Growing Faith and Bringing Hope: the Ministries of the Mustard Seed School and the Way of Hope Methodist Church in Siem Reap, Cambodia

by: Romoe L. del Rosario

Seven years ago, in March 2008, Rev. Lun Sophy and his wife Yuwat, started the Mustard Seed School in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  It is a pre-school and at the same an English-language school where Khmer-speaking children, youth and adults learn English.  It is owned by the couple and run and managed by them, and they are among the teachers.  It provides scholarship for children from poor families. Income from the school maintains the school, contributes to the ministry of the Way of Hope Methodist Church in Siem Reap and pays for the salary of Rev. Sophy, who chose not to be paid from the budget of the Methodist Church in Cambodia.  It is his

way of moving both the school and the church toward self-support.  Incidentally, Rev. Sophy is also the District Superintendent of the entire Province of Siem Reap, and his and Yuwat’s ministry is an inspiration for the church throughout Cambodia. 

The first facility of the school was an old house owned by the parents of Yuwat, who are members of Way of Hope Methodist Church.  By 2012, when the enrolment was over a hundred children in the pre-school program, and eighty-five children, youth and adults in the English classes, it broke ground for a new facility on a nearby land donated by the parents of Yuwat. 

Friends in Singapore and in Pasadena, California donated toward the new school building which also houses the current worship facility for the Way of Hope Methodist Church.  In 2008, Mustard Seed School had five teachers in addition to Rev. Sophy and Yuwat.  Only one of the five teachers was a Christian.   Today, the same teachers plus two more teach alongside Rev. Sophy and Yuwat.  All profess faith in Jesus Christ.  Mustard Seed School has a current enrolment of two-hundred and eight students.    

Since 2008, the Mustard Seed School has become an evangelism arm and a center for discipleship among the children, their parents, and the teachers at the school as well as among the youth and adults that attend the English classes.  In its immediate neighborhood, in its surrounding villages and in the town of Siem Reap itself, the Mustard Seed School is now known as the “Jesus School.”  In actual fact, many of the current members and constituents of the Way Hope Methodist Church: twelve adults, twenty-five youth and forty children were drawn to Christ through the Mustard Seed School.  On weekends, the teachers at the Mustard Seed School and the youth of the Way of Hope

Methodist Church accompany Rev. Sophy and Yuwat in evangelism and in Christian education among the youth and the children in other villages in Siem Reap Province.  This ministry outreach has led to the birth of two chartered churches.  Sekada Church has twenty-five adults and over one hundred youth and children in its membership.  Tropeng Tem Church has twenty-five adults, twenty-five youth and fifty children.  On land purchased donated by friends in Singapore and the United States, members of Sekada Church have planted over two hundred fruit trees.  The harvest from the fruit trees will help sustain the ministries and programs of Sekada Church.  Likewise, on land donated by

friends in Singapore and the United States, members of Tropeng Tem Church have also started a farm of cashew trees and a chicken farm.  Thirty percent of the proceeds will pay for the education of the youth.  Another thirty percent is allocated for other programs and ministries. A third thirty percent is saved for emerging needs.  Ten percent is put aside for the maintenance of the farms.  Two other extension ministries of the Mustard Seed School and the Way of Hope Methodist Church have already officially become Preaching Points—one with sixty adults and one hundred and fifty children; the other, with fifty adults and seventy children. 

True to the calling of Christ and their respective names, the Mustard Seed School and the Way of Hope Methodist Church grow faith and bring new hope in the lives of the people of Cambodia. 

For detail about the Ministries of the Mustard Seed School and the Way of Hope Methodist Church click here:  HIS PATH

Susannah Wesley Women Center: an answered prayer for the Methodist Women in Cambodia

By: Helen L. Camarce’s Newsletter

 

“For to everyone who will, more be given, and he will have abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” – Matthew 25:29

The vision...In 2005, three Asian Methodist Women groups , donated an amount of $20,000 to Cambodia with a vision of buying a property where the first Women’s Center in Asia could be built. The fund was entrusted to the Women’s Ministry Desk headed by Marilyn Chan and the leadership of the Women in Cambodia with Ms. Nou Kim San as President. The fund remained untouched in the account of the Women’s Ministry Desk for years after failing to find an affordable property in the city.

God’s prompting...When Helen Camarce came to Cambodia in 2011 as the new Treasurer, she had with her information about this fund from the UMW Asia Regional Missionary, Ms. Emma Cantor. In coordination with the Women Ministry Desk and the CMW president, she surfaced  the fund and together they agreed to deposit it in a separate bank account with interest, still under the GBGM-UMC name with Marilyn Chan, Nou Kim San, Dr. Romeo del Rosario and Helen Camarce as signatories. This was at a time when the Asian Women groups in Korea, Singapore and Malaysia were already inquiring about the plans for the fund entrusted to the Cambodian Methodist Women.

The time of Accounting...In 2014, the Scranton Women’s Leadership Center(Korea) headed by Haesun Kim, the Wesley Foundation in Japan headed by Hikari Chang, and Laureen Ong as representative of the Methodist women in Singapore decided to hold the 2015 AYWLD(Asian Young Women Leadership Development) Training  in Cambodia after years of holding the event in the Philippines.  The Women’s Ministry Desk and the Cambodia women leaders resumed discussion about the Women Center in early 2014.

A lesson of stewardship…During the meetings, the Treasurer  suggested a fund-raising project be started among the Cambodian Methodist women.  This would be the first time that local women would be participating in raising funds for their own project.  The leaders were rather anxious, but they were also very excited.

 In October 2014, the women launched the first-ever fund raising project to build the Susannah Wesley Women Center. It was at the Women’s Leadership Training at Holy Mountain Church and the Clergywomen’s Fellowship in Siem Reap that the women distributed bottles among themselves.  The women were to deposit bills inside the  bottles that could later be used to buy the bricks needed to construct the Women’s Center. They called the project “ A Brick on the Wall for the Susannah Wesley Women Center”.

The idea was inspired by the “Parables of the Talent” in Matthew 25:14-30. The women were so excited to be a part of this project.

 2015 Women’s Conference: the 1^st harvest and more blessings ...Last January 2015, a group  of UMW from Virginia led by their retired Pastor Samuel Nesmith supported the 2015 Women’s Conference for 110 Cambodian Methodist Women that was held in Sihanoukville. These women represented 10 Districts in Cambodia. On the first day of the session, Marilyn Chan was approached by some women who brought their bottles and were ready to offer them.
It was not in the program schedule, But God had other plans. So with a little adjustment in the schedule by the organizers, on the third day of the session, we reminded the women of the vision to build our own Women Center. The Mission Superintendent, Rev. Sok Sovandy also announced the vision to start a new church in Mondulkiri Province.

Before we announced the proposed location of the Women’s Center in Mondulkiri, we requested the women to raise their bottles.  We were surprised to see one woman with her big bag of bottles—at which point we asked the women to bring the bottles up to the stage.

That day, $400.00 was raised from the bottles plus the special offering of about $200.00. We now have a seed money for our Susannah Wesley Women’s Center. 

The location of the Center.  We then announced that the location of the new Women’s Center is Mondulkiri. a property which we intended to fully pay by the end of February. The parcel of land for the Women’s center cost $28,500.00. Thus far, we only had $19,900 from the Asian Women, $700.00 from bank interest, and $4,500 from a United Methodist woman in Cal-Nevada. For a total of  $25,200.00.  We were still short of $3,500.00.

Suddenly a member of the Virginia UMW told our Country Director that she was donating the money needed so that the Women’s Center property could be fully paid. Everyone was ecstatic and moved.  We wept for joy!!! God is so good!!!

Our new property is a 3,000 sq. meter property with an existing one- bedroom house, a living area, kitchen, toilet with running water and lots of fruit bearing trees.

Our future Susannah Wesley Women Center in Asia.

Isn’t God generous and is never late and faithful?

Giving is possible, not because of what we have in our pockets but because of what we have in our hearts. Our hearts motivate us to give!!!

Isn’t God generous and faithful? Isn’t God’s timing perfect?

Giving is possible, not because of what we have in our pockets but because of what we have in our hearts. Our hearts motivate us to give!!!

The women in Battambang, in Banteay Meanchey, in Kg. Thom, in Kg. Chhnang, and in Kg. Spue are not rich women, most of them are farmers or wives of farmers.  Yet they were able to give!!!

Carol Damonte, came in November 2014, she asked us about our priorities. She gave through “Tuesday Giving” and her giving was matched. Alleluia!!

Neola Waller’s presence during the Women Conference with the Virginia UMW was not a coincidence. God has placed her there. We are grateful to her for her generosity. Praise the Lord!

Samuel Nesmith and the Virginia UMW, were instruments of these amazing miracles of God.

This story shows how amazing God is.

We are now in the planning stage of designing our Women Center! Please pray for us!!!

Please support us through Covenant Relationship:

Missionary Advance # 13953Z

You may support my ministry by giving to:

Cambodia Mission Initiative # 00230A -  Women’s Center

Send your gifts through The Advance to your conference treasurer or to Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068, New York, NY. 10087-9068 with the Advance number clearly designated on your check. For more information about developing a Covenant Relationship.                         
 Visit www.advancinghope.org