It felt like a scene out of an adventure movie but no, it was just an average day in Cambodia.

Two thousand stairs later and we had reached the top of the mountain. Now it was just a short scramble through the jungle, dodging vines and mud patches, until we reached the hidden waterfall. I gazed on it in amazement and smiled, watching people swim in the pool created by the roaring curtain of water. It felt like a scene out of an adventure movie but no, it was just an average day in Cambodia.

This was my second trip to Cambodia and I was excited to be back. My first trip had lasted eight months so I was pretty familiar with the country and had been able to spend time at every New Hope for Orphans Children’s Home. Now I was back just for ten weeks during the summer to reunite with the kids and maybe eat some more spiders. As I stood mesmerized by this waterfall the house mother of Preah Vihear Children’s Home asked if I wanted to go in the water. I said that maybe I would just get my feet wet. But secretly deep down I knew I wanted to dive all in. It was one of those once in a lifetime moments and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t make the most of it.And so even though I was wearing jeans I jumped in. I swam over to the waterfall and stood under it, letting the waters crash over me. I laughed and splashed and the joy I experienced was nothing short of a glimpse of paradise. I felt God bringing restoration to my soul and calling me even deeper into the adventure He has for me. My experience at the waterfall revealed to me an aspect of our relationship with God. I think when God places a calling on our lives we often feel a bit hesitant. When we say yes I think we sometimes agree to “just get our feet wet.” Our fears and insecurities pop up to remind us that if we go all in with God we might “get our jeans soaked” which represents being uncomfortable or doing something that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

But God’s waterfall of blessings waits for us. He calls us to dive fully in and to allow our lives to be completely flooded by the Holy Spirit. If we will surrender our lives and enter the waters, God will most certainly lead us to places outside our comfort zone. However, it is in following His will and His voice that we come to experience indescribable joy and deep wells of peace. God wants to lead us to stand below His waterfall so that we feel the power and grace of the almighty God pouring down on us and filling us with love, joy, kindness, generosity, hospitality, and hope.Each of the three children’s homes I stayed at on this trip—Kampong Cham Children’s Home, Preah Vihear Children’s Home, and Kampong Thom Children’s Home—had a culture of love, joy, kindness, generosity, hospitality, and hope. It is something you can feel the moment you arrive. People’s lives are changed when they spend time at the children’s homes because they come away having experienced the presence of God actively working in Cambodia and in the lives of Cambodian children.

The New Hope for Orphans children’s homes have placed Jesus as their foundation and are intentional about pursuing Christ. The house parents are faithful in teaching the children about God and living out their faith. Almost every day no matter what we were doing, whether playing games or studying English, there was always at least one kid singing away about the love of God. One time while we were out doing ministry in a village a few of the girls from the children’s home took the initiative to share with another girl their age about Jesus. It was incredible to witness the courage and gentleness with which they shared about the love of God and how it had transformed their lives. All the amazing moments I witnessed with these kids were the overflow of a Christ-like culture created by the Holy Spirit.The most powerful experience I had this summer was attending Kids Camp and getting to witness 450+ children from all the NHO homes together worshipping Christ. It is these kids who are going to transform the nation of Cambodia. They know that God is alive and moving in their country and they are ready to see the floodwaters of God’s blessing and power released. They are ready to dive all in.As my ten weeks in Cambodia this summer ended I thought a lot about what it means to carry with and in me all that I had witnessed and learned. I realized that the culture the Holy Spirit creates in our lives is one that is meant to be carried and meant to be shared. If we place our relationship with God as the highest priority in our lives I know that all of us can bring and establish a culture of love, joy, kindness, generosity, hospitality, and hope wherever we go.I hope that as light bearers we will set the standard so that our families, homes, schools, workplaces, and communities become opportunities and spaces for others to encounter the living and active presence of God. I hope that we will seek to stand under the waterfalls of God’s grace and blessing and allow ourselves to be filled with Him. I hope that we will constantly desire to go deeper into whatever God is calling us into, even if it means getting our jeans wet.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. ~ Mother Teresa

For the last several years SEAPC has served the 488 public schools and 130,000 students of Banteay Meanchey’s emerging generation through Banteay Meanchey Arise. This program was commissioned into action in 2014 in response to the abnormal achievements obtained by the students within Banteay Meanchey’s Rongko cluster schools as part of the Cambodia Christian School Network. The national missionaries are focused on offering coordinated weekly educational outreaches within the nine provincial districts. Part of these outreaches involve teaching english through Water Drop, an initiative providing every fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade teacher with weekly English lessons through the use of video and technology.

Water Drop began as a dream in Mark Geppert’s heart. He wanted to create an English program that would include a Bible-based curriculum. To accomplish this, he dreamt of using My Precious Book as a way to teach English, and make Jesus’ name known throughout the province. Meanwhile, in China, God was preparing the perfect person to spearhead this new program.

In the 4th grade, Jenni Taylor loved Amy Carmichael, a well-known missionary of 55 years in India. In fact, she vividly remembers wanting to own a sari just like her hero, Amy. This memory followed her to Peru, Shanghai, and her current residence –– Sisophon, Cambodia. Before Water Drop was even on the horizon, Jenni spent two years in Peru and was near the end of her fourth year teaching English in Shanghai. Things were shifting within her workplace and it was time for her to consider transitioning, but she wasn’t sure what was next. When Mark heard about this, he told her father, Dan, “tell her we have a place for her in Cambodia.” A few months later, Jenni met Matt on one of her visits home and he mentioned the opportunity again. With a loose possibility in the works, Jenni left China and reached out to Mark who encouraged her to come to Cambodia to talk more. Despite the unknowns presented in her transition, she vividly remembers knowing that God would take care of her.

After visiting Sisophon, Jenni felt hesitant to move. She enjoyed the city life that Shanghai offered. Cambodia was a world apart. Nevertheless, without having even said yes, she began emailing with Mark about what would later become known as Water Drop. Her decision to move came down to recognizing that she had the skill set and the time. Having now spent nine months in Cambodia, Jenni is amazed by how everything worked out, “now everything is falling into place and it feels right.” It is truly miraculous.

Mark recently told her, “This (Water Drop) is probably is bigger than you think it is...” After interviewing some of the teachers and witnessing a few English classes, this is evident.

Meet Kim, a 5th grade teacher in Preah Net Preah. Her favorite subjects to teach include math and science. Kim feels excited to come to learn English with the other teachers. She has been a teacher for 14 years and is happy to have this opportunity.

Tysovanndara has been a teacher for 9 years. As a 6th grade teacher, he is happy that his students are now learning English. He believes that “the program is good for me. And it is important for the students.”

Chhet Ratha has over 6 years experience as a teacher and currently has 36 students in his class. His favorite subject is English and this program is equipping him to teach with confidence. Ratha aspires to not only teach english to the children in his class, but make sure that all Cambodian children have this opportunity. For Ratha, “it is very important for the children in Cambodia to learn english and this program is helping me improve my english, teaching, and writing.”

Chun Samit teaches 9th grade. With a huge grin, she shared how this program is “very good” and she is “happy to come and study here.” She is not alone in her sentiments. A handful of other teachers shared the same thing.

These are just a few of the many teachers that are personally impacted by Water Drop. For their weekly classes, the teachers come from all over their districts. This means that some of them have to drive up to 1.5 hours to get to class. It is apparent that they are hungry to learn. When asked if Jenni ever imagined spearheading a program to this magnitude, she chuckled. For her entire life, she knew that she wanted to work in other countries to change the world, but she never imagined it looking like this.

Learn more about all that is happening in Cambodia through Banteay Meanchey Arise.

We were just pulling out of Tehuantepec, Mexico to head back to Oaxaca City after 4 days of healthcare clinics. My head was in a rush after having had a quick breakfast and then running around to finish all the administrative duties of a team leader: checking out, paying the bill, making sure the rooms were okay per hotel standards, saying the formal goodbyes to our hosts, etc. etc. I sat down and took a breath and remembered, “Oh yeah. We should pray.” So I stood up and asked everyone to bow their heads to pray with me for safe travels.“Lord, today we thank you for the time of service we’ve had here. Thank you for those who were healed both in body and in spirit this week. Please give us safe travels back to Oaxaca … um … surround us with angels and … um … give our driver strong arms and … yeah … quick eyes. Amen.”I quickly sat down completely embarrassed by my verbal stumbles and incompetent attempt at prayer. “Strong arms and quick eyes? Honestly, Greta…”

We had a five-hour drive ahead of us along the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range filled with switchbacks and hairpin turns. It was a bit of a wild ride, and our driver took these curves at faster-than-probably-advisable-speeds. As we quickly wound our way up and down, I began to grow very hot. I wondered if I was getting a fever.“Hey!” I thought, “Maybe that’s why my prayer was so ridiculous!” We stopped for a quick break to enjoy some coconuts, but as we loaded back into the van we were missing Isaias Acosta and Hector Zetino. I spotted them talking to the woman who had sold us the coconuts. I walked over to retrieve them, and as I opened my mouth to tell them to speed it up, I immediately stopped because I realized that they were leading her to the Lord. She was actually praying to accept Jesus that very moment! Praise God!Joyously we continued on our trip up and down and back and forth along the mountains. Then, abruptly, the AC stopped altogether.The driver informed us that he thought maybe it was the compressor, but not to worry because he had a “second AC system”. So he switched it over and it was working, but, again, not as well as it should have been working.

About an hour later, our driver suddenly began to tap on the brakes far more than usual. My radar went off and I sat up a little straighter. The driver began speaking in Spanish and Hector suddenly began to sit up straighter in his seat too. He leaned over and whispered to me, “He says it’s suddenly very hard to turn the wheel.”“Fantastic,” I thought. “Okay God, what are you going to do here in these switchbacks on the side of this mountain? This is going to be interesting. Please, just let us get to the bottom without an accident.”We slowly weaved our way down the mountain and came to a stop in a tiny little speck of a town in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Mexico. I laid down on the dusty ground and found tiny bits of shredded rubber dangling out of the bottom of the engine—the serpentine belt was broken.I asked what exactly a serpentine belt does and I was told it does a lot of things including run the compressor for the AC and run the power steering. It was at that moment I felt a stirring in me. “Strong arms,” I heard in my heart.Strong arms. Well, he certainly needed those to get us down the mountain around those curves.We asked around for a mechanics and was told there was one just about 100 yards back up the mountain. So we piled back in and our driver strained to get the wheel around and get us back up the 100 yards. We pulled off at a little shack made of wood and corrugated metal sheets. A variety of mechanical parts and tools were strewn about the dirt surrounding small projects in various states of repair. They took a look once again at the engine and the mechanic, unsurprisingly, informed us that he did not have the belt we needed. We apparently needed a specific belt for our specific make and model of van.

Our driver got on the phone and asked his boss what to do. Our only option was to wait two hours (which was really more like four hours) for the owner of the van to buy the belt and ship it to us on one of the bus lines that run through this area today. It was looking like a four to six-hour delay between waiting for the part and then the repair. So our driver spotted a gas station another 100 yards up ahead where there might be food and AC for us to wait in.Our driver began to pull onto the road and suddenly began frantically blaring his horn! “What now?” I thought. I stood up trying to see what was happening, and I watched as we began to pull off on the shoulder behind another vehicle. Our driver jumped out and ran up to the other vehicle. By the time I got out of the van and up to the other vehicle, our driver was all smiles. When I finally got Hector to translate, I found out that this van just happened to be the exact same model as ours. The other driver just happened to have the exact model of serpentine belt we needed. And he gave it to us for free.God is amazing!Then I felt someone punching me in the arm saying my name. “Greta! Greta! Quick eyes! Quick eyes!”“Huh?,” I said.“Your prayer this morning! Strong arms and quick eyes! He needed quick eyes to spot that van flying by us!”I began to laugh with joy. There I was doubled-over with laughter in the middle of a tiny town in the back-country of Mexico utterly astounded at the way God works through us. And when I turned around to survey where we had landed I found a dilapidated little concrete house behind us. And strung across the top of the house was a HUGE banner that said“¡Jesucristo es el Rey de Reyes!” Which means: “Jesus Christ is the King of Kings.”And all I could say was, “Amen!”

As it turns out, this dilapidated home was also a restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the cool shade of an outdoor patio served by a Christian family.The van was fixed and as we were waiting for our driver to eat I watched two weary strangers walkup to our group. My dear friend Isaias took them and sat down with them and our driver and bought them all lunch. They were ragged-looking. Covered in dust. I assumed they had been walking for miles if not days. As they finished eating, I heard the rest of the group begin to make rumbles that it was time to go, but I knew in my spirit we needed to wait.It didn’t take long. A few minutes later I watched as Isaias, our driver, and these two strangers bowed their heads. And for the second time that day I heard the sinner’s prayer being prayed. Yes, three more came to Christ that day.God is always working and always moving. That day was a tangible reminder to me that God is always with me and that no part of my life is too small for Him to be a part of. God is in the details. If you look at the world around you, you can find incredible examples of how intricately He designed His creation. From the beautifully intricate design of a leaf to the astoundingly complicated design of the human body, God is in the details. And He wants to be intimately involved in the details of your life.Is He?Do you offer that to Him? Do you tell Him about your day, your thoughts, your feelings? Do you offer Him your plans for Him to bless, tweak, or change altogether? Do you?Is He?I’m not patting myself on the back here. There was no poetic elegance in my prayer. No words of wisdom. I had been running around trying to do all the things that needed to be done, and so I certainly wasn’t “tuned in” to the Holy Spirit either that morning and praying the words He was giving me. I was just praying because I knew we should pray and the Holy Spirit still spoke through me.Even when we aren’t, He is. Even when we don’t, He does.

He does it all to save the lost. Had we not broken down that day I don’t know if those four individuals would have come to know the Lord. Maybe they would have, or maybe not.Regardless, God had chosen that day as the day He would reveal Himself to them. And God still had time to work on my heart that day, too, and I can guess that he worked on many hearts on our team that day.We serve an incredible God. A God who is even when we aren’t. It doesn’t matter how well you pray, how long you’ve walked with Him, or how “spiritual” you are. He’s there. He’s always there.He’s always there just waiting for you pray.

Luke 8:39 says “Return home and tell how much God has done for you…”

Every time I travel to China, God reveals more of his miraculous interventions and shows me how he knits everything together through the Holy Spirit. The prayers for this project continue to be answered and I need to praise God for His leading and guiding and to share what he is doing in China.I have been traveling to China for five years through the CARE project, and every year more of the plan that was written down five years ago comes to pass. This year I had the opportunity to share the complete testimony with one of the investors of a new school being built in Haikou, China. I shared how 17 years ago I traveled to China to pray and then five years ago when I returned to China God miraculously led me to Dr. Jia. It was at this time that a relationship formed between SEAPC and the Autism/Handicap Federation she works with in China. Out of that relationship SEAPC CARE was formed. I continued to share with this man how all of the pieces are coming together from across the globe that only God the Father could have put together. This man was amazed by the testimony and said, “I am a Buddhist, but after hearing you share your story I believe that God has brought you to China and that we will see great things.”Last year I jokingly shared with Dr. Jia that I would like to go to the beach while in China. Well, this year that desire came to be. A new center opened up five months ago in Haikou, China. The investor said, “This school did not exist last year when you said that you wanted to go to the beach. I believe that God has led us to open up this school in a beach area.” He continued to say, “I do believe that God is leading you, and we will follow God.”I agree with this man. I believe God is going to continue to do great things in China. I believe that God is leading us. I believe that when we share what God is doing, it increases our faith and the faith of others. This year our faith continues to grow as we see His hand moving.In August a team of educators, translators and intercessor traveled to Beijing and Haikou, China for 15 days to provide training to head teachers responsible for assessing children, writing their goals, and managing teachers under their supervision.

For one week our team worked with a group of head teachers from the Sunshine and Rainbow Hospital in Beijing doing training on how to assess children with autism and writing goals for treatment. This hospital will become one of the training sites for teachers as well as a treatment center for children with autism. The hospital focuses on inclusion. Children without autism are receiving an education in the preschool located in the hospital. The children with autism are first taught in a one-to-one session how to be successful in a regular classroom with their peers.Then they generalize the skills by being placed with peers in a regular classroom setting, which then prepares them for a public school setting. This is important because there is no special education in China for children with autism. If they cannot handle a regular school classroom, they cannot remain in the school. Teachers and/or parents of other children in the classroom can request that they no longer attend. Parents of children with autism are then forced to put their child into a private school or to keep them home. The focus of this hospital is very important for children to be prepared to be educated with their peers without autism in the public school.The dream of the director of this school is to obtain funds so that a private school could be established for those children that cannot be successful in the public school setting. The children are capable of doing academic work but their behaviors may impede their ability to be successful in an inclusion setting. A school that understands the behaviors individuals with autism exhibit can meet their academic and behavior needs in a positive environment. Our prayer for this director is that she can find the funds to form such a school where children with autism can be educated, become independent, contribute to society, and be a part of the workforce. Thus reducing the stress of the family and providing hope to the individual.

In Haikou, we trained 100 teachers on Applied Behavior Analysis and teaching strategies. We also worked with 35 teachers — all new college graduates — that were chosen by Dr. Jia to be the first teachers to receive intensive teaching on methods used to teach children with autism. The new center in Haikou has dormitories for teachers to live in as they study how to teach children with autism using ABA therapy. There is also housing for 20 families from Tibet that have children with autism, who are there to receive government funded treatment. The grounds at the new training center have stables for therapeutic horseback riding, a track, roller skating rink, soccer field, cottages to teach children how to eat in a restaurant, and a proposed swimming pool that will be in place this coming year. The government of China has given $10 million USD toward this teaching facility and several private investors have also invested money in completing the renovations.

During our time, we were also able to do some parent training. Parent struggles in China are the same as those in the U.S. Many questions were asked about how to handle the problem behavior and sleep and eating disorders that are prevalent in autism. Bob Rosswog, our intercessor, prayed for the families during our training time with them. One of the parents shared that they wanted to become a Christian and asked how to obtain a Bible.Our team also went to a home where a 20-year-old man with autism lives with his parents. His mother is an alcoholic and his father takes care of the boy with the help of a nanny. A member from the Chong Wen Men Church has been ministering to this family. We had a time of prayer and tried to provide them with some basic information that would help their child communicate. The parents are desperate for some type of treatment for their non-verbal son. The CARE project is working with the Chong Wen Men church in equipping the Sunday School teachers to minister to families such as this one. Lydia is one of the leaders of the autism ministry from the Chong Wen Men Church. She has recently started her online coursework from Cairn University to obtain a master’s degree in autism and ABA. Lydia is working toward becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst which will equip her to provide therapy to children with autism. Cairn University is working with the CARE project by offering half-off tuition to teachers in China that wish to pursue their degree in Applied Behavior Analysis.The SEAPC CARE project’s focus is to continue offering training throughout the year to the teachers to expand their knowledge regarding treatment. The goal is to have training centers in both Northern and Southern China. Dr. Rachel Kittenbrink and I are planning a series of trainings that will hopefully occur every three months in China. This will further the education of the teachers and provide evidence-based treatment for the children.One of the most exciting things to share is a new school that will provide treatment for kids and ministry for the families is opening in Chengdu China under the direction of Gail and Daniel, who also provide care to children from the Tibetan region as part of Touching Hearts Child Care. Gail has secured a classroom in an incubation center to begin offering treatment to families. She has also enrolled into the Cairn University program to obtain her certificate in Autism and ABA with the help of SEAPC.God has done so much for us and continues to bless us. I praise Him for what he has accomplished so far but the work has just begun. There is a great deal to be accomplished and your prayers are needed to help us continue to bring hope to the families of children with autism in China.

SEAPC Coins for Kids is a loose change offering that is collected, combined with the love of Jesus, and sent out to bless kids in need all over the world. Since its inception in 2007, The Coins for Kids campaign has raised over $200,000 and has provided blessings as vital as heart surgeries to basic needs like school uniforms! Children can easily participate in this collection by asking to help with chores in exchange for coins, knowing the money is not for them, but for kids their own age who have so much less.

Brianne and her children opened a lemonade stand this summer to help raise money for SEAPC Coins for Kids. We are so inspired by their love. "I feel it is very important for children to understand that there are people all over the world that need help. We can do little things like have a lemonade stand and teach them to give to others in need... We love Jesus and we just want to share his love with others." ~ Brianne Wakefield

The Joyful Twirlers are a Christian-based baton ministry in the Pittsburgh area with a mission to share the love of Christ with others and delight audiences by performing to contemporary Christian music. Over the last several years, they have been doing SEAPC Coins for Kids as a service project. Gina Stropkaj, the director of the ministry, told us, “I love giving the girls an opportunity to change lives with their families’ change.” Last Spring, the girls each took home a bottle and returned them with joy at the end of the month. Gina told us that one girl filled five bottles for SEAPC Coins for Kids, because her family gets the SEAPC magazine and remembers the dance group from Cambodia coming to their church years ago. SEAPC Coins for Kids is the perfect way for small groups, Sunday School classes, and individuals to be a blessing to children around the world and bring lasting change.Here are a few fun ways to contribute: Chores for Rewards– Ask your parents, grandparents, or neighbors if you can do some simple chores in exchange for some coins. Also, if the chores involve cleaning, ask if you can collect any change found while doing so.Container Placement– Ask store or restaurant owners, where you frequent, if they would place a container on their counter during the course of the campaign. It is recommended you provide the container or bottle with a label as well as brochures and a poster for their establishment so questions can be easily answered. We would be happy to send you digital files for these items! Please contact us at info@seapc.org to request them.You can discover more ways to contribute here.

In Cambodia, there are three tiers of sub-national administration –– the capital city/province, district/municipality/khan, and sangkat/commune. Each province is further divided into municipalities and districts, which are then subdivided into communes and sangkats. Ms. Dane Chamroeun is the sole female superintendent of education in her province –– a huge accomplishment. When we learned about Dane, we were excited to sit down with her and hear her remarkable story.Dane started out her career as an elementary school teacher. She loves children and enjoyed teaching for two years. While teaching, Dane befriended the former superintendent of her district whom eventually appointed her. Initially, she thought that she was “too young and didn’t have enough experience.” A mother of two, Dane also felt hesitant to take on this new role. Through her family’s encouragement, however, she decided to accept the challenge.

As the superintendent, Dane is responsible for 49 public schools and a total of 735 teachers. This means that a large part of her job involves travel. Dane frequently meets with the principals to get a pulse on how each school is doing. At first, her transition from teacher to superintendent was challenging. Thankfully, Dane happily shared how, “my family knows that this job is difficult and they help me accomplish my workload.” Now that she is more accustomed to her role, she enjoys almost every aspect of her job, especially working with the elementary teachers –– something that is close to her heart.Sitting upright in her light blue blouse, Dane exudes confidence. It is her dream that this school district would become a cluster school –– similar to Banteay Meanchey’s Rongko cluster schools. She also desires for more teachers to learn English, because it is her ultimate wish every child in her district to learn English. When asked what it is like be the only female superintendent out of the nine superintendents in her province, she gushed how all of the men treat her with respect and look out for her. It is evident that Dane is proud of herself for holding this position and feels supported by her male colleagues –– a surprising, yet beautiful, revelation from our time spent together.Before parting ways, Dane expressed her thanks to the national missionaries, along with Jenni Taylor, for the Water Drop program. She is really excited about this program, because of the opportunity it presents for more kids to learn English. With a smile, she shared how “the teachers that attended the Water Drop seminar [in February 2018] told me that Jenni is a good teacher with a lot of talent.” Dane requests that SEAPC continues to work, even if the teacher’s don’t attend English class. This upcoming school year, she will call all of the principals together to discuss the possibility of all teachers joining the program, a curriculum based on Judeo-Christian values.We celebrate Dane and her heart for the children and future of Cambodia. It is apparent that the favor of God is on her life and it is exciting to imagine the future of education in Banteay Meanchey with her influence. We are thankful to work under her leadership.

In 2013, I interned at a refugee resettlement agency. As an international affairs major in a not-so-international city, I needed to get some experience in my field but couldn’t afford to spend the summer in New York City or Washington, D.C. After weeks and months of searching for a suitable summer internship, I happened upon a listing at a local resettlement agency. Despite fumbling my way through the interview process, I miraculously got the position.

In those first few weeks, it was so completely outside of my admittedly narrow comfort zone that I went home and cried just about every night until I finally got into the groove of things. I spent most of my days driving clients around the city to different appointments, helping them to find housing, and getting them all set up in their new homes. The work was equal parts fulfilling and overwhelming. Picking up families from the airport who were carrying a single suitcase filled with their few belongings and hearing their stories of spending sometimes years in refugee camps was heartbreaking. I felt so blessed to get to serve them, but my heart ached for each of them and what they had been through, and what so many in their home countries were still experiencing.That summer, most of the refugees I was working with were being resettled from Nepal and Myanmar, and for no particular reason I was mostly assigned to work with a lot of the clients from Myanmar. It was my first time meeting anybody from Myanmar and I was amazed to hear stories of a place that sounded so distant and different from the life I knew. Even though I had traveled to Cambodia just a few years earlier on a trip with my church, I had little frame of reference for where Myanmar was, let alone its history, until meeting these clients. I was amazed by the warm and caring nature that so many of the clients displayed.

After spending just a few hours with one young family, the mother—who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me—took to calling me “sister” and was so excited to hear that I was named after the Sarah in the Bible, and was also excited to share that her husband had been a pastor in Myanmar. Later that day, as I spent 20 minutes circling the block in downtown rush-hour traffic to find a safe place to park so I could drop her off to meet her husband at a nearby bus stop, I was completely frazzled and distracted. As we finally parked and she said goodbye, she promised to be praying for me, and thanked me for my help. It was such a simple gesture, but one that made me stop in my tracks.

As I so often do, I was focused on my own stresses and anxieties rather than God’s goodness, faithfulness, and grace.

Thankfully, through no ability of my own, I met this lovely woman who (likely unknowingly) reminded me of just that. I think we all have moments in our lives that we can look back on as ones that re-centered our focus and brought us out of the haze. For me, this was one of them, and another of those re-centering moments took place about five years later on a short-term trip.On trips, you can so easily get caught up in the details of it all. The security lines, the visa applications, the bus arrangements, the water bottle purchasing. If you’re not intentional, entire hours and days become more like checklists than opportunities to be Jesus’ hands and feet. Our team of 23 had just spent a week in Cambodia with children at an NHO home in Kampong Speu. It was a fantastic trip, but I was still finding myself exhausted by the end of it. As an introvert, I had said the phrase “my tank is EMPTY” more than a handful of times towards the end of the week.

As we landed in Yangon for the second half of our trip, I was excited and nervous about what the upcoming week held. It was my first time in the country, and I was so thrilled to be in a place that I had heard so much about, but anxious about how much I had left to give. Myanmar had been on my heart and mind ever since that summer, and getting a job at a place that served in Myanmar was like an answer to prayer that I hadn’t even realized I was praying.Just after dark that night, we finally piled into our bus to visit Charity Children’s Home while all around us Myanmar’s August rains were in full force. We thought that the kids would be studying for exams that night, and had been expecting just a quick tour of the grounds from Chung Nung, so as not to disturb them. But as we got off the bus, a group of young women with umbrellas rushed towards us to usher everyone into a meeting space. In the distance I could hear a song, but amid the flurry of activity couldn’t quite figure out what was happening.

As we each gingerly walked in, uncertain if we were interrupting something, the generator kicked on and illuminated the once candle-lit room. The kids from Charity Children’s Home were seated in perfect lines on the floor, singing “All To Jesus I Surrender” in unison. It was as they were singing the refrain that the lights flickered on:

I surrender all,

I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

I don’t think it’s possible to adequately describe the sweetness of that moment, which was followed by each and every child in the room lining up to shake every team member’s hand. I also don’t think you could ask for a more obvious moment to recenter (nor a better way to start a week of ministry) than after hearing a roomful of kids singing such powerful words. And as I thought back to the ache I felt for the clients I worked with, in that moment I felt such immense peace knowing that 200+ kids in Myanmar were being raised up to serve God in their country. While there are surely people still hurting in this country, these 200+ kids have found a haven and place of deep belonging. It is my prayer that others will encounter the hope of Jesus through these kids, just as I did, and that this post would be a reminder for you to step out of the haze of the daily stresses of life, and recognize that His goodness is all around us.

This post originally appeared in the September 2018 SEAPC Magazine.For as long as I can recall, I have always known just how much my Savior loves me. I can remember actually sensing His love from the time I was only about six years old. I remember my parents taking us to the church during Lent and watching an old movie, and I do mean old… it was literally in black and white with the dialogue written across the bottom. The images of the torture and crucifixion of Christ as were depicted in this film were forever stamped on my heart and mind. But it wasn’t just the horror of the scenes which I remember. It was actually some type of a sense of the reality of the Presence of God, and the ultimate sacrificial love that was being poured out. I truly believe that this was the first time I am now able to remember God’s hand upon me, though of course, I was unable to understand any of it. Our whole family was very active in the local church, and I have wonderful memories of good fellowship and wonderful music during those years there.Unfortunately, I was never taught that it was necessary to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This revelation did not come until I was almost 40 years old. And yet, throughout my life, I somehow knew that God loved me and there was a Jesus. This I never doubted. After I experienced a salvation experience along with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, I began to realize that my love for Him was growing! The fullness of this love was demonstrated to me one time when I was on a mission trip to Mexico. I was in Saltillo, Coahuila when I fell ill with the common malady of missionaries called “Moctezuma’s revenge.” As I was laying on my bed thinking God was surely taking me home on this day, I suddenly began to feel an overwhelming sense of love. I could feel myself slipping away into His Presence deeper and deeper. It felt as if waves were washing over and over me… and it was the realization of how much I loved Him! Oh yes, I knew how much He loved me, but never before did I know the measure of pure and unadulterated love I had for Him. That was a new and very special revelation which has changed my life forever. For you see, I now carried the ability within me to better love people unconditionally and to begin to see people as God sees them. Often as a pastor, I would be accused of “erring on the side of grace.” But so often I was able to already see the people as He saw them… their potential as brothers and sisters who have been forgiven and restored. You see, He loves us whether we love Him or not, but it is only when we reciprocate that we have a real relationship with Christ, as God intended.

This post originally appeared in the September 2018 SEAPC Magazine.SEAPC offers many ways to get involved with reaching out to folks across the globe, and one of the most personable ways is a short-term outreach. One of our outreach venues is medical missions. Bill Richardson, Director of Missions at SEAPC, captures a fundamental truth as he says, “Medical missions opens a door for people to pray, and demonstrate the love of Christ in a practical way. It also provides a platform for people gifted in medical arts to give to the needy in different countries around the world.” Prayers certainly have been answered, and God has given favor as we reach out with medical missions.

In Kashmir, India, some major inroads have been made. The requests were big, but our God is bigger! SEAPC was asked to bring surgeons and medical supplies to address a situation created by widespread rioting that left many people, young and old alike, with debilitating eye injuries. Volunteer medical teams went in to address immediate needs, and to access possibilities for long term solutions. Plans are moving forward to rent space for a high-tech school for the blind in Kashmir. Initially, the school will accommodate 25 students, but eventually the number of students will increase to 100.SEAPC is also helping to serve medical needs in North India through a partnership with John Bishop Memorial Hospital. Children born at this hospital are dedicated to Jesus, and the love of Jesus permeates the spirits of these precious babies. Also at this hospital is a teaching center where young women are being trained as nurses and midwives. Unfortunately, the government declared the center to be obsolete. So, unless a new one is built the government planned to seize the land, condemn the buildings and close the work. SEAPC agreed to storm the gates of heaven and find a way to keep the doors of John Bishop Memorial Hospital open. To date, we have already had a groundbreaking. However, in order to continue, approximately $185,000 is still needed. It can be done! Please join us in prayer for this need. Medical short-term outreach teams have and will continue to extend to several other locations around the globe. A team recently went to Guatemala to do some relief work following the recent earthquake, and plans are now being made to develop first aid training for children’s homes throughout Cambodia. This month, there will be a medical team traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico. They will spend part of the outreach ministering at a maternity hospital, then spend several days ministering in outlying villages. As people experience the healing power of God, they become more open to hearing about and even experiencing all the wonderful possibilities that flow from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Medical mission teams typically purpose to stop the spread of contagious diseases, but they also have another awesome opportunity to be contagious. Bob Roth, who has been part of numerous SEAPC medical outreaches, sums it up well as he exhorts us to “be a contagious Christian!”

In addition to monetary gifts, there is a great need for donations of medical supplies, as well as medically trained personnel to take part in the medical outreach teams. For more information, please contact our office at 412-826-9063 and ask to speak with missions coordinator Carly Land.

SEAPC partners with like-minded ministries in four countries to help provide parenting to over 700 children. In Cambodia, SEAPC partners with New Hope for Orphans to care for 443 children living in 15 homes throughout the country. These homes are run by 14 sets of house parents and one house father. We are excited to share a few of their stories with you today.

Meet Vandy Bunthet and Tavy Chay, the lovely Kampong Cham house parents. Vandy grew up Buddhist in a single-parent household. One of his classmates invited him to learn English at a nearby church. An avid learner, he agreed to attend. Though Vandy was initially uninterested in Jesus, he became enamored by how the pastor described God as a loving Father. Having grown up without a father, he was touched by this new understanding of God and decided to follow Jesus. Similar to Vandy, Tavy also lived in a broken home. When her mother remarried, she married an abusive man. In time, Tavy’s mother split from this man and remarried a man that loved Tavy and treated her like she was his own daughter. Tavy first heard the Gospel from her mother’s friend during a family meal, and from that moment forward, the entire family came to know and love Jesus. Having experienced such lack and heartache in her formative years, Tavy developed a huge heart for the least of these.Ever since he was 14, Vandy had a heart to start a children’s home and help other orphans. It was his desire to give these orphans a “good life.” When Vandy and Tavy planned to marry, they were delighted to discover their shared vision and heart for orphan care. In response, they moved to the countryside to open an NHO children’s home. They have been houseparents for 10 years and currently have 45 children under their loving care. While they face challenges, their favorite aspect of parenting is when they see the children smile. They “feel happy to serve the kids” and it breaks their hearts when new children arrive and don’t know that they are loved. It is obvious that it is their deepest desire for these children to feel part of the family and know that they are accepted. Please pray for this precious couple and their growing family. Pray specifically for their life in the country to be filled with plenty of smiles.

Similar to Vandy, Seyha grew up in a single-parent household. Both Seyha and his mother came to know the Lord at the same time and desired to serve together. A few years later, they opened an NHO children’s home. They knew Pastor Sinai, because he taught Bible to Seyha’s mother in the early stages of her faith. After they opened the children’s home, Seyha simultaneously became a pastor and an older brother to several younger siblings. Needless to say, it was a quick learning curve for both mother and son. In 2004, they received funding for a new children’s home in Kampong Speu and started to take in more orphaned and abandoned children. Srey Sros, now Seyha’s wife, was one of the first children that came through. While Seyha and Srey Sros have only officially been house parents since Seyha’s mother passed away in April of 2017, Seyha has been caring for orphaned and abandoned children for nearly two decades. His mother was the one who suggested that Seyha should marry Srey Sros, and even helped plan the wedding before her passing. It was a perfect match and this newly married couple are now house parents to 38 children (22 boys and 16 girls). Life as a house parent is not easy. According to Seyha, “working with the children can be hard, sometimes we mean good for them and they don’t realize it. This is the hardest part of parenting. Even though some of the children fall down, it is amazing to witness them getting back up. We love getting to see them go to university and get jobs of their own.” During Kid’s Camp, Seyha and Srey Sros were proud to share that three of their university aged children offered to come and help with the other children. They are deeply touched by their older children when they visit the children’s home and offer to help feed the new children with their own hard-earned money. Moments like these are refreshing to these incredible parents.

Sarouen Svay, a house father to 19 university students living in Phnom Phen, is as kind as he appears in pictures. He has been a house parent for fifteen years, four of those through NHO. Sarouen became a house parent at a later age, but that is because he also came to know Jesus later in life. In 2000, one of Sarouen’s friends told him about Jesus and asked him to come and work with a local NGO. While he didn’t come to know Jesus at that time, seeds were planted. Sarouen didn’t have time to work with the organization, but he allocated some time to volunteer. As proof of God’s relentless and loving pursuit, one of the leaders was a Christian and talked to Sarouen about Jesus. Later, Sarouen discovered that everyone was a Christian at that NGO except for him. Slowly, Sarouen came to know Jesus by interacting with the other volunteers –– through their example. After accepting Jesus in 2003, Sarouen decided to become a house parent. He loved the kids and wanted to “see them grow up happy with good teachers.” In 2014, Sarouen began working with NHO. Children that come to university, from NHO homes throughout the country, stay with him while they are studying. Saroeun loves university students and is happy to provide housing for them. Like most parents of teenagers or young adults, Sarouen mentioned how it is challenging to get the young adults to listen to him. When they come to mind, he slyly smiled and asked for people to please pray for his kids to listen. He would love your prayers for the students and for the peace of God to fill his home. This incredible 71-year-old man is an amazing reminder that it is never too late to serve God.

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…” ~ James 1:27

These incredible parents are the real deal. They selflessly care for the needs of others with the humility and love of Jesus. Please keep them in your prayers.