Hi Summit,
We received our first update from Nguyen and Hong Tran in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Included is more information regarding the Cambodia ministry in Siem Reap as well as some prayer requests.
Update from Nguyen and Hong Tran:
– we are very busy and doing great, just not fully adapted to the heat, food and environment yet, but we will.
– we met with the FBI (Future Bright International school) authorities and discussed the progress of all our 5 students. They printed their records and gave us a copy. It was good and they are pleased with the students’s behaviour and academic progress at school.
– Nhi and Lieu are doing o.k. I noticed that when they work together, they talk a lot and take a long time to do their work. So I’ve asked them to take turns – one day cleaning, another day going to the market and cooking. I talked to Nhi and Lieu about their work at home. Lieu doesn’ t need to go to collect recycling, she helps with housework instead but Nhi has to collect recycling. She did not come to the Church last week because she was exhausted, working longer to earn enough money. We have decided to give her one more day to work on Sunday so she can stay with us and worship every Sunday. That means she will get 3 days from the work special funds and the other 4 days we will hire her cleaning and cooking for us, so we pay her from our pocket. We pay her the same amount and she will eat lunch with us to prepare for the school in the afternoon.
– The youth group is doing well on Saturday. We decided to eat together after the service every Saturday. The purpose is for them is to have a time of fellowship and team-building as they help each other. The only problem is Hoang can not come on Saturdays, so Hoang has Bible study class with me early on Sunday.
Youth Group, bible study and eating together!
– We purchased 5 bicycles and 4 children received them: Hoa, Nhi (cleaning girl), Lieu, and Thao. We said that we are ‘lending’ them to them, but we will give them to them before we come back to Canada next year.
Timothy with the five new bike’s. The bike’s are on loan to the children and will be given the bike’s at the end of the Tran’s ministry.
– We bought paint and Men, Thi, Timothy, Nguyen and I painted the school area. Now it looks bright and clean. My husband fixed the door lock of the school toilet too. The door can lock and open now. All the older kids helped to clean the school before we painted, so it was fun and the team work was great.
– Nguyen will teach Thi, Nhung & Ha to play the keyboard. Each of them have one hour each on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday every week. We’ll try with these students first and see how it goes before other kids join in.
– My English class is going well, Nhi and Lieu join us last week.
PLEASE PRAY!
– We will meet with Bill next week and please pray for us when we ask him to approve the budget of $1,500 US to replace the old, leaking roof of our school. (The roof will also have on it some material that will help insulate from the heat)
Tran’s meeting with Pastor Phearum of C&MA Psa Leu Church, Bill Lobezoo, Mike & Cindy Schmidt (C&MA International Workers Cambodia).
– We came to see pastor Phearum and invited his wife, their little boy, and his father to have lunch with us. We had a good time getting to know them. We are meeting Darren and Minako on Monday when we have a day off. So far we are pleased to meet all our partners and to understand each other’s ministry and work together as a team.
– With the help of Men, Thi & Timothy, Nguyen and I have visited the families of the children. We talked to them and gave them rice, noodles & fish sauce. They all welcomed us, chatting with us and we told them we will come back to see them again. This is a first step for us to build a relationship with these families with the hope of sharing the Gospel in the future.
Timothy with all the noodles, rice and fish sauce to be given to the Vietnamese families! Tham, Mot, Dao, Luu new home!
La’s home! Her mom receiving the food gift! Giau, Cua, Lam’s home. Dad receiving the gift of food.
– We also visited the young woman who has a baby with your formula gift and our gift to her.
– We also helped out a mother who just lost her baby boy a week ago. I personally have a passion with these mothers in need!
Love you!
Nguyen and Hong
Gerry and I saw Kim last week! She is doing well. She has her niece and nephew-in-law visiting from Calgary, her sister and niece from Bracebridge and a Japanese friend (who she knows from Cambodia) visiting her! She is busy and enjoying time with family.
She went on a retreat with some Vietnamese Churches and has connected with some of the GTA Vietnamese Churches. She will go to Alberta on July 25th and return end of August.
Blessings, Leah
