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University Students’ Retreat
As I have been in Cambodia for years, my mind sometimes associates 'Retreat' with 'a time to have fun.' Every year, we keep on reminding the young people that they should not only focus on where to go and have fun, but use this opportunity to have fellowship in the Lord. Maybe I am so narrow-minded to put these two things in contrast. Honestly speaking, I am not so happy to spend a lot of money on traveling afar in order to have a 'happy atmosphere' for retreat. However, I must remember that we can not expect they will have the same mind-set as I would were I in Hong Kong. September 25-26, our university students organized a retreat which was different from that of last year.
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| Retreat Camp participants |
Travel Bus |
Beach |
The participants
Since I get exhausted after driving for hours to reach the seaside, I told Mark, our dormitory supervisor, to hire a larger bus instead of a smaller one and using my truck as well. Consequently, we hired a 45-seat big bus to take 50 people to this camp. Actually, we only have 20 students right now - the extra participants were our former students, along with some of their family members or close friends, and even some of the prospective scholarship candidates. At first, I was not so happy about that set up because it could become a big party instead of an internal fellowship. However, what I figured out was that they really had a ‘money-saving’ mentality to make every dollar count for the good of the majority. Actually, the more participants, the more administration and preparation were required. Anyway, I admire Mark and his helpers who served the big group of people with joy and patience. Moreover, it’s marvelous that our mission budget only contributed $280, which provided 5 meals, one night's lodging and the transportation for the whole camp (of course, they also needed to pay some too). In the end, we even saved $20 from the overall budget.
The purpose of the retreat
Mark wanted to invite the graduates in order to encourage the students through their experiences. Also, we've observed that once the students have graduated, they've been facing lots of difficulties and temptations. Many work in the city and some no longer go to church. Some have even 'disappeared' so that we no longer have contact with them. There is a real need to network with them and let them have an opportunity to support each other. In addition, the other young people can also be motivated to study hard in order to survive in adverse environments (high unemployment rate, corruption, materialism….)
The program
Most of the time was for fun; they stayed and played on the beach for almost 4 hours the first day. The following morning, we had worship, sharing and praying time for 2 hours. One of our students, Darath, shared about God’s wondrous guidance for him to enter our scholarship program, which he had thought was impossible owing to his sickness and financial limitations. He still faces lots of difficulties, but he firmly believes that God will hold his hand unceasingly. One of the graduates, Minea, shared how he equipped himself in order to survive. Even Christians need to work very hard and prepare themselves to compete in the 'cruel world.' Minea shared how God is gracious to put him into the right job so that he can serve the community and Christians through his knowledge and experience. In addition, Daniel, our Bible school graduate, shared the Word of God reminding us that the Christian's life is nothing without a close connection with God, and He will accomplish His great plan for us too. I may think that it is not justified to travel a long distance just to have a few hours of spiritual nourishment. However, the quality counts because I could see that all the participants were very encouraged and joyful throughout the trip.
Young people are the future hope of Cambodia. Whatever we do, such as our scholarship program, childcare ministry, school project ,VBS and the like, we pray to God that He will use our work and lives to build up their lives in His Word and grace.
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| Sharing and pray |
Students Worship
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Prayer points
- Pray for new sponsors for our young people (a total of nine) to study in university, especially as the enrolment period is running out
- Pray for the preparation work for the medical team and the school dedication ceremony
- Pray for Mark, our dorm supervisor and church leader, as he is still recovering from typhoid
- Pray for our mission land- the entrance and the road leading to the office are flooding because the road outside is now higher than our land. During the rainy season, it is difficult to get into the property. May God guide us to settle the problem. We also need to protect our guard and his family because his daughter is little and could easily fall into the potholes full of water.
In Christ,
Davis Lam
November 2010
Cambodia Mail Address: P.O Box 602, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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Davis Lam
