A Cup of Cold Water

At the beginning of this month I had just arrived in Singapore to begin a time of learning and serving. I spent a little over a week in Singapore (with a quick overnight trip to Malaysia) before I attended the Angkor of Faith camp in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I am overwhelmed by the way that God has blessed the experiences I have just had, and I would like to share as much of that feeling as possible with you.

In Singapore we spent a great deal of time visiting temples, shrines and churches to learn about the religious and cultural history of Singapore. I was struck by how strongly I felt darkness in so many of the places where people gather to worship idols. And I was so encouraged by God's peace and His presence in the places where people gather to worship him.

I was blessed by the time that we spent worshiping with the Geylang Church of Christ on our first Sunday in Singapore. We were also blessed by the love, joy and generosity of the youth of the churches in Singapore. The youth from several churches meets together for a time of worship and fellowship on Saturday evening; we had the chance to join this group. I was amazed by their passion for serving God, loving one another and praising our Savior -- it was definitely an encouraging time for me.

On our second Sunday in Singapore we worshiped with the Bedok Church of Christ. I was so nourished by my time with those brothers and sisters. After services our group shared a little about God's work in Japan, which was hopefully a time of encouragement for our Singaporean family.

Our time in Siem Reap was amazing! The theme of our camp was "a cup of cold water" because it is a simple thing, but also something that everyone needs -- like love. With that in mind we tried to share a cup of cold water with the kids that we met there. We provided lunch and activities for over 100 children for 3 afternoons.


The biggest surprise for me was to find that the most obvious need that these kids had was not for food or clothes or money, but for love. They asked for those materials things, but what kept them coming back everyday was hugs, smiles, kind words and love. The surprising part of that realization was when I remembered that those are the same basic things that bring people to Christ in Japan, in America, in Europe -- God's love is what everyone wants the most, even if they don't know how to ask for it.

I am sure that somehow God will use the time that our group spent in Siem Reap serving those kids as a blessing for them, maybe a seed of faith in their hearts. I also saw God using the time to build relationships among the young Christians and seekers from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and North America. But more than that, I know that God has used this camp to grow my faith, refresh my spirit and draw me closer to him.

Please pray . . .

~that God will provide the children of Siem Reap with some source of his perfect love to fulfill their most important need, and that he will find a way to lead each of them to their place in his family.

~that God will make a way for the people of Cambodia to overcome the historical, political, religious and personal obstacles that stand between their hearts and his.

~a praise to God for the time that our group of youth had to fellowship and serve together, and that he will continue to use that memory and our relationships to bless each of us.

~a praise for and a blessing on all the wonderful people in Singapore who took such good care of me, Judith, Michi and Gaku (Anne, Patrick, Meagan, Krystal, Pak Fook, Kevin, Kenneth, Joel and many more).

~that God will use the experiences I have just had to make me stronger in him and in the work he wants me to do.

~that God will continue to pursue each of the hearts of the people in Japan and that they will hear his call.