Big days out

This week has been a good adventure and learning time. I asked Pastor Sotha - who is the pastor in charge of provincial churches and training - if I could tag along on a provincial trip to see what is happening in the provinces. Here are a few pics and comments on my three days with Pastor Sotha and Chea, an evangelist who spends a huge amount of time on the road and in the bush.

First stop somewhere in Kompong Cham province - a group way out in the sticks whom Chea gets to once a month. We spent two hours here, meeting under the house of the family who host the meetings. There is a youngster in Phnom Penh who comes from this village and asked that an evangelist be sent here. That is how the majority of outreach works are established.

Pastor Sotha, a lovely somewhat shy man who has a great sense of humour and a great love for God. He was the very first convert in Phnom Penh, before New Life Fellowship was even a church.

Rubber trees by the zillions - huge tracts of forest are being cleared throughout the two provinces of Kratie and Mondukiri where we travelled. Mostly they ar Vietnamese conglomerates that take over the land on 99 year leases. If you live on the land and have title to your property, then mostly very sad for you.

Timber galore through Mondukiri - many, many sawmills and everywhere stacks of timber like this drying in the monsoon rains.

Stop number 2 - 20km north of Snoul, in Kratie Province. This is an 'emerging church' centre - a step up from an outreach point but not yet fully a church. The couple who live here have six children. He was the village drunk and a feared, violent man. Chea says that when he heard God's Word, he took hold of it radically, just devouring everything he could about Jesus. He is being trained to be a pastor.

Washing line - on Wednesday the twin-cab ute was loaded up with folk from the Kratie team (one ute: 16 people!) to witness in a remote wee village in the hills of Mondukiri. We had some real interesting times there - another story; more pics - I'm tired goodnight!!