One of the happiest moments that we experience in Cambodia is when we see the church bearing new fruit for Christ.  March 30 was a special Sunday because there were four young people to be baptized from the Takhmau church.  I first met these young people when I was appointed to the church last August.  Three of them have been helping with worship by playing the drums and guitars, and the other one attends worship regularly.  When the church committee members discussed where to go for the baptism, all of them wanted to go to the ocean, instead of some nearby water source.  Finally we decided to go Kep city in Kampot province, and of course, I ended up as the ‘honorable' driver to take them there.  I praise the Lord that not only did we have new fruit; I also thank God for His grace for this special day:

The distance from Phnom Penh to Kep is 174 Km. We left from the church at 6:20 a.m. (it should have been 6 a.m., but it took longer for the people to gather), and it took about 7 hours round trip. There were a total of 20 people (including me, of course) who participated in the worship and baptismal service.  All needed to pay US $2 for the food, and our church planter's wife, Sopheap, helped to cook the food for lunch.  When we arrived, we rented a place (just some mats laid on the pavement at the seaside) for our program. After a short worship time, we presented Bibles to the baptismal candidates.  Pastor Barnabas, our church planter, led them into the sea and baptized each one.  This picture reminded of me how John the Baptist baptized people in the river.  Afterwards, we had lunch together. Even though everyone just got one, or most two, pieces of chicken with rice, we all enjoyed the atmosphere, which was simple, though wonderful.  Everyone enjoyed so much being together.  They then played soccer on the beach, went swimming and chatted happily.  I could feel the grace of God and the fellowship of the brotherhood in God's family.  Particularly, I had some time to talk to Barnabas' son, Sophanny, who is studying at the Bible school in the last year (he may have one more year of advanced study if his scores are up to the requirement).  He shared his dreams, fears and future plans with me so that we could encourage each other.  Definitely, God is gracious to grant all of us this amazing trip, to experience His protection in the weather, the traffic and the program. Last but not least, we got back to the church by 5:30 p.m. that they could be on time for dinner at home.

The opportunity to share our faith with non-Christians

During the time that the group was playing soccer on the beach, I went to a restaurant for a glass of iced coffee (it was very hot at the beach).  I was the only customer there, and the waiter came to serve me.  After he served me with the coffee, he and his colleague sat down and chatted with me.  When they knew that I worked with a church, he asked how I became a Christian.  I was a little worried about using my Khmer to present my faith, but God was good to grant me and them the patience for the whole conversation.  The waiter asked me lots of questions similar to those that we encounter in Hong Kong, such as Buddha was born long before Jesus, so how come Jesus is God?  Another question was about the fact that we cannot meet Jesus face to face like the Buddhists think that they ‘contact' their god readily at the temple, so how do we know Jesus is real?  Even though they did not accept Jesus as Savior at that moment, I thank God that He let me have this wonderful experience of sharing His grace in a public place instead of inside a church.  It also reminds me of what I Peter 3:15 states "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  I still need to work hard to prepare myself on how to share the ‘Good News' in a different culture.

We never know what will happen in the future, but God will fulfill His purpose in His time.

1.  The new baptized members' faith and growth in the Spirit

2.  During the Khmer New Year (April 13-15), many people will go back to their hometowns and worship at the Buddhist temple.  May God protect the local Christians to have a good witness when they visit their families

3.  Pray for the Bible School teacher from Phnom Penh Bible School, who will teach New Testament to our students at the Boys Dorm from April 24 to mid July.  So far we have nine students registered.  May God's Word touch their hearts and nourish their faith.

4.  Continue to pray about the high inflation and the coming election for Prime Minister in July

5.  Pray for our churches to bear more fruit for the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:17

Davis Lam

Cambodia Mail Address: P.O Box 602, Phnom Penh, Cambodia