November 2025 Ministry Recap

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Cambodia is entering that short season my students lovingly call winter. After weeks of rain and flooding, the air feels lighter and the wind is cooler. My students come to class wearing sweaters and jackets, even when the temperature still feels warm to me, a Filipina used to storms and typhoons back home. But here, the breeze is enough to make everyone smile and say that winter has arrived in Phnom Penh. 

Just a meme AI photo of winter in Kampot

As we close the month of November, I want to share a simple reflection from our family and ministry here at PPC church and the dormitory, and some highlights from what God has been doing in our lives. This month has been full. It has been tiring at moments, but also overflowing with reasons to give thanks. And as the Christmas season draws near, my heart feels drawn again to quiet praise and simple prayers. God has been close to us. God has kept us. God has been faithful.

So I hope these stories bless you. I hope the Scriptures today remind you what I also needed to remember: we have a God who stays close. He covers, protects, and walks with us in every step of our journey.

Before we go to our devotion for today, I want to look back briefly at the posts we shared this month. These were moments that shaped our days and lifted our hearts. 

Highlights From This Month’s Reflections

1. The Beauty of Resting and Rising

In this post, we reflected on the gift of rest in a world that keeps rushing. As a ministry family, our days can be full. Counselling, teaching, praying with young people, handling household responsibilities, and preparing sermons can make rest feel like a luxury. Yet, God reminds us that rest is not laziness. It is obedience. Rest teaches our hearts that we are held by a faithful God who works even while we sleep.
This month, we learned again that strength to rise comes only when we rest in His presence.

2. Sustaining God’s Work

We shared about God’s provision in ministry and how the work He gives is never meant to be carried by our strength alone. Many times, we found ourselves tired. But each time, God reminded us that He sustains what He calls us to do. He sustains the church. He sustains the dorm ministry. He sustains our family.
The post reminded us that obedience is our part. Provision and sustaining grace are His.

3. How Can We Show God’s Love

Here, we reflected on the simple ways we can show God’s love daily. Not through grand gestures, but through small acts of kindness. Listening. Helping. Encouraging someone that God has not forgotten them. Many of the young people we serve experience loneliness, pressure, or fear about their future. This blog reminded us that we can be carriers of God’s love in small, meaningful ways.

4. Do We Really Have the Power to Love

This post answered an honest question: Where do we get the strength to love people who are difficult, hurting, or hard to understand? We learned again that our love is limited, but God’s love is endless. When we allow His love to fill us, we can pour that same love into the lives of others. Real love starts with God, not with us.

5. What Are You Thankful For

As we ended November, this post invited us to slow down and count our blessings. Not the big ones only, but even the small ones. Good health. Safety. A meal shared with family. Laughter. The faithful presence of God. Gratitude changes the posture of our hearts. It opens our eyes to see how God has been good, even in the parts of life that feel heavy.

Today’s Devotion: A God Who Stays Close

Psalm 91:1 to 2 and Psalm 121:5

As we enter December, I find my heart returning again to one truth: we have a God who does not keep His distance. He stays close. He stays near. His protection, His comfort, His strength are with us every day.

Psalm 91 says,
“Whoever dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

And Psalm 121 reminds us,
“The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand.”

These two pictures teach us something simple, but powerful.

He Covers Us

The writers of these Psalms lived under the Middle Eastern sun. Heat was not small discomfort. It could kill a traveler walking long distances. So shade was not just comfort. Shade was life.

In Psalm 121, the Lord is described as our shade. Not far away shade. Not shade we have to search for. He is shade at our right hand. Very near. Very personal. Very present.

This is the God who keeps watch over His people in Cambodia, in the Philippines, in every nation. This is the God who has kept us in our ministry, our family, and even in our private struggles.

This month, I felt this shade often. On days when discouragement came. On days when financial concerns surfaced. On days when I felt overwhelmed by responsibilities. His peace became my shade. His promises became my comfort. His presence became my strength to continue.

He Guards Us Day and Night

Psalm 121 also says that God never sleeps. Never slumbers. He watches over our going out and coming in. For many of us, this year has been a journey through valleys and mountains. But God has kept us in every step.

In Cambodia, many people understand the idea of protection deeply, especially in a culture shaped by Buddhism, traditional beliefs, and the desire to stay safe from harm. Many Khmer friends buy items for protection, visit temples for good fortune, or seek blessings for their future. But as Christians, our hope is not in objects or rituals. Our hope is a living God who stays close, keeps watch, and guards our lives.

God’s protection is personal. He knows our needs. He knows our fears. He knows our weaknesses. And He guards us with a love that does not grow tired.

He Walks With Us Through Every Season

The cooler breeze this November has been a gentle reminder that seasons change. Ministry seasons change. Family seasons change. Our children grow older. Our responsibilities shift. Our dreams stretch. But one thing remains constant. God walks with us. He does not leave us. He does not abandon the work He began in us.

This month, as we serve students in both the church and the dormitory, we have seen how many of them need wisdom, direction, and comfort. Many young people feel anxious about exams, future jobs, family problems, or relationships. And as we listen to them, pray for them, and encourage them, I keep remembering: it is God who walks with them too. It is God who shades them from the heat of fear and pressure.

Family Reflections: God’s Provision for David

Many of you have been praying with us for David. Please continue to pray. He is facing challenges in school, and he needs direction, strength, and encouragement. We also continue to trust God for sustained provision for his monthly tuition fees.

There are days when he comes home tired. Days when school feels overwhelming. Days when he needs extra guidance. As parents, we feel the weight of these concerns, but we also feel the peace of having a God who cares for our son more than we ever could.

So when I read Psalm 121, I think of David. I think of God being the shade at his right hand. I think of God guarding his mind, guiding his heart, and covering his future. We trust that God will continue to lead him in the right direction.

As We Enter December

We prepare our hearts for Christmas. We prepare our home. We prepare our ministry plans. But more than anything, we prepare our hearts to welcome the presence of God daily. Christmas is not only a celebration. It is a reminder that God came near. Emmanuel. God with us. God who stays close.

And even now, God is still with us. In our homes. In our jobs. In our classrooms. In our friendships. In every quiet morning and every long night. He stays close.

Praise and Prayer Points

Here are five simple points you can join us in praising God for and praying about this month:

1. God’s Protection Over Our Family

Thank God for His safety, covering, and daily strength as we move around the city, minister, teach, and care for others.

2. Direction and Provision for David

Pray for guidance as he faces challenges in school. Pray for wisdom, confidence, and peace. Pray for sustained provision for his monthly tuition fees and for doors of opportunity to open for him.

3. Ministry at PPC Church

Praise God for the young couples, university students, and young professionals who continue to seek the Lord. Pray for open hearts and continued spiritual growth.

4. Dormitory Ministry

Pray for the students living in the dorm. Many are far from home and need encouragement, community, and spiritual guidance.

5. Strength for the Christmas Season

Pray for joy and renewed strength as we prepare for Christmas services, outreach, and personal devotion time as a family.

A Warm Gift From Our Home: FREE Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

As promised, here is a simple recipe we enjoy making at home. This has become one of David’s favorites, and it brings warmth to our cool December mornings.

If you want the full printable version or a baking video, I can prepare it next.

Closing Encouragement

As we end November and step into December, remember this:
God is your keeper. God is your shade. God is your refuge and fortress. God is near to you in every moment, every season, and every quiet prayer.

May this month be filled with peace, joy, and a deeper awareness of the God who stays close. 


With thankful hearts, 
The Hourngs in Cambodia 🙏💗💕
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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