward for both Sak Saum and our work in Saang, so we would like to share the news with you.

For the last few months, we have been going through the process of applying to the Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs for a three-year approval of our Loaves and Fish and Foundation Center ministries. We are very happy to have received this approval this past Thursday! Although we already have permission to work in the Saang District, the three-year agreement is a great blessing to us. It will allow us to expand ministry and reach more people in Kandal Province. It makes it easier for international and national staff to receive visas for travel. And it also establishes Sarith (our national director) and other Cambodian staff as leaders and forerunners of future ministry.

We had been told that it was very difficult for NGO’s to be approved, and that the process would take much longer. Instead, with little hassle and no long wait, God answered our prayers and our application was accepted! While we were meeting with the Cambodian Secretary of State for the signing ceremony, he had nothing but positive and encouraging things to say about our ministry. In fact, the ceremony was filmed and aired during a government news program on TV that evening!

Clearly, God is moving in amazing ways here. New doors have also been opening for Sak Saum in the areas of marketing products and supporting the girls. Opportunities that we could never have orchestrated on our own have seemingly fallen into our laps! We know that in reality they are falling from heaven. God is enlarging our reach in so many areas and we believe this is a result of submitting to authority and letting God work in his ways instead of ours. 

We are excited to see so many signs of God’s favor and confirmation of the goals we have been working towards. We appreciate your prayers that he would continue to bless In His Steps and the people we reach here in Cambodia.

In Christ,

IHSI