By Adrienne Worth, Mission Partner in Cambodia
I am part of The Handa Academy (THA) teaching team. This is mainly a Khmer team with our American manager. I share an office with the Khmer staff which I really enjoy. They are a great bunch, and we get along well. They help me with the Cambodian language and culture, and I help them with English classes and preparation.
I’ve offered to pray for several colleagues when they are unwell. This year I took in Hot Cross Buns at Easter time and explained to the staff the meaning of them and the cross on the top. All the staff speak English of varying degrees, so I could speak in English to all except our cleaner but with the help of a translator, she also got to hear about how Jesus died on the cross for us all.
God is using me here in Battambang and I continue to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with people that I meet on the street, market or with other ex-pats. I would like to share two stories of times God has worked through me here.
My Australian neighbour, who has lived near me for 2.5 years, passed away unexpectedly. I arranged with our other American neighbour to go and sort out and pack up his house together. She was very grateful for my help as it was quite a hard job emotionally and physically for her, but we got it sorted in a few hours. My American neighbour mentioned to me several times how grateful she was that I was able to help and how she couldn’t have done it without me, and I believe it was God’s perfect timing, to love my neighbour and help her. It is such a blessing to be Christ’s hands and feet in my local community here.
The other story that comes to mind is the time I met a man in the park on my daily walks. Most Khmer people ignore me when I walk in the park, so it was nice when this man would see me and murmur a greeting. This happened quite a few times. Maybe six weeks ago, he plucked up the courage to talk to me. Realising my Khmer was not at a conversational level he switched to English. He had seen me wearing my Handa shirts and wanted to know if I was a Dr, what I did and if the Handa Hospital was Christian or not.
Incredibly, I had just been asking God to give me a way to share with this man and he was the one who brought up the topic!
He told me about his life and having to have heart surgery in Thailand, how he worked for a Catholic organisation and that’s how he knew about God. But when I asked him if he had accepted Jesus, he said he hadn’t. He told me about his wife and two daughters and that one had applied for a scholarship to go to Switzerland for a tourism course. An NGO he had started had to stop due to the lack of funding during Covid and He had now become a chicken farmer. As we departed, I said I would be praying for him.
Since then, I’ve seen him several times and he told me his daughter got the scholarship which I said was an answer to prayer. I’m praying for another opportunity to meet with him and share more about Jesus. I’ve also told my Pastor and assistant about him and pointed him out, as they exercise in the park too, so I’m hoping they too will meet him as well so we can all share with him. Please continue to pray for me as God opens doorways for the Gospel to be spread here.
Thank you, Tessa. I remember Ray (and Jean) very warmly from our time at St Tim’s before we left for St John’s College at the beginning of 1987, and was excited many years later to learn of their visit to the Elliotts in Uganda. (We visited them in 1997 on study leave.) That visit, and a later one, showed their quiet growth in faith and mission during the years. I praise God for Ray’s life and service, and pray for the Comforter’s presence to be so close to Jean.
Hey there,
A friend of mine told me about you guys and I’d love to come along on Monday!
Cheers,
Caleb Croker
Thank you Tessa
Thank you Archdeacon Fran. Mothers Union appreciated your input when we visited the Far North recently. Your wisdom and wise counsel made it a memorable weekend. God bless you in your new role.