Mission Spotlight: Battambang, Cambodia pt. 2
Medical Missionary Team and Waldensian School Visit
A group of high school and junior high school students from Korea came with a handful of doctors from Korea and the US. While the students worked on a building project, five medical doctors ran a free clinic. The doctors worked four days in Battambang Church, one day in Chheuteal Church and one day in Thmor Kol Literacy School. We had over 700 patients came for the treatments within a week and many were touched by the kind service by the Korean medical team. One doctor who initially planned to come but couldn’t join at the last minute provided medicines, blood pressure cuffs and pulse monitors for the Battambang UCI center. Twenty-seven young students and four school staff helped to build classrooms at the Thmor Kol Literacy School. They also provided VBS program for the students while they were building. Fifteen Cambodian volunteers came from APU (formerly known as Thailand Mission College), and all throughout Cambodia to help the foreign missionaries.
When the missionaries went back to Korea many of us got busy taking care of the patients who needed extra care and visitation. Although it was and is our privilege to serve the sick, there is no doubt we are in desperate need of medical professionals here. We welcome short and long term missionaries.
Urban Center of Influence
Music Class
Classes resumed in the fall. A few more students joined the music class. The first batch of violin students, ages ranging from 4 to 7, are now able to play the “Twinkle” variations. This is a huge milestone, as the students took a while to learn to hold the bow with their tiny wobbly hands. The music students will have their first recital in the coming months.
English, Korean and Computer Classes
We lowered the price for the English classes (before $8, now $3 per month) and many more students joined. We also opened a computer class for beginners. One mother came to our center asking if we can teach her children the Bible in English! We gladly accepted the request and this class has grown to eight students. God is bringing more people to us and we are thankful for these precious souls to whom we get to minister.
The UCI Building
Our building isn’t finished yet. Many obstacles arose and we know for certain that the enemy doesn’t want this building to be completed because many people will come to know Jesus through ministries done in this building. Long story short, the subcontractor did a poor job with the outside wall stucco and painting. The supervisor, a fellow veteran missionary called him out on his mistakes and when the subcontractor realized he would have to do the work again (and lose time and money), he just quit. We are praying that the Lord will send skilled workers to help us with the building. There is much work to be done here and the time is short. If you know of anyone that is skilled in building and would like to volunteer time and/or resources, please let us know.
Church Planter Training
The 5th regional church planter training was held on September 5th. Seventeen church planters (similar to elders in the US) came and learned about homiletics and Bible study preparation for the ordinance of humility and the communion service, and the structure of our Seventh-day Advent Church as outlined in the church manual.
The Battambang City Church
Evangelistic Series
SAUM Youth Department, in conjunction with Cambodia Adventist Mission Youth Department organized an evangelistic series in Battambang from October 4 to 7. Preparation for the evangelistic meeting began over a year ago. Bible workers went from door to door inviting people to study the Bible. Our bible workers worked tirelessly to lead out small group and individual Bible studies. As the evangelistic meeting date approached we prepared the meeting hall with lights and chairs. We hung colorful banners that reflected the theme of the message that Pastor Francis Amer would present. The Cambodia Adventist Mission Youth Department gathered volunteers to help the meeting and many people from Oddar Meanchey, Pursat, and Siem Reap provinces came to help. When the day finally came, there were more than two hundred people waiting to hear the message. Neighboring local church members and church leaders brought their friends, families and students from their town to the meeting. When Pastor Francis appealed for a decision to follow Jesus, many people stood up to testify their desire to learn more about Jesus and become His follower. On the last day of the meeting series, three precious souls gave their lives to God and received baptism.
Church members
We absolutely love our church! Each week all four of us eagerly wait for Sabbath to come because we want to see all of our church members. The number of people attending our church has increased drastically within the past month, mainly because a group of children started coming to our church. Initially we had about twenty or so children that came to Sabbath School weekly. They all lived in one “apartment” complex (very run down, but later we realized it’s considered decent here) and one of the ladies that live there, comes to our church time to time. We also have elderly people that come a long distance to come to our church. We have many university students in our church. We love our church! Have we mentioned before that we have the best fellowship meal in the whole country of Cambodia? Come visit us on any Sabbath ☺
More Children
Recently we found out about a neighborhood that is probably the poorest in our city. So we asked the children in this neighborhood if they would like to come to our church. All thirty or so of them wanted to come. During evangelistic meeting many of them walked to church because we were a little late in picking them up. (Shame on us for being late. These precious children walked almost two miles under the beating sun to come to the evangelistic series) On the following week after the evangelism these children just showed up at the church. They came by foot again. When asked why, they said “We thought you had church every night. We wanted to come to church.” Their reply brought tears to our eyes. On Sabbaths many of them come by foot to come to church early.
New Sanctuary
With fifty or so children and a little over thirty adults, we now have a large congregation. We can’t worship in our small tree-house church anymore, so we now worship in the unfinished UCI building. It’s just concrete walls and floors, but we are glad to have this space for all eighty of us to worship together.
Children’s Choir
We wanted to do something more for the children so in addition to meeting on Sabbaths, we decided to meet on Sunday mornings. One Adventist church in Cambodia had a sign that read “Seven Day Church.” We have become a seven-day church because we are open all seven days a week now. On Sundays Abby and a group of young people teach singing to the children, let them play at church, and provide food afterwards. Just like on Sabbath, many children walk to church for the choir practice because they are eager to come to church. With their falling-apart flip flops they walk almost two miles to come to church because they truly love to be at church. These children bring so much joy to our lives.
The Van
Yes, we finally bought a van! After many hours of searching on the internet and many trips to car dealers, we finally purchased a van! This is truly an answer to prayer because we were in dire need of a van. The fifty children mentioned above get picked up by two modes of transportation, one tuk tuk and our SUV. You will note in the picture below that the children are about to fall out of the tuk tuk. In the 5-seat passenger SUV, we usually fit 14 to 17 people. Even then, we had to make several trips to transport all the children. With a 12-passenger van, we’ll probably be able to fit 30 children in one ride. We still need another van to bring them to church with one trip. We’d like to mention Sahmyook University International Church, Donggureung SDA Church in Korea and friends in the US for their generous donation and support!
Khmer Bible College (Missionary College)
We are excited share with you that by God’s grace we bought the first piece of land for the Khmer Bible College on October 26. We’ve been praying for a missionary college in Cambodia for more than a year and God has blessed with a 2.5 hectares of land. Cambodia needs a Bible college to train young people for missionary works in Cambodia and beyond. We hope to purchase the remainder of land soon, get permit for the school, start farming and building on the land, etc. 
We’ve only been here for a year, yet our hearts are broken into pieces with their pain. The yoke of Jesus is a great yoke, but a joyous one to bear. We are reminded each day that e ourselves need Jesus. Thank you for your prayers. It is through many people’s prayers that we are here. If you were to come and see what we do from day to day, you’ll see that it’s not much. We’re not Hudson Taylor or J.N. Andrews. On the outside we’re just two ordinary short n’ skinny Koreans, but on the inside we live on cloud nine being ambassadors for the King of kings, Lord of lords. Priceless salary! Benefit package is out of this world! Work satisfaction guaranteed! And our Boss hiring right now, at your very location ☺
Prayer request:
• Revival and reformation within us and the Cambodia Adventist Church
• Completion of the Battambang Urban Center of Influence building
• Securing the land for Khmer Bible College
• Missionary teams for 2018 (short and long term)
• Cambodia pastors and church planters
If you are interested in giving a donation you can choose one of the following ways: Wire the funds to ASAP Ministries bank account:
Bank Name: CHEMICAL BANK
Address: 9190 U.S. Highway 31, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-1652
Phone: USA (269) 471-7749
Account No.: 4520046477
Routing Number: 072410013
*Please email Amy at ASAP Ministries and notify her of the amount of fund you have wired for Battambang Project. Her email address is amy.montevilla@asapministries.org
or
Send the check to:
ASAP Ministries
P.O. Box 84
Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0084
* please make a note that your donation is for Battambang Project. Thank you!
We thank you always for your prayer and support! Maranatha!
Pastor MC Shin and his family, currently serve in Battambang, Cambodia.