In May, a team of volunteers from Salt and Light Society partnered with Love A Village to minister to the youths of Siem Reap. It was a fruitful trip as God brought the youths and LAV to a deeper commitment of faith towards Him.
11-13 May: Workshop on Habits
Salt and Light Society conducted a workshop for the youths focussing on habits that would help them grow in responsibility and independence. It was an answered prayer for Pastor Villa and his wife, Rinat, as many of the youths in Skun were unwilling to improve themselves and had stopped studying.
Through the activities, the team taught them four habits:
Habit 1: Think about your goal before you start
គិតអំពីគោលដៅរបស់អ្នកមុននឹងចាប់ផ្តើម
Habit 2: You choose what to do, not just wait for things to happen
អ្នកជ្រើសរើសអ្វីដែលត្រូវធ្វើ, មិនមែនរង់ចាំឲ្យរឿងកើតឡើងខ្លួនឯងទេ
Habit 3: Do the most important things first
ធ្វើរឿងដែលសំខាន់មុនគេ
Habit 4: Take care of yourself and keep improving
មើលថែខ្លួនឯង និងបន្តអភិវឌ្ឍខ្លួនឯង
Through the workshop, the youths created a vision board to capture their goals with various pictures and could articulate clearly what they needed to do to achieve the goals they had set. The workshop was well-received by the youths with four opting to join a class to improve their literacy in Khmer.
14 May: Dormitory Ministry
After bidding farewell to the Salt and Light Society, the Love A Village team carried on their ministry to a group of students in a dormitory overseen by Vongsa.
Janice led the students through activities aimed at building teamwork and communication in the dormitory. The youths shared how they viewed the current state of their dormitory and by the session, they made a commitment to God to be proactive in the dormitory and improve how the group grows together. The students then prayed for each other and had a meaningful fellowship over lunch.
For Janice, it was also a moment of thankfulness, realising the grace that God had provided her through Seow Chin:
“I was very thankful for Seow Chin’s support. It was a testament of Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. She covered my blind spots and weaknesses and helped to drive home the learning points from the activities.”
14 May: SONOKO Student Ministry Outreach
In the afternoon, the team moved to SONOKO student ministry and conducted a workshop on self-care for the university students. Seow Chin used bible verses to anchor the principles behind self-care, helping the youths and young adults understand the relevance of the Bible in modern life.
One activity the students particularly enjoyed was the shopping activity in which they were given $5 to purchase items from a minimart and explain how the item they purchased would enable them to take care of themselves.
The team was thankful for the turnout. There were 2 non-Christians and 4 backslided Christians who attended, with some expressing their desire to turn to Jesus.
For Seow Chin, it was a good time of reflection for her:
“The key verse also spoke deeply to me and applies to me. Please pray for me to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Jesus (Matt 16:24). Please also pray for me to love God more than the world.”
15 May: LAV Staff and Volunteers Workshop
On the last day, Seow Chin conducted a workshop for LAV staff and volunteers, teaching them how to be a good and faithful servant based on two key principles:
- Taking Initiative
- Reading the Bible Regularly
The staff and volunteers grew in their conviction to live by the Word and be proactive in their service. These are some of their reflections at the end of the workshop:
Sreyka: First is try to use our talents which God gave us. And the Second is don’t be lazy – read Bible and stay connected with God.
Dalin: It was a good lesson. The lessons reminded me to be a faithful servant.
Sriesros: I want to learn from Seow Chin’s life – to listen only to God’s voice and not other people’s voices.
Vichea: There are no problem people but people with problems. I need to be more understanding and love my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Janice: I need to learn to love God’s Word more. I need to spend more time in God’s Word daily and meditate on it.
Pray with us
There is much to follow up at the end of the trip and God will continue to grow the seeds that were planted.
Skun Youths: Please keep Pastor Villa and Rinat in your prayers as they continue to minister to the youths. Pray that the youths will find their purpose in God and be inspired by the Spirit to be faithful in their growth.
Dormitory Ministry: Pray for Vongsa, the dorm parent, for wisdom and alertness as he manages the dorm operations and the students. Please also pray for LAV to be aware of God’s leading as we journey with Vongsa for 4 months.
SONOKO Student Ministry: Pray that the Word shared would grow in the hearts of the university students and that those who have turned to Jesus would grow deep roots into God’s Word and not be snatched away by the evil one.
LAV Staff and Volunteers: Pray that they will continue to abide in Jesus as they serve the people under their care.
May God continue to establish you in your faith as you pray alongside us.
Blessings,
LAV