Our 2 teams to Cambodia hosted 3 Bible conferences. Our target audience for the first conference, led by the men's team, was pastors to help them develop patterns in their lives to keep them healthy and thriving, their families healthy and their church healthy. The 40 pastors who attended eagerly grasped every word, they asked lots of questions, were encouraged and asked that we return again to help them continue in their growth. One of the translators took the acronym R.O.A.D.S. for How to Study the Bible and changed the wording to make it easier for them to remember using 5 Khmer words that start with the same sound. Pray for these pastors and leaders of small congregations, some with 2 or 3 villages, to not grow weary as they struggle to balance family, ministry and some kind of employment.
The Women's team led the second and third conferences which were to teach women how to study the Bible for themselves. We anticipated about 40 women at each conference but at Skun, we had 85 women! Our challenge was 1/3-1/2 of the participants could not read, so other women read to them. We had books printed with the Book of James and lessons printed in Khmer for them, so that they could highlight words and write in the books. The idea of reading slowly and repeatedly for better understanding was foreign to them. At first the women struggled to understand how to do it but it was exciting to see them get it.
At the second women's conference in Kampong Cham we had 70 participants! Most of these women have a higher education and can read, so they grasped the concepts more quickly. Some of the responses from the women were, "I see the importance of working together with women in other churches." "They feel joy together with the other women." "This was a new way to study the Bible and they liked it because it helped them learn better." At the end of each conference we had the women get together with others from their village to make a definite plan about when, where, and how they will meet together to study God's Word. Pray they will be faithful and grow in their knowledge and love of God and lead their families and communities to God.
I was in awe of how God brought so many men and women together; "...far more abundantly than we could ask or think." Our team members were perfectly equipped with skills, knowledge, energy, and passion to love and serve God and others.
The Women's team led the second and third conferences which were to teach women how to study the Bible for themselves. We anticipated about 40 women at each conference but at Skun, we had 85 women! Our challenge was 1/3-1/2 of the participants could not read, so other women read to them. We had books printed with the Book of James and lessons printed in Khmer for them, so that they could highlight words and write in the books. The idea of reading slowly and repeatedly for better understanding was foreign to them. At first the women struggled to understand how to do it but it was exciting to see them get it.
At the second women's conference in Kampong Cham we had 70 participants! Most of these women have a higher education and can read, so they grasped the concepts more quickly. Some of the responses from the women were, "I see the importance of working together with women in other churches." "They feel joy together with the other women." "This was a new way to study the Bible and they liked it because it helped them learn better." At the end of each conference we had the women get together with others from their village to make a definite plan about when, where, and how they will meet together to study God's Word. Pray they will be faithful and grow in their knowledge and love of God and lead their families and communities to God.
I was in awe of how God brought so many men and women together; "...far more abundantly than we could ask or think." Our team members were perfectly equipped with skills, knowledge, energy, and passion to love and serve God and others.