How Far Does Love Go?

As you may have seen last week in a prayer point on our Prayer Room page, for nearly six months IHSI/Sak Saum staff have been visiting a 9 year-old special needs girl in a nearby village. Though her name, Sokchea, means “healthy”, she has already survived so much: an attempted abortion, possible fetal alcohol syndrome, a botched medical procedure, flat head syndrome, and years of neglect and rejection. She has what appears to be cerebral palsy, and due to her family’s lack of education and fear she has lived her whole life being told she must lie still and not try to move. She never received therapy, adequate nutrition, or even kind words; in fact she would often hear her mother tell others just how much of a burden to the family she was.

Now, Sokchea has a new caregiver, and a new outlook on life thanks to daily visits by people who come to encourage her and help care for her. Simple things like bathing, sitting or drinking water pose difficulty for Sokchea. Despite the challenges, it has been so exciting to see her smiling with a sense of accomplishment after completing basic acts like moving her arms or legs to exercise. And even though she is currently non-verbal, she definitely is an opinionated and feisty little girl!

The years of neglect and rejection have taken their toll on Sokchea, but we believe that there is much more hope for her than her birth parents ever imagined. None of IHSI staff have any formal training in caring for special needs children, but as best we can have been trying to teach Sokchea simple stretches and exercises to improve her range of motion and strength. Despite our own limitations, we see a lot of positive growth in her ability to do basic motions that months ago she had little control over. Now she can even sit on someone’s lap and look around for a few minutes holding her own head up, which she had never done before.

Our team of church volunteers has brought Sokchea to Sunday services several times, much to her excitement.  Even the short ride from her house to our campus seems to make her so happy. We envision someday being able to bring Sokchea to attend a soccer game, join Sunday School, or watch our annual kite flying contests! Surely it is God’s heart for her that she would become part of a community where she will be valued and included.

Small steps of progress and simple acts of love can add up to a big difference for someone like Sokchea. But she also has real physical needs that would be benefitted best by receiving professional care from a physical therapist or someone experienced in working with individuals who have cerebral palsy. We also are hoping to get her a retro-fitted wheelchair or one we can modify ourselves, because although Sokchea shows great interest in going outdoors and seeing new places, that is something which is difficult to facilitate currently.

We are hoping that as you read this blog post, you would start to dream with us on Sokchea’s behalf. Are you or someone you know a qualified physical therapist? Would you or they be able to spend some time, even just a few weeks, here with us in Cambodia as a volunteer working with Sokchea and training our staff in how to approach long-term therapy for her?

If that does not sound like you, what about helping to raise money for a wheelchair and/or exercise equipment? Your youth group, business, or circle of friends could find creative ways to help us broaden Sokchea’s horizons and give her a chance to experience more mobility and freedom than she has ever had.

 How far does your love go? If this post has sparked something in you and you feel you could help Sokchea in any of the ways mentioned above, please go to http://ihsionline.org/connect/ and send us a message with the subject “Sokchea”. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

-IHSI

An Exciting Announcement!

Dear friends,

As this blog post is being released, a brand new feature on our website is going live: the In His Steps Prayer Room!

What is our Prayer Room? It's a virtual place where anyone with a passion for prayer can receive live updates on prayer points in Cambodia and our ministry base. By simply going to ihsionline.org/prayer-room, you can see firsthand updates from the IHSI team on challenges we are  facing or issues we need prayer for. You will also be able to see the  results of your intercession, since whenever appropriate we will be posting updates on answered prayers too! Additionally, you can subscribe to have these updates delivered to your inbox! Just look for the subscribe box on the Prayer Room page.
 
Since long before IHSI was birthed, founders Eric and Ginny Hanson have believed in the importance of intercession as a key to unlocking doors in ministry. God loves to link believers around the world through prayer, and it is often the easiest and most readily applicable way of partnering with what He is doing on the mission field. The internet is a powerful tool for connecting people, and we are looking forward to seeing how God uses this new prayer page for the advancement of His kingdom here in Cambodia.

In addition to live updated prayer points, there are also some great links to background info on Cambodia, strategies for prayer, and a calendar where you can view upcoming events, holidays, and times of year where Cambodia needs an extra covering of prayer. So please, take a moment to visit the Prayer Room today, and share with your friends. Thank you in advance for partnering with us in prayer!

God bless, the IHSI

Need to Know

Dear friends, family, and supporters,
 

We would like to take a moment to let you all know that as a ministry we place a high value on trusting God, walking in integrity, and communicating honestly with those that give to support our programs and projects. Our policy for everyone in our circle of ministry is that we do not as individuals approach visitors, teams, or anyone else asking for personal gifts, loans, or money. When we do fundraising, it is done in an above-board manner with financial accountability to our board of directors, the state of Colorado, and the Cambodian government.

If you are ever approached via social networks or email by any person claiming to be connected with or a part of IHSI ministry, asking for personal gifts, loans, money, or any other kind of favor, we strongly suggest that you do not comply without first contacting IHSI (ihsionline.org/connect/). Our organization does not condone this practice and would not want to see anyone misled or deceived in any way about our intentions.

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and encouragement of IHSI as a ministry. God is good!

-        In His Steps

Looking Forward

Our last blog post gave a picture of what God has been doing through IHSI in the past year, and as promised in this entry we want to let you in on some exciting things that have already been happening in the new year and their significance as we look forward. So without further ado, we are very excited to announce that God has provided funding for the purchase of two adjacent plots of land at our Center.  All of the official paperwork and rezoning was completed on Saturday, nearly doubling our campus’ size and open up new possibilities for ministry to the community!

This expansion has been made possible through a new partnership between IHSI and Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona. We are excited to have them commit not only to sponsoring this and other projects, but to having them come and do outreach with us on the field regularly!

In His Steps founders Eric and Ginny Hanson believe that this growth is significant not only as an enlarging of physical space, but as a symbol of increasing influence in the community and in the hearts of those we minister to. Just a few of the future plans for this new addition to our Center include:

• Constructing a second on-site Sak Saum facility, adding to the existing Vocational Training Center which is already more than full. This will be a great blessing to the community by allowing Sak Saum to reach even more at-risk/exploited men and women in the area through job creation and holistic ministry.
• Adding more open space to the property for kite flying, games, and outdoor events.
• Setting up flexible-use areas for soccer and volleyball games, allowing us to build relationships with more youth in the area as well as host sports camps and tournaments with other area churches.
• Providing more parking space for students and children who come to play (our current parking area tends to overflow each afternoon)
  
• Create a picnic area for families, youth, and Sak Saum to gather, share meals, and fellowship together.

Yesterday at our Sunday church service, the entire congregation took time to walk the new land together. As we expressed worship and gratitude to God, declared blessing and peace over the property in Christ, and prayed for God’s presence to be felt by all who come to the campus, there was a palpable sense of joy and excitement in the air! As a church we are all experiencing and learning together how faithful He is.

Now, the boundary posts of our Center are being moved to unite all the land into one piece. Old trees which have been growing without fruit are being cut down to make way for the land to be filled and graded. This is a great picture of what we believe God is doing in ministry! Moving old boundary stones, discarding anything unnecessary or unfruitful, and preparing for new uses and opportunities is exactly what needs to happen in many hearts and many systems of the world as we know it.

IHSI is so thankful for the many new things ahead, the new ways in which God wants to bless Saang, and the expanding of our reach into this area to fulfill the vision that He has given us from the beginning.

In His Steps

If you would like to read a more in-depth review of our 2013 activities, click here.

Looking Back

At the start of a new year, it’s always good to revisit the previous year’s highlights and lessons learned. Through highs and lows, challenges and changes, the faithfulness of God is always evident! And for IHSI in 2013, we experienced many challenges and changes indeed. Several staff members went through the loss of loved ones, meanwhile many in Sak Saum brought beautiful new children into the world. Traffic accidents and health scares tried to steal joy and instill fear, but instead we are walking in peace and blessing. Political upheaval in the region has continued for many months, yet through it all God has protected each person in our care.

It’s hard to know where to begin when recapping an entire year, but below are a few of the many things that God has been doing in our church, Father’s House, and international ministry!

Gospel Community Church Saang

• This has been a fruitful year for the church, with many new believers, a baptism, a baby dedication, a new Sunday School class, and lots of empowering opportunities for young people in the church to develop service and leadership skills. Building families and equipping young people for ministry are an important calling of the church!
• Our staff organized not only a boys’ soccer team in the spring, but also a young women’s volleyball team at the end of the year. In addition to holding practices and playing games, both our teams have discipleship meetings and are involved in church ministries as part of their team-building activities. It’s a great way to grow each team member individually as well as build camaraderie in the community!
• We are becoming a hub for helping smaller rural churches that do not have much support. Bibles, devotionals, books and audio Bibles from Messengers International have all been distributed to the Body of Christ in our area. During rainy season we collaborated with several churches to find families and widows in need of emergency relief, preparing and distributing 25 care packages with food and other supplies. We also provided training space for Operation Christmas Child to train  30 churches for their shoebox gift program!
• Fulfilling one of last year’s church goals, we started a monthly group for married men to fellowship together, pray, and encourage each other.
• GCCS staff and members of Sak Saum did repair work on several homes of elderly church members this year, as well as coordinating visitation to elderly and sick people in the area. We also donated food staples, clothing, hygiene supplies, and other items to those in need.
• We held many events this year, including seminars, educational programs, a church barbecue, a free health clinic at three locations with a visiting medical team, educational, youth fellowship gatherings, our yearly Children’s Christmas Program for almost 400 children and a beautiful Christmas service for the congregation.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Father’s House

• An exciting new partnership with Mission Community Church in Gilbert, AZ has allowed us to enroll Father’s House kids in a private school, a great step up from the school they had been attending and an answer to prayer! They are still adjusting to the newer, more challenging learning environment, but we are confident that this will be of great long-term benefit to each of them.
• In addition to starting the kids in a new school, we were blessed to be able to trade in the Father’s House car for a van! This is great not only for transporting them back and forth to school, but for bringing the soccer and volleyball teams to games, transporting church members, and doing outreach.
• In November we welcomed our newest child into Father’s House. Makara is a sweet boy who just this week made the decision to become a Christian. He loves coloring, art projects, singing and dancing, and playing soccer. Although he has some catching up to do academically and socially, we already see growth in leaps and bounds!
• All Father’s House children are active in the church according to their abilities and personalities: helping with ushering, worship, children’s outreaches, Sunday School, visiting the sick, and being a part of church events. Several of them show great leadership potential, and many of them say their future life plans include wanting to be in ministry and help others like they have been helped! We are thankful for them and can see exciting things ahead for each one.

International Ministry and Teams

• In the fall the Hansons completed a whirlwind tour across the U.S., teaching at churches and colleges, meeting ministry partners, sharing the vision of IHSI, and doing fundraising work. This trip was very fruitful in terms of building relationship with new partners, and we believe that there will be more traveling of this nature in the future as God allows! To contact the Hansons for booking information, please email them at erich@ihsionline.org | ginnyh@ihsionline.org.

• In 2013 we hosted many outreach teams, short-term volunteers, and visitors from all over the United States, as well as Russia and Australia. A few highlights of their visits included:
• Children’s ministry at our Center and at other area churches
• Dramas/songs/teachings at church services
• A YWAM medical outreach with free clinics at three locations
• Prayer ministry/teaching
• Maintenance/service projects
•  Visiting the elderly and the sick
• Games and activities with local children
• Constructing a playground at our Center
• Human trafficking awareness seminars
• Sak Saum English practice and relationship-building
• Helping teach Center English classes
• Attending women’s group and overnight stays with Sak Saum
• Outings/educational activities with Fathers’ House and Loaves and Fish children

What has the Lord done in your life in the past year? What prayers has he answered and how did he demonstrate his faithfulness to you personally? Feel free to comment below, and tune in again soon for our next post, to hear about some of the exciting things in store for 2014!

-       In His Steps