Participants:
Series Code: ASAP
Program Code: ASAP000003
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00:46 Located in the hearts of Southeast Asia,
00:49 the country of Cambodia is a wonderful example 00:53 of God's grace, providence and amazing love. 00:59 It is also a remarkable illustration 01:02 of how the prophecy of Jesus found in Matthew 24 01:06 is being dramatically fulfilled in our time. 01:12 Sitting on the Mount of Olives almost 2,000 years ago, 01:16 Jesus said "And this gospel of the kingdom 01:19 shall be preached in all the world 01:22 for a witness unto all nations, 01:24 and then shall the end come." 01:28 Until very recently Cambodia was a country 01:31 that was resisting the power of these words of Jesus. 01:36 Over the centuries, Christianity has made 01:39 very little progress in Cambodia. 01:42 People were steeped in Buddhism 01:44 and found the ideas of Christianity 01:47 foreign and strange. 01:50 However, all of that was about to change. 01:53 When civil war and chaos broke out in Cambodia in 1975, 01:59 thousands of people fled to refugee camps 02:02 along the boarders of Thailand. 02:05 It was here that they not only found salvation 02:08 from their physical enemies 02:10 but also a new message of hope 02:12 for spiritual salvation as well. 02:16 Judy Aitken, founder of ASAP along with her family 02:21 and dedicated relief workers and nurses 02:24 were there to minister to these suffering souls. 02:28 As they cared for their physical needs, 02:31 they also told them about a creator God 02:33 that love them enough to come to this earth 02:36 and die for their eternal salvation. 02:39 As these new believers 02:41 trickled back to Cambodia during the 1990s, 02:45 they began to share their new found faith 02:47 with their friends and relatives. 02:50 With support from dedicated ASAP donors 02:53 many new church groups were established 02:56 and the seeds of Christianity were sown far and wide 03:00 throughout the country. 03:17 Pol Pot and the killing fields and all of the horrors 03:22 that took place in 1970s and 1980s, 03:25 actually created a hunger among the Cambodian people. 03:29 They were looking for something new. 03:31 Buddhism was discredited in their eyes 03:33 and they were open and thirsty and hungry 03:35 looking for a new something 03:39 and Christianity is filling that in powerful ways 03:42 and they are responding in ways that are just incredible. 03:48 Linda and I went to Cambodia in 1997. 03:51 We stayed there till the end of 2000 03:53 and then I came back here to the seminary. 03:55 And after coming back 03:56 it's exciting to hear the things 03:58 that God is doing and continues to do 04:00 in that part of the world. 04:02 I think one of the most exciting things has been 04:04 to see the incredible growth of the church in Phnom Penh. 04:09 It's a city of about a million people 04:11 and when I left 04:12 we had one major church in a couple of small companies 04:15 and now they have just mushroomed 04:16 and there are over 20 churches and lot of companies 04:21 and they have lot of people working there. 04:23 So that has been very exciting. 04:25 And before I left we basically did things 04:28 in personal evangelism small house Bible studies. 04:32 Since I left they have had 04:33 several large public evangelistic series 04:36 with thousands of people in attendance 04:39 and hundreds of baptisms. 04:41 That's pretty exciting 04:42 to see happening in a Buddhist country. 04:49 When I first came the idea was to push out 04:53 as widely as possible into as many provinces 04:57 and that was good up to a point because at that time 05:01 we had relative freedom in getting into other provinces. 05:05 Now it's more difficult because the authorities 05:08 don't want to see more Christian churches established. 05:13 And so where you haven't established presence-- 05:17 there isn't a real problem. 05:19 If you are going into a brand new area, 05:22 then it would be more difficult today 05:24 than it was five years ago. 05:26 For the last 10 years or so 05:27 we've been working mainly in rural areas 05:31 and not much attention given to the city work. 05:34 And so we have thought now its time 05:36 that we should look at a city seriously 05:41 and device a plan 05:42 where by we can do evangelism for the city people. 05:46 Now in 2005 we have 61 groups worshiping in Phnom Penh. 05:53 And some of those have developed into churches, 05:56 others are progressing that way. 05:59 We have approximately 3,000 members in Phnom Penh 06:03 instead of the 500 or 600 we had in 2000. 06:06 And also as a result of that 06:08 our tithe base increased 25% last year 06:11 and that's from local tithe. 06:13 So that was a good indication 06:14 that some progress was being made. 06:18 People who are working don't take a walk by looking at them. 06:22 This is relatively easy here and that's so refreshing 06:26 compared with some other parts of the world 06:28 that been in where to get people 06:29 out of the pew is so difficult 06:32 because they thing that's what church is and really it's not. 06:37 And it's marvelous to be able to see these people 06:41 who had such a traumatic background 06:43 develop into strong Christians, with a strong desire 06:48 to prepare as many people as possible before Jesus comes. 06:51 As soon as the person is baptized 06:52 we're teaching them to witness to others 06:55 and then we put them to work. 06:57 I mean that's the only way to keep the members in church 06:59 and that's we've done and continue to do. 07:02 So we would train them 07:03 and then they would go out again, 07:05 make visitations, get to know people, 07:08 their neighbors, their friends, 07:09 basically friendship evangelism. 07:11 Friendship evangelism is the best method 07:14 to approach the Buddhist people 07:16 in the city of Phnom Penh. 07:18 Cambodian is one country that really needs friendship. 07:23 And we cannot approach people without making friends first. 07:28 Because Cambodia is a war-torn country 07:32 that suffered from the war for almost 20 years, 07:35 people are open to what we call the new era. 07:38 That is why Christianity can come to Phnom Penh city 07:42 and people open their mind to accept it. 07:45 The way of personal evangelism 07:47 from one to one, from house to house, 07:50 from one community to one community 07:52 that we can spread out 07:54 and we can approach the Buddhist people. 07:57 Buddhist people in Cambodia they open heart 08:00 because they have suffered for a long time. 08:02 And then it is a good time for us to tell people, 08:05 because we worship the wrong god 08:08 and then we suffer. 08:09 And right now we found the true God 08:11 and the true God can help the people. 08:13 We see a good change with their life 08:16 before they become Christians, some steal, 08:19 and some make problems in family. 08:21 When they become Christian they become calm person, 08:24 they are not cruel like before. 08:25 Yeah, they don't go to drink 08:27 and they don't go to do bad things. 08:30 And the family become more happier than they was. 08:37 We've developed so quickly 08:39 that we've had to change our planning 08:42 in order to keep up with events. 08:44 In 2002, we began a pioneer program in Phnom Penh. 08:49 We selected 60 young people 08:52 and they were really the backbone 08:55 of the evangelistic program in Phnom Penh. 08:58 They work under the direction of three district pastors 09:02 and the district pastors were training them everyday. 09:05 Here with the mission, we were training everyday. 09:08 One hour, two hours the morning, 09:09 in the afternoons, in the evenings, 09:11 especially they would be out 09:13 and that's where they would get 09:15 their Bible studies, they contact. 09:18 By the time we had our first evangelistic program 09:21 in Phnom Penh we had about 2,500 people 09:25 studying the Bible at that time. 09:34 With the training that these lay Bible workers received 09:38 and through the support that has been provided by ASAP 09:42 many have now become powerful church planters for Christ. 09:47 Listen, as some of these new workers for Jesus 09:50 tell their story. 09:57 If you compare my life now 09:59 to my life before I became a Christian, 10:01 it is as different as the sky is from the earth. 10:05 I was a soldier and used to be very greedy, 10:09 but God has completely changed me. 10:12 He has turned my greediness 10:13 into satisfaction for what I have. 10:16 He has turned my hopelessness and sorrow into real joy. 10:21 Now all I want to do is 10:22 serve Him energetically for the rest of my life. 10:26 I thank God for the opportunity to be a church planter. 10:31 I love to tell others about the joy and peace 10:33 that God has brought to my heart. 10:36 He has now worked some of the same miracles 10:38 in the lives of my friends and neighbors. 10:42 We have witnessed the power of God, 10:44 cast out demons and healed the sick. 10:46 Please pray for us as we now start 10:49 many new groups in our area. 10:54 I first began to know God 10:55 when my husband fell sick with cancer. 10:58 We had tried everything but he had gotten better. 11:01 My husband knew about the God of heaven 11:04 and together we prayed 11:05 that He would send someone to help us. 11:09 It was shortly after that prayer 11:10 that Pastor Hondura and his wife 11:12 started coming to our home. 11:15 They told us more about the true God 11:17 and then prayed for my husband. 11:19 And answer to that prayer I am so happy to say 11:22 that my husband got better. 11:25 I realized that the God of heaven 11:27 is much more powerful than any other god or medicine. 11:32 I decided to give my life to Him 11:34 and I have followed His ways ever since. 11:38 I also have decided 11:39 that I want to serve Him for the rest of my life 11:42 and to spread the good news throughout Cambodia 11:45 with all my heart and strength. 11:48 I have become a church planter for God 11:50 and with Him is my partner. 11:52 I have started eight small groups 11:54 as well as three larger groups. 11:57 It brings me the greatest joy 11:59 when I see my students accept God 12:01 and believe in Him. 12:03 Today, we have 90 baptized members in our groups 12:07 and many more who are still learning about Him. 12:10 I am extremely happy to serve Him. 12:18 Before I became a Christian I was a taxi driver. 12:21 One day I gave a ride 12:22 to a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. 12:25 As we traveled together he told me about Jesus 12:28 and invited me to come to his church on Sabbath. 12:32 God came into my heart and changed me. 12:35 I used to speak with rudeness to people 12:37 but with the peace of God in my heart 12:40 I now speak with kindness and respect. 12:43 I was so happy that I decided that 12:45 I want to become a fulltime worker for God 12:48 and tell many people about how God has changed my life. 12:53 The people in my district are very poor. 12:56 They have to work hard just to make enough money to eat, 12:59 so they do not have a lot of time to study. 13:02 Many of them have to travel 13:03 all of the way into the city to find work 13:06 and they do not get home until late. 13:08 But then God gave me the idea 13:10 to start some small industries right here in their village 13:14 so that I could talk to them about God as we work together. 13:20 In one of our industries we make charcoal. 13:23 Poor people all over Cambodia 13:25 who cannot afford expensive medicines 13:28 have discovered the many ways 13:29 that charcoal can help with certain illnesses 13:33 and they place their orders with us. 13:37 In this small village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, 13:41 our group has now grown to 44 members 13:44 and we are no longer able to fit 13:46 into our small place of worship. 13:49 Please pray for us that we will be able to buy a piece of land 13:52 and build a church for God's new believers in this area. 13:59 I was a business woman and sold clothes in the market. 14:04 Even though I was a devote Buddhist 14:06 and kept all of the ceremonies, 14:08 I still had so much sorrow in my life. 14:11 A woman used to come and visit me 14:13 and as we became friends, 14:14 I noticed that she was very happy. 14:17 When I asked her why she was so happy, 14:20 she told me about Jesus and His love for us. 14:24 She gave me a song book 14:25 that had many songs about Jesus. 14:28 As I learned to sing those songs 14:29 I gave my heart to Jesus 14:31 and the Holy Spirit took all my sadness away. 14:36 I decided that I wanted to work for God. 14:39 I began by volunteering as a literacy teacher 14:42 helping my neighbors to learn how to read. 14:45 Then one day in church I heard the pastor announced 14:48 that the mission was looking for people 14:49 to apply for positions as church planters. 14:53 I was very happy to begin my training 14:55 and start many Bible studies in my neighborhood. 14:59 The people here are very busy trying to work 15:02 at many different jobs to make a living, 15:05 but they still make time for me 15:07 when I come to visit them. 15:10 We study the Bible together and then we have prayer. 15:14 So many of them are infected with HIV 15:18 and they always ask me to pray 15:19 that God will preserve their health. 15:22 They also pray for peace in their family and rice to eat. 15:27 I wish to thank our ASAP family in the USA 15:31 that are helping to sponsor God's work here in Cambodia. 15:35 Please pray for me as I visit the people here. 15:38 I want the people to know the kind of peace and joy 15:41 that I've found in Jesus. 15:43 By God's grace I want to rise up many more small groups. 15:50 Before I became a Christian I used to smoke and drink 15:53 and I was not very kind to my wife. 15:57 But then a lay Bible worker started visiting our home 16:00 and told us about the God of heaven. 16:04 After I accepted Jesus in my heart my life changed 16:07 and I became a new person. 16:10 Now I've become a church planter 16:13 and I live and work here in this district of Phnom Penh. 16:17 The people who live here are very poor, 16:20 but I have found that they are hungry 16:22 for a message of hope and peace. 16:25 I visit them, I make friends with them, 16:27 I leave them tracks to read 16:29 and then I come back and ask them 16:31 if they have any questions about what they have read. 16:35 Many people have accepted Jesus and have been baptized. 16:39 Please pray for the poor people here in this neighborhood. 16:42 They really need the love of God in their lives. 16:51 One of the things that stand out in my mind 16:53 about my last visit to Cambodia 16:56 was the slums of Phnom Penh. 16:59 I honestly have never seen such terrible conditions. 17:03 The slums are nestled right in the middle of the city. 17:08 I remember walking down 17:09 these narrow alleys with these two pastors. 17:12 The smell, the poverty was so overwhelming. 17:17 I followed the pastors as they went 17:19 into the small dark little church. 17:23 There were a lot of people sitting in the church, 17:26 but the thing that impressed me the most 17:28 was their expressions on their faces 17:31 and how much they love Jesus. 17:33 They were singing the songs with great love and great joy, 17:37 yet as I looked at their faces 17:39 I can see that they suffer very much. 17:41 Many of them 17:42 probably don't have enough food to eat in a day. 17:46 I looked at one mother, they are sitting in the church 17:49 feeding her baby and I can see that 17:52 what she was feeding looked like rice water. 17:56 Later I asked this mother what she fed her baby 17:59 and she said that 18:00 because she doesn't have enough food herself, 18:03 she doesn't have any milk to feed the baby 18:06 therefore she's trying to give the baby rice water. 18:10 The pastors, the Bible workers in this area 18:14 have a lot of compassion for their people. 18:17 They don't have much funds, that they are appealing to us 18:21 to help them to have some rice for the children, to have milk 18:26 and formula to give the destitute 18:28 suffering malnourished children and babies. 18:31 They are asking us for help 18:33 and this is our opportunity to show God's love to them. 18:43 In one of the poor slum areas where I was at, 18:45 I noticed this little girl 18:47 holding her baby brother on her hip. 18:51 The expression on her face was a great sadness 18:55 and so I asked the lay Bible worker about this little girl, 18:58 he told me that her mother had been a lady 19:01 that had become a strong believer in God 19:03 and she had always brought the little girl 19:05 and the baby to the church 19:07 but the mother had gotten a disease 19:10 and suddenly passed away. 19:11 The father did not know what to do, 19:13 not having any relatives in the area 19:16 and so he left this little girl for ten hours a day 19:19 to take care of her baby brother. 19:22 And I could see that she really love this baby 19:26 that she was doing everything she could 19:27 to take care of the baby, 19:29 yet the baby was dirty, she was dirty, 19:32 their clothes were just threadbare clothes 19:35 and I thought to myself, 19:36 how can this little girl take care of this baby brother. 19:40 And it was then that kind church members 19:43 offer to put their merger money together 19:47 to buy some formula for the baby. 19:49 Without this help the baby would not have lived. 19:52 I would really like to thank our donors 19:54 who have so generously given 19:56 to help destitute hungry people have rice to eat. 20:00 Especially at this time we are seeing terrible floods 20:03 devastate the rice harvest. 20:05 Seventy percent of rice fields in Cambodia 20:09 have been destroyed by the floods this fall 20:11 and so we are so grateful for the help 20:15 that our donors have been able to give 20:17 to provide rice and food for hungry flood victims 20:21 and also for children and the poor of Phnom Penh. 20:25 ASAP continues to have a very strong 20:29 supportive role in Cambodia. 20:32 We just finished the ASAP board meeting 20:34 and we've ordered 20:35 over a $170,000 for this coming year. 20:38 Now just because we've voted it, 20:39 it doesn't mean that the money is there. 20:41 We depend on, on viewers 20:43 and we depend on supporters 20:45 to send in their monthly contributions 20:47 to help these things take place. 20:49 Well, some other things that are coming up, 20:51 church planters, 20:52 a big portion of the money goes to church planters 20:56 who will go to the village or to work in various parts 20:59 of un-entered areas in Phnom Penh. 21:02 It continues to supply Bibles, Bible lessons, song books 21:08 so that the new believers have access to information 21:11 about Jesus Christ 21:12 and we continue to help with evangelism, 21:15 public evangelism. 21:16 So it's very much focused on bringing people, 21:19 the good news about Jesus Christ. 21:21 I just hold up my hands, you know, sometimes 21:24 I think you know, what's happening. 21:26 We can't keep up with it. 21:28 The work is progressing so fast, so quickly 21:32 that it outstripping the administer ability 21:35 to take care of everything. 21:36 And so there's an enormous burden on the administration 21:41 to try and devise ways and means 21:44 of keeping within a relatively small budget 21:47 which we can maintain and caring for the people 21:52 who come into the church. 21:54 Through ASAP of course this has meant 21:56 that we've been able to finance a lot of things 22:00 which we would not have financed, 22:02 had we not have that money. 22:04 We can't be thankful enough to the donors, 22:07 the support to the mission. 22:09 Sixty percent of our total budget 22:11 comes from donors overseas. 22:14 To support the church planters 22:16 is our greatest need at this time. 22:18 And that currently we have about 22:20 80 church planters in the country. 22:22 I hope that we don't have to drop 22:24 any of the church planters 22:25 because they are forming the backbone of our outreach 22:29 under the district leaders. 22:30 We only have 12 district pastors 22:33 and that's not a bad number to work with 22:35 and that's the number Jesus started with. 22:38 But what we want to try and do 22:39 is with each of those district pastors 22:42 placed 10 church planters under their direction, 22:45 so that each pastor will have responsibility for training, 22:48 10 to 12 church planters. 22:51 Those church planters will be responsible 22:54 for up to 10 small groups that they can work with. 22:58 And so this way 22:59 with a small co-work force of district pastors 23:03 larger group of church planters 23:05 we can cover 1,200 groups under this particular scheme 23:09 without adding too much of a burden 23:12 on the financial budget. 23:14 So that's the sort of scope we're working at, 23:16 it means a lot of hard work 23:18 but the people are ready for it. 23:21 The newly baptized people, they are anxious to get on. 23:24 There's a tremendous enthusiasm for developing the work. 23:29 So, yes, thank you very much for all the donations. 23:32 Every penny that is sent 23:34 is put straight into the project 23:36 that is designated for 23:38 and it gives you tremendous encouragement to know 23:41 that you have that backing. 23:46 Hi. 23:47 I'm the new development director at ASAP 23:50 but I'm not new to ASAP. 23:53 I grew up in Thailand helping in the refugee camps 23:56 right along side my parents. 23:58 I remember the act the giving was an everyday part of living 24:02 since my mom Judy Aitken had us kids 24:04 regularly involved in passing out Bibles, 24:07 clothes and food to those in need. 24:11 But it wasn't until my sophomore year in college 24:14 that my passion for ASAP's ministry grew 24:17 because of the trip I made back to Cambodia. 24:20 On that trip it amazed me 24:23 to see the same Cambodian pastors 24:26 that I knew when I was a little girl 24:28 in those Thai refugee camps 24:30 now working throughout their home country 24:33 leading a swift growing movement for Christ. 24:36 I realized that if it weren't for God 24:38 working through ASAP, 24:40 these pastors along with 50 lay Bible workers 24:44 and 70 church planters 24:46 would not have the incredible opportunity 24:48 of spreading God's love to the 11 million people 24:52 in their predominantly Buddhist country. 24:55 Please pray for these pastors and church planters 24:59 as they prepare for a wave of evangelistic meetings 25:02 that will take place this December. 25:05 I think it's very appropriate 25:06 that on ASAP's 10th year anniversary, 25:10 these Cambodian church planters 25:12 prayerfully set a goal of planting 25:14 10 new churches each this year 25:17 that 700 churches planted. 25:20 You know, my heart is touched each day 25:22 by miracles happening in Cambodia. 25:25 I get chills each time I hear of a child 25:28 given the chance to learn how to read for the first time 25:31 because of the literacy schools 25:33 ASAP help sponsored or receiving her first Bible 25:37 or surrendering her life to Jesus 25:40 because ASAP is so essential 25:43 to the spreading of the gospel in Cambodia 25:46 and other countries in Southeast Asia. 25:49 We can be proud to say 25:50 we support it with our prayers and funds. 25:54 Did you know you can provide a Bible 25:57 for one of these new believers in Cambodia for only $5? 26:01 Our church planters hope to receive 35,000 Bibles 26:05 this year to share with their new members. 26:07 It cost $100 a month to sponsor to one church planter, 26:11 making it possible for them to spread Jesus love 26:14 and only $550 to build a whole church. 26:18 I invite each of you watching to join the ASAP family today 26:23 and make a huge difference for Christ. 26:26 I would love to get to know you 26:28 and help you get to know 26:30 that joy of changing lives for eternity. 26:40 The rapid growth of the church in Cambodia is truly inspiring. 26:46 It is almost as though a parable of Jesus 26:49 has turned into a prophecy 26:51 and He's having a remarkable fulfillment 26:54 in the slums of Phnom Penh. 26:57 One day as Jesus sat at the table 26:59 in the home of a prominent Pharisee 27:02 He told a story of a wealthy man 27:04 who decided to have a banquet and invite his friends. 27:09 When all of his friends refused the invitation 27:12 because they were too busy to come 27:15 the wealthy man said to his servant 27:17 go quickly into the streets and alleys 27:19 and bring in the poor, the crippled, 27:22 the blind and the lame. 27:25 As we witness the poor and disabled of Cambodia 27:29 responding with eagerness 27:31 to the invitation to heavens banquet table 27:34 may we be inspired to partner with the ASAP church planters 27:39 with our prayers and support. 27:43 To find out more about the exiting things 27:46 that are happening in Southeast Asia 27:48 and to find out what you can do 27:50 to help God's workers in Cambodia, 27:53 please write and ask for a free ASAP newsletter. 27:57 Thank you for your many prayers and kind support. |
Revised 2014-12-17