Dear brothers and sisters,

Peace in the Lord!

Settled in

God's preparation is really great! 

I moved to a new place in mid September. This is God's excellent provision. In what way?

• First, going out the main gate at ground level leads right to the main entrance for a large market. Total convenience.
  
  Second, the downstairs is the landlord's family residence. If there is any problem with the flat, I can seek their help. They also help by watching the gate. It's convenient and safe.
• Third, being located on a side street, not many vehicles go in and out, it's not so noisy and is even quieter at night. (But the sounds of dogs and cats howling are unavoidable.)
• Fourth, this is a just finished flat, new and clean.

Do you want to know how the furnishings get moved here? Look carefully at the pictures. My flat is on the upper floor and the stairs for getting up and down are very narrow, so the larger furniture and heavy bags had to be lifted up to the balcony. For that reason, the day I moved my things, I went to the student dorm to hunt up four young men to take care of the heavy labor.

Before I moved, I really wanted to get settled down. But after moving I asked myself why I wanted so much to get settled. In other people's eyes, maybe I am an adventurous person, but I myself know that change makes me exhausted. I don't know -- are these thoughts of avoidance or laziness because I am another year older? (That's just an excuse!)

Trying hard to study the Cambodian language

My Khmer language course at Phnom Penh University is already starting level 4. For each new lesson, the instructor only uses English to explain one or two new vocabulary words, and the rest is all in Khmer. As soon as I fail to pay attention, I won't even know what she is talking about, because I can't keep up. Therefore, I am even more attentive. We learn to understand the language in one context, and apart from that context, it is very difficult to hear and understand the individual words. When the hour and a half class is over, my most common impression is a headache.

Besides the university classes, I have also hired a tutor to come and instruct me at home, and to work hard with me to practice and review Khmer. Among the Cambodian women I know, very few know English because most of them married early, in their teens or early twenties, and then had children, thereby losing their chance to study. My tutor is an exception. Although both her parents died during the civil war, she was helped by an organization and was able to study in university. Her English proficiency lets her be a translator locally. She is a Christian, and each time before we study, she always prays for me in Khmer. She reminds me that being able to study and progress is the Heavenly Father's grace.

Faith

Some time ago I had the chance to go to Svay Chur village and came to find out that the number of people attending the worship services has fallen off badly. The church leaders told me that the villagers need to make a living and go to work even on Sundays instead of coming to the worship service, so that now only five or six people attend. So, sitting in their village church building which was just completed a few months ago and then having such a decline in the number of worshippers, it makes a very strong contrast.

However, for this very reason I saw a beautiful testimony there. Sister Mak is over fifty years old. Her husband abandoned her. Her children are not near, and she cares for a young grandson by herself. She told me that she relies on hiring out to do farm work for others in order to support herself. Each day she only earns about US $1.25 and lives hand to mouth. But, she still insists on stopping work each Sunday in order to go and worship. As the church leaders see the decrease in church attendance, it would be very easy for them to get discouraged, but when they see this sister's faith toward God and how she carries on with constancy, they are encouraged deep within. Yes, it is God who ". . . reserve[d] seven thousand in Israel -- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal . . ." (I Kings 19:18), and this is Christ's church.

Praise

• The Heavenly Father's abundant provision -- an ideal living quarters, a Khmer language tutor
• My home church's brothers and sisters who help and visit my family
• For all the brothers and sisters who work alongside me through their prayers

Prayer requests

• For the faith of the Svay Chur church leaders and believers
• I have joined the Community Health Education/Evangelism committee. Pray that God will guide us in how to start this work in the locations, preparing to do holistic care and evangelism in the communities.
• Pray for my ministry focus here. Ask the Heavenly Father to help me to understand and follow His perfect will.

Thank you for your prayers!

Miu Ling
13 October, 2004

Correspondence address:
Lee Miu-ling
PO Box 602, Phnom Penh, Cambodia