Up Close: Who we are?
After knowing a little bit of our small family, now I would like to share about God's work through our ministries here in Cambodia. I also would like to sincerely thank you for considerably covering us with your prayers and for always looking after us. These means a lot. You are a channel of blessing!
Background:
When Vandy's teaching/leadership transition in the bible school has ended, it was clear to my husband that God is calling us to plant a church again - this time in the city. We just don't know where and when could we start. All we know we should be ready to obey. As a young couple, we were also anticipating that our own family will grow and that we might have a baby eventually. God has been faithful. We know He is providing us financially through our work. I was offer a fulltime teaching job in a university while Vandy facilitated some translating jobs.
It was also that time KCC - Khmer Community Church/Kampuchea Christian Community was formed. It's an association of small churches/pastors that are passionate about making a difference in the community by sharing the hope in Christ message, discipling believers to spiritual maturity and empowering leaders for effective ministry. I remembered I also made a separate monthly blog/page then 👉KCC blog updates .
The 1st Dormitory: (The New Generation)
In 2011, we had the privilege to help out two dear sisters in Christ to set up dormitories for university students who were mostly from the provinces desiring to study in the city but didn't have any place to stay. We were moved with their vision to look for a safer place to house these female students and use this ministry to show the love of God to them - these were all unbelievers then! we knew God is directing us to respond to that wonderful mission.
By God's grace, we got connected to some people and friends in the mission field to help us cover the house rent of that first ever dormitory. These ladies soon accepted Christ as their Savior and have started to be discipled by our faithful (Roath) sister in Christ who was living with them in the dorm as well. A regular weekly worship started at the ladies' dormitory. We just love how God was amazingly using and tapping new believers to carryout on God's task. We were so involved with bible studies and giving free trainings/English lessons for these precious students.
PPC was born:
It was also during at our tarrying stage when Pastor Greg Fernandez and family shared a vision of starting a church in the middle town. We gladly supported and helped out to establish a multi-culture church that's when Phnom Penh Church (PPC) started in 2013 - with the vision to bring the gospel and transformation to the "marketplace". This led to eventually combined worship with the Dorm ladies and PPC worshippers. The PPC worship place is relatively bigger to accommodate the current number.
We thanked God for the opportunities to serve. Vandy was preaching regularly for the Khmer worship while Tess helped out in the worship leading for the English service. The church grew even more and became a mix of mostly Filipino professionals/teachers, young family and Khmer university students. And soon, God allowed to open another dormitory this time for young Men.
The Way to Life Church (Phnom Penh)
Somehow, God has again impressed to my husband Vandy of another calling and that is to pursue and start a new church right into our own neighborhood! our son David was already born then. Vandy and I really sought on God's direction. We know God has been gracious enough in PPC and it's time to move and expand God's kingdom to another territory.
There was peace in us to start a new Khmer church at our own home serving the community/village. We actually live in the outskirt of Phnom Penh - 40 minute drive to town. I remembered we went for a break (retreat) as a small family to fast and prayed for spiritual breakthrough. The direction was clear in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
By God's grace, the first worship service was held at home attended by three families, young children and young single men all from the village (January 17, 2016) - 16 of us all! Our home was open everyday & night not only for worship and bible studies but even for English lessons, guitar classes, sports fellowship and even counselling sessions (mostly family/drugs/relationship matters).
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| Water Baptism (Kep beach) |
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| Children Sunday school |
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| Testimony sharing |
Major SHIFT:
Then the global Pandemic happened, where everyone got stuck at home and all activities had to stop. We have tried all the resources to continue the worship online. It was actually challenging to conduct a live worship, because internet connection was unreliable. But even so, we remained hopeful. God gave us an avenue to shift our pulpit to go online. The Lord directed Vandy to overcome such teachnology&social media fear. He soon became comfortable to prerecord his preaching and upload them at our church social platforms. By God's grace, the uploaded Khmer sermons have also became accessible even outside our circle. Some of our local pastors/friends who were living far in the countryside also used/shared the preaching to their churches. We praise God for this. We also discovered messenger such as zoom and skype could be tools for discipleship meetings. A lot of prayer time, worships, and counselings meetings happened here.
PPC reunited!
During the stints of Pandemic, Vandy would get some invitations to speak online or they would use his prerecorded Khmer sermons which we gladly shared as a service the body of Christ. This was also on this time that we have discerned to be reunited with PPC folks and serve along side with them. Most of the key leaders have gone home during the pandemic and have decided to stay in their own homelands/countries. We praise God for the men and women at our two dormitories have stayed.
In 2021, we joined PPC Christmas worship and with obedience, we eventually decided to serve God at Phnom Penh church again. Some of our church members also came along with us. We know this is a new beginning again and it seems like only yesterday when we set our foot to this church. We are definitely going to trust and obey for this calling knowing that God is with us.
New Beginnings:
What?! two year had past! glory to God for the strength and courage.
There are a lot of things to be thankful for, learnings curves, and a hopeful future to come. We hope and pray to continue that burning passion of service to God and to be an impact to our dorm men and women and to eventually pass on the baton to them. We have the vision to really disciple committed believers and that they would have that compassion to share the gospel to their sphere of influence as well and to help them live out christlikeness, so they would become a blessing for their families and to their communities.
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| Sharing our testimony together! |
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| young couple (Ellen & Phanith) |
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| Young couple (Kakada & Somnang) |
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| with the Young husbands |
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| David with the dorm Ladies eating freshly picked mangoes! |
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| on a rare occasion of young couples' onsite fellowship as a group (because we normally meet them online per couple) |
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| Young men at the dorm (Vandy's discipleship session) |
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| Young men at the dorm (Vandy's discipleship session) |
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| Dorm Ladies fellowship (they love spicy noodles!) |
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| outdoor fellowships (with the two expecting moms Heidi+Ellen minus Tess haha!) |
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| Happy graduation (Pizza fellowship) |
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| with Sheryl (single/Filipina based in Kandal province). We are rejoicing that Sheryl just accepted Christ a few months ago from our previous sessions. |
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