After the Flood

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At 86 years old, Yay Phait (“Grandmother Phait” in the Khmer language) is the oldest member of our church. She is a sweet and joyful person with one of the most beautiful smiles you’ll ever see. Yay has survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, poverty, and abuse at the hands of relatives, and yet there is not a trace of bitterness or victimhood in the way she presents herself.

At our weekly women’s group meetings, Yay is often the first to exhort others to trust God and pray when times are difficult. She has the credibility to say these things because she lives them out and never complains. Even her stories of hardship and family difficulties are interspersed with thanks to God for his faithfulness and examples of his answers to her prayers.

​When our staff saw that Yay Phait's house was growing dilapidated and offered little protection from the recent bad weather and flooding, we decided to help her by building a brand new house. Once the floods had receded and her land was dry, we moved forward as quickly as possible to construct a Khmer-style stilted house for Yay. It’s one of two houses that we have been able to rebuild this past month. Below are some pictures of the construction process and Yay enjoying her new home!

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Pray for Yay Phait and her family, as her grandson recently passed away due to struggles with alcohol addiction. And keep the other elderly members of Gospel Community Church Saang in your prayers too, that they would be blessed with health and provision for everything they need. 

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Loving Our Neighbors

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​Since our last update, much has been happening in Saang. We are so blessed that the water on our own land has been receding, and that through the remaining muck and mud some patches of land are becoming visible again. But for so many (not just in Saang but in numerous provinces throughout the whole country), houses and crops are still partly submerged or have been swept away, their food and belongings ruined. Some family businesses have been forced to shut down for several weeks now.

Working with local village leaders, we learned of many neighboring families that need help and had not received any government aid. After investigating, we began buying supplies and coordinated an event to distribute them to those most in need. Below are some photos from this morning at the Saang commune center, where we gave bags of rice, noodles, tracts, and more to 54 local families.

For now, we are focusing on the immediate problem: ensuring that those most affected by the flooding have their basic needs met. But we know that in the months ahead, more needs will arise, as floodwaters drain and reveal the true extent of damage to the area. Meanwhile, the cost of food and other staples is already increasing.

 Please keep Cambodia in your prayers, that God would show his compassion to those in need through In His Steps and others on the field. Also, pray for government leaders in this time, that corruption and lack of infrastructure would not hinder their designated relief funds from reaching people in crisis.

A Fish in Hand

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Sound familiar? Chances are if you've ever met Eric and Ginny or visited IHSI in Cambodia, you've heard this little proverb at least once. As founders of this ministry, the Hansons feel strongly about empowering those in need to provide for themselves.

Very often, families in poverty lack not only material provision, but also the confidence to try to change their situation. We encountered once such story this past spring, when our national director Theavy became aware of a family that was struggling to survive.  

Their house was a ramshackle mess, flooding above a makeshift bed whenever it rained. Crippled by debt, jobless, and uneducated, the father and mother were trying to make a living cutting grass for neighbors' livestock and fishing in the nearby lake. But despite all their efforts, they could never seem to make ends meet.  Five children and their parents had almost nothing to eat, and no way to overcome their seemingly hopeless situation.

With the help of donations from New Zealand and America, we began rebuilding the home, bringing food, vitamins, and hygiene supplies, and helping care for the children. We also helped the family pay off some of their loans, and counseled them on how to be responsible with their remaining debt. 

When we found out that the father enjoyed working at the lake, we helped him set up a small eel-trapping business that is now bringing in more income than he has have ever earned before. Other men fishing nearby say they can't understand how he always catches so many eels! We know it is God's hand of favor as he demonstrates his love.

Meanwhile, the mother and some of her children have been coming to church regularly ever since, even bringing neighbors who used to persecute her. It is amazing to see others being drawn to God through "the least of these". 

More often then not, the ways that God uses us to work are exceedingly practical: de-licing a child's hair, thatching a roof, or offering a tuk-tuk ride to church! No matter the task, we take joy in acting as the hands and feet of Christ on behalf of those in need. There is still much to be done as we walk with this family, but we are confident that the transformations we have seen are just the beginning of the great things God will do!

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"I Love Saang Day"

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We at In His Steps love Saang (a rural area in Kandal province where much of our ministry takes place). We want the people of Saang to know that we are not an isolated "Christian club" that meets on Sundays: our staff and the people we reach are members of the community with a heart to serve and bless those around them. That's why we recently held "I Love Saang Cleanup Day". 

On a sunny Saturday morning, we met to pick up trash and tidy up local streets. By 8 a.m. it was already scorching hot, but our Center was packed with young people and IHSI staff who had come to participate. After prayer and pep-talks from Eric and one of the commune leaders, we distributed supplies (bottles of water, gloves, face masks, garbage bags) and got to work! Divided into teams, over 200 people streamed out of the Center in different directions, targeting specific areas around the neighborhood.

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Candy wrappers, shreds of cast-off rags, plastic bags, and more were cleared out from roadside ditches, shrubs, and even the dusty local volleyball court! There are no public garbage cans or dumpsters of any kind out in rural areas like Saang , so trash accumulates anywhere and everywhere. By the time each team was finished in their designated area, numerous bags of garbage were filled with no room to spare!

It was great to see local children and youth so eager to serve. Parents and neighbors were quick to voice their appreciation, and many were impressed that we are teaching kids about being responsible and giving back to their community. The local government was also very encouraging and seemed to appreciate our efforts.

Jesus always remembered to bless and care for others in practical ways, and it is this example that In His Steps is following. Please pray with us that hearts in the Saang community would be touched as we seek to serve as he did. ​