Dear brothers and sisters:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  ~ Romans 8:28

Pastor Samuel Sar seeks medical help in Vietnam

        Pastor Samuel, pastor of Treyslaa Village and director of House of Peace (our third childcare centre) has been ill and on sick leave since late 2007.  His health deteriorated last month and the doctor said that he has blood clot in his brain.  Upon discharge from one of the hospitals last week, he was admitted to another the very next day.  His situation got worse this time; not only did he have breathing difficulties, he also had internal bleeding. Later he went into a coma and the doctor determined that he had hydrocephalus and needs to seek immediate medical assistance in Vietnam.

        Pastor Samuel's wife asked the mission board for a loan of USD 10,000.  We could only turn to God in prayers when we learned about that request.  Because of the huge amount, we needed to discuss and obtain approval from the mission board back in Hong Kong. Money lending is very common among Cambodians.  Debt forfeiting is also very common here.  We had set policies on borrowing money in the past, however, the policies were often abused.  Now we take extra cautions when it comes to issues like that. While we were meditating on how to reply to Pastor Samuel's wife, we received a text message from a lay pastor of the church.  He suggested that we do our best to help Pastor Samuel because our response is a very important witness.  There is a Cambodian proverb that says, "When you are healthy, you will be used by God; when you are sick, you will be dropped from ministry." We don't want the local people to think of the church and the mission board that way.  In contrast, we want to reflect God's love and grace for everyone.

        Praise God for his timely reminder and provision. When Pastor Samuel's son Daniel was ready to take his father to Vietnam for medical treatment, we got word from the mission board that we can loan the family USD 2,000 so Pastor Samuel can get proper diagnosis and timely treatment.  Because the House of Peace is a joint ministry with the Hong Kong Alliance Church's mission board, Chan Lai Kuen, missionary from Hong Kong, also helped Pastor Samuel contact the local church in Vietnam. Not only did they visit him in the hospital, they also helped Pastor Samuel's two sons who don't know anyone in Vietnam. It meant a lot to us that we were able to get help from brothers and sisters in a foreign country. It is such a beautiful picture that we have crossed the barriers of denomination, mission board, church, and ethnic groups to help and serve one another.

Pastor Samuel's family

Shocking news

        One of the 12^th graders in the House of Love (Pastor Samuel's nephew) was arrested by the police last month.  He was a suspect for having killed his classmate by accident. Upon learning of this news, we were terrified. It so happened that we were having our team prayer meeting that day so we went to the village to understand more of the situation and to visit and pray with the family. We learned that this teenager had been drinking and was throwing bricks on the street. Apparently one of the bricks fell on his classmate.

        I had to handle a similar situation with three of our students who were caught drinking last week.  They haven't learned from the mistake of the other teenager who was arrested by the police. With students like these we first try to counsel them, and then give them a warning and probation.  After we have exhausted all methods, we will send the student home. We were going to send these students home, however, upon the request of their church youth leader, we granted these young people another chance so that they would not indulge themselves in sin.  The leader agreed to arrange some university students to spend more time with these students.

Praises and Thanksgiving

• 1. That God gives peace and health
• 2. That students in House of Love are in good care of their youth leaders
• 3. That childcare ministry has sufficient financial reserve to meet the inflationary pressure
• 4. That Pastor Samuel has safely arrived Vietnam for medical treatment

Prayer Requests

• 1. God will grant me strength and wisdom to face the daily challenges
• 2. God will prepare the best doctor for Pastor Samuel and also provide sufficient funds for his medical treatment and speedy recovery
• 3. The students in the House of Love will be convicted by God's Word and turn back to Him
• 4. God will send another teacher to replace the last teacher who resigned two months ago

Thank you for co-laboring with me through your prayers.

Lee Miu Ling

June 24, 2008

P.O. Box 602, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Postscript:

• a. Pastor Samuel was the first believer in our church. He led his whole household to Christ and opened up his home for church gatherings. We sponsored him and later his son (Daniel) to study in the seminary. Daniel returned to our church to serve for three years after his graduation. He later changed his ministry to serve with a Christian organization, however, he continues to serve faithfully in our church through teaching in Sunday School, filling the pulpit, and chairing and serving on several committees.
• b. After discussing with the mission board in Hong Kong, an account has been set up for Pastor Samuel's medical treatment. If you are interested in helping Pastor Samuel, please send your donation to the Hong Kong Free Methodist Church (please write Cambodia Benevolent Fund on your check). Checks can be mailed to the HKFMC/Mission Board