A Day of Rejoicing

Today is a very special day; one that has been life-changing for some! Every week, In His Steps gathers for our Tuesday staff meeting, a time of worship, teaching, prayer, and fellowship. Since all of us are very busy and involved in many different parts of IHSI programs, we feel that it's important to regularly be with each other as a group. 

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God often uses the times that we are together corporately to highlight something that's on His heart, both for our ministry and for individuals. This morning after worship, Eric shared about growing in God and walking in His love. As his message came to a close, Eric felt that he should ask if there was anyone who had not yet received salvation and would like to make that decision today. 

Why would there be non-Christians at our Christian ministry's staff meeting? Because in addition to our regular staff and leadership team, we include all of the women in our Sak Saum program every time we gather as a group. Whether it's a general meeting, community event, or even a staff member's birthday party, we do our best to include those who we are working to reach. What better way to model God's love and Kingdom-oriented living?

After Eric's invitation to start a new life with God, Ginny briefly shared her testimony. Several young women (including some orphaned children who are living at Sak Saum temporarily until our safehouse building is complete) raised their hands to accept Jesus. Others also responded by expressing their desire to go deeper in God and experience more of his love. Pheaktra (pastor of our church and Foundation Center director) explained how to receive salvation and we gathered around them to pray. There was both peace and excitement in the air as each girl invited Jesus into her heart! 

On this day, in a little country called Cambodia, four people made a decision that will transform their lives forever. As we at In His Steps rejoice on their behalf, we know that all the angels in heaven are rejoicing (Luke 15:10) with us! Please join us in praying for these young women as they begin their new journey with God.

- In His Steps

Merry Christmas 2009!

Merry Christmas! We hope you have a great holiday with family and loved ones. Here in Cambodia, we celebrate a little differently than in the West, since most Cambodians do not even know the meaning of Christmas. We feel that this time of year is a great opportunity to bless the communities we are in and teach the true significance of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, we held a Christmas program at our Saang Foundation Center. The program began in prayer by Pastor Pheaktra, and was MC’d by Solomon (one of our staff teachers) and a young woman from our youth group. It was an almost 4-hour program, including dance, worship, drama, and the message of Christmas.

• Sak Saum, our program for at-risk and trafficked women, performed a beautiful skit, song, and dance telling of how God has brought them out of dark and difficult situations into a place of hope and new life.

• Our intern Daniel and some of the young men in his breakdance class debuted their new dance group, “Souljuz Crew”. It was exciting for their friends and family to see them use their talent and new skills to glorify God. Interest in his class is growing and now many more youth in the area are signing up!

• Solomon and a group of youth led a time of worship, and the youth also performed a dance.
• Children sponsored by our Loaves and Fish program danced, and some also participated with other youth in a drama telling the story of Jesus’ birth.
• Following the drama, Eric and Pastor Pheaktra spoke, sharing the significance of Jesus’ birth and the meaning of Christmas.
• Through a free prize draw, we gave away 2 bicycles, 5 moto helmets, 22 cases of noodles, 2 electric fans, 3 small gas stoves, 5 water filters, 2 rice pots, 50 tee shirts, 20 sarongs, Sak Saum bags, and more! This was a great blessing to the community. Many of the prizes went to children, which very exciting!

Although we have done other Christmas events in the past, this year’s outreach was by far the largest event In His Steps has ever hosted. We invited 2,000 people, and over 1,800 attended! People in Saang have never seen such a large event, and are still talking about all that happened. We invited local government leaders, and were excited that many of them came. They seemed very impressed with the program and what we are doing in the community.

Our staff and volunteers all did a great job making sure that things ran smoothly. Many members of our youth group volunteered as ushers, parking attendants, and security guards. We know that our efforts were blessed: throughout the day there were no disturbances, thefts, or injuries! This is incredible, considering the number of people who attended. We were amazed by the success of the program and God’s faithfulness to the people of Cambodia as he uses us to minister to them. Please pray that the message of hope they heard will touch their hearts and lead to more salvations and transformed lives in the community!

Happy Holidays,

In His Steps

Breakdance Class

This week we wanted to give you a glimpse into the ministry of our intern Daniel. Daniel is from Singapore and is with In His Steps for a year. Our interns receive personal discipleship and opportunities for them to use their skills to assist in ministry.

For Daniel, who has been breakdancing for several years, his time in Cambodia has led him to see how his own interest in dance can be used to influence Cambodian youth in a positive way. He is now holding weekly classes with youth in Saang, and is teaching some of our staff to breakdance as well! Those who attend the classes enjoy practicing their new skills and building friendships at the same time.

Cambodia is a nation where over 50% of the population are under the age of twenty years old. There is a great need for discipleship of this young generation; they are the leaders and influencers of Cambodia's future. Young teen boys in Saang are often at risk for gang activity, and need a pastime and a positive means of self-expression. Making a difference in their lives now can influence many generations to come. Daniel's breakdance class is one of the ways that In His Steps can do that!

~ In His Steps

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

A New Life

Hello everyone! A lot has been going on in the ministry since we last posted here. In fact, we have gained a new son! A young boy who was in our Loaves and Fish program recently moved from his caretaker’s home to our Foundation Center to live with staff.

Joshua is about eleven years old, an orphan who had been living with his uncle’s family. We supported them for 3 1/2 years, providing food and vitamins, covering education costs, and offering many other benefits to help them raise him. Unfortunately, it came to our attention that there was increasing alcoholism and domestic violence in the home, with the uncle frequently beating his wife and sometimes threatening or harming the children as well. After meeting with the man and giving repeated warnings, it became clear he was not willing to change.

With the approval of the village leader and both Joshua and the uncle’s agreement,

Loaves and Fish gained legal custody and moved him to the Foundation Center. To mark the beginning of this new life for him, we bought him new clothes, shoes, and books. He will continue attending school and will be raised and mentored by our staff.

Joshua is a sweet boy who is already growing by leaps and bounds! Before, he seemed afraid to look people in the eye, but a newfound confidence is growing. His playfulness, joy, and diligence in studying show how positive this move has been for him. In his free time, he’s been having fun learning to ride the new bicycle we gave him!

It’s great to see Joshua begin to flourish in a safe and loving environment. Our heart for him is that he would be deeply rooted in Christ, growing up as an example and leader in his community. We believe God has great things in store for Joshua, and for all the children in our programs.

We’re blessed to have been able to help Joshua leave behind his dangerous circumstances and find a better life. He is just one of many orphans here in Cambodia who are often in danger even in their homes. Alcoholism, abuse, child labor, and lack of education about children’s rights are all a part of this problem. As you may know, we are planning to build a children’s safehouse on our Foundation Center property. To help support this effort, you can go to our website.

Please continue to keep Joshua and our entire ministry in your prayers!

In Christ,

IHSI