GO INTO ALL CONNERS OF THE WORLD

TROPANG TEM AND SAKADA CHURCH – GO INTO ALL CONNERS OF THE WORLD

God’s love has no boundaries. It doesn’t matter where you are He will find you.

            Tropang Tem and Sakada village are far from Siem Reap town (65Km and 85 Km). We never expect to be in these villages. My prayer was for God’s direction to nearer villages to share the gospel and plant churches but that was never happened. After praying for two years, the Lord led us to a remote village of Svay Leo district, around 90 Km from town. We met an old Christian man who used to serve in the army of the Khmer Rouge. At first I couldn’t believe that he was a Christian. He looks very fierce and unfriendly. As we began our conversation I became to realize that God has really transformed this man. We talked about anything, from our experience as soldiers to how we survived the war. We got connected very well as we shared some similar experiences in our lives.

           

            When we were about to return to town, I told the man that I would like to come back again to  So we began our regular visit to the village.

explore the possibility of starting a church in a village around the area. He was happy and asked if I

would like to visit his friend in a village nearby. We agreed to his request and went to visit his friend, Mr. Bun who was also a Khmer Rouge soldier. We spent about two hours at the new village. At first only family members of Mr. Bun was presence. After a while other people also came. They were so interested to hear about Jesus as they had never heard about Him before. As it was late, we said goodbye and returned to town. Before we left, I asked the people there, especially Mr. Bun if we could come back again. He said he would love us to return to his village and tell him and his people more about Jesus.

God healed the hurt and reconciled the villagers

We have noticed that only people from one part of the village came to Mr. Bun’s house to attend the Bible studies and fellowship. We didn’t know why and was not intended to ask anything about that yet. As one year has passed we feel that we should reach out to more people in the village rather than just Mr. Bun family and his neighbors. So we organized a Christmas program by inviting everyone in the village to come. We were not sure if they would turned up. As we were preparing for the program on the day, we saw people started coming, and 95% of the villagers turned up. We had a good time together even though there was some disruption from the government police. We got connected to more people and was invited to visit their homes. As we began to talk to more people in the village, we realized that the villagers are divided into three sections, the old villagers, the new comers and the former Khmer Rouge people. The old villagers always keep their wrath toward the former Khmer Rouge people as they felt that they have suffered so much under the rule of the regime. The former Khmer Rouge people also felt the same to the old villagers. Both the former Khmer Rouge people and the old villagers did not feel good toward the new comers as they felt that the new comer came to take their land and destroy their culture.

            As time went by, some people from the old villagers were also accepted Christ and attend the fellowship. People from the new part of the village were also attended the fellowship. But they didn’t sit together. They sing the same songs, worship the same God and hear the reading of the Word of God from the same Bible, they were not together.  It went on for a while until sometimes almost to the end of the second year, God made them sit together.

During the raining season, wind blew from different direction every Saturday. Some Saturday when it rain, the wind blew from the direction where the old villagers were sitting. So they have no choice but move toward where the former Khmer Rouge people were sitting and sat among them. The next Saturday, wind blew from where the new villagers were sitting, and the new villagers had to move to where the old villagers were sitting and sat with them. This happened the same to the former Khmer Rouge people. Slowly, without realizing they sat together as one group of people. They began to talk to each other, shared theirs though and had fun together. God healed the hurt in them and reconciled them. Praise be to God.

Now see each other as one. They travel on the same road, drink from the same wells. And most of all worshipping the same God.

Now Tropang Tem church attendant is 35 youth, 20 adults and 80 children. I pray that this church will grow stronger and will be the center to reach out to more villages around. We are now reaching out to 3 other villages around the area.

Please pray for us and the congregation of Tropang Tem Church.